Vale of Leven
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The Vale of Leven (Magh Leamhna in Gaelic) is an area of Scotland in West Dunbartonshire in the valley of the River Leven, which flows from Loch Lomond to the River Clyde. The area is situated just a few miles north of the town of Dumbarton, and consists of a number of communities which were historically separate villages but expanded into one conurbation.
The largest of these communities is the town of Alexandria, which sits on the west bank of the Leven. Alexandria is connected to Renton in the South and to Balloch in the North. Across the river from Alexandria is Bonhill which is connected to Jamestown to the North.
The area is traditionally industrial, based particularly on the dyeing industry, but with the decline of manufacturing in Scotland has had to look to new areas for employment. The area had exceptionally high levels of unemployment in the 1920s and 1930s, which gave it a radical reputation, with Communism and Socialism being popular political philosophies in particular. During that time it was known as one of the "little Moscows" in Britain i.e. an area where the Communist Party of Great Britain had exceptional strength. The Vale of Leven District Council (which disappeared in the local government reorganisation of the 1970s) could have had the distinction of being the only local council in Great Britain where the Communist Party were ever the largest single party (had a plurality in American terminology), although unlike most of the "little Moscows" it was not a coal mining area. The Communist Party went into serious decline locally in the 1950s under the influence of the Cold War, more quickly than in some other "little Moscows". However there was an important industrial struggle during the early 1970s when the Plessey factory experienced a lengthy sit-in, objecting to its proposed closure.
In recent years the Labour Party has been the main party in the area. However the Scottish National Party has performed quite well at times. The Scottish Socialist Party also has some support; Jim Bollan, one of only two SSP councillors in all of Scotland, sits for the Renton and Alexandria South ward on West Dunbartonshire Council.
The areas name lends itself to Alexandria's local football club, Vale of Leven F.C. and secondary school, Vale of Leven Academy.
The inhabitants of the area were traditionally known as "jeelly eaters" although this term is not now common. This term stems from the Vale men who worked in the town of Dumbarton. Unlike the Dumbarton men, who could go home at lunch time, the Vale men would bring their lunches with them. Usually this consisted of sandwiches, or "jeelly pieces" as they were called locally. Hence "jeelly eaters." "Jeelly is an old Scots word for jam.
