FINTRY, a parish, in the county of Stirling,
17 miles (N.) from Glasgow; containing, with the villages
of Gonachan and Newtown, and the Clachan, 884
inhabitants. This parish is said to have derived its
name from Gaelic terms signifying "fair land", applied
in consequence of the picturesque appearance of
parts of the district, in contrast with the dreary moors
and barren mountains by which they are surrounded.
It is of an irregular form, extending about six miles in
length from east to west, and five in breadth; and comprises
13,000 acres, of which 1000 are aratjle, 100 in
wood and plantations, and the remainder hill and moor
pasture, chiefly laid out in large sheep-farms. The surface,
which embraces some of the highest grounds between
the Firths of Clyde and Forth, is considerably
diversified, and marked principally by three ranges of
hills, and two intermediate, beautifully rural, and fertile
valleys. The ranges of hills are, the Fintry hills, on the
north; a continuation of the Killeam line, traversing
the middle of the parish, and uniting with the DundafF
range, on the west, in St. Ninian's parish; and a southern
chain, continued from the Campsie Fells and the Meikle
Binn. These elevations are rich in fern, moss, and
lichen, and in the various valuable botanical specimens
peculiar to such localities; the moors abound with
grouse and a variety of wild-fowl. The chief rivers are
the Carron and the Endrick, both of which rise in the
parish, and, watering the two valleys already referred to,
contribute materially to enliven their delightful scenery.
Of these streams, the Carron, celebrated in song, runs by
the margin of the Campsie hills, and forms the boundary
line, for the distance of about two miles, between Fintry
and the parish of Campsie, after which, leaving the valley,
it enters a new district, and eventually empties itself into
the Forth. The Endrick, which receives a considerable
accession to its waters by the junction of the Gonachan
burn, is a bold and precipitous stream, passing in some
places with great noise along its rocky and rugged
channel, and exhibiting a magnificent cascade in its progress
over a lofty rock, commonly called the " Loup of
Fintry ", ninety feet in height: it loses itself at last in
Lnch Lomond. Both the rivers are well stocked with
trout; and in the latter, below the waterfall, a species
of trout called par is exceedingly numerous.
The SOIL is in general productive; and oats and barley,
which are the staple crops, are raised of very excellent
quality, together with hay, a great quantity of which is
obtained from an extensive tract called the Carron bog,
situated near the river of the same name. The fine
sheep-walks, however, formed of many small farms
broken up some years ago, and upon which large numbers
of live stock range, confer on the parish its chief
character, and are the principal source of wealth to the
landowner. About 4000 sheep are usually kept, and
nearly 1000 head of cattle, besides a good supply of Ayrshire
cows for the dairy, the produce of which is of superior
quality, and is disposed of in the neighbouring towns
and villages. Open drains are frequently cut along the
margin of the hills, to the great advantage of the pastures;
and several excellent farm-houses, with suitable offices,
have been built in different parts of the parish within
these few years. The annual value of real property in
Fintry is £4610. The rocks are of several kinds, and
in the northern chain of hills become so prominent as to
invest the scenery with a character of singular variety
and grandeur; they chiefly comprise granite, whinstone,
freestone, and redstone, here called firestone. In the
north-western portion of the parish is a hill called Doun,
formed partly of a perpendicular rock about fifty feet in
height, distributed into numerous beautiful basaltic
columns. Small quantities of coal are also found in
different places. The plantations, some of which are
recent, consist chiefly of various sorts of fir, but intermixed
with hard-wood, as oak, beech, &c.; and encompassing
Culcreuch House, an ancient mansion with
modern additions, situated in the north-west, is an extensive
sweep of fine old timber.
Newtown, the chief village, was built to accommodate
the population that sprang up in consequence of the
erection of a cotton- factory by the late Mr. Speirs, about
fifty years since: it is situated in the western part of
the parish. The establishment contains 20,000 spindles,
and employs about 260 hands, the machinery being
driven by the water of the river Endrick, collected for
that purpose in a reservoir of about thirty acres; and
by a steam-engine, lately erected. The intercourse kept
up with Glasgow by the conveyance of the raw material
and the manufactured goods, is said to have been the
occasion of a material improvement in the state of the
roads, and to have opened a larger market for the sale
of the farm produce. This village, the population of
which exceeds 500, also contains a distillery, erected in
1816, and producing annually 70,000 gallons of malt
whisky. There are likewise two hamlets, one called
Clachan, and the other Gouachan, in the former of which
are the church and manse, and in the latter the parochial
school, and near it a small wool-factory. The numerous
lambs bred here are generally sent for sale to Glasgow,
with a part of the dairy produce, the other part being
disposed of at Canipsie and Kirkintilloch; the blackcattle
are sold at Falkirk.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Dumbarton, synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the
patronage of the Duke of Montrose: the minister's
stipend is £155, with a manse, lately rebuilt, and a glebe
valued at £22 per annum. Fintry church is a neat
structure with a tower at the west end, built in 1823,
and containing 500 sittings. The master of the parochial
school has a salary of £34, with about £20 fees, and
a housfe and garden. Another school has lately been
opened in the village, chiefly for the benefit of the children
of those employed in the factory; about 100 attend
in the day-time, and fifty or sixty in the evening. The
premises, which are spacious, and comprise a house for
the master, were erected in consequence of a legacy of
£3000 left for that purpose by Mr. John Stewart, a
trader in Fintry, who died in 1836. Mr. Stewart also
left £500 to form a fund for a savings' bank in the parish.
There is a small subscription library, which has
been established several years. The only relic of antiquity
is the ruin of an ancient castle with a fosse and
mound, formerly the residence of the Grahams of
Fintry: it stood on the south side of Fintry hill, opposite
Sir John de Graham's castle in the parish of St. Ninian's,
which was burnt down by Edward L after the battle of
Falkirk. The parish confers the title of Baron on the
Duke of Montrose.