CS9 



STIRLINGSHIRE. 



STIRLINGSHIRE. 



670 



4 0' W. long., distant 29 milea N.E. from Glasgow, and 36 miles N.W. 

 from Edinburgh by road and by the Edinburgh and Gla-gow and 

 Scottish Central railways. The population in 1851 was 12,837. The 

 town is governed by a provost and 20 councillors, 4 of whom are 

 bailies, and unites with Culross, Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, and 

 Queensferry, in the return of one member to the Imperial Parliament. 



A castle was early erected here, under the protection of which the 

 town grew up ; and from its commanding the passage of the Forth, 

 soon rose into importance. Its earliest known charter as a royal burgh 

 is dated 1119. In the 12th and 13th centuries Stirling castle was 

 considered to be one of the four principal fortresses of the kingdom ; 

 and it is oA of the four which are still upheld by virtue of the articles 

 of the Union. It appears conspicuously in the history of the English 

 wars, and was frequently the residence of the Scottish kings. 



The town is irregularly laid out; a winding street, or road, not 

 lined with houses throughout, leads to the bridge over the Forth, and 

 by that towards Perth. The Castle Hill, a long and narrow ridge, is 

 on the north-west side of the town, over which it rises gently, but 

 presents a steep slope on the other sides, and is in some parts pre- 

 cipitous. The palace, built by James V., is now converted into a 

 barrack ; and the adjacent hall, built by James III. for the meeting of 

 the Scottish parliament, is now a riding-school. Adjoining this is 

 the chapel royal, built by James III., now employed as an armoury. 

 The castle contains a depot of arms, and is occupied by a garrison. 

 Several new and wide streets have been opened and others much 

 improved of late years. The town is lighted with gas. The old 

 church, a fine building chiefly of decorated architecture, stands near 

 the castle. It was originally the conventual church of a Gray or 

 Franciscan friary, founded by James IV. in 1484. The chancel was 

 built by Cardinal Beaton. The building now forms two churches of 

 the Establishment, called the East and West churches. There are 

 another church of the establishment called the North church, two 

 places of worship for the Fre Church, two for the United Presbyte- 

 rians, and one each for Baptists, Independents, Reformed Presbyterians, 

 Scottish Episcopalians, and Roman Catholics, several schools, and a 

 saving* bank. South of the Gray Friars' church is Gowane's hospital, 

 built in 1639 ; and north of it are the ruins of a curious old house of 

 the earls of Mar, called Mar's Work. Another old house built by 

 Sir William Alexander, earl of Stirling, is now used as a military 

 hospital. The old bridge over the Forth is a structure of the 16th 

 century ; the new bridge is more convenient. The town-house is an 

 old building with a spire ; behind it is the jail. There are commodious 

 corn and meat market*, and a handsome building, the Athenxum, 

 devoted to literary purposes. Then is also an extensive agricultural 

 museum. 



The chief manufacture* are of tartan and tartan shawls, carpets, 

 cotton goods, malt, and leather. There an dye-house* for yarns, 

 rope-yard*, and breweries. Considerable trade is earned on in corn. 

 wood, coals, bricks, tile*, lime, and wool There is constant commu- 

 nication by steamer* with Newhaven, Leith, and the other places on 

 the Forth. The Secession, now merged in the United Presbyterian 

 Church, had its origin in Stirling in the year 1783, in consequence of 

 proceedings taken by the Established Church against Ebenezer Erskine, 

 one of the ministers of the West church, who opposed the arbitrary 

 proceedings of the General Assembly. There are some important 

 charitable institutions of ancient foundation in the town. 



STIRLINGSHIRE, an inland county of Scotland, is bounded N. 

 by Perthshire, N.E. by Clackmannanshire and a detached portion of 

 Perthshire, K. and S.E. by Linlithgowshire, 8. by Lanarkshire and 

 Dumbartonshire, and S.W. and W. by Dumbartonshire, from which it 

 is separated by Loch Lomond: it lies between 55 1 53' and 56' 22' 

 N. lat, 8* 38' and 4 40' W. long. The form of the county is irregular : 

 the greatest length is 45 miles ; the greatest breadth about 18 miles. 

