Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

DENNY.
313
ish is of greatly superior quality, and lets — we have
understood — at as high a rate as the best carse-land
in the country. Coals are found here in abundance,
and from the colliery of Banknock a considerable
quantity is exported by the Forth and Clyde canal
to Glasgow. Ironstone is also found to some ex-
tent. The numerous falls of the Carron in this par-
ish have furnished excellent situations for mills of
various kinds. On the banks of that rivulet there
were formerly not less than nine grain mills. There
are now, however, only three, of which two are meal
and barley mills, and the other for the grinding of
flour. In addition to these, there are two char mills,
— a mill for chipping dye-woods, and the preparation
of other dye-stuffs, — two large paper-mills, in one
of which tine white paper, and in the other coarse
pasteboard is manufactured. In a paper-mill in this
parish, a large quantity of the cartridge-paper used
in the army during the late war was manufactured.
There are three wool-spinning mills. Besides these,
we may mention a large bleachtield and a printfield,
both of which, though in the adjoining parish of
Dunipace, yet from their immediate vicinity to the
town of Denny, may more appropriately be viewed
in connection with the subject of the present article.
There is a distillery in the town of Denny, — a meal
and barley mill on Bonny water, in the south-eastern
part of the parish, — and two chip-mills for drysalt-
ing operations on Browster water.* The Forth
and Clyde canal, and the line of the Edinburgh and
Glasgow railway now executing, pass through the
parishes of Falkirk and Cumbernauld, close by the
southern confines of the parish of Denny. This parish
— like a few others in Stirlingshire — is remarkable for
the number of small properties which it contains, oc-
cupied by vassals, or portioners as they are here called,
holding of a subject superior. This peculiarity is said
to have arisen from the alarm of an Earl of Wigton at
the time of the Union in 1705, who, from a belief that
that event would prove fatal to the prosperity of his
country, disposed of the whole of his large estates
in this and the neighbouring parishes of Cumbernauld
and Kirkintilloch to his own tenants, on condition
of their paying for ever the rents of that time. The
number of heritors is about 150, the principal being
William Forbes, Esq. of Callendar. There are no
families of any distinction in the parish. A consid-
erable tract of land, known by the name of Temple
Denny, is supposed to have belonged in former times
to the Knights Templars. The assessed property, in
1815, was .£6,631. Population, in 1801, 2,033; in
1831, 3,S43 The village of Denny is situated in
the north-eastern part of the parish, within a few
hundred yards of the boundary between this and the
parish of Dunipace. It is 7£ miles north-east from
Stirling, and the high road from that town to Glas-
gow passes through it. Two branch-banks have
recently been established here, — one in connection
with the Commercial bank of Scotland, and the other
with the Clydesdale bank in Glasgow. Fairs for
cows are held on the Wednesday before the 12th
of May, O. S., and on the Wednesday after the
11th of November There are scarcely any remains
of antiquity connected with this parish. A stone-
coffin was found many years ago at Woodyett, on
the north-eastern extremity. It is said to have borne
the date of 1301, and contained human bones —
There was a very old bridge over the Carron near
Denny. The ancient and principal arch of this
* For the supply of the nrills on the Carron, a large reservoir
existed for some time on the Earls burn, in the parish of St.
Ninian's; but this having been almost completely destroyed in
18.31)— from the effects, as was supposed, of the earthquake no-
ticed in our article Co.mrik — it is the intention of those connected
with the mills to apply to parliament for leave to construct a
new reservoir on the Earls burn, and a dam-head on the Carron.
old bridge was built in the form of four arched rings
or couples, upon which the whole superstructure
appears to rest. There is only one bridge in this
neighbourhood, built in a similar way ; namely, that
unique looking bridge over the Devon, near Tulli-
body, the two original arches of which are built with
rings or couples ; but in this case the arches are
pointed like the Gothic windows in some of our
churches, whereas in Denny bridge the arches were
semicircular or Saxon. This bridge was about 12
feet wide, and very high ; a new one 32 feet wide,
and 10 feet lower, has been recently substituted for it.
The parish of Denny, including the new quoad
sacra parisb of Haggs, is in the presbytery of Stir-
ling, and svnod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £250 3s. 3d. ; glebe £9 13s. 4d.
Unappropriated teinds £449 0s. lOd. The stipend
has, in 1840, been raised to 19 chalders. The church,
which is situated in the town of Denny, was built in
1813; sittings 768. A new church — modelled on that
of Camelon — has recently been erected at the village
of Haggs, containing 600 sittings. There are also two
United Secession congregations in this parish. The
one at the village of Denny was established in 1797
The church was purchased in 1 796, and was greatly
enlarged in 1817; sittings 554. Stipend £100. The
minister has also a house and garden of about £16
annual value, and a small park worth about £3. The
other Secession congregation is at Denny-Loanhead.
It was established in 1 738 ; and its history is closely
connected with the rise of the Secession. f Church
built in 1815; cost £1,400; sittings 731. Stipend
£168, with manse and garden The parochial school-
master has a salary of £34 4s. 4Jd., with about £24
school-fees. Average number of scholars 49. There
are 7 other schools, with an average attendance of
about 408. The population of the parish, by a more
recent census, was 4,027, of which 2,290 belonged to
the Establishment, and 1,678 to other denominations.
t This parish was the scene of a famous non-intrusion contest
upwards of a century ago; of which the following brief but
impartial outline may be instructive in these times :— In 173.i,
the parish of Denny having become vacant by the death of their
pastor, a presentation was given to Mr. James Stirling ; and the
laird of Herbertshire — who appears to have acted as patron on
behalf of the Crown — caused intimation to be made to the mo-
derator of the presbytery of Stirling, that a presentation had
been given and accepted, and requested that the presbytery
would take the presentee on trials for ordination. The par-
ishioners opposed this summary mode of proceeding, and peti-
tioned that a moderation might be granted for the people at
large, without any reference to the presentation given. From
the presbytery the matter was carried to the synod of Perth
and Stirling, who found that the presentation was null and void,
on account of its not having been presented to any judicatory
in due time, by any person having a commission from his Ma-
jesty for that purpose ; and it was finally agreed, among all the
parties coucerned, that the presentation being laid aside, a call
should be moderated in the kirk of Denny. On the day of mo-
deration, the former presentee was proposed on the part of the
patron, and another candidate was proposed on the part of the
people; and the roll of voters being called, few or none of the
heads of families voted for the patron's candidate. Of the heri-
tors, 52 gave him their support, and of these the greater part
were either non-residenters, or not in the communion of the
church ; while for the popular candidate there were 7-1 heritors,
the whole of the session, and 138 heads of families. Though
the voice of the parish was thus most unequivocally expressed
against the presentee, and though the call given to the nominee
of the people was — with the exception of the heritors men-
tioned — almost unanimous, yet the two ministers who con-
ducted the moderation, refused to attest the call ; they referred
it to the presbytery; and the presbytery, without judging in it,
referred it to the synod. The synod, after hearing ail the par-
ties, gave a decision, by a large majority, in favour of the par-
ishioners, and ordered the presbytery to proceed with the set-
tlement of the person whom they had called. Against this
decision the friends of the presentee protested, and carried the
cause by appeal before the supreme court. The assembly re-
mitted the settlement of it to their commission. The commis-
sion delayed the consideration of the Denny case till the next
meeting of assembly ; and the assembly at lenglh gave the case
a hearing, but again remitted it to the commission. The com-
mission, after making several unsuccessful attempts to effect a
reconciliation betwixt the parties, thought proper — at the clo^e
of one of their meetings, when the greater part of their mem-
bers had gone away, and when there was scarcely a quorum of