CLACKMANNANSHIRE, a county (small) in the
interior of Scotland, bounded on the north and northwest
by Perthshire, from which it is separated by the
Ochil Hills; on the east, by the county of Fife; and ou
the south and south-vvest, by the river Forth. It lies
between 56° 5' and 56° 14' (N. Lat.), and 3° 33' and
3° 56' (W. Long.), and is about ten miles in length, and
eight miles in extreme breadth; comprising an area of
fifty-two square miles, or 33,280 acres; 3517 dwellinghouses,
of which 3406 are inhabited; and a population
of 19,155, of whom 9386 are males, and 9769 females.
This county is in the synod of Perth and Stirling, and
comprises four entire parishes, with part of another. For
civil purposes it is associated with the county of Kinross,
under one sheriff, who appoints a sheriff-substitute
for each county. It contains the towns of Clackmannan
and Alloa, in the latter of which the sheriff-substitute
resides, and holds his courts, though the quarter-sessions
are occasionally held at Clackmannan. Under the act
of the 2nd of William IV., the county, jointly with that
of Kinross, returns a member to parliament.
For a considerable breadth from the shore of the
Forth the surface is level, but towards the north rises
rapidly, forming part of the Ochil range of hills, of which
Bencleugh, the highest, has an elevation of 2000 feet
above the sea. The principal rivers are, the Forth; the
Devon, which, after a western course through a beautifully
romantic district, falls into tlie Forth to the west of
Alloa; and the Black Devon, which, after traversing the
county in a direction nearly parallel with the Devon,
flows into the Forth not far from Clackmannan. There
are some small lakes, and an artificial sheet of water
called Gartmorn Dam, which is 160 acres in extent.
About two-thirds of the land are arable, and the remainder
hill pasture; the soil in the lower districts is exceedingly
rich and fertile, producing crops of grain of every kind,
and the higher lands afford good pasturage for sheep and
cattle. The system of agriculture is in a highly improved
state. The annual value of real property in the county
is £52,923, of which £35,249 are returned for lands,
£7608 for houses, £9699 for mines, and the remainder
for other kinds of real property. The chief minerals are
ironstone and coal, both of which areextensively wrought;
of the former, more than 200,000 tons are annually
raised: silver-ore has been also found in some places.
Among the manufactures are those of flint and crown
glass, steam-engines and all kinds of machinery, the
woollen manufacture, which has been latterly much extended;
large potteries, and brick and tile works, various
distilleries, breweries, and tanneries. Ship-building, and
the making of ropes and sails, are likewise carried on.
The Stirling and Dunfermline railway intersects the
county. There are several remains of antiquity, among
which are the Towers of Alloa and Clackmannan, the
latter of which w-as the residence of Robert Bruce; Roman
coins have been found, and some sepulchral urns,
and various other relics.