Lecropt (''Leac Croit'' in
Gaelic) is a rural
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
lying to the west of
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan (, ), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a former spa town in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling.
Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on th ...
,
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 ...
.
The population of the parish of Lecropt is estimated to be around 75, consisting entirely of isolated farms and houses, as well as the
Keir Estate owned by the landed Stirling family. Lecropt today contains no town or village, though it lies on the outskirts of the village of Bridge of Allan.
Historically, Lecropt's population was higher and was as high as 500 around the year 1800. The decline in population over the decades can be explained partly, but not wholly, by rural depopulation. However, in 1800 Bridge of Allan, then a tiny hamlet of no more than 100 people, was included in Lecropt. As Bridge of Allan grew during the 19th century, the whole village was eventually brought under the adjacent parish of Logie, reducing Lecropt's population.
There had also been another village called Lecropt, the site of which was further north-west, on the other side of the line of the M9 motorway from the current parish church. This village hosted the parish church until this was moved to its present site in the early 19th century, on the A9 road. The village of Lecropt itself had been abandoned.
Geography
Historically, about two thirds of this parish were situated within the
county of Perth, and one-third in the
county of Stirling
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties.
It borders Perthshire to the north, Cl ...
. Today, Lecropt falls wholly within
Stirling Council area. The
River Teith bounds it on the south-west, where it meets the
Forth and the
Allan Water
The Allan Water () is a river in central Scotland. Rising in the Ochil Hills, it runs through Strathallan to Dunblane and Bridge of Allan before joining the River Forth. It is liable to cause floods in lower Bridge of Allan.
It shares its ...
on the east. The southern point is where the Allan falls into the united streams of the other two. From east to west it extends about , and nearly about as much from north to south.
It contains about , one-half of which β the southern part β is known as the Carse of Lecropt. The fertile soil of the
carse is a rich clay. The other, northern half is upland, or what is generally called dry-field. Much of this consists of the policy lands of Keir House.
The clay soil on the south is divided from the upland by a bank, which crosses the parish almost parallel to the north side, and nearly at one-third of the distance between it and the southern extremity.
The defunct political party
Scottish Voice was based here, headquartered at the Keir Estate offices on the Lecropt Kirk-
Doune road. The party contested its first election to the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
on 3 May 2007.
Lecropt Kirk (see below) and nearby Lecropt Nursery, which used to be the parish school, stand on the A9 road leading out of Bridge of Allan, north towards
Dunblane
Dunblane (, ) is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Be ...
.
Lecropt was a separate
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
until 1900, when it was amalgamated into the parish of Dunblane and Lecropt.
Lecropt Kirk
Lecropt Kirk is a handsome essay in Gothic revival style, built in 1825β7 to the designs of David Hamilton and William Stirling, a local architect. It is a parish church of the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
.
Occupying an elevated position overlooking the carse lands,
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
and the
Wallace Monument can be clearly seen from the church grounds and is located about a mile from
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan (, ), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a former spa town in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling.
Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on th ...
and from
Dunblane
Dunblane (, ) is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Be ...
.
The interior contains in its loft, vaults and monuments the influence of an old landed family, the Stirlings of Keir, built in the age of patronage. This late Georgian church is an early example of its style in Scotland, in company with the other carse Kirks of Kippen and Kincardine in Menteith.
There has been a church at Lecropt prior to 1827, the old kirk was built in 1400 in what is now the Keir estate although nothing remains of the Kirk, except the old graveyard, which lies unloved, overgrown and difficult to access. It is known that there was a church at Lecropt prior to 1260.
Important stained glass by
Stephen Adam was added in 1907.
Famous people from Lecropt
*
David Stirling, founder of the
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...
.
*
Archie Stirling, founder and leader of
Scottish Voice.
Locations
* Bairnsburn
* Cottonhaugh (historic; abandoned)
* Craigarnhall
* Craigdownings (historic; abandoned)
* Easter Row
* Greenocks
* Heathershot (historic; abandoned)
* Knockhill
* Lecropt Kirk (see above)
* Longleys
* Mid Lecropt: a farm and cottage are situated just west of the M9 motorway, and just south-west of Lecropt Kirk
* Moss Side (historic; abandoned)
* Netherton
* Old Keir
* Park of Keir
* Southland (formerly Deafleys, renamed)
* Steeds
* Westleys
Transport
The parish church, as mentioned above, is on the
A9 road just outside Bridge of Allan in the direction of Dunblane.
The
M9 motorway passes through the parish. Imposing views of the church towering above the carse lands are to be had when travelling north on this motorway. However, no junction connects the motorway directly to Lecropt, access normally being via Keir roundabout (junction 11 on the M9) or through Bridge of Allan.
Lecropt is in a very central position in Scotland's road network. The A9 leads north to
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
and, via the
A90,
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
. Southwards on the M9 is Edinburgh and, via the
M80, Glasgow.
Lecropt is served by Bridge of Allan railway station, which is ΒΌ mile south east of the church, connecting the parish with Dunblane, Stirling,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
.
References
{{reflist
*Parish of Lecropt, Presbytery of Dunblane, Synod Perth and Stirling. The Rev. Peter M'Laren, Minister (Statistical Account of Scotland 1845)
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070306185811/http://www.dgnscrn.demon.co.uk/genuki/STI/Lecropt/index.html
Lecropt,
Former civil parishes of Scotland
Populated places in Stirling (council area)