DUMBARTONSHIRE, a county, in the west of
Scotland, bounded on the north by Perthshire, on the
east by the counties of Perth and Stirling, on the south
by the Firth of Clyde, and on the west by Argyllshire.
It lies between 55° 53' 30" and 56° 19' 40" (N. Lat.) and
3° 54' 50" and 4° 53' (W. Long.), and, including the detached
parishes of Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld, which
extend towards the east for 12 miles between the counties
of Stirling and Lanark, is about 57 miles in length.
It varies from 24 to 2 miles in breadth, and contains an
area of 261 square miles, or 167,040 acres; 8369 houses,
of which 7985 are inhabited; and a population of 44,296,
of whom 22,542 are males and 21,754 females. This
district was originally inhabited by the British tribe of
the Attacotti, whose descendants retained their possessions
long after the British kingdom of Strathclyde had
been subdued by Kenneth Mc Alpine, and subsisted as
a distinct race till the middle of the twelfth century.
That part of the county bordering on the river Leven
obtained the appellation of Levenach, afterwards corrupted
into Lennox, and in the reign of William the
Lion belonged to a powerful Saxon family, of whom
Alwyn was by that monarch created Earl of Lennox.
The earldom was subsequently raised to a dukedom;
and on the demise of the sixth duke without issue, the
title and estates were conferred upon Charles Lennox,
whom Charles II. created Duke of Richmond. During
the disputes relating to the succession to the throne
after the death of Alexander III., the county was frequently
the seat of war; and the castle of Dumbarton
was alternately in the possession of the contending par-
ties. In times of episcopacy the county was included
in the diocese of Glasgow; at present it is in the synod
of Glasgow and Ayr, and comprises a large part of the
presbytery of Dumbarton, and a portion of that of
Glasgow, the number of parishes being twelve. The
various courts are held at Dumbarton, which is the
county town, and the only royal burgh; there are four
burghs of barony, and several villages. Under the act
of the 2nd of William IV., the county returns one member
to the imperial parliament.
The SURFACE is strikingly diversified with mountains
and lakes, and displays an interesting combination of the
most beautiful features of Highland scenery, embracing
straths of rich fertility and pleasing appearance. The
northern part of the county abounds with mountains of
majestic elevation, and throughout the whole of that district,
which comprises an area of nearly fifty square
miles, not more than 400 acres have been subjected to
the plough. In the less elevated southern district are
two ridges of hills of considerable height reaching from
east to west, between which is the picturesque vale of
Glenfruin, more than five miles in length. The highest
of the mountains are, Ben-Voirlich, near the northwestern
extremity of Loch Lomond, rising 3300 feet
above the level of the sea; Ben-Cruachanstean, Corafuar,
Shantron, Beneich, and Doune, some of which attain an
elevation of 3000 feet; and Ben-Finnart, 2500 feet in
height. The Kilpatrick braes, in the south of the county,
are a beautiful range of hills intersecting an extensive
tract of lowland in high cultivation, and have an elevation
of 1200 feet, commanding from their summits
richly-varied prospects over a most interesting district
of the country. Loch Lomond, after intersecting a
small portion of the county on the north, forms part of
its eastern boundary, separating it from the county of
Stirling. This noble expanse of water is about twentyfour
miles in length from north to south, and seven
miles broad in the widest part, and is studded with
numerous picturesque islands, the chief of which are
Inch-Murin, Inch-Lonaig, Inch-Tavanach, Inch-Moan,
Inch-Couachan, and Inch-Galbraith, exclusively of other
islands in that part of it included within Stirlingshire.
The river Leven issues from the loch at its southern extremity,
and after a course of about seven miles, flows
into the Firth of Clyde. Of the other lakes in the
county, Loch Sloy, in the parish of Arrochar, was the
rendezvous of the clan' Mc Farlane; it is about a mile
in length, and half a mile broad. In the parishes of Old
Kilpatrick and Cumbernauld are several of considerable
extent. There are also two salt-water lochs. Loch Gareloch
and Loch Long, between which the parish of Roseneath
forms a peninsula; they both extend northward
from the Firth of Clyde, the former intersecting the
county for about six miles, and the latter forming its
boundary on the west.
About one-third of the land is in cultivation, and the
remainder is mountain pasture, wood, and lakes. Along
the borders of the Firth and the river Leven the soil is
a deep black loam; in some parts of the county there
is a gravelly loam, and in others clay, resting on a tilly
bottom. On the best farms the system of agriculture is
equal to any in the west of Scotland: the land is well
drained and inclosed; much waste has been brought
into cultivation; the farm-buildings are substantial and
commodious, and considerable improvement has been
gradually taking place. The mountains afford good
pasture: the cattle are chiefly of the Highland breed,
and the cows pastured on the lowlands for the dairy are
the pure Ayrshire, 'with a mixture of that breed and the
Highland breed; the sheep are generally the black-faced
on the hill pastures, and the Cheviot on the lowlands.
In this county the substrata are mostly mica-slate, limestone,
and coal; the mica-slate is wrought at the quarries
of Luss and Camstradden, and the streams are
frequently traversed by veins of quartz, and abound
with pyrites of iron. The limestone is of a deep-blue or
almost black colour, and is extensively wrought, as is
the coal, which is found in seams nearly five feet in
thickness. Sandstone and trap are also abundant, and
columnar basalt occurs in several parts. The woods
and plantations are in a thriving condition; the soil
appears well adapted to the growth of timber, and the
extensive tracts of wood add greatly to the appearance
of the scenery. The seats are Cumbernauld House,
Roseneath, Rossdhft, Cames-Eskan, Garscube, Balloch
Castle, Tilliechewen, Strath-Leven, Broomly, Woodbank,
Cameron, Ardenconnell, Auchintorlie, and Ardincaple
Castle. There are extensive cotton-mills, calico-printing
works, and bleachfields, a large manufacture of glass,
and other works. Facility of intercourse is afforded by
good roads, which have been greatly extended and improved
within the last few years; by railways; by
steam-boats on the Clyde, &c.; and by the Forth and
Clyde Canal. The annual value of real property in the
county is £140,753, of which £72,041 are returned for
lands, £61,321 for houses, £5500 for mines, £1677 for
quarries, and £214 for fisheries.