Stirlingshire

Contents

Balfron

Click here to view map of area.

"Name, Extent, &. - Balfron is a word of Gaelic derivation, and is said to signify "The Town of Sorrow." On what account the place obtained this name is not certainly known. The form of the parish is nearly an oblong square. Its length from east to west, is somewhat more than 8 miles; and its breadth, from north to south, from 1 to 2 miles. It is bounded by the parishes of Drymen, Killearn, Fintry, Gargunnock, and Kippen. The greater part of the grounds in this parish have the advantage of a fine southern exposure, rising gradually from the water of Endrick."

Parish of Balfrom (County of Stirling - Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, Presbytery of Dumbarton) By Mr James Jeffrey, Minister (Statistical Account of Scotland 1791-1799)

(See also Tom Paterson's transcription of the "New Statistical Account of 1841", and Edinburgh Universities "Gazetteer for Scotland")

History

The Balfron Heritage group, originally founded in 1989 to mark the 200th. anniversary of the Ballindalloch Cotton Works, maintains a web-site with much local information, including what "Local History Resources" are available at the local library. The history of the Ballindalloch works are also of some interest to numismatists as for a time they issued their own money from about 1811 for a time.

A little of the history of Balfron parish can be found at the 'electricscotland' web-site as an extract from the History of Stirlingshire.

Balfron was the birthplace of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson an architect who designed a number of churches in Glasgow.

John Chalmers

Last updated 19-Aug-2005