In May 1790  Sir John Sinclair, MP for Caithness, lay member of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland first articulated proposals for a detailed parish-by-parish survey of Scotland.  His plan involved parish ministers working to a pre-planned set of questions.

In summary, a set of 160 questions in four sections was distributed to the clergy:

 

• Questions 1-40 covered the geography and topography of their parish, its climate, natural resources and natural history;
  
  
• 41-100 addressed population and related matters;
  
  
• 101-116 concerned the parishes' agricultural and industrial production'.
  
  
• A final section embraced miscellaneous matters.  

Not all ministers responded by the deadline but by 3 June 1799, the project was complete: Sir John laid before the General Assembly a unique survey of the state of the whole country, locality by locality'  The end result is a fascinating snapshot of life in Gargunnock Parish in 1790, 1840 and 1950 and well worth reading.  

The Statistical Account - 1795 - Rev. James Robertson

“If houses for the entertainment of the public cannot be expected in a country that is thinly inhabited, this disadvantage is so much the less felt, that the people are remarkable for hospitality. There is a kindness to the stranger, which is seldom to be met with in larger and more polished societies. If there is little ceremony, there is much good will.”

The Second Statistical Account - 1841 - Rev. James Laurie

“The village is situated in the barony of Gargunnock. The lower part of it was feued, between eighty and

ninety years ago, at the rate of £ 1 an acre; the upper part was feued at a later period, at the rate of £2 per

acre. Each feu has half an acre of ground attached to it, which is a great benefit to the inhabitant.”

The Third Statistical Account - 1950-61 - Rev. William Turner

“On Saturdays, there is a general exodus from the village to Stirling, whither the women go to shop, the men to see a football match and the young people to visit a cinema, although television is proving a formidable rival to the‘pictures.’ Quite a number of the village people shop in the village where two small but marvellously well-stocked grocery and general merchandise shops (together with the sub post office, which is also a stationer’s and newsagent’s business) can supply most household needs.”