The arable lands of Dumbartonshire, which extend chiefly along the Clyde and the Leven, and are composed of rich black loam, gravelly soil, and clay, are divided into farms ranging from 30 to 300 acres, and in some cases to 700 or 800 acres. From the proximity to Glasgow and other large towns, the farmers have the double advantage of good manure and a ready market for all kinds both of stock and produce; and, under the stimulus of this, great progress has been made. Special attention has been given to the construction of farm buildings, the erection of fences, and the use of proper draining, as well as to the rearing of cattle and the management of dairy stock, principally of the Ayrshire breed. Black-faced sheep and black cattle are pastured on the hilly lands, and Cheviot sheep and Ayrshire stock on the low grounds. In 1876 Dumbartonshire had 1717 horses, 13,153 cattle, 71,202 sheep, and 911 pigs. Oats and wheat are grown in considerable quantities; large crops of potatoes are raised; turnips, barley, and beans are also grown. In 1876 there were 9862 acres under corn crops, of which 7930 were under oats and 1140 under wheat, while 4443 under green crops. On the banks and islands of Loch Lomond there are some yew trees of large size, and evidently of a very great age. There are few large estates in the county; the largest being Rossdhu (Sir James Colquhoun, Bart.), 67,041 acres, Strathleven (Mrs Ewing), 9180, Roseneath (duke of Argyll), 6 799, and Cumbernauld (Hon. Cornwallis Fleming), 3520. The whole number of landowners having one acre and upwards is 706, possessing 152,968 acres, of the annual value of £251,134.

The banks of the Leven, whose waters as well as being constant are singularly soft and pure, have long been celebrated for their bleaching establishments, dye-works, and print-works. Bleaching was carried on in the Vale of Leven upwards of 150 years ago. The printing of cotton began at Levenfield in 1768, and has for some time been the chief manufacturing industry in Dumbartonshire. There are carried on with great success at Upper and Lower Levenbank Works, located within half a mile of Loch Lomond, the dyeing and printing of Turkey red cloth and yarn; at Dalmoonach, the different processes in calico-printing; and at Ferry-field, Croftingea, and Dillichip the various departments of the general business are conducted on a large scale. At Milton, in West Kilpatrick, the first factory for machine weaving was erected; and here existed, a century ago, a bleaching and calico printing establishment. At Duntocher, in the same parish, cotton-spinning has been carried on from the beginning of the century, and so extensively as to take rank as the second manufacturing industry in the county. In the town of Dumbarton there are extensive ship-building yards, engine-works, foundries, tanneries, and breweries. At Dalmuir extensive works for the repair of the dredging plant belonging to the Clyde Trust were erected by the trustees in 1867, costing £25,000. A large patent slip for taking on the dredgers used on the Clyde forms part of these works, at which three steam forgehammers are in constant operation. In 1850 a line of railway, already completed from Bowling to Dumbarton, was extended up the Vale of Leven to Balloch. In 1858 the Glasgow railway to Helensburgh was opened, running through Bowling, Dumbarton, and Cardross, and supplying, with the steam communication on the Clyde and the lochs, abundant facilities for every kind of traffic to all parts of the county. The Forth and Clyde Canal, begun in 1768 and opened for traffic in 1775, passes through Dumbartonshire for more than 16 miles, and is carried over the valley of the Kelvin by an aqueduct. At Bowling there is a harbour with quays, forming a tidal basin of 8∣ acres.

The county is somewhat rich in antiquities, connected both with the period of the Roman occupation and with that of the aboriginal inhabitants of Scotland. The wall of Antoninus runs along the north of the eastern part and through the south-east corner of the main district to Kilpatrick. Remains of Roman workmanship have been found at Duntocher and in the parish of Cumbernauld, as well as at the castle. The Caledonians, Picts, <fcc., are commemorated by rude forts and tumuli here and there; and there are several remains of old baronial castles. Rob Roy’s district lies to the north; the clans had encounters in Glenfruin; and the county is associated with the heroic Wallace and Bruce, the latter having built a residence at Cardross, in which he died. In modern times, the first steam navigation company in Britain was formed at Dumbarton in 1815; Henry Bell, from whose designs the first steamer built on the Clyde, “The Comet,” was constructed, and who indeed was the first to put into operation the idea of employing steam for navigation purposes, lived at Helensburgh, where he died in 1830. A monument to him was erected near Bowling. The celebrated ship-building firm of Napier & Sons had its origin in a smith’s foundry business at Dumbarton.

Several important watering-places, including Helensburgh, Kilcreggan, Roseneath, &c., are situated in Dumbartonshire. The other principal towns and villages are Kirkintilloch, Alexandria, Duntocher, Bonhill, Renton, Dalmuir, Kilpatrick, Cardross. The leading gentlemen’s seats are Rossdhu (Sir James Colquhoun, Bart.), Roseneath, (duke of Argyle), Garscube House (Sir George Campbell), Tillichewan Castle (J. Campbell), Bonhill Castle, and Shandon (now a hydropathic establishment), built by the late Robert Napier.

