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Clan Stirling is a lowland Scottish clan and the Stirlings of Keir track their ancestry back to some of the earliest progenitors of the surname Stirling, and have records dating back to the early 15th century. Over the centuries, the Stirling of Keir family were significantly involved in Scottish politics and history.

The first Stirling Laird of Keir, Lukas Strivelyng (as his name was spelt at the time), son of William, created the barony of Keir after purchasing half of the Keir estate between 1395 and 1414 from Laird George Leysly (Leslie) of Lewyn. Lukas traded some lands in Fife for the lands of Keir. These lands were in the Stirling Family until the late 1970s, a period of over 570 years. Lukas had a son, Sir William De Striveline (an additional spelling of the surname) of Ratherne and Keir, who purchased the second half of the Keir estate in 1455. William greatly added to the lands of Keir by purchasing the area known as Haldane, which he acquired from Lady Janet Kinross of Kippencross. He also acquired the Charters and Title to the lands of Schanraw, Garnotore and Lytel and Mikle Kinibuck from Alexander de Kinbuck in 1468, and, later, the lands of Glassingall.

William died in 1471 and was succeeded by his eldest son, also named Sir William and great supporter of King James IV. This support led to William being knighted in 1489 and receiving £1000, which was used to build upon Keir House to what it is today. William died in 1503 and was succeeded by his son Sir John, a rather controversial figure due to his political activity and death at Stirling Bridge in 1539.

In 1579, the estate of the family moved from the hands of Sir James Stirling to his son, Sir Archibald Stirling. Archibald's son and then heir, James, was killed in 1614 during a fight in Dunblane with William Sinclair over who owned the lands of Auchinbie. Upon Archibald's death in 1630, the estate was passed down to his grandson, Sir George. George was married four times throughout his life, firstly to Dame Margaret Ross, the daughter of Lord James Ross and Dame Margaret Scott, who died after giving birth to a daughter also named Margaret at the age of seventeen. The child died less than three months after her mother. George later married Margaret Napier, the daughter of Archibald First Lord Napier by Margaret Graham, the sister of the great Marquis of Montrose in 1637. George married his third wife in 1654, Anna Nicolson, the second daughter of Sir Thomas Nicolson of Carnock, before marrying for a final time in 1666, to Lady Margaret Livingston, the eldest daughter of Alexander Livingston, the 2nd Earl of Linlithgow & Lady Mary Douglas. George died less than a year later in Jun 1667, after which Lady Margaret Livingston-Stirling married George’s cousin Sir John Stirling of Keir. With the direct line of the Stirling of Keir family ending with George, the estate was passed down to his cousin, Sir Archibald Stirling.

Archibald was also very active in Scotland's political affairs during his lifetime and was Lord of the Articles in 1661 and 1663. He married Elizabeth Murray, the daughter of Sir Patrick Murray of Elibank and Dame Elizabeth Dundas in 1637, and later married Mause Murray, the daughter of Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton and Dame Katherine Weir, then Lady Elibank in 1646. He died in Apr 1668 and was succeeded by his son John (b. 13 Apr 1638) of his first marriage. Sir John was the head of the Keir estate from 1668 until his death in 1684. He was followed by his second son, also named Sir John (b. 26 Oct 1677) and only a young boy at the time. Sir John died on Oct 1693 at the age of fifteen and was succeeded by his younger brother Sir James, (b. 01 Nov 1679) who oversaw the grounds during the Jacobite period.

James and his wife Marion Stuart, the eldest daughter of Alexander Stuart, Lord Blantyre and Anne Hamilton, had a 14 sons and 8 daughters together. Several members of the family relocated to Jamaica due to political tensions in Scotland and made a great fortune in the sugar cane and rum industries. Archibald Stirling (b. 1710) was one such family member who made a great deal of money in Jamaica before returning to Scotland in 1748 when he succeeded his brother John (b. 18 Nov 1704), who died unmarried on 07 Jul 1757.

Archibald died without an heir on 03 Nov 1783 and was succeeded by his brother William, who in turn died very suddenly on 22 May 1793. He was succeeded by the eldest son of his first marriage, James Stirling (b. 08 Oct 1766). James was very active in the military and fought in Sicily. He died unmarried on 26 Jul 1831 and was succeeded by his brother Archibald (b. 02 Aug 1769 ), who died on 9 Apr 1847 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir William (b. 1818). Sir William was a member of Parliament for Perthshire form 1852 - 1868 and from 1874 until his death in 1878. Sir William’s second son Archibald then inherited the estate of Keir.

General Archibald Stirling of Keir was succeeded by his son Colonel William Stirling, who in 1975 sold Keir House to Mahdi al-Tajir, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Court of St. James, for £2 million. Archibald Hugh Stirling of Keir, known as Archie Stirling, is the current Laird of Keir.

Bridge of Teith began as a secession church formed in 1740. Originally meeting at Thornhill, the seat of the congregation was moved to Bridge of Teith in 1743. The first minister was ordained in 1747 and shortly after, on the issue of the Breach over the Burgess Oath, the church allied to the Associate Synod (Burghers). When the Associate Synod united with the General Associate Synod in 1820 the church became part of the United Secession Church and then, from 1847, part of the United Presbyterian Church. Bridge of Teith Church was in the Presbytery of Stirling (which was for sometime the Presbytery of Stirling and Dunblane). It was dissolved in 1948.

Stirling Burgh Assessor's Department had the statutory functions of valuation of lands and property, compilation of the annual valuation roll and registration of voters (Lands Valuation (Scotland) Act 1854, 17 & 18 Vict., c.91; County Voters Registration (Scotland) Act 1861, 24 & 25 Vict., c.83, and succeeding Acts).

