Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/553

Rh STIRLING. 511 STIRLING. soil is composed of argillaceous earth, interseamed with beds of shells, marl, and clay, having in some places a depth of more than 20 feet, and lying generally from 12 to 25 feet above sea-level at high water. The dryfield comprehends the lower or arable declivities of the hills, and the greater part of the valleys in the central and western districts, and is in general of a light and gravelly description, with some patches of rich loam interspersed. The hill division is chiefly a light sandy soil intermixed with till, and in places peat earth, and is wholly in pasture. The moorland comprises the heathy tracts now chiefly confined to the parish of Buchanan, on the borders of the Highlands, but formerly occupying about one-fourth of the county. The moss, which has also been largely reclaimed, prevails now chiefly in Slaman- nan, where it rests upon a fine clay, and aflbrds good pasture for sheep. Agriculture is in a highly improved condition, but from the variety of soils the system pur- sued cannot bo uniform, nor its produce equally abun- dant in different parts. On the fertile lands of the eastern district large crops of wheat, beans, barley, turnips, and potatoes are raised, and the culture of clover and artificial grasses has been generally adopted ; but on the poor and thin soils of the Highlands in the W. bear and oats are chiefly grown. The ranges of moor in the upland districts are exclusively devoted to the feeding of numerous flocks of sheep and highland cattle, the former being of the Linton, Cheviot, and old black faced varieties. The size of the farms in the Lowlands varies from 25 to 300 acres, but in the High- lands often exceeds 4,000 acres. The- greater part of the surface was anciently covered with forests and mosses, but the woods and plantations now comprise only about 23,000 acres, and the mosses have generally been drained and brought under tillage. The geological formation of the underlying strata may be grouped into three classes : the meta'morphic rocks in the Highland district of the "W., comprising chiefly micaceous schist, chlorite, and mica slate ; the carboniferous formation, including the coal measures of the S. and S.E., with the Old Red sandstone in the N.W. ; and the igneous forma- tion of the central district, comprising the trap and basaltic rocks which protrude through the superincum- bent coal and limestone, and form the broad mass of the Lennox hills. Stirlingshire excels in the quantity and variety of its mineral productions, the most abundant of which are coal, ironstone, limestone, freestone, and sand- stone, all occurring in the same districts comprised by the groat coal-field which extends from Kintyre to Fife- ghire. The principal coal pits are in the southern base of the Lennox hills, and in the vicinity of the Forth and Clyde canal, by means of which, and the Union canal, vast quantities of coal are exported to London, Edin- burgh, and other places on the eastern coast. Veins of silver were discovered and wrought in the last century, but the working of them has long since been discon- tinued, also copper, lead, arsenic, and cobalt have been 1 at different periods, but not to any considerable amount. A bed of slate, occurring between the seams nf coal and the upper stratum of limestone, furnishes the Campsie chemical works with materials for the manufacture of alum and copperas, and at Ballagan some thin strata of alabaster and rich specimens of antimony have been found. The staple manufacture of this county is iron goods, both cast and malleable, the chief seat of which is at Carron, near Falkirk. Other manufactures are the making of carpenters' nails at Si. Ninian's, paper at Denny, leather at Falkirk and St. N inian's ; cotton, woollen, tartan, and worsted goods at Stirling, St. Ninian's, Ballindalloch, Dunipaco, Fintry, and Alva ; calico printing and chemical works at Campsie, liimiy, East Kilpatrick, and Strathblane, and carpets ninockburn ; while at Lillyburn, Milton, and other towns are distilleries, tanneries, and breweries. The old valued rent of the county was 9,042, and the new valuation for 1861 302,087, exclusive of canals and railways. The assessment on lands and houses is at the <>t' Ud. in each 100 of real rental. The