A carronade is a short, smoothbore , cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy . It was first produced by the Carron Company , an ironworks in Falkirk , Scotland , and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range, anti-ship and anti-crew weapon. The technology behind the carronade was greater dimensional precision, with the shot fitting more closely in the barrel, thus transmitting more of the propellant charge's energy to the projectile, allowing a lighter gun using less gunpowder to be effective.
153-752: Larbert ( Scottish Gaelic : Leth-Pheairt , Scots : Lairbert ) is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is three miles (five kilometres) from the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (4 kilometres) northwest of Falkirk . Stenhousemuir lies directly east of Larbert, with both settlements being contiguous and sharing certain public amenities with one another. In medieval times,
306-415: A commuter town . Many residents work in the nearby towns of Falkirk and Stirling , as well as the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow . Scotland's Census of 2011 reveals that the population of Larbert has increased to 9,143 from the 2001 Census figure of 6,425 and it continues to grow with large-scale housing development on the northern periphery of the town as well as on brownfield sites. The origins of
459-442: A 19% fall in bilingual speakers between the 1911 and 1921 Censuses. Michelle MacLeod of Aberdeen University has said that there was no other period with such a high fall in the number of monolingual Gaelic speakers: "Gaelic speakers became increasingly the exception from that point forward with bilingualism replacing monolingualism as the norm for Gaelic speakers." The Linguistic Survey of Scotland (1949–1997) surveyed both
612-564: A Pictish substrate. In 1018, after the conquest of Lothian (theretofore part of England and inhabited predominantly by speakers of Northumbrian Old English ) by the Kingdom of Scotland , Gaelic reached its social, cultural, political, and geographic zenith. Colloquial speech in Scotland had been developing independently of that in Ireland since the eighth century. For the first time,
765-539: A cannon on the downward roll of the ship would often ricochet off the sea into the enemy hull. A merchant ship would more often aim at the bigger target of the masts and rigging in the hope of escaping a pursuing enemy. The higher trajectory required of carronades at ranges of 400 yd (370 m) or more was little disadvantage for their use by merchant ships or any naval ship fleeing a more powerful enemy. The theory for centuries had always associated long barrels with long range, but experience had also shown that shortening
918-454: A carronade was usually mounted on a lug underneath the barrel, rather than the usual trunnions to either side. As a result, the carronade had an unusually high centre of gravity . Towards the end of the period of use, some carronades were fitted with trunnions to lower their centres of gravity, to create a variant known as the "gunnade". Gunnades, introduced around 1820, are distinct from the earliest carronades, which also featured trunnions. In
1071-524: A central feature of court life there. The semi-independent Lordship of the Isles in the Hebrides and western coastal mainland remained thoroughly Gaelic since the language's recovery there in the 12th century, providing a political foundation for cultural prestige down to the end of the 15th century. By the mid-14th century what eventually came to be called Scots (at that time termed Inglis ) emerged as
1224-823: A challenge to revitalization efforts which occur outside the home. Positive engagements between language learners and native speakers of Gaelic through mentorship has proven to be productive in socializing new learners into fluency. In the 2022 census, 3,551 people claimed Gaelic as their 'main language.' Of these, 1,761 (49.6%) were in Na h-Eileanan Siar, 682 (19.2%) were in Highland, 369 were in Glasgow City and 120 were in City of Edinburgh; no other council area had as many as 80 such respondents. Gaelic has long suffered from its lack of use in educational and administrative contexts and
1377-480: A circular route through Larbert, Stenhousemuir, past the Carron Iron Works , through Bainsford and to Falkirk. Larbert's new closeness to surrounding communities raised concerns about the loss of village independence. A consortium of local industrialists and residents, fearing higher burgh rates , successfully resisted a 1912 proposal to incorporate nearby villages such as Larbert and Stenhousemuir into
1530-551: A dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada since the 18th century. In the 2021 census , 2,170 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, a decline from 3,980 speakers in the 2016 census . There exists a particular concentration of speakers in Nova Scotia , with historic communities in other parts of Canada having largely disappeared. Scottish Gaelic is classed as an indigenous language under
1683-454: A disadvantage if they were fought outside their point blank range, such as in the case of USS Essex , a frigate equipped almost solely with carronades, which was reduced to a hulk by the longer-range guns of HMS Phoebe and HMS Cherub off Valparaiso, Chile in the March 28, 1814 Battle of Valparaiso . Warships often aimed at the enemy's hull to destroy its capacity for battle. A ball fired from
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#17327801679401836-489: A full range of language skills: speaking, understanding, reading and writing Gaelic. 40.2% of Scotland's Gaelic speakers said that they used Gaelic at home. To put this in context, the most common language spoken at home in Scotland after English and Scots is Polish, with about 1.1% of the population, or 54,000 people. The 2011 UK Census showed a total of 57,375 Gaelic speakers in Scotland (1.1% of population over three years old), of whom only 32,400 could also read and write
1989-586: A language ideology at odds with revitalization efforts on behalf of new speakers, state policies (such as the Gaelic Language Act), and family members reclaiming their lost mother tongue. New learners of Gaelic often have a positive affective stance to their language learning, and connect this learning journey towards Gaelic language revitalization. The mismatch of these language ideologies, and differences in affective stance, has led to fewer speaking opportunities for adult language learners and therefore
2142-574: A larger population. As a result, the local centre of commercial gravity is located in Stenhousemuir, where most shops, the nearest health centre, high school and local government offices are found. There are currently three primary schools in Larbert itself. Larbert Village Primary School dates from 1891 and has 270 pupils. Ladeside Primary School dates from 1970 and has a roll of 400 nursery and primary pupils. Additionally, pupils who live in
2295-521: A local businessman, opened a sawmill on land adjacent to the Dobbie Forbes and Company foundry, which grew rapidly manufacturing timber frames. By the turn of the 20th century, Dobbie Forbes had a payroll of more than 200 employees. In 1888, a joint venture between Jones and the cashier of Dobbie, Forbes and Company, Dermont Campbell, produced the Jones and Campbell foundry on land close to
2448-452: A local quarry. The church was built at a time of population growth and increasing prosperity in Larbert and its parish, which necessitated the construction of a more modern place of worship. As Larbert grew during the 19th century, the church again became too small. Major alterations to the building were carried out in the 1880s. An early chapel under the domain of the Abbot of Cambuskenneth
2601-805: A national centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, based in Sleat , on the Isle of Skye . This institution is the only source for higher education which is conducted entirely in Scottish Gaelic. They offer courses for Gaelic learners from beginners into fluency. They also offer regular bachelors and graduate programs delivered entirely in Gaelic. Concerns have been raised around the fluency achieved by learners within these language programs because they are disconnected from vernacular speech communities. In regard to language revitalization planning efforts, many feel that
2754-615: A new site. The construction phase of the project is expected to be completed by December 2009. Services will then progressively transfer to the hospital from Summer 2010. There is also a WH Smith, M&S Simply Food and Starbucks located at the Hospital. The Falkirk Council local authority provides all waste management services, with recycling facilities at Roughmute near Denny and at Kinneil Kerse in Bo'ness . There are three 18-hole golf courses close to Larbert. Falkirk Tryst Golf Club, on
