Strathgryffe

55°52′41″N4°34′26″W / 55.878°N 4.574°W / 55.878; -4.574

Strathgryffe or Gryffe Valley^[a] (Scottish Gaelic: Srath Ghriobhaidh) is the strath of River Gryffe, which lies within the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.

Strathgryffe also gives its name to a feudal lordship, which covered the western portion of Renfrewshire in the 12th century and formed the nucleus of the county. The land was originally associated with the House of Stewart, who went on to be monarchs of Scotland and later Great Britain.

The settlements of Strathgryffe are divided between the council areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire and largely follow the flow of the River Gryffe, from Kilmacolm in the far west to where the river meets the Black Cart Water between Houston and Inchinnan. Other significant settlements include Bridge of Weir, Quarriers Village and Crosslee.

A Strath is a wide glen. The term is rendered in Scots Gaelic as 'Srath' and in Modern Welsh as 'Ystrad'.

'Stragrif' is mentioned in the 1169 charter of Paisley Abbey, which placed the churches of the area under the control of the new abbey. Later, the name 'Gryff' is recorded in the Military Survey of Scotland 1747–1755, compiled by William Roy, a predecessor to the Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain.

The 'Gryffe' spelling has gained predominance in the area, seen for example in signposts showing the name of the river and the names of organisations such as the Gryffe ValleyRotary Club and Gryffe High School.

Las tierras de Strathgryffe fueron otorgadas por el rey David I a Walter fitz Alan , primer Gran Senescal de Escocia y fundador de la familia Stewart en Escocia, probablemente en la década de 1150. ^{[ 1 ] [ 2 ]} La casa real continuaría poseyendo tierras en Renfrewshire, con el heredero al trono británico ostentando el título de Barón Renfrew , y formando en parte el principado de Escocia .

A principios del siglo XV, la zona se constituyó como condado con el nombre de Renfrewshire , debido a la base de los Stewart en el castillo de Renfrew . Inicialmente, el magistrado principal del condado era su sheriff , y más tarde, en el siglo XV, el cargo de sheriff de Renfrew lo ocupó la familia Sempill, una situación que se mantuvo hasta el siglo XVII.

La geografía de la zona es una mezcla contrastante de campos verdes que rodean el río, con páramos agrestes en las zonas más elevadas, en particular el Parque Regional Clyde Muirshiel . ^{[ 3 ]}