- River Carron (Forth)
:for|other places called Carron|CarronThe River Carron (
Scottish Gaelic : Abhainn Carrann) is a river in centralScotland . This river has given its name to towns in Falkirk, a variety of regional features, a type ofcannon , a line ofbathtub s, twowarship s and an island in theSouthern Hemisphere .River Carron
The river rises in the
Campsie Fells before flowing into Carron Valley Reservoir.It passes byDenny , then betweenLarbert andFalkirk before flowing into theFirth of Forth nearGrangemouth .Carron Bridge
The Carron Bridge (also called Carronbridge as evidenced by the name of the local Carronbridge Hotel) crosses the Carron at the eastern extremity of Carron Valley Forest. It was built in 1695 to replace a ford that had existed for many hundreds of years as part of an old
drove road fromKilsyth toStirling . This bridge, with its two span stonearch es, looks larger than it needs to be because the river was much larger before Carron Dam was built to create a reservoir in the 1930s.Historical references
The river is thought by some to be the "Itys" described by
Ptolemy in "Geographia", his extensive 2nd century compilation of geographical knowledge.A historical perspective, drawn from the [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurehistory3083.html# "Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical"] edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.]Nennius , the Welsh historian of the 9th century, believed the name of the Carron was derived fromCarausius , the 3rd century Roman commander who declared himself emperor of Britannia and northernGaul .William Nimmo’s [http://www.electricscotland.com/history/stirlingshire/chap32.htm "History of Stirlingshire", "Chapter XXXII – Rivers and Lochs"] originally published in 1777 and revised by R. Gillispie in 1880 edition.]According to the
Ossian poems ofJames Macpherson , the waterway's name isScots Gaelic in origin and means "winding river". Another etymology which is just as plausible is that the river's original name was is derived from theBrythonic word "Caeravon" meaning "river of thecaer s" eluding to the Roman fortifications built on its banks as a barrier between their territory and that of thePict s.In the 17th century, William Nimmo described the river and region as follows:
The whole length of its course, from west to east, is some 14 miles, the first half of which is spent among bleak hills and rocks, but, when it has reached the low grounds, its banks are fertile and wooded, and, as it advances, the neighbouring
The river is also referred to in thesoil increases in richness and value. ..The stream is small comparatively, yet there is no river in Scotland whose surroundings have been the scene of so many memorable events....A short distance from its source, the river enters the Carron Bog. This vast
plain andmeadow ... [is] Considerably elevated above theocean , it occupies part of the table-land between the eastern and western coasts. It has, probably, been alake at no very distant period, and gradually filled by the hillbrook s washing downdebris . Part, indeed, is aswamp scarcely passable at any time, but nearly inundated by every heavy rain.
...in the division called Temple Denny, the Carron, having worn a hollow channel in the rock, forms a beautifulcascade , by pouring its contracted stream over aprecipice above 20 feet in height. ..When the river is in flood, and a triumphant torrent sweeps down the glen, this cascade is unsurpassed among Scottishstream s for the grandeur of its storm of spray. ..Over the serpentine road down-hill to Denny the spirit of beauty everywhere prevails. The intervening district, indeed, is famous for its pastoral undulations; and from almost every breezy brae-top a charming view is got of the wooded banks of the river – foliage which, even in the present green-tide, displays all the variety of autumnal richness.Scots language song "Lads O' the Fair":For ye can see them a', the lads o' the fair
Lads frae the Forth an' the Carron Water
Workin' lads an' lads wi' gear
Lads that'll sell ye the provost's dochter
Sogers back frae the German Wars
Peddlers up frae the Border [ [http://www.alansim.com/scohtml/sco214.html "Lads O' the Fair" by Brian McNeill] Some recorded versions have slightly different words but all include the "Carron Water" reference.]Carron Valley area
As mentioned above, the
terrain in and around the Carron Valley is rough and scenic.Munro s and Corbetts jut skyward from thelandscape . As such, the region attracts birdwatchers,anglers, geocachers andorienteering enthusiasts, hikers, hill and mountain climbers, huntersmountain bike rs,photographer s and sight-seers.Carron Valley Reservoir
The convert|1000|acre|km2|sing=on Carron Valley Reservoir, completed in 1939 is one of the most scenic
