Clackmannanshire takes its name from the original county town of
Clackmannan, which is named after a stone anciently associated with the pre-Christian deity Manau or Mannan. The stone now rests on a larger stone beside the surviving tower of
Clackmannan Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross at the top of Main street, Clackmannan. Clackmannanshire became known for the weaving mills powered by the
Hillfoots burns. Other industries included brewing, glass manufacture, mining and ship building. Now capitalising on its central position and transport links, Clackmannanshire attracts service industries and tourism. The motto of Clackmannanshire is "Look Aboot Ye" (
Circumspice in
Latin). In 2007 a re-branding exercise led to the area adopting the slogan "More Than You Imagine".
Administrative history Clackmannanshire's origins as a
shire (the area controlled by a
sheriff) are unclear; it had certainly become a shire by 1305, with some suggestion that it may have already existed in the early 1200s. , the historic county town. The tower is the surviving part of
Clackmannan Tolbooth. The county town was originally Clackmannan, where the
tolbooth was built in 1592 to serve as the sheriff court for the county.
Commissioners of Supply were established in 1667 to act as the main administrative body for the shire. In 1822 the sheriff court and meeting place of the commissioners was moved from Clackmannan to
Alloa, which had grown to become the more significant town.
County Buildings was built in 1865 at the corner of Mar Street and Drysdale Street in Alloa to serve as the courthouse and meeting place for the commissioners. , Mar Street,
Alloa Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). Clackmannanshire County Council held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at the County Buildings in Alloa, which would serve as the county council's headquarters until its abolition in 1975. The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries, with several
exclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parishes which straddled more than one county being adjusted such that each parish was entirely in a single county. These changes saw Clackmannanshire cede
Cambuskenneth to
Stirlingshire, whilst it gained
Alva from Stirlingshire and parts of Alloa parish which had been in
Perthshire. Clackmannanshire County Council was abolished in 1975 under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier
districts. Clackmannanshire became part of the
Central region and a Clackmannan district was created covering the pre-1975 county plus the parish of
Muckhart, which had been in Perthshire prior to 1975. Further local government reforms in 1996 under the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the regions and districts created in 1975 abolished and replaced with
council areas providing all local government services. Clackmannan district became one of the new council areas, taking on the functions of the abolished Central Regional Council. The 1994 act originally named the new council area "Clackmannan", but the shadow authority elected in 1995 requested a change of name to "Clackmannanshire", which was agreed by the government before the new council area came into force on 1 April 1996. ==Governance==