population in ISal'was 86,237, inhabiting 11,312 houses and in 1861 it had increased to 91,926, inhabiting 12,196 housss. The number of separate families in 1861 was 20,305, and the children from five to fifteen attending school 14,669. The county contains 22 complete parishes, and portions of 4 others. The burghs and chief towns are Stirling, the capital, a royal and parliamentary burgh, with a population in 1861 of 13,846 ; Falkirk, a parliamentary burgh, with a population of 9,029 ; Kilsyth, a burgh of barony, and six other towns with a population over 2,000, viz., Balfour, Drymen, and Lennoxtown, where small debt courts are held ; and Alva, Bannockburn, and Denny, besides about 100 villages and hamlets. It returns one member to parliament for the county, the par- liamentary constituency in 1860 being 1,639. Stirling and Falkirk are also specially represented, the former being joined with Culross, Queensferry, Dunfermline, and In- verskeething in returning one member ; and the latter with Linlithgow, Lanark, Airdrie, and Hamilton in returning ono member. The county is governed by a lord-lieutenant, vice-lieutenant, 21 deputy-lieutenants, a sheriff, and two substitutes. The commissary court is held at Stirling every Tuesday and Friday. The sheriff small debt courts twice a week, alternately at Stirling and Falkirk during session ; also on fixed days at Dry- men, Lennoxtown, and Balfron. The general quarter sessions are held at Stirling on the first Tuesdays in March, June, and August, and on the last Tuesday in October. Nineteen parishes are returned as assessed, and five as unassessed, for the poor. For ecclesiastical purposes it comprises, besides the 22 civil parishes, one quoad sacra parish and eight chapelries, belonging to the presbyteries of Stirling, Linlithgow, Dumbarton, Glas- gow, and Dunblane, and in the synods of Perth, Glas- gow, and Lothian. Tho number of clergy are 25, with average stipends of JI240, and the number of Established churches 31, with 21 Free churches, 19 United Presby- terian churches, 2 Episcopalian chapels, and four Roman Catholic chapels, besides places of worship belonging to the Independents, Baptists, Wesleyans, and other dis- senting congregations. There are about 106 public day schools, 70 private day schools, and 17 evening schools for adults, within the county. The county is traversed by numerous good roads, and the North British, the Caledonian, and the Forth and Clyde railways unite here. The principal seats are Buchanan House, of the Duke of Montrose, who has large estates in this county, and has bestowed much attention to the rearing of plantations ; Dunmoro Park, of the Earl of Dun- more ; Kerse House, of the Earl of Zetland ; Air- threy, of Lord Abercrombie ; Stenhouse, of Bruce, Bart. ; Duntreath and Colziuui, of Edmonstone, Bart. ; Stirling Park, of Hay, Bart. ; Touch- House, of Stewart, Bart. ; besides mansions of the private gentry. The antiquities are numerous, and some of those attributed to the Romans of high interest, as Antonine's wall, the great causeway from the V. of England to the Gram- pians, the two stations at Castle Gary and Roughcastle ; the ruin resembling a great tun called Arthur's Oven, attributed to the Romanized Britons ; Arthur's Lift cromlech, with the cairns near it ; British strengths and tumuli at Dunipace ; also the baronial castles of Almond, Airth, Baldernock, Dunmore, Duntreath, Inversnaid, Mugdock, Powfonts, and Stirling, which last is probably '.he most interesting, as the others are so demolished and iransmuted as to convey but an inadequate impression, of their original construction. Tho ecclesiastical anti- quities are Cambus-Kenneth Abbey, Emmanuel nunnery at Muiravonside, the Dominican and Franciscan friaries of Stirling, and the chapel royal in Stirling Castle. STIRLING, an ancient town and port, royal and parliamentary burgh, and the capital of tho co. and par. of its name, situated mainly in the N. of Stirling- mire, but including tho Abbey district, or Cambus-Ken- neth, in Clackmannanshire, 28 miles N.E. of Glasgow, and 35 N.W. of Edinburgh. It is the junction station of the Scottish Central, Forth and Clyde Junction, and Stirling and Dunfermline section of the Edinburgh and Glasgow railways. This place, which is of high anti- quity, is situated ot the confluence of the Teith with tho