West Aberdeenshire

Aberdeen Un ive'

rs i ty

S tudie s No . 3

Pla c e N am e s

We s t A b e r d e e n s h i r e

A b e rd e e n Un iv e rs ity S t u d ie s .

NO. 1 . of Alumm’

in A715 of Me Um’

wrsz’

fy and K ing’s College of A bem

’a

’fl,

1590-1 860 . Edited by PETER JOHN ANDERSON, M .A .

,LL B . lrarian

to th e University. Ab erdeen : 1900 .

No. 2 . Records of Old A &em’em

,1 157-1 891 . Edited by ALEX ANDER MACDONALD

MUNRO, P .S.A. Scot . Vol. I . Ab erdeen : 1900 .

No. 3 . Place Names of West A berdeeflslzz're. By th e late JAMES MACDONALD,P .S.A . Scot. Ab e rdeen : 1900 .

Plac e Name?

Wes t Ab e rdeen sh ire

By the late

James Macdonald, P .S.A . Scot .

Aberdeen

P r i n ted fo r t h e U n i v e r s i ty

1 0 0

UN IVE RS IT Y O F A B ER DE E N .

Committee on Publicat ions .

Convener : Professor JAMES W. H . TRA I L, M.A. , M.D. ,Curator of the

University Lib rary.

PrincipalSir WI LL IAM D. GEDDES, M .A. , LL .D Litt. D.

Professor HERBERT J . C . GRI ERSON , M .A .

Professor FRANC IS R. JAPP , M .A . , LL.D. , F.R.S.

Professor JOHN A . MACWILL IAM , M .D.

Professor CHARLES N IVEN, M .A . , D.Sc . , F.R.S.

Professor ALEX ANDER OGSTON ,M .D .

Professor WILL I AM P . PATERSON , M .A D.D.

Professor WILL IAM M . RAMSAY, M .A. , LL .D D.C.L.

Professor WILLI AM R. SORLEY ,M .A.

Professor JOHN DOVE WILSON , LL.D.

P . J . ANDERSON , M .A. , LL.B. , Lib rarian to the Univers ity.

3 4

P R E FA C E .

B Y T H E E D I T O R .

Y uncle , Mr. j am es Macdonald , d ied in March , 1 897,

while engaged in the preparat ion of the work now

published , which he had undertaken six years prev iou sly at the

reques t of the Comm i ttee of the New Spalding Club . By his

willhe le ft his note s and manuscr ip ts in m y hand s . He had

prev iou sly asked me , in the e ven t of h i s death , to de s troy them ,

unle s s the book was sufficiently ad vanced to allow of i ts be ing

publi shed subs tan t ially as he le ft it , or unle s s Profe s sorMackinnon would undertake —what he felt he could not ask of

h im— the comple t ion and rev i s ion of the work .

I found that the first half of the book was complete and

ready for the pr in ter, and that the remainder could wi thou tm uch difficulty b e comp iled in a fairly comple te form from the

notes . Profe s sor Mackinnon , to whom I applied for adv ice ,

recommended that the work should b e pr inted , and he kindlyundertook both to re v ise the proof shee ts and to wri te an

in troduc t ion . Oh his recommendat ion , the New Spalding Clubdec ided to proceed wi th the publicat ion .

The whole of the tex t i s M r . Macdonald ’

s work . The fi rst

half, down to the end of the word “ Forbes, is prin ted wi thm erely v erbalcorrect ions from the manuscript : th e remainde ris a comp ilat ion from his notes . No addi t ion s whate ver havebeen made , except a fewnotes, di s t ingu ished by square bracket s

mos t of which are by Professor Mackinnon, who has alsocorrected the Gaelic orthography , and in a few cases the

fi t PREFACE.

translat ions from the Gaelic . As editor, bes ides putt ing to

gether thelat ter part of the work , I have only corrected cler icalerrors, and inserted references which had been left blank . A

few explanat ions which the au thor had marked as doubtful, or

which appeared to b e incomplete , have been om i tted .

Wh ile the text of the work is Mr. Macdonald ’

s both in

substance and in form , i t is necessarily m uch less complete thanit would have been had he lived to publish it . In his hands i twould have undergone repeated re v is ions —he never sparedh im self labou r— in which many imperfect ions would have disappeared , and not a few blanks would have been filled up . I t

willb e seen , for instance , that the number of words of whichno explanat ion is offered (other than Saxon place-names whosemean ing is self ev ident) is cons iderable , espec ially in the latterpart of th e work . For some of these no explanat ion would inany case have been given : M r. Macdonald held strongly thatthere are many names in the distr ict covered by his work whoseoriginalform is so completely lost as to pu t the ir mean ingbeyond the reach of reasonable conjecture : b ut others of themhe was s t illin vest igat ing at the t ime of h i s death , and it may b etaken as certain that in some cases he would have arrived at

conclus ions which he would have embodied in the work .

For the deficiencies, whate ver they may b e , in the au thor’swork , h is death in the m idst of h is labou rs m ust b e sufficient

apology . For those faults which may be attr ibu table to the

edi tor, he’

can only plead that the work was not of his own

choos ing ; and that the 'disqualifications to which those faultsmay b e due have had at least the advantage of free ing himfrom the temptat ion , to which a student of place-names wouldhave been exposed , of introduc ing into the work of anotherhis own emendat ions and sugges t ions . I f on the other hand

the m inor errors in the book should prove to b e few, thi s is duechiefly to Professor Mackinnon

’

s carefulrev is ion .

PREFACE . i x .

Had my uncle h imself written th is Preface , he would havethanked many fr iends, and also many whom he did not personallyknow

,for serv ices rendered at allthe stages of the work . I do

not know allwho helped h im , nor the value he set on the workof each : bu t I feelthat I may, on his behalf, offer to allwarm thanks for assistance cou rteously and ungrudgingly given ,

often at the cost of m uch labou r. I am certain , however,that I should failin carry ing ou t his wishes i f I did not ac

knowledge in spec ialterm s the great debt he owed to ProfessorMackinnon . In allhis studies in place-names, both before and

after the beginn ing of th is work , my uncle constantly consultedh im he looked on him as the one always trustworthy au thori tyon Scott ish Place Names : and I doubt i f he would have undertaken the present work at all, had it not been for his adv ice and

encou ragemen t .I believe he would have wished also to express his part icular

thanks to the Duke ofRichmond andGordon for the free access

allowed him to the papers in the Gordon Cas tle Charter Room ;

to the L ibrary Comm i ttee of Aberdeen Un ivers i ty for the

pr i v ilege of consult ing the books in the Un ivers i ty L ibrary ;and to the Director Generalof the Ordnance Su rvey for the

perm iss ion to use the mater ials collected in the OrdnanceS urvey name books , which were len t h im when he undertookthe rev is ion of the names in the one- inch and six- inch OrdnanceMaps for West Aberdeenshire . Among the published workswhich aided him in his studies , he would have expressed hisspec ialobligat ion to Dr. joyce

’

s I rish Names of Places to

M r . MacBain’

s Badenoch Place Nam es and to the wr i t ingsof Dr. Wh itley S toke s .

C . E . TROUP

HOME OFFICE,

6171 December , 1 899.

I N T RO D U C T I O N .

I‘

H IS volume , dealing with a very difficult subject , is issueds ubject to the many d isadvan tages necessarily attaching

to a posthumous work . A s explained in the Pre face , the au thordied before any part of it was pr inted , and when only about thehalf was finally wr i tten ou t for the press . Had Mr. Macdonaldlived to complete hi s undertaking , he would no doub t havemade severalcorrect ion s in de tails , and very probably he wouldhave been able to add cons iderably to the materialaccumulatedby him , espec ially in the held of tradi t ion ,legend , and h i s tor icalreference , for illustrat ion and explanat ion of these names .

When the au thor was preparing hi s valuable treat ise on

Place-Names in S trathbogie ,”

published in 1 89 1 , he did meth e honou r to corre spond wi th me, wi th reference chiefly to

Gaelic names and form s . M r. Macdonald impressed me as a

very capable invest igator in th is field of research ; and,

accordingly , when the New Spalding Club in v ited h im to

prepare a volume on the PIace -Names of the North-EasternCount ies of Scotland , I s trongly u rged him to undertake thislarger work . Though the subject was congen ial, he enteredupon i t wi th cons iderable reluctance . He was fully aware of

the great labour involved , nor was he by any means satisfied

wi th hi s own fi tness for s uch a task . He dec ided , in the first

instance at alle vents, to confine h im self to the district ofWest

Aberdeenshire, wi th which alone this volume deals .

M r. Macdonald’

s idea— and i t was a sound one — was thatthe explanat ion of our Scott ish Place-Names could be sat is

i i . INTRODUCTION .

factorily accomplished only by the combined labou r of manyworkers . These he would div ide into two classes . Aftermapp ing out the country into districts , he would select localmen, wi th the requ i s i te intelligence and interest in the subject ,to collect, s i ft , and record allavailable informat ion regarding thenames . Afterward s he would have the materialthus accum ulatedexam ined by one or more men trained in lingu ist ic sc ience, andwi th a competent knowledge of the languages involved , for thepu rpose of prov id ing an explanat ion of the mean ing of as manyas poss ible of these names . Among the first class of invest igators M r . Macdonald would rank him self, and i t would probablyb e difficult to find a more su itable man for th is department . He

was a highly educated man ,with a well-balanced and trained

in tellect . H e had a genu ine in terest in the work , and couldcommand a certain amoun t ofle isu re. By his dispos i t ion and

character he was able to win the confidence of allhe came in

contac t with . In the Pre face to h i s volume on Place-Names

in S trathbogie , h e has recorded his great indebtedness to HisGrace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon ,

K .G for allowingme access to the Charter Room ,

Gordon Castle , and the use of

documents contain ing valuable informat ion not found elsewhere .

”

M r . Macdonald was equally successfulin gain ing the goodwillof the old men and women whom he met on th e hill- s ides andin the co ttages of West Aberdeensh ire , who gladly suppliedthe kind - spoken gen tleman wi th the exactlocalpronunc iat ionof the names, together wi th such legend s and remin iscencesconnected with these as were known to them .

Of the amount of t ime and labou r expended in pu tt ingtogether the mass of materialprin ted in this volume, onlythose who have attempted work of a s im ilar kind can have an

adequate concept ion . First of all,the exac t name m ust b e

ascertained and recorded accu rately . Wi th respec t to the oldplace-names of Scotland, and espec ially those of the north

INTRODUCTION . xi i i .

eas tern di s tric t , th i s is a matter of no smalldifficulty. In the

ab sence’

of old records wr itten by competen t men , there are

only two sources of in format ion, and of these M r. Macdonaldavailed h im self to the u tmost . These are the present sound of

the nam e , and the various form s in which i t was written in the

pas t . I t was Mr. Macdonald’

s habit to Vis i t a certain port ion of

the di s trict each summer, wi th Ordnance S urvey sheet and note

book , and to wr i te down care fully on the spot the exact soundof the name as he heard i t pronounced by the old people ,marking the fallof the stress or accen t in each case . He foundthat severalnames recorded in the S u rvey sheets were non

ex i stent , while many others were written in what the map -makeror his informant believed to b e the correct form . He wr ites ageneralnote regarding such nam es as follows

“ Allthe name s in th is book marked ‘ 6’

are taken from the

6 - inch maps, and I recommend they should b e acceptedwi th some degree of reserve . The localau thori t ies in the

Gaelic districts of the coun ty , instead of gi v ing the popularforms of the names of the less prom inent and known objects,have given ,

no doubt with the best intent ion,what they

believed to b e the proper Gaelic form s, wi th , as I judge ,

unfortunate re s ults in many cases . Those wh ich I cons ideredmost doubt fulare not included in my lis t . I do not see thatany good was to b e accompli shed by introduc ing nam es, whichI strongly suspect have pract ically no ex istence , unless I wereable to sayWith certainty what the proper names are .

‘ i In the low country, for the most part , the names have allthe appearance of be ing genu ine ,

bu t many of them are so

worn down or corrupted that i t is now imposs ible to say whatthe originalform s were , or even to determ ine whether theyare der ived from Gaelic or broad Scotch . Where I am in doub tI have stated that the m ean ing s suggested are conjectural.

”

The lists thus prepared and checked he amplified by wr it ing

xiv . INTRODUCTION .

down the variou s forms in which th e name appeared in suchcharters and record s as he had access to, th e older form s be ingas matter of cou rse cons idered the more au thori tat ive . He

h im self wr i tes (“ Place -Nam es in S trathbogie ,”

p .

“ In

trac ing names backward, corrupt ions are very abundan t t illthe close of the 1 sth cen tury ; b ut i f we can go one or two

centuries further back s t ill, we shallprobably hnd a large“

proport ion of names, now un intellig ible or obscu re , in such“ form s as leave li t tle doubt as to the ir m ean ing . From the

close of the 1 1 th centu ry — the date of our very earlies twr i t ings— to the close of the 1 sth , the changes which occu rare for the most part phone t ic or li terary , and therefore not

very difficult to trace ; while many of those found in the

wri t ings of the 1 6 th cen tu ry and forward , res ult from ignorance,

carelessness, or the conce i t of the scr ibes . These laterau thor it ie s may be of use , bu t the generalcharacter of the

wr i t ings , not the date , m u s t determ ine what they are reallyworth . To the data thus collected regarding the form of

the name are added, in the case of many of them , the

form s in which the name , or a s im ilar name , appears elsewhere in Scotland , and, in the case of Gaelic names , in I reland ,in the case of Teu ton ic nam es, in England

'

or on the Con t inen t .And as further aid toward s the eluc idat ion of these names thereare mos t valuable notes, s ucc inctly wr i t ten , showing the au thor’sextens ive and accurate knowledge of the phys icalappearance ,

the an t iqu i t ies, tradi t ion s , hi s tory, li terature, and lore of the

di s trict .The in terpretat ion of the names which is offered by the

au thor will, i t is believed , b e accepted as in the main sat isfactoryby compe ten t scholars . Mr . Macdonald was of op in ion that theGaelic names ofAberdeen , Banff and K incardine , presented a

strong fam ily likeness, and that the phone t ic changes whichaltered the old form s were pract ically ident icalover th is area.

INTRODUCTION . X V.

Along the southern slope of the Grampians and the upperstraths of Dee , Don , and Avon , Gaelic names have changedbut little, and correspond very closely wi th those of the

ne ighbou ring H ighland s . In the centralparts of the coun t ies ,Engli sh names become more numerous, and corrupt ions inGaelic names are more not iceable while , along the seaboard ,Gaelic names are in a m inor i ty , and in many cases have

“ become half-English . The relat ive proport ions of Gaelic and

English nam e s of places willb e seen by a comparison of the

names in the inland par ishes wi th those of the seaboard— thusGlenmuick on Dees ide contains one English nam e to threeGaelic, while Aberdour has three English names to two Gaelic.

The figures in Banffsh ire are m uch the same - Inveravon has

one English name to three Gaelic , while Rathven has nearlytwo English to one Gaelic . In K incardine the parish of‘

S trachan gives fou r Gaelic to three Engli sh names, and

K inne ff has two English to one Gaelic ”

(“ Place Nam es in

S trathbogie , p .p .1 ) The interpretat ion of the Engli sh nam es

presents as a rule little difficulty. Mr. Macdonald would b e the

last to cons ider him self an au thor itat ive exponen t of Gaelicnames. He was not in the tech n icalsense a Gaelic scholar.

Though bear ing a Gaelic name, and the son ofa Gaelic - speakingmother, that difficultlanguage was and remained to him a fore igntongue . But he had a genu ine scientific m ind , wi th an ap t i tudeand a lik ing for lingu ist ic s tudies . He labor iously worked h isway through grammars and d ict ionar ies of Scott ish Gaelicmade him self pret ty fam iliar wi th severalof the publicat ion s of

Dr. Wh i tley S tokes and other Celt ic Ph ilologist s ; and mas teredDr. Joyce

’

s valuable work on the Or igin and H i s tory of I r i shNames of Places . He thus acqu ired a good grasp of the

main featu res of Gaelic word format ion . At the same t ime he

probably did not possess such fam iliar i ty wi th Gaelic phonet icsas would enable him to adapt the rules laid down by scholars

xvi . INTRODUCTION .

to the idiosyncrac ies of a part icular locali ty, and espec ially of

such a very difficult locality as that in which helabou red . Nor

did he perhaps sufficiently realiz e the fact that in this d istr ictthere are many old names which the Gaelic language cannot

explain or interpret . In the cou rse of h is inqu iries Mr.

Macdonald became , to som e extent at least , alive to the

necess i ty of allowing for a P ict ish element in Aberdeen names .

But , so far as I can gather, he would probably regard the

P ict ish language as but an older form of Scott ish Gaelic. I

doubt whether he would accept the conclus ion com e to byscholars like Wh itley S tokes that , while the mysterious P ict ishwas Celt ic, it was more nearly allied to the Brython ic than to

the Go idelic branch of that anc ient tongue . M uch less wouldhe assent to the v iew of Pr inc ipalRhys that P ict ish is

essent ially an unknown pre-Celt ic speech , overlaid wi th

B ry thon ic words and forms . To h im the names of West

Aberdeensh ire were Teu ton ic or Gaelic . In the indexappended to his volume on Place-Names in S trathbogie , e ven

P z

'

t appears in the list of Gaelic words . He was of op in ion

that Gaelic began slowly to disappear from the lower rangesof the north -eastern count ies after the fourteenth centu ry . He

would accordingly attach the u tmost importance to the form s

of names wr itten at that early date , believ ing , as he did , thatthe scribe was reduc ing to wr i t ing the fam iliar sounds of his

mother- tongue.

I f Mr. Macdonald ’

s knowledge of Gaelic phonet ics and

dialects was not sufficiently thorough to enable h im to determ inewi th accuracy how the sound of a Gaelic name would b e

modified in the mou th of an Aberdon ian speaking the Scott i shdialect peculiar to the distr ict , st illless could he, or, for that

matter, any other, trace wi th certainty the direct ion in which

the sounds of an earlier speech , of which we know so verylittle, would b e modified by a speaker of Gaelic . The P ict ish

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xvi i i . I NTRODUCTION .

respons ibility . My rev is ion of the shee ts was confined to

see ing that th e Gaelic names were prin ted wi th a fair degree

ofaccu racy , and that the Gaelic phrases were correctly tran slatedinto Engli sh . In one or two cases I ven tu red to s ubs t i tu te

an explanat ion for that offered by Mr . Macdonald , or to add

a query . I did thi s only where I was perfectly satisfied thathe h imself, were he liv ing and th e matter subm i t ted to h im ,

would make the change . There are severalnam e s in the

volume of which I would offer a di fferen t explanat ion fromthat gi ven by the au thor, and others wh ich I would mark as

doub tful. But in allcases where i t was ev iden t that Mr .

Macdonald had carefully con s idered the mat ter, the explanat ion ,

conjectu re , or sugges t ion i s pr inted as he wrote it . As the

volume s tands, want ing indeed such rev i s ion and correct ionin de tailas the au thor alone could give , the New SpaldingClub may publish it wi th confidence ,

con tain ing as i t does a

mass of valuable and tru s tworthy informat ion regarding a veryinterest ing and difficult subjec t , collec ted by an inves t igatorwhose abili ty and accu racy were only equalled by h i s mode styand common sense .

DON . MACK INNON .

EDINBURGH UN IVERS ITY,

December H M,1 899.

A UT HOR I T I ES QUOTED .

ABBREVIATIONS .Aberdeen Breviary

Acts of Scot. Par] .

Badenoch Names

Bal four

Barbour

Book of Deer

Burgh Rec.

T ITLES.Breviarium Ab erdonense— republ i shed infacs im i le for the Bannatyne C lub . 2 vols .Edz

’

néurg /z , 1852 .

Papers i n th e Ab ergeldie Charter Chest.

See Records of Aboyne.

Antiqu i ties of the Sh ires of Aberdeenand Banff. 4 vols . A berdeen (Spaldz

'

flg

Club) , 1847-69 .

Acts of th e Parl iamen ts of Scotland . 1 1

vol s . 1 814-75.

Badenoch : I ts H istory, Clans , and Place

Names. By Alexander MacBain,M .A .

,

P .S.A . Scot. [nvemess (no date) .

S i r James Bal fou r’s Col lect ions . MS. i nth e Advocates’ L ibrary

,Ed inburgh .

(Extracts relati ng to Aberdeenshi re i nth e

“Col lect ions and“Antiqu i ties ” of

th e Spald i ng Club. )

Th e Brus : Wr i t b e Master Johne Barbou r.A berdeen (Spaldz

'

izg Club) , 1856 .

The Book of Deer. Ed ited by JohnS tuart

,LL.D . A berdeen (Spaldz

’

ng

Club) , 1869 .

See Reg. of Burgh Abd .

X X . AUTHORITIES QUOTED.

ABBREVIAT IONS .

Ce l t . Scot .

Chamb . Rol ls

Earldom of Garioch

Ex. Rol ls

Gordon Charters

Gordon’s Scots A ffai rs

Farm. of Les l ie

Fam. of Skene

Fermartyn

Fordun

TITLES .Ce l t ic Scotland , a History of Anc ientAlban . By W i l l iam F. Skene

,LL .D .

3 vols . Edz’

nburg/z, 1876 -80 .

Accoun ts of th e Great Chamberlai n s ofScotland , 1 326 - 1453 . 3 vols . Edz

’

nburg/z ,

1817.

Col lections for a History of th e Sh ires ofAberdeen and Banff. Ed ited by JosephRobertson . Aberdeen (Spala’z

'

ng Club) ,1843 .

I nveru rie and the Earldom of the Garioch .

By Rev. John Davidson , D.D. Edin

burgk, I 878.

The Exchequer Rol ls of Scotland . 19 vols .

Edz’

nbu rg/z , 1 878.

I nventory of Charters . MSS. 3 vols . I nthe Charter Room , Gordon Castle.

H istory of Scots Affai rs from 1637to 1641 .

By James Gordon , Parson of Roth iemay.

3 vols . A éem’

een (Spala'z'

fzg Club) , 1841 .

Historical Records of the Fami ly of Les l ie.

By Col. Lesl ie. 3 vols . Ea’z

'

nburgk, 1869 .

Memorial s of the Fami ly of Skene. Ed itedby W i l l iam F. Skene, LL .D . A berdeen

(N ewSpaldz’

ng Club) , 1887.

Th e Thanage of Fermartyn . By Rev.

W i l l iam Temple,M .A ., P .S.A . Scot.

Aberdeen,1894.

Johann is de Fordun Chron ica Genti sScotorum. Ed ited byW i l l iam F. Skene,LL .D . Edinburgh , 1871 .

ABBREVIATIONS .H .S.D.

Huntly Rental

Imp. D ict.

Jam. or Jamieson

Jervise

Kalendars

MacBain

Macfarlane

Maxwe l l

AUTHOR ITI ES QUOTED.

T ITLES.Highland Soc iety’s D i ctionary of the

Gae l ic Language. 2 vols . Edinburgh1828.

Rental s of the Lordsh ip of Huntly. MSS.

I n the Charter Room ,Gordon Castle.

The I mperial D ict ionary. By John Ogi lvie,LL.D . Newed ition . London

, 1882- 3 .

D ict ionary of the Scottish Language . By

John Jamieson , D.D’

. New ed ition .

5 vols . P aisley,1879-88.

Kalendars of the Scotti sh Sain ts . By the

R ight Rev. A . P . Forbes, B ishop

of Brechin . Edz’

nburg/z, 1872 .

See Badenoch Names .

