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STIRLINGSHIRE

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 928 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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STIRLINGSHIRE , a midland See also:

county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. by See also:Perthshire, N.E. by See also:Clackmannanshire and the See also:Firth of Forth, S.E. by See also:Linlithgowshire, S. by See also:Lanarkshire and the detached See also:part of See also:Dumbartonshire and S.W. and W. by Dumbartonshire; See also:area 288,842aeres, or 45i•3 sq. m. In the See also:north-See also:west a See also:spur of the See also:Grampians culminates in See also:Ben See also:Lomond (3192 ft.), and the centre is occupied by a See also:group known as the See also:Lennox Hills, consisting of Gargunnock Hills (1591), Fintry Hills (1676), See also:Kilsyth Hills (1870), and Campsie Fells (1894). The See also:chief See also:river is the Forth, the windings of which constitute most of the See also:northern boundary, The other important streams are the Carron, which rises in Campsie Fells and flows mainly See also:east for 25 M. to the Forth of See also:Grangemouth; the Endrick, which, rising in Fintry Hills, first flows east, then See also:south and finally bends See also:round to the west, a direction which it maintains for most of its course of 31 M. till it empties itself into See also:Loch Lomond; the See also:Kelvin, which, from its source in Kilsyth Hills, flows south-west to the See also:Clyde at See also:Glasgow after a run of 22 m., and the See also:Avon, rising in the detached portion of Dumbartonshire, and flowing for 21 M. east and then north to the Forth. The See also:principal lochs include the greater part of the eastern See also:waters of Loch Lomond, from Endrick mouth to a point 2 M. north of Inversnaid; a small portion of the upper end of Loch See also:Katrine, from a point in the centre of the See also:lake opposite to Stronachlachar to Glengyle at the See also:head; Loch Arklet, in the north-west area, 1 m. See also:long by m. wide, forming part of the See also:water See also:supply of Glasgow; the small Loch Coulter, in the See also:parish of St Niriians, and See also:Black Loch, partly in Lanarkshire. The Forth and Clyde See also:Canal crosses the south-eastern corner of the county from Grangemouth to Castlecary. See also:Geology.—The See also:oldest rocks in the county are the See also:Dalradian See also:schists which occupy the north-west beyond a See also:great See also:fault which runs across from near the bottom end of Loch Lomond in a north-easterly direction passing not far from See also:Aberfoyle. These schists are less altered and micaceous near the fault and there is some See also:evidence for believing them to be of Ordovician See also:age. On the south-eastern See also:side of the fault are the conglomerates and sandstones of See also:Lower Old Red See also:Sandstone age, which are more highly inclined and coarser nearer the fault. Resting uniformly on the lower See also:series 'is 9 2 8 the Upper Old Red series of sandstones; but the junction between the two is faulted between l3alfron and Kippen; the fault runs E.N.E.–W.S.W. Then follows the Carboniferous See also:system which occupies the See also:rest of the county. The lowest member, the Calciferous See also:Sand-See also:stone group, consisting of See also:clays and marls with See also:cement nodules, may be seen on both sides of the Campsie Fells; it is well exposed near Strathblane in Ballagan See also:Burn. These beds are succeeded by alternating beds of contemporaneous tuffs and sandstones and then by great sheets of See also:diabase-porphyrite which attain a considerable thickness and See also:form well-marked ridges on the See also:southern side of the Campsie Hills; they are best See also:developed north of Kilsyth and east of Fintry.

Meikle See also:

Bin and Dungoil See also:mark the sites of the vents from which some of these volcanic rocks were erupted. The Carboniferous See also:Limestone series is the next in See also:order and the lower beds may be found resting upon the volcanic rocks except where the junction is faulted and this series is let down, as it is between Strathblane and the Carron Water. As in the neighbouring counties, this series consists of a lower limestone group—with the See also:Index, Calmy and See also:Castle See also:Cary limestones—a See also:middle group with coals and See also:clay See also:iron-stones and an upper limestone group with the Hosie and Hurlet limestones; below the latter is a See also:bed of See also:alum shale. These rocks are considerably folded about Kilsyth and in the directions of Banton and Cairnbeg; the " Riggin " near Kilsyth is a noteworthy example of an anticlinal See also:fold. The next series is the Millstone Grit—sandstones with some See also:coal-seams and fireclays—which occurs towards the eastern boundary. The true Coal-See also:measures are well developed between Grangemouth and Stenhousemuir and about See also:Falkirk. The more important seams are the Virtuewell (the highest), the Splint, Craw and Coxhead coals. Intrusive sheets of See also:basalt have penetrated the Carboniferous rocks and are now quarried for road See also:metal; See also:Abbey See also:Craig and See also:Stirling Castle See also:hill are formed of one of the more important of these intrusions. Later basalt dikes of See also:Tertiary age are not uncommon. A See also:good See also:deal of See also:boulder clay covers the older rocks and an interesting See also:blue marine clay is found beneath it in the Endrick valley. The Carse of Stirling is overlaid by the muds and sands of the 50 ft. raised See also:beach; and traces of the too ft. beach are also to be found. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—The rainfall for the See also:year varies from 35 in. in the far east to 55 in. in the Highland region in the extreme north-west.

