CAMELON, a village, in the parish of Falkirk,
county of Stirling, li mile (W.) from Falkirk; containing
1340 inhabitants. This village, which is situated
on the turnpike-road to Glasgow, is sometimes
called New Camelon, in contradistinction to the ancient
city of the same name, supposed to have been a Roman
station, and at one time a very considerable sea-port
town. The probability of this supposition is corroborated
by numerous vestiges of Roman antiquity that may
still be traced on the line of the Roman road leading
from the Wall of Antonine, and by the discovery of
foundations of buildings, and the traces of various streets
which not many years since were distinctly apparent.
There is also sufiicient evidence that the river Carron
was formerly navigable for vessels far above the site of
the ancient city, where, in I/O*, several antique boats
and the fragment of an anchor were found embedded iu
the soil; and the name of the adjacent district called the
Carse, implying lands reclaimed from the sea, and their
slight elevation above the level of the Firth of Forth, by
which, within the last fifty or si.\ty years, they have been
inundated, afford strong confirmation of the truth of that
opinion. The inhabitants are partly employed in the
Carron iron-works, and in the ironstone and coal mines
connected with those works; also in the manufacture of
nails, which was originally introduced here by Mr. Cadell
of Carron Park, and for v.hich there are now two establishments,
affording occupation to 250 persons. Two
distilleries are carried on, one of them situated upon the
north, and the other upon the south, bank of the Forth
and Clyde canal. This line of navigation, and also the
Union canal, are on the south side of the village: Port-
Downie is at its western extremity. The Edinburgh and
Glasgow railway passes about a quarter of a mile to the
south, where it has a station. A handsonie church has
been built by sul)scription, near the western extremity of
the village, on ground given by Mr. Forbes of Callendar,
who also contributed largely towards the e.\|)ense of its
erection; it was opened on the '23rd of August, 1840,
and contains 660 sittings. Camelon is a quoad sacra
parish. A school, for wliich an appropriate Ijuilding has
been erected, is also supported, by subscription.