Epi taphs and I nscriptions from BurialGrounds i n the North -East of Scotland .

By Andrew Jervise, F.S.A. Scot. 2 vols .Edinburgh 1875-9 .

Th e Origin and History of I rish Namesof Places . By P . W. Joyce

,LL.D . 2

vol s . sth ed i tion . Dublin,1883

Macfarlane’s Geographical CollectionsfMS. i n the Advocates’ Library

,Ed i n

burgh . (Extracts relati ng to Aberdeensh ire i n the “ Col lections ” and “Anti

quities” of the Spald i ng Cl ub.)

S tud ies i n th e Topography of Gal loway.

By S i r Herbert E. Maxwel l,Bart.

Edinburgh , 1887.

XUTHORITIES QUOTED.

TITLES.Th e New S tat i st ical Accoun t of Scotland .

Vol . X I I . : Aberdeensh ire. Edinburgh1843 .

I r ish -Engl ish D ict ionary. By EdwardO

’

Reilly. Newed it ion,with Supplemen t

by John Donovan,LL .D . Dublin (no

date) .

The Ordnance Survey Maps of Aberdeensh i re.

Th e Ordnance Survey Name Books .

Tour i n Scotland in 1769 and 1772 . By

Thomas Pennan t . sth ed it ion . London,

1790 .

The Chron ic les of th e Picts , the Chron ic lesof the Scots

,and Other Memorial s of

Early Scott ish H istory. Ed ited byW. F. Skene, LL.D . Edinburgh , 1867.

List of Pol lable Persons with i n the Shi reof Aberdeen , 1696 . Ed ited by JohnS tuart

,LL .D . 2 vols . Aberdeen ,

1844.

Proceed ings of the Soc iety of Antiquariesof Scotland . Ea

’z

’

nburgk.

Registrum Episc0 patus Ab erdonensis.

Ed ited by Professor Cosmo I nnes . 2

vols . A&em’een (Spala’z

'

ng Clué) , 1 845.

Th e Records of Aboyne. Edited by the

Marqu is of Huntly. Aberdeen (N ew

Spa/dz'

ng Club) , 1894.

Extracts from the Counci l Register of th eBurgh of Aberdeen , 1 398—1625. 2 vols .Aberdeen (Spaldz

'

ng Club) , 1844-

48.

UTHORITI ES QUOTED. xxi i i .

T ITLES .Registrum P rioratus S.

’ Andree. Ba’z

’

n

burg/z (Bannatyne Club) , 1841 .

Se lections from th e Register of th e Synodof Aberdeen . A berdeen Spaldz

'

ng Club) ,1846 .

Registrum Episc0 patus Morav1ensis. Ed.

by Professor Cosmo I nnes . Edz’

nbzzrg/z

(Bannatyne Club) , 1837.

Inquisitionum ad Capellam Domin i RegisRetornatarum quae i n Publicis A rch ivis

Scotiae adhuc servantur Ab b revatio

(Abstract of the Records of Retours ofServices) . 1546 - 1700 . Ed ited by ThomasThomson . 3 vols . Edz

’

nburg/z , 181 1 - 16 .

Registrum Magn i S igi l l i Regum Scotorum

(Register of the Great Seal of Scotland ) .1 306 - 1424 : one vol .

,fol io ; Edz

’

nburg/z ,

18 14. 1424- 160 8 : 5vols.

,octavo ; Edin

burg/z, 1882-

90 .

I ndex , drawn u p abou t the year 1629, ofmany records of Charters granted be

tween 1 309 and 141 3 . Ed ited byW i l l iamRobertson . Ea

’z

'

fléurgk , 1798.

M i sce l lany of the Spald i ng C l ub. 5 vols .Aberdeen

,1841 -52 .

Memorial s of the Trubles i n Scotland and

i n England , 1624 to 1645. By JohnSpald ing. 2 vols . Aberdeen (Spaldz

’

ng

Club) , 1850 .

P raefecturarumAb erdonensis et Banfiensis

Nova Descriptio By RobertGordon of S traloch . Publ ished i n the

AUTHORITIES QUOTED .

ABBREVIAT IONS .

Straloch ’

s Map

Val. Rol l

V. of D.

Wal cott

Wyntown

autkor z'

tz'

es quoted are described in {113 text.

T ITLES.second ed1t 1on of B laeu’s Atlas Scotiae,Amslem’

am,

I 662 — i ncl uded in the“Col lections of the Spald ing C l ub ,Aberdeen ,

1843 .

Map of the Shi res of Aberdeen , Banff,and the Mearns . By Robert Gordonof St raloch . Publ ished in th e fi rst

ed i tion of B laeu’s Atlas Scotiae, Amsterdam

,1654.

Th e Val uat ion Rol l of the County ofAberdeen for 1894

-5. A berdeen ,1894.

View of the D iocese of AberdeenMS. i n th e Advocates’ Library

,Ed in

burgh— i nc l uded in th e Col lections ofthe Spald i ng Club, Aberdeen ,

1843 .

Th e Anc ient Church of Scotland . By

Macken z ie Walcott, P .S.A . London ,

1874.

The Orygynale Cronykilof Scotland . By

Androw de Wyntoun . Ed ited by DavidLai ng. 3 vols . Edinburgh 1872 .

THE PARISHES OF WEST ABERDEENSH I RE.

THE following l ist gives th e names of the Parishes in the Western Division of

Aberdeenshire included in this volume. After each place name in the text

(except river names, and a few names of places Whose situat ion is now

doubtful) the author has given the name of the parish— general ly the name of

the modern civil parish : but, i n a few cases, where several old parishes have

been united to form the modern parish, he has distinguished the old const ituent

parishes, and i n two cases he refers to guoaa’sacra parishes.

Aboyne.

Alford .

Auchindoir.

Auchterless.

Banchory-Devenick (names in the Aberdeenshire port ion only) .B irse.

Braemar : now united with Crathie .

Cabrach (names in the Banfi’

sh ire portion included) .Cairnie.

Chape l , or Chapel of Garioch.

C latt.C luny.

Corgarff a quoad mam parish in Strathdon .

Coull .Crathie : now united with Braemar.Culsalmond .

Dinnet : a guoaa’sacrwparish in Aboyne and Tullich.

Drumblade.

Drumoak .

Dyce .

Echt.Forgue.

Gartly (names in th e Banffshire portion included) .Glass (names in the Banffshire portion included) .Glenbucket.Glengairn : now united wi th Tullich and Glenmuick.

THE PAR ISHES OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. xxvi i .

Glenmuick : now united wtth Tull ich and Glengairn .

Glentanner : now united with and forming part of Aboyne.

Huntly : formed by the union of the old parishes of Drumblade and

Kinnoir.

I nsch .

I nverurie .

Keig.

Kemnay.

Kennethmont.K i ldrummy.

K incardine O’

Neil.K i nel lar.Kinnoir : an old parish now included in Huntly.

K intore.

Leochel, or Leochel-Cushnie : formed by the union of the old parishes ofLeochel and Cushnie .

Lesl ie.

Logie-Coldstone formed by the union of the old parishes of Logie and

Coldstone .

Lumphanan .

M idmar.Monymusk .

Newb i l ls .Oyne.

Peterculter.Premnay.

Rayne.

Rhynie.

Skene.

Strathdon .

Tarland, or Tarland and M igvie : formed by the union of the old parishesof Tarland and M igvie.

Tough .

Towie.

Tull ich : now united with Glenmuick and Glengairn .

Tullynessle, or Tullynessle and Forbes : formed by the union of the oldparishes of Tullynessle and Forbes.

THE PLACE NAMES OFWESTABERDEENSHIRE.

Ab erardour (Crath ie) . 1564, Ab irardour, Ant. I I . , p . 89 ; 1451 ,

Ab irardoure,Chamb . Rol ls . Ab er=Gaelic abar , obs . “

a confluence.

”

Modern Gael ic, obaz’

r ; O.G. ,abbor , Etymo. D ict. MacBain

,i n “Badenoch

Names ,”conjectu res that ardozzr i s from ard high water

,

” whichis much more probable than ard high grove,

”as given i n the O. 5.

maps . The diffi culty with th is name i s to see how it has originated,or

to what i t appl ied . The Feardar Burn i s not far d istan t, though Aberardou r is not s i tuated upon i t but

,except when the qual ifyi ng term is a

personal name, I am not aware that aber is fol lowed by an asp i ratedconsonant such as wou ld appear i n Aber-fheardar. Th e actual confluenceof the Feardar Burn w ith the Dee i s more than a mi le and a-hal f d istantfrom Ab erardour, or M idd leton of Ab erardour, and i t i s now known as

the I nver,” which has th e same mean ing as Aber. The name may have

been sh i fted from i ts original place, and I nver substi tu ted for the Pict ishAber. Both these changes are possible, but i t i s al so possible that thename appl ies to the j unction of the P elagie Burn with the Feardar

,on

the former of wh ich Ab erardour i s s i tuated . W i thout wri tten or trad itionalev idence of any kind , these quest ion s cannot b e determ ined withany measu re of certai n ty , and must b e left open to conjectu re. I d istrustFeardar as th e origin of the name, because i t wou ld not apply i n othercases , and Ab erardour occurs i n several other coun ties.

Ab ercattie (Tough) . 1638, Retou r 242 1573 , Ab ercathie, Ant. IV.,

485 ; 1543 , Ab ercawltye, Ant. IV., 481 . The oldest form suggests

coz'llteaclz, “ abound ing i n woods, hence a wooded place or stream . The

Farquharsons of Wh i tehouse, i n Logie Coldstone, on acqu i r ing th isproperty

,changed the name from Ab ercattie to Whitehouse.

B

THE PLACE NAMES

Ab ergairn (Glengairn) . 1696, Ab ergarden ,Pol l Book ; 1685, Aber

gardins, Retour 466 ; 1540 , Ab irgardene, 2 100 ; 1468, Ab irgardene,

Ant. IV . , 404 ; Modern Gael ic, Obergharain , Braes of Mar,

” byJohn Grant. Cf. Gardyn, Gard i n , Pe

'

tercu l ter ; Gard ine, Kincard i ne ;Gardyn , Gard in , Forfar ; Gartyn and Gardinquene , Lanark ; Garden ,Garth en, Gertene , Garthden , Perth . Although d appears i n most of thesecomparatively modern spel l i ngs

,i t is not pronounced e i ther i n Gael ic or

Engl ish,and may b e i n trus ive. The common ly accepted der ivat ion of

the name is garbfi -ab/zainn,rough stream

,

” but ou r best Gael ic scholars donot al low that an oryn,

occurring in rivernames,i s other than an adject ive

terminal . St i l l , i t i s poss ible that garb/z may b e the root of the name,and the popu lar renderi ng substan t ial ly correct. I t i s objected that thevowel sound i n garb/z i s short and i n Gai rn long, but the contract ion fromGael ic g/zam z

'

n to Engl ish gain : might account for th is . Ab ergairn

means the confluence of th e Gai rn ” with the Dee.

Ab ergeldie (Crath ie) . 1607, Ab iryeldie, No. 1962 ; 1451 .

Aberyh eldy, Chamb . Rol ls ; 1 358, Ab birgedly,Ant . IV.

, 715 ; ModernGael ic, Operyéfildie or Operyaulie. The derivat ion of this name i s veryu ncertai n . The mean ing is the confluence of the Geldie,” with theDee. The root may b e geal, “white or bright, which this stream is , butGeldie Burn , one of the head tributaries of the Dee

,i s mossy. Th e term

might,however, b e appl icable to a dark water i f its course i s rapid , and

the su rface much broken . I n Knockando,Moraysh ire

,i s the Bu rn 0 1

Aldyoulie, and the writer of the account of th e parish i n the NewStat.Accoun t etymologises the name

,Aul t Gheallaidh , the Burn of the

Covenant,” which the O. S. map further improves i n to Allt a’ Gheallaidh .

The burn flows along th e base of Geal Cai rn , and th is suggests a commonorigi n to

'

names so much al i ke. There i s an Innergeldie, farm and burn,

i n Comrie parish , Perthshi re.

Ab ersnethock (Monymusk ) . 170 2, Ab ersweythock (AbersneythockP) ,Ant. I I I .

, 504 ; 1696 ,Ab ersmithack , Pol l Book ; 1732, Ab ersnith ick ,

V. of D. , C0 1. 585 1628, Ab irsnethak , Retou r 2 10 ; 1573 , Ab ersnethok,

Ant. IV. , 762 . A chapel and lands belonging thereto appears , from the

fragmentary evidence we have, to have adjoi ned th is place, i f i ndeed i twas not the same. Th e references are— I 542, Eglismenethok , Ant . I I I .

,

OF WEST ABERDEENSII IRE. 5

498 ; c. 12 1 1,Eglismonychcok , I I .,

265 1 245, EglismcneyttokCol. 178 ; 1 2 1 1 , Eglismenythok , Reg. Priory of St. Andrews . Egl isG. Eaglaz

'

s, from Lat . ecclesz'a,a church . Ab ersnethock eviden tly contai ns

the same name corrupted,and

,after 1542 , appears to have replaced th e

older name, Eglismenethok .

Aboyne (P ) . 1567, Aboyn, C0 1. 225 150 1 , Oboync, RentalI .

, 3571 ; 1407, Obeyn,Ant. I I . , 35 ; 1 393 , Obein and Ob eyn ,

I . , 195 ; c. 1 366 , Obeyn, Tax. , Co ] . 2 18 ; 1 292 , Oubyn and

Ob eyn ,Ant . IV .

, 70 1 ; 1 275, Obeyn ,Tax. ,

I I ., 52 ; 1 249 - 1 286 ,

Obyne, I ., 55. Aboyne i s one of those names about wh ich

there wi l l probably always be d ifference of opin ion . I t may b e

descriptive,but I do not see that any derivat ion of th is ki nd as yet

offered i s sat isfactory. From the old forms, I am i nc l i ned to thinkObeyn shou ld be c lassed along with Ki ncard i ne O’

Neil,Camus O’

May,

and perhaps with the sti l l more obscure names,Dunnideer and Tap O

’

Noth ; that i t may b e a personal name,or contai n a personal name, and

that i t may possibly b e on ly part of the origi nal place name. Taghb oyne,Balrathboyne, E nnisboyne and Crossboyne, i n I reland , are allder ivedfrom the personal name, Baeith in,

Joyce I . ,151 .

A Chailleach (Braemar, The old woman or nun . The nameappl ies to an upright stone or rock

,abou t 5 ft. h igh , standing c lose to the

By Burn , east of Coi re na Caillich .

Achath (C l uny) . 1696 , Aquhath , Pol l Book . Ac/z’

c/mt/za,

“ field ofthe fight . There is no trad it ion connected with the place

,so far as I

know.

Ach ighouse (Braemar) . This place i s mentioned i n th e P0 11 Bookas Ach ighouse and Ah ighouse, but I have not fou nd i t e l sewhere , and

i t is not known i n the d istrict .

Ach incragoc (Dyce) , obs.“ Field of th e l i tt le craig. This name

occurs i n the Marches of the Forest of Cordys , of date 1 3 16 , I . ,

43 . Twice i n th i s document cragoc, the old d im . of creag ,appears

,v.

Schencragoc. I have not found i t el sewhere i n Aberdeensh i re. ProfessorMackinnon men t ions Creagaig i n Oransay.

4 THE PLACE NAMES

A Ch ioch (Braemar, The pap . A high rock on the S. E. s ideof Beinn a

’

Bhuird,i n th e form of a cone.

Ach rinys (Newbi l l s) obs . In 1 367, Dav id 11. gran ted to h isphysic ian , Donald Banerman,

allou r lands of the two Clyntreys and

the two Ach rinys, viz ., the Watirton and the Wel ton,

”

Col. 240 . ACE

roz'

mze may mean e i ther the field of the head - land ”— which would b e

perfectly appl icable here— or the field of the d ivis ion or share,” whichwou ld agree with the description of these lands i n the charter. The

latter mean ing i s more probably correc t than the former.

Adamston (D rumblade) . See Thomastown .

Adnemoyne (Cou l l) . This place i s mentioned i n a Retou r of 1696 ,

but is nowobsolete. PAllt 71a moz’ne,moss -burn .

Affléck (Huntly and Rhyn ie) . 1534, Afflek (Huntly) , No.

1453 ; 1578, Auch tleke (Rhyn ie) , R.M S. ,2814 ; 1545, Auch inlek (Rhyn ie) ,

3 10 3 . G. Ac/zad/z mmlaac,stone-field. Cf. Affloch , be low.

Af’floch (Skene) . 1637, Auch inloch , Retour 240 ; 1627, Auchloche,Court Books of the Barony ; 1506 , Auch inloiche

,Ant. I I I . , 327.

A c/z’

cmloc/z, hel d of the loch,

the Loch of Skene.

Afl°orsk (Chapel of Garioch) . 1696, Auquhorsk, Pol l Book ; 1528,Auchorsk

,Ant. IV. , 351 ; 1 39 1 , Achqwhorsk , C0 1. 540 .

“ Fie ld of thecrossi ng. Gorsk and chorsk= crosg. Crasg i s common i n the Highlands

,but not i n Aberdeenshire.

Aghaidh'

Gharb h (Braemar,“ Rough face. H i l l W. of Carn

Cloich-mhui l i nn . (d/z mute, b h = v. )

A iken Bank (Gartly) . “Oak Bank .

Air, M i l l and Moss of (Echt and Skene) . Now general ly spel ledAyr. I do not know what Air means

,u n less i t i s from the same root as

Hairmoss,Haremyres and Harlaw

, q .v. I n this county, i n o ld t imes ,i n i tial H was as much abused as i n many parts of England at the

presen t day, and Moss of Air may b e on ly another form of Hairmoss,

6 THE PLACE NAMES

a farm of which probably the old name was Balvalley, now the name ofa moss i n the ne ighbourhood .

Aldunie (Cabrach ) . 1600 ,Auldeunye, Huntly Rental . The local

pron . is Al-dewnie ,which probably represents Allt dialla, “ bu rn of th e

shel ter.”

Alefork (S trathdon ) . This name appears 1n the P0 11 Book , butnowhere e l se

,and i t may b e a mis- spe l l i ng of Culfork.

Alehousewell(Kemnay) .Alford (P) , 16 19, Aldefuird, Retou r, 165 1595, Awford, 225;

1 366 , Afford , Co] . 1 245, Afford, C0 1. 177; 1 199- 1207, Afford , C0 1.

588. I th in k Afford must b e a doublet,l ike ScurriefordandCloch ranford.

Gael ic dill, a ford . If the first syl lable had been dli n the ol d writi ngs ,as i n the Engl ish Alfords

,i t m ight have been reckoned as certain ly

mean ing Old ford, but the 1 i s modern , and i s not pronounced i n C.S. ,

though i t may b e heard on rai lway platforms occas ional ly. Awford i sthe most usual form .

Al lach , Br idge and Wood of (Aboyne) . The bridge and woodare c lose to Aboyne Cast le. The bridge spans the Burn of Aboyne, or,as i t is more commonly cal led

,the Burn of Tarland . Al lach is, almost

certai n ly, the old name of the burn . See Allachy, Water oi.

Allachaller (Bi rse) .Allachash Bu rn (Cou l l ) . Allt a’

c/zdz'

se, Burn of the cheese, whichmay mean that the pastu re was favourable for the product ion of cheese,or that cheesewas made at this p lace when the catt le were on the summerpastu re. Cf. Tornahaish , Corgarff, and Baldyfash , Rayne.

Allachfern (Bi rse) . This is a very smal l streamlet,which flows in to

the water of Allachy. The two names seem to b e substan tial ly the

same, the tributary bei ng qualified by fern (fenwa)“ofthe alders .

” I t is ,however, very diffi cult to deal w ith l i ttle known names i n B i rse, the properforms bei ng very u ncertai n . I n no other parish i n West Aberdeensh irehave I found the place names so much corrupted

,whatever may b e the

cause. This appl ies both to wri tten and unwri tten names, as wi l l appearthroughout thi s work . See Allachy, Water oi.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE .

Allach rowan (B i rse) . Allt a’

crot/zaz’

n,Burn of the l i tt le fold .

Allachy, Water of (Glentanner) . Th e same name appears i n Aberdeensh ire

,Perthsh i re

,and other counties , i n these forms— Allathane,

Allachan,Alloquh ie, Alloch ie, Ellach ie, and Ealaiche. The root is ail]

,

older form ail, a rock , a c l iff,a steep bank washed by water

though I suppose thi s mean i ng is on ly possible when the water exposesrock . A 271, with the term inal s ac/z-an ,

means a rocky place.

”

Allalogie (Logic Coldstone) . Allt a lagaz'

n,

“ burn of the l i ttlehol low .

”

Allamuic (Logie Coldstone) . 1600 ,Aleymuk, No. 1050 .

Allt 7m mac,pigs’ bu rn .

”

Allanagirk (Braemar, Adam 7m cz'

rc, haugh of the hen

, that i sgrouse

,I suppose

,-cearc gen. cz

’

rce-fmoz’

clz.

Allanaquoich (Braemar) . 1696 , Alnachoich and Allanacoich,Pol l

Book ; 1451 , Alanquhoth , Chamb . Rol l s . A z’learz 7m s z

'

c/ze, the

green or meadow of the Quoich ,”

q.v.

Allanmore (Braemar) . A z'lecm mar , big meadow.

Allanstank, Bu rn of (Bi rse) . Allt cm siding ,

“ Burn of the pool ord i tch .

Allantersie (Auch indoir) . The bu rn so named does not appear tohave a name properly be longing to i tsel f

,un less i t b e Burn of Deskie

,by

which i t i s fi rst known . I t then becomes Burn of Allantersie,and further

on,before i t j oi ns Mossat, i t becomes the Burn of Linthaugh , allthese

be i ng the names of th e farms which i t passes. Allan tersie,or Al/tmz

tarsm'

mz,

“ l i ttle cross bu rn,

” I conjectu re, was origi nal ly the name of astreamlet which passes c lose to the farm stead ing of Allantersie

,and jo i ns

the larger bu rn at r ight angles,thus giving rise to the name.

Allargue (Gorgarfl) . I thi nk th is i s properly the name of the burnwhich passes to the east of the mans ion -house. So the old Gael icspeaking nat ives understand it. Al/t-lez'rg ,

“ Burn of th e s lope orh i l l -s ide.

”

8 THE PLACE NAMES

Allrick (Huntly) . Same as El rick , q .v.

Alm'

uck (Rhyn ie) . Tributary of the Burn of Lesmoir. Allt mm,

pigs’ burn .

Allt a’ Bh reab adair (Glengairn) . The weaver’s burn . The Gael icpeople general ly say Allt 7mBreabaz

’

r , th e weavers’ burn .

”

Allt a’ Chaoruinn (Braemar) . Bu rn of the rowan .

Allt a’ Chlaiginn (Braemar) . Burn of the sku l l,

rou nd bare hi l lor knol l . Another burn of the same name ru ns i n to Loch Muick .

Allt a'Ch lai r (Braemar) .

“ Burn of the board,

plank bridge.

Cf. Athclare, Bealaclare and D roichead a ch lai r,ford

,town and bridge

of the board . Joyce I I . , 223 .

Allt a’ Choilich Burn of the (grouse) cock , now cal ledCock Burn .

Allt a’

Choi re Bhoidh ich (Glenmuick) . “ Burn of the beautifu lcorrie.

Allt a’

Cho ire Ghuirm (Braemar,“ Burn of the blue corrie.

Trib. of Cl u n ie.

Allt a’ Choire Odhair (Braemar, Burn of the dun corrie.

