CARRON, a small but remarkable river in Scotland, rising about the middle of the isthmus between the Friths of Forth and Clyde. Both its source, and the place where it empties itself into the sea, are within the shire of Stirling, which it divides into two nearly equal parts. The whole length of its course, which is from west to east, is not above fourteen miles. It falls into the Frith of Forth about three miles to the north-east of Falkirk. The stream is small, and scarcely deserves the notice of a traveller; yet there is no river in Scotland, and few in the whole island of Britain, whose banks have been the scene of so many memorable transactions. When the Roman empire was in all its glory, and had its eastern frontiers upon the Euphrates, the banks of the Carron were its boundaries upon the north-west; for the wall of Antoninus, which was raised to mark the limits of that mighty empire, stood in the neighbourhood of this river, and ran parallel to it for several miles.
Near the middle of its course, in a pleasant valley, stand two beautiful mounts, called the Hills of Dunipace, which are taken notice of by most of the Scottish historians as monuments of great antiquity. The whole structure of these mounts is of earth, but they are not both of the same form and dimensions. The more easterly one is perfectly round, resembling an oven, and about fifty feet in height; and that it is an artificial work does not admit of the least doubt; but we cannot affirm the same with equal certainty of the other, though it has been generally supposed to be so too. It bears no resemblance to the eastern one either in shape or size. At the foundation it is nearly of a triangular form; but the superstructure is quite irregular, nor does the height of it bear any proportion to the extent of its base. These mounts are now planted with firs, which, with the parish-church of Dunipace standing in the middle between them, and the river
running close by, give this valley a very romantic appearance. The common account given of these mounts is, that they were erected as monuments of a peace concluded in that place between the Romans and the Caledonians, and that their name partakes of the language of both people; dun signifying a hill in the old language of this island, and pax, peace, in the language of Rome; so that the compound word, Dunipace, signifies "the hills of peace." And we find in history, that no less than three treaties of peace were at different periods entered into between the Romans and the Caledonians: the first by Severus about the year 210; the second soon afterwards, by his son Caracalla; and the third by the usurper Carausius about the year 280; but which of these treaties Dunipace is a monument of it is impossible to determine. If the concurring testimony of historians and antiquaries did not agree in giving this original to these mounts, we should be tempted to conjecture that they are sepulchral monuments. Human bones and urns have been discovered in earthen fabrics of this kind in many parts of the island; and the little mounts or barrows which are scattered in great numbers about Stonehenge, in Salisbury Plain, are generally supposed to have been the sepulchres of the ancient Britons.
From the valley of Dunipace the river runs for some time in a deep and hollow channel, with steep banks on both sides. Here it passes by the foundations of the ancient Roman bridge, not far from which, as is generally thought, was the scene of the memorable conference betwixt the Scottish patriot William Wallace, and Robert Bruce, father to the king of that name, which first opened the eyes of the latter to a just view both of his own true interest and that of his country.
After the river has left the village and bridge of Larbert, it soon enters another smaller valley, through the midst of which it has now worn out to itself a straight channel; but, in former ages, it had taken a considerable sweep round, as appears by the track of the old bed, which is still visible. The high and circling banks upon the south side give to this valley the appearance of a spacious bay; and, according to the tradition of the country, there was once a harbour here. Nor does the tradition seem altogether groundless, pieces of broken anchors having been found here, and some of them at no distant period. The stream-tides would still flow near the place, if they were not kept back by the dam-head built across the river at Stenhouse; and there is reason to believe that the frith flowed considerably higher in former ages than it does at present. In the near neighbourhood of this valley, upon the south, stand the ruins of ancient Camelon, which, after it was abandoned by the Romans, was probably inhabited for some ages by the natives of the country.
Another ancient monument, called Arthur's Oven, once stood upon the banks of the Carron; but it has been entirely demolished. The corner of a small inclosure between Stenhouse and the Carron Iron-works is pointed out as the place where it stood. This is generally supposed to have been a Roman work; though it is not easy to conceive what could be their motive for erecting such a fabric, at so great a distance from any other of their works, and in a spot which at that time must have been very remote and unfrequented.
As the Carron extends over the half of the isthmus, and runs so near the ancient boundaries of the Roman empire, the adjacent country fell naturally to be the scene of many battles and encounters. Historians mention a bloody battle fought near the river between the Romans and the confederate army of the Scots and Picts in the beginning of the fifth century. The scenes of some of Ossian's poems were, in the opinion of the translator
(though that perhaps is not worth much), upon the banks of this river. About the distance of half a mile from the river, and near the town of Falkirk, is the field of battle where the English defeated Wallace in the year 1298. It goes by the name of Graham's muir, from the valiant John Graham, who fell there, and whose grave-stone is still to be seen in the church-yard of Falkirk.
The river Carron, though it has long since ceased to roll its stream amidst the din of arms, still preserves its fame, by lending its aid to trade and manufactures.