The History of Stirlingshire
Chapter XXIV. – Miscellaneous

SHIRE, or scire, comes; according to Bailey, from the Saxon verb scyran, " to divide." The word is said to have been anciently applied to parishes. "Hadintunschire," says Mr. Chalmers, "is mentioned in the charters of David I., but meant merely the parish, then, probably, of very large extent. It did so also under Malcolm IV. and William the Lion."

The area of Stirlingshire comprehends about 480 square miles, or 312,960 acres (exclusive of the parish of Alva), of which about 200,000 are cultivated, 50,000 uncultivated, and 62,960 un- productive. Its greatest length is 45 miles, and its extreme breadth 18 miles. It is bounded on the north by Perthshire, and part of Clackmannanshire; on the west by Argyleshire; on the south by Dumbartonshire and Lanarkshire; and on the east by the county of Linlithgow. In general, the Forth divides it from Perthshire. The latter crosses the Forth from the water of Duchray above Aberfoyle, to the south end of the barony of Gartmore in the parish of Port; and extends about a mile and a half on the average. It again encroaches beyond the confines of proper Caledonia opposite to Cardross; and runs towards the hill of Fintry, in a breadth of two miles, and length of four. An insulated portion, about two miles long and half a mile broad, embraces the village of Kippen. The minister's manse stands on the eastern march, so that his dinner is cooked in Perthshire and eaten in Stirlingshire. A small detachment of the latter, about a furlong from the main body, which here crosses the Forth, occurs in Sheriff-moor. The whole of Alva parish is in Stirlingshire, though about 3 miles from the nearest point of the parent county. Ochtertyre seems to have belonged to it anciently. In Robert Duke of Albany's Register, we find a charter of confirmation by that regent "of a grant by John Drummond of Cargill, knight, to John Forster of Corstorfyne, of the lands of Uchtertyre in the barony of Kyncardyne, in Stirlingshire."

ROYAL BURGH.-The nature of the subjects with which the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland had to deal, was wide, large, and important. The following formed part of its recognised business - "The imposition and application of rates for local purposes; the maintenance of burghal rights and privileges against assault from whatever quarter; the protection of the rights and privileges of Scottish traders both at home and abroad, and the negotiation of treaties with foreign governments.

Extract from Minute of the General Convention of Burghs at Stirling, on 2nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5th July, 1611.

"CITATIOUN. - The samin day, the commissioner for the burgh of Striviling verefeit the citatioun of the burrows to the present convention, exceptant for the burgh of Nairne.

"MODERATOUR. - The samin day, the saidis commissioners makis and constitutis Johne Scherer, first in the commissioun for the burgh of Striviling, thair moderator for this present conventioun, quha exceptit the samin and gaif his aith de fidelj administratione.

"CONVENTIOUN. - The saimin day, the saidis commissioners appointis thair houris of meiting to be and begin at aucht houris in the morning quhill sex at nicht, and the personis absent at the calling of the rollis to pay ane vulaw of sex schillings, and they that depairtis forth of the house quhill the conventioune dissolve to be unlayit as said is, and sik as saIl depairt fra this present conventioune before the desolving thairof without licence to be unlayit as absentis, and that nane speik onrequirit or without licence askit and given, nor mixt thair ressoning with their voting for avoyding of confusion, under the payne of (blank) onforgivin."

The following is a literal copy of a burgess ticket granted by Lord Livingstone, who possessed the barony of Callendar; and which also bears the sign and subscription manual of the clerk of the court of regality: --

BURGESS TICKET FOR ANDREW HUTTON, WRIGHT, 1679.

" At Ffalkirk, the second day of September, the year of God, jajvj and thriescore nynteine years.

"The quhilk day, ane noble and potent Earle, Alexander Earle of Callender, Lord Livingstone of Almond and Ffalkirk, freilie receives and admits Andrew Hutton, wright in Ffalkirk, to libertie and freadome of ane neightbour and burges within the burgh of Ffalkirk, with power to him to bruik joyse use and exerce the haill liberties, priveleges, and immunities pertaining yrto; siclyke and als frielie in all respects as any oyr nightbour and burges may exerce and use within the said burghe of barronie and regalitie in tyme comeing; in suae far as concerneth the said noble and potent Earle his lops; present liberties yrof allenerlie venting and running of wyne, being alwayes excepted and reserved furth heirof; and with this speciall and express provisione, that the said Andrew Huttone shall use noe other tread calling, but onlie his owne tread of wright, and noe other; and yt he shall concur and assist the sd noble Earle and his lops, baillies and officers in all things necessar and requisite to be done be ane nightbour and burges in assisting of them. And the said Andrew Huttone has made faith hereupon as use is subscrived be the said noble and potent Earle, and extracted furth of the court books of the said regalitie of Ffalkirk.-By me John Brown, noy, poblict and clerk yreof, witnessing heirto my signe and subt-ne manuell, &c., &c., &c.

