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CLACKMANNANSHIRE

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Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 418 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CLACKMANNANSHIRE , the smallest See also:

county in See also:Scotland, bounded S.W. by the Forth, W. by See also:Stirlingshire, N.N.E. and N.W. by See also:Perthshire, and E. by Fifeshire. It has an See also:area of 35,160 acres, or about 55 sq. m. An elevated See also:ridge starting on the See also:west, runs through the See also:middle of the county, widening gradually till it reaches the eastern boundary, and skirting the alluvial or carse lands in the valleys of the Forth and See also:Devon. Still farther to the N. the Ochil hills See also:form a picturesque feature in the landscape, having their generally verdant See also:surface broken by bold projecting rocks and deeply indented ravines. The See also:principal summits are within the limits of the See also:shire, among them See also:Ben Cleuch (2363 ft.), See also:King's Seat (a111 ft.), Whitewisp (2110 ft.), the See also:Law (above Tillicoultry, 2094 ft.) and Blairdenon (2072 ft.), on the See also:northern slope, in which the See also:river Devon takes its rise. The See also:rivers of importance are the Devon and the See also:Black or See also:South Devon. The former, noted in the upper parts for its romantic scenery and its excellent See also:trout-fishing, runs through the county near the See also:base of the Ochils, and falls into the Forth at the See also:village of Cambus, after a winding course of 33 m., although as the See also:crow flies its source is only 54 M. distant. The Black Devon, rising in the Cleish Hills, flows westwards in a direction nearly parallel to that of the Devon, and falls into the Forth near See also:Clackmannan. It supplies See also:motive See also:power to See also:numbers of See also:mills and collieries; and its whole course is over See also:coal strata. The Forth is navigable as far as it forms the boundary of the county, and See also:ships of Soo tons See also:burden run up as far as See also:Alloa. The only See also:lake is Gartmorn, r m. See also:long by about a of a mile broad, which has been dammed in See also:order to furnish See also:water to Alloa and power to mills. The Ochils are noted for the number of their glens.

Though these are mostly small, they are well wooded and picturesque, and those at Menstrie, See also:

Alva, Tillicoultry and See also:Dollar are particularly beautiful. See also:Geology.—This county is divided geologically into two areas, the boundary See also:line skirting the See also:southern margin of the Ochils and See also:running westwards from a point See also:north of Dollar by Alva in the direction of Airthrev in Stirlingshire. The northern portion forms See also:part of thevolcanic range of the Ochils which belongs to the Old Red See also:Sandstone See also:period, and consists of a See also:great See also:succession of lavas—basalts and andesites—with intercalations of See also:tuff and See also:agglomerate. As the rocks See also:dip gently towards the north and form the highest ground in the county they must reach a great thickness. They are pierced by small intrusive masses of See also:diorite, north of Tillicoultry See also:House. The well-marked feature running E. and W. along the southern base of the Ochils indicates a line of See also:fault or dislocation which abruptly truncates the See also:Lower Old Red volcanic rocks and brings down an important development of Carboniferous strata occupying the southern part of the county. These belong mainly to the Coal-See also:measures and comprise a number of valuable coal-seams which have been extensively worked. The Clackmannan See also:field is the northern continuation of the great See also:Lanarkshire See also:basin which extends northwards by Slamannan, See also:Falkirk and the Carron Ironworks to Alloa. Along the eastern margin between Cairnmuir and See also:Bruce-field the underlying Millstone Grit, consisting mainly of false-bedded sandstones, comes to the surface. See also:Close to the river Devon south of Dollar the Vicars See also:Bridge See also:Limestone, which there marks the See also:top of the Carboniferous Limestone See also:series, rises from beneath the Millstone Grit. The structure of the Clackmannan field is interesting. The strata are arranged in synclinal form, the highest seams being found near the Devon ironworks, and they are traversed by a series of parallel See also:east and west faults each with a downthrow to the south, whereby the coals are repeated and the field extended.