 There are two insulated portions surrounded by the counties of Perth 

 and Clackmannan. The area is 402 square mile*, or 295,875 statute 

 acre*. The population in 1851 was 86,237. The county returns one 

 member to the Imperial Parliament. 



Surface, Geology The north-western extremity of the county is 

 occupied by the mountain range which forms the western extremity 

 of the Grampians, and separates Loch Lomond from Loch Chon and 

 Loch Ard. Of this range the principal mountain is Ben Lomond, which 

 rises to a height of 8197 feet above the level of the sea. This moun- 

 tain is the best known of the mountains of Scotland, on account of its 

 forming the southern extremity of the Highlands, and its situation 

 near the banks of Loch Lomond. It is of easy ascent, and is covered 

 with vegetation to the summit At the foot of this mountain range, 

 in Loch Lomond, are several islands, part of which are included in 

 Stirlingshire. East of this district the face of the country becomes 

 more level, and is occupied by rocks of the old rod-sandstone group ; 

 but in the central part* of the shire it again rises into hills, which 

 form the group of the CAMFSIE HUM. The** consist chiefly of large 

 tabular quint* of trap, the geological position and character of which 

 vary considerably. The other hill* of the group, the Gargunnock, 

 Kiatry, and Kilyth hills, are chiefly trap or whinstone ; th-ir slopes 

 are broken with crags and glens. That part of the county which 

 skirts the Lennox hiil< to the south and east, and in drained by the 

 Kelvin, a feeder of the Clyde, and by the Carron and other tributaries 

 of the Forth, belongs to the coal district* of Central Scotland, and 



yields coal, ironstone, freestone, and limestone in considerable quantity. 

 The carses, or dales, are generally occupied by the later formations, 

 or by alluvium. 



Hydrography and Communications. The county belongs partly to 

 the basin of the Forth and partly to that of the Clyde. The Duchray, 

 one of the affluents which form the Forth, is for several miles the 

 boundary of the county. The chief tributaries of the Forth iu this 

 county are the Bannockburn, th Carron, and the Avon. The Endrick 

 aud its feeder, the Blane, which draiu the district between the High- 

 lauds and the Lennox Hills, and the Kelvin, which drains the southern 

 part of the county, are affluents of the Clyde. The Endrick falls into 

 Loch Lomond. In the parish of Fintry it falls over a rock 90 feet 

 high, presenting, when the waters are swollen by a flood, a magnificent 

 cascade : there is a second smaller fall lower down. The Forth and 

 Clyde Canal has about 10 miles of its course in the county. The 

 Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal joins the Forth and Clyde Canal 

 at Port Downie, near Falkirk, about 4 miles from Grangemouth. 



The Edinburgh and Glasgow railway passes through this county, in 

 a course parallel to that of the Union and Forth and Clyde canals. 

 The Scottish Central railway traverses the eastern part of the county. 

 The Slamannan railway has also a part of its course in this county. 

 The road from Edinburgh to Stirling, and thence to the north of 

 Scotland, enters the county at Linlithgow, and runs by Falkirk, 

 Bannockburn, and St. Ninians to Stirling. At Camelon, just beyond 

 Falkirk, a road branches to Kilsyth, Kirkintiliocb, and Glasgow. 

 There is also a direct road from Stirling to Glasgow. 



Soil, Agriculture, <kc. The hilly district of the centre, and the 

 highland tract of the north-west, are in most places bleak aud sterile ; 

 but the carae, or the valley of the Forth, from the neighbourhood of 

 Falkirk to Stirling, consists of low and fertile alluvial lands. The 

 eastern side of the county presents a finely-diversified appearance, 

 and the view from Stirling Castle is of almost unequalled beauty. In 

 the highland district only a very small proportion of the laud is arable. 

