Doune
Encyclopedia
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
in the district of Stirling, Scotland
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...
, on the River Teith
River Teith
The River Teith in Scotland flows from the north-west into the River Forth near Drip north-west of Stirling.- Etymology :The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic Uisge Theavich, which translates into English as the "pleasant river".- Course :...
. Doune's postal address places the town in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, although geographically it lies within the District of Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, and administratively Doune is under the control of Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
postcodes starting 'FK'.
History
The town is dominated by Doune CastleDoune Castle
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It lies north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth...
, built in the late-14th century. Architecturally it is a mixture of fortress and manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
.
Doune was also famous for its manufacture of pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, but this eventually ceased due to the competition of manufacturers in, for example, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
where production was cheaper. Today, these pistols are collected and can be found in major museums, including the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Allegedly a Doune pistol fired the first shot of the American War of Independence.
Land east of Doune was owned by the Stirling of Keir family (who still own a lot of the land around Keir House, but sold the house itself), and the current owner of the Keir Estates is the politician, Archie Stirling
Archie Stirling
Archibald Hugh Stirling, of Keir, more commonly known as Archie Stirling is Laird of the Keir estate at Lecropt in the Stirling council area in Scotland....
. One member of the family, SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
founder David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
, is memorialised at a monument on the Keir land near Doune known as the "Hill o' Rou".
Archaeology
The remains of a Roman fort were excavated by Headland ArchaeologyHeadland Archaeology
Headland Archaeology comprises a holding company Headland Group Ltd and the trading subsidiaries Headland Archaeology Ltd, Headland Archaeology Ltd and Archaeological Investigations Ltd....
. Three ditches and the base of a rampart were investigated comprising part of the defense works. Set into the back of the rampart five circular stone bread ovens were located. Running behind the ovens a gravel track was interpreted as the intervallum way (one of the internal roads of the fort). The foundations of a building that it is thought served as the fort’s hospital were also uncovered. Fragments of samian ware and amphorae were recovered dating to the Flavian
Flavian
Flavian may refer to:* Any member of the Flavian dynasty of three Roman rulers of the late 1st century CE- Religious leaders:** Flavian of Ricina , bishop in Italy** Bishops or patriarchs in Asia:*** Flavian I of Antioch Flavian may refer to:* Any member of the Flavian dynasty of three Roman rulers...
period and the first Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
incursion into Scotland (from AD 79 to mid AD 80s).
Other information
Doune Speed HillclimbDoune Hillclimb
Doune Hillclimb, Carse of Cambus, near Doune in the district of Stirling, Scotland, is the home of the only round of the British Hill Climb Championship to be held in Scotland,...
is the most prestigious hillclimb
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
course in Scotland, and hosts a round of the British Hill Climb Championship
British Hill Climb Championship
The British Hill Climb Championship is the most prestigious Hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. Hillclimbing in the British Isles has a rich history and this event has been held every year since 1947.All British Champions have been British...
each year.
The town used to be served by Doune railway station
Doune railway station
Doune was a railway station located in Doune, Stirling .The station was rebuilt in typical Caledonian Railway style in the early 1900s after the completion of the Callander and Oban Railway in 1880. It closed on 5 November 1965 and was demolished around 1968. The site was used by a timber merchant...
.
A few scenes from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
were filmed at Doune Castle
Doune Castle
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It lies north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth...
.