In the nineteenth century the towns of Falkirk, Denny, Bo’ness and Grangemouth adopted various burgh Police Acts allowing them a degree of self-government. At the heads of each of these burghs was a provost (the equivalent of mayor in England) or chief magistrate. These were usually elected by the other commissioners or councillors every three years. It was not a full-time job and most retained their professional work, often returning to it after their term of office was up. Many had previously retired from their paid occupation.
Most of the early provosts were industrialists and entrepreneurs with their own companies. Henry Salmon, the first provost of Falkirk, was the branch agent for the Commercial bank in that town. He was infamous because he embezzled a large amount of money from the bank. By the beginning of the 20th century the new generation of men ran family businesses such as butchers, millwrights, small foundries and grocers. It is interesting to see in Denny the rise of the self-made men. Men who had started their careers working in coal pits and rose to become managers of various businesses. As the Labour party came into greater prominence this trend continued. Inevitably, most provosts were, and still are, male. The 1960s witnessed two female provosts – Helen Troup at Grangemouth (1965-1958) and Rose Dromgoole at Denny (1968-1971).
It has often been said that Dennis Goldie was the longest serving of all the provosts, but he only managed 12 years (1988-2000). Before him Robert Adam had retained office for 15 years (1842-1857), and in Grangemouth Hugh MacPherson served as chief magistrate for 12 (1878-1892). Just behind Robert Adam was William Hunter of Denny. He is often overlooked because he was re-elected after a break of six years, but his two terms added up to 14 years (1888-1896 and 1902-1908).
Practically all of the various provosts have had the accolade of having a street named after them and so live on in the public memory.
In 1975 the towns of the surrounding area became part of Falkirk District and so the only remaining provosts were those of this larger entity which for some inexplicable reason are still known as provosts of Falkirk. However, the title is now more honorary and ceremonial; the Leader of Falkirk Council provides political direction and oversight, whilst the non-elected Chief Executive implements policy.
Provosts of Falkirk
| NAME | DATE ELECTED | DATE DEMITTED (* Died in Office) | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Salmon | November 1833 | November 1836 | Bonnybridge (banker) |
| James Aitken | November 1836 | November 1839 | Falkirk |
| Thomas Aitken | November 1839 | November 1842 | Falkirk |
| Robert Adam | November 1842 | November 1857 | Falkirk (solicitor) |
| Robert Young | November 1857 | July 1858 | |
| Thomas Kier | July 1858 | November 1867 | |
| John Russel | November 1867 | November 1879 | Falkirk (solicitor) |
| Malcolm Cockburn | November 1879 | November 1883 | Grahamston |
| William Hodge | November 1883 | August 1889 * | Polmont |
| Borthwick Watson | September 1889 | November 1892 | |
| Azariah Griffiths | November 1892 | November 1895 | Bonnybridge (brick manufacturer) |
| John Weir | November 1895 | November 1904 | Falkirk (draper) |
| Archibald Christie | November 1904 | November 1910 | |
| James C. Bogle | November 1910 | November 1919 | |
| James G Russell | November 1919 | November 1922 | |
| William Muirhead | November 1922 | November 1925 | |
| John C Gilchrist | November 1925 | November 1928 | |
| William Smith | November 1928 | November 1931 | |
| Archibald G Logan | November 1931 | November 1934 | |
| William Stevenson | November 1934 | November 1937 | |
| Henry Begg | November 1937 | November 1943 | |
| James Strachan | November 1943 | November 1946 | |
| Peter Symon | November 1946 | May 1950 | |
| Andrew Wallace | May 1950 | May 1953 | |
| Robert H Watson | May 1953 | May 1956 | |
| James Paterson | May 1956 | May 1959 | |
| William B Leishman | May 1959 | May 1962 | |
| John Maxwell | May 1962 | May 1965 | |
| James P Marshall | May 1965 | May 1968 | |
| William McCrae | May 1968 | May 1971 | |
| William Fenney | May 1971 | May 1974 | |
| James Mitchell | May 1974 | May 1975 | |
| Denis Goldie | May 1988 | May 2000 | Camelon (coachbuilder) |
| James Johnston | December 2000 | May 2007 | Maddiston (bookmaker, publican) |
| Pat Reid | May 2007 | 2017 | Falkirk (local government officer) |
| Tom Coleman | May 2017 | November 2017 * | Larbert |
| William Buchanan | December 2017 | May 2022 | Bonnybridge (footballer & businessman) |
| Robert Bissett | May 2022 | Present | Bainsford |
See Also Provosts’ Lamps.
Chief Magistrates of Grangemouth
| NAME | DATE ELECTED | DATE DEMITTED | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| John S Mackay | 1872 | 1878 | (shipping agent & banker) |
| Hugh MacPherson | 1878 | 1892 | (timber merchant) |
| Andrew Mackay | 1892 | 1893 |
Falkirk Local History Society 