Clackmannanshire elections
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Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling,
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, and
Perth & Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland a ...
and the historic counties of
Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
, Stirlingshire and
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
. The name consists of elements from three languages. The first element is from gd, Clach meaning "Stone". Mannan is a derivative of the
Brythonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...
name of the Manaw, the Iron Age tribe who inhabited the area. The final element is the English word shire. As Britain's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed "The Wee County". When written, Clackmannanshire is commonly abbreviated to Clacks.


History

Clackmannan, the old county town, is named after the ancient stone associated with the pre-Christian deity Manau or Mannan. The stone now rests on a larger stone beside the Tollbooth (built late 16th century) and Mercat Cross at the top of Main street, Clackmannan. Clackmannanshire became known for the weaving mills powered by the Hillfoots burns. Other industries included brewing, glass manufacture, mining and ship building. Now capitalising on its central position and transport links, Clackmannanshire attracts service industries and tourism. In terms of population, Clackmannanshire is the smallest council area in mainland Scotland. Its population was 19,155 in the 1841 census. This has grown to (in ), around half of whom live in the main town and administrative centre, Alloa. The motto of Clackmannanshire is ''"Look Aboot Ye"'' (''Circumspice'' in Latin). In 2007 a re-branding exercise led to the area adopting the slogan ''"More Than You Imagine"''.


Administrative and political history

The County of Clackmannan is one of Scotland's 33 historic local government counties, bordering on
Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
, Stirlingshire and
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
. The county town was originally Clackmannan, but by 1822 neighbouring Alloa had outgrown Clackmannan and replaced it as the county town. Some rationalization of the county boundaries was undertaken in 1889–1890, and in 1971 the Muckhart and Glendevon areas, formerly in Perthshire, were transferred to Clackmannanshire. Clackmannanshire County Council was based at County Buildings in Alloa. In 1975, under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...
, the existing
burghs A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
and 33 historic counties lost their administrative status, and a new hierarchy of regions and districts was created. Clackmannanshire was renamed the Clackmannan District. It became part of the
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
Region, together with a Stirling District and a Falkirk District. The Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 replaced Scotland's two-tier local government with 32 unitary authorities, with the Clackmannan district becoming one of them. In response to strong local pressure, the first council for the unitary authority changed the name to "Clackmannanshire". Clackmannanshire played a notable role in the
2014 Scottish independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...
, where it was the first council area to declare its result. Though some predictions had seen the area as being favourable towards the "Yes" side, the "No" vote took 53.8% of the area's vote. This was seen as an early sign that Scotland would vote against independence. In the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
, Clackmannanshire voted by 58% to remain.


Parliamentary constituencies

*Pre- United Kingdom ( Parliament of Scotland) ** Clackmannanshire (1600s to 1707) * UK Parliament ** Clackmannanshire (1708 to 1832) ** Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (1832 to 1918) ** Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (1918 to 1983) ** Clackmannan (1983 to 1997) ** Ochil (1997 to 2005) **
Ochil and South Perthshire Ochil and South Perthshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election. The constituency was created for the 2 ...
(2005 to present) *
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
** Ochil (1999 to 2011) ** Clackmannanshire and Dunblane (2011 to present)


Council composition

As of September 2018, the political composition of Clackmannanshire Council is:


Wards

Since 2007, the council area has been divided into five multi-member
wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
:


