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DUMBARTONSHIRE
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DUMBARTONSHIRE , a western See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. by See also:Perthshire, E. by See also:Stirlingshire, S.E. by See also:Lanarkshire, S. by the See also:Clyde and its See also:estuary, and W. by See also:Loch See also:Long and See also:Argyllshire. There is also a detached portion, comprising the See also:parish of See also:Kirkintilloch and See also:part of that of Cumbernauld enclosed between the shires of See also:Stirling and See also:Lanark. This formerly formed part of Stirlingshire, but was annexed in the 14th See also:century when the See also:earl of See also:Wigtown, to whom it belonged, became heritable See also:sheriff of Dumbartonshire. Dumbartonshire has an See also:area of 170,762 acres or 267 sq. m. The See also:north-See also:west and west are mountainous, the See also:chief summits being See also:Ben Vorlich (3092 ft.), Ben See also:Vane (3004), See also:Donne See also: See also:Water to a point opposite the isle of See also:Vow, giving about two-thirds of the loch to the former county. Loch Sloy on the See also:side of Ben Vorlich is a long, narrow lake, 812 ft. above the See also:sea amid See also:wild scenery. From its name the Macfarlanes took their See also:slogan or See also:war-cry. The shores of the Gareloch, a See also:salt-water inlet 6i m. long and 1 m. wide, are studded with houses of those whose business lies in See also:Glasgow. Garelochhead has grown into a favourite summerresort; Clynder is famed for its See also:honey. The more important salt-water inlet, Loch Long, is 17 m. in length and varies in width from 2 m. at its mouth to about a mile in its upper reach. It is the dumping-See also:place for the dredgers which are constantly at See also:work preserving the See also:tide-way of the Clyde from Dumbarton to the Broomielaw—its use for this purpose being a See also:standing grievance to anglers. The scenery on both shores is very beautiful. Only a mile separates Garelochhead from Loch Long, and at Arrochar the distance from Tarbet on Loch Lomond is barely m. Nearly all the glens are situated in the Highland part of the See also:shire, the principal being Glen Sloy, Glen Douglas, Glen Luss and Glen Fruin. The last is memorable as the See also:scene of the bloody conflict in 1603 between the Macgregors and the Colquhouns, in which the latter were almost exterminated. It was this See also:savage encounter that led to the proscription of the Macgregors, including the famous Rob See also:Roy. See also:Geology.—Like the other counties along the eastern border of the See also:Highlands, Dumbartonshire is divided geologically into two areas, the boundary between the two being defined by a line extending from Rossdhu on Loch Lomond south-west by See also:Row and Roseneath to Kilcreggan. The mountainous region lying to the north of this line is composed of rocks belonging to the metamorphic See also:series of the Eastern Highlands and representing several of the See also:groups met with in the adjoining counties of See also:Perth and See also:Argyll. Immediately to the north of the Highland border the See also:Aberfoyle slates and grits appear, repeated by isoclinal folds trending north-See also:east and south-west and dipping towards the north-west. These are followed by a See also:great development of the Ben Ledi grits and schists—the representatives of the Beinn Bheula grits and ablite See also:schists of Argyllshire, which, by means of rapid plication, spread over the high grounds northwards to beyond the See also:head of Loch Lomond. Along the line of See also:section between Luss and Ardlui important See also:evidence is obtained of the See also:gradual increase of See also:metamorphism as we proceed northwards from the Highland border. The See also:original clastic characters of the strata are obscured and the rocks between Arrochar and Inverarnan in Glen Falioch See also:merge into See also:quartz-See also:biotite gneisses and See also:albite schists. In the extreme north between Ardlui and the head of Glen See also:Fyne in Argyllshire there is a large development of plutonic rocks piercing the Highland schists and producing marked contact metamorphism. These range from See also:acid to ultrabasic