2907-743: A part of Stirlingshire and is part of the Stirling and Falkirk lieutenancy area . For the purposes of local government , Larbert is located in the 'Bonnybridge and Larbert' ward of Falkirk Council, which elects three councillors under the single transferable vote system. Following the 2017 elections, the Bonnybridge and Larbert ward returned one councillor each for the Scottish National Party , Scottish Conservatives and one Independent . Larbert, Stenhousemuir and Torwood comprise one of Falkirk's community councils , which have
3060-607: A pioneer in metallurgy , was born in Larbert in 1772. Baildon was involved in pioneering industrial undertakings such as the construction of the first blast furnaces fired by coke in continental Europe. The Scottish-American actor Jimmy Finlayson was born in Larbert in 1887. Finlayson worked in silent movies as well as sound movies and starred opposite Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy . Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / , GAL -ik ; endonym : Gàidhlig [ˈkaːlɪkʲ] ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic ,
3213-549: A process of Gaelicisation (which may have begun generations earlier) was clearly under way during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity was forgotten. Bilingualism in Pictish and Gaelic, prior to the former's extinction, led to the presence of Pictish loanwords in Gaelic and syntactic influence which could be considered to constitute
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#17327801679403366-610: A proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 65% (the highest value is in Barvas , Lewis , with 64.1%). In addition, no civil parish on mainland Scotland has a proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 20% (the highest is in Ardnamurchan , Highland , with 19.3%). Out of a total of 871 civil parishes in Scotland, the proportion of Gaelic speakers exceeds 50% in seven parishes, 25% in 14 parishes, and 10% in 35 parishes. Decline in traditional areas has recently been balanced by growth in
3519-424: A result, effective or decisive naval battles were generally fought at ranges under (100 yd (91 m)) where the carronade's heavier ball was useful and its shorter range was not a huge problem. Technological improvements changed the capabilities of naval armament by the nineteenth century, but muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon were still not very accurate. Consequently, naval tactics in line of battle counted on
3672-404: A role in communicating local opinion to local and central government. Larbert combined with Stenhousemuir also forms one of the six Falkirk Council Area Forums , which represent aggregations of both council wards and community council areas. Forums are normally held every eight weeks, and their membership consists of all councillors representing the area, a representative from the community council,
3825-529: A significant tactical advantage during the latter part of the 18th century—though French ships mounted another type of weapon in the same role, the obusier de vaisseau . HMS Victory used the two 68-pounder carronades which she carried on her forecastle to great effect at the Battle of Trafalgar , clearing the gun deck of the Bucentaure by firing a round shot and a keg of 500 musket balls through
3978-604: A single 68-pounder on a pivot, and then did the same with two of the aft 32-pounder carronades. By doing this, he replaced 70 pounds of broadside with 136 pounds (assuming that both 68-pounders would usually fire on the same side), and ensured that Raven would have less dead-space to her front and rear. Carronades were not counted in a ship of the line ' s rated number of guns. The classification of Royal Navy vessels in this period can therefore mislead; they would often be carrying fewer guns but more pieces of ordnance than they were described as carrying. The same applied to
4131-536: A situation where new learners struggle to find opportunities to speak Gaelic with fluent speakers. Affect is the way people feel about something, or the emotional response to a particular situation or experience. For Gaelic speakers, there is a conditioned and socialized negative affect through a long history of negative Scottish media portrayal and public disrespect, state mandated restrictions on Gaelic usage, and highland clearances . This negative affect towards speaking openly with non-native Gaelic speakers has led to
4284-409: A spherical cannonball in supersonic flight is much greater than in subsonic flight. For a given weight of powder, a larger ball, having a large mass, has a lower maximum velocity which reduces the range of supersonic flight. But the increase in the distance of subsonic flight may have more than compensated, as the air resistance is proportional to the square of the diameter but the mass is proportional to
4437-625: A translation of the New Testament. In 1798, four tracts in Gaelic were published by the Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home, with 5,000 copies of each printed. Other publications followed, with a full Gaelic Bible in 1801. The influential and effective Gaelic Schools Society was founded in 1811. Their purpose was to teach Gaels to read the Bible in their own language. In the first quarter of
4590-719: Is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family ) native to the Gaels of Scotland . As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as both Irish and Manx , developed out of Old Irish . It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period, although a common literary language was shared by the Gaels of both Ireland and Scotland until well into
4743-490: Is a significant step forward for the recognition of Gaelic both at home and abroad and I look forward to addressing the council in Gaelic very soon. Seeing Gaelic spoken in such a forum raises the profile of the language as we drive forward our commitment to creating a new generation of Gaelic speakers in Scotland." Bilingual road signs, street names, business and advertisement signage (in both Gaelic and English) are gradually being introduced throughout Gaelic-speaking regions in
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4896-561: Is believed to have stood in the vicinity of the present-day church. The church is now under threat of closure as of June 2016 At the southern tip of the village, the Dorrator Iron Bridge used to span a meander in the River Carron until it was dismantled and replaced with a new bridge adjacent to the surviving pillar on the west side of the river, connecting Larbert with the neighbouring settlement of Camelon . The bridge
5049-411: Is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken. Many historians mark the reign of King Malcolm Canmore ( Malcolm III ) between 1058 and 1093 as the beginning of Gaelic's eclipse in Scotland. His wife Margaret of Wessex spoke no Gaelic, gave her children Anglo-Saxon rather than Gaelic names, and brought many English bishops, priests, and monastics to Scotland. When Malcolm and Margaret died in 1093,
5202-588: Is part of the Falkirk constituency, which elects one member to the House of Commons . The current MP is Euan Stainbank of the Scottish Labour Party who has represented the Falkirk constituency since the 2024 United Kingdom general election . Larbert lies at an elevation of 30 metres (100 feet) above sea level . The settlement sits on a shelf of land overlooking the River Carron , which flows to
5355-569: Is south-westerly, which brings warm, wet and unstable air associated with the North Atlantic Drift . The predominant land use in Larbert is suburban . The urban environment of Larbert is a mix of housing styles ranging from 19th- and 20th-century developments to large detached villas built of stone in Victorian times for Larbert's industrialists. Much new housing development in Larbert is on brownfield sites, such as those west of
5508-407: Is suitable for a range of light industries. Larbert lacks a supermarket , but the main street of the town is home to small retail outlets and a post office . The Lochlands Industrial area sits south of Larbert. One of the main tenants of the industrial park is Dowding and Mills, an electrical contractor, which opened a factory in 1979. Most residents of Larbert work outside the town. Historically,
5661-455: Is the nearest interchange for Larbert. McGill's Scotland East provide local bus services in Larbert and surrounding communities. Included is the local 'Circular' bus service, which connects Larbert with Stenhousemuir, Camelon , Bainsford and Falkirk. The nearest bus station to Larbert is in Falkirk. While having its own identity, Larbert is contiguous with the neighbouring settlement of Stenhousemuir , which borders its eastern side and has