The county sends one member to Parliament. Population in 1801, 20,710; in 1841, 44,296; in 1871, 58,857.

Dumbarton, a royal parliamentary and municipal burgh and seaport-town of Scotland, capital of Dumbartonshire, is situated at the confluence of the rivers Clyde and Leven, 14 miles north-west from Glasgow. It is a very ancient place, and is said to have been once the capital of a kingdom of the Britons in the vale of the Clyde. Alcluyd, “the rock upon the Clyde,” was the name of this ancient capital of the Strathclydenses; but whether it was situated on the site of the present town, or confined within the precincts of the castle, cannot be exactly ascertained. The site had previously been used as a naval station by the Romans, who called it Theodosia. At a subsequent period, Dumbarton was the capital of the earldom of Lennox, but was given up by Earl Maldwyn to Alexander IL, by whom it was erected into a royal burgh in the year 1221, and declared to be free of all imposts and burgh taxes. It afterwards received other charters from succeeding monarchs, and finally it obtained a confirmation of the whole from James VI. Among other privileges conferred was that of levying customs and dues on all vessels on the Clyde from the Kelvin to the head of Loch Long; and ships within these bounds had to pay duties at Dumbarton. “Offers dues” on foreign vessels coming into the Clyde were also levied. In 1700 these rights were transferred to Glasgow by a contract, but were subsequently vested in a special trust created by successive Acts of Parliament. The town is principally built upon the eastern bank of the Leven, which almost encircles it, and is chiefly composed of one main street, lying in a semi-circular form round the head or west end of the peninsula and parallel to the river. A good stone bridge of five arches, 300 feet long, connects the town with Bridgend, a suburb on the western side of the Leven. The waters of the Leven form the harbour. For seventy years the staple trade of Dumbarton was the manufacture of crown glass, commenced in 1777 and discontinued after the abolition of the glass duty. As many as 300 hands were employed in the business. But for many years its principal trade has been ship-building, and particularly the construction of iron steamers. By situation the most “natural” port on the Clyde, Dumbarton has the distinction of originating in Britain the formation of steam navigation companies. In 1815 a joint-stock company was formed in Dumbarton to run a steamer from that town to Glasgow, and their steamer, the “Duke of Wellington,” was built by James M‘Lachlan in Dumbarton. The next steamer was built by William Denny in 1820, from which date the ship-building of the town may be said to have started. But it was not till 1844, on the application of iron to the purposes of ship-building, that the trade assumed the important proportions to which it was raised by the firm of Denny and by others. The Dennystoun Forge Company, which is amongst the largest and most unique in Great Britain, both as respects the building itself and the machinery employed, was opened in 1855. Extensive harbour improvements were entered upon in 1852, and successfully carried out. In 1874 the total tonnage of iron vessels launched in Dumbarton amounted to 32,000, in 1875 to 37,000, in 1876 to 17,500. Some of the vessels built in Dumbarton are among the most magnificent employed in the British trade. The General Police Act has been in operation in Dumbarton since 1855. In 1857 the sanction of Parliament was obtained to a bill for extending the municipal boundaries so as to include West Bridgend. The embankment of the Broad Meadow, a project which had been entertained for 250 years, was accomplished in 1859, securing for the town a considerable tract of agricultural land and 20 acres of recreation ground. Since 1860 the burgh has been supplied with water drawn from the Long Craigs. A fine cemetery, a mile from the town, was formed in 1854; and the old Dumbarton parish churchyard has been closed by authority since 1856. The disadvantage Dumbarton long laboured under of having access to the river steamers merely by ferry boats is now obviated by a pier recently constructed from the foot of Dumbarton Rock, at a cost of from £8000 to £9000.

The situation of Dumbarton Castle is eminently picturesque. The buildings composing the fort are perched on the summit of a rocky mount, shooting up to the height of 206 feet sheer out of the alluvial plain on the east side of the mouth of the river Leven. To the east of the castle there are rocky eminences on the verge of the Clyde, of a similar form, though less isolated. The Rock of Dumbarton measures a mile in circumference at the base. It diminishes in breadth near the top, which is cloven into two summits of different heights. The rock is basalt, and has a tendency to columnar formation. Some parts of it have a magnetic quality. The fortress, naturally strong, possesses several batteries, which command a very extensive range. According to a provision in the Treaty of Union, the defences are kept in constant repair, and a garrison is maintained in the castle.

The affairs of the burgh are managed by a provost, 2 bailies, and 16 councillors. The county and burgh buildings are good. Dumbarton joins with Port-Glasgow, Renfrew, Rutherglen, and Kilmarnock in returning a member to Parliament. In 1871 the population amounted to 11,404. (d. Μ.)