The mean See also:

annual temperature is 47.5° F.; for See also:January 38° F., for See also:July 59° F. The arable soils are of two kinds, locally distinguished as "carse " and " dryfield," the rest of the See also:land being composed of pasture, See also:moor and See also:peat. The " carse " extends along the valley from Buchlyvie to the eastern boundary, a distance of 32 M. (by the river), with a breadth oft to 4 M. The See also:soil consists of the finest clays, without stones, but interspersed with strata of marine shells. It has been largely stripped of the overlying peat, and by draining, subsoil ploughing and the use of See also:lime has been converted into a See also:rich soil, especially adapted for See also:wheat and beans. The " dryfield," mostly reclaimed since the beginning of the 18th See also:century, occupies the valleys and the higher ground bordering the carse. It is fertile and well suited for potatoes and turnips. In the order of their importance the See also:grain crops are oats, See also:barley and wheat. Beans are also extensively grown. Livestock is raised in increasing See also:numbers. The See also:sheep are chiefly black-faced, the See also:cattle Irish, See also:short-horns and See also:cross-breeds.

Ayrshires are the principal breed on the " dryfield " farms, where See also:

butter-making is largely carried on. Horses are kept only for farming operations or for stock, and a considerable number of pigs are reared. The See also:average See also:size of the holdings is from 70 to 8o acres. The area under See also:wood is small. Birches grow naturally on the lower slopes of the mountains in See also:Buchanan and Drymen, and oaks freely on the See also:banks of Loch Lomond. See also:Larch and Scots See also:fir are the leading trees in See also:modern plantations. Other See also:Industries.—The coalfield of the south-east supplies the See also:staple See also:industry. Iron ore, fireclay and oil-shale are also obtained, while limestone is extensively wrought in the Campsie See also:district, and sandstone is quarried in many parts. The ironworks at Carron and Falkirk are important. Woollens are manufactured at Stirling and See also:Bannockburn; See also:calico-See also:printing and See also:bleaching are established in the south-west, especially at Lennoxtown, Strathblane and See also:Milton. There are chemical See also:works at Falkirk, Stirling, Denny and Lennox-See also:town. Throughout the county there are several breweries and distilleries, and at Grangemouth, the principal See also:port, See also:shipbuilding is carried on.

The southern and south-eastern districts are served by the North See also:

British railway from See also:Edinburgh to Glasgow (via Falkirk) and the Caledonian railway from Glasgow to Stirling (via See also:Larbert), while branches connect Grangemouth, Denny and other places with the through-lines. The Forth & Clyde railway crosses the See also:shire, mostly in the north, from Stirling to Balloch, and the North British also runs from Glasgow to Aberfoyle. In the tourist See also:season there is a steamer service from See also:Leith to Stirling (37 m.). See also:Population and See also:Administration.—In 1891 the population numbered 118,021, and in 1901 it was 142,291, or 315 persons to the square mile, an increase for the See also:decade exceeded only by the shires of See also:Linlithgow and See also:Lanark. In 1901 there were ten persons who spoke Gaelic only and 2014 Gaelic and See also:English. The principal towns are Falkirk (pop. 29,380), Stirling (18,697), Grangemouth (8386), Kilsyth (7292), Stenhousemuir (5184), Denny and Dunipace (5158), See also:Bridge of See also:Allan (3240), and Bonny-bridge (3009). The shire returns a member to See also:parliament, and Stirling and Falkirk respectively belong to the Stirling and Falkirk district See also:groups of See also:parliamentary burghs. The See also:police burghs include Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Denny and Dunipace and Bridge of Allan. The shire forms a sheriffdom with the counties of See also:Dumbarton and See also:Clackmannan, but there is a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute at Stirling and another at Falkirk. The shire is under schoolboard jursidiction, and there are secondary as well as See also:science and See also:art See also:schools at Stirling and Falkirk. The town See also:councils of Stirling and Kilsyth subsidize classes in science and art, besides See also:manual instruction, and Denny and Dunipace maintains a See also:mining instruction class.

See also:

History and Antiquities.—The See also:wall of See also:Antonius, built by See also:Lollius Urbicus, in A.D. 142, connecting the Forth and Clyde, passed through the south-east of the county, in which it is locally known as See also:Graham's Dyke. At Castlecary and Camelon, which were both stations of consequence on the See also:line of the wall, many interesting See also:relics have been found. The Camelon cause-way, a See also:Roman road, ran eastwards from Castlecary, crossed the rampart at Camelon, whence it proceeded northwards to Stirling and the Forth, where there was a station near the See also:present bridge of Drip. Thence it crossed the river to Keir and See also:Dunblane in Perthshire. To the north-east of the Carron foundry there stood, till its demolition in 1743, a See also:fine circular Roman See also:building called See also:Arthur's Oon (See also:oven), or See also:Julius's See also:Hof, but the two mounds in Dunipace parish supposed to have been raised as monuments of See also:peace between the See also:Romans and Caledonians are probably of natural origin. After the withdrawal of the Romans the county once more See also:fell into the hands of the Picts, the See also:original inhabitants, who, however, gradually retired before the advance of the See also:Saxons and Scots. By the See also:time of See also:Malcolm Canmore (d. 1093) the See also:lowland area had be-come settled, but the highland See also:tract remained a disturbed and disturbing region until the pacification following the Jacobite rising of 1745-46. The county played a conspicuous part in the struggle for Scottish See also:independence, being particularly associated with many of the exploits of See also:Sir See also:William See also:Wallace and See also:Robert See also:Bruce. The three great battles of the independence were fought in the shire—Stirling Bridge (1297), Falkirk (1298), Bannockburn (1314). See also:James III. was stabbed to See also:death in a cottage in the See also:village of Milton after the See also:battle of Sauchieburn (1488), but apart from the disastrous defeat of the See also:Covenanters at Kilsyth (1645) and the transitory See also:triumph which See also:Prince See also:Charles See also:Edward won at Falkirk (1746), the history of the shire practically centres in that of the county town.

End of Article: STIRLINGSHIRE

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