Stirchley Street, ry. sta., Worcestershire, 1½ mile
N. of Kings Norton and 3¾ miles SW. of Birmingham.

Stlrkoke, seat, in par. and 3½ miles W. of Wick,
Caithness.

Stirling, pari, and royal burgh, co. town of Stirling¬
shire, and par., partly also in Clackmannanshire, on
river Forth, 29 miles NE. of Glasgow, 33 miles SAY. of
Perth, 36 miles NW. of Edinburgh, and 408 miles NW.
of London by rail—par., 1412 ac., pop. 13,480; pari,
and police burgh (extending into St Ninians par.),
pop. 16,001; royal burgh (extending into St Ninians
and Logie pars.), pop. 12,194; town (extending into
St Ninians par.), pop. 16,012; 7 Banks, 5 news¬
papers. Market-day, Friday. Stirling is one of the
oldest and most interesting towns of Scotland, and is
associated with many important events in Scottish
history. The castle is finely situated on the summit of
a precipitous rock, the abrupt termination of the rising
ground on which the town stands, and commands a
magnificent view. It was taken by the English in
1296, was held by them from 1304-1314, was long a
favourite royal residence, and was the birthplace of
James II. and James V., the latter of whom was also
crowned here. The buildings consist of the Chapel
Royal (originally founded by Alexander I. and rebuilt
by James VI.), the Parliament House (built by James
III.), the Palace (by James A⁷.), and other portions, which
now serve as infantry barracks. There are many other
objects of interest, including the King’s Knot, the
King’s Park, the Mote Hill or Heading Hill, Argyll’s
Lodging, the Old Greyfriars Church, &c. Stirling is
situated on the line of communication between the
Highlands and the Lowlands, and is a railway centre.
There is a jetty on the Forth, but the shipping trade
is now almost superseded by the railway traffic. A
steamer plies to and from Leith, the passage being
greatly lengthened by the numerous windings of the
river. Manufactures of tartans, tweeds, winceys, carpets,
leather, and agricultural implements are carried on.
The Stirling District of Parliamentary Burghs (Stir¬
ling, Dunfermline, Culross, Inverkeithing, and Queens-
ferry) returns 1 member.

Stirlingshire, west-midland county of Scotland;
consists of a main portion and two detached sec¬
tions to the NE. included in Perthshire and Clack¬
mannanshire ; is bounded N. by Perthshire, NE. by
Clackmannanshire and a detached portion of Perth¬
shire, E. by the Firth of Forth and Linlithgowshire, S.
by Linlithgowshire, Lanarkshire, and detached part of
Dumbartonshire, and W. by Dumbartonshire ; greatest
length, NW. and SE., 46 miles ; greatest breadth, NE.
and SW., 22 miles; area, 286,338 ac., pop. 112,443.
The E. part of the co. is flat, finely wooded, and well
cultivated; and the valley of the Forth along the N.
boundary includes some of the finest land in Scotland.
The middle and S. are occupied with hills and valleys
—the principal ridges being the Campsie Fells and
Kilsyth Hills, and the Fintry Hills and Gargunnock
Hills. On the W. a long projection extends north¬
wards, including a mountainous district in which Ben
Lomond rises to an alt. of 3192 ft., and parts of Loch
Lomond and Loch Katrine. Besides the Forth, the
chief streams are the Avon, Carron, Bannock, Allan,
Endrick, and Blane. (For agricultural statistics, see
Appendix.) Coal and ironstone are extensively
worked; limestone and sandstone are abundant. There
are important manufactures of woollens, cotton, and
iron ; and there are several large chemical works and
distilleries. The co. comprises 21 pars, with parts of
5 others, the pari, and police burgh of Stirling (part of
the Stirling District of Burghs—1 member), the pari,
and police burgh of Falkirk (part of the Falkirk Dis¬
trict of Burghs—1 member), and the police burghs of
Alva, Bridge of Allan, Denny and Dunipace, Grange¬
mouth, Kilsyth, and Milngavie. It returns 1 member
to Parliament.

Stirling Bridge. See Chapel and Stirling
Bridge.

Stirtloc, hamlet, Buckden par., in co. and 4 miles
SAY. of Huntingdon.

Stirton with Thorlby, township, Skipton par., N.
div. AYest-Riding Yorkshire, 1½ mile NW. of Skipton,
3099 ac. (27 water), imp. 157.