Perth County Assessor's Department had the statutory functions of valuation of lands and property, compilation of the annual valuation roll and registration of voters (Lands Valuation (Scotland) Act 1854, 17 & 18 Vict., c.91; County Voters Registration (Scotland) Act 1861, 24 & 25 Vict., c.83, and succeeding Acts).

Cromlix House is a Victorian mansion near Kinbuck, a hamlet in Stirling. A house was built on the site in 1874 as a family residence in the time of Captain Arthur Drummond Hay, but was destroyed by fire in 1878. It was replaced in 1880 by the house which forms the nucleus of the present building, and was subsequently operated as a hotel. The hotel closed in 2011 and in early 2013 it was bought by Dunblane-born tennis player Andy Murray (b. 1987). The hotel re-opened in April 2014 under the name Cromlix, managed by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI).

There is little known about the Lords of Cromlix before the 15th century. Evidence of an earlier population has been found, including some stone coffins near the 'Big House'. The name Cromlix possibly derives from the 'cram lech' standing stone or 'Crom Leac', meaning the curve of sloping slab of a hillside. In 1593, the family name Cromlixes is recorded and in 1750, Cromlec is recoded. In 1723 the castle of Cromlix was recorded as Cromligs. Unfortunately the castle no longer remains, but the site is still slightly visible outside of the estate now at Cambushinnie.

However, there are records of Cromlix from the 1500s when the Bishop of Dunblane sold the lands of Cromlix to his brother, Robert Chisholm. The current house was built for Arthur Hay-Drummond, son of the Earl of Kinnoul. The house remained a family home for the Hay-Drummonds until the death of Evelyn Hay-Drummond in 1971, who had married Terence Eden, the 8th Lord Auckland. The Drummond name arose by marriage in the late 16th century and became Hay-Drummond in 1739.

Cromlix House was converted in May 1981 from what was the Eden family home, and retained much of the original furniture designed for the house as well as the original family portraits. It also contains Cromlix Chapel, a consecrated Episcopalian Church in the diocese of Dunblane dating from 1874, which was opened by Charles Wordsworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane (1806 - 1892). The house sits in part of a 2,000 acres estate and occupies approximately 34 acres of parkland, forestry and four fishing lochs, as well as two mineral springs.

The house was converted from a private residence to a luxury country house hotel in 1981 and between the 1980s and its closure on 16 Feb 2012 due to financial difficulties, it was run as a four-star country house hotel, with 14 bedrooms including eight suites. In 2006, Cromlix House, including the game larder, ancillary building, gatepiers and garden boundary walls, was designated as a Category C listed building, while an obelisk sundial in the garden was designated as a Category A listed.

In Oct 2010, the hotel served as the wedding venue for Scottish tennis player Jamie Murray (b. 1986) and Colombian MBA student Alejandra Murray (née Gutierrez); his brother and fellow tennis player Andy was the best man, who purchased the hotel in Feb 2013 for £1.8 million. It opened as a 15-room five-star hotel in Apr 2014 and served as the venue for the wedding reception of Andy Murray and his wife Kim (née Sears).

The Ordnance Survey was founded in 1791 by Charles Lennox (1735 - 1806), 3rd Duke of Richmond, Master-General of the Board of Ordnance 1782 - 1795. The need for an accurate survey of Britain had become apparent 46 years earlier when King George II had commissioned a military survey of the Scottish Highlands in 1746 following the Jacobite Rebellion. The first Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain date from 1801 with the publication of the 1 inch map of Kent. The marketing of maps for civilian use began in 1914 and coincided with an increase in outdoor pursuits such as cycling and walking. During the First and Second World Wars, the Ordnance Survey returned to its military role but following the end of each war, civilian needs again became important. In 1938, the report of the Davidson Committee recommended the re-surveying of Britain and introduced the mapping scales that are currently in use. The Ordnance Survey became a civilian organisation in 1983 but remains a government department.

Allan's Hospital was founded in 1725.

David and Thomas Stevenson were brothers, and practised in partnership in Edinburgh principally as lighthouse engineers. They were sons of Robert Stevenson (1772-1850), with whom they previously worked in partnership as Robert Stevenson & Sons.

Following the deaths of the two brothers, the practice was continued by David Stevenson's sons David Allan and Charles. Thomas's son, Robert Louis, chose instead a literary career with some success.

The practice of Blyth & Cunningham had its origin in Blyth & Blyth, founded in 1848 by Benjamin Hall Blyth who took his brother Edward Lawrence Ireland Blyth into partnership in 1854. They quickly established a reputation as consulting engineers. Work flowed in from the Caledonian, Glasgow & South Western, Scottish Central, Dundee & Perth, Great North of Scotland and Portpatrick railway companies. They had a reputation for efficiency and thoroughness. Benjamin Hall Blyth died from overwork in 1866 leaving just over £56,000. The following year Edward took George Miller Cunningham, who had been the firm's chief assistant for many years, into partnership, the practice becoming Blyth & Cunningham. Benjamin Hall Blyth's eldest son (also Benjamin Hall Blyth) joined the partnership in 1871, having graduated MA at Edinburgh University and served as an apprentice and assistant in the family firm since 1867. Edward retired in 1886 and David Monro Westland, who had joined the firm in 1863 and had risen to the post of chief assistant, was taken into partnership, the practice title changing to Cunningham, Blyth & Westland.

The years 1870 to 1900 were the Blyth firm's busiest, mainly with railway work.

David Alan Stevenson and Charles Alexander Stevenson, the sons of the lighthouse engineer David Stevenson worked in partnership as civil engineers in Edinburgh from 1887 under the style of D & C Stevenson.

This was a continuation of the firm of David & Thomas Stevenson (see separate entry) following the deaths of their father and uncle in 1885 and 1887 respectively.