5814-508: The A88 road , was developed into a business park . The site became known as 'Central Park'. Its first occupant was the US -based data storage corporation Exabyte , which opened in late 1992 and employed 80 workers. Towards the end of the following year, three more high tech firms arrived, which gave Central Park a combined floorspace of 14,000 square metres (150,000 sq ft). Central Park
5967-452: The Age of Sail simply was not accurate, regardless of whether the cannon was a gun or a carronade. Almost all barrels were smoothbore, not rifled, and tolerances had wide variations on everything from the actual roundness and straightness of the barrel to shot size in relation to the bore (windage). Sights were rudimentary or non-existent, and elevation was controlled by wedges and guesswork. As
6120-639: The American Civil War in the 1860s. The last known use of a carronade in conflict was during the First Boer War . In the siege of Potchefstroom , the Boers used 'Ou Griet', an antique carronade mounted on a wagon axle, against the British fort. The original design of the carronade included a different type of mounting on a wooden carriage, where the cannon itself had a projecting loop on
6273-554: The American Revolutionary War . A lightweight gun that needed only a small gun crew and was devastating at short range was well suited to defending merchant ships against French and American privateers . The French came in possession of their first carronades in December 1779 with the capture of the brig Finkastre by the frigate Précieuse , but the weapon was judged ineffective and was not adopted by them at
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6426-507: The Bucentaure ' s stern windows. The carronade was initially very successful and widely adopted, and a few experimental ships were fitted with a carronade-only armament, such as HMS Glatton and HMS Rainbow . Glatton , a fourth-rate ship with 56 guns, had a more destructive broadside at short range than HMS Victory , a first-rate ship with 100 guns. Glatton and Rainbow were both successful in battle, though
6579-583: The Carron Company , which developed east of Stenhousemuir, was a major employer. More recently, the bus builder Alexander Dennis , which has a large works at Camelon , has employed Larbert residents. Larbert sits in the travel to work area for both Edinburgh and Glasgow , with many residents commuting to work there daily. Larbert railway station opened on 22 May 1848, when the Scottish Central Railway built its line through
6732-488: The East India Company , which were not generally expected to engage in combat. A number of the merchant ships in the Battle of Pulo Aura were armed with cannonades. This was a fight between a fleet of East India Company merchantmen under command of Commodore Nathaniel Dance and a French naval squadron under Admiral Linois ; it was unusual for merchant ships to engage in combat, but they successfully beat off
6885-837: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , which the UK Government has ratified, and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established a language-development body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig . The Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Languages Bill which proposes to give the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland. Aside from "Scottish Gaelic", the language may also be referred to simply as "Gaelic", pronounced / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / GAL -ik in English . However, "Gaelic" / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik also refers to
7038-555: The Outer Hebrides , accommodation ethics exist amongst native or local Gaelic speakers when engaging with new learners or non-locals. Accommodation ethics, or ethics of accommodation, is a social practice where local or native speakers of Gaelic shift to speaking English when in the presence of non-Gaelic speakers out of a sense of courtesy or politeness. This accommodation ethic persists even in situations where new learners attempt to speak Gaelic with native speakers. This creates
7191-688: The Scottish Lowlands . Between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the number of Gaelic speakers rose in nineteen of the country's 32 council areas. The largest absolute gains were in Aberdeenshire (+526), North Lanarkshire (+305), the Aberdeen City council area (+216), and East Ayrshire (+208). The largest relative gains were in Aberdeenshire (+0.19%), East Ayrshire (+0.18%), Moray (+0.16%), and Orkney (+0.13%). In 2018,
7344-786: The significant increase in pupils in Gaelic-medium education since that time is unknown. Gaelic Medium Education is one of the primary ways that the Scottish Government is addressing Gaelic language shift. Along with the Bòrd na Gàidhlig policies, preschool and daycare environments are also being used to create more opportunities for intergenerational language transmission in the Outer Hebrides. However, revitalization efforts are not unified within Scotland or Nova Scotia, Canada. One can attend Sabhal Mòr Ostaig ,
7497-670: The single-ship action in which the French frigate Piémontaise captured the East Indiaman Warren Hastings on 11 June 1805, the naval historian William James compared the 18-pounder carronades on Warren Hastings with the 18-pounder carronades that the British Royal Navy used. The EIC 18-pounder was 5 ft (1.5 m) long, and weighed 15.5 cwt; the Royal Navy's 18-pounder carronade
7650-462: The 15th or 16th centuries (Hall and Hunter 2001). Larbert's later growth is tied to the industrial development in the village itself as well as the wider parish. The pivotal event was the opening of the Carron Iron Works to the east of Stenhousemuir, in 1759, which produced a range of cast-iron goods and the Carronade , a naval cannon . The development of the iron works shifted the centre of
7803-477: The 17th century. Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking, as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language place names. In the 2011 census of Scotland , 57,375 people (1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) reported being able to speak Gaelic, 1,275 fewer than in 2001. The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides . Nevertheless, there is a language revival , and
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#17327801679407956-494: The 1840s, the Royal Navy leased several carronade-armed clippers from Jardine, Matheson & Co. in 1840 to supplement the steamships it used against Qing dynasty China during the First Opium War . The carronade disappeared from the Royal Navy in the 1850s, after improved methods for building cannons had been developed by William George Armstrong and Joseph Whitworth . Carronades were nevertheless still used in
8109-407: The 1980s and since then salmon and sea trout have returned in good numbers. The surrounding population, largely scattered, engaged in agriculture and took part in the important Falkirk Tryst (cattle market) held annually in nearby Stenhousemuir. In the 1950s, archaeological excavations to the north of present-day Larbert uncovered remains of a substantial pottery works with eight kilns dating from
8262-546: The 19th century, the SSPCK (despite their anti-Gaelic attitude in prior years) and the British and Foreign Bible Society distributed 60,000 Gaelic Bibles and 80,000 New Testaments. It is estimated that this overall schooling and publishing effort gave about 300,000 people in the Highlands some basic literacy. Very few European languages have made the transition to a modern literary language without an early modern translation of
8415-404: The 2011 Census. The 2011 total population figure comes from table KS101SC. The numbers of Gaelic speakers relate to the numbers aged 3 and over, and the percentages are calculated using those and the number of the total population aged 3 and over. Across the whole of Scotland, the 2011 census showed that 25,000 people (0.49% of the population) used Gaelic at home. Of these, 63.3% said that they had
8568-407: The 4th–5th centuries CE, by settlers from Ireland who founded the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata on Scotland's west coast in present-day Argyll . An alternative view has been voiced by archaeologist Ewan Campbell , who has argued that the putative migration or takeover is not reflected in archaeological or placename data (as pointed out earlier by Leslie Alcock ). Campbell has also questioned
