LARBERT, a parish, ecclesiastically united to the
parish of Dunipace, in the county of Stirling; containing,
with the villages of Carron, Kinnaird, Stenhouse-
Muir, and part of the village of Carronshore, 4404 inhabitants,
of whom 487 are in the village of Larbert, 2
miles (N. W.) from Falkirk. This parish is bounded on
the south by the river Carron, and is about three miles
in length and two and a half in breadth, comprising an
area of 3400 acres, of which, with the exception of 200
acres of woodland and plantations, the whole is arable,
meadow, and pasture. The surface rises gradually from
the south-west to the north-east, where it attains an
elevation of nearly 100 feet; and though not commanding
an extensive prospect, yet it embraces numerous
interesting and impressive features. Formerly the river
abounded with salmon; but since the establishment of
the Carron iron-works, they have almost disappeared.
A small stream called the Chapel burn rises in the parish
of Dunipace, and after a course of about three miles,
in which it turns two mUls, falls into the Carron near
the village of Carronshore.
In general the soil is fertile, and near the confines
of Falkirk there is a considerable tract of rich carse
land; the crops are wheat, oats, barley, beans, and
hay. The system of agriculture has of late years been
greatly improved; the lands have been drained and inclosed,
and the farm-buildings are commodious. The
plantaticjns are almost confined to the grounds of the
principal landholders, and consist of oak, ash, beech,
sycamore, Huntingdon willow, and firs. In the grounds
of Kinnaird are some fine oaks, and an avenue of limetrees,
and there are also some stately trees at Carron
Hall; but in general the soil is unfavourable to the
growth of timber. The main substrata are sandstone,
coal, and ironstone, all of which are wrought to a great
extent; the coal on the lands of Carron Hall and Kinnaird
is worked by the Carron Company, who employ
about 150 men in the collieries. The annual value of
real property in Larbert is £'26,246. The village is
situated in the south-western portion of the parish, on the
road from Stirling to Falkirk, with which latter parish
it has a communication by a bridge over the Carron.
A post-office has been established here; and the Falkirk
trysts are held upon a heath near the village, the
property of Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse, on the
second Tuesday in August, September, and October,
chiefly for black-cattle and horses. The number of
cattle sold at the first of these trysts seldom exceeds
4000, and of horses 400: at the second, 17,000 cattle
and 700 horses; and at the October tryst, 20,000 cattle
and nearly 1000 horses. For the accommodation of the
persons attending these meetings, there are numerous
inns. Facility of intercourse is maintained by good
turnpike-roads which pass through the parish, and by
the Scottish Central railway, which has a station here,
and in the parish of Falkirk joins the Edinburgh and
Glasgow and the Caledonian railways.
Larbert and Dunipace are within the bounds of the
presbytery of Stirling, synod of Perth and Stirling: the
stipend of the united living is £272, with a manse, and a
glebe valued at £26. 10. per annum; patron, the Crown.
Larbert church, situated at the western extremity of the
parish, is a handsome structure in the later English
style of architecture, erected in 1819, after a design by
Mr. Hamilton, of Glasgow, and containing 1200 sittings.
The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.
Larbert jjarochial school is well attended; the
master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden,
and the fees average £60 per annum. Among the relics
of aiiti(|uity formerly existing, was a conical building of
stone called Arthur's Oven, supposed to have been of
Roman origin, and which was demolished in 1743 for
the sake of the materials. The interior, twenty feet in
diameter, was surrounded with two stone shelves near
the base, and was open towards the vertex; the entrance
was arched, and over it was a kind of window of square
form, tapering towards the summit. Roman mill-stones
and fragments of pottery were found within 300 yards
of the site, by some labourers draining a peat-moss, in
the year 1800; and in other parts of the parish are
some remains of ancient square towers, thought to have
been the residences of chieftains. The most distinguished
person connected with the parish was James Bruce, the
Abyssinian traveller, who died at Kinnaird in 1794. He
was descended from the Rev. Robert Bruce of Kinnaird,
a preacher known for his bold and uncompromising defence
of presbyterianism; Robert Bruce died at Kinnaird
about 1632, and his tombstone yet remains in
Larbert churchyard. See Carron, Dunipace, 8tc.