Cornton, known locally as The Cornton, is a district of the city of
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
on the North Bank of the
River Forth
The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for the ...
in central
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
History
It is amongst the oldest of Stirling settlements originating in Pre-Roman times and servicing the ford marked by the Causewayhead Road. The area that is now the Cornton and on the opposite bank, the
Raploch, were the only available patches of agricultural land prior to draining programs of later eras.
Wallace´s
Battle of Stirling Bridge took place on and around the site of the present housing estate and although there is no clear marker anywhere to inform the adventurous visitor, the dominant position of the
Abbey Craig indicates the natural route to the battle scene.
The original bridge was anecdotally regarded as being positioned at least fifty metres up stream from the present location of the medieval bridge and archaeological dives in the last century provided evidence of the original piers of a previous bridge.
The Cornton is home to the only all woman's prison in Scotland,
Cornton Vale. The prison, built in 1975, is located north of the housing area, close to the River Forth.
The most famous former Cornton resident is the jockey
Willie Carson. The nurse of
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
,
Jean Sinclair, was granted lands at Cornton as a reward for her services.
''Exchequer Rolls of Scotland'', vol. 19, p. 28
/ref>
External links
Railscot - Cornton
References
Populated places in Stirling (council area)
Areas in Scotland
Stirling (city)
{{Stirling-geo-stub