types and include See also:granite, See also:augite-See also:diorite, See also:picrite and serpentine. On the hill-slopes to the west of Ardlui and Inverarnan the diorite appears, while farther west, between the See also:watershed and Glen Fyne, there is a large See also:mass of granite. Boulders of plutonic rocks from this area have been widely distributed by the See also:ice during the glacial See also:period. Immediately to the south of the Highland border line there is a See also:belt of Upper Old Red See also:Sandstone strata which stretches from the shores of Loch Lomond westwards by See also:Helensburgh and Roseneath See also:Castle to Kilcreggan. These sandstones and conglomerates are succeeded by the sandstones, shales, See also:clays and cementstones at the See also:base of the Carboniferous formation which occupy a narrow See also:strip between Loch Lomond and Gareloch and are cut off by a See also:fault along their south-east margin. East of this dislocation there is a belt of See also:Lower Old Red Sandstone strata extending from the mouth of the Endrick Water south-westwards by Balloch to the See also:shore of the Clyde west of Cardross, which is bounded on either side by the upper See also:division of that See also:system. Still farther east beyond Dumbarton the Upper Old Red Sandstone is again surmounted by the representatives of the Cementstone See also:group, which are followed by the lavas, tuffs and agglomerates of the Kirkpatrick Hills, intercalated in the Calciferous Sandstone series. Here the terraced features of the volcanic See also:plateau, produced by the denudation of the successive floes is well displayed. Eastwards by Kilpatrick and Bearsden to the margin of the county near Maryhill the rocks of Calciferous Sandstone See also:age are followed in normal See also:order by the Carboniferous See also:Limestone series; the Hurlet Limestone and Hurlet See also:Coal of the lower limestone group being prominently See also:developed. In the detached portion of the county between Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld there is an important coalfield embracing the seams in the See also:middle or coal-bearing group of the Carboniferous Limestone series. In this county there are several striking examples of the east and west See also:dolerite dykes which are probably of See also:late Carboniferous age. These See also:traverse the High-See also:land schists between Loch Long and Loch Lomond, the Old Red Sandstone area between See also:Alexandria and the See also:Blanc Valley, and the Carboniferous See also:tract near Cumbernauld. The ice which radiated from the Dumbartonshire Highlands moved south-east and east towards the central See also:plain of Carboniferous rocks. Hence the See also:boulder See also:clay of the See also:lowland districts is abundantly charged with boulders of schistose grit, See also:slate, See also:gneiss and granite derived from areas lying far to the north-west. Along the shores of the Clyde the broad terraced features indicate the limits of successive raised beaches. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—There is excessive rainfall in the Highlands, averaging 53 in. at Helensburgh up to nearly 70 in. in the north. The temperature, with an See also:average for the See also:year of 4710 F., varies from 38° in See also:January to 58° in See also:July, but in the valleys the See also:heat in midsummer is often oppressive. The prevailing winds are from the west and south-west, but easterly winds are frequent in the See also:spring. Frosts are seldom severe, and, except on the mountains, See also:snow never lies long. The arable lands extend chiefly along the Clyde and the Leven, and are composed of See also:rich See also:black See also:loam, gravelly See also:soil and clay. From the proximity to Glasgow and other large towns the farmers have the See also:double See also:advantage of good manure and a ready See also:market for all kinds of stock and produce, and under this stimulus high farming and dairying on a considerable See also:scale prosper. Black-faced See also:sheep and Highland See also:cattle are pastured on the hilly lands and Cheviots and Ayrshires on the See also:low grounds. Oats and See also:wheat are the principal cereals, but See also:barley and potatoes in abundance, and turnips and beans are also grown.
