The name Polmont derives from the Scottish Gaelic term Poll-Mhonadh, which translates into English as Pool of the Hill. Old Polmont was situated on a raised beach overlooking the Firth of Forth and the Ochils. There were two Roman temporary marching camps, one on either side of what is now Grangemouth Golf Course: on the western side was Little Kerse, and on the eastern side was Polmont Hill. Nearby, at Mumrills, was the largest fort on the Roman Antonine Wall. This fort, embankment and water source has been marked out and can be visited in Polmont Woods, close to the M9 motorway. Polmont was originally included within the parish of Falkirk, but was severed under the authority of the Court of Teinds, and erected into an independent parish, in 1724. Nothing of the early history of Polmont has been recorded. The newer, modern Polmont has developed mainly from the 1970s with the Gilston Estate, and further up towards the railway and station, now adjoining the village of Brightons. During World War II, The now demolished St Margaret's School for girls was used by the Polish forces as a signals training school and soldiers from various Polish units were assigned to learn the trade of signalling.
Polmont is within the jurisdiction of Falkirk Council, although the suggestion of east Polmont changing hands for the purposes of the Westminster Parliamentary Constituency to Linlithgow and East Falkirk arose, but was soon discounted . In May 2007, the Polmont area merged as part of an expanded Lower Braes seat, as proposed for Falkirk Council by the Scottish Executive. Lord Polmont is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton. This title was originally given to the 2nd Duke of Hamilton in 1639. One of the current councillors for Polmont in Falkirk Council is Scottish Conservative Councillor Malcolm Nicol, who has held the role since 2000 following the death of his predecessor Frank Hodge. He previously represented a seat in Grangemouth, originally being elected in 1983. SNP Councillor Steven Jackson has also represented Polmont, which is part of the larger Lower Braes Ward, since May 2007, being elected for the first time through the Single Transferable Vote system. Polmont is unusual for a town in the Falkirk area in that a local by-election in 2000 saw a Conservative candidate returned with over half of the popular vote.
Economy
The economy of Polmont is based mainly upon relatively small scale private enterprise, such as pubs, cafes, hotels, take-aways and convenience stores. The majority of these are based in or around Polmont shopping centre, the focal point of local custom. Agriculture is also a central industry, with arable land consuming a sizeable proportion of the area. Polmont is home to the controversial Avondale Landfill, a large employer on the east of the village. Due to the proximity to Grangemouth, a number of the population work at the Grangemouth refineries and port. Few of the population work in Polmont itself, leaving it something of a commuter town, largely to Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are several hotels in the area, with the most well known being the Inchyra Grange, a redevelopment from one of the area's many former mansions.
Polmont has an amateur football club. Since the 2014-15 season they have played in Division One Stirling & District AFA. The club play their home games at Meadowbank Bank, St. Margaret's in the east of the village. There was once a junior club representing the area but the club only lasted a few years. industry The most famous sporting export of Polmont is Alex Raisbeck, who spent several years captaining Liverpool. He also represented Scotland on eight occasions, and was considered to have been one of the finest players of his generation, dating back to 1898. He captained Liverpool to their first ever English championship title in 1901 and did so again five years later. The highest-profile Polmontarian currently playing at senior level is Derek Niven, formerly of Chesterfield.
Other sports
Despite its name, Grangemouth Golf Club is located on the outskirts of Polmont. Within the boundaries of Grangemouth Golf Club is Millhall Reservoir, which is now a fishery. To the east of the clubhouse is Polmont Ski Centre, which includes an artificial ski slope.