8721-623: The Bellsdyke Hospital complex, located on the outskirts of the town, still exists and provides psychiatric care only for patients in the Forth Valley health board area. In May 2007, construction began on a new 860-bed hospital for the Stirling and Falkirk on the site of the former RSNH in Larbert. the Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH) will replace and combine existing facilities at both Falkirk and Stirling on
8874-569: The Bible; the lack of a well known translation may have contributed to the decline of Scottish Gaelic. Counterintuitively, access to schooling in Gaelic increased knowledge of English. In 1829, the Gaelic Schools Society reported that parents were unconcerned about their children learning Gaelic, but were anxious to have them taught English. The SSPCK also found Highlanders to have significant prejudice against Gaelic. T. M. Devine attributes this to an association between English and
9027-594: The EU's institutions. The Scottish government had to pay for the translation from Gaelic to other European languages . The deal was received positively in Scotland; Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said the move was a strong sign of the UK government's support for Gaelic. He said; "Allowing Gaelic speakers to communicate with European institutions in their mother tongue is a progressive step forward and one which should be welcomed". Culture Minister Mike Russell said; "this
9180-446: The Falkirk area average of 3.6 percent and the Scottish average of 3.9 percent. In 2001, there were 2,542 dwellings in Larbert of which 76.8 percent were owner-occupied, a higher than average proportion compared to the surrounding area. Homes rented directly from the council or tenants associations, comprised 20.7 percent of the total housing stock in Larbert, with privately rented, or rent-free dwellings making up
9333-538: The Forth–Clyde line and along the northeastern coastal plain as far north as Moray. Norman French completely displaced Gaelic at court. The establishment of royal burghs throughout the same area, particularly under David I , attracted large numbers of foreigners speaking Old English. This was the beginning of Gaelic's status as a predominantly rural language in Scotland. Clan chiefs in the northern and western parts of Scotland continued to support Gaelic bards who remained
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#17327801679409486-450: The French and American navies when they adopted the carronade. The carronade, like other naval guns, was mounted with ropes to restrain the recoil , but the details of the gun mounting were usually quite different. The carronade was typically mounted on a sliding rather than a wheeled gun carriage , and elevation was achieved with a turnscrew , like field guns , rather than the quoins (wooden wedges) usual for naval guns. In addition,
9639-437: The French in series of engagements, convincing them they were actually facing a powerful force of Royal Navy vessels; this action was later used as the basis for the climactic battle in the book H.M.S Surprise , part of the famous Aubrey and Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian . The East India Company (EIC) also used carronades, and these appear to be larger, and heavier than those that Royal Navy used. In his discussion of
9792-684: The Gaelic Act falls so far short of the status accorded to Welsh that one would be foolish or naïve to believe that any substantial change will occur in the fortunes of the language as a result of Bòrd na Gàidhlig 's efforts. On 10 December 2008, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the Scottish Human Rights Commission had the UDHR translated into Gaelic for
9945-762: The Gaelic aristocracy rejected their anglicised sons and instead backed Malcolm's brother Domnall Bán ( Donald III ). Donald had spent 17 years in Gaelic Ireland and his power base was in the thoroughly Gaelic west of Scotland. He was the last Scottish monarch to be buried on Iona , the traditional burial place of the Gaelic Kings of Dàl Riada and the Kingdom of Alba. However, during the reigns of Malcolm Canmore's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I (their successive reigns lasting 1097–1153), Anglo-Norman names and practices spread throughout Scotland south of
10098-442: The Highland and Island region. In 1616, the Privy Council proclaimed that schools teaching in English should be established. Gaelic was seen, at this time, as one of the causes of the instability of the region. It was also associated with Catholicism. The Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) was founded in 1709. They met in 1716, immediately after the failed Jacobite rising of 1715 , to consider
10251-416: The Highlands and Islands, including Argyll. In many cases, this has simply meant re-adopting the traditional spelling of a name (such as Ràtagan or Loch Ailleart rather than the anglicised forms Ratagan or Lochailort respectively). Some monolingual Gaelic road signs, particularly direction signs, are used on the Outer Hebrides , where a majority of the population can have a working knowledge of
10404-426: The Inner Hebridean dialects of Tiree and Islay, and even a few native speakers from Western Highland areas including Wester Ross , northwest Sutherland , Lochaber and Argyll . Dialects on both sides of the Straits of Moyle (the North Channel ) linking Scottish Gaelic with Irish are now extinct, though native speakers were still to be found on the Mull of Kintyre , on Rathlin and in North East Ireland as late as
10557-410: The Irish language ( Gaeilge ) and the Manx language ( Gaelg ). Scottish Gaelic is distinct from Scots , the Middle English -derived language which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the early modern era . Prior to the 15th century, this language was known as Inglis ("English") by its own speakers, with Gaelic being called Scottis ("Scottish"). Beginning in
10710-440: The Larbert and Stenhousemuir locality had a total population of 16,311, of whom 12,969 were aged 16 or over. Disaggregated 2001 census data showed that Larbert proper had a higher proportion of those under age 15 than the Falkirk council area and Scottish average and a lower proportion of those over age 75. The census figures also showed that 1.7 percent of those who are economically active, were unemployed, lower than
10863-447: The Larbert area was heavily forested, but this was cleared and gave rise to much of the agricultural land which surrounds the town. The coming of industry and especially the arrival in the 1840s of the Scottish Central Railway , which passes through the village, provided a base for economic growth. From the late 18th century until the mid-20th century heavy industry , such as boilermaking , casting and manufacturing underpinned
11016-576: The Scottish Headquarters of the Boys' Brigade . Robert Bruce of Kinnaird , early church leader. Arthur Mitchell , based at Larbert Hospital, and his son, Sydney Mitchell the eminent British Arts and Crafts architect, who was born in Larbert. The Abyssinian explorer James Bruce was born at Kinnaird, just outside Larbert in 1730 and is buried in the graveyard of Larbert Old Parish Church. Bruce travelled through much of Africa and in
11169-610: The UK Government as Welsh . With the advent of devolution , however, Scottish matters have begun to receive greater attention, and it achieved a degree of official recognition when the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act was enacted by the Scottish Parliament on 21 April 2005. The key provisions of the Act are: After its creation, Bòrd na Gàidhlig required a Gaelic Language Plan from the Scottish Government. This plan
11322-826: The Western Isles (−1,745), Argyll & Bute (−694), and Highland (−634). The drop in Stornoway , the largest parish in the Western Isles by population, was especially acute, from 57.5% of the population in 1991 to 43.4% in 2011. The only parish outside the Western Isles over 40% Gaelic-speaking is Kilmuir in Northern Skye at 46%. The islands in the Inner Hebrides with significant percentages of Gaelic speakers are Tiree (38.3%), Raasay (30.4%), Skye (29.4%), Lismore (26.9%), Colonsay (20.2%), and Islay (19.0%). Today, no civil parish in Scotland has
11475-644: The Western Isles. The Scottish Qualifications Authority offer two streams of Gaelic examination across all levels of the syllabus: Gaelic for learners (equivalent to the modern foreign languages syllabus) and Gaelic for native speakers (equivalent to the English syllabus). An Comunn Gàidhealach performs assessment of spoken Gaelic, resulting in the issue of a Bronze Card, Silver Card or Gold Card. Syllabus details are available on An Comunn's website. These are not widely recognised as qualifications, but are required for those taking part in certain competitions at