Geography

The Ochil Hills dominate the northern third of the county, where Ben Cleuch, Clackmannanshire's highest point, can be found. The northernmost salient of the county lies along the Upper Glendevon Reservoir.
Strathdevon Strathdevon is the strath of the River Devon in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Strathdevon is associated with the parish of Muckhart and was up until 1971 the southernmost tip of Perthshire. The strath stretches east to west from upper Yetts o' ...
is immediately to the south of the steep escarpment formed by the
Ochil Fault The Ochil Fault is the geological feature which defines the southern edge of the Ochil Hills escarpment in Scotland. North of the fault, Devonian lava flows and pyroclastic deposits slope gently down, thinning towards the north. These are in pa ...
, along which the
Hillfoots Villages The Hillfoots Villages are the villages and small towns which lie at the base of the southern scarp face of the Ochil Hills, formed by the Ochil Fault, in Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire in central Scotland. From west to east the communities are ...
are located. Strathdevon mostly comprises a lowland plain a few hundred metres either side of the River Devon, which joins 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 ...
near
Cambus Cambus is an American public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa R ...
. There is also the
Black Devon The Black Devon is a river in Scotland. It rises in the Cleish Hills, specifically the area known as Outh Muir, north of Knockhill Racing Circuit, around north-west of Dunfermline, Fife, with the gathering of three small streams in branch form ...
river that flows past the town of Clackmannan to join the Forth near Alloa. This confluence once had a small pier, for
portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
to Dunmore pier on the south shore, and anchorage of smaller sailing ships, while others of greater tonnage could be accepted at Dunmore pier on the opposite banks of the Forth. Roughly in the centre of the county lies the Gartmorn Dam County Park, and there are small patches of forest in the south-east of the county. Two unnamed peninsulas are formed by meanders in the river Forth along Clackmannanshire's southern boundary; the easternmost of these has two small islands -
Tullibody Inch Tullibody Inch is an islet in the estuarine waters of the River Forth. It takes its name from the nearby town of Tullibody, "inch" being from the Scottish Gaelic ''innis'' meaning "island" or "meadow". The island used to be farmland but has be ...
and
Alloa Inch Inch or Alloa Inch ( gd, innis, island) is an island in the tidal reaches of the River Forth near Alloa, just before the river opens out into the Firth of Forth. There is a derelict farmhouse on the island, as the land was farmed in the past. Du ...
- either side of it.


Coat of arms

Clackmannanshire's coat of arms is blazoned: ''Or, a saltire gules; upon a chief vert, between two gauntlets proper, a pale argent charged with a pallet sable.'' The red saltire on gold is taken from the arms of the Clan Bruce. According to legend, Robert Bruce mislaid his gauntlets while visiting the county, and upon asking where he could find them was told to "look aboot ye" (hence the motto). The green
chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
represents the county's agriculture, while the black and white
pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...
is taken from the arms of the Clan Erskine whose chief the Earl of Mar lives at Alloa Tower.
Sir Thomas Bruce 1st Baron of Clackmannan Sir Thomas Bruce, 1st (feudal) Baron of Clackmannan(died before 1348)Gordon A. C. MacGregor, ''Bruce of Cultmalundy'', in ''The Red Book of Perthshire'' (Perthshire Heritage Trust, 2006) was the first Baron of Clackmannan. King David II of Scotla ...
was a member of the House of Bruce and received lands in Clackmannan from his cousin Robert II.


Economy

The main industries are agriculture,
brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
, and formerly
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
. In 2006, permission was given for a waterfront development of the Docks area of Alloa, which has been in decline since the 1960s. There is a large
glass works Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...
at Alloa.


Transport

Alloa railway station Alloa railway station is a railway station in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, which was re-opened on Monday, 19 May 2008. History The original Alloa station was opened by the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway (S&DR) on 28 August ...
reopened in May 2008; prior to this the county had no active railway stations. A new railway line was completed which connected
Kincardine Kincardine may refer to: Places Scotland *Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland **Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth *Kincardineshire, a historic county **Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned **Kincardi ...
and Stirling, and thus reconnecting Alloa to the national rail network for the first time since 1968, was opened to the public. Scheduled passenger services operate only between Alloa and Stirling and onwards to Glasgow and Edinburgh; the line to Kincardine is normally used by freight trains only but some special excursion trains are run by charter operators. An opening ceremony was held on Thursday 15 May 2008, with the first fully functioning passenger service commencing in the new summer timetable on 19 May 2008. The service provides an hourly connection between Alloa, Stirling and Glasgow Queen Street. The Clackmannanshire Bridge, a new road crossing of the Forth intended to ease congestion and pressure on the older Kincardine Bridge, opened in 2008 (technically the span of the new bridge is not within the county, instead falling just outside it and administratively divided between
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...
and
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
). Major roads in the area are the A91 between Bannockburn and
St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
which is the main thoroughfare through the
Hillfoots Villages The Hillfoots Villages are the villages and small towns which lie at the base of the southern scarp face of the Ochil Hills, formed by the Ochil Fault, in Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire in central Scotland. From west to east the communities are ...
, the A907 between Stirling and
Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
which passes through Alloa and Clackmannan, the A908 connecting Alloa and Tillicountry, and the
A977 The A977 is an A road in Scotland, connecting the Kincardine Bridge in Fife to the M90 motorway at Kinross. Route The A977 runs between the M90 junction 6 and a roundabout at the southern end of the Kincardine Bridge Places along the route The ...
(fed by the A876) between
Kincardine Kincardine may refer to: Places Scotland *Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland **Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth *Kincardineshire, a historic county **Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned **Kincardi ...
and Kinross which runs east of Clackmannan.


