Camelon, Stirlingshire

Historical Description

CAMELON, a village, in the parish of FALKIRK, county of STIRLING, 1½ mile (W.) from Falkirk; containing 1340 inhabitants. This village, which is situated on the turnpike-road to Glasgow, is sometimes called New Camelon, in contradistinction to the ancient city of the same name, supposed to have been a Roman station, and at one time a very considerable sea-port town. The probability of this supposition is corroborated by numerous vestiges of Roman antiquity that may still be traced on the line or the Roman road leading from the Wall of Antonine, and by the discovery of foundations of buildings, and the traces of various streets which not many years since were distinctly apparent. There is also sufficicnt evidence that the river Carron was formerly navigable for vessels far above the site of the ancient city, where, in 1707, several antique boats and the fragment of an anchor were found embedded in the soil; and the name of the adjacent district called the Carse, implying lands reclaimed from the sea, and their slight elevation above the level of the Firth of Forth, by which, within the last fifty or sixty years, they have been inundated, afford strong confirmation of the truth of that opinion. The inhabitants are partly employed in the Carron iron-works, and in the ironstone and coal mines connected with those works; also in the manufacture of nails, which was originally introduced here by Mr. Cadell of Carron Park, and for which there are now two establishments, affording occupation to 250 persons. Two distilleries are carried on, one of them situated upon the north, and the other upon the south, bank of the Forth and Clyde canal. This line of navigation, and also the Union canal, are on the south side of the village: Port-Downie is at its western extremity. The Edinburgh and Glasgow railway passes about a quarter of a mile to the south, where it has a station. A handsome church has been built by subscription, near the western extremity of the village, on ground given by Mr. Forbes of Callendar, who also contributed largely towards the expense of its erection; it was opened on the 23rd of August, 1840, and contains 660 sittings. Camelon is a quoad sacra parish. A school, for which an appropriate building has been erected, is also supported, by subscription.