11628-522: The age and reliability of the medieval historical sources speaking of a conquest. Instead, he has inferred that Argyll formed part of a common Q-Celtic -speaking area with Ireland, connected rather than divided by the sea, since the Iron Age. These arguments have been opposed by some scholars defending the early dating of the traditional accounts and arguing for other interpretations of the archaeological evidence. Regardless of how it came to be spoken in
11781-676: The age of 5 and 21. In 1948 the facility became known as the Royal Scottish National Hospital (RSNH). On adjacent land, the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1869 at a cost of £20,000, engaged in the treatment of those with mental illness . The asylum later became known as Bellsdyke Hospital. The arrival of the tram in October 1905 improved transport between Larbert and many of its surrounding neighbours. The service followed
11934-463: The annual mods . In October 2009, a new agreement allowed Scottish Gaelic to be formally used between Scottish Government ministers and European Union officials. The deal was signed by Britain's representative to the EU, Sir Kim Darroch , and the Scottish government . This did not give Scottish Gaelic official status in the EU but gave it the right to be a means of formal communications in
12087-469: The ball and the inside of the gun barrel, as a result of irregularities in the size of cannonballs and the difficulty of boring out gun barrels . If the windage of a cannon was off as much as a quarter of an inch (.25 in (6.4 mm)), it could cause a considerable loss in power and accuracy. The manufacturing practices introduced by the Carron Company reduced the windage considerably. Despite
12240-603: The bill be strengthened, a revised bill was published; the main alteration was that the guidance of the Bòrd is now statutory (rather than advisory). In the committee stages in the Scottish Parliament, there was much debate over whether Gaelic should be given 'equal validity' with English. Due to executive concerns about resourcing implications if this wording was used, the Education Committee settled on
12393-450: The bore; for example, an 18-pounder carronade had its chamber bored equal to a 12-pounder. This reduced the weight of the cannon, but also had the effect of reducing the velocity of the cannonball , and hence range. A factor mitigating the deficiency in range was that carronades could be bored with a much tighter windage than long guns, so that more of the propellant went to moving the shot, rather than bypassing it. Naval artillery during
12546-422: The bottom that was pinned to the gun carriage, which was fastened to the side of the ship, with a pivoting mounting which allowed the gun to be rotated, while rearward recoil was contained, sometimes with a slider carriage. In some versions, a wedge was placed underneath the chamber to control elevation, while in later versions an elevating screw was used. Carronades had a chamber that was one-caliber smaller than
12699-504: The boundary between Larbert and Stenhousemuir, is a parkland-style course with a length of 6,053 yards (5,535 m). Falkirk Golf Club, is located on the outskirts of Larbert, between the town and Camelon . About one mile (two kilometres) north is the Glenbervie Golf Club. Larbert also has its own lawn bowls club. There is a cricket club in Stenhousemuir, which adjoins Larbert. Stenhousemuir Cricket Club based on part of
12852-525: The carronade's lack of range was a tactical disadvantage of this arrangement against an opponent who could keep out of carronade range, but within the range of his long guns. In the 1810s and 1820s, tactics started to place a greater emphasis on the accuracy of long-range gunfire, and less on the weight of a broadside. Indeed, Captain David Porter of USS Essex complained when the navy replaced his 12-pounder long guns with 32-pounder carronades. In
13005-625: The census of pupils in Scotland showed 520 students in publicly funded schools had Gaelic as the main language at home, an increase of 5% from 497 in 2014. During the same period, Gaelic medium education in Scotland has grown, with 4,343 pupils (6.3 per 1000) being educated in a Gaelic-immersion environment in 2018, up from 3,583 pupils (5.3 per 1000) in 2014. Data collected in 2007–2008 indicated that even among pupils enrolled in Gaelic medium schools, 81% of primary students and 74% of secondary students report using English more often than Gaelic when speaking with their mothers at home. The effect on this of
13158-568: The cities and professors of Celtic from universities who sought to preserve the language. The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 provided universal education in Scotland, but completely ignored Gaelic in its plans. The mechanism for supporting Gaelic through the Education Codes issued by the Scottish Education Department were steadily used to overcome this omission, with many concessions in place by 1918. However,
13311-450: The concept of 'equal respect'. It is not clear what the legal force of this wording is. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament unanimously, with support from all sectors of the Scottish political spectrum, on 21 April 2005. Under the provisions of the Act, it will ultimately fall to BnG to secure the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland. Some commentators, such as Éamonn Ó Gribín (2006) argue that
13464-429: The cube. The Victory ' s 68 lb carronade is reported to have had a maximum range of 1,280 yd (1,170 m) at an angle of 5 degrees with a 5 lb charge of gunpowder. The structure of Victory ' s forecastle limited the weight of the guns. The other gun on the forecastle was a medium 12 lb cannon, which had a maximum range of 1,320 yd (1,210 m). Carronades were not noticeably short range for either
13617-426: The day, trains are half-hourly to Glasgow and Edinburgh and take 35 minutes and 45 minutes respectively to reach their destinations. There are four trains per hour to Stirling , which is a journey of 10 minutes. In 2005–06 there were 468,849 passenger journeys from the station, a rise of 9.6 percent on the previous year. As late as the 1970s, through traffic from Falkirk and Glasgow passed
13770-499: The dialect of the Scottish Gaelic language, and also mixed use of English and Gaelic across the Highlands and Islands. Dialects of Lowland Gaelic have been defunct since the 18th century. Gaelic in the Eastern and Southern Scottish Highlands, although alive until the mid-20th century, is now largely defunct. Although modern Scottish Gaelic is dominated by the dialects of the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Skye, there remain some speakers of
13923-472: The east. Historically, Larbert and Stenhousemuir were united into one parish and consequently shared public amenities. Commonly, Larbert and Stenhousemuir are referred to as being part of the same locality. The underlying geology of Larbert is primarily characterised by glacial deposits . Elevations above 10 metres (33 feet) are covered by a mixture of glacial till and boulder clay with low-lying areas covered by sandy soils and loams . The origins of much of
14076-726: The eastern portion of Larbert and live in the catchment area for Stenhousemuir Primary School attend there. A new purpose built 434-pupil primary school, Kinnaird Primary School , opened in January 2008 in North Larbert. Most secondary pupils attend Larbert High School , which historically was the main school for the whole of Larbert parish and serves secondary level pupils from the surrounding area and outlying villages such as Airth and Skinflats . Despite its name, Larbert High School lies entirely in Stenhousemuir. The large Forth Valley Royal Hospital lies in Larbert. A small portion of
14229-569: The economy of Larbert. The Victorian era also saw the opening of the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum at Bellsdyke and Scottish National Institution for Children on the Stenhouse Estate. This made Larbert central in providing care , both locally and nationally. Although the traditional economic base of Larbert dwindled with the decline of heavy industry, it has latterly experienced considerable growth as
14382-401: The effect of rapid broadsides at short range, to which the carronade could make a significant contribution. In smaller vessels such as frigates, privateers, and raiders, the captains still appreciated long guns for their increased range, since they were not expected to engage in fighting in line-of-battle, but rather often found themselves engaged in long chases or attempts to work to windward. It