”

Allt a’

Ch reachainn (S trathdon) .“ Burn of the rough s lope or

summit of h i l l .” Both mean ings are appl icable, for the burn rises nearthe watershed and flows down a rough slope unti l i t j oin s Allt SlochdChaimb eil.

Allt a' Ch u i l Riab hach (Braemar, Burn of the b rind led or greycorner or back .

” Trib. of Allt a’

gharbh choire.

Allt a’ Chuirn De irg (Braemar, Burn of the red cai rn . Trib.

of the ByWater.

Allt a'

Gharb h Cho ire (Braemar,“ Burn of the rough corrie.

C.S. Allt Garchorrie . Trib. of Allt Bh ruididh .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE . 9

Allt a’ Ghlas Choire (Braemar, Bu rn of the grey corrie.

” Trib .

of Ge lder.

Allt a’ Mhadaidh (Braemar, “Bu rn of the dog or wolf. Trib .

of the Lu ie. C.S. Altavaddie.

Allt a’ Mhaide (Crath ie) . Burn of the st ick . Probably crossed bya st ick or tree before the erect ion of a bridge . C.S. Altavaitch . Ci. Allta Chlai r.

Allt a’ Mhait (Glenmuick and Braemar) . Same as Allt a Mhaide.

Trib s. of Muick and C lun ie.

Allt a’ Mheoir' Gh rianaich (Braemar,

“Burn of the sunnybranch .

” This l i ttle burn has just one smallbranch , which has no doubtsuggested the name.

Allt nan Aighean Litt le burn of the hi nds or hei fers .

Allt an Aiteil(Braemar, Jun iper Burn (Allt an Trib.

of Allt an Loch , Glencallater.

Allt an da Bho (Glengairn , Eb =v.

“ Burn of the two cows .Trib. of Morven Burn .

Allt an da Choire Shneachdach (Braemar, Bu rn of the twosnowy corries .

Allt an Dub h-ghlinne (Braemar, Litt le burn of the black ordark glen .

”

Allt an Dub h-Loch (Glenmuick) . “ Burn of the Dubh Loch . I tflows out of this loch in to Loch Muick .

Allt an Eas Mhoir and Allt an Eas Eh ig (Braemar, These aretributaries of the Gai rn

,but the names shou ld b e written mar and beag ,

for i t i s not the big and l i ttle waterfal l that i s meant,b ut the big burn

and l i tt le burn of the waterfal l . Eas means a waterfal l , bu t, so far as Iknow, there i s no waterfal l on ei ther burn . The whole of these streams ,however, may b e counted waterfal l s

,for i n thei r short courses of abou t

two m i les they fal l nearly 1700 feet.

I O THE PLACE NAMES

Allt an Eireannaich (Braemar, I rishman ’s bu rn,so th e

map ,but how an I ri shman gave name to a burn i n the wi lds of Glen Dee

i s hard to conjectu re. a young gel ded goat,i s as l ikely a

derivat ion . Both are doubtful,for the C S. i s Allt Earnach , which may

have an enti rely d i fferent mean ing.

Al ltan Gé raidh (Corgarff) .“ Little burn of the enclosure. Trib.

of th e Don . Pron . Allt an Gary.

Allt an Laoigh (Crath ie) . Cal f’s burn .

Allt an Leathaid (Braemar, Burn of the slope or h i l l s ide. Trib.

of EyWater.

Allt an Lin (Corgarff) . Lin t Burn e i ther the burn where l in twassteeped , or where fai r ies’ l i n t grew .

Allt an Loch , Glencallater (Braemar) . Burn of the Loch,

” LochCallater, i nto which it flows.

Allt an Lochain Uaine (Braemar, OS. Allt Lochan Uaine, “Burnof Lochan Uaine,

”out of wh ich it flows.

Alltan Mh icheil M ichael’s l i ttle burn . Mh = v.

Al ltan Odhar (Braemar, Dun or grey l i tt le burn . Trib. of Ey.

Odhar pron . 6-hur.

Allt an Roy (Bi rse, Allmn Ruaa’lz

,

“red l i tt le burn . Trib . of

Allachy.

Alltam‘

uie (Glenmuick) . C.S. , Altanréé ; 1600 ,Auldinruif

,Huntly

Rental ; 1552- 1596 , Aldinruif, 499 . Allt (m “ heatherburn — (fh mute) .

Allt an Stuic Gh iub hais (Braemar,“ Burn of the fir trun k or

stump . pron . yewaish .

Allt an t-Seilich , pron . taylich (Braemar) . Burn of the wil low .

OF !VEST ABERDEENSII IRE. I I

Allt an t-Sionnaich , pron . ti1’

1nnaich (Braemar) . Burn of the fox .

Trib. of Ey.

Allt an t-Slugain, pron . thégain (Tul l ich , Burn of the swal lowhole .

” Trib. of Tul l ich Bu rn .

Allt an t-Sluichd Le ith , pron . tluichdlee (S trathdon ) . Burn of thegrey hol low . C.S. Allt Sloch -lee

,Bu rn of Slochd-lee .

Allt an t-Sneachda (Glenmuick) . C.S. Auld Drech ty. Snow Burn .

Allt an Tu im Shain (Braemar,“ Burn of the whi te h i l lock , or

rather Burn of Tombain.

Allt Bad a’

Choilich (Corgarff) . Burn of the (grouse) cocks’

c l umpor th icket. Trib. of Don

,near Delnadamph .

Allt Bad Mh icGriogair (Corgarff, “Burn of McGregor’

s c l umpor th icket.” Bad

,i n th is name, may mean hamlet.

Allt Bad a’ Mhonaidh (Braemar, Burn of the c l ump or thicket

of the moor or moorish h i l l .

Allt Beag (Glengairn) . Little Burn . Trib. of Bu rn of Glenfenz ie.

Allt Beinn Iutharn (Braemar) . See Beinn Iutharn.

Allt Bh ruididh (Braemar) . (P) gen.

“ stabbi ng,thrusting.

” What the name may refer to is open to conjectu re. I donot know if i t i s descriptive or refers to some eventwh ich occu rred at th e

place. C.S. Allt Vruidje.

Allt Boruiche (Braemar, I t is d ifficu l t to see what was i n tendedby the spe l l i ng of th is name

,which seems to have had some Gael ic word

i n view but I do not recogn ise it. Boz'

r z'

c/ze means “a bank , a ri s ing

ground , and Allt Boiriche may be the Burn of the brae face. This i sthe on ly mean ing I can attach to it. The burn is a trib. of the Baddoch ,near the sou thern boundary.

Allt Brothachan (Braemar, See Loch Brothachan.

1 2 THE PLACE NAMES

A|lt Cai lleach (Glenmmck) . C.S. Allt Chyllich ; 1696 , AltchaldachPol l Book ; 1698 and 1568, Oldchayloch and Aldchalz ea

,Aberg. pp .

G. Allt “Bu rn of the old woman .

”

Allt Ché rnie (Glenmuick) . Trib . of Muick . (P) Allt Cheatharnaich(pron . Chao’-arnich ) .

“Freebooter’s or robber’s burn . Ci. Catteran’

s Howe,

Cabrach,and Katri ne Burn , B i rse.

Allt Ch roinie (Braemar) . [Trib. ofBaddoch .]

Allt Chuirn De irg (Braemar, Burn of Carn Dearg, or th e red

cai rn .

Allt C lach Mheann (Corgarff) . Clac/z m/zeamz, the kids’ stone, is alarge bou lder near Fe i th Bhaite.

Allt Co ire a’Chaise (G1enmuick) . South end ofLoch Muick . Burnof the cheese corrie .

”See Allachash .

Allt Coire a’ Mhé im (Braemar, Burn of the corrie of the roundh i l l

,Carn a Mhaim. Mdm

, gen . mdz'

m, a round h i l l .”

Allt Co ire an t-Seilich (Braemar) . Burn of the corrie of the wi l low .

Trib . of Quoich .

Allt Coi re an t-Sneachda, pron . tréchda (Braemar) .“ Burn of the

snow corrie.

”Ci. Allt an t Sneachda.

Allt Co ire Fearneasg (Braemar, Trib. of Baddoch . I have noidea what Fearneasg means ; possibly i t i s a corruption of fi or—uz

’

sge,

spring-water,

” but I have never heard the word pronounced .

Allt Co ire Gh iub hais, pron . Yewaish (Braemar,“Burn of the

fir-corrie.

Allt Coire na Cloiche (Glenmuick) . Trib. of Girnack .

“ Burn ofthe stone-corr ie.

”

Allt Co ire na Peinne (Braemar) . C .S. Allt F ion n Choi re, Burn ofthe fair corrie. The name given i n map is very doubtfu l . What

14 THE PLACE NAMES

Allt Damh (Corgarff) . “ Ox-burn . Th e farm bes ide th i s burn iscal led Aldamph , which is a corruption of Allt Damh . Cf. Delnadamph ,al so i n Corgarfi

'

,and I nchnadamph .

Allt Darrarie (Glenmuick) . The name Carntorrarie,probably one of

the neighbouri ng hi l ls , occu rs i n the Aberg. pp. date 1766 . Joyce givesdaz

'

rb/zre, pron . darrery,

“an oak or oakwood

,

” deriv. of daz'

re, as a commonname i n I reland (Joyce I ., Ci. “Dirrirai, Glen Lu i

”

(V of D) ,probably Derry Cai rngorm . Although th e country is nowbare of wood ,the Ab ergeldie papers contai n agreements between the proprietors abou tcutting trees i n the forests.

Allt dauch (Cabrach) . “ Burn of the dauch (P) Dauch general lyappears i n place names as the first syl lable, but i n th is case I do not seethat any other mean ing can b e ass igned to it . I t is the boundary on thewest s ide of the Deveron,

between the Upper and Lower Cabrach , andprobably d ivided two of the old dauchs.

Allt Dearg (Glenmuick and Braemar) . Red Burn .

Allt Deas (Glenmuick) . South Burn .

Allt Deglaven (Glenbucket) .Allt Devanach (Logic Coldstone) . This form of the name

,given i n

the O .S . map , is i ncorrec t. I t does not correspond e i ther wi th the oldspel l i ng or local pronunc iation . See Auldvanyeche.

Allt Deveron (Cabrach) . The O .S . map gives the Allt Deveron as

extend ing from the j unct ion of the Burns of Rochford andWestlewie toits j unct ion with the Rouster, and this I think is right, though opin ionsd iffer on the poin t. Why th is stream is cal led Allt Deveron I am unableto explai n . The Deveron and Allt Deveron are real ly one stream

,and

S traloch in his map , of 1640 ,names both al i ke

,the

'

R iver Deveron .

Allt Dhaidh Mor and Beag (Braemar) . As given i n the map , thisname reads David’s big and l i ttle burn

,which I th ink extremely

doubtful . The common pronunc iat ion is Allt Davy mor and beag, and Ihave never heard any of the nat ives give the name as i n the map . AlltDab/zaz

’

c/z c losely agrees with the C .S. , and the mean ing may be Burn ofthe

‘

poolor pot. Ci. Bu rn of the Vat, D i nnet.

OF WEST ABERDEENSI I IRE. [5

Allt Domhain (Braemar, Deep Burn . Trib . of Allt . Bruididh .

Allt Dour ie (Braemar) . C .S. Alltdt‘irie. The common ly acceptedmean ing of th is name i s dark burn — Al/t dubfiracfz- but I doubt i f theGael ic-speaking people of Braemar wou ld have changed the term inal (1612i nto z

'

e. Ne i ther does th is derivat ion su it the old forms of the same nameoccurring el sewhere. See Allt Dowrie.

Allt Dowrie (Glenmuick) . The common spe l l i ng is Altourea (Val.Rol l ) , and the Abergeldie pp . give Altaurie. The form given i n themap is very doubtfu l , there bei ng no authority for the letter a

’

. Aldourie,near I nverness

,i s Allt+ ourie, so al so Pitourie, i n Badenoch, which Mr.

Macbain suggests may b e der ived from oa’lzamc/z m/zullac/z

, the plan t“ devi l’s b it (scaéz

'

osa succz'

sa) , which is common i n pastu re lands al so i nth is coun ty. Allt oa’fiaraz'a’k may,

however,mean the dun burn or the

burn of the dun place.

” No doubt, we have Milldourie i n Monymusk ,

bu t here al so a’may b e i n trusive, espec ial ly fol lowing 1.

Allt Dub h -iasgan (Glengairn,

Allt Duch (Gartly, Probably a cor. of Allt Dub/z B lack Burn .

Allt Earse (Gartly, Tarsuz'

nn, Cross Burn . Ci. Allantersie.

Allt Easain (Strathdon , Burn of the l ittle waterfal l . Trib. ofCli ne Bu rn . Alltessan Burn , Kildrummie, has the same mean i ng.

Allt Fuaranach (Strathdon , The Estate map has Fearnach,

which is no doubt correct. Allt Feamac/z means the Burn abound ing i nal ders.” Sco. Arny Burn .

Allt Gharb h -cho ire (Braemar) . Burn of the rough corrie,or rather

,

Burn of Garchorrie.

Allt Gi l le Mhorair (Tarland , det . 3 , More l ikely Allt coz'l/e

afz/zom z'

r,Burn of the lord’s wood . See Gillavawn.

Allt Glas (Crath ie, “Grey or green burn . Trib. of Allt a

mhaide.

Allt Glas choille (Glengairn, Burn of the grey or green wood .

16 THE PLACE NAMES

Allt GIas-neulach (Braemar,

Allt Laogh (Tarland , det. 3 , Burn of the calves .

Allt Leth (Braemar) . Allt L z’at/z , “ grey burn . This bu rn ri ses on

Cam Liath .

Allt Liath Cho ire (Braemar, Burn of the grey corrie.

”

Allt Lochan an Eoin (Braemar) . Burn of the l i ttle loch of the bi rd ,accord ing to the map ,

but A . Locizzm mmEmz , Burn of th e l i ttle loch of

the birds,” i s preferable, because i t agrees wi th local pron ., which is el’m

not eo i n , as i n Badenyon .

Allt Meirleach (Tarland , det. Thieves’ Burn .

Allt Mhaide (Glenmuick) . C.S. Alveitch . 1796 , Altavait, and 1706 ,

Altaivaid,Aberg. pp. See Allt a Mhaide.

Allt na Beinne (Braemar) . H il l -burn .

Allt na’ Bo (S trathdon ) . Cows’ burn .

AIIt -na Bronn (Braemar) . Burn of the be l ly or bu lge, but poss iblyfrom 5771 , gen. bromz, obs ., a h ind , a bank , H .S.D.

Allt na Bruaich Ruaidhe (Corgarff) .“ Burn of the red bank.

Becomes Burn of Tornahai sh .

Allt na Caillich (Glenmuick and Strathdon ) .“Burn of the old

woman .

Allt na Chomhnuidh (Glenbucket, The qual i fying term shou ldnot b e aspi rated . Probably i t i s the wrong word . Culquhony and

Tomachonie are not far d istan t.

Alltnaciste, Bu rn and Farm (Corgarff) . Burn of the kist or hol low.

Allt na C lais Mo ire (Braemar, ‘

i

‘ Burn of the big furrow or trench .

Allt na Co i l le (Crath ie) . Burn of the wood . Trib. of Crath ie Burn .

Allt na Conair (Glenmuick ,Trib. of Tanner.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. I7

Allt na da Ch raob h Bheithe (Glenmuick) . Burn of the two bi rches .

Allt na Giub hsaich (Glenmuick) . 1620 ,Au ld Gewschawche, Aberg .

pp . Burn of th e fir-wood .

”

Allt na Glaie (Glengairn) . C.S. Allt Glac . Burn of the hol low.

Allt na Gre ine (Glenbucket, Sunny burn (P)

Allt na h -earb a (Braemar) . C.S. Allt na herib ,“Bu rn of the roe.

Trib. of Quoich .

Allt na Keb b uck (Auchindoir, Although this burn r i ses at thefoot of Kebbuck Knowe, which looks l ike a Scotch name

,mean ing a

knowe l i ke a kebbuck or cheese,or the s i te of a shei l i ng where cheese

was made, th e burn name i s agai nst this derivat ion . The fi rst syl lable i n

kebbuck i s short,and . i n G. cdbag ,

“a cheese

,

” long,and th is of i tsel f i s

conc lus ive. Ceapac/z,“a t i l led plot , is more l ikely the proper word , c/z

harden ing in to ck. Though there i s now no cu lt ivat ion at th e place,

attempts may have been made i n old t imes to cu l tivate a l i ttle patch orpatches near

'

a sh iel i ng,afterwards deserted .

Allt na Leitire (Glenbucket, Hi l ls ide Burn . Lez’lz'r

,s ide of a

na mo ine (Braemar) . Moss -burn . Trib . of Quoich .

nan c lach geala (Braemar) .“Burn of the white stones .

nan Eanntag (Crath ie, Bu rn of the nettles .

Allt na Slait (Braemar) . Burn of the rod or twig, Osier Burn .

Allt na Tuilich (Towie, I do not qu ite see what was meant byth is spel l i ng. The local pron . i s Allt na Tulaich , “ Burn of the Knol l .Trib . of Soccoch Burn .

Alltnavackie (Logie Coldstone, ?A/Ztcm a B/zamz'

n,

“ Burn ofthe bend . I t i s probable this name original ly appl ied to the burn muchbeyond the l im i t shown in th e map , other names further down the stream

D

18 THE PLACE NAMES

bei ng merely the names of the farms wh ich it passes . The bend is astrongly marked featu re after passing W i ndsee. Baum al so means a bogor marsh

,and there is a farm near the burn cal led Bog,

but the wordappears to b e used, i n the d istrict, where there i s no bog.

Allt na Wheille (Glenmuick) . Allt 72a coz'lle, “Burn of the wood .

On Dees ide, coz'lle appears to b e not unfrequently represented by the

spel l i ng quh =wh .

Allt P hadruig (Braemar, “ Patrick’s Burn . Plz =f.

Allt P houple (Braemar, Th e exact pron . of this name i s doubtfu l .The Gael ic people say i t means the People’s Burn , whatever that mayb e but as I heard it , i t appeared to represen t Alltpkubu z

'll,Burn of the

tent or booth ,” perhaps a hunt ing she i l i ng. The burn r ises near the

summit of Ben Aven,and fal ls

,i n i ts short course to joi n the Gai rn

,

upwards of 1600 feet.

Allt P reas a’ Mheirlich (Braemar, Mh = v.

i

“Burn of the th ief’sbush .

”

Allt Réppach ie (Corgarff) . The Gael ic nat ives say i t is properlyRu i -ippach ie. I f th is is so the second syl lable may have lost an aspi ratedcon.,

probably ch or th , and i n it ial R has become attached to the fol lowingshort vowel or vowel s , on which l ies th e stress— thus fluzg/ze tweapac/zaz'n ,

the shei l i ng of the l i tt le t i l led plot.” I do not say that th is is themean ing, but it shows the change which I suppose has occurred bycontract ion .

Allt Ruigh na Cuileig (Glengairn) . Burn of the shei l i ng of the fly.

Allt Salach (Glengairn, D i rty Bu rn .

Allt Seileach (Crath ie, W i l low Bu rn .

Allt Sh illochvrein (Braemar) . Trib. of Bynack . This form of thename i s given i n Smith’s NewHistory of Aberdeenshi re Straloch ’

s map

(1654) has S i lach vren, and the map , Allt an t-Seilich . Near to th isburn S traloch has Cory vren

, th e map Coi re na Bronn , aiid the burnris i ng i n the corrie, Allt na Bron n . I cannot c lear up these d iscrepanc ies,but i t is certai n that Cory vren i s Coire Bh ran, raven’s corrie,

”and the

burn name probably means raven ’s burn . Allt Sh illochvrein i s doubtfu l .


Allt Slochd a’

Bheithe (S trathdon , Bheithe, pron . ve e . Trib . ofAllt Slochd Chaimb eil. Burn of the bi rch hol low.

”

Slochd, “ a pit , den,hol low .

”

Allt Slochd C haimb eil(S trathdon ) . “ Burn of the Campbel ls’

hol low. The local trad ition i s that a smal l party of the defeated armyof the Marqu is of Argyl l took refuge for a t ime at thi s p lace after thebatt le of Glenl ivet, 3rd October, 1594 NB . ) This bu rn join s AlltSlochd Mor, and these together form Noch ty Water.

Allt Sughan (Glenbucket) . Sz‘

zg/zaiz, the l iqu i d of which sowens aremade by boi l ing. H .S.D. General ly

,i n th is part of the country, we

understand the said “ l iqu id to b e sowens,whether boi led or unboi led ,

and probably to the latter this burn owes its name, from its resemblanceto i t when i n Hood

,for i t seems to be the Sowens Burn .

”

Allt Tarsuinn (Braemar, Cross-burn . Trib . of A. an t Slugain.

Allt Th ronach (Leochel ,Allt Tobair Fhuair (S trathdon , Fh mute.

“Burn of the coldspring. There i s a smal l poo l at the sou rce of th is streamlet, whichprobably gave ri se to the name.

Allt Tom a'Bhealuidh (Crathie, C.S. Allt Tombally, “ Burn of

Tombally or the Broom -h i l lock .

”

Allt Tuileach Spatey Burn .

Allt Venney (Glass) . Although th is smal l stream rises on a hi l l ofcons iderable he ight

,and might b e cal led for a short d istance a hi l l -burn

(Allt Bfiez'

mze) , i t i s throughou t the greater part of its course a lowlandburn . Perhaps Allt B/zaz'mze

,

“ Burn of the mi lk, is the more correc t

mean ing of the name, i nd icat ing that the pastu re along its banks yieldeda large supply of mi lk.

A |spé rit (Cabrach) . A smal l streamlet jo i n ing Deveron near Ki ng’sFord . The O .S . map changes th e common name to Allt na spiri t. Spirit

may b e a corruption,but i t is possible i t may represen t G. sp z

'

oraa’

, fromE. spirit, Lat. spz

'

r z'

tus— hence Burn of the Spi r its,”or perhaps , Ghosts’

20 THE PLACE NAMES

Burn . I t crosses Dead Haugh,which l ies along the Deveron

,and there

may b e some con nect ion between the two names .

Altanree or Altenrea (Cou l l) . Allt ( mrzzzg/lze, Burn of th e shei l i ng.

Altanz ie (Glenmuick) obs . Pol l Book. Allt ten a,

“ Burn of thetongue (of land )

”

Altdargue (Cou l l ) . Allt dearg ,red burn .

Am Bealach (Braemar) . The pass.

Am Mu l lach (Glenmuick) . The top, summit.

An Car (Braemar, mi les west of the vi l lage. Car i s a twist orbend ,

” but I know of noth ing of the sort appl icable to the lie of theground

, th e R iver Dee, or to any of the bu rns . Cdt/zar ,“mossy or marshy

ground,is more l i kely the proper word . The place is now planted .

An C reagan (Crath ie) . The l i ttle craig.

An Dlollaid (Braemar, The Sadd le.

Anguston (Petercu lter) . 1696, Angustoune, P0 11 Book .

Annach rie (B i rse) , 159 1 , 1898. Seems to b e a mis -spel l i ngof Ennochy, qv.

o

Annes ley (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . 1696 , Ach inshley and Ach insley(Pol l Book ) , by which i t i s st i l l known . Somet imes i t is cal led Inchley.

Ac/z’

z

'

mzse,meadow field.

”

Sco.ley added .

Annetswell(Kinnoir, Huntly) . Annet is always assoc iated , d i rectlyor i nd irectly

,with an anc ien t church . An

“annoid church ” means a

church of first rank,a mother-chu rch

,or church ded icated to i ts

fou nder. There never was a church at Annetswell, nor was i t churchproperty, and i t was at a cons iderable d istance from the church of Kinnoir.

