Editing Alloa (section)

===18th century===
[[John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675–1732)|John Erskine]], the 6th [[Earl of Mar]] oversaw many far-reaching developments including substantial harbour improvements, a customs house, a "New Town" area of housing,<ref name="MS12">{{cite journal |last1=Stewart |first1=Margaret |title=John Erskine, 6th and 11th Earl of Mar (1675–1732): Architecture, Landscape and Industry |journal= Architectural Heritage|date=November 2012 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=97–116 |doi=10.3366/arch.2012.0035 }}</ref>{{rp|111}} and commissioning the building of the [[Gartmorn Dam]], which was designed by [[George Sorocold]].<ref name="MS12"/>{{rp|101–107}} Erskine owned many of the coal mines, and [[Robert Bald]], a local mining engineer, was contracted to provide water power from the Gartmorn Dam to operate the mines and other industries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brodie|first1=William|title=The new statistical account of Scotland|date=1845|publisher=W. Blackwood and Sons|location=Edinburgh and London|pages=26–27|edition=Vol 8|url=https://archive.org/stream/newstatisticalac08edin#page/26/mode/2up|access-date=9 June 2017|ref=Parish of Alloa}}</ref> Good water supplies and the availability of barley from the carselands encouraged George Younger to set up a brewery in the 1760s and he was soon followed by others. Alloa became one of Scotland's premier brewing centres.<ref name="Hutton 2002 3"/>

The 6th Earl of Mar was forced to flee the country and forfeit his lands after disastrously backing the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] cause in 1715. However, his brother was allowed to purchase the forfeited lands and future generations continued the tradition of creative industry by launching a glass-works in 1750 and laying one of Scotland's earliest railways (a waggonway) from the [[Sauchie]] mines to down to the harbour in around 1766.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hutton|first=Guthrie|title=Old Alloa|year=2002|publisher=Stenlake Publishing|location=Catrine|isbn=9781840332230|pages=3|url=http://www.stenlake.co.uk/books/view_book.php?ref=273}}</ref>

Before 1775, the colliers were attached to the properties in which they were born and were virtual serfs or slaves, supported by the master.  After the [[Colliers and Salters (Scotland) Act 1775]] abolished the system, the colliers could move between collieries at will, and they were supported in their needs by the Alloa Colliers' Fund or Friendly Society which was founded in 1775.

Traces of the waggonway and the Gartmorn Dam can still be seen today, and although the dam is no longer used for energy production or water supply, it is well used for fishing and leisure purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.clacksweb.org.uk/culture/gartmorndam/|title=Gartmorn Dam Country Park and Nature Reserve|author=((Council Countryside Ranger, Clackmannanshire))|website=www.clacksweb.org.uk|language=en|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref> The Clackmannanshire Library was founded at Alloa in 1797 and it contained upwards of 1500 volumes. As the 18th century closed a [[Alloa#Malt distilling|whisky distillery]] was established at Carsebridge by John Bald.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=Valerie|title=Walk in the Past: History of Carsebridge Distillery|url=http://www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/15669143.Walk_in_the_Past__History_of_Carsebridge_Distillery/|access-date=14 February 2018|agency=Alloa Advertiser|date=22 November 2017}}</ref>

In the 18th century the staple business of the port was coal with about 50,000 tons a year exported.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sinclair|first1=John|last2=Frame|first2=James|last3=Erskine|first3=John Francis|title=The statistical account of Scotland. Drawn up from the communications of the ministers of the different parishes|date=1791|publisher=W. Creech|location=Edinburgh|page=637|url=https://archive.org/stream/statisticalacco05sincgoog#page/n639/mode/2up|access-date=20 January 2018}}</ref>