14535-592: The entire armament of unrated vessels. For instance, the Ballahoo - and Cuckoo -class schooners were armed only with four 12-pounder carronades. Second, gunboats such as those that the Americans deployed at the Battle of Lake Borgne often had one large 18-, 24-, or 32-pounder gun forward on a pivot, and two smaller carronades aft. Finally, larger vessels carried a few 12-, 18-, or 24-pounders to arm their ship's boats— cutters , pinnaces , launches , barges , and
14688-582: The entire region of modern-day Scotland was called Scotia in Latin, and Gaelic was the lingua Scotica . In southern Scotland , Gaelic was strong in Galloway , adjoining areas to the north and west, West Lothian , and parts of western Midlothian . It was spoken to a lesser degree in north Ayrshire , Renfrewshire , the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire . In south-eastern Scotland, there
14841-560: The first time. However, given there are no longer any monolingual Gaelic speakers, following an appeal in the court case of Taylor v Haughney (1982), involving the status of Gaelic in judicial proceedings, the High Court ruled against a general right to use Gaelic in court proceedings. While the goal of the Gaelic Language Act was to aid in revitalization efforts through government mandated official language status,
14994-438: The former RSNH and Bellsdyke Hospital is slated for joint residential and commercial development and will be known as Kinnaird Village . There is open parkland south of Larbert. On Census night 2001 , Larbert had a total resident population of 6,425, which has risen to 7,235 according to 2005 estimates. For statistical and census purposes, Larbert is normally combined with adjoining Stenhousemuir into one wider locality. In 2001,
15147-489: The gun, mounting, and shot all together. The standard package of shot per gun was 25 roundshot , 15 barshot , 15 double-headed shot , 10 "single" grapeshot , and 10 "single" canister shot . "Single" meant that the shot weighed the same as the roundshot, while some other canister and grapeshot were also included which weighed one and a half times the roundshot. Its invention is variously ascribed to Lieutenant General Robert Melville in 1759, or to Charles Gascoigne , who
15300-412: The gun. The replacement of trunnions by a bolt underneath, to connect the gun to the mounting, reduced the width of the carriage enhancing the wide angle of fire. A merchant ship would almost always be running away from an enemy, so a wide angle of fire was much more important than on a warship. A carronade weighed a quarter as much and used a quarter to a third of the gunpowder charge as a long gun firing
15453-479: The initiatives must come from within Gaelic speaking communities, be led by Gaelic speakers, and be designed to serve and increase fluency within the vernacular communities as the first and most viable resistance to total language shift from Gaelic to English. Currently, language policies are focused on creating new language speakers through education, instead of focused on how to strengthen intergenerational transmission within existing Gaelic speaking communities. In
15606-463: The introduction of rifling and consequent change in the shape of the projectile, exploding shells replacing solid shot, and naval engagements being fought at longer ranges. The carronade was designed as a short-range naval weapon with a low muzzle velocity for merchant ships, but it also found a niche role on warships. It was produced by the Carron ironworks and was at first sold as a system with
15759-502: The language. Compared with the 2001 Census, there has been a diminution of about 1300 people. This is the smallest drop between censuses since the Gaelic-language question was first asked in 1881. The Scottish government's language minister and Bòrd na Gàidhlig took this as evidence that Gaelic's long decline has slowed. The main stronghold of the language continues to be the Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ), where
15912-573: The language. These omit the English translation entirely. Bilingual railway station signs are now more frequent than they used to be. Practically all the stations in the Highland area use both English and Gaelic, and the use of bilingual station signs has become more frequent in the Lowlands of Scotland, including areas where Gaelic has not been spoken for a long time. Carronade Carronades were initially found to be very successful, but they eventually disappeared as naval artillery advanced, with
16065-542: The larger town of Falkirk . From 1891 Larbert was contained within the county of Stirlingshire and from 1894 until 1930 constituted its own civil parish . Larbert was located in the Falkirk district of the Central Regional Council area from 1975 to 1996. Since local government reorganisation in 1996 , Larbert has been part of the Falkirk council area , which is one of Scotland's 32 local authorities . For registration purposes, Larbert remains
16218-532: The late 15th century, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse ("Irish") and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis . Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a separate language from Irish, so the word Erse in reference to Scottish Gaelic is no longer used. Based on medieval traditional accounts and the apparent evidence from linguistic geography, Gaelic has been commonly believed to have been brought to Scotland, in
16371-479: The late 18th century, a new type of cannon was developed in Britain which was a cross between a cannon and a carronade, called a "cannonade" (not to be confused with the term cannonade which refers to rapid and sustained artillery fire or the act of firing as such). An example was the "medium 18 pounder ", which was shorter and lighter than a gun, yet longer than a carronade. While seemingly a good idea in theory, it
16524-544: The like—to give them firepower for boat actions. For instance, each of the 42 larger British vessels at the Battle of Lake Borgne carried a carronade in its bow; only the three gigs were unarmed. At the other end, even a quite small vessel might carry the 68-pounders. For instance, Commander William Layman of the Cruizer -class brig sloop HMS Raven replaced her two forward 6-pounder guns and 32-pounder carronades with
16677-709: The local unit commander from Central Scotland Police and nominees from other local community groups. Larbert is in the Falkirk West Scottish Parliament constituency . Since the May 2007 Scottish general election , the seat has been held by the SNP. The Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency is Michael Matheson . In the Parliament of the United Kingdom , Larbert
16830-459: The members of Highland school boards tended to have anti-Gaelic attitudes and served as an obstacle to Gaelic education in the late 19th and early 20th century. Loss of life due to World War I and the 1919 sinking of the HMY Iolaire , combined with emigration, resulted in the 1910s seeing unprecedented damage to the use of Scottish Gaelic, with a 46% fall in monolingual speakers and
16983-734: The mid-20th century. Records of their speech show that Irish and Scottish Gaelic existed in a dialect chain with no clear language boundary. Some features of moribund dialects have been preserved in Nova Scotia, including the pronunciation of the broad or velarised l ( l̪ˠ ) as [w] , as in the Lochaber dialect. The Endangered Languages Project lists Gaelic's status as "threatened", with "20,000 to 30,000 active users". UNESCO classifies Gaelic as " definitely endangered ". The 1755–2001 figures are census data quoted by MacAulay. The 2011 Gaelic speakers figures come from table KS206SC of
17136-532: The modern era. Some of this was driven by policy decisions by government or other organisations, while some originated from social changes. In the last quarter of the 20th century, efforts began to encourage use of the language. The Statutes of Iona , enacted by James VI in 1609, was one piece of legislation that addressed, among other things, the Gaelic language. It required the heirs of clan chiefs to be educated in lowland, Protestant, English-speaking schools. James VI took several such measures to impose his rule on
17289-473: The name Larbert are uncertain. Historically, the name was variously written as Lairbert scheills or Laithbert scheills which signifies the scheills , or huts, of a man named Lairbert or Laithbert. Historians believe that the origin of Larbert dates back to the Middle Ages when Scotland was beginning to emerge as a nation. The area in which Larbert lies was heavily forested at this time. The lands to
17442-434: The number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. In the 2022 census of Scotland , it was found that 2.5% of the Scottish population had some skills in Gaelic, or 130,161 persons. Of these, 69,701 people reported speaking the language, with a further 46,404 people reporting that they understood the language, but did not speak, read, or write in it. Outside of Scotland,
