Finds from Barr Hill Fort near Kirkintilloch.
A castle and church were recorded there in the 12th century. A small settlement grew and was granted Burgh status in 1211,amd were an important staging post for west-east journeys from Glasgow to eastern and north-eastern Scotland.
Antonine Wall Altar.
The castle was of some importance during the Wars of Independence, when an English garrison was stationed there. Soldiers from this castle were dispatched to arrest William Wallace at Robroyston and escorted him to Dumbarton Castle. The castle may have been attacked by Scottish forces under the bishop of Glasgow - certainly the castle was levelled in this period. The mot surrounded by a ditch can still be seen at the Peel Park.Modern prosperity came with the construction of the Forth and Clyde Canal through the town in 1773, bringing the town to prominence as an inland port. The establishment of a railway link to Glasgow in the 1820s allowed Kirkintilloch to further develop as an industrial centre for Weaving and a major shipbuilding centre for both canal and ocean sailing. Today, Kirkintilloch is promoted as the "Canal Capital of Scotland", in which added pride has been taken since the completion of the Canal's recent regeneration project.
Another industry of note was iron founding, with the Lion Foundry and Star foundry achieving some repute. The most important products of the Lion Foundry were the famous red postboxes and Phoneboxes, produced in the town until 1984.
Kirkintilloch was a "dry town" for much of its recent history, with the sale of alcohol on public premises banned from 1923 until 1967. I remember having a pint in "The Antonine" in 1969 shortly after the Ban ended. The prohibition on the sale of alcohol had long been demanded by the Liberal Party and the temperance movement, both of which had a strong influence in the town in the early part of the 20th century, largely due to the perceived negative effects of alcohol on the town's inhabitants (some things don't change).
