Allan Water
Encyclopedia
The Allan Water is a river in central Scotland
, United Kingdom
. Rising in the Ochil Hills
, it runs through Strathallan
to Dunblane
and Bridge of Allan
before joining the River Forth
.
The name Allan is of Pre-Celtic Indo-European origin. Its original form was Alauna, from the Indo-European root *el-/ol-, meaning "to flow, to stream".
Two broadside ballads
refer to the Allan Water. According to one, the "Allan Water's wide and deep, and my dear Anny's very bonny; Wides the Straith that lyes above't if't were mine I'de give it all for Anny." The other, more familiar ballad begins "On the banks of Allan Water" and proceeds to relate the story of the death of a local miller's daughter whose soldier lover proves untrue. This version is sung by Bathsheba Everdene at the sheepshearing supper in Thomas Hardy's novel "Far From The Madding Crowd" and a similar rendition of Allan Water was recorded with church organ accompaniment by Italian singer Ariella Uliano in 2008.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Rising in the Ochil Hills
Ochil Hills
The Ochil Hills is a range of hills in Scotland north of the Forth valley bordered by the towns of Stirling, Alloa, Kinross and Perth. The only major roads crossing the hills pass through Glen Devon/Glen Eagles and Glenfarg, the latter now largely replaced except for local traffic by the M90...
, it runs through Strathallan
Strathallan
Strathallan is the strath of the Allan Water in Scotland. The strath stretches north and north-east from Stirling through Bridge of Allan, Dunblane and Blackford to Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross...
to Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
and Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan is a town in Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. It was formerly administered by Stirlingshire and Central Regional Council....
before joining the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
.
The name Allan is of Pre-Celtic Indo-European origin. Its original form was Alauna, from the Indo-European root *el-/ol-, meaning "to flow, to stream".
Two broadside ballads
Broadside (music)
A broadside is a single sheet of cheap paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations...
refer to the Allan Water. According to one, the "Allan Water's wide and deep, and my dear Anny's very bonny; Wides the Straith that lyes above't if't were mine I'de give it all for Anny." The other, more familiar ballad begins "On the banks of Allan Water" and proceeds to relate the story of the death of a local miller's daughter whose soldier lover proves untrue. This version is sung by Bathsheba Everdene at the sheepshearing supper in Thomas Hardy's novel "Far From The Madding Crowd" and a similar rendition of Allan Water was recorded with church organ accompaniment by Italian singer Ariella Uliano in 2008.