Battle of Bonnymuir 200th anniversary memorial unveiled

A large memorial stone to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bonnymuir has been unveiled.

Falkirk Provost William Buchanan ordered the engraved granite stone to mark last year's bi-centenary.

However, he was unable to put the stone in place at the time due to lockdown restrictions.

The 1820 battle involved a small band of weavers who were part of a movement trying to improve workers' pay and conditions.

The battle, which was part of the Radical War of that year, took place near Bonnybridge, Falkirk.

Led by Andrew Hardie and John Baird - who were later hanged and beheaded as punishment - they were marching from Condorrat to the Carron Iron Works where they planned to seize a cannon.

However, betrayed by government spies, they were lured to a confrontation with well-armed, trained soldiers on Bonnymuir, near High Bonnybridge and were soon overwhelmed.

Mr Buchanan said he was "hugely disappointed" that the large ceremony he had planned to mark the special anniversary could not go ahead last year.

He decided not to wait until current restrictions were lifted and unveiled the stone at a small ceremony attended by himself and Councillor Robert Bissett.

Mr Buchanan said: "We can't do it justice in terms of getting all the people there who should have been there to mark this historic event.

"But I can't leave it any longer and I am glad that the magnificent stone is now in place."

Reporting by local democracy reporter Kirsty Paterson