The former capital of the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde, Dumbarton lies at the mouth of the River Leven which flows south from Loch Lomond to enter the Firth of Clyde 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Glasgow. The word Dumbarton or Dunbarton is a corruption of the old Gaelic name Dunbriton (Dùn Breatainn) , a compound word which signifies the fort or castle (fort) of the Britons. The presence of a settlement at the site is first recorded in a letter St Patrick wrote to King Ceretic, the British King of Strathclyde at Alcluith (or Clyde Rock) in about AD450. In the early 1900s, Dunbartonshire evolved into Dumbartonshire but how or why the "n" became an "m" seems unclear.

The key to Dumbarton's history is in the double pointed volcanic plug of rock now known as Dumbarton Rock that was first fortified in the 5th century AD. Dumbarton Rock measures 1 mile in circumference, is of basalt, rises abruptly from sea level to 240 feet, stands by itself without any hills nearby, and is almost insulated at high tide. At least as far back as the iron age (and probably much earlier) this has been the site of a strategically important naval station of the Romans. The Britons referred to this as Clyde Rock, a name which occurs both in Gaelic and in English sources of the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries. During this period, Dumbarton was the capital of the British kingdom of Strathclyde.

The Castle of Dumbarton crowns Dumbarton Rock and is one of the four Scottish castles stipulated by the Treaty of Union to be garrisoned and kept in repair. The buildings on the rock have differed in extent and form at different times, and do not seem to have ever had any high architectural merit. The barracks, the armoury, the Duke of York's battery, and the water tank stand in the cleft of the rock, and a steep winding stair leads to the top of the western summit. which is surmounted by a flagstaff, and retains vestiges of what is thought to have been a Roman watch tower. The barracks contain accommodation for only 150 men, and the armoury has lost its 1500 stand of arms since the Crimean war; while the batteries, though capable of mounting 16 guns, would be of little avail for defensive purposes since the castle can be fully commanded by artillery from the nearby brow of Dumbuck, 1 mile to the east. Thus, ever since the invention of gunpowder it has been rendered unavailable for its original purposes.

Created a royal burgh in 1222, Dumbarton was struck severely by the black death in 1350 and much of it burned down in 1424. Dumbarton became the centre of the Earldom of Lennox in the 16th century. But by the 1600s, it was an important port with trade routes going as far a field as the West Indies and its port flourished with the sugar, indigo and tobacco trade. The burgh retained its chartered privilege of levying customs and dues on all ships navigating the Clyde between the mouth of the Kelvin and the head of Loch Long, but in 1700 it sold this privilege to Glasgow for £260 sterling. This and the subsequent deepening of the Clyde to Glasgow reduced Dumbarton's commercial prestige. In 1765 the River Leven was finally bridged as the last link in the network of military road building. By 1800 the town was Scotland's largest producer of glass for bottles and windows. As the glass industry declined, the town became a major centre for shipbuilding and remained so well into the 20th century. The first pleasure steamers on Loch Lomond were built in Dumbarton.

Following are some excerpts from the Statistical Accounts for 1834/35.

Toward the close of the year, dense fogs for days hang over the south part of the parish. At that time, the influenza is very prevalent, and often proves fatal to infirm and delicate people. Scarlet and typhus fever prevail very much, sometimes, indeed to a most alarming degree. The small-pox, whooping-cough, and measles, are also very common; but the small-pox is usually very mild, and few deaths occur from it, as vaccination is very generally practiced.

A considerable quantity of game is destroyed by poachers; but the salmon-fishings are not much poached, as the tacksmen are almost constantly on the spot. Illicit distillation was, some years ago, carried on to a considerable extent, but the trade is now quite unknown. A large pawnbroking establishment was carried on a few years ago; in the winter of 1835, the premises were burnt to the ground, and since that time, the trade has been carried on, on a very small scale.

In 1831, in the parish, there were 71 persons employed in agriculture; 12 of these were occupants employing labourers, 13 occupants not employing labourers, and the remaining 46 were labourers. In the same year, there were 81 males employed in manufactures; 405 in retail trade or in handicraft; 56 under the class of wholesale merchants, professional persons, etc.

The only town in the parish is Dumbarton. It is situated on the west bank of the river Leven, not very far from its junction with the Clyde. It consists of one tolerably well built street in the shape of a crescent, and several other smaller streets. The houses are generally closely built together and many of them very ill-aired. The principal street is kept very clean, and well paved, and has for some time been lighted with gas. In 1831, the population was about 3300, but since that time it has decreased considerably. Previously, a considerable manufactures trade was carried on in the town of Dumbarton. A very extensive crown-glass and bottle-work was then in full operation.

The town of Dumbarton is distant from Glasgow about 15 miles, and from Greenock about seven. There are two steamers belonging to a company in Dumbarton, which sail to and from each of these places twice a day. Letters are also sent twice a day from Dumbarton to Glasgow, and vice versa. There is also a daily communication with Helensburgh, Luss, and Drymen. In summer, a coach starts each lawful morning at nine o'clock for Balloch, with passengers for the Loch Lomond steam-boat, and returns to town again in the evening in time for the steamer which goes to Glasgow. There are two good inns in Dumbarton, which are well filled, in summer, by travellers going to, and returning from, Loch Lomond. The number of ale-houses yearly licensed is from 40 to 50.

There is a public library in the parish, which was instituted in 1797; it contains nearly 2000 volumes - among which as some good standard words. The "Dumbarton Sabbath Evening School" has about 600 volumes, which are lent out to the scholars. The scholars of the public school have also a small library, which now consists of nearly 300 volumes.

There are four Friendly Societies in the parish, which were instituted for the purpose of assisting the members in time of distress. All members contributing regularly to these societies are entitled to a weekly allowance when unable to work. There is also a Society for the relief of indigent old men and women, which has already done much good.

In 1831, the population of the parish was 3,023 individuals and 804 families. As of 2006, the town had an estimated population of 19,990.

Sources

Various web sites, including

Gazetteer for Scotland: http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/townfirst443.html

Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1834/35 (http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/)

Undiscovered Scotland: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dumbarton/dumbarton/index.html

Wilkipedia