Towns and villages

* Alloa * Alva *
Cambus Cambus is an American public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa R ...
* Clackmannan *
Coalsnaughton Coalsnaughton or Calibar (Scottish Gaelic: Caolas Neachdainn) is a village in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is just south of Tillicoultry of which it also lies in its parish. The miners' row was built by Robert Bald Robert Bald FRSE FSA MWS ...
*Devonside * Dollar *
Fishcross Fishcross is a small village in Clackmannanshire in central Scotland, situated to the north of Sauchie at a crossroads just south of Tillicoultry. Formerly a mining village, the population is 484 as at 2003. A golf course and equestrian centre a ...
*
Forestmill Forestmill (or Forest Mill) is a small hamlet in the county of Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is situated on the A977 road between Kincardine and Kinross, about 3 miles from the Kincardine end. The Black Devon river runs through it towards the ...
*Glenochil *Inglewood * Kennet * Menstrie * Muckhart ''(historically in
Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
)'' * Sauchie *Solsgirth * Tillicoultry * Tullibody


Places of interest

* Alloa Tower *
Auchinbaird Windmill Auchinbaird Windmill or New Sauchie Windmill, was originally a late 17th or early 18th century vaulted tower grain windmillHume, p.88 built into a low ridge located on the outskirts of the town of Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was lat ...
* Ben Cleuch *
Broomhall Castle Broomhall Castle was originally built in 1874 by John Foukes and Frances Mackison for James Johnstone. It is situated in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland on the Ochil Hills The Ochil Hills (; gd, Monadh Ochail is a range of hills in Sc ...
*
Brucefield House Brucefield is an 18th-century country house in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is located east of Clackmannan. The house was largely built in 1724 by Alexander Bruce, younger of Kennet. It was restored in the early 20th century, and is now protecte ...
* Castle Campbell *
Clackmannan House Clackmannan House, built c. 1815, is an example of Georgian design, stone built and nestled in a secluded setting amidst garden grounds of approximately 1.3 acres. It is a substantial family home with accommodation over three floors. The accommod ...
*
Harviestoun Brewery Harviestoun Brewery is a craft brewery based in Alva in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. History Harviestoun Brewery was founded in 1983 by Ken Brooker in a 200-year-old stone barn on a farm, near Tillicoultry and Dollar in Clackmannanshire. In 200 ...
* Gartmorn Dam *
Gean House Gean House, or The Gean, is an early 20th-century Arts and Crafts style mansion, located on Tullibody Road, Alloa, Scotland. It was owned and used as a venue for events but has now been restored to a private residence since October 2018. Backgr ...
* Menstrie Castle *
Tullibody Old Kirk Tullibody Old Kirk is a ruined 12th-century church in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was rebuilt in the 16th century, and restored again in 1760. The roofless building is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 1904, St Serf's Pa ...


References


External links


Clacksweb - Clackmannanshire Council Online
*
ClacksNet - Clackmannanshire's Community Network

Census 2001 Information (PDF)

National Library of Scotland - Clackmannanshire Map ca. 1681

Look Aboot Ye - Clackmannanshire Community News, Information and Forums

ASH Consulting Group 1998. Clackmannanshire landscape character assessment. Scottish Natural Heritage Review No 96.
{{Authority control Districts of Scotland Counties of Scotland Lieutenancy areas of Scotland Council areas of Scotland Counties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)