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Larbert ((スコットランド・ゲール語:Lèirbert/Leth-pheairt), )〔(The Online Scots Dictionary )〕 is a small town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is 3 miles (4.8 km) from the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of Falkirk, the main town in the area. The village of Stenhousemuir lies directly east of Larbert, with both settlements being contiguous and sharing certain public amenities with one another.〔 In medieval times, the Larbert area was heavily forested, but this was cleared and gave rise to much of the agricultural land which surrounds the town.〔Bonar (1845) p347〕 The coming of industry and especially the arrival in the 1840s of the Scottish Central Railway, which passes through the village, provided a base for economic growth. From the late 18th century until the mid-20th century heavy industry, such as boilermaking, casting and manufacturing underpinned the economy of Larbert.〔 The Victorian era also saw the opening of the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum at Bellsdyke and Scottish National Institution for Children on the Stenhouse Estate. This made Larbert central in providing care, both locally and nationally.〔Scott (2006) p266〕 Although the traditional economic base of Larbert dwindled with the decline of heavy industry, it has latterly experienced considerable growth as a commuter town. Many residents work in the nearby towns of Falkirk and Stirling, as well as the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Scotland's Census of 2011〔http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ods-web/area.html〕 reveals that the population of Larbert has increased to 9,143 from the 2001 Census figure of 6,425〔http://www.falkirk.gov.uk〕 and it continues to grow with large-scale housing development on the northern periphery of the town as well as on brownfield sites. ==History== The origins of the name Larbert are uncertain. Historically, the name was variously written as ''Lairbert scheills'' or ''Laithbert scheills'' which signifies the ''scheills'', or huts, of a man named Lairbert or Laithbert.〔Bonar (1845) p340〕 Historians believe that the origin of Larbert dates back to the Dark Ages when Scotland was beginning to emerge as a nation.〔Scott (2006) p256〕 The area in which Larbert lies was heavily forested at this time.〔 The lands to the south of Larbert and Camelon, in the area traversed by the Antonine Wall, were strategically important to the Romans. The crossing point on the River Carron at Larbert was an important transportation route for the Romans on the road they constructed from Watling Lodge on the Antonine Wall to Stirling.〔 Early Ordnance Survey maps showed Larbert located on an old Roman Road between Camelon and Stirling, with the site of a Roman camp close by.〔Scott (2006) p257〕 An early Christian community, with a chapel, is believed to have existed close to the crossing point on the Carron around 1160.〔 By the 1750s, Larbert constituted a small settlement on the main road between Falkirk and Stirling, which was turnpiked by an Act of Parliament in 1752.〔Smith (2001) p576〕 At this time, Larbert had at three mills powered by water from the nearby River Carron. These mills shut down in the 1980s and since then salmon and sea trout have returned in good numbers.〔 The surrounding population, largely scattered, engaged in agriculture and took part in the important Falkirk Tryst (cattle market) held annually in nearby Stenhousemuir. In the 1950s, archaeological excavations to the north of present-day Larbert uncovered remains of a substantial pottery works with eight kilns dating from the 15th or 16th centuries (Hall and Hunter 2001). Larbert's later growth is tied to the industrial development in the village itself as well as the wider parish.〔Scott (2006) p265〕 The pivotal event was the opening of the Carron Iron Works to the east of Stenhousemuir, in 1759, which produced a range of cast-iron goods and the Carronade, a naval cannon.〔Scott (2006) p264〕 The development of the iron works shifted the centre of the parish eastwards as people moved to closer to the Carron Ironworks for employment.〔 Fortunes changed in the 1840s with the building of the Scottish Central Railway which was a catalyst for economic expansion in Larbert itself.〔 Improved transportation led to Dobbie, Forbes and Company establishing a foundry in Larbert in 1872 which manufactured stoves, ranges and light castings.〔McIntosh (1995) p22〕 Three years later, James Jones, a local businessman, opened a sawmill on land adjacent to the Dobbie Forbes and Company foundry, which grew rapidly manufacturing timber frames.〔 By the turn of the 20th century, Dobbie Forbes had a payroll of more than 200 employees.〔 In 1888, a joint venture between Jones and the cashier of Dobbie, Forbes and Company, Dermont Campbell, produced the Jones and Campbell foundry on land close to the railway, which further cemented Larbert's position as a centre of heavy industry.〔 By 1891, the parish of Larbert had a population of 900.〔 The 19th century also witnessed the establishment of the Scottish National Institution for the Education of Imbecile Children on land to the north of present-day Larbert.〔McIntosh (1995) p23〕 The institution, opened in 1863 at a cost of £13,000,〔 provided care for minors between the age of 5 and 21.〔 In 1948 the facility became known as the Royal Scottish National Hospital (RSNH). On adjacent land, the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1869 at a cost of £20,000, engaged in the treatment of those with mental illness.〔 The asylum later became known as Bellsdyke Hospital.〔 The arrival of the tram in October 1905 improved transport between Larbert and many of its surrounding neighbours.〔Scott (2006) p267〕 The service followed a circular route through Larbert, Stenhousemuir, past the Carron Iron Works, through Bainsford and to Falkirk. Larbert's new closeness to surrounding communities raised concerns about the loss of village independence.〔 A consortium of local industrialists and residents, fearing higher burgh rates, successfully resisted a 1912 proposal to incorporate nearby villages such as Larbert and Stenhousemuir into the larger town of Falkirk.〔 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「Larbert」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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