17595-695: The official language of government and law. Scotland's emergent nationalism in the era following the conclusion of the Wars of Scottish Independence was organized using Scots as well. For example, the nation's great patriotic literature including John Barbour's The Brus (1375) and Blind Harry's The Wallace (before 1488) was written in Scots, not Gaelic. By the end of the 15th century, English/Scots speakers referred to Gaelic instead as 'Yrisch' or 'Erse', i.e. Irish and their own language as 'Scottis'. A steady shift away from Scottish Gaelic continued into and through
17748-410: The old Trysting grounds at Tryst Road. As a club it has been in existence for over 135 years and has a very proud history with many international cricketers coming from within its ranks. Larbert Old Parish Church stands on the western approaches to Larbert, above the River Carron . The church, designed by the Scottish architect David Hamilton , was built in 1820 at a cost of £3,000 using sandstone from
17901-459: The outcome of the act is distanced from the actual minority language communities. It helps to create visibility of the minority language in civil structures, but does not impact or address the lived experiences of the Gaelic speaker communities wherein the revitalization efforts may have a higher return of new Gaelic speakers. Efforts are being made to concentrate resources, language planning, and revitalization efforts towards vernacular communities in
18054-525: The outskirts of Larbert. Motorway construction in the area from 1980 onwards ran Central Scotland's important trunk roads close to Larbert. The nearest motorway is the M876 , of which Junction 2 is the interchange for Larbert. The motorway connects with the M80 , the principal route into Glasgow. The M9 , the main route into Edinburgh, passes east of Larbert. The motorway's Junction 7 ( Kincardine Bridge )
18207-560: The overall proportion of speakers is 52.2%. Important pockets of the language also exist in the Highlands (5.4%) and in Argyll and Bute (4.0%) and Inverness (4.9%). The locality with the largest absolute number is Glasgow with 5,878 such persons, who make up over 10% of all of Scotland's Gaelic speakers. Gaelic continues to decline in its traditional heartland. Between 2001 and 2011, the absolute number of Gaelic speakers fell sharply in
18360-488: The parish eastwards as people moved to closer to the Carron Ironworks for employment. Fortunes changed in the 1840s with the building of the Scottish Central Railway which was a catalyst for economic expansion in Larbert itself. Improved transportation led to Dobbie, Forbes and Company establishing a foundry in Larbert in 1872 which manufactured stoves, ranges and light castings. Three years later, James Jones,
18513-584: The process traced the origins of the Blue Nile . It was said that Bruce was fluent in 13 languages and stood over 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall. Thomas Hardy , parliamentary reformer and co-founder of the London Corresponding Society , was born in Larbert in 1752 and ran a boot-making business there. He moved to London, where he continued boot-making until he became involved in parliamentary reform. John Baildon ,
18666-466: The prosperity of employment: the Highland economy relied greatly on seasonal migrant workers travelling outside the Gàidhealtachd . In 1863, an observer sympathetic to Gaelic stated that "knowledge of English is indispensable to any poor islander who wishes to learn a trade or to earn his bread beyond the limits of his native Isle". Generally, rather than Gaelic speakers, it was Celtic societies in
18819-446: The railway line, on reclaimed foundry land. As a result, little industrial land remains in the village itself. Larbert's surroundings are much more rural in character with scattered farmsteads on land between Larbert and the M9 motorway and between Larbert and the village of Plean . Parkland on the northwest side of Larbert has been given over to the development of a new hospital. The site of
18972-547: The railway, which further cemented Larbert's position as a centre of heavy industry. By 1891, the parish of Larbert had a population of 900. The 19th century also witnessed the establishment of the Scottish National Institution for the Education of Imbecile Children on land to the north of present-day Larbert. The institution, opened in 1863 at a cost of £13,000, provided care for minors between
19125-412: The recoil. The mounting, attached to the side of the ship on a pivot, took the recoil on a slider, without altering the alignment of the gun. The pamphlet advocated the use of woollen cartridges, which eliminated the need for wadding and worming , although they were more expensive. Simplifying gunnery for comparatively untrained merchant seamen in both aiming and reloading was part of the rationale for
19278-400: The reduced windage, carronades had a much shorter range than the equivalent long gun, typically a third to a half, because they used a much smaller propellant charge (the chamber for the powder was smaller than the bore for the ball). Typical naval tactics in the late 18th century, however, emphasised short-range broadsides, so the range was not thought to be a problem. The air resistance of
19431-460: The reform and civilisation of the Highlands, which they sought to achieve by teaching English and the Protestant religion. Initially, their teaching was entirely in English, but soon the impracticality of educating Gaelic-speaking children in this way gave rise to a modest concession: in 1723, teachers were allowed to translate English words in the Bible into Gaelic to aid comprehension, but there
19584-587: The region, Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the eighth century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. During the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda (Constantine II, 900–943), outsiders began to refer to the region as the kingdom of Alba rather than as the kingdom of the Picts. However, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly,
19737-425: The remaining 2.5 percent. Average house prices in Larbert have been among the fastest growing in Scotland and the UK. In 2005, the average house price in Larbert was £145,716, making it the ninth most expensive place in Scotland to buy property. Today, Larbert is home to a range of light service industries . In 1992, 19 hectares (190,000 m) of the former RSNH site, on the northern flank of Larbert close to
19890-522: The said bridge." A later, more modern crossing built next to Larbert Bridge carries the main A9 ;road from Larbert to Falkirk. Nearby, a 19th-century viaduct, built outside Larbert, carries the railway into town. The main A9 ;road passes underneath. The Station Hotel, close to Larbert's railway station, has been a central focal point of Larbert for many years. An inn or public house has stood on
20043-542: The same cannonball. The reduced charge allowed carronades to have a shorter length and much lighter weight than long guns. Increasing the size of the bore and ball reduces the required length of barrel. The force acting on the ball is proportional to the square of the diameter, while the mass of the ball rises by the cube, so acceleration is slower; thus, the barrel can be shorter and therefore lighter. Long guns were also much heavier than carronades because they were over-specified to be capable of being double-shotted, whereas it
20196-489: The settlement, and this gives rise to differing elevations surrounding the town. Beneath the surface layer of unsorted glacial till are strata of sandstone and ironstone which weathering and erosion have exposed above the surface in areas. Deposits of coal are found east of Larbert. Like much of the rest of southern Scotland, Larbert experiences a temperate , maritime climate with mild winters, cool summers and evenly distributed rainfall. The prevailing wind direction
20349-436: The site of a Roman camp close by. An early Christian community, with a chapel, is believed to have existed close to the crossing point on the Carron around 1160. By the 1750s, Larbert constituted a small settlement on the main road between Falkirk and Stirling, which was turnpiked by an Act of Parliament in 1752. At this time, Larbert had at three mills powered by water from the nearby River Carron. These mills shut down in
20502-654: The south of Larbert and Camelon, in the area traversed by the Antonine Wall , were strategically important to the Romans . The crossing point on the River Carron at Larbert was an important transportation route for the Romans on the road they constructed from Watling Lodge on the Antonine Wall to Stirling. Early Ordnance Survey maps showed Larbert located on an old Roman Road between Camelon and Stirling, with
