POLMONT, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 85 miles (E. by S.) from Falkirk; containing, with the villages of Bennetstonc and Redding, and |)art of the former quoad sacra parish of Grangemouth, 3584 inhabitants, of whom 2220 are in the rural districts of the parish. This place, the name of which is of very uncertain derivation, was originally included within the parish of Falkirk, but was severed under the authority of the Court of Teinds, and erected into an independent parish, in 1724. Very few particulars of its early history have been recorded, but undoubtedly it must have participated more or less with Falkirk in the wars between the Romans and the Caledonians under Fergus IL, and in many important transactions subsequently. Till within the last few years vestiges of the wall of Antoninus (or Graham's dyke, as it has been called, from Robert Graham, who was killed by the Romans while fighting under Fergus), could be distinctly traced in its way through the parish from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde; but in the progress of cultivation the traces have been totally obliterated. On a hill beyond the village of Redding is a stone called Wallace's Stone, marking out the spot where Sir William Wallace, after his quarrel with Sir John Stuart, one of the Scottish chiefs, is said to have stood and viewed the battle of Falkirk, from which he had been compelled to retire. The PARISH is bounded on the north by the Firth of Forth, and on the east partly by the river Avon, which separates the counties of Stirling and Linlithgow. It is about six miles and a half in extreme length, and from two to three miles in extreme breadth; comprising 5000 acres, of which 3800 are arable, 100 woodland and plantations, and the remainder moorland pasture and waste. The surface is beautifully varied. Part extends for a considerable breadth, along the shore of the firth, in a tract of carse land having little elevation above the estuary, against the encroachment of which it is defended by strong embankments; and from this the ground rises gradually towards the south, in gentle undulations, to a height of 550 feet. From the high lands, which in contradistinction to the carse are called the " dry-field ", an extensive and richly-varied prospect is obtained, embracing the vale of Forth, in a high state of cultivation, and interspersed with numerous mansions and villas, surrounded with thriving plantations. The Avon has its rise in a lake in the parish of Cumbernauld, in the county of Dumbarton, and, after a long course along the borders of Muiravonside, skirts a part of this parish, and flows with fantastic windings into the Firth of Forth. Of the several small rivulets in the parish, one called the Westquarter burn runs along nearly the whole of its western boundary into the Carron: another intersects the interior of the parish, and falls into the Westquarter; while a third, after forming its south-eastern boundary for nearly two miles, flows northward into the Avon. Sea-trout of large size are found in the Avon during the spring and autumn, but very few salmon ascend the river. The soil on the carse lands is a deep clay of fine quality, and, from the number of marine shells with which it is embedded, evidently alluvial; on the dry-field the soil, being lighter and of a gravelly or sandy kind, is less fertile and productive. Of the land not under regular cultivation the principal tract is Redding moor, of which the greater portion is undivided common, the property of the Duke of Hamilton, but on which various of the heritors claim a right of pasture: within the last few years, portions of it have been inclosed by permission of the superior, and cultivated with the spade by the neighbouring colliers at their leisure hours. The crops raised in the |)arish arc oats, wheat, barley, beans, potatoes, and turnijis, with the usual grasses. The system of husbandry has been iirought into a very advanced state; and from the facilities of obtaining manure from Edinburgh and Leith by the Union Canal, the most abundant crops are grown. Tiledraining has been very generally introduced, to the great improvement of the lands, which have also been mostly inclosed; the farm buildings and offices are usually substantial and well arranged, and all the more recent improvements in the construction of agricultural implements have been adopted. Though not extensive, the plantations are in a thriving state, and contribute much to the beauty of the scenery; they consist of the various kinds of firs and the usual hard-wood trees, for which latter the soil appears to be peculiarly favourable. The annual value of real property in Polmont, according to returns made under the income tax, is £14,144. In this district the principal substrata are freestone, ironstone, coal, and clay of excellent quality for pottery. The freestone, of which the rocks are chiefly composed, is extensively quarried, especially on the land of Brighton, where the quarries supplied materials for constructing the railway from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It is of fine texture, of a brownish colour, and, from its hardness and durability, well adapted for public works. There is another vein of equally hard texture, and of a brilliant white colour, found at a greater depth from the surface, on the lands of Battock. The ironstone occurs in several seams of different extent, of which three have long been wrought by the Carron Company, and are now almost exhausted; and besides these, two have been discovered at a greater depth, which have not yet been brought into operation. Coal is found in various parts, in seams from two and a half to four and a halt feet thick, and at depths varying from eight to forty-six fathoms from the surface; they are the property of the Duke of Hamilton, &c. The principal colliery is that of Redding, belonging to the duke, which is wrought upon a very extensive scale, affording employment to about 600 men. Shielhill colliery, of which the Carron Company are the lessees, was formerly wrought to a large extent; but the greater number of the men have been removed by the company, within the last few years, to their works at Falkirk. The coal is raised from the pits by steam-engines, and conveyed to the Union canal by railways constructed upon an inclined plane; one railway is SCO yards in length, and capable of delivering from ten to twelve tons at a time. The kinds mostly wrought at present are the splint and the soft coal, which are of excellent quality; they occur in seams thirty-four inches in thickness, at depths of twenty-five and thirty-five fathoms, and are sent in large quantities to the Edinburgh market. The clay is chiefly used for the making of bricks, and of tiles for draining, for which it is well adapted: two extensive works for that purpose have been lately established. The gentlemen's seats here are Polmont Park, Park Hill, Polmont House, Polmont Bank, Kersiebank, Westquarter House, Millfield, and a few others, all of which are handsome modern houses situate in pleasant demesnes of moderate extent. The villages of Bennetstone and Redding are described under their own heads; the former is inhabited chiefly by labourers and a few artisans, and the latter by persons engaged in the collieries: the small village or kirktown of Polmont, situated on the road to Falkirk, nearly in the centre of the parish, contains only a few dwelhngs and an inn. Facility of communication is partly maintained by the high road from Edinburgh to Glasgow, which passes through the parish, and by roads kept in good repair by statute labour. The Union canal, connecting Edinburgh with the Forth and Clyde canal near Falkirk, intersects Pol- mont for nearly three miles; and the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway, in its course through the parish, takes a direction almost parallel with that of the canal, to which in some places it approaches within a distance of 100 yards. In IS46 an act was passed empowering the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway company to make a branch from their line near Polmont to the Scottish Central railway near Larbert. For ecclesiastical purposes the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Linlithgow and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend is £264. 1. H., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £12. 12. per annum; patron, the Crown. The present church was opened for divine service in .July 184,5, and contains 1000 sittings. A probationer of the Established Church otficiates regularly in a schoolroom belonging to the Redding colliery, where divine service was previously performed on the Sunday evenings by the parish clergyman; and there is also occasional service in the village of Bennetstone, various dissenting ministers officiating. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship. Polmont parochial school affords instruction to nearly 1,50 children; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., a house and garden, and a small portion of land, and the fees average about £70. A parochial library was established in 1820, and is supported by subscription; the collection contains about 340 volumes, but within the last few years it has not increased. There is also a savings' bank in which are deposits to the amount of more than £300. Dr. Henry, author of the History of Great Britain, resided for several years during the summer months in this parish; he died in 1790, and was buried in the churchyard, where there is a monument erected to his memory. The place gives the title of Baron Polmont, created in 1639, to the Duke of Hamilton.