Probably Annet’

s Wel l is the proper form of the name, and the personreferred to may have been one of the Wintounes of Annet, or Andate, i nMethlic

,who owned part of Cocklarach ie, D rumblade. Ranald of Amdat

(1472) appears to have been on friend ly terms wi th the Earl of Hunt ly,

22 THE PLACE NAMES

Arach ie Burn (Cai rn ie) . Probably Am’

ac/zad/z is the Gae l ic form,

high held .

” I n the old charters, Ardochiemore,S ti rl i ngsh ire

,becomes

Arrochymoir.

Arch balloch (Alford ) . 1537, Arshballagh , Ant. IV., 141 ; 1595,

Auchballoch t,al ias Auskalloch t, Ant. IV.

, 423 ; 1552 , Arsballauche,Ant. IV.

,144 ; 1464, Asbachlach

,I .,293 ; 1418, Arbauchlaux

,Ant.

IV.,142 C.S. Airtchballoch . G. A z

’

m’bealaz'c/z, “ height of the pass.” Th e

curious spe l l i ngs in these old forms arise from attempting to representthe Gae l ic sound of dz

’

rd (arj) . The soft Gael i c a’and t occas ionally

become Engl ish 3,as i n coz

'llte, Cu lts and buaz’lteac/z

, Boultshoch .

Ardally (S trathdon ) . The P0 11 Book gives th is name, but 1 havebeen unable to trace it.

Ardamph (Tarland and Migv ie No. AW dam/z,He ight of the

oxen .

”

Ardb reck, Hillof (Petercu l ter) . A‘

z

'

m'b/zreac, speckled height.

Ardefrom (B i rse) . 151 1 , Rental , I ., 377. A z

'

m’e 51170711

,ben t

or sloping height.” The change from c/z to f is common allover th iscoun ty.

Ardenb rake, Knowes of(Logie Coldstone) . flm’cm breac, speckled

or spotted l i tt le height.”

Ardensoule (B i rse) , 151 1 , I . , 376 ; 1 170 , I ., 1 2 Alm’

an

sab/zaz'l,l i tt le he ight of the barn .

” Th e place is now exti nct.

Arderg (Braemar, A z'

m'dearg ,

red he ight.

Ardgallie (Glass) . He ight of the stand ing stone. Cf.

Cean n gai l le, “Head or h i l l of the standing stone, Joyce I . , 344. There i sno stand ing-stone now at this place

,but

,on the summi t of a knol l above

it, there i s a c i rc le formed of stones l ike th e foundation of a dyke, with i nwhich the ground i s formed i n to a low mound causeyed with smal l stones.I t i s probable there was a stand ing -stone i n the centre at one t ime.


Ardgathen (A1ford) . 1637, Ardgeathin, Rental, Ant. IV. , 142 ; 1629,

A rdgeth in, Chart , Ant. IV. ,687; 1532 , Ardgath in , 1 194 ; 1418,

A rgaythin, Chart , Ant. IV. , 142. C.S. Ardgethin. breez yhe ight .

Ardgé ith (Tarland , det. he ight of the wind , or windyheight.”

Ardglenny (Rhyn ie) . See Ardlony.

Ardgowse (Tough) . 1696 , Ardgou r (Ardgous P) , Pol l Book ; 1641 ,

Ardgowis, Retou r 254 he ight of the fir.

”

Ardhuncart (Kildrummie) . 1696 , Ardhuncare, PollBook I 50 8,

A rdquhonquhare, 3251 . Conquhar’

s height.

Ardidacker (LeochelCushn ie) . See al so Bogandacher, Bi rse, and

Badenyacker H i l l , Strathdon . On the authori ty ofthelate Dr. M‘Lauchlanthe spel l i ng of Badenyacker is changed i n the map to Bad an

Teachdaire th e messenger’s c l ump. This may be right, but it i sconjectu ral , and i t wou ld have been better to let the popu lar form stand .

I am not qu ite su re that 1 cou ld become y,whether plai n or aspi rated ;

nor wou ld c/za’ become allas i n Bogandacher, which is almost certai n ly the

correct form . Dazg/zear, gen .

“a rogue” i f a proper Gael ic

word , wou ld su i t allthe requ irements of these three names, mean ing the“ rogue’s height, bog, and c l ump .

” Perhaps i n old t imes, as in. the

present, pe0 p1e did'

not always stop to select the most refined languagei n des ignati ng a person of questionable character.

Ardiréar (Lumphanan) . A rdan reamkar , th ick l i ttle height.

Ardlair (S trathdon , Kennethmont, and Tul lyness le) . Ardlair i nKennethmont was , in 1696 , Ardlar

,Pol l Book ; 14 18, Ardlar, I ng.

R E A. 2 18. fim’ldr , h igh s ite or grou nd .

”

Ardley (Auchterless) . Alz'm’lz'at/z, “ grey height, but possibly the

ley of the Ard or 0 rd .

”

Ci. Tulloleys and Ordley.

4 THE PLACE NAMES

Ardlony (Rhyn ie) . 1696 ,Ardglowie, Pol l Book, probably a mis

read ing ; 1600 ,A rdonye, Huntly Rental ; 1545 and 151 1 , Ardlony,

3 10 3 , 3599. This place i s now cal led Ardglenny ; the nameArdlony i s unknown . I t is not l i ke ly that the one name i s a corruptionof the other, because i n the former the vowel i s short and i n the latteralmost certai n ly i t was long. Probably at one t ime there were two places ,afterwards un i ted under one name. A rdglenny means th e “ height ofthe l i ttle glen ,

”

A rdlony probably the height of the marsh .

”

Ardlow(Premnay) . A z'

m’laog/z , cal ves’ height.

Ardméanach (Glenmuick 1677, Ardmenach ,Aberg. pp. Am’

mead/zonack, midd le height .

Ardoch (Braemar and Glengairn) . Ardoch i n Glenga1rn i s givenArdach ie i n Pol l Book . A rd acfzadlz , high hel d .

Ardonald (Cai rn ie) . 1662,A rdonald, Retou r 36 3 ; 1638 Ordonald,

Retou r 242 ; 1600 , Ardonald Huntly Rental ; C .S. Ardonald and

Ordonald. Donald’s He ight. There appears to b e no d ist i nct ion i nth is case between Ard and 0 rd .

Ardoyne (Oyne) . 1504, Arduin,Cou rt Books, Ant. I I I .

, 448 ; 1494,

Ardone, Chart ,

Ant. I I I . , 447; 1419-20,Ardwyne, Ant. IV . , 179 . See

Oyne.

Ardtannes Hi l l , Haugh , and Farm (I nveru rie) . I have found novery old references to Ardtannes. I t i s frequen tly men tioned in the

Earldom of the Garioch as A rdtannies, somet imes as Ard Ton ies, butno authorities are quoted . Jervise gives an i nscription on a tombstone i nI nveru rie churchyard

,of date 16 16 , where the spe l l i ng i s A rtones. The

popu lar notion i s that the name means th e height of th e imps or l i ttledevi ls

,

”and A z

'

ra’tammz

'

s i s the he ight of the appari tion or ghost.” The

name may,however , b e connected with the old bu i ld ings or ramparts on

th e shoulder of the h i l l . Sannde/l means a “ rampart or fort,”and with the

article would eas i ly pass i nto Ardtonny, which, with E p1. , wou ld b ealmost the name as we now have it. So in I reland are A rdtonflag/z , the

high mound or rampart ” ; L z'

ssatmzrzy, the fort of the rampart ” and

Skz mtony,

“ old rampart .” J oyce I I . , 220 .

OF WEST ABERDEENSI I IRE. 25

Arks, The (B i rse, A large hol low,with a fewscattered rocks .

Ark Stone (Chapel , A bou lder stone on the boundary betweenMonymusk and Fetternear. The rocks i n the one case

,and the boulder

s tone i n the other, have no doubt suggested the name,and one i s inc l i ned

to thi nk of CG . arc,“a pig

,

”as a poss ible derivation , correspond ing to

Boar S tone, Ram S tone, and Bo S tone, but i t does not appear that arewas ever borrowed in to Scotch . I t i s more l i ke ly that the word means alarge chest for hold ing oats or

,oatmeal—Sco. ark

,A .S. arce, G. az

'

rc,Lat.

area. The term is now obsolete i n this part of the country, but old pCOplCremember when the girnellor meal k ist was cal led the meal -ark. The

Arks andArk Stone were probably so cal led from a supposed resemblanceto a large chest. Arkland

,as a place-name

,i s common i n the south , but

I know of none i n Aberdeensh ire,though there i s one i n Banfi

'

shire. The

mean ing may b e the “ land that fills the ark,

”and paral lel to the Gael ic

name Losset , q .v.

Arneedly (Monymusk) . 1654, Ardneidlie,Retou r 324 ; 1588, Ard

neidlie, 16 17; 1533 , Arnedlie, Ant. I I I . , 499. A rdan eua’

az'le

,

“ l i ttle height of the cattle ;”

E zza’

az'lmeans treasure

,cattle

,spoi l

, profit.

Feudaz'l,a d ifferent form of the same word

,perhaps appears i n Pitvedlies.

Arnhall(Huntly) . So cal led from the arns or alders growing at the

place. I n a Rental of 1677i t i s named Bogtoun.

Arnhaugh (Lumphanan ) . Haugh or meadow of the alders .

Arnhead (Auchterless) .

Arntilly, ArntilIy-hard, ArntillyC raig (B i rse) . 151 1 , Arnetuly and

Hartulyhard,I . , 373 1 170 , Erb entuly I .,

1 2 ; probably amisread ing, Erdentuly. Am’

em tulaz'c/z , l i tt le he ight of the knol l .”

Arntilly I suppose to have been the first or earl ies t of the three names .Arntillyhard i s h igher up the h i l l , and to d ist i ngu ish i t from the other

,

hard = am’

, high , has been added , as upper i s used i n Scotch names .Arntilly-craig i s, no doubt, Scotch .

Arthmily, ob s. (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Mentioned i n Rental of 151 1 ,

I ., 354. A z

’

m’mea/laz'n,

“ height of the knol l .E

26 THE PLACE NAMES

Artloch (Huntly) . 1696 , Arclach , Pol l Book ; Ardclache, Spald ing1545, Artlauch t, 3 10 3 . A rd c/zlac/z

,

“ h igh stone.

” There i s a

bou lder stone on th e summit of the H i l l of A rtloch,which can b e seen

from a cons iderable d istance,and probably gave rise to the name.

Ashalloch (Forgue) . 1696 , Aschallach,Pol l Book. A t}:

ford of the wi l lows .”

Ash ieh illock and Esseyh illock (Newh ills) . Though there were twofarms so cal led , th e names are prec ise ly the same, only d ifferi ng inappearance. Th e P0 11 Book name i s Ashytoune, and the places are nowun i ted under the name of Ashtown . I n old Scotch Esclz = Ash , and

Ashie or Essey hi l lock is the h i l lock of the ash trees . Cf. Ash ieholme,

Dumfries, al so cal led Escheholme ; Asch inheid or Essinheid,Aberdeen

sh i re.

As loun (Alford ) . 1637, Aslowne, Ant. IV. ,140 ; 1595, Aslowane,

225 ; 1523 , Ausslone,Ant. IV .

, 144. No certai n explanat ion ofthis name can b e given . I have been unable to determ ine where i torigi nated , or whether the fi rst syl lable is am

,

“a ford

,

” or eas,

“a glen .

The second may b e sleamfiu z'nn,sl ippery

,smooth

,orleam/zan , an elm

tree,

” but on th e spot I cou ld not see anyth ing to warrant e i ther the nameSmooth ford or Elm glen .

”

Aswé nley (Glass) . [1450 , Aswanly, 370 . Cf. Tillysuanlie i nK incard i neshi re. ]

Auchaballa (B i rse) . 1696 , Achaballa, Pol l Book ; 159 1 , Auchinbalhe1898 151 1 , Auch tinbala and Auchinbala, I ., 372 . P Ark

ofMealaz'cfi,hel d of the pass .”

Auchab er (Forgue) . 1696 , Achab er, Pol l Book . There are no oldreferences to th is place

,which formed part of the “ domin ical lands of

Frendraugh t, andwas i nc luded under the general term . The name appearsto b e derived from Ac/z

’

ckabaz'

r , field of the st ick or rafter. ” I t couldhave noth ing to do wi th aber ,

“a j unction of streams,

” which is on ly usedas a prefix. Nor could i t mean cabar, an an tler,

”as i t i s a most un l ikely

place ever to have been frequented by deer.

Auchab rack (Bi rse) . 160 2 , Achab reck , Retou r 84 159 1 , Auch inb rak,

1898 151 1 , Auch tb rak , R.E.A I . , 377. Ackadlz 7mm brae, fieldof the badgers.”


Auchéllater‘ (Braemar) . 1696 , Achallater, Pol l Book 1564,Auch in

quh illater, Ant . I I . , 88. A ck —l—Ca/latef, field of the Callater Burn .

”C.S.

Callater,but occas ional ly Callter. Probably the same as Calder and

Callader,which occur i n various parts of th e coun try. The old forms are

Kaledover and Kaledour. The only explanation which has been givenof the name, as far as I know ,

is coz'lle-l wooded stream ,

”

and th ismay poss ibly b e right, though i t is not qu i te satisfactory. There are a

fewstunted trees and bushes on th e banks of the Callater Bu rn , near thefarm stead ing

,but everywhere along the stream and loch are bare moor

and rock . The old form ,Auch inquh illater shows the mas. art. fol lowed

by aspi rated c,bu t milk i s occas ional ly spel led 91111, and the fem. art. 7111

preceded by a vowel sound,as i n ac/zaa’k

,frequently drops i ts own vowe l

and becomes in.

Auché nnéchy (Cai rn ie) . 1638, Auchquhanachie, Retour ; 1600 ,

Auchannaquhy,Huntly Ren tal . Ci. Buthquhanyoquhy, Barony of

Kinedward (150 5, 2869 ) also Ca1rn -a-cheannaich e. The spe l l i ngi n th e Retou r of 1638 suggests A c/zad/z “merchant’s field

,

poss ibly i nd icat i ng the field where, i n old t imes , Caral Fair stood , thoughthis is matter of conjectu re.

Aucharnie (Forgue) . 1696 , Acharny, Pol l Book. Ac/z’

an f/leuma,

Alder field,or field of the arns .

Auchavé ich (Glenbucket) . Ack’

a’

Byre field.

Auchendor (Logie Coldstone) . This name is given i n the P0 11 Book,

as i f there had been such a place i n Logie-Coldstone, which there neverwas. The reference i s evidently to land belonging to the proprietor ofAuch indoir

, without givi ng i ts own proper designation .

Auchendunnie Hil l (Gartly) . Pron . Auchendinnie. Ac/z’

an t

field of th e fox .

Auchenhandock (Glass B. ) I n the next pari sh,Mortlach

,i s a farm

of the same name which,i n 151 1 ,was wri tten Auch inhandauch I .

,

I n Ross- sh i re Retours appears the name A chnahannach orAchnahandach

, probably now Achnahana, S trath Oykel l . I n Glass thename i s pronounced Auch inhandach or Auch inhanack

,the former c losely

28 THE PLACE NAMES

resembl ing th e pronunc iation of Knockandoch ; In allthese cases,I

thi nk the a’ is i n trus ive, and that the Gael i c form is probably Ac/z

’

a’

c/zemnmz'

cke,merchants’ he ld .

Auchenléck (Rhyn ie) . See Affleck.

Auché rnach (S trathdon ) . The local trad ition is that once on a t imea band of cateranes made a raid on th is part of the coun try

,and that one

of them was ki l led,and his ghost haunted th e place

,which was therefore

cal led A c/z’

(t/z mute) , fieldof the caterane.

” Whatevermayb e said for or agai n st th is derivation , I do not th ink i t su i ts the accent

,

and prefer Ac/z’ “ field of the stony ground . Th e dykes all

over the property show that stones were very abundan t before the landwas reclaimed .

Auch é rrie (Braemar) . A c/z’

a (illand 711k mute) , he ldof the quarter ” (dauch ) . Some of the old people, however, pronouncethe name Aucheirie = Aclzadlz c/zaomc/z

,

“ sheep -field,which

,considering

the place, i s a very probable mean ing.

Auch inb o (Huntly) . Same i n 1534 ; 1453 . 1451211471 mt bo,cow-field.

”

Auch inb radie (I nsch , A c/z’

a’

M radaz’

afi’z,thief’s field.

Auch inclech (Skene) . 150 5, Auchincloich,

290 8. Ac/zad/z 7m

cloz'c/ze, stone-field,

” or field of the stone.

”

Auéhincleith (Chape l) , now Auch inleith . 16 18,Auch inleith ,

1759 16 14, Auchincleuch, Retour 1 33 1532 , Auch incleche, 1 181 .

A c/zad/z 7m doz’

cfie,stone-field.

”

Auch indellan (Clatt) . 1558, Auch indellen,Ant. IV.

, 49 1 . A c/z’

an

daw/l -laz'im,field of the ox-stal l .

Auch indoir (Parish) . 1650 , Auchindoir, Ant. IV. , 3 16 ; 1567-8

,

Auchindour, Col. 230 ; 1567, Auch indore

, C0 1. 225 ; 151 3 , Auch indoyr,

I ., 382 ; 1445, Auch indoir, C0 1. 2 16 ; 1414, Dauchdore ; c. 1 366 ,

Dauchindor, C0 1. 2 19 1 36 1 , Dauachyndore, I ., 89 1 275, Dauach

endor,

I I ., 52 .

“ Fiel d of the chase ”is general ly given as the

30 THE PLACE NAMES

Auch inténder (Forgue) . Pron . tender and tenner. 1699 ,Anchi u

t inder, Retou r 516 ; 1654, Ach intinder, Straloch ’s map. Perhaps Ac/z’

( mt-searz doz'

re (s mu te) , he ld of the old th icket.” The last syl lable mayb e dob/mr, water,

” referring to the Glen Burn , which afterwards becomesthe Urie. Why a bu rn or river should b e described as old it i s hard tosay, bu t i n I reland , Shanowand Shanowen (old river) are common rivernames. See Joyce I I . , 481 .

Auch intou l (Alford , Glengairn ,and M idmar) . The name i s very

common allover the coun try,and the old spel l i ngs are pract ical ly the

same as the presen t. Ac/z’

an t-sab/mz'l(pron . tou l) , field of the barn .

Auch invene (Ki ld rummy) . 1594, Auch invany,Ant . IV. ,

239 ; 151 3

Auchinvane, 3875'

1508, Auchinvene, 3251 . A r/z’

a

blzaz'nne, “ field of m i lk . The name now appl ies to a cottage,Auchnavenie, but whether i t is on the s ite of the ol d farm ,

which hasd isappeared , or not, I do not know.

Auchlee (Petercu lter) . Ackadfilz'at/z, grey field.

Auchleven (Premnay) . 1488, Auchlevin,Ant. I I I . , 397;

1453 , Auchlevyn, R.E A . I .,273 ; 1419

-20 , Achlewyne, Ant. IV. , 179.

Ac/z’leamkaz'n , elm-field.

Auchline (C latt) . 1696, Auchlyne, Pol l Book ; 1446 , Athlyne, I .,

246 c. 1 39 1 , Achlyne, Ant. IV. , 486 . Ac/z’loz'mz

,field of the enc losure.

”

Auchlossan (Lumphanan ) . 1488, Auch inlossin,Acta Dom . Con .,

Ant. I I ., 40 . Ackad/z cmlz'osaz'fz , field of the l i ttle fort or garden .

” Thislegend was told to me on Dees ide — Long ago , there dwe l t i n the Lochof Auchlossan a huge frog losgafm) , which was the terror of the coun tryaround , and caused loss i n catt le

,i ts food cons isti ng of one an imal dai ly.

The constan t inroads on thei r stock at last roused the people, and a

combi ned attack on the creature resu l ted in its be i ng slai n at th is place,hence cal led Ackaa

'

fi an losgaz'

nn,

“ field of the frog,” corrupted i n toAuchlossan.

Auchmair (Cabrach) . 1600 , Auchmair, Huntly Ren tal ; 1 374,

Auchmayre, 104, 47. I n old charters occu r the names Auchyn

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. 3 1

mayre,Banfi

'

shire, and Auch inmar, nowAuchmar, St i rl i ngshire. Mayra

and mar i n these names , preceded by the art ., cannot represen t the adj.mor (great) , but where there i s no art . i t i s poss ible that mai r may be acor. of mor, though improbable. I t i s more l i ke ly that mayre, mai r, andmar are forms of Gael ic maor , and that ac/zaa

’lz maaz’r i s field of the mai ro r officer.

” Part of the Cabrach was Crown property, andwe know fromthe Chamberlai n Rol l s that there was some such official

,part of whose

duties was to look after the Royal horses sent there for graz i ng. Someone filling a s im i lar posi tion may have res ided at Auchmair i n earlyt imes .

Auchmar (Lesl ie) . 1672 ,Auchmair, Cou rt Books , Ant. I I I . , 395 so

al so the P0 11 Book,a Retou r of 1641 , and charter of 156 1 , Ant. I I I ., 39 1 .

See Auchmair.

Auchmenz ie (Clatt) . 1543, Auchmanz e, I . , 422 c. 1520 ,

c hinmenny,I . , 385. I n the spel l i ng z e z =y. Ac/z

’

a’

mkeaimaz'

n,

field of the k id .

” Probably at one t ime th is place was a smal l croft,and

one or more kids represen ted the ren t.

Auchmill(Kinnoir, Huntly) . 1677, Auchmu l l , Huntly Rental . See

Auchmu l l , Newhills.

Auchmore (M idmar) . Arkad/emar,great field.

Auchmu l l (Newb i l ls ) . The Spel l i ng is the same in a charter of 1524and Rental of 151 1 , but Robertson

’s I ndex men t ions a charter by DavidI I ., i n which this place is cal led Auchmyln,

and a charter by David I I I .gives Auchmoyln . These early forms c lear ly show that the Gael ic i sA c/zad/z muz

'lz'nn , mi l l -field.

” I t i s common to give as the derivat ion ofAuchmu l l ac/zad/z maol, bare field

,

” but th e vowelsound in maoli slong,and i n mu l l i t i s short.

Auchmullan (Auchindoir) . Now general ly wri tten Auchmillan.

1507, Auchmyllane, Ant. IV.,2 19 . See Auchmul l .

Auchnaclach (Cai rn ie) . 1663, Auch incloche, Retou r 369 . Ac/zad/z mm

clac/z,field of the stones

,or stony field.

”

32 THE PLACE NAMES

Auchnacraig, obs . (Glenmuick) , Pol l Book. Acfzaa’lz 7ia crezge, field

of th e crai g.

” This farm name sti l l remai n s i n Auchnacraig H i l l,above

L i n n of Muick.

Auchnafoy(Bi rse) . 1696 , Achnafey andAchnafoy, PollBook . 1461251471

712 faz’

cke,“ field of the exerc i se green . Faz

’

c/ze frequently becomes

fay andfey i n I rish names , but i t does not necessari ly fol low that it doesso i n Scotland . I t is , however, a very l ikely name to find near themans ion house of Bal logie.

Auchnagé thle (Ke ig) . 1696 , Annagathell, Pol l Book ; 1638, Ardragath ill, Retou r 242 ; 1620 ,

Auchnagath ill, Retour 167; and i n a Rentalof th e Forbes Estates , 1552 - 1678, the spel l i ng is the same

,Auch nagathill,

see Church and Priory of Monymusk .