CALANDER.
" Jo. BROWN."

POLICE.- Sheriffs are mentioned under Alexander I. and David I., though they did not extend over North Britain. But many places - Scone, Edinburgh castle, and other fortresses, and some towns - had sheriffs, without forming sheriffdoms. Galloway, Argyll, Ross, and the Western Isles, had remained, till later times, without sheriffs; while sheriffships, in other quarters, had become hereditary At first, the king appointed sheriffs, as servants and deputies; afterwards they came to be formally installed by the parliament. Bernard Frazer of Touch, a frequent witness to charters by Alexander II., was appointed sheriff of Stirling in 1234, in which year he swore to the performance of the Treaty of York. He was alive in November, 1247, and then witnessed a royal charter. Bernard seems to have been succeeded by his relative Gilbert Frazer, sheriff of Traquair, who had three sons - Symon, sheriff of Peebles from 1262 till 1268; Andrew de Touch, sheriff of Stirling in 1291-3; and William, bishop of St: Andrews and chancellor of Scotand. Andrew Dominus de Touch swore fealty to Edward I. at Dunfermline on the 17th of June, 1296. The sheriffship of Stirling remained among those Frazers till 1630, when David II., conferred it upon Sir Robert de Erskine, who was also constable and keeper of Edinburgh and Dumbarton castles, "Justiciar benorth the Forth, and great chamberlain of Scotland." It remained, with some interruptions, arising partly from civil commotion, in his family, till 1638; when John, eighth Earl of Marr of his surname, was induced to sell, to Charles I., the sheriffdom of Stirlingshire and baillary of the Forth, for £8,000 sterling. Sir James Livingston, first Earl of Callendar, was now made sheriff of the county. Under Cromwell, Sir William Bruce, baronet of Stenhouse, exercised the function. After the Restoration, it fell to George, third Earl of Linlithgow; and, upon the forfeiture of Alexander, fifth earl, in 1715, it was conferred upon his cousin-german, James, first Duke of Montrose.

Justices of the peace were instituted over Scotland, by Act of Parliament, in 1587. Their powers were further extended by another six years subsequent to the union of the crowns. The Act 1617 confirmed those of 1587 and 1609; and, expressing more particularly the powers and duties of justices and their constables, is, properly, the first general code of instructions for their regulation and guidance. The statute 1617 was ratified and confirmed by the parliament of Charles I., 1633; and empowered the lords of the privy council to enlarge the authority of the justices, and enforce obedience by penalty. Oliver Cromwell followed out the system; and was the first who, by the vigour of his measures, gave efficacy to it. One of his generals, afterwards celebrated as the restorer of the house of Stuart, Monck, on the 17th of May, 1654, from the garrison of Cardross, in the neighbourhood of Stirlingshire, desired the Earl of Airth "to order the cutting down of the woods of Milton and Gleshart in Aberfoyle, which (the general remarked) were great shelter to the rebels and mossers, and did thereby bring great inconveniences to the country thereabouts." Cromwell seems, also, to have availed himself of an institution of an earlier date, and sometimes abused under the semblance of order. A curious voucher to this effect was preserved by Archibald Edmonstone, Esq. of Spittal, a cadet of the family, and hereditary baron-bailie on the estate of Duntreath. "The Justices of his Highness' Peace" met, in quarter sessions at Stirling on the 3rd of February, 1658-9, enforced a contract, between Captain Hew MacGregor and the heritors and inhabitants of more than six parishes in the sheriffdom of Stirling, of which protection to their property on his part, and a certain remuneration on theirs, were the mutual stipulations. We subjoin a copy, the only accurate one, we believe, that has hitherto appeared in print. The difficulty of decyphering the word "Hew" had led to an unfortunate error in the statistical account, and its epitome, the "Beauties of Scotland." Captain MacGregor's petition, however it may, according to Dr. Jamieson, "show the weakness of the executive government" (a point not quite clear), illustrates the respect paid to the judicial, even during the Usurpation.

