Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic: Allt a' Bhonnaich) is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing into the River Forth.
Land in the vicinity of Bannockburn town, probably between the Pelstream and Bannock burns (hence Bannockburn),[2] was the site of the Battle of Bannockburn fought in 1314—one of the pivotal battles of the 13th/14th century Wars of Independence between the kingdoms of Scotland and England.[HES 1] A large monument and visitor centre is located near the site of the battle.[3] In previous generations tourists came to visit the site and look at the Borestone.[4][HES 2] The dignity of the barony of Bannockburn is currently held by Hope Vere Anderson, a descendant of the Sandilands and Vere families of Sandilands and Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire who were the original Barons of Bannockburn in the 14th century. In the year of 1746, after the Battle of Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed in Bannockburn House where he met the future mother of his child.
Telford's circular-arch roadbridge over the Bannock Burn
Bannockburn village used to be famous for its carpet and tweed factories[5] and woollen mills.[6]:184–5 In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Wilson family of Bannockburn designed and wove tartans for the British Army. Many of the so-called Clan tartans were created by the Wilsons in response to the needs of the Clan chiefs who, without their own authentic tartans, approached the Wilsons for suitable patterns. The visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822, and his insistence that the Clan chiefs attend his banquets and levees in their Clan tartans, prompted this reaction. The woollen mills employed 7-800 people around 1880.[7] The last mill closed in 1924.[6]:284–5
The turnpike road between Edinburgh and Stirling was constructed in the 1750s and passed through Bannockburn. The route originally passed over the Old Bridge, until the construction in 1819 of a circular-arch stone bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, spanning the burn downstream of the battle site.[6]:178–9[HES 3] Growth of both Stirling and Bannockburn during the 19th and 20th centuries means that the two now form a contiguous conurbation, and Bannockburn was latterly incorporated into the city (then royal burgh) of Stirling. Bannockburn had a population of 7,352 at the time of the 2001 census.[8]
The area contains most necessary amenities, including a library, and local shops. It is served by Bannockburn Primary School, in the centre of the community, and Bannockburn High School in nearby Broomridge. Several new private housing schemes have been built in and around Bannockburn since the 1990s, increasing pressure on the already overcrowded high school. As a result of this, in 2007 and 2008 Bannockburn High School was extended to provide additional capacity.
Between 1852 and 1949 Bannockburn had a railway station on the Scottish Central Railway,[9] located next to the site of the bus depot. Nowadays, however, residents wishing to use the train must travel into the centre of Stirling. Introduction of a new station with a park-and-ride facility was proposed in the Strategic Transport Projects Review in 2009.[10] Bannockburn is served by the 38, 51 and C30 bus services.
Sports
Bannockburn and Hillpark have two amateur football teams, Bannockburn Amateurs[11] (Est. 1968) and Milton FC[12] (Est. 1972). Bannockburn Amateurs won the West of Scotland Amateur Cup for the fifth time in 2019.
Bannockburn also hosts its own Rugby Club. Formerly known as St Modans HSFP RFC (Est. 1978), it changed its name to Bannockburn RFC in 1996. Bannockburn currently plays in the Scottish Hydro Electric Regional League: Caledonia Division 2 Midlands.
Bannockburn also plays host to St Modans HSFP Cricket Club, who play in the Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union Division 1. In July 2013, playing against Perth Doo'cot CC, St Modans scored 329 runs in response to Perth's 326, making it what is believed to be the highest scoring game ever recorded in the SPCU.[13]
2009 Milton FC Team
Bannockburn Amateurs West of Scotland Cup Winners 2009
The town also has a Gospel Hall and two Church of Scotland churches. Christadelphians meet in a hall on Main Street.[16] The hall used to be a carpet factory.[17]
The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Robert Bruce and formed a major turning point in the war, which ended 14 years later with the de jure restoration of Scottish independence under the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. For this reason, the Battle of Bannockburn is widely considered a landmark moment in Scottish history.