 Oats and barley, potatoes and turnips, are grown. The soil in the 

 valley or Strath of Endrick is a rich brown loam. In the low ground 

 which separates the Highlands from the Campsie Hills, and in the 

 valley* of the Forth and of the Kelvin, the land is commonly divided 

 into the carse, or valley, aud the dryfield or upland slope between the 

 valley and the moorland hills. Oats and hay form the principal crops ; 

 barley and potatoes are grown to a considerable extent ; and turnips, 

 beans, and wheat in smaller proportions. Dairy farms are numerous, 

 the produce finding a ready market in Glasgow. The hills are occupied 

 a* sheep-walks. The black-faced sheep from Tweeddale are prevalent. 

 The carse or valley of the Forth below Stirling, forming the eastern 

 part of the county, is fertile, and, in an agricultural sense, is important. 

 There is comparatively little waste land ; the soil is wholly occupied 

 in tillage or plantations ; and the facility for obtaining manure haa 

 tended to the improvement of agriculture. Gardens and orchards are 

 numerous and productive : the soil is particularly adapted to pear- 

 tree*. The hone* reared are of a superior description. Leases are 

 commonly for 19 yean. Grain rent* are usual iu the carse of Stirling. 

 The greatest fain for cattle in Scotland are held near Falkirk in this 

 county : they are known as Falkirk Trysts. 



Jjivitiont, Totcn*. The county contains 22 entire parishes, and part 

 of five other*. The royal, municipal, and parliamentary burghs are 

 FALEIRK and STIHUHO ; the less important towns are Alva, DANNUCK- 

 BL'BK, Denny, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, and Lennoxtowu. 



Alva, population 3058, situated at the foot of the Ochill Hills, about 

 6 miles E. from Stirling, near the river Devon, is a busy manufacturing 

 place. Tartan shawls, blankets, plaidings, and chequered kerseymeres, 

 are extensively made. The Established, Free, and United Presbyterian 

 Churches have place* of worship. 



Denny, population 2446, about 9 miles S. by E. from Stirling, 

 possesses paper-mills, charcoal grinding-milla, a dye-stuff mill, a saw- 

 mill, and manufactures of liusey-wolaey shawls aud tartan-cloth. 

 There are places of worship for Established, Free, aud United 

 Presbyterians. 



Grangemouth, population included with Falkirk parish, of which it 

 forms a part The port of Grangemouth is situated about 3 miles 

 N.E. from the town of Falkirk, at the junction of the Forth and 

 Clyde Canal with the Carron, near the confluence of the Carron with 

 the Forth. The Grange burn formerly joined the Carrou at this spot, 

 but has been made to join the Forth, a mile east from the town, in 

 order to convert its former channel into wet docks. In the town are 

 a modern church in the Norman style, and a Free church. The basin 

 and harbour afford facilities for vessels of any size. Grangemouth 

 ha* a custom-house ; Alloa, Stirling, and Kincardine ore included in 

 the port The number of vessels registered as belonging to the port 

 on December 81st, 1853, wo* 46 sailing-vessels of 8252 tons, and 7 

 nteam-venels of 823 tons burden. During 1853 there entered the port 

 817 sailmg-veiwels of 75,812 tons aggregate burden, and 70 steim- 

 veuel* of 19,654 tons ; and there cleared 794 sailing-vessels of 75,852 

 tons, and 77 steam-vessels of 19,198 tons. The imports are grain, 

 timber, flax, manganese-ore, cheese, bark, manna, and geneva, from 

 Holland, Belgium, and Norway ; and goods of nil descriptions from 

 London, Hull, and other British ports. The exports are coala, pig 

 and wrought iron, glass, bricks, cordage, linen-yarn, aud cotton and 

 woollen goods. Ve**els are built, and sail-cloth and rope manufactured. 



