Jane Stirling

Jane Wilhelmina Stirling (15 July 1804 – 6 February 1859) was a Scottish amateur pianist who is best known as a student and later friend of Frédéric Chopin; two of his nocturnes are dedicated to her. She took him on a tour of England and Scotland in 1848, and took charge of the disposal of his effects and manuscripts after his death in 1849. While there is no evidence they were lovers, she was often referred to, after Chopin's death, as "Chopin's widow".

Life

Stirling was born as the youngest of 13 children of John Stirling, Laird of Kippendavie, at Kippenross House, near Dunblane in Perthshire, and was descended from a noble Scottish family. Her mother died when she was 12, her father when she was 16. The inheritance made her a wealthy young woman. She was then placed under the charge of her widowed sister, Mrs Katherine Erskine, aged 29. She was popular and very pretty; she was said to have declined over 30 marriage proposals. From 1826, she and her sister divided their social life between Scotland and Paris. She involved herself not only in music and the arts, but also in subjects such as prison reform, homeopathy, and the Protestant movement.

Stirling

Coordinates: 56°07′02″N 3°56′23″W / 56.117222°N 3.939722°W / 56.117222; -3.939722

Stirling (/ˈstɜːrlɪŋ/; Scots: Stirlin; Scottish Gaelic: Sruighlea [ˈs̪t̪ruʝlə]) is a city in central Scotland. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old town. Stirling is the administrative centre for the Stirling council area, and is traditionally the county town of Stirlingshire. The city is located several miles to the west of the mouth of the River Forth. Historically it was strategically important as the "Gateway to the Highlands", with its position near the Highland Boundary Fault between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands and has been described as the brooch which clasps the Highlands and the Lowlands together.

Its historical position as the nearest crossing of the Forth to the river mouth meant that it attracted invaders. The beast of Stirling is the wolf, which it shares with Rome. According to legend, when Stirling was under attack from Viking invaders, a wolf howled, alerting the townspeople in time to save the town.

Stirling (Reading, Pennsylvania)

Stirling is a historic mansion located at Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1890 and 1892, and is a three-story, 24-room, Châteauesque style dwelling. It was designed by noted Philadelphia architect Theophilus Parsons Chandler, Jr. (1845-1928) and built for industrialist James Hervey Sternbergh. It is constructed of squared granite ashlar and features a number of eclectic decorative elements including tall chimneys with decorated caps, a balustraded verandah, steeply pitched gable roofs, and roof dormers. It is now occupied by a bed and breakfast.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

References

Stirling (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 56°07′08″N 4°04′55″W / 56.119°N 4.082°W / 56.119; -4.082

Stirling is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

1983-1997: Stirling District except the electoral division of Carseland.

1997-2005: The Stirling District electoral divisions of Bannockburn, Castle, Dounebraes, Menteith, Queensland, St Ninians, Strathendrick, Viewforth, and Wallace.

2005–present: The Stirling council area.

The constituency covers the whole of the Stirling council area. Most of the area is rural, which has tended to vote Conservative, but there are some large towns in the East, most notably Stirling itself, which used to vote Labour, but has now moved towards SNP. A similar constituency, also called Stirling, is used by the Scottish Parliament.

History

The area covered by the modern constituency was first represented in the British House of Commons in consequence of the Act of Union 1707 in 1708. The county town of Stirling was represented as part of Stirling Burghs and the county was represented by Stirlingshire, each returning one member.