” I can offer on ly a veryconjectu ral explanation of this name

,viz .

,that i n early t imes there may

have been a smal l settlement of people from Arregaithel(Argyl l ) , perhapsmembers of some raid ing band , and that the land assigned to them wascal led by the Pictish natives Ac/zadk nan

“ field of the Gaithel,

Gaedhel, or Gael .” Considering how many local t rad it ions there are ofi ncursion s by Campbel l s i nto Aberdeensh ire

,i t does not seem so very

wi ld a conjectu re that the Gael of Dalriada,some cen turies before

,had

al so fou nd the i r way i n to the Pict ish terri tory of the north-easternprovinces . No doubt gat/zle may be P ict ish, and have a total ly difl

'

erent

mean ing.

Auchnagymlinn (Braemar, obs .

Auch napady(Kennethmont, Ac/md/z mm: 50114611,field of the old

men.

”Cf. Aultnapaddock , Glass .

Auchné rran (Glengairn) . Auchnerran , Val. Rol l and C.S. 1696 ,

Achanaran ,Pol l Book 1685, Auch nerran , Retour 466 . A rlt ’ cm drain

,

bread -produc i ng field. So the Gael ic people of the d istrict u nderstandthe name.

Auchnash inn (B i rse, Ac/z’

7211 3 271221272, field of the ven ison,

whatever that may mean . The name appl ies to a stony slope of a h i l l i nthe forest.


Aucholz ie, z =y (Glenmuick) . 1763 , Aucholie, Aberg. pp . ; 1696 ,

Achollie , Pol l Book 1600 ,Auchoilz ie, Spald . Cl. Mis.

, IV . , 3 1 1 . Ac/zaa’lz

coz'l/e, field of the wood .

”

Auchorie (M idmar) . 1504, Auchqwhory, Ant . I I ., 45. Ac/zad/z

cfioz'

re,

“ field of the corrie.

”

One corrie runs up the north s ide of theHi l l of Fare, and another th e east s ide of Ordie Caber. From e i ther ofthese the name may be derived .

Auchorth ies (I nverurie) . 1696 , Auquhorthies, Pol l Book 1528,

Auchorty, 56 1 1 39 1 , Achquhorthy,Ant. IV. , 470 . Ac/zaa

’fi

field of the pi l larstone. There i s a very complete stone c i rcleon th is farm

,which has no doubt given ri se to th e name.

Auch ravie (Monymusk) . 1628 and 1654, Auch revie, Retou rs 2 10

and 324. Ac/zad/z bri nd led or grey field.

”Rz

’

ab/zac/z general lybecomes r z

'

ac/z or mock. Cf. Derrygortrevy, I reland , Joyce I I .,283.

Auch riddach ie (Ke ig) .“ Reddi sh field, from G. ru z

'

teac/z,

I r . m z’

deac/z , O’

R. , ruddy.

Auch ronie (K i nel lar) . 1696 , Achronie, Pol l Book ; 16 37, Auch reny,Retour 240 1525, Auchquh rynny, 30 2 1506 , Auch ryne,

290 8. See Ach rinys.

Auchtavé n (Crath ie) . Ac/zad/z d’

a m/zemm,

“ field of the two kids,

say the Gae l ic nat ives,and no doubt they are r ight— the two kids

representi ng the rent i n old times.

Auch terelane (Kintore) , Pol l Book. There i s not, and so far as I cand iscover, there never was such a place i n the parish of Kin tore. I t i sprobably a misread ing of Auchertane (Aquherton) , which i s notmentioned , though a place of some importance.

Auchterfoull, obs . (Cou l l) , Pol l Book. Auch terfoul, V. of D. 1553 ,

Auch tercoul, Retour 17 1549, Och tircowle, R.M S. 1 189 - 1 199, Och ter

Cu le, Ant. I I ., 27. upper Cule (Coul l) , l i t. the upperpart of Cu le .

”

34 THE PLACE NAMES

Auchterless (Parish) . 1606 , Och terless, Retour 104 1499 , Uch terles,Ant. I I I . , 560 ; 1 366 , Ouch tirlys, C0 1. 220 ; 1 358, Och terlys,

Exch . Rol ls . 1 2 1 1 - 14, Uch tirlys, C0 1. 56 1 . Uac/za’

ar, th e upper part.”

L z'

os, gen . lz'se ; modern , a garden old G.

,

“a house

,fort

,enc losu re.

Probably from one of the older mean ings the name has arisen,b ut which ,

there i s now no means of determ in ing.

Auchtspittale, obs . (B i rse) . 151 1 , Rental , RE.A ., I . , 377; 159 1 ,AchSpittel, 1898. Fiel d of the hospital .

Auldaindach e, Burn of (Tu l l ich) ; Aberg. pp. 1599 . Possibly Allt( mdalac/z

,field burn

,

” but the name i s now forgotten .

Au ld Auch indoir (Auchindoir) . 1696 , Old Ach indor,Pol l Book

,

Oldtown of Auch indoir. There i s al so a Newtown of Auch indoir. Cf.

Old Balquhain ,and Old Les l ie.

Auldcloch ie (Chapel ) , Retour of 166 2 1 355-7, Aldeclochy, Co] . 538.

Allt Cloiche, “ burn of the stone,or stony burn . I t is now cal led

“Clach ie Burn .

Alders, trib. of Tanner. Aberg. pp . 1766 .

Auldfrushoch Bu rn (B i rse, Allt fmoc/zacfz,

“ heathery burn .

Auldgarney(Bi rse) . 151 1 , A1dgernyt,Renta1, I ., 377. Probably

Aldgernye i s the proper read ing. Original ly a burn - name,i t now al so

appl ies to a farm ,and may b e derived from garM , rough .

” The channeli s very rugged , be i ng rocky and fu l l of bou lder stones . I n the nextpar ish , Aboyne, the same name occurs i n the Water of Gairney.

Auldmad Bu rn, i n the Forest of Bi rse.

Auldroy (Aboyne, Trib. of Allachy. Allt rzzad/z, red burn .

Auldvanyeche (Logie Coldstone) . 1600 ,Ant. IV. ,

665. Cal led i nthe O .S . map Allt Devanach . C.S. Allavénnich . I suppose the mean ingis Burn of th e Bonz eoch or Bunnyach ,

”

q.v.

Au ld Water (Auch indoir) . The old channe l of the Mossat Bu rn ,unti l d iverted in to its present course.


Auldyé ch (Auchterless) . Allt eac/z, horse burn .

Aultdavie (Forgue) . See Allt Dhaidh mor.

Aultnapaddock (Glass) . C .S. Alltnapoddach . 7mm bodac/z,

Bu rn of the old men,c lowns .

Aune Wood (Drumblade) . Properly,Arn or Alder Wood .

Auquhorsk (Kinel lar) . 150 5-6 , Auchquhorsk, 290 8. Fie ldof the cross ing. Gorsk i n Ab erdeensh ire= crasg ,

the Gae l ic form of theEngl ish word “

cross ing.

”

Aven, Water of (Bi rse) . Ab/zaz'

fm,river.

Avoch ie (Kinnoir, Huntly) . 1687, Avachie, Retour 1677,

Abachie, Huntly Rental 1600 ,

Auachie,Huntly Rental 1567,

Awach ie, Spald . Cl. Mis.

,IV.,

155. The spe l l i ng, Abachie, is a misread ingof v for b, a mistake which occurs i n other two i nstances i n the Ren tal of1677. None of these references are old enough to give any certai n ty as

to the origi n ofthe name. I f i t i s not the same word , i t is probably fromthe same root as Alvie

,Alva

,Alvah

,and Avoch , the older forms of these

be i ng Alveth and Alvecht .

Avyrh ills (Alford ) . 1523, Charter, Ant . IV ., 144. Aver,avir, aiver

a horse used for labou r, a cart horse ; v. Jam. Sco. Diet. The

name may, however, have been Aiverinhills,— Aiverin= cloudberry. See

Evronhill.

Baad (Petercu l ter) . 1696 , Bauds, Pol l Book . Bad,

“a c l ump, cluster,

a hamlet.” When we have old references the Spel l i ng is always Bad.

Baad , Baud , and Bawd are allmodern .

Backb urn (Gartly) .

Backh ill(Chapel) .

36 THE PLACE NAMES

Back ies (Glenbucket) . Lai ng,i n the “Doncan Tourist, cal l s th is

place Bacaiseach,which , h e says, signifies an imped ing or obstruction .

I know nothing of any such form of the name,and Lai ng gives no

authori ty. Bau/ez'

e“a strip of u nti l led ground between cu lt ivated

r idges,

” does not su i t, the vowe l sound be i ng long. Backie dim .

of back,and pl. 5, has been suggested , but I never heard the word so

used,and do not see th e sense of it. Backhouscroft

,Hadd ington

,and

Bakhouscroft,Kincard i ne

,seem to b e c lose paral lel s

,but these were

probably crofts attached to bakehouses . I n Aberdeenshi re there i s a

curiou s custom of cal l i ng a farmer by the first sy l lable of the name of h isfarm

,with z

'

es added , thus— D rummies, Whi ties, Edenies, Scurr ies, andmany such l ike. These names do not apply to the farms

,but to the

occupants, and are real ly n icknames,though no offence is i n tended or

taken . A farmer i n S trathbogie once occupied a farm cal led “Back 0’

Field,and for forty years was commonly known by no other name than

“ Backies .” Had thi s man gone i n to a croft after leaving his farm,i t

wou ld almost certai n ly have been cal led Backie’s Croft.” I n some suchway th i s place i n Glenbucket may have got the name.

Backstripes (Kintore) . 517223 , a smal l r i l l or streamlet.

Backtack (Glass) . Tack means a lease ; al so the farm or crofttaken ” from the land lord . I n old Acts of Parl iament the tenants are

cal led the takaris,”and the land occupied the takkis.

”

Sco. D ict.

Bad (Cai rn ie) , ob s. 1545, Bad, 3 10 3. See Baad . The placei s nowcal led Binha’.

Badachuirn (Corgarff) . Bad a or hamlet of therowan .

Badanire (Dyce) . 1697, Retou r 50 3 . Possibly the “west clump orhamlet,

” but the place is now unknown .

Badanseaneach , Bu rn of (Logie Coldstone, The spel l i ngsuggests the mean ing

,

“c l ump of the old horses

,

”and th is was probably

i n tended . More l ike ly the name i s Badmz l i ttle c l ump of thefox .

”

38 THE PLACE NAMES

Badinle robs . (Lumphanan) . 1698, Retour 505. Badau lz’at/z,

“ l i ttlegrey c l ump .

Badinshalloc’h , obs. (Glenmuick) . 1766 , Aberg. pp .

“ Little clumpof wi l lows .”

Bad Leanna (Corgarfi’

,More l i ke ly Badlz'cma

,

“c l ump of the

meadow. The name appl ies to a bi t of green pastu re on the Burn ofTornahaish .

Badmachais (B i rse) . Rental 151 1 , I . , 377, obs .

Badnab einne Cl ump or hamlet of the hi l l .

Badnach raskie (Logie Coldstone, Badan a’

c/zmsg ,

“c l ump of

the cross ing.

”

Bad na cuaiche (Tarland , det . 3 , As given i n the map , the namemeans the “

c lump of the cup

'

or hol low,

” but i t may b e Bad 7mcuaz'

c/z,

c l ump of the cuckoo.

Badnacunner (Hil l) (Bi rse) . Th e spel l i ng here given is accord ing tolocal pron . The map has Badnacauner. 159 1 , Badnacuinner,

1898. See Drumnafanner.

Badnagaoch (Logie Coldstone) . 1681 , Baudageach , Retou r 450 .

The Val. Rol l of 1895has Badnagaugh , and of 1865Badengauch . Badmz

gaot/zac/z,“windy c l ump or hamlet.” The local pron . i s Badenagauch ,

and the s l ight vowe l sound fol lowing 72 seems to come i n for the sake ofrhythm , and to b e no part of the art . Like most of the gaucks , th is placei s s i tuated at the junct ion of two burns , and exposed to every gale ofwi nd from whatever quarter i t may come.

Badnagiugal(Glenmuick) , ob s. Said to have been a place west ofPol lach Burn . The spel l i ng c losely represents the pron , but is uncertai n .

The Gael ic may be Bad 72a cuz’

gez'l,hamlet of the distafi‘i”

Badnaman (Rhyn ie) . An extens ive moss in the Essie d istrict ofRhyn ie. Bad na moine

,c l ump or hamlet of the moss . I n th e west of

Scotland and i n I reland the name is rendered Bad-na-méan, hamlet ofthe women

,

”but I have found no certain example i n this d istrict of b

ecl ipsed by m.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. 39

Badnamoon (Tarland , det. 3 , Bad 72a moine, c l ump of the moss .

Bad na Muig (Glentanner, Bad 7m mu z'

c, pigs

’

. clump.

Bad nan Cuileag (Crathie, Cl ump of the flies.

Bad nan Dearcag (Crath ie, C lump of the l i ttle berries .

Badsalloch (Leochel Cushn ie) . Badshalloch Val. Rol l,which is

probably right. Bad“c l ump of wi l low. Badsalloch would

mean fou l,miry c l ump .

”

Badyb uller Burn (Leochel Cushn ie) . Badmz “ l i ttle c lumpof cresses .”

Badychark (Leochel Cushn ie) . Badan c/zean '

,

“ l i ttle clump of thehens (grouse) .

Badygallows Hill(Leoche l Cushn ie) . [This name must b e a corrupt ion . Poss ibly i t may have been a gal low h i l l , which m ight accou nt forthe curious combinat ion of a Gael ic and an Engl ish word . A t the footof the h i l l i s Badsalloch

Badyground (M idmar) .

Badyth rochar Bu rn (Leoche l Cushn ie) . Bad a’

c/zroc/zazre, the

rogue’s c lump .

Badyvin (Alford) . 1696 , Badivines, Pol l Book ; 1637, Badivine, Ant.IV .,

140 ; 1595, Baldevin ,225. Baz

'lz‘e mead/zoz’

n,

“midd letowns. The Val. Rol l spel ls Baldyvin.

Bagramill(Forgue) . Bagraw i s a common name throughout thecoun try, excepti ng the Highlands and Backrawal so occurs, though not

so frequently. The latter,I th i nk, i s the proper form of the name. I n a

Forfarsh ire charter Balgray and Bagrawapply to th e same place,but this

i s most l i kely an error. Balgray wou l d b e a very i nappropriate name toth is place i n Forgue, whi le Back-rawdescribes it exactly.

Ba’

h ill(D rumblade) . This h i l l is supposed to have been a resort i nold times of those who played foot-bal l

, and therefore came to be known

40 THE PLACE NAMES

as the Ba’-hi l l . I t is hard ly poss ible to imagine a more unsu i table place

for such a game,and i t i s almost certai n that the second syl lable i s not

the Engl ish word hi l l . There i s a Ba’b illnear E l lon,where there i s no

h i l l to which the name cou l d apply. I th ink i t i s poss ible Ba’b illmay bea s l ightly corrupted form of Bez

'

tfi ckoz’ll

,

“ birch-wood . Oi s imi larcompounds i n I rish names Joyce gives Leamfidzoz

’

! “elm-wood

Eocfioz’ll

,

“

yew-wood ” ; “haz el -wood ” ; and creamkc/zoz'll

,

“wi ldgarl ic wood .

”

On the north face of th is hi l l there was, u nti l lately, aspring, long known as the Bi rk Wel l ie

,

”and immed iately to th e south

is the farm of Birkenhill. These may be derived from the h i l l -name.

The pronunc iation of Ba’b illis pecu l iar. The stress,though not strongly

marked,i s on the first syl lable, whi le i n pure ly Engl ish compounds of

hi l l,such as Blackhill

,Whitehi l l

,Brownh ill, and Cairnhill, the stress fal l s

on h i l l . There i s on ly one other exception to the ru le, so far as Iremember, and that is the Kyeh ill, where the s tress i s on kye, and th isal so , l i ke Ba

’

b ill, i s of doubtfu l origi n . Although the name i s obscure,i t

i s probably of Gael ic origin , and B i rch -wood poss ibly the mean ing.

Baikieh ill(Auchterless) . 1696 , Baukich illand Bakiehill, Pol l Book1540 , Bakyh ill, 2 148.

“Back of h i l l . 50 Back 0’

field,D rum

blade, i s pronounced Bacé z'

efi ela’.

Bailliesward (Hun tly) .

Baine Slack (Towie, A secluded hol low, local ly“ supposed to

b e so named because of th e finding of an imal s’ bones there.

”

Perhaps so, b ut we general ly pronounce bones in Abdn. Sco. bez'

m‘

.

Bainshole (Forgue) . [Personal Name ]

Ba irns Hi l l (Auch indoir, Tradition says that a dead chi ld was atone t ime found o n the h i l l , but what was so remarkable about this eventas to give rise to the name i s not told . I t i s more l i kely that Tom intou l ,barn -h i l l or knol l

,may have been the old name.

Baiuck de Forane (Echt) . Th is name i s given in a Retou r of 1630

the forest of Baiuck de Forane,” bu t I have not found i t e l sewhere,

and i t i s now en ti rely unknown .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. 4 I

Bakebare (Drumoak) . A humorous Scotch name, i nd icati ng poorunproduct ive land . This doggere l i s cu rrent i n the d istrict— Bakebare

,

Brewth in , C law the wa’s, and Cleekumin . These are, or were, names ofplaces. Oi the same c lass we have Th irstyh illock, Wardlesend, FrostyN ibs

,Gaucyhillock, Peeledegg, andWealthytown .

Bakieb utts (Dyce) .“Back of the butts . Bu tt

, Sco. a smal lp iece of ground detached from th e adjacent lands . (2) Groundappropriated for pract is i ng archery. Jam. Sco. D ict.

Balachaileach Val. Rol l . Baz'le “

town of theold women .

”

Balaclachair Towie 6 . Baz'le a’

clzlac/zaz'r mason’s town . obs.3

Balastrade (Logic Coldstone) . 1696 , Bellastraid, Pol l Book ; 1529 ,Balnastraid, 844. 8 11 172 7la srdz

'

de,

“ town of the lane or street.”

There was a hamlet at th is place i n old times .

Balblair (M idmar) . 1696 , Ballblair, Pol l Book ; 1674, Bablair,Retour 423 . 8 11275 b/dz

'

r,town of the field.

Balch immy (Leochel Cushn ie) . 1573 , Balquhamie, Ant. IV. , 762 ;

1563 , Balchemy, Ant. IV ., 753 ; 1546 , Balchymmie, Ant . IV ., 326 ;

151 1 , Balchemy,R.M .S. Kemmie

’

s or Combie’s town .

Baldyfash (Rayne) . 1696 , Badachash , Pol l Book 1 376 , Badychayse

and Badochayse, I ., 10 8. Bad 4’

ckdz'

se,“clump or hamlet of the

cheese.

” Perhaps a place noted for the making of cheese.

Balfedie (Bi rse) . 1696 , Balfedey, Poll Book 1586 , Balfady,1 1 37; 151 1 , Balfaddy, I . 374 ; 1 170 , Ballynfady, I .

,1 2.

Baz’le na feaa

'a,

“ town of the wh ist l i ng or blast.” From the s ituat ion , Ith i nk th is must b e a very windy place.

Balfentaig (Crath ie, Badfantich was the name given to me, but Ido not know which is right

,nor what the mean ing of e i ther may b e.

Balfluig (Al ford) . C.S. Balfleg. 1 649, Petfluig,Ant. IV.,

688 ; 1606 ,

Polfluge, Retou r 10 2 ; 1595, Polflig, 225. P ollflz’

uc/z,

“wet

hol low .

”

42 THE PLACE NAMES

Balforsk (Monymusk) . 1654, Balquhorsk, Retou r 324 ; 1597, Balquhorsk, 598. Baz

'le ckorsg = clzmsg ,town of the cross ing.

”

Balfour (Tul lyness le, B i rse) . 1532, Bal fou r (Tu l lyness le) ,1 194 ; 1 170 , Balfoure (B i rse) , I . , 1 2 . Common derivat ion , Baz

'lefuar,

“cold town .

”MacBain and Wh itley S tokes derive four from

Pictish,correspond ing to Welch pawr , pastu re land .

”

Balgairn (Glengairn) . Town on the Gai rn . See Ab ergairn .

Balgaveny (Forgue) . 1699, Balgavney,Retour 516 . Bank gobfiaz

’

nrz,

sm ith’s town .

”Pitgaveny, Morayshire, appears i n old charters as

Pitgowny and Pitgouny, and Skene cons iders allthese as late forms ofBothgauenan ,

Bothngouane, and Bothcrgouenan of th e Pictish Chron ic les ,and Bothgofnane of Fordun. There is a Petgaveny i n Bou rtie, Aberdeensh ire

,but there are no records old enough to show whether the original

form was Both or Pett.

Balgosie (Dyce) . 1696, Baggeose, Pol l Book . Baz'le

town of the fir-wood . The name i s now very appropriate,as i t may

have been in old t imes . The farm is on the edge of the fi r wood onTyrebaggar Hi l l . The change from u to o i s not common , b ut i t wou ldappear from the P0 11 Book spel l i ng to b e modern .

Balgowan (Ke ig) . 1573 , Balgowne, Ant. IV ., 485 1543 , Ballingowin,

Ant. IV., 481 . Baz’legobfiaz

'

mz,smi th’s town .

Balgrennie (Logie Coldstone) . 1628, Balgrene, Retou r 209 ; 1600 ,

Balgranny, 10 50 . 8 12272 g rz'

anaciz , sun ny or warm town .

”

Balhaggardy (Chapel of Garioch) . 1696 , Balharty,Pol l Book I 549,

Balhagertie, Court Books , Co] . 1 16 ; 1355-7, Balehagh irdy, C0 1. 537.

Baz'le sagaz

’

r t,priest’s town .

Balhangie (Bi rse) . 1642 , Balhanz ie, Retour 256 . 8 11273 t/zeangaz’

d/z

town of the tongue (of land) . I t i s a point of land at the junct ion ofthe Burn of Cattie and the Dee.

Balhennie (Glengairn) . [Cf. Balh inny.)


Balh inny (Rhyn ie) . 1600 ,Balhanie

,Huntly Rental 1578, Balhenne,

2814 ; 151 1 , Balhenny, 3599. Baz'le (P)

“Kenneth’s town .

”

Cf. Balch inny, i n th e Garioch (ob s ) , al so cal ledBalmach inny,

which latter seems to mean St. Kenneth ’s town,but why

dedicated to th is sai n t I do not know .

Balintuim (Braemar) . Baz’l’ ( mtuz'm, town of the round knol l .

Bal lab eg (Glengairn) . Baz'le éeag ,

l ittle town .

Bal loch (Braemar and Cai rn ie) . Bealac/z,

“a pass .

Ballachalach (Crath ie) . Val. Rol l C.S. Balhollak. 170 2, Bellachailach , Aber. pp. 1698, Bellachayllach , Aber. pp . 1607, Bellah illach ,

1962 ; 1 358, Ballekadlach ,Ant. IV . , 715. The last reference i s

doubtfu l . I n the same charter i s the spe l l i ng Ab ergedly for Ab ergeldy.

Probably the name i s 8 11 172 ckaz'lleac/z, town of th e old women (nuns P) .

Ballachdearg (Braemar) . Bealac/z dearg'

,red pass .

Ballochdub h (Glenbucket) . Bealac/z duéh , black pass .

