Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire is a county in the west of the Central Lowlands of Scotland, located on the southern banks of the Firth of Clyde. The county town is Renfrew, and the east of the county shares with Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire part of the Glasgow built-up area; the largest settlement entirely within Renfrewshire is Paisley.

Renfrewshire is believed to have been the home county of William Wallace (1720-1305), a Scottish knight who emerged as a key figure during the First War of Scottish Independence.

History

Renfrewshire as a county can trace its origins to the 12th century, when Walter Fitzalan fled Shropshire in England during the reign of Stephen, King of England (reigned 1135-1154). Fitzalan arrived in Scotland in c. 1136, and was granted the lands of Strathgryfe (roughly co-extensive with the county) by King David.