Polmaise Past and Present 

The Murray family of Touchadam and Polmaise owned the lands surrounding Fallin. Their family history can be traced back to Sir William of Moravia, who was captured by the English in 1306 and released in 1314.[i] The family were loyal to the Jacobite cause.[ii]

Polmaise House was a seat of the Murray family, and stood near the banks of the River Forth north of where the current Fallin Primary School sits. The first part of the house was built in 1691 and the building was extended several times over the course of the 18th century. This picture shows the south front elevation of the house as it would have been around 1786. This set of plans also covers the various outbuildings in the policies including barns, stables, a piggery and a chicken house.

There was an extensive range of gardens and orchards surrounding the house. The area known as ‘The Piggeries’ may have been part of the garden.

By the 18th century the Murrays were already wealthy landowners. At the start of the 20th century the discovery of a rich seam of coal under their estate at made them even richer.

In 1901, the Archibald Russell Ltd mining company surveyed the Fallin area for coal and struck a rich seam. After negotiations regarding the mineral rights between the company and Colonel James Murray of Touchadam and Polmaise, the first sod was cut on 11th August 1904, and coal was reached in 1905 [iii].

The Murray family abandoned the house and estate to the mining operation, and moved to their Estate of Touchadam near Cambusbarron, on the other side of Stirling. There is almost nothing left remaining from the house at Polmaise, or it’s grounds; one of the few features is a handsome small bridge, known as Benny’s Bridge (now a Category C listed structure)[iv].