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Local History Dumbarton The town of Dumbarton stands on the confluence of the River Leven and the Clyde, 15 miles downstream from Glasgow. The town; dominated by Dumbarton Castle locally known as the Rock , was the capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde in the 8th and 9th centuries, and became a Royal Burgh in 1222. For the next 600 years, much of the history of the town is reflected in the history of Dumbarton Castle. Once described by King Henry Vlll of England as the key to the realm, the Castle saw the departure for France of the six-year old Mary, Queen of Scots. The Castle officially remains a Scottish Royal Fortress along with Edinburgh and Stirling, and the reigning monarch, on his or her coronation, comes to the Castle for the ceremony of handing over the keys. However, it was the growth of shipbuilding and marine engineering on the banks of the River Leven which gave a dramatic impetus to the development of the town. For the next 120 years, all types of ship were built, as well as aeroplanes and even hovercraft. It is not well known that the first helicopter capable of flight was constructed in one of the shipyards in Dumbarton in 1909. Sadly, the town's last shipbuilding yard, William Denny & Brothers, closed down in 1963 and Dumbarton had to seek new industries for its population. Today, whisky distilling, with its related trades, and light engineering have taken the place of the old heavy industries. Dumbarton Castle "Dun Breatann" or fortress of the Britons (also called "Alcluith" - the Clyde Rock), has a recorded history as a stronghold which is longer than any other fortification in Britain. The earliest reference is to St Patrick who wrote in 450AD to the King of Strathclyde about a raid by his followers on some of the Irish Saint's converts. In the dark ages, the Kingdom of Strathclyde, with its capital at Dumbarton, spread south from the river Clyde to cover much of south-west Scotland. In 1018 Malcolm II was able to put his grandson Duncan (the predecessor of Macbeth) on the throne of Strathclyde. Duncan governed Strathclyde and when he succeeded Malcolm II, Strathclyde became part of the emerging Scottish kingdom. When Edward I marched into Scotland in March 1296, he captured Dumbarton Castle and installed his own goverenor there. One of the governors, Sir John Stewart of Mentieth, played an important part in the capture of William Wallace on 5th August, 1305. After the death of Bruce (at nearby Cardross) in 1328, his young son King David II was under threat following the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. He was brought to Dumbarton Castle for safety and the following year King David II sailed from Dumbarton to France, returning seven years later In the 16th century, Mary Queen of Scots stayed in Dumbarton Castle for five months after the disastrous Battle of Pinkie Cleuch (10th September, 1547) before sailing to France to marry the Dauphin. Shipbuilding The Denny Tank is the last surviving part of the important shipyard of William Denny and Brothers. The yard operated from 1844 until 1963 building every type of vessel from sailing ships to modern liners. Dumbarton was the home of many other shipyards apart from Denny's, now all gone.