Tillicoultry

The name Tillicoultry:- The most likely origin is Gaelic "Tullich-cul-tir" the mount or hill at  the back of the hill. There is also a story about a Highlandman was taking a drove of cattle along the old road, and when passing through the burn, none of the cattle took a drink. When in astonishment he exclaimed, 'There's Tiel a coo try" (Deil a cow dry) in Highlandman's way of pronouncing the D, and hence it is said the town got its name!

Parish of Tillicoultry :- in the early days they were three villages in the parish of Tillicoultry:- Eastertown, Westertown and Coalsnuaghton. Harviestoun Burn ran through the centre of Eastertown, the portion of the village on the west side of the burn was called Ellieston, while that on the east was called Harviestoun.

Clackmannanshire is the smallest county in Scotland being only 10 miles long from East to West and no more than 8 miles in extreme width. It contains the four parishes of Alloa , Clackmannan, Dollar and Tillicoultry . The parish of Tillicoultry formerly consisted of 3 villages,

• Westerton or Cairntown ;
• Earlston, Ellertown or Eastertown and
• Coalsnaughton.

Cairntown is an earlier name than Westertown and relates to the Shillinghill area of the town - the name is preserved in the street name, Cairnton Place

Eastertown was an area around the Tillicoultry Mains Farm and this name is preserved in the street name, Easterton

History

The Tillicoultry estate was received on feudal tenure by Aleumus de Meser from King Alexander II. Aleumus de Meser the younger failed to render the feudal service due for his lands and they were consequently taken from him and granted to William Count of Mar in 1261 by King Alexander III in the 14th year of his reign. The estate was held by the the Earls of Mar ll 1483 at which me it came into the possession of the ancestors of Lord Colvil of Culross who held the estate ll 1634 when it was sold to William Alexander of Menstry (Menstrie), a noted poet who would later become the Earl of Srling.

The estate had a large number of owners over the next 200 years or so (see Table 1). The earliest map of Clackmannanshire which is sll readily available is the manuscript produced by John Adair around 1681 (see Image 1, click on the image for a larger view). This map, whilst of interest shows very lile detail and gives more of a general view of the county and depicts many of the grand houses of the me. On the other hand Roy's map of 1747-1755 (See Image 2) displays a much larger degree of detail. In this map the run-rig field systems can clearly be seen with the characterisc curves to the fields and the apparent random layout. The detailed secon shown in image 2 also depicts three farm touns around Tillicoultry house, Easter Tillicoultry, Wester Tillicoultry and Bankhead. Table 1: Owners of the Tillicoultry Estate Estate Owner Aquired William Count of Mar 1261 ancestors of Lord Colvil of Culross 1483 William Alexander of Menstry 1634 Sir Alexander Rollo of Duncrub 1644 John Nicholson of Carnock 1659 Lord Tillicoultry 1701 Hon Charles Barclay Maitland of Lauderdale 1756 James Bruce Esq. Of Kinross 1780 Duncan Glassfors Esq. 1806 James Erskine Esq. 1810 R. Downie Esq. 1813 R. Wardlaw Ramsay Esq. Succeeded to the estate 1837 Part of estate and the mansion house sold to Patrick Srling Esq. 1837 R. Wardlaw Ramsay Esq. Bought back 1840 Wester toun would later develop into the village of Tillicoultry itself. There is also some detail of the grounds around Tillicoultry house showing a clearly planned layout with avenues, squared fields and hedgerows. A great deal of informaon regarding the parish in the laer stages of the 18th century can be gleaned from the first stascal account of Scotland which was conducted between 1791-1799. These records were usually wrien by the parish minister, in the case of Tillicoultry the Rev. Mr. William Osborne. Rev. Osborne writes that "the parish covers an area of approximately 6000 acres, 4000 of which lie in the Ochil hills and 2000 form the low arable ground at the foot of the hills."

In the year 1792 there were 853 people living in the parish (see Table 2), an increase of almost 150 since 1755, possibly aributable to the establishment of the Devon company in the area. Table 2: Occupaons of populaon in 1792 Occupaon number farmer 34 weaver 21 wright 6 mason 7 smith 3 shoemaker 3 tailor 3 miner 4 labourer 51 gardener 1 miller 1 dancing master 1 male house servent 1 female house servent 12 male labouring servent 25 Female labouring servent 12 At this me most of the inhabitants of the parish lived in the three villages of Westertown, Earlstown (somemes referred to as Eastertown) and Coalsnaughton with only 36 families residing outside the villages with 3 in the Ochils.

By the me of the second stascal account in 1841, compiled by Rev. Henry Anderson, only some 50 years aer the first there had been considerable changes in the parish, not least of which was the large increase in populaon to some 3213 persons in this year (treble that of 1792). This large increase is in part aributable to the increased manufacture of shawls, tartans and other woven fabrics in the area and the labour intensive nature of the trade.

The estate of Tillicoultry was taken from Aleumus de Meser in 1261 by Alexander III for failure to render due feudal services.^[3] The estate had originally been received by de Meser's father, also Aleumus, from Alexander II. It was then granted to William Count of Mar and remained in possession of the Mar, and then by marriage of Margaret, Countess of Mar, to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, the Douglas family until 1483,^[4] when it changed hands to the ancestors of Lord Colville of Culross. By 1634 it was sold to Sir William Alexander of Menstrie (later, 1st Earl of Stirling). Between 1644 and 1840, ownership of the estate changed hands frequently.

The origins of the village lie in the Westertown (previously Cairnstown) area, where the road to Stirling crossed the Tillicoultry Burn. It is thought that the centre of Westertown was probably in the area now known as Shillinghill.

By this me there had certainly been a large amount of industrialisaon in the area with the enlargement of exisng factories and the building of new ones for the weaving of shawls and tartans, employing some 300 men, 120 women and 140 children, besides those employed at home or in many of the smaller factories which had anything from one to four looms. The second stascal account menons the parish having 2 main villages, Tillicoultry (formerly Westertown having grown whilst Eastertown having all but vanished) and Coalsnaughton with another, Devonside (see image 7) having sprung up in the last few years where a brick and le works had been erected. More evidence for the rapid industrialisaon of the area can be seen in the increasing smiths, wrights and masons and in the extensive work for making machinery.

The town owes its name to the Scottish Gaelic for "hill in the back land" and in 1195 it was recorded as Tulycultri. You could assume that the name simply refers to the presence of the Ochils, looming high above the settlement. More specifically, some feel it refers to the topography of Mill Glen, which leads into the Ochils before dividing to pass either side of the distinctive hill known as The Law.

The origins of the village lie in the area known originally as Westerton, where the old road to Stirling crossed the Tillicoultry Burn. From the early 1700s Tillicoultry became known for Tillicoultry serge, a cloth manufactured by weaving worsted with linen, though in 1790 it remained a fairly small village.

This all changed following the establishment of the first mill in the 1790s, which was rapidly followed by many more. The first mills were water-powered and built close to the burn, but from the 1830s steam powered mills began to be introduced. These spread steadily south west down the Tillicoultry Burn as prime space was used up. The impact on the town was dramatic. A population which stood at 916 in 1801 had increased to 4,686 in 1851.