trout fisheries in central Scotland. Situated high in theCampsie Fells yet only twenty minutes from Stirling and half an hour fromGlasgow , theloch offers scenicvista s andfly fishing for a combination of wild trout and trout stocked by Carron Valley Fishery. [http://www.carronvalley.com/index.htm Carron Valley Fly Fishing] ]The reservoir has proved to be an ideal
habitat for the Carron's indigenousbrown trout population. Thriving on the rich feeding of the newly flooded river valley and with easy access to its many excellent spawning and nurserystream s, the "wild brownies" of the Carron Valley Reservoir are numerous.The Carron Works
The
Carron Company (also known as the Carron Works) was anironworks established in 1759 on the north bank of the River Carron two miles north of Falkirk. This company was at the forefront of theIndustrial Revolution in theUnited Kingdom .Watters, Brian & Donald, John. "Where Iron Runs Like Water! A new history of Carron Iron Works 1759-1982", 1998.] [One might assume that [http://www.verney-carron.com/ Verney-Carron] , France's number one manufacturer of hunting guns, acquired Carron Company's munitions interests. However, as explained in the [http://www.verney-carron.com/pages-fr/historique2.htm/ History of that company] , "(...) This event marked the beginning of the firm renamed Verney-Carron in 1830, after Claude Verney married Antoinette Carron, herself a daughter and grand-daughter of gunsmiths, (...) that it is simply the surname of this very old company's founders and owners and is unrelated to the company in Falkirk.]The company's local coal mining operations where known as the Carron Collieries The villages of Carronhall and Carronshore contained dwellings for
miner s andfactory workers. This area was serviced by the Carron Branch Railway.Through the factory's products, the river's name passed to the naval cannon called the
carronade . These big guns were used during inNapoleonic Wars in melees such as theBattle of Trafalgar as well as various naval battles during theAmerican Civil War . [ [http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/gen1.htm Cannons and Carronades] ]The ironworks also produced the Carron bath, a large bathtub. Although the Carron Company was sold in 1982, these tubs are still manufactured in Falkirk by Carron Bathrooms Ltd (owned by Carron Phoenix, a division of the Swiss firm that bought Carron Company) and distributed across Britain. These baths are now made of acrylic and, for extra cost, may be coated in a protective substance the company calls "carronite". [ [http://www.carronbathrooms.com/carron.html Carron Bathrooms Ltd.] ]
Warships
"HMS Carron" was planned as a
Loch class frigate but the design was changed and she was renamed "HMS Gerrans Bay" in mid-construction. Completed in 1944, she served inWorld War II and eventually ended up as HMS Surprise, aBay class frigate . [ [http://www.lochclassfrigates.com/ships.html Loch Class Frigate Association] ]The "USS Carronade" (named after the cannon that was named after the river), was a ship of the
U.S. Navy that was completed in 1955. Finished too late to serve in theKorean War , she was taken out of service but re-commissioned for theVietnam War . She was decommissioned again in 1969. [ [http://www.military.com/HomePage/UnitPageFullText/0,13476,200279,00.html USS Carronade - IFS 1] ]Carronade Island
In July 1916,
HMAS Encounter was on wartime patrol and came to a small island on the northern coast ofWestern Australia . The crew discovered twobronze cannons standing six feet apart and pointing into the air.Maritime Archaeology Department of the Western Australian Maritime Museum [http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/collections/maritime/march/documents/No.215CarronadeIsGun.pdf "An investigation of one of the two bronze guns from Carronade Island, Western Australia"] ] Green, Jeremy N. "The Carronade Island guns and Australia's early visitors." Great circle, Vol.4, no.1 (1982), p.73-83.]Since at the time these guns were erroneously thought to be carronades, the island on which they had been found was named
Carronade Island after this discovery. Several 20th century observers the origin of these guns and they were long thought to give weight to thetheory of Portuguese discovery of Australia .However, scientists at the
Western Australian Museum in Fremantle have recently made a detailed analysis and have determined that these weapons are almost certainly of Makassan, rather than European, origin.ee also
*
Carron Company
*List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Falkirk and Clackmannan
*List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Nithsdale
*Stenhousemuir Notes
References
*cite book
last = Lavery
first = Brian
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1989
title = Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation 1793-1815
publisher = Conway Maritime Press
location = London
id = ISBN 1-59114-611-9
*1911External links
* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/kilsyth/carron-bridge-area.htm Carron Bridge Area]
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