Falkirk

Falkirk, a town of Stirlingshire, finely situated on a rising-ground in the midst of a populous mineral and manufacturing district, and overlooking an expansive 'caise,' by rail is 3 miles SW. of its seaport Grangemouth, 22 NE. of Glasgow, and 26 WNW. of Edinburgh. Including now the suburbs of Grahamston, Bainsford, Laurieston, and Camelon, it was constituted a parliamentary burgh in 1832, and with Airdrie, Hamilton, Lanark, and Linlithgow returns one member. Its parish church—the Eglais Bhrec, Varia Capella, or Faw ('speckled') Kirk of chartularies and local tradition—was rebuilt in 1810. There are also the county buildings (1868), burgh buildings (1876), town-hall (the former corn exchange, 1859), an equestrian statue of Wellington (1854), a science and art school (1878), the Dollar Free Library (1888), and a cottage-hospital (1889). The famous cattle 'trysts' or fairs, where stock was annually sold to the value of £1,000,000, have been largely superseded by the weekly auctions. The iron manufacture is carried on busily at Carron (q.v.) and elsewhere. Pop. (1851) 8752; (1891) 19,769. At Falkirk on 22d July 1298 Edward I. inflicted a disastrous defeat on Wallace, and on 17th January 1746 Prince Charles Edward defeated Hawley. Antoninus' Wall (q.v.) is the chief antiquity.