Gargunnock is a small village in the
Stirling council area, west of
Stirling, in
Scotland. The census population was 912. It is situated on the south edge of the
Carse of Stirling, at the foot of the
Gargunnock Hills
The Gargunnock Hills are a range of hills west of the city of Stirling, Scotland. They culminate in the peak of Carleatheran, whose summit is crowned by a trigonometrical pillar. The Gargunnock Hills are separated from the Fintry Hills to their w ...
, part of the
Campsie Fells.
Several small burns flow down from the Gargunnock Hills
The last naturally suitable crossing point on the
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
before reaching Stirling Bridge is situated just outside Gargunnock. Thus, coupled with the land condition and drainage around the feet or the Gargunnock hills, made Gargunnock the ideal location to build a farming settlement.
During the occupation of Scotland, the English posted a battalion in the
Peel tower
Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standin ...
on the outskirts of the village to protect this important ferry. It is believed that
William Wallace brought his army through Gargunnock (called ''Gargowans'' at the time), setting up fort on the Kier Hill, to take control of this part of the river in advance of the
Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
is also said to have passed through the village on his travels.
More recently, during the nineteenth century Gargunnock was famous for its fine oak-spale baskets, until intensive
deforestation removed the raw materials necessary for this trade and the industry moved to
Loch Lomond.
Gargunnock War Memorial was erected in 1919 to a design by Sir
Robert Lorimer marking the local people killed during the
First World War.
[Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Robert Lorimer] Additional names were added at the close of the
Second World War.
The majority of pupils from Gargunnock Primary continue their secondary education at the nearby Stirling High School, with others attending Balfron High School.
References
External links
*
Gargunnock Village History
Villages in Stirling (council area)
{{Stirling-geo-stub
