National Gazetteer, 1868

"DENNY, a parish in the county of Stirling, Scotland. It contains a town of its own name, and the villages of Denny-Loanhead, Haggs, and Fankerton. It extends E. and W. with a length of 6 and a breadth of 4 miles, and is bounded by the parishes of St. Ninian, Dunipace, Falkirk, Cumbernauld, and Kilsyth. The surface is undulating, and from the absence of trees and hedgerows, presents a bleak appearance. The northern and western parts are chiefly devoted to sheep pasture. The soil, excepting in the N.E., is poor and sandy. Ironstone is found, coal is abundant, and sandstone and whinstone are quarried. On the Carron, which traces the N. and N.E. boundary of the parish, are two meal and barley mills and a flour-mill. Besides which there are two char-mills, a mill for the preparation of dye stuffs, paper mills, and wool-spinning mills. Tartan and fancy shawls and linsey-woolsey stuff's are largely made. Adjoining to the town of Denny, though in the neighbouring parish of Dunipace, are two large calico-printing establishments. The roads from Glasgow to Falkirk, and from Glasgow to Stirling, traverse the parish. There is easy access to the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway by the station at Castlecary, and to the Scottish Central and Caledonian by the station at Larbert. The Forth and Clyde canal passes near the southern boundary of the parish. The principal heritors are Forbes of Callendar, and Graham of Myothill, besides whom there are about 150 others holding their properties as vassals (or portioners, as they are called in Stirlingshire) of a superior lord. The portion of the parish on the left of Castlerankine burn, a tributary of the Carron, is called Temple Denny, and is supposed, in former times, to have belonged to the Knights-Templars. The remaining portion of the parish, about two-thirds of its whole extent, on the right of the burn, is divided into two nearly equal parts by the watershed between the Carron and the Bonny; these parts are not unfrequently known as North Herbertshire and South Herbertshire. This parish is in the presbytery of Stirling, and synod of Perth and Stirling, and in the patronage of the crown. The minister has a stipend of £250. A chapel-of-ease was built by subscription in 1840 at Haggs, the right of presentation to which belongs to the male communicants. There is a Free church for Denny, and two United Presbyterian churches, the one at the town of Denny, and the other at Denny-Loanhead. There are eight schools besides the parish school. The town of Denny is in the N.E. of the parish, near the Carron 7½ miles S. of Stirling, and on the road from Glasgow to Stirling. It stands on ground sloping on the N. to the Carron, and on the S. to Sclanders burn. Two-thirds of the town have been built within the last half century. A large amount of business is transacted here. Two annual fairs are held, one about Whit Sunday and the other about Martinmas."

"DENNY-LOANHEAD, a village in the parish of Denny, in the county of Stirling, Scotland. It stands at the bifurcation of the road from Glasgow into the roads leading to Falkirk and Stirling, 1½ mile S. of the town of Denny. The United Presbyterian congregation here, formerly " Antiburgher," originated in the celebrated non-intrusion contest of 1735, and was increased by that of 1765."

"FANKERTON, a village in the parish of Denny, county Stirling, Scotland, 2 miles W. of the town of Denny. It stands on the river Carron."

"FANKERTON, a village in the parish of Denny, county Stirling, Scotland, 4 miles W. of Larbert."

"HAGGS, a village in the parish of Denny, county Stirling, Scotland, 4 miles N.E. of Kilsyth. It was formerly a quoad sacra parish, but is new a chapel-of-ease."

"LOANHEAD, a hamlet in the parish of Denny, county Stirling, Scotland, 5 miles W. of Falkirk."

Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)