"At Stirling, in ane quarter session, held by sum justices of his highnes' peace upon the third day of Ffebruary, 1658, the Laird of Touch being chyrsman: - Upon reading of ane petition given in be Captain Mcgregor, mackand mention that several heritors and inhabitants of the paroches of Campsie, Dennie, Baldernock, Strablane, Killearn, Gargunnock, an uthers, wtin the Schirrefdome of Stirling; did agree with him to oversee and preserve thair houses, goods, and geir frae oppressioun, and accordinglie did pay him, and now that sum persones delay to mack payment according to agreement and use of payment; thairfoir it is ordered that all heritors and inhabitants of the paroches afoirsaid mack payment to the said Captain Mcgregor of their proportionnes for his said service, till the first of Ffebry last past, without delay. All constables in the severall paroches are hereby commandit to see this order put in execution, as they will answer the contrair. It is also hereby declared that all qo have been ingadgit in payment sall be liberat after such time that they goe to Captaine Hew Mcgregor, and declare to him that they are not to expect any service frae him, or he to expect any payment frae them. Just copie, extracted be James Stirling, cl. of the peace, ffor Archibald Edmonstone, bailzie of Duntreath, to be published at ye kirk of Strablane,"

ROADS. - The roads of the county contain about 116 miles of turnpike. From Linlithgow bridge to Enric bridge, deducting 2 miles intervening in Perthshire, 38 1/2; from the Stirling road by Killearn to near New Kilpatrick, 17; from Kippen to beyond Campsie, 16 1/2 ; from Stirling to Castlecary, 10 1/2; from the Stirling and Glasgow road to Kirkintilloch, 8; north of Stirling bridge, 9 1/2; Stockiemoor, 6; from above the bridge of Blane to the road leading from Killearn to Strathblane, 2 1/2. Many of the roads are in excellent condition. The basalt, which runs along the middle of the shire, longitudinally, like a back-bone, affords the best possible material. The principal lines, having been originally formed before the most approved engineering had been practised, took, not unfrequently, a direction unfavourable to wheel-carriages. They were, however, propitious to the tourist in search of elevated points whence to view the country. One line, and a meritorious one - the Crow Road - was chalked out in modern times by the liberal genius of Peter Speirs, Esq., of Culcreuch, along the skirt of a precipitous hill above Campsie; and another constructed along the plain from Stirling to Falkirk, so as to avoid Torwood and other eminences.

WOODs.- A great forest seems to have anciently covered a country whose modern characteristic, compared with many regions, is a want of wood. In clearing away the peat earth in the vale of Monteith, part of which is in Stirlingshire, the wreck of trees, some of them 60 feet in stem, were found on the surface of the clay which formed the subsoil lying in every direction as if felled. The stools were entire beside them, with their fangs infixed. Five or six have been frequently got within a diameter of twenty yards. The natural oaks of the county, affording a cutting once in twenty-four years, cover 2,900 acres, of which above 2,000 belong to his Grace the Duke of Montrose, who has nearly the same extent in Perthshire. Larch and Scotch fir have also been extensively planted as nurses to the oak, ash, sycamore, and beech. Along the lower skirts of the mountains of Buchanan and on the borders of Lochlomond there is a natural tendency to the growth of oak. On almost every little heathy knoll you meet with stunted stools, which require only to be razed over by the surface of the ground, and preserved from the bite of cattle, to become coppice wood. But to this extension of the woods every attention is and has been paid. Oak now closely covers Craigrostan, the western shoulder of Benlomond, and is rapidly extending over the estate of Buchanan, where, within the last century. We have previously referred to Torwood, which is said to have been "a royal forest;" but for this assertion, repeated by Mr. Nimmo, we can find neither voucher nor authority. Reference has also been made to the woods of Dunmore, and the larger trees which are still in health and growth throughout the county. Dr. Graham mentions an alder tree in the parish of Drymen, near the water of Duchray, which, in 1795, measured 19 1/2 feet round the trunk. An oak in the same neighbourhood, but which was reduced to the stool in 1820, measured 40 in circumference; and another then fresh at Blarquhoish in Strathblane had a girth of 15 feet, while the branches formed the radii of a circle of 270. The boar seems to have been a tenant of these forests. A symptom occurs on the neighbouring confine of Perthshire, in the parish of Port. Choillemuc is "wood of the boar," and intimates the former existence not only of an animal no longer to be found here, but of a forest where now no forest exists. The old name of Leitchtown, immediately west, was Blar-choille, "field of the wood." Craigmuc, in the parish of Aberfoyle, and close to Stirlingshire, is "rock of the boar."