Other See also:Industries.—Turkey-red See also:dyeing has long been the distinctive See also:industry of the county. The water of the Leven being not only See also:constant but also singularly soft and pure, dyers and bleachers have constructed See also:works at many places in the Vale of Leven. See also:Bleaching has been carried on since the See also:early part of the 18th century, and See also:cotton-See also:printing at Levenfield See also:dates from 1768. The establishments at Alexandria, Bonhill, See also:Jamestown, See also:Renton and other towns for all the processes connected with the bleaching, dyeing and printing of cottons, calicoes and other cloths, besides yarns, are conducted on the largest scale. At See also:Milton the first See also:power-See also:loom See also: The extensive See also:Singer sewing-See also:machine works are at Kilbowie, and the Clyde See also:Trust See also:barge-See also:building shops are at Dalmuir. There are distilleries and breweries at See also:Duntocher, See also:Bowling, Dumbarton, See also:Milngavie (pronounced Mil See also:guy) and other towns. In fact the Vale of Leven and the See also:riverside towns east of Dumbarton See also:form a veritable hive of industry. In the detached portion, Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld are seats of great activity in the See also:mining of coal and ironstone, and there are besides chemical works and saw-See also:mills in the former See also:town. There is some fishing at Helensburgh and along the Gareloch. The populous districts of the county are served almost wholly by the North See also:British railway. From Helensburgh to Inverarnan the Highland railway runs through scenery of the most diversified and romantic See also:character. The Caledonian railway has See also:access to Balloch from Glasgow, and its system also traverses the detached portion. Portions of the Forth and Clyde See also:Canal, which connects with the Clyde at Bowling, and was opened for See also:traffic in 1775, pass through the shire. There is See also:regular steamer communication between Glasgow and the towns and villages on the See also:coast, and on Loch Lomond steamers See also:call at several points between Balloch and Ardlui. See also:Population and See also:Government.—The population of Dumbarton-shire in 1891 was 98,014 and in 1901 113,865, of whom 3101 spoke both Gaelic and See also:English and 14 Gaelic only. The principal towns, with populations in 1901, are—Alexandria (8007), Bonhill (3333), Clydebank (21,591), Dumbarton (19,985), Duntocher (2122), Helensburgh (8554), Jamestown (2080), Kirkintilloch (11,681), Milngavie (3481), New Kilpatrick or Bearsden (2705) and Renton (5067). The county returns one member to See also:parliament. Dumbarton, the county town, is the only royal See also:burgh, and belongs to the See also:Kilmarnock group of See also:parliamentary burghs. The municipal and See also:police burghs are Clydebank, See also:Cove and Kilcreggan, Dumbarton, Helensburgh, Kirkintilloch and Milngavie. Dumbartonshire forms a sheriffdom with the counties of Stirling and See also:Clackmannan, and there is a See also:resident sheriff-substitute at Dumbarton, who sits also at Kirkintilloch. The shire is under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction, but there are several voluntary See also:schools, besides St See also:Peter's See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also:College in New Kilpatrick. See also:Science, See also:art and technical classes are subsidized out of the whole of the county " See also:residue " and, if necessary, out of part of the burgh " residue " also. Agricultural lectures and the travelling expenses and fees of county students at Glasgow Technical College are also paid for from the same source.
See also:History.—The See also:country is rich in antiquities connected withthe See also:aborigines and also with the See also:Romans. The Caledonians and Picts have See also:left their traces in See also:rude forts and tumuli, but of greater See also:interest are remains in several places of the See also:wall of See also:Antoninus, built from the Forth to the Clyde, and See also:running along the north of the detached portion of the shire and through the south-eastern corner of the county to Kilpatrick. Other Roman See also:relics have been found at Duntocher, Cumbernauld and elsewhere. The shire forms part of the old Scottish territory of, See also:Lennox (Levenachs, " See also:fields of the Leven "), which embraced the Vale of the Leven and the See also:basin of Loch Lomond, or all See also:modern Dumbartonshire, most of Stirling and parts of the shires of See also:Renfrew and Perth. It gave the See also:title of the earldom created in 1174 by See also: In 1702 the Lennox estates were sold to the See also:marquis of See also:Montrose. The See also:captive See also:Wallace was conveyed in chains to Dumbarton Castle, whence he was taken to his See also:death in See also:London. See also:Robert See also:Bruce is said to have mustered his forces at Dullatur See also:prior to the See also:battle of See also:Bannockburn, and died at Cardross Castle in 1329. The See also:Covenanters in their See also:flight from the bloody See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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