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Dumbarton (; ) is a town and burgh which is the administrative centre of the council area of West Dunbartonshire, and formerly of the historic county of Dunbartonshire, in the West-Central Lowlands of Scotland. The town lies on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. As of 2006, the town had an estimated population of 19,990 and forms a conurbation with Alexandria, Bonhill and Renton with a combined estimated population of 44,690.〔 Dumbarton functioned as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Alclud, and later as the county town of the county of Dunbartonshire. Dumbarton Castle, sitting on top of Dumbarton Rock, dominates the area. Dumbarton was a Royal burgh between 1222 and 1975.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Vision of Britain )〕 Dumbarton emerged from the 19th century as a centre for shipbuilding, glassmaking, and whisky production. However these industries have since declined, or demised altogether, and Dumbarton today increasingly functions as a commuter town for the major City of Glasgow which is east-southeast. Dumbarton F.C. is the burgh's local association football club. Dumbarton is home to the BBC Scotland's drama studios, notable for filming River City, Hope Springs and Personal Affairs. == History == Dumbarton history goes back at least as far as the Iron Age and probably much earlier. It was the site of a strategically important Roman settlement known as Alcluith of a province named Valentia. The next record of a settlement in Dumbarton is a record in Irish chronicles of the death of Guret, ''rex Alo Cluathe'' ("king of Clyde Rock"), in AD 658. The fortress of Dumbarton was the stronghold of the kingdom of Alclud, and the centre of British power in northern Britain, for more than two centuries from the mid-seventh century, until the Vikings destroyed the fortress after a four-month siege in 870. The loss of the British power base led to the emergence of the new kingdom of Strathclyde, or Cumbria, with a major centre at Govan. The title "king of the Britons of Srath Clúade" was first used in 872. Dumbarton was later the county town of the county of Dunbartonshire, formerly known as ''Dumbartonshire''. The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Dùn Breatainn'' meaning "fort of the Brythons (Britons)", and serves as a reminder that the earliest historical inhabitants of Clydesdale spoke an early form of the Welsh language. In September 1605 Chancellor Dunfermline reported to King James VI that inundations of the sea were likely to destroy and take away the whole town. It was estimated that the flood defences would cost 30,000 pounds Scots, the cost being levied nationwide.〔Chambers, Robert (1885). ''Domestic Annals of Scotland''. Edinburgh : Chambers. p. 183.〕 During World War II Dumbarton was heavily bombed by the German air force. The Germans were targeting the shipyards, and the area in the vicinity of the yards was consequently hit, with Clyde and Leven Street being severely damaged. In an attempt to lure the German aircraft away from the shipyards, decoy lights were routinely placed on the Kilpatrick hills above the town, lights were set out on reservoirs to mimic those of the shipyards reflecting on the waters of the Leven and Clyde. The ploy was sometimes successful in diverting the bombers and many bombs fell harmlessly onto the moors and lochs. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dumbarton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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