During See also:

mining operations See also:evidence has been obtained of the existence of a buried river-channel, filled with See also:boulder See also:clay and stratified de-posits along the course of the Devon, which extends below the See also:present See also:sea-level and points to greater See also:elevation of the See also:land in pre-glacial See also:time. An excellent example of a See also:dolerite dyke trending slightly north of west occurs in the north part of the county where it traverses the volcanic rocks of Lower Old Red Sandstone See also:age. See also:Industries.—The See also:soil is generally productive and well cultivated, though the greater part of the elevated range which is interposed between the carse lands on the Forth and the vale of Devon at the base of the Ochils on the north consists of inferior soils, often lying upon an impervious clay. Oats are the See also:chief See also:crop, but See also:wheat and See also:barley are profitably grown. See also:Sheep-farming is successfully pursued, the Ochils affording excellent pasturage, and See also:cattle, pigs and horses are also raised. There is a small See also:tract of moorland in the east, called the See also:Forest, bounded on its northern margin by the Black Devon. See also:Iron-ore (See also:haematite), See also:copper, See also:silver, See also:lead, See also:cobalt and See also:arsenic have all been discovered in small quantity in the Ochils, between Alva and Dollar. Ironstone—found either in beds, or in oblate balls embedded in slaty clay, and yielded from 25 to 30 % of iron—is See also:mined for the Devon iron-See also:works, near Clackmannan. Coal has been mined for a long period. The strata which compose the field are varieties of sandstone, shale, See also:fire-clay and argillaceous ironstone. There is a heavy continuous output of coal at the mines at Sauchie, Fishcross, Coalsnaughton, Devonside, Clackmannan and other pits. The See also:spinning-mills at Alloa, Tillicoultry and Alva are always busy, Alloa yarns and fingering being widely famous.

The distilleries at Glenochil and Carsebridge and the breweries in Alloa and Cambus do a large export business. The See also:

minor trades include See also:glass-blowing, pottery, coopering, tanning, iron-See also:founding, See also:electrical apparatus making, See also:ship-See also:building and See also:paper-making. The north See also:British railway serves the whole county, while the Caledonian has See also:access to Alloa. See also:Population and See also:Government.—The population was 33,140 in 1891 and 32,029 in 1901, when 170 persons spoke Gaelic and See also:English and one See also:person Gaelic only. The county unites with Kinross-shire in returning one member to See also:parliament. Clackmannan (pop. 1505) is the county See also:town, but Alloa (14,458), Alva (4624), and Tillicoultry (3338) take See also:precedence in population and See also:trade. Menstrie (pop. 898) near Alloa has a large See also:furniture factory and the great distillery of Glenochil. To the north-east of Alloa is the thriving mining village of Sauchie. Clackmannan forms a sheriffdom with See also:Stirling and See also:Dumbarton shires, and a See also:sheriff-substitute sits at Alloa. Most of the See also:schools in the shire are under school-See also:board See also:control, but there are a few voluntary schools, besides an exceptionally well-equipped technical school in Alloa and a well-known See also:academy at Dollar.

See See also:

James See also:Wallace, The Sheriffdom of Clackmannan: a See also:Sketch of its See also:History (See also:Edinburgh, 189o) ; D. Beveridge, Between the Ochils and the Forth (Edinburgh, 1888) ; See also:John See also:Crawford. Memorials of Alloa (1885); See also:William See also:Gibson, Reminiscences of Dollar, Tillicoultry, CLACTON-ON-SEA, a watering-See also:place in the See also:Harwich See also:parliamentary See also:division of See also:Essex, See also:England; 71 M. E.N.E. from See also:London by a See also:branch from See also:Colchester of the Great Eastern railway; served also by steamers from London in the summer months. Pop. of See also:urban See also:district (1901) 7456. Clay cliffs of slight See also:altitude rise from the sandy See also:beach and See also:face south-eastward. In the neighbourhood, however, marshes fringe the See also:shore. The See also:church of Great Clacton, at the village 11 m. inland, is See also:Norman and later, and of considerable See also:interest. Clacton is provided with a See also:pier, See also:promenade and marine See also:parade; and is the seat of various convalescent and other homes.

End of Article: CLACKMANNANSHIRE

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