CARRON, a village, and seat of extensive ironworks,
in the parish of Larbert, county of Stirling,
2 miles (N. N. vv.) from Falkirk. This village, which
is situated on the north bank of the river Carron, about
three miles from its influx into the Forth, and has every
facility of obtaining water-power, and an easy transit
for produce, became in I76O the seat of the iron-works
so well known as the most important and extensive in
the kingdom. These works were originally established
by a company consisting of Messrs. Roebuck, formerly
of Sheffield, and afterwards of Birmingham, Mr. Garbet,
merchant of the latter place, and Messrs. Cadell, of
East Lothian. The company was incorporated by
charter, in 1**3, with a capital of £150,000, raised in
shares of £'250 each; and having engaged workmen
from Sheffield and Birmingham, it carried on operations
under the superintendence of Mr. Gascoigne, sonin-
law of Mr. Garbet, on a very extensive scale. The
smelting of iron-ore, and the manufacture of cast-iron
goods of every description, are carried on to a great
extent; about 10,000 tons of pig-iron are annually
made, and the manufacture of malleable iron from
scraps, which is of more recent introduction, is also extensive.
Among the articles produced are cannon,
mortars, howitzers, and carronades, which last derived
their name from this establishment; shot, shells, and
other implements of war; steam-engines, sugar-mills,
sugar-pans, agricultural implements, with various articles
for domestic use, anchors, anvils, and axles. There are
four blast furnaces (two of them adapted to the use of
the hot blast) and four cupola furnaces, all of which
have water-wheels for propelling the machinery. A
steam-engine, also, of gigantic power, is incessantly at
work, day and night, for the production of blast; and
fifteen air furnaces are in operation. There are mills
for boring cylinders and pipes, and the various reservoirs
for the supply of the works cover about 100 acres
of ground; the entire number of persons employed is
more than 1000. The foundry is connected with the
collieries of Kinnaird and Carron Hall, by a substantial
tramway of two lines; and, by another, with the shipping
wharf on the Forth and Clyde canal, at Bainsford,
whence produce is sent to Glasgow, Liverpool, and
other places. Goods for London are sent to Grangemouth
in barges down the river Carron, which is navigable
up to the works during the flow of the tide. In 1846 an
act was passed for the construction of a line of railway
from the Edinburgh and Glasgow line near Polmont to
the Scottish Central railway near Larbert, with branches
to the Falkirk iron-works and the Carron iron-works.