MINERALS. - The abundance of minerals in the county has occasioned important manufactures throughout its area which should not else have been thought of. We have already adverted to coal. This valuable mineral runs obliquely along the south-east of the shire, on the south of the Lennox hills, and of the county town. Limestone, in many instances, accompanies coal in two strata, the one above, the other below, and of inferior quality. Freestone, also, in variety, is a frequent accompaniment. That near Kilsyth is of a beautiful white. Timber thrown into a stream above the town is very soon metamorphosed in point of substance, while the organisation remains. The cavity formed by the combined action of the stream and pickaxe contains, also, large masses of flint; and specimens of yellow and red jasper, with nodules of agate and porphyry. Much red freestone is found in many parts of the county, particularly north of the Lennox and Dundaff hills. There is a mineral spring at Boquhan, somewhat resembling that of Pitkaithly. It issues, like the latter, and that also at Dunblane, from sandstone of the burned-brick colour. Such springs are said to be found in other beds of such stones, both in Stirlingshire and elsewhere. At Ballaggan, in the parish of Strathblane, nearly 200 alternate strata of earth and limestone present themselves in the face of a hill, excavated by a lofty and precipitous cataract, subject to vast floods, Copper has been found in the parish of Kilsyth. The York Building Company had wrought it about 170 years ago; and it is said to have been rashly relinquished. A copper mine in the parish of Logie was operated upon seventy years ago; but, on the failure of a rich vein, was forsaken. Between 1760 and 1765, about 12 tons of silver ore, valued at £60 per ton, were dug up in the estate of Aithrey; but, by the bankruptcy of the person to whom it was consigned, Dr. Twisse, of London, the work was stopped. About 1700, Sir James Erskine, of Alva, had obtained, from a ravine in his estate of Alva, above £50,000 sterling's worth of silver ore, in about fourteen weeks. The vein had now become exhausted, and symptoms of lead and other inferior metals had appeared, when the work was forsaken. The communion cups of the church of Alva are made of the parochial silver.

RAILWAYS.-It may be said that railways, by their aids to industrial progress, and to the convenience and enjoyments of civilised life, have done more for the public generally than for the original shareholders at whose cost they were constructed. It was only in 1826 that the sanction of parliament was got for the formation of the first public railway worked by locomotives in the kingdom - the Manchester and Liverpool line; and now their extent throughout the country is about 14,500 miles, which leaves few towns of any importance beyond convenient distance of a railway station. Stirlingshire has, for many years, enjoyed close connection with the iron road. The Edinburgh and Glasgow line, now amalgamated with the North British, was commenced to be formed early in 1839, and 1842 brought its completion. It passes through the parish of Falkirk for about 8 miles, entering from Polmont on the east. The operations in this district consisted of works of considerable magnitude. Among these may be mentioned a tunnel which extends to 845 yards, with a width of 26 feet, and a height of 22 feet; while a viaduct of three arches, one of which, being 130 feet span, crosses the Union Canal near to its western termination at "Lock 16." A bridge, also, of seven arches, goes at once over the Redburn at Castlecary, and over the turnpike road there.

The canal just referred to was projected in 1818, and finished in 1822, by Mr. Hugh Baird, C.E., who resided at Kelvinhead, Kilsyth, till his death in 1827. It runs through the parish of Falkirk for about 3 miles, and falls 110 feet, by means of 11 locks, within the compass of half a mile. At the same distance south of Falkirk, it passes through a tunnel, cut out of the solid rock, nearly 1000 yards in length. For twenty years, this canal was used for the conveyance of both passengers and goods between Edinburgh and Lock 16 of the Forth and Clyde Canal, but now its occupation is gone. Coal and manure, and even little of these commodities, form its only traffic at the present day. Were it, however, continued on from the "Ladies' Cut" at Glenfuir to Wyndford, so as to avoid the locks, it might yet have a considerable trade.

Originally the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, which cost about a million of money, extended only to Haymarket on the east, and, for a time, the trains left each end hourly, calling at all the intermediate stations. Mr. Eadie, engineer for the company, was also manager, the agents, as a body, acting as superintendents of the line. But eventually a general manager and passenger superintendent were appointed, when the stationmasters were relieved of that responsibility and position. And it must have been severely trying work for the guards of those days. Their seats, with the break, were outside, at the top of the carriages, and we have heard some of them, now "gone over to the majority," tell of frequently reaching the terminus with their clothes frozen as stiff as boards from the severity of the weather.