Stirling is a city in central Scotland, 26 miles (42 km) northeast of Glasgow and 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the Old Bridge and the port. Located on the River Forth, Stirling is the administrative centre for the Stirling council area, and is traditionally the county town and historic county of Stirlingshire. Proverbially it is the strategically important "Gateway to the Highlands". It has been said that "Stirling, like a huge brooch clasps Highlands and Lowlands together". Similarly "he who holds Stirling, holds Scotland" is sometimes attributed to Robert the Bruce. Stirling's key position as the lowest bridging point of the River Forth before it broadens towards the Firth of Forth made it a focal point for travel north or south.
Clan Robertson, is correctly known as Clan Donnachaidh ( Duncan ) (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Donnchaidh) is a Scottish clan. The principal surnames of the clan are Robertson, Reid and Duncan but there are also many other septs.
Selkirk is a town and historic royal burgh in the Scottish Borders council district of southeastern Scotland. It lies on the Ettrick Water, a tributary of the River Tweed. The people of the town are known as Souters, which means cobblers. At the time of the 2011 census, Selkirk's population was 5,784.
Clan MacLeod is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, known in Gaelic as Sìol Tormoid and the Clan MacLeod of Lewis Assynt and Raasay, known in Gaelic as Sìol Torcaill. Both branches claim descent from Leòd, a Norse-Gael who lived in the 13th century.
Clan Keith is a Highland and Lowland Scottish clan, whose Chief historically held the hereditary title of Marischal, then Great Marischal, then Earl Marischal of Scotland.
The Bannock Burn is a stream which rises at about 1,300 feet (400 m) on Touchadam Moor, NS715891, just to the north of Earl's Hill in the Touch Hills to the south-west of Stirling in central Scotland. The Bannock flows eastward and enters the River Forth to the east of Stirling, close to the site of the Battle of Bannockburn (1314), about 7.58 miles (12.20 km) from its source. The burn itself meanders and is considerably longer. A nearby town, nowadays a suburb of Stirling, is accordingly called Bannockburn.
St. Ninians is a long-standing settlement which is now a district of the city of Stirling in central Scotland. It is located approximately one mile south of the city centre. It was originally known as Eccles, and may have been a Christian site from an unusually early date. Later called 'St. Ringan's'. This church was the administrative centre for churches across the strath of the River Forth.
St Modan's Roman Catholic High School is an S1-S6 Catholic high school in Stirling, Scotland.
Linlithgow is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edinburgh and Falkirk beside Linlithgow Loch. The town is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh.
The personal name Duncan can be found in Scotland’s oldest records in its Gaelic form Dunchad/Donchadh/Donachie/Donnchadh and other spelling variants.
The Church of the Holy Rude is the medieval parish church of Stirling, Scotland. It is named after the Holy Rood, a relic of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The church was founded in 1129 during the reign of David I, but the earliest part of the present church dates from the 15th century. As such it is the second oldest building in Stirling after Stirling Castle, parts of which date from the later 14th century. The chancel and tower were added in the 16th century.
Clan Sandilands is a Scottish clan. It is also considered a sept of the larger Clan Douglas.
Edinburgh Wanderers is a former rugby union club, founded in 1868. It was latterly a tenant of the Scottish Rugby Union, playing home fixtures at Murrayfield Stadium for nearly 75 years. In 1997 it merged with Murrayfield RFC to form Murrayfield Wanderers.
The Scottish National League Division Two is the third tier of the Scottish League Championship for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland.
Cambusbarron is a village in Stirling, Scotland. In the 2001 census, it had a population of 3,224. There is evidence of settlement at the site since the Bronze Age, and several forts dating from the Iron Age have been found near the village. One such fort is located at Gillies Hill, a large semi-natural ancient woodland area with a range of unusual wildlife, thought to be the site of Robert the Bruce's camp shortly before the Battle of Bannockburn.
Bannockburn House is a late 17th century country house located in Bannockburn in Stirling, Scotland. Bannockburn House is located within the Battle of Sauchieburn Historic Battlefield and is north of Bannockburn Historic Battlefield. Bannockburn House is of cultural significance due to its association with medieval battles, Jacobite history, and ties to the tartan weaving industry. Bannockburn House is considered a property of historical significance in the town of Bannockburn and is a Category A listed building.
The equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce at the Bannockburn Visitor Centre, Bannockburn, Stirling, is a 1964 work by Pilkington Jackson.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