20655-428: The spot of the current hotel for as long as the railway has passed through Larbert. The Victorian Gothic structures of the Royal Scottish National Hospital (RSNH) and Bellsdyke Hospital existed in a dilapidated state until their eventual and very controversial demolition in 2015, most of the grounds are being used for new housing development. Carronvale House is an 18th-century category A listed building , now home to
20808-589: The time. However, in the action of 4 September 1782 , the impact of a single carronade broadside fired at close range by the frigate HMS Rainbow under Henry Trollope caused a wounded French captain to capitulate and surrender the Hébé after a short fight. The carronade was a popular armament among Anglo-American opium traffickers. Its light weight meant that opium traffickers could maintain both speed and asymmetrical force projection in Asia. The Royal Navy
20961-547: The unsorted glacial rubble found in the area are eroded debris from the Campsie Fells and Kilsyth Hills to the west. In places, stratified till and boulder clay give rise to features of glacial deposition such as eskers , and drumlins that are predominant over much of the area north and east of Larbert and provide natural transportation routes. As Larbert is not far from the coast, post-glacial features akin to raised beaches are particularly prevalent south and west of
21114-580: The village and narrowly survived the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Larbert station lies north of one of the major rail junctions in central Scotland, where the line from Stirling and Perth splits into one branch heading to Glasgow and the other to Edinburgh. The station is on the Edinburgh to Dunblane and Croy Lines. Like most stations in Scotland, Larbert, which has two platforms, is owned by Network Rail and operated by ScotRail on their behalf. During
21267-437: The weight of ball in powder before it introduced the carronade, which further halved the gunpowder charge. The advantages for merchant ships are described in an advertising pamphlet of 1779. Production of both shot and gun by the same firm immediately allowed a reduction in the windage, the gap between the bore of the gun and the diameter of the ball. The smaller gunpowder charge reduced the barrel heating in action, and reduced
21420-441: The weight of the gun or the gunpowder charge. Carronades were short range because of their small gunpowder charge but their lower muzzle velocity required a higher trajectory. But at sea the range of the long gun had little use; guns were on moving platforms, making timing of fire very difficult. Pitch and roll meant that most ships fought at close range of a few hundred yards or less. In battles between warships, carronades could be at
21573-546: The west. The river has its source in the Campsie Fells north of Glasgow, flowing into the Carron Valley Reservoir and past the town of Denny . After passing Larbert, the river flows through Falkirk before emptying into the Firth of Forth at Glensburgh, near Grangemouth . Larbert has an area of 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 sq mi (4 km) and is contiguous with the town of Stenhousemuir to
21726-483: Was 3 ft 3 in (1.0 m) and weighed 10.5 cwt (1,176 lb (533.4 kg)). James's figures show the EIC's 12-pounder carronades were 3 ft 3 in (1.0 m) long, and weighed 8.5 cwt (952 lb (431.8 kg)); the Royal Navy's 12-pounder carronade was 2 ft 8 in (0.8 m) and weighed 6.5 cwt (728 lb (330.2 kg)). There was usually a considerable gap (known as windage ) between
21879-399: Was accepted in 2008, and some of its main commitments were: identity (signs, corporate identity); communications (reception, telephone, mailings, public meetings, complaint procedures); publications (PR and media, websites); staffing (language learning, training, recruitment). Following a consultation period, in which the government received many submissions, the majority of which asked that
22032-439: Was boosted further in 2000 with the creation of 700 jobs by the multi-client Telecom Service Centre (TSC) facility. Other occupants of the park include the travel firm Thomas Cook and the central Scotland baker Mathiesons, which has consolidated all operations onto one site. Glenbervie Business Park was developed next to Central Park with the help of local government and EU structural aid. The 28-hectare (280,000 m) site
22185-612: Was constructed in 1893 on the site of a ford , which could rarely be used when the river was in full flow. The bridge is reached via a footpath leading from the bottom of Carronvale Road in Larbert. Larbert Bridge was the original crossing over the Carron and was built in the 17th century. A toll was collected in the 18th century, payable to the Earl of Callendar and Linlithgow and levied at " ...four pennies Scots for each cart, two pennies for each loaded horse and twelve pennies Scots for each score of droves of cows that shall pass along
22338-446: Was dangerous to do this in a carronade. A ship could carry more carronades, or carronades of a larger caliber, than long guns, and carronades could be mounted on the upper decks, where heavy long guns could cause the ship to be top-heavy and unstable. Carronades also required a smaller gun crew, which was very important for merchant ships, and they were faster to reload. Carronades initially became popular on British merchant ships during
22491-402: Was found that the gun was less accurate and shorter-ranged than a long cannon, less powerful than a carronade, and -at 28 cwt - too light for the powerful charge, meaning recoil was excessive and often broke the breachings or ropes which attached the gun to the hull timbers. They were quickly removed from service in most cases, although a number were retained on ships in merchant service, such as
22644-518: Was initially reluctant to adopt the guns, mainly due to mistrust of the Carron Company, which had developed a reputation for incompetence and commercial sharp dealing . Carronades were not even counted in numbering the guns of a ship. Lord Sandwich eventually started mounting them in place of the light guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck of ships. They soon proved their effectiveness in battle. French gun foundries were unable to produce equivalents for twenty years, so carronades gave British warships
22797-491: Was long suppressed. The UK government has ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Gaelic. Gaelic, along with Irish and Welsh, is designated under Part III of the Charter, which requires the UK Government to take a range of concrete measures in the fields of education, justice, public administration, broadcasting and culture. It has not received the same degree of official recognition from
22950-418: Was manager of the Carron Company from 1769 to 1779. In its early years, the weapon was sometimes called a "mellvinade" or a "gasconade". The carronade can be seen as the culmination of a development of naval guns reducing the barrel length and gunpowder charge. The Carron Company was already selling a "new light-constructed" gun, two-thirds of the weight of the standard naval gun and charged with one sixth of
23103-401: Was much shorter and a third to a quarter of the weight of an equivalent long gun . A 32-pounder carronade, for example, weighed less than a ton, but a 32-pounder long gun weighed over 3 tons. Carronades were manufactured in the usual naval gun sizes: 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 32-, 42-, and 68- pounder versions are known. The smaller carronades served in three roles. First, they often constituted
23256-510: Was no further permitted use. Other less prominent schools worked in the Highlands at the same time, also teaching in English. This process of anglicisation paused when evangelical preachers arrived in the Highlands, convinced that people should be able to read religious texts in their own language. The first well known translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic was made in 1767, when James Stuart of Killin and Dugald Buchanan of Rannoch produced
23409-453: Was often better tactically to attempt to shoot the opponent's rigging down at range rather than close in for direct combat, where the weaker hulls of lighter vessels were at risk. They also often found themselves far from home or harbors, where repairs and spare yards, masts or rigging could be found. Generally, although the power of the "smashers", as they were called, was acknowledged, most captains continued to prefer long guns. A carronade
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