Ballachlaggan (Crath ie) . C .S Belchlaggan ; 1564, Ballachlagan,

Ant. I I , 89. Bank a’

c/zlazgz'

nn, town of the sku l l or round -headed

knoH.

Ballach rosk (Glengairn) . Baz'le c/zrasg ,

town of the crossi ng orcross -road .

Ballamore (Glengairn) . Baz'le mar

,big town .

Ballanturn. Baz'le an t-suz’m

,town of the ki l n .

Bal later (Tul l ich) . 1600 ,Bal lader

,Huntly Rental ; 1596, Bal later,

499. Bal later i s pronounced i n Gae l ic somewhat l ike Re’alter orBe

’

halter, which may poss ibly b e a contraction of townof the wooded stream

,i f Callater has th i s mean ing. (See Loch Callater.)

The contractions are i n harmony with the pract ice of the d istrict. The

I of the Baldrops i n common speech very often, as i n Ba

’

voralforBalmoral and Ba

’

vaglich for Balvaglich . Callater is al so pronouncedCallter, thus accoun ting for the modern form

,Bal later, i n which the

44 THE PLACE NAMES

second a i s retai ned, and also for the Gae l ic, from which i t has been lost.

The changes , I suppose, wil l best appear i n th is way— Modern Engl ish ,Ba[i le ch ]allater ; Gael ic, Ba[i le] chall[a] ter. I give th is conjecturalexplanat ion s imply as possible. Al l other derivations wh ich have beenoffered are man i festly wrong

,the stress bei ng thrown on the second

syl lable. For this reason Baz’le lez'tz'r , “

town of the h i l l s ide, i s whol lyi nadmiss ible. I t is also unsu itable

,as Bal later does not happen to b e on

or near a hi l ls ide which wou ld , or cou ld , b e cal led alez'tz'r .

Bal laterach (Glenmuick) . C.S. Ballétrach . 1696 , Bellatrach , Pol lBook ; 1600 ,

Balleatrache, Huntly Rental . G. Baz'le lez’lreac/z

,

“ town ofth e hi l ls ide.

”Baz

'le nether town ,”has been suggested

,but I

preferlez'treac/z, because the second I is strongly marked i n the pronunc iat ion .

Ballintorrye, obs . (Glenmuick) . Huntly Rental of 1600 . Baz'la cm

tomz'

g/z, town of the height .”

Ballochan (Bi rse and Glengairn) . Baz’laloc/zaz'n, town of the l i ttle

loch or marshy place.

Ballochb egy (Cabrach) . 1508, 3276 . Bealac/z 13mg ,

“ l i ttlepass .” The name i s now forgotten in the d istrict, bu t, accord ing to thecharter of 150 8, there can b e l i ttle doubt i t was th e pass between the

Upper and Lower Cabrach, and was described as“ l i ttle ” i n contrast to

th e Mei kle Bal loch between Cabrach and Mortlach .

Ballochb uie Forest (Braemar) . Bealac/z buz'

d/ze,‘i

‘ yel low pass .There i s also a Ballochbuie Hil l i n Towie.

Bal logie (M idmar, Braemar, Bi rse) . Baz'lelagaz

'

zz, town of the l i ttle

hol low . Bal logie was formerly the name of M idmar Cast le. See Ant.I I ., 42.

Balmannoks (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . Baz’la 772617161611,

“monks’ town .

See Ennets.

Balmenach (Glengairn) . Baz'le mead/zonac/z, midd le town .

Balmoral (Crathie) . 1696 , Balmurell, Pol l Book 1677, Balmurral,Aberg. pp. 1633, Balmorell, Spald . Cl. Mis. , I I I . , 85 1451 , Bouchmorale,

46 THE PLACE NAMES

Bal h aan (Glengairn) .

Balnab oth (Bi rse) . 1696 , Bonoboth , Pol l Book ; 1 170 , Balneboth ,I .,1 2 . Bank 71am bot/z, town of th e huts or bothies .”

Balnacoil(Crathie, Baz'la 71a coz

'l/e,town of the wood .

Balnacroft (Crath ie) . Same 1607, and 1677, Aberg., pp .

Bade 7mcroz'

t,town of the croft.

Balnahard (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Balnehard, Rental , I ., 374. Bank

71aluiz'm’e,town of the he ight.

Balnakellie (Leoche l ) . 1696 , Belnakelly and Bennakelly, Pol l Book1472 , Balnakely, Ant. IV. , 322. Baz

'le na raz'lle

,town of the wood .

Balnalan (Crathie,

Balnoe (Crathie and Glengairn) . Baz’le 7107711212, newtown .

Balnourd (Braemar ) , obs . I n the V. of D., p. 642 , i t i s said there was

a chapel at this place, two miles beneath the church on Dee. I do notknow the spot

,bu t the name i s, no doubt Baz

’le an u z'

m’

,

“ town of the0 rd .

”

Balnuilt (Crathie) . Baz'le cm uz

’l/t, town of the Burn .

Balquhain (Chapel o’

Garioch) . 1 696, Ballquhine, Pol l Book ; 1606 ,Balquhen ,

Retou r 104 ; 1457, Balquhain, C0 1. 530 ; 1433 , Balchane,charter, Farm. of Lesl ie

,I I I ., 46 1 . The local pron . i s Balwhyne. I f the

name is descriptive, which is doubtfu l , i t may be Baz'la cfiuaz

'

ne,town of

the corner or bend,

”

and ei ther mean ing would b e appl icable,for the old

cast le may b e said to stand at a corner of Bennach ie,and faces a sharp

bend of the water of Urie. 0 1d Balquhain, I nverur ie, shou ld b e Oldtownof Balquhain. I ts present form i s m is lead ing.

Balquharn (Tu l lyness le) . 1420 , Balkarne, Ant. IV., 384. Baz’le c/zdm ,

town of the cai rns .

Balvack (Monymusk) . 1604, Balvak, 1537; 1549, Bovak

Court Books, C0 1. 1 2 1 . Baz'le Mair, town of the marsh .

”


Balvaglie (Crath ie) . 1782 , Belvaglich ; 1738, Bellvauglich ; 1698,

Bavaglech , Aberg. pp. ; 1607, Bogvaglich , R.M.S 1962 ; 1 358, Botwaglach , Ant. IV., 715. The second syl lable i s general ly short, but somet imesi t i s pronounced long

,wh ich makes the der ivat ion uncertai n . The

Gael ic may b e Bal'le Moglaz

’

c/z,town of the marsh .

Balvale (Monymusk) . This name appears i n a Retou r of 1654, b ut

I have not seen i t e lsewhere. Perhaps i t should read Balvak.

Balvalley (Cabrach) . This name only remain s as the Moss ofBalvalley there i s no farm so-cal led . The moss l ies c lose to the M i l ton

,

and Ballyvoulin may poss ibly have taken th is form . I t i s more l ikely,

however, that it was origi nal ly the name of the farm now cal ledAldivalloch

,properly the bu rn name near to th is moss. Balvalley would

thus mean “ town of the pass ,”

the old road from the Cabrach to

Glen l ivet.

Balvenie (Leochel ) . Pol l Book. Seems to b e a mistake for Balverie.

Balvenie Stone (Monymusk, The origi n of the name i s unknown.

Balverie, 1685, Retou r 446 1676 , Aboyne Records , p . 343. ProbablyBalwearie, Leoche1, though i t appears as belonging to the Aboyne estates,and perhaps th is place i n Leochel d id .

Balwearie (Leochel) . See Dalweary.

Banchory Deven ick (Parish) . 151 1 , Banquhorydevny, Rental ,R.E.A. I ., 356 ; c . 1 366 , Bencory Deuenyk , C0 1. 22 1 ; 1 362 , BanchoryDeueny, C0 1. 272 ; 1 346, Banquhore Deuyne, Co] . 270 ; 1 244, Banch ri

Deveny, C0 1. 268. Accord ing to the “Aberdeen Brev iary,

” Sai n t Devenic,

C. was buried at Banquhory Deuynik. He i s honoured at Creich and

Methl ick . The late D r. Skene appears to have been doubtfu l about thederivat ion of Banchory

,but I thi nk i t i s of the same c lass as Duchery,

Glaschorie and Garchory. I f so,Bdfl-ckoz

'

re means the l ight colou redcom e. I do not

,however, know where th i s corrie is. A mere bucht

i n a hi l l i s often cal led a corrie i n the low coun try.

48 THE PLACE NAMES

Bandeen (Leochel ) . 1696 , Bandine, Pol l Book ; 1524, Ballinden,

Ant. IV., 350 ; 1457, Ballindene, C0 1. 606 . Baz'le cm a

’az

’

ng z'

rm (P)“ town

of the strength or fort.” Cf. Bal l i nd i ne,Longford

,I reland . I do not

think a’z‘

m or gen. dz‘

zz'

n,

a fort,

” wou ld have become deer: or dine, andprefer daz

'

ngez'

flfl,espec ial ly as i t agrees so closely with I rish names .

Bandley (Alford) . 1696 , Bonlay and Bondlay, Pol l Book 1620 ,

Baddenley,Retour, 168 1595, Badinly, 225. Badanlz'atfi

,l i ttle

grey cl ump. Cf. Badenlea H il l , S trathdon , andBadinle, Lumphanan .

Bandodle (M idmar) . 1696 , Bandodel, Pol l Book ; 1504, Balnadodil,Ant. I I . , 45 ; 1 380 ,

Balnadodyl, Ant. I I . , 43. Bank 72a dué/z (P)town of the dark wood .

”

Bandory (Aboyne) . See Bellandore, Glenmuick . The P0 11 Bookgives Bellindoire, suggesting J oin ,

a“ th icket

,

” but the vowel i s short,

and would yiel d deny.

“Town of the height i s most probably the

mean ing.

Bandshed (K i ntore) . A ridge d ivid ing two mosses. Band meansth e top or summit, as the

“ band of a hi l l .” 572211 of land,i s a portion

of land as d ist ingu i shed from that wh ich is adjacent. 50 says the 5co.

D ict ., but th e explanat ion is more difiicult to understand than the wordexplai ned . Bandshed, I suppose, means 51mply the d ivi sion ridge.

Bankfoot (Newhills) .

Bankhead (Cl uny) .

Banteith (M idmar) . 1696 , Banteeith , Pol l Book . Baz’le 7m tuat/z,

town of the husbandmen .

Bardock (S trathdon) . Possibly Bard here means a“ dyke. The

terminal 0g i s of frequent occurrence i n the names of streams both inth is country and i n I re land . The Burn of th e Dyke would be a veryappropriate name, as i t suppl ied water to the Dun of Invernoch ty. Igive this mean i ng as possible

,though extremely conjectu ral . This burn

is local ly cal led the R iver Bardock,though qu ite a smallstream .


Barefolds (Glass) .

Bareh illock (Logie Coldstone) .

Bar Hil l (Gartly) . The Gael ic word bdrr i s rarely, i f ever, used inAberdeensh i re, and I i nc l i ne to th i nk that the local Opin ion as to th isname and Barr H i l l , Ken nethmont, is r ight, viz . ,

that i t i s the old Scotchform of “bare

,

”

aswe st i l l use i t i n bar-fi t,that i s “bare-footed .

”Bar is also

an old spel l i ng of h ere or barley, but it wou ld scarcely b e appropriate as

a h i l l -name.

Barkhous (Monymusk) . 1628, Retou r 2 10 . Nowu nknown .

Barlatch Wood (part Huntly) . Bar,see Bar Hi l l . A bare latch i s

an express ion i n common use,describing a wet , sou r piece of land ,

general ly clay land , on which nothing wi l l grow unti l thoroughly drai ned .

Barmekin (Echt, Keig) .“Barmkyn , Bermkyn. The rampart or

outermost fortification of a castle. Ruddiman der ives i t from Norm . Fr.

barbycan,Fr. barbacane. I f not a corr. of barbycan, it may b e

from Teut. bdrm, beam , éerm,a mound or rampart ; and perhaps kin , a

d im inutive. Scot. Dict. , New Ed. The Imperial D ict. gives the samemean ing, and derives the word from berm. Cosmo I nnes, i n “EarlyScott ish H istory,

” gives Barmekyn =Barbican . See gloss .

Barnes, M i l l of (Premnay) . Pron . Barns.

Barnoch Hil l (Glenbucket, G. beamac/z,gapped , notched , in

dented .

Barnton (Echt) .

Baronet’

s Cai rn (Tarland , det . A cai rn on the Lonach Hil l ,erected by the tenantry in Strathdon , to commemorate the elevat ion ofS i r Charles Forbes , M .P . ,

to the d ign ity of a baronet, 1823.

Baronmoss (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . C.S. Baron’s Moss.

Baron’

s Hole . Pool on the Dee, Glentanner Water.

Barreldikes (Rayne) .

50 THE PLACE NAMES

Barrounrow,obs . (B i rse) . 159 1 , 1898.

Barrowh illock (P remnay) . The P0 11 Book has Burriehillock, and theVal. Rol l , Burryh illock, no doubt so named from the bur— or burryth ist le.

”

Barrowsgate (Drumoak) .

Bart le Mu i r (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . The stance on which Bartle Fai ri s held . Bartle= 5t. Bartholomew,

but how h is name became assoc iatedwith a horse market I do not know,

un less i t was original ly appoi nted tob e hel d on h is day, the 24th August.

Bass, The (I nverurie) . I cannot make a s i ngle suggest ion as tothe derivation of th i s word , Bass, nor have

Bass Of Boddam (I nsch) I seen any so called explanation whichappeared to me of the smal lest val ue. I suppose the Bass Rock

,the

Bass of I nveru rie, and the Bass of Boddam must go together, at leastu nti l they are proved to b e d ifferent . The appearance of the BassRock i s known to most people ; the Bass of I nveru rie was, no doubt ,origi nal ly a natural ly-formed sand hi l lock the Bass of Boddam is now a

flat piece of ground , about 5 acres i n extent,whatever i t may have been .

I t would b e hard to find a word appl icable as a descript ive name to allthe three.

Basquharnie, obs . (Cai rnie) . Quharnie i s probably derived fromcarnack = Cairnie, q .v. Bas i s doubtfu l

,but may be bat/mz

'

s,“ brow

,and

the name would thus mean the “ brow of the stony place, or place ofcai rn s.”

Battlebog Pot (Glass) . There i s no trad it ion connected with th isname.

Battleh illock (Kildrummie) . Supposed to be the s i te of a battlebetween th e Engl ish and Bruce

,but there i s real ly noth ing known

about it .

Battleh ill(Huntly) . I have not found a s i ngle reference to this h i l li n any old document, and the so-cal led trad it ion s of a battle betweenBruce and the Comyns are mere conjectu res .

OFwesT ABERDEENSHIRIZ. 51

Baud (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Bad,Rental , I . , 376 , a c l ump , hamlet .

Baud Ch raskie Hil l (Logie Coldstone) . Bad,

“a c lump ch raskie

,

from crasg , G. form of E . cross i ng, c l ump of the cross ing.

”

Macfarlanesays the h ighway between Aberdeen and the heights of S trathdonc rosses th is h i l l .”

Baudenh ilt Bu rn (Bi rse, Bad 7162 lz-cfz'lde, “ c lump of the h ind .

Trib. of Feugh .

Baudlane Bu rn (Bi rse , Trib. of Peugh .

Baudygown (Cl u ny) . 1696 , Badigaan,Pol l Book . Bad a

’

c lump or hamlet of the smith.

”

Baudylace Bog (Bi rse,Baudy Meg (Aboyne) , Hi ll-name. Bad 7111 mm (P)

“c lump of the

pigs.”

Bawh into (Leochel ) . C.S. and spel l i ng, Behinties. 1579-80 , Belhentie,55 ; 1542, Hardbalhinte, 2810 ; 1527, Bawhinti and

Belh inti, Ant. IV. , 325. I suppose th i s name must go along wi thTibberch indy, Alford formerly wri tten Toberchenz e, and i f so, the

mean i ng is “Kenneth’s town .

”

Hardbalhinte i s Upper-Balh into. The

presen t form has the E. pl. added , the place be i ng, accord ing to the P0 11Book, occupied as two farms. I t is 110W d iv ided i nto three crofts, midd le,north and south Behinties.

Beachar, Forrest of (Braemar) . This forest,accord ing to Straloch ’s

map, 1654, lay between Quoich and Feardar Bu rns. The name seemsnow to b e forgotten .

Bealach Dearg (Braemar, Red pass.

Bealach Odhar (Glenmuick, Dun pass.

Beansh ill(Petercu lter) .

Beardie Wood. There is no wood now on th is hi l l . I t iscovered with long bearded grass , which is supposed to have given riseto the name.

52 THE PLACE NAMES

Bedagleroch (S trathdon ) . Bad 72cm clez'reac/z, hamlet of th e c lergyHmen. This name is now ob s , and scarcely remembered i n the d istrict.

I t was near Badnagauch , though on the west s ide of DeskryWater. See

Ennock Hi l locks.

Bede House, obs. (Oyne) . In the View of the D iocese (C0 1. 527)i t i s said— There was an hospital at Pi ttodrie for four poor men (foundedunder K i ng Charles I I . , by W i l l iam Ersk ine of Pittodrie) , who ought tohave each one peck of meal and hal f a peek of mal t weekly ; to wearl ivery gowns and go to church on Sundays before the family. I t cons istsof two chambers and one mid - room . The Bede House stood near to themans ion house of P i ttodrie

,which is i n the barony of Balhaggardy, hence

i t is cal led in a Retour of 1662, Th e Hospital of Balhaggartie.

”

Bedlaithen, Bu rn of (Gartly,Trib. of Lag Burn . Badleat/zan,

broad c l ump.

”

Beggardykes (Kennethmont) .

Begsb urn (Echt) .

Begsh ill(Drumblade) . 1693 , Bogeshill, Ant. I I I . , 520 . Fifty yearsago thelowgrou nd was bog, and peats were cut on land now cu l tivated .

Begsleys (Dyce) .

Beinn a’Bhuird (Braemar) . C.S. Ben a bou rd ; Straloch ’

s Map, 1654,

B i n i bourd M .

” Table moun tai n,the exact translat ion , i s the mean ing

given by the Gael ic people of the d istrict.

Beinn a Chaoruinn (Braemar) .“Hil l of the mountai n ash

,ac

cord ing to the map , but perhaps Beinn a cai rn mountai n .

”

Beinn a Ch ruinneach (Corgarff) . Beinn a’ “ h i l l

of the gathering.

”

Beinn Bh reac (Braemar) . Speckled hi l l .

Beinn Bh rotain (Braemar) . Beinn a’

b/zrodzz z'

fm (P) hi l l of the goad ,staff.” Ci. Loch Bh rodainn , Badenoch .

54 THE PLACE NAMES

Bellantob er, PollBook. 160 0 ,Ballintober, Huntly

Rental ; 1552 , Ballantober, 499 . Bade (m tobaz'

r,town of the

we l l .”

Bellastreen (Glentanner, Aboyne) . 1676 , Bellastreen, AboyneRecords,

”

p . 347 1600 ,Balnastroyne , Huntly Ren tal , Spa] . Cl. Mis.

,IV

3 15. Baz'la fla sréz

'

ne, town of the nose —project ing part of a hi l l .

Bellfi eld (Newbi l l s) .

Bellh illock (Rhyn ie ) . Near Chape l Cai rn , Ess ie, and was probablythe h i l lock on which the chape l be l l was suspended .

Bellnacraige (Cou l l ) , Poll Book. Craigtown .

Bellotyn (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . See Bel tie.

Bellrory Hill (Glen tan ner, Aboyne) . Baz'le Roderick’s

town,

” but there are no records of any such farm town i n the neighbou rhood .

Belnab oddach (S trathdon ) . Bade 7mm bodac/z, “ town of the old men.

Belnab oth (Glass , Glenbucket, Towie) . Baz'le ftam bot/z, town of the

hu ts or both ies .

Belnacraig (Aboyne, Glass, Glenbucket, Lumphanan) . Baz'la 1m

crezge, town of the craig.

”

Belnagarth (Banchory Deven ick ) . Baz'le mm gort, town of the

fields. Gort i s common in place-names,as gort, gart, garth , and

gorth .

Belnagaul(Strathdon ) . Baz'le mm gall, “ town of the strangers

Engl ish town .

Belnaglack (Glenbucket) . Baz'le 7la glaz

'

e,“ town of the glack or

hol low i n a h i l l , or between hi l l s.”

Belnagowan (Aboyne, Cou l l ) . 1676 , Bellagoven,Aboyne Records,

1638, Balnagown, Aboyne, Retou r 243 . Baz'le mm town of

the sm iths.”


Belnallen (Braemar) . C.S. Balnéllan. Baz'le cm dz

'lez'n,

“town of the

green or meadow.

”

Belneaden (S trathdon ) . Baz'la cm eua

’

az’

rm, town of the h i l l -face.

Belskavie (Drumoak) . C.S. Belskatvie. Baz'le sgezm/zeac/z

handsome, pretty, town .

Beltamore (Glenbucket) . 1510 , Ballyntymoir, Ant. IV. , 475°

1507,

Ballintamore, R.M.S. Baz'le tn/z m/zoz

'

r, town of the big house.

Belt ie, West, Mid, and East (K incard i ne O’

Neil) . 1560 ,Beltye,

Spald . Cl. Mis. , IV. ,225 ; 1520 ,

Belties, Ant. I I I . , 306 ; 140 8, Beldygordone, This last form of the name i s eviden tly of thesame c lass as Bal tyboys and Baltydaniel, I re land , mean ing Boyce’s andDonall ’s town - lands, from Bailte, pl. of Bai le, town or town land .

”

So

al so ,Boultypatrick, Patrick’s dai r ies . Joyce, I .

, 351 and 240 .

Beltimb (Glenbucket) . 1696 , Beltom, Pol l Book . Baz'la tuz'm

, townof the knol l .

Belwéde (Aboyne) . 1696 , Bel lwood,Pol l Book ; 1685, Balvad,

Retou r 466 ; 1600 ,Balwaid, Huntly Ren tal ; 1538, Belwode, “ Aboyne

Records,”

p . 87. Built: b/zaa’, town of the clumps or thickets.”

Benaquhallie (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . I n local writi ngs somet imes

Ben-na-caillich , but C.S. is Benachéille, probably represent ing Bainu a’

h i l l of the (grouse) cock.

”

Ben Avon (Braemar) . Beinn Am/zrmn, hi l l of the Avon or river. (P)

Bendauch (Dyce) . 16 14, Beddindauche, Retour 132 ; 1472, Ballandauch , 1070 ; 1430 ,

Ballendauch , R.E.A I . , 230 . 8 11173 mm

dab/zaclz , town of the davochs.