The line from lower Greenhill to Stirling was opened for traffic on 1st March, 1848; the South Alloa branch in 1850; the Polmont Junction, in 1852; the Denny branch, on 1st April, 1858; and the Grangemouth branch, in October, 1861. The other public railways wholly or in part, in the county, are the Forth and Clyde Junction, the Milngavie branch, and the Blane Valley, and Stirling and Dunfermline - all of which are owned or leased by the Caledonian and North British Companies. The mileage of the latter company is the longest in Scotland, measuring over all 735 miles. It extends from Perth and Dundee on the north, to Carlisle, Silloth, and Newcastle on the south, and passes across the country from Helensburgh to Berwick, running out into numerous branches and loops. The railway originally consisted of a line from Edinburgh to Berwick, measuring 58 miles, with a branch to Haddington 4 miles in length. By the opening of the bridge over the Tay, on 1st June, 1878, Glasgow and Edinburgh traffic, to and from Aberdeen and other places north of Dundee, had the route via Stirling and Fife opened to it as an alternative route to that via Perth. The new route, as a whole, was North British, but portions of it, namely the portion north of Dundee (part of the Scottish North-Eastern lines), and the portion (part of the Scottish Central line) between Stirling and Larbert for Edinburgh traffic, and between Stirling and Greenhill for Glasgow traffic, belong to the Caledonian Company. The North British, however, exercise running powers over the Scottish Central, now merged in the Caledonian, between Stirling and Greenhill. The junction for their Edinburgh traffic is at Larbert.

The total length of the Caledonian Railway.is now 673 miles. But the original line, of which the estimated cost was £2,100,000, measured only 137 1/4 miles. It comprised a great fork from Edinburgh to Carnwath, another from the north side of Glasgow to Carnwath, a branch from the Glasgow fork at Motherwell to the south side of Glasgow, with a subordinate branch to Hamilton, a branch from the same fork in the vicinity of Gartsherrie to the Scottish Central Railway near Castlecary, and a main trunk extending from Carnwath to Carlisle. The Scottish Central, Scottish Midland, Scottish North Eastern, and several other railways, have been amalgamated with the Caledonian. The company further hold in lease the Alyth and the Arbroath and Forfar railways, while the Bushby, Crieff, and Methven Junction, Greenock and Wemyss Bay, Montrose and Bervie, Portpatrick, and Callendar, and Oban railways are worked by them. Powers were obtained in 1865 for the construction of the last mentioned line, which was opened from Tyndrum to Oban in May last - its full length being 70 3/4 miles.

It has come out in court in connection with accidents on several English lines, that some of the subordinates have been kept on constant duty for even eighteen hours a-day, but the employes on Scotch railways are not worse off, as a rule, with regard to their working-time than men engaged in other departments of labour. Stationmasters receive a salary of from £50 to £130 per annum with free house, coal, and light; drivers a pay of from 27s. to 42s. a-week, according to the nature of their work; stokers, from 16s. to 20s.; guards, from 18s. to 30s.; brakesmen, from 21s. to 25s.; signalmen and pointsmen, 18s.; porters, from 15s. to 19s.; platelayers, from 15s; to 18s.; while booking-clerks are paid at the rate of from £20 to 70 pounds a year. With few exceptions, the agent is responsible both for the office and outside work of the station, and it is only at the more important junctions where he is relieved of the oversight of the books, returns, and cash.

AIRTHREY MINERAL SPRING. - The mineral spring now so celebrated, and so much resorted to by invalids, rises on the Airthrey estate, on the high grounds above the village of Bridge of Allan. It was discovered in the course of working the Airthrey copper mine, from the sole of which it springs. The miners, conceiving it to be a common salt spring made use of it for culinary purposes, and gave it a decided preference to all other water. There are four springs in all, and of these Nos. 1 and 2, commonly called the Weak Water, are conveyed into the same reservoir and used together; No.3, the Strong Water, is used alone; and No. 4, which issues from the rock on the western wall of the mine, is not used. It is a scanty spring, termed the Black Spring, in consequence of its depositing into the natural basin, into which it is received, a black substance, which has not been examined. The following is a copy of the results of Dr. Thompson's analysis: -

Springs Nos. 1 and 2; specific gravity, 1.00714. 1000 grains contain –