The region of Strathclyde extends from the Grampian Mountains in the
north to lowland farming areas in the south. Numerous seaside resorts are dotted
along the region's western coast, where boats leave for the southern islands of
the Inner Hebrides. Dumbarton was the principal town in Strathclyde.
A former kingdom of west and southwest Scotland, Strathclyde was founded by
the Britons during the Roman occupation of Britain. It extended south from the
Antonine Wall into Cumbria and eastwards to the Lothians, its principal
stronghold being Dumbarton Rock on the north shore of the River Clyde. In the
5th-6th centuries the Britons were converted to Christianity by St Patrick and
St Mungo, the founder of Glasgow. From 870 AD the Kings of Strathclyde were
subservient to the Scots and sometime between 960 and 1018 the Kingdom's
independence came to an end, the last king was Owen the Bald, helping Malcolm II
defeat the English at Carham. The reason for the disappearance of the ancient
British language and culture in the kingdoms is not definitely known.
The name was revived in 1975 with the creation of the Strathclyde Region, a
local government region comprising 19 districts with Glasgow as its capital. The
region survived until 1996 when it was abolished during another round of local
government reform. The name, however, was retained by a number of organizations
including Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Passenger Transport and Strathclyde
University established as Glasgow's second university in 1964 through the
amalgamation of the Royal College of Science & Technology established in
1796 and the Scottish College of Commerce established in 1845.