”

Ben Macdhuie (Braemar) . Befun maz’

r du z'

b/ze,

“h i l l of the black

Sennach ie. The popu lar mean ing, “Hi l l of the paps , howeverappropriate i t may seem ,

i s total ly i nadm iss ible, and i t is condemned

56 THE PLACE NAMES

by allGaelic scholars . Oi the many other explanations Wh ich havebeen suggested , two may b e ment ioned . (1 ) That -c} u

'

e represents apersonal or tribal name. The legend i n the Pict ish Chron ic les tel lsthat Cruithne, K i ng of the Picts, divided among h is seven sons thecountry north of the Forth and C lyde, and Skene identifies hye ofthese d ivis ions i n Fi fe, Athol l , Fortrenn , Mearn s

,and Cai thness

,which

he cons iders to have been named after the i r respect ive ru lers . (Cel t.5cot., I ., He has al so suggested that Glenfed may have beennamed after another of the sons cal led Fidach . I t has been suggestedthat Ce, the remai n i ng son , ru led Mar and Buchan , and that he or h isfami ly gave the name to Bennach ie, the most prominent hi l l i n the centreof the prov ince. (2) That i f Bennachie i s a descriptive name, i t mayb e derived from ceat/zac/z,

“mist,or 62711, “rai n

”Beinn a

“h i l lof the mist,

” or Beinn a cfiit/ze,

“ h i l l of th e rai n,e i ther of which wou ld

describe one of the most strongly marked characterist ics of the hi l l .These are on ly conjectures . [Poss ibly Beinn a

’

£122,“ hi l l of the dog,

th e We l sh cz‘ “ dog ”

and not the Gael ic cz‘

z bei ng the form used i n thisname ]

Ben na Flog (Towie, Flog probably represents flz'

uc/z, wet,ooz y

,

”as i n Balfluig, bu t Ben mli s ei ther a corruption or a blu nder. The

name does not apply to a hi l l , but to a moor, or the lower s lope of a h i l l .Badan i s more l ikely the proper word , hence Badanflz

‘

uc/z, the wet l ittlec l ump.

”

Ben Newe (Strathdon ) . 1508, New,1438, Natie, Chamb .

Rol ls ; Nyew,V. of D. Co] . 6 17. The popular mean ing ass igned to

this name is the holy or sacred hi l l ,” whatever that means . I do not

think,however, that naomfi ,

“ holy,wou ld yield the local pron . Nyeow,

which rather seems to ind icate that i n i tial 71 may have been the articlefol lowed by a smal l vowel . Beinn cm ffi z

'

od/z (ih mute) ,“ hi l l of the

wood ,” by the loss of th e vowe l of the art . ,

wou ld more l i kely becomeBen Nyew than wou ld Ben Naomh . I do not say that th i s was theorigi nal form of the word , but i t serves to show that Newe may havebeen derived otherwise than from a word begi n n ing with n . I t i ssignificant that Cast le Newe is general ly cal led by the nat ives of StrathdonThe Newe, and the use of the Engl ish art ic le suggests that i t replaced

Professor Mack innon.


the Gael ic . Cast le is , of course, the Engl ish word , but there are norecords old enough to show i f th is was the origi nal name

,or i f i t

replaces Dun . Newe i s i n every way very obscure, and any conjectu reas to i ts mean ing i s of l i ttle real value.

BenstillBrae (Logie Coldstone , Ci. Bensillo’

the brae, that

part or poin t of an eminence which is most exposed to the weather.”

Scot . D ict .,newed. No sat isfactory derivat ion of the word is given .

Benthoul(Petercu l ter) . Stress on last syl lable.

Bents (Alford , K i ncard ine O’

Neil, Newbi l l s, Skene) . Bent, commonhai rgrass (Ag rostz

'

s Accord ing to Jamieson,ben t al so mean s

an open field ; more correctly,I shou ld say, an open hel d or moor on

which ben t grows .

Berryb raes (Kennethmont) .

Berryleys (Cai rn ie) .

Berry’s Loch (B i rse) . A croft so named from a smal l loch bes ide it.

Berv ie (Cou l l , Skene) . I know noth ing of the h istory of these places,

and can not tel l whether the name is borrowed or not . BerV1e, 1n

K i ncard i nesh i re, was formerly Bervyn. Mean i ng unknown .

Bethlen (M idmar) . 1696 , Bethlem,Pol l Book ; 1674, Betholme,

Retour 423 .

B icker Moss (Cai rn ie, Origin of the name unknown . Bicker,

i n Scotch , means a large wooden bowl , also a noisy contest,a brawl but

nei ther of these mean ings appears appl icable.

Biedlieston (Dyce) . Val. Rol l , Beidleston. 1696 , Bedleston,Pol l

Book ; 1562 , Baldestoun ,Ant. IV. , 745 ; 1524, Beldestoun ,

An t. I I I .,

244 ; 1494,Beildistoun

,Ant. I I I . , 242 ; 1478, Belistoune, 1 390 .

Biedlieston evidently means some person’s town , but i t wou ld requ i reolder references to determ ine th e exact form of the personal name.

Beedles occurs as an old su rname,and Bald ie is the Scot. d im . of Baldwin .

58 THE PLACE NAMES

There was a Baldwinstoun somewhere on the Dec, near Aberdeen ,belonging to the Church , but i t i s doubtfu l i f this name has the sameorigin . Cf. Bellistoun,

Fife.

B ields ide (Petercu l ter) . B ield,be i ld

,shel ter

,protect ion . The be i ld

s ide i s thelee or shel tered s ide, general ly of a hi l l as used i n place-names .

Big Stone 0’

Cam Beag. A Rock ing S tone,measuri ng from 9

feet to 1 2 feet i n d iameter, and supposed to weigh 20 tons,

I t

i s on the Pol lach Burn , Glenmuick. Cam Beag means l i ttle cai rn .

”

B i lb o (Auchterless) . Although a Gael ic derivat ion is tempting,the

stress,which is on the fi rst syl lable, forb ids it. The name i s

,no doubt

,

the Sco. bz’lbz'e, shel ter

,res idence. See Scot. D ict. , newcd.

Bildsyd (Banchory Deven ick) . Pol l Book . See B ields ide.

Bin, The (Cai rn ie) . [Bez

'

7m,

“ hi l l .

Binbank (Les l ie) .

Bingh ill(Petercu l ter) . 1696 , Bainshilland Bingall, Pol l BookBainischill

,81 1 .

Binhall(Cai rn ie) . Named from the Bin Hi ll. Formerly Bad, q .v.

Binside (Cai rnie) .

Birkenb rewl(Auchindoir) . I have not found th is word,brew ]

,

e l sewhere, and i t does not appear in the Scot. D ict . M i ss B lackie (Etymo.

D ict.) gives Brue l (Teut ) , a marshy place, overgrown wi th brushwood ,cognate with th e French breuz

'lor bruyére, a thicket.” Possibly birkenth icket,

”is the mean ing of the name.

Birkenb urn (Gartly) . Farm-name.

Birkenh ill(Bi rse, Gartly) . Birkynhill, Gartly, appears i n a Charterof 1 367, R EM.

Birkford (S trathdon) .

OF WEST ABERDEENSHIRE. 59

Bi rkhal l (Aboyne, Glenmuick) . Steirn was former ly the name of oldBi rkhal l , Glenmuick. See S ter in .

B irks (Echt, Monymusk) .

B irks Bu rn (Oyne) .

Birsack (Skene) . 1696 , Brissocks M i le and Birssock,Pol l Book ;

1637, Birsakeys-myle, Retou r 240 ; 16 12 , Birsakismylne and Bryssakis

mylne, 747and 769 . Birsakey is probably a personaln icknameformed by a double d im . , l ike wifockie, b ittockie, Jamackie, & c.

B i rse (Parish) . 1654, The Birs, Straloch ’

s Map 151 1 , Brass, Rental ,I ., 371 Forest of Birss

,same Rental c. 1 366 , Brass, Tax Col.,

2 19 ; c. 1275, Bras , Tax., I I ., 52. The common derivat ion given

ispreas , a bush, which is extremely doubtfu l . B ras, keen , impetuous, l i kea torrent, has been suggested , but what is now cal led the Burn of B i rse isas un l ike a torren t as wel l cou ld b e. The name may b e Pictish , bu twhether it is or not , the mean ing is enti rely lost.

Birseb eg and Birsemor (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Brassb eg and Brassmoir,Rental , I ., 371 . These are two farms i n the west corner of theparish , far apart from the Forest, and they add to the difficulty ofdeterm in ing where the name origi nated , or what its mean ing may be.

Birselawsie (Cluny) . 1696 , Buslassie, PollBook 1638, Blairglaslie,Retour 242 1460 - 1542, Barglassy, 2 100 .

Bishopdams (Peterculter) .

Bishopford (Petercu l ter) .

B ishopston (Newh ills) . Formerly B ishops-Clintertie or Clyntree,land be longing to the Bishop of Aberdeen . See Clinterty.

B ishop's Wel l , The (D rumblade) . There is nei ther record nor

trad i tion as to who the bishop was. The wel l i s on the farm of Cruich ie.

Bishoptown (Rayne) . To the Bi shop of Aberdeen be longed in earlyt imes a large port ion of the Shire of Rane, and the s i te of h is summerres idence may sti l l be seen at the v i l lage, near to which th is farm is.

60 THE PLACE NAMES

B isset’s C ross (Drumblade) . I n the Lessendrum papers this crofti s cal led the Cross of B isset. Trad ition says aman was shot at the place,but there is noth ing real ly known of such an event . The common formis B isset’s Cross , which probably means B i sset

’s Cross ing, that i s , the oldroad cross i ng the hi l l and forming the march of the Lessendrum propertyon th is s ide.

Bithnie (Tul lyness le) . This place is near the old Kirk of Forbes,and i n early times may have been church land . Th e ded ication of thekirk is u nknown

,but the name of the farm suggests 5t . Baithne. I n

Scotch , éotknewas a park i n which cattle were enc losed,al so a barony or

lordship (Scot. D iet ) . Th e word i n e i ther of these mean ings does notseem appl icable.

Blacharrage, obs . (Glenmuick) . C .S. Bla-charridge 1766, B lackharrage

,Aberg. pp . 1600

,Blaircharraige, Rental 1552 - 1596, B lai r

quharrage, R.M.S. Blair ckarraz'

a’e,field of stri fe ”

Blackback (Tul lyness le) . 1696 , Balkhead, Pol l Book . Now fro

quently cal led the Bau l k. Baué‘,bawe,

“a ridge d iv id ing fields

,a strip

of land left unploughed between cu l tivated fiel ds.”

Blackbaulk (Kildrummie) . Same as above.

Blackblair‘ (Drumblade) . This may b e a corruption of an oldername or i t may be bldr , “ a field,

” d istingu ished from another croft of thesame name by the Engl ish word black.

Blackb u rn (Dyce) .

Blackchamb ers (Kinel lar) .

Black Chape l of the Moor. The old name of Glentanner Church,

so cal led because of i ts be i ng thatched with heather.

Black C raig (Glenmuick) .

Blackdams (Echt) .

B lackford (Auchterless) .

62 THE PLACE“

NAMES

Blair (Chapel ) . Bldr,

“a field.

Blairbouie (Chapel) . Bldr bu z'd/ze, yel low field.

Blairdafi '

(Chapel) . 1528, Blairdaf, 56 1 ; 1 39 1 , Blardaf, Co] .540 . Possibly Duff’s field, but more l i kely Bldr daz'mk, “ox-field.

”

Ci.

Lawch tendafi’

, which was not far d istan t from this place, and the name,no doubt , contai ns the same root.

Blairdarrauch , obs . (B i rse) . 151 1 Rental , I .

, 371 .

daraz'

cfi,

oak-field.

Blairduf'lc (Clatt) . Duff’s field,or rather Blackfield.

Blairfads (B i rse, Blarfaa’, long field. E. pl. added .

Blairglass. Bldr glas, grey or greenfield.

Blairhead (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . Head of th e field.

Blairindinny (Clatt) . 160 2 , Blairdynnie, Ant. I I I ., 382 ; 1566 ,

Blairdynny, Ant. I I I . , 378. Blair cm t field of the fox .

Blairllck Hi ll(Cabrach) . Bldrleac, “ field of the flag-stones .

Blairnamuick (Strathdon ) . Blair 72am mac, “ field of the pigs .

Blairordans (Leochel ) . Blair ordain,field of the l i ttle 0 rd . E. pl.

added .

Blai rs (Towie, K i n tore) . Blair,

a field . E. pl. added .

Blairwick of C u lts (Kennethmont) . Bldr’ Muir,

“ buck’s field,or

Bldr mkuc,pigs’ field.

” These two words are pronounced almost al ikei n Gael ic, and e i ther wou ld yiel d w ick, bu t 611 more frequently becomes 20 .

B lankets, ob s. (Drumblade) . Probably a corruption or n ickname.

There are no old references , and the place is now cal led Woodside. The

name also occurs i n Bourtie.

Blar Ime (Tarland , det . “ Butter field, pasture yield ing a

large proport ion of butter i n the milk.


Blelack (Lumphanan , Logie-Coldstone) . 1657, Bleloch , Aboynepapers 1507, Blalok, R.M .S. Baz

'le az'lz'ck, town of the stone-houseCf. P itellach ie, same parish , and Blelack

,Perthshi re. Also Ballellich ,

Ross-sh i re. Whi tehouse i s the next farm to Blelack, Lumphanan , and a

white house,” i n old times

,mean t a stone and l ime house, as d ist ingu ished '

from a black house, bu i l t of tu rf and thatched with heather.

Blindb urn (Chapel , S trathdon , det .) A bl i nd burn is a bu rn on lyafter rai n at other t imes i t i s a dry channel .

Blindmills (Auchterless) .

Bloody Burn, The (Cou l l) . The local tradit ion is that th is bu rn ran

with blood for three days after a batt le with the Danes . Nearly allthebattles i n th is d istrict were with the Danes

,and allBleedy Burns once

on a t ime ran with blood for three days .

B lue Cairn (S trathdon , 50 cal led from rocks of a blue greycolour which crop ou t on this h i l l.

Bluefi eld, Bluemilland Bluemoor Hi l l (Towie) . These places arec lose together

,and probably are described as

“ blue from the colour ofthe so i l or of the grass on the moor.

Bl uewel l (Rayne) .

Bluthery We l l (Kemnay, A wel l on the glebe, not now used,

said to emit a cons iderable quanti ty of gas hence th e name, which meansbubbl ing.

Boar’

s Head (Huntly, A rock i n the Deveron,near Roth iemay

Bridge, supposed to resemble a boar’s head .

Boar’s Stone (Auchindoir, See Legend of the s laying of a boar,

as related i n Lumsden’s Family of Forbes,” the Stat istical Account, andother h istoricalnotices of th e Forb eses.

Bochmoloch , ob s. (Crath ie or Glengairn). 1677, Aberg. pp . Bot};

molac/z, rough bothy.

Boddam (I nsch) . The bottom or lower part of a val ley.

64“THE PLACE NAMES

Bodiebae (Cabrach) . 1600,Baldebaes

,Hun t ly Rental . Bad bez

’

t/ze,

birch c l ump.

Bodindeweill(Braemar) . S i r James Bal fou r says The R iverDee springes ou t of Corredee, on the confynes of Badenoch t , at a place,named by the barbarous i nhabitan ts Pittindawin and Bodindeweill(thati s th e deivells . so speakes these wylde scu rri lous people

,amongst

wych there i s hot smal l feare and knowledge of God.

”

Col. 78. Thisname i s now unknown .

Bodlenter obs . (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Rental , I . , 377.

Bodylair (Glass) . I n the Fife Estate Books,Badielair. Bad nalatre

,

c lump of the mare. Probably a place to wh ich mares were sent forsummer graz ing. See Mark ie Water.

Bog, The (Logie-Coldstone) .

Bogé irdy (Gartly) . Bog dz’

rde, bog of the he ight.

Bogancaller (Bi rse, A peat moss south of Hol l i n Burn . I donot know what caller means. Like so many names i n this parish i t is

,no

doubt,much corrupted . Coz

’lez'r,

a quarry would not b e appl icable, sofar as I am aware.

Bogancloch (Rhyn ie) . Bog nan clock, stony bog, so cal led from a

deposi t of great bou lders on a ridge surrounded by bogs .

Bogandacher (Bi rse, See Ardidacker.

Bogandhu (M idmar) Bogem dubk,l i ttle black bog.

Bogandy (Oyne) . And ies Bogg, Pol l Book.

Boganglaik (Aboyne) . 1676 , Boginglack ,Aboyne Records, 347.

Hogan glaz'

c, l i ttle bog of the hol low or defile.

Boganrearie (Logie Coldstone) . Rearie i s of very doubtful derivation .

S i x or e ight words are given which would su i t the sound , but i n everycase the mean ing is so indefinite that probably allare wrong. I supposethat an aspi rated cons . has dropped out of the name, but there are no oldreferences to warrant a conjecture what i t may have been .


Bogb raidy (Tul lyness le) . Possi b ly Bog érdg/zaa’

, upper bog. Morel ikely

, bog bradaz'

a’

fi , thief’s bog.

”

The accen ted vowel i s short.

Bog Brannie (Gartly, Bran means a r raven , and the name maybe the Raven’s bog.

”

Bogb uie (Strathdon ) . Bog éuz’

a’fie, yel low bog.

Bogcoup (Forgue) .

Bogendinny (Skene) . Bog an t fox’s bog.

Bogenjoss (Dyce) . 1696 , Boginjoss, Pol l Book ; 1673 , Boginioys,

Court Books, Ant. I I I . , 225. Bogan g z’

ubfzaz'

s, l i ttle bog of the fir ”

Bogenspro (Kinnoir, Huntly) . Spro is doubtfu l . Possibly it mayb e from spruafz,

“ fi rewood.

” There is an obsolete word which wouldmore read i ly become spro

,viz . , sprock, plunder , robbery, and some event

may have given rise to the name. Cf. Dilspro,near Aberdeen .

Bogentory (Cl u ny) . Bog an torraz'

d/z, bog of the he ight,or heaped

up place.

”

Bogerdeuch (Kinnoir) . Now the name of a Wel l,but originally it

must have appl ied to the ground around it,as th e mean i ng is “ black

boggy place.

”Boger i s a deriv . ofbog and deuch , a cor. of dubh .

Boge rfoul(Lumphanan ) . I suppose that “ fou l here represen ts cu!or cuz

'l,back or corner,

”

as i n Auch terfoul, a cor. of Auch tercoul. Bogaz'

r

ckuz’lmeans boggy back or corner.

Bogfennan (Forgue , The same name occurs i n Peebles-sh i re.

Bogfern (Leochel ) . 1557, Bogfarne, 1 208. Bogfeama, alder

bog.

”

Bogforge (Cai rn ie) . 1638, Retou r 242 1663 , Boigferge, Retour 369.

Bog feumc/z,grassy bog.

”

66 THE PLACE NAMES

Bogforlea (Tarland , det. No. Perhaps bog of the grassy loch orpool .” See Fai rley.

Bogforth (Cai rn ie, Forgue) . The fourth or quarter— probably of aploughgate— having a hog upon , or bes ide it.

Bogfossie (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . Bog fosaz'

a’k (P) , bog of the d itch .

Bogfouton (Forgue) . 1699, Bogfultoune, Retour 516 . Ful ton and

P ou lton are common allover the coun try,and

,I suppose

,refer to marshy

places .

Bogfruskie (Leochel -Cushn ie) .“Bog of the cross ing

,from crasg ,

Gael ic form of Engl i sh cross i ng. Cf. Tillyfroskie, B i rse.

Bogfur (Kintore, Kemnay) . 1675, Bogfurr, Retou r 425. Fur seemsto be 5cotch = furrow,

but used here i n a loose way,mean ing a piece of

land. Minfur,Kildrummie, i s no doubt al so Scotch . I do not know any

Gael ic word which cou ld even b e corrupted i nto fu r. See Minfur.

Boggach (Strathdon ) . Bogacfz,“a marsh a word common i n

I reland,but which does not occur i n our d ict ionaries .

Bogger‘ie Burn (Tu l lynessle, Bogaz

’

re, der. of bag , a boggy place.

Bog Gorm (Corgarfi'

,

“Green bog. Gorm means ei ther greenor blue.

Bog Gurker (Cluny) . I have never seen the name anywhere, and

spel l it as it was pronounced to me. Th e place is now cal led West Mai n sof Castle Fraser. I n old t imes i t may have been Bog carcaz

'

r, the prisonbog

,

”but I do not know of any tradition to support such a conjecture.

Boghaugh (Cai rn ie) .

Boghead, a name occurring almost i n every parish .

Bogie, see S trathbogie.

Bogiefi nlach (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Boganfi onn“ bog of the

fai r knol l .” Accord ing to local usage tu wou ld eas i ly d rop out after

fi omz. I am not quite certai n,but th ink i t is probable that 22 of Bogie i n

this name and the two fol lowing is a corruption .


Bogieh inach Burn (Towie, Bog sz'

onnac/z, foxes’ bog.

Bogieshalloch (Tul lyness le) . 1550 , Bogyschelloch t , I ., 451 .

Bog wi l low-bog.

Bogiesh iel(B i rse) .

Boginchapel(K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) Bog cm t“chapelbog.

The View ofthe D iocese records a chapel at th is place.

Bogindinny (Cluny) . See Bogendinny.

Bogingore. Bog mmgoblzar (P) , bog of the goats .

Boginquill, ob s. (Alford ) . Pol l Book . Boga” mill, l ittle haz el bog.

Boginroll(Glenmuick or Crathie) . Aberg. pp. , 1766 . Place nowu nknown .

Boginthort (Ke ig) . Bog cmgboz’

rt, bog of the t illed field,” i s possible,but purely conjectu ral . M i l nathort and Blairathort , K i n ross -shi re, maybe from the same root

,whatever it i s, though these names are local ly

pronounced forth.

”

Cfioz'

r t/ze,

“oi the standing-stone,

”has been sug

gested, but th is is an un l ikely derivat ion of Boginthort, because we have,only a few mi les d istant, Auchorthies, where the word appears i n itsproper Engl ish form .

Bogintorry (Skene, See Bogentory.

Bogloch (Lumphanan ) . The stress fal l s on loch , therefore “ bog ofthe loch . The place is near the Peel Bog, and not far d istant from wherethe Loch of Auchlossan was before it was drai ned .

Boglouster Wood (Tough) . Boglezlm’z'

r , bog of the arrow-maker.Probably this importan t craftsman fou nd his arrow-shafts in, or around ,the bog.

Bogmoon (Cai rn ie) . 1677, Bogmuyne, Huntly Ren tal ; 1638, Boigmoyn, Retour 242. Bog mbna, peat bog.

”

Cf. Bognamoon.

Bogmore (Bi rse, Cou l l , Kildrummie, Monymusk) . Bog mbr,“ big

68 THE PLACE NAMES

Bognamoon (Cou l l) . Bog 72a ména,bog of the peat or moss.

Bognes (Kennethmont) , Pol l Book . 1635, Bogs and Bogis,Ren tal

,

Ant . IV. , 51 3 .

Bogn ie (Forgue) . 1696 , Bogny, Pol l Book ; 1569, Bogn ie,1864 ; 1535, Bogny, 1474. Bogn ie may have been derived from601g , a bag, but there is no evidence that i t was. Bag ,

with the term .

ne or nac/z is more probable, mean ing e i ther “ l i ttle bog,” or a place

abound ing in bogs.”

Bogn ieb rae (Forgue) .

Bogme s Hi l l (Towie, There is no trad it ion about th is h i l l -name.

Bograxie (Chapel ) . I n th e spel l i ng is the same i n BalquhainCharters (Fam. of Les l ie I I I . , 63 Bog

“

r z'

aékac/z ,“ grey or bri nd led

bog.

”

At the above date the lands of Bograxie were held by severaltenants, wh ich , I conjectu re

,led to the E. pl. 5 bei ng added

,and in all

our Gael ic names x= chs. The term . ia is probably the usual Scotchd im .

Bogrolland (Cl u ny) . Pol l Book. Rol land occurs several t imes inthe place- names of the county

,and i s supposed to b e the same as Ronald .

Bogrothan Bu rn (Rhyn ie,

Bogrotten Burn (Gartly, See Rotten .

Bogskeathy (Petercu l ter) . Bog“ thorn bog

,which

,I

suppose, wou ld mean thorns growing on dry hummocks , or around thebog.

Bog.

Sluey (Gartly, Bog“ bog of the slope. Th e

ground rises i n a steep bank beyond the bog.

Bogs of Noth (Rhyn ie) , that is ofthe hi l l of Noth .

Bogtamma (Auchterless) . Bog tomac/z,

“ bushy bog,or bog fu l l of

tufts or bushes.”

70 THE PLACE NAMES

Boté ry (Cai rn ie) . 1677, Botarie, Huntly Rental 166 2,Pittarie,

Retour 363 1529, Potare, Ant. I I I . , 1 16 ; 1 232, Butharrin, Butharin ,

Butharry, pp . 28 and 29 1 226 , Butharry and Buch tarry,

p . 22 . B ot/z the bothy of the shei l i ng or summer pastu re.

”

Bothanyettie (Glengairn) . 8 0116 cmaz'

tz'

nn, bothy of the j un iper.

Bothomfauld (Skene) . The fold of the bottom or lower part ofthe val ley.

”

Bothwellseat (Gartly) . 160 5, Boirdelseat, Huntly Rental ; 1577,

Bordalsait, 2799 . Bothwellseat is modern,and rarely used by

people of the d istr ict. Borde l i s a word of doubtfu l mean ing. The

surname Borrodale occurs i n old wri tings relat ing to the county, but thisis a very uncertai n derivation . I t seems to me more l i kely that Bordelseatis a corruption of Bordland, aris i ng from the ol d spel l i ng Bordelland

, and

the substi tu tion of seat or sett for land . Ci. Buirdelland,Orkney ;

Borredell, Ross-sh i re, and Bordalhaugh , Peebles .

Boultshoch (Crath ie) . Bualtchach , Val. Rol l . Gael . pronunc iat ionBuailtyeach . Buaz

’lteac/z,dairyhouses or booths .

Bourmid (Monymusk) . 1654, Bourmidall, Retou r 324 ; 1628,

Bourtrie Lands,Retou r 2 10 ; 1588, the Bourtrilandis, 16 17.

Bourtree or Elder-tree lands.

Bowh illock (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Bow i n old Sco. means “a herd i n

general , whether i nc losed i n a fold or not al so a fold for cows . The

origin,says Jamieson , is certai n ly Su io-Gothic bo, bu ,

which signifies

e ither the herd or the flock. See Scot. D ict.

Bow ie Hi l lock (D rumblade, Probably a form of Bowhillock.

Bowmanh illock (Huntly, Cabrach , D rumblade) . I n Perthshi re the

term Bowman appl ies to the hi red servant of the tacksman . I n otherparts of the country the bowman was, and sti l l is, a person who farms ,for a season , the tenant

’s m i lk cows,and the pasture to mai n tai n them .

(See I nnes’s Legal Ant iqu i ties, p . I n Aberdeensh ire, smal l farmers,


and occas ional ly farm -servants , were termed bowmen , but I shou ld thi nkthe latter on ly when they were cottars, and had a smal l bi t of land . The

bol lman (pron . bowman ) , i n Orkney , i s a crofter or -cottar. Jamiesonderives the word bol lman from Su io-Goth ic 501, a vi l lage. See Scot.

Dict., newcd.

Bowman Stone (Rayne) . A large'

rock or stone near the church ,but whether the name shou ld b e assoc iated wi th the “Bowmen of theGarioch ,

” or with any other bowmen is unknown .

Bowstocks (I nsch) . See Bowh illock, which seems to have much thesame mean ing.

Boynsmill(Forgue) . Probably personal name. The P0 11 Book hasBoyns M i l l , cal led Newbyth .

”

Bracco, Forest of. Aberg., pp . At the head of the Muick adjoi n ing

Forest of Wh itemount . Breacach,der. of breeze, spotted or speckled .

”

Brackenb raes (Forgue) . Bracken , the common brake (steris aqu i l i na) .

Brakenslake (Bi rse) . Slake = slack, a hol low,narrowpass morass.

Brackla Hill (Premnay). See Braco.

Bracklach (Cabrach) . See Braco .

Brakles, obs. (Cai rn ie) . 1638, Retour 242 1677, Brackless, Hunt lyRental . See Braco.

Brack loch (B i rse) . See Braco.

Braco (Chapel , I nveru rie) . 1690 , Braiklay, Retou r 477. This and thefou r preced ing names are allderived from broclack, “ a badger warren .

”

Th e forest of Bracco may also have i ts name from the same word,'

but i tseems improbable that a forest wou ld b e named from a badgers’ warren

,

and I have therefore preferred another derivation .

Bradranich , obs . (Cai rn ie) . 1662,Retour 363 . B rdg/zaa

’

Upland of the ferns . This Retour is very care lessly written , and the

fi rst syl lable shou ld perhaps b e Bad.

72 THE PLACE NAMES

Brae (M idmar) .

Braefolds (Kennethmont) .

Braegarie (Braemar) . Erdi’

gdrmz'

a’b gdm z

'

d/z ,

enclosure or dyke.

”

Braeloine, ob s. (Glentanner) . 1696 , Bralyne, Pol l Book 1638,

Braelyne, Aboyne Records . B rdzgkeloz'

mz,brae of the enclosure.

Braemar. B rdzlgfze MM r , the Upper part, the h igher grounds ofMar.

” Though I mark a i n Mhar as long,which it certai n ly is

,or appears

to b e, th e Gae l ic people do not al low i t i s the broad a, as i n Craigievar,pronounced Craigievaar. What the significance of th is may b e I do notknow,

and s imply note the fact. Poss ibly th e vowel appears long, becausethe stress fal l s on Mhar. Whitley S tokes says Mar i s origi nal ly the gen.

pl. of a tribe-name,cognate with that of the I tal ian Mars i

,the Teuton ic

Marsigni.”See S tokes “On the Lingu istic Val ue of the I rish Annal s .”

Proceed ings of the Phi lological Soc iety for 1890 .

Braenaloin (Glengairn) . I f the map i s r ight, the mean ing is thesame as Braeloine. The Val. Rol l has Brienloan B razgfie anlain, braeof the marsh .

”The latter i s probably correct.

Braeneach (Braemar) . B rdzg/ze cm raven’s brae.

Braeneil(Cl uny) . 1696 , Braeneill, Pol l Book . Nc i l’s brae.

Brae of Garr ie (D rumblade) . See Garrie.

Braeriach (Braemar) . B rdzg/ze brind led brae.

Braeroddach (Aboyne) . 1696 ,Braerodack

,Pol l Book 1638, Braro

daches, Retou r 243 ; 1467, Brarudach , Rec. Aboyne, p . 1 2 ; Brarodak,

Rec. Aboyne, p . 6 . B rdigke ru z'

teac ruddy brae.

”

Braesashlel(Tarland , det . 1628,Pressachill

,Retour

,206 ; 1606 ,

Pressecheild, Retour, 106 . P reas a

'

dam ],

“ shrubbery or bush of theosiers or pann ier wood .

”

74 THE PLACE NAMES

Brain Loan (Towie, Brdzlg‘lz an 1am,

“ brae of the marsh . The

name appl ies to a smallmoss on the h i l l s ide, near Haughton .

Bram (Auch indoir) . Pol l Book. Shou l d read Drum .

Brandsb utts (I nveru rie) .“ A piece of ground which , i n plough ing,

does not form a proper ridge, but is excl uded as an angle. A smal l pieceof ground disjoi ned from the adjacent lands . Scot. D ict.

Brankanentum (Culsalmond) . 1696 ,

‘

Brankanenhum,Pol l Book ;

1662, Brankan-enthim, Retou r 357. See Brankinentum.

Brankinentum (Monymusk) . 1696 , Brankanenth im,Pol l Book .

Ci. Brankanentham, Fordyce. I have not found this name except i nthese three pari shes of Cu lsalmond , Monymusk and Fordyce. I t mayoccu r i n other parts of the country

,but I have not been able to d iscover

it. I t is almost certai n i t i s not Gael ic, e i ther in whole or i n part. Iconjectu re that i t is pure Aberdeensh ire broad Scotch, and that i t may b ea sort of n ickname, mean ing that the tenant who entered i nto possess ionof such a farm might wel l b e congratu lated on h is good fortune. Probablyi t was i ntended i ron ical ly, and i nd icated that the farm was a very badone. The name is very obscu re, and my explanat ion must b e taken as amere conjecture.

Brankholm (Lumphanan , Logie-Coldstone) . Holm,

“meadowland,

a haugh .

”Brank is understood to b e a personal name.

Brank ie (Cai rn ie) . Farm and hi llname. Perhaps a form of Brankill,

raven-hi l l , common i n this coun try and i n I reland . Brankie,i n Scotch ,

mean s gay, making a great show, gaudy, and as appl ied to the h i l l m ighthave the same mean ing as Gaudy Knowes .

Brankind (Auchindoir) . Pol l Book. Shou l d read Brawland.

Brankston (I nsch) . Brank,a personal name, b ut sometimes repre

sen t i ng Brand . Brandistoun ,Elgin

,of 1523 , appears, i n 1538, as Branks

toun. I t is nowBrandston.

0 1: WEST ABERDEENSHIRE. 75

Brankum’

(Rhyn ie) . Now inc luded i n Meredrum. See Brankholm.

Brawlanknowes (Gartly) . 1696 ,'

Bralanknow,Pol l Book ; 1600 ,

Bralanknove, Huntly Ren tal 1534, Brawlanknow,1453 . Braw

l ins,Scot. “bear-berry, has been suggested as the mean ing of th i s name,

but the s is wanting, and b rawlins i s a pl. noun . Bes ides , we haveBrawland, i n Auch indoir, stand ing alone as a descriptive name. Braeland is poss ible

,and i n early wri t i ngs Braland may have been so

pronounced . Brawlanmour (Glenb ervy) , of 1556, i s given i n threeRetou rs— ofa later date however— as Braylandmuir and Braelandmure.

There is a Brawlands i n Mortlach , and the farm bes ide it i s Braes ide. Ido not find the name, except i n these north-eastern count ies.

Breda (Alford ) . 1696 , Broadhaugh , Poll Book ante 1657, Bredhaugh

,Bal fou r ; 1453 , Bradhaich , 225. I n the same parish are,

or were, Haughton , Overhaugh , and Langhauche, and in the next parishWhitehaugh . I t i s said that the modern form of the name was borrowedfrom Breda i n the Netherlands, but I have no evidence of the correctnessof this statemen t, and thi nk it un l i kely. Breda appears to b e merely theEnglish pronunc iat ion of Bredhaugh = Broadhaugh . I n any case

,

'

the

mean ing of the two names is the same.

Brewth in (Echt) . See Bakebare.

Br ideswel l (Drumblade, Leoche l) . Wel l s ded icated to St. Bride

(Bridget) , St. Bride was patron sai nt of Leochel .

Bridgealehouse (Kintore) .

Bridgedoes (Tarland) . C.S. Brigdoos. Bruac/z a’lzub/z , black bank.

Br idges (Kinnoir) . O. S. , and i n allold writ i ngs , Brigs and Briggs.Common in th is form both in Scot land and i n England .

Br igs (Leochel ) .

Brimond Hil l and Brimmondside (Newb i l l s) . 1725, Bruman, aliasDruman

, Macf. Col. , 239 ; 16 15, Brimmound, Burgh Ree , p . 325. The

76 THE PLACE NAMES

reference of 1725appears to show that the prope r form of the name wasat that time doubtful . Much of the i n format ion embod ied i n Macfarlane’sCol lect ions was gleaned on the

‘

spot, and evidently B ruman l ingeredi n the recol lect ions of the people. Druman cou ld not have becomeBruman or Brimmond by any conce ivable process of corruption . I f thename was original ly Brazlg/z druz'mz'n ,

brae of the l ittle r idge,

” under theinfluence of r in theZfirst and second syl lables and the accen t on u

,th e

i n terven ing letters may have dropped out, e i ther in Gael ic or subsequentt imes. Brimmond does not seem to be a s imple word

,and the original

form must have suffered contraction,otherwise i t wou ld be imposs ible to

explai n how the stress now fal ls on the fi rst syl lable.

Brindy Hi l l and Farm (Keig) . 1696 , Bri n ie, Pol l Book and C.S. ;

1543, Brwne, Ant. IV., 480 . Bm z

'

mze, the fron t, breast.

Broadford (Logie Coldstone) . There is no ford at this place, nor atLongford i n the same pari sh . Probably “ ford ”

is the Scotch form offourth— hence the broad and long fourth of a ploughgate. Poort is sti l lcommon i n Aberdeensh i re.

Broadlach (Skene) . Probably the first syl lable is brazgk,“a brae

,

and th e second is pronounced as i n Edindiack but the gutt. remai ns.The root seems to be the same i n both .

Broadland (Cai rn ie) . The Brodland or Bordland was the mensalfarm belonging to a baron ’s cast le, or, according to modern usage, theHome Farm . General ly this farm is c lose to the Manor House

, but Ihave i t on good authority that the Bordland frequently was

,i n old times

,

at a cons iderable d istance. Broad land is,on a straight l i ne, 3 miles from

Huntly Castle.

Broadley (Chapel , K i ldrummy, Petercu lter) .

Broadsea (Chapel) .

Broadshade (Skene) . Shade (Scot ) general ly appears i n place namesi n the Sou th as shed

,which is the proper spel l i ng. The mean ing is a

divi s ion , separate part or portion , as a“ shed of land

,

”

a“ shed of corn.

”

Scot. D iet.

78 THE PLACE NAMES

Browniesh ill(Monymusk) . Brown ie,a spi ri t supposed i n former

t imes to haun t old houses attached to farms, and do many usefu l servicesover-n ight to the family to which he had devoted h imself. I t is doubtfu l

,

however,i f th is is the origi n of the name Brownieshill.

Bruach Dhub h (Glengairn, “B lack bank. Peat moss N. ofGlass -choille.

Bruach Mhor (Braemar, Bigr bank .

Bruach Ruadh (Corgarff,“Red bank . Shou lder of Carn

Oigh reag.

Bruce’s Camp (Kintore) . 0 n the top of the Shaw Hi l l . Supposed

to have been occupied by Bruce’s army before the battle of I nveru rie,

1 30 8.

Bruce's Howe (Gartly) . A trench runn ing up the N E s ide of theCot-hi l l , which , tradi tion says , was thrown up by Bruce

’s men whi le helay s ick at Sliach , a mile and a-hal f d i stan t.

Bruckh ills (Forgue, Auchterless) .

Bruckleseat, ob s. (Cai rnie) . Bruck1e=Brockhillor Brockhole.

Brugh and Fosse (S trathdon , det. A smal l c i rcu lar fort on thetop of a narrow ridge, N .E. of Allt Dobh ran, where i t crosses the countyroad . The fosse can st i l l b e traced .

Bruntland (Bi rse) . Land the surface of which has been burned toconsume the rough grass and al low fresh grass to come up .

Bruntland Bu rn (Crath ie,

Bruntstone (Kinnoir, Huntly) . I thi nk this name must have original lyappl ied e i ther to Upper Bruntstone or the Hil l of Bruntstone.

Bruntwood Tap (Oyne, A large rocky hi l l on the sou th s ide ofBennachie.


Brux (K i ld rummy, Strathdon ) . 1550 , Bruch is, 447; 1475,

Brughis, 736 . Bmacfi,

“a bank or face of a h i l l . Engl ish pl.

added chs x.

Bruxtoun, ob s. (Tu l lynessle) 1687, Retou r, 469 . Probably belongi ngto the lai rd ofBrux .

Buachaille Bre ige (Braemar, Fal se herd . See the use of th isterm explai ned u nder Forb ridge. Here the name appl ies to a heap ofstones on the summit of the h i l l .

BuachaillMor’

s Grave (Corgarff, A smal l mound near CorgarffCastle. Accord ing to trad it ion , BuachaillMor

, or the Big Herd,

” was,

e i ther by acc ident or i n a frol ic, shot from a window in the castle by one

of the garrison .

Buchaam (S trathdon ) . 151 3 , Balquhane, 3875 1507, B0 1

quhame, 3 159 ; 1451 , Boquham, Chamb . Rol l s. Baz'le Cizaluz'm,

Malcolm’s town — I dropped i n Engl i sh pronunc iation as i n Ki lmacolmand St. ColmS. Cal lam was of old a common name i n the d istrict.

Buchanstone (Oyne) . Perhaps named after the Earls of Buchan,

who owned part of the lands of Oyne. See Charter, of date 1408, byJohn Stewart, who styles h imsel f “ dominus de Buchane et Oveyn.

I ., 2 1 2 .

Bucharn (Gartly) . 1600,Encharne

,Huntly Rental 1534, Boquharne,

1453 . Bank c/za z'

m, town of the cai rn or h i l l .” Cf. Balquharne,

K i ncard inesh i re, 1527, Boquharne i n 1529 . Also Balquharn or Bucharn,

Tu l lyness le.

Buch th ills (Dyce) . Bucht, bouch t, bought, bught, a fold , a pen i nwh ich ewes are milked ; but as appl ied to a h i l l the mean ing is a curvatu re,a bend . The bucht of th e h i l l i s sti l l a common express ion ; so al sobucht of the arm,

” that is, the bend at the elbow. The add it ion of s toth is name s imply makes nonsense of it.

80 THE PLACE NAMES

Buck, The (Cabrach ) . No doubt so cal led on accoun t of its he ight,(2368 feet) , and i ts finely shaped con ical form

,which make it the most

prominent of allthe h i l ls su rround ing the val ley of the Upper Cabrach .

Though the parishes of Auch indoir, Ki ld rummy, and Cabrach meet onthe top of the Buck , i t is always cal led The Buck of the Cabrach .

”

Buckering We l l (Rhyn ie, The sou rce of th e Burn of Belhenny.

I n the sense i n which “b uckering is here used it is not found in the Scot.D ict. As I u nderstand it, i t means spri nging up with a rapid bubbl ingmotion

,l ike a strong fountai n . I t i s a vu lgar word , often loosely employed .

Buck ie Bu rn (Alford ) .

Bucklerb urn (Petercu l ter) . See Craigiebuckler.

Bufile (Tough) . Hi l l,Glen and Farm . Buacfiaz

’ll,

“a herd

,fol lowing

the common change of cl: to f wou ld give Butfle. T1: i n Both-hi l l m ightbecome j ; but not so read i ly. Buachaillappl ies topograph ical ly to a

standing-stone, poin ted h i l l , or, as i n Tomnabuch ill, Glenmuick, to a h i l l

frequented by herds . Perhaps i n the last sense the word i s used here,and represen ts on ly part of the origi nal name, which may have lost thegeneric term ,

as Gu ise and Gowney in the same parish appear to havedone.

Buglehole (Drumblade) . C.S. Boglehole. Bug le and Bogle are

merely d ifferent spel l i ngs of the same word , mean ing a spectre,hobgobl in .

I n I nveresk Parish is a field cal led Bogle Hole, where, tradit ion says,witches were bu rned in old t imes .

Buidheanach of Cairntoul(Braemar, “Yel low marsh, or

yel low place ” i f the second part of the name represents the terms-cm-delz.

Bullfield (I nsch) .

Bullwell(Ki ncard ine O’

Neil) .

Bumb Strype (Towie,

82 THE PLACE NAMES

Butteryb rae (Rhyn ie) . The local explanat ion i s. that there was a

large yield of butter when the cows were fed on the naturalpastu re ofthis brae. Although th is is unl ikely, the farm was one of four in the

parish which paid, i n 1600 ,butter as part of the rent.

Buxb urn (Newh ills) . Properly Bucksburn.

Bynack (Braemar) . Bu z’

a’

ke ecmac/z, (P)

“ yel low marsh . Cf. Buid

heanach of Carntoul.

Byeb ush St rype (K i ld rummy) .

0 11, The (Corgarff) , This h ill name represents the Gael ic cad/za, a

pass,” that i s the old road lead ing from Strathdon , through the hollow

be tween The Caand Cam a Bhacain,over to Glengairn. The name is

common i n the Highlands .

Cab rach , The (Pari sh) . All the old spel l i ngs are practically the sameas the modem. The name i s derived from cabar

,

“a pole

,rafter

,

”and

the term inal -ac/z , mean ing abound ing i n rafters or trees.

" Throughou tthe extens ive mosses i n the Cabrach , large stems of trees are found c loselypacked together, giv ing evidence of the densely wooded character of thed istrict i n early times. There are al so h istorical records ofgreat woodscovering large tracts of the country.

Cab rach Hil l, west of The Genachal, Crathie.

Cac Cam Beag. The h ighest peak of Lochnagar. Like The Ca,Corgarff, the first part of the name seems to be derived from cad/za,

“a narrow pass.” Th e finalc of Cac is almost certai n ly borrowed fromCarn . Carn Beag means l i ttle earn

,

” but why so cal led I do not know ,

un less there was actual ly a l i tt le cai rn on the h i l l , that i s l i ttle as

compared with the cai rn on Cac Carn Mor. Perhaps the latter may,once on a t ime, have been supposed the greater peak of the two.

Cach (Logie Coldstone) . Cad/za , a narrow pass.


Cachertyrime (Glenbucket) . Caoc/zan fl'

amm (P) dry bu rn .

Cachnaminniegawn (Strathdon , Caoc/zarz moinegob/mz'

mz,stream

let of th e sm ith’s moss .” Trib . of Littleglen Burn.

Cadgerford (Peterculter) . Cadger, an i t i neran t huckster, onewhohawks wares or collects country produce for the town market. The

restricted use of the word to fish -cadgers is modern and local.

Cadgers’Roads (Cu l salmond) .

Caer Park (Dyce) . Perhaps from cdt/zar , wet or mossy grOt md.

Cailleachanrennie Bu rn (Strathdon, Local ly th is name is

stipposed to mean the Cowards’ Burn ,” because once on a t ime there

was a figh t on Auchernach Hi l l between the Campbe l l s and theForbeses,the former be i ng defeated, and many ofthem slai n when trying to escapeover th is burn Cailleach means an old woman , and i n a figurat ive sense “

a coward ” ; but I fai l to fol low th is curious explanat ion further.Coz

'leac/zan, d im . of coz'leacfz or caz'leac/z

,means a smal l r i l l , and raz

'

rzeac/z is

fern,

”so that the name probably means ferny ri l l .” I t flows in to

Quillichan Burn, wh ich seems to be only another form of Coileachan.

Cainnach Pool, Abergeldie Water, Dee. P oll “Kenneth’s

poo l .”

Caipach Pool, Invercauld Water, Dee. P ollceapaz'

c/z,

“ poolof theti l led plot ”

Cairdh illock (Newh ills) . G. egam’

, a mechan ic Scot. mz’

m’

,a gi psy,

a t i nker. Probably at one t ime these people camped at th i s place. The

name i s common , though i t does not often become a farm -name.

Cairnargat (Glass) . Cairn az'

rg z'

d,“ s i lver cai rn . Cf. Scot. Sillercairn,

and Sillerh illock .

Cairnballoch (Alford) . Cairn bealaz’c “cai rn of the pass. Cdm

ballac/z, “ spo tted cai rn ” might be appropriate ; but cai rn of the pass”

is to be preferred , referri ng to the open ing through which the roadpasses from the eas t end of Leochel to Alford .

84 THE PLACE NAMES

Cairn Bannoch (Glenmuick) . Cdm beamzac/z, peaked cai rn .

Cairnbath ie (Lumphanan ) . 1 507, Carnbaddy, 3 188. C.S.

Cairnbath ie and— b éithie. Cdm éez’

tlze,birch cai rn .

Cairnb orrow (Glass) . 1581 , Carnburro, Spald . Cl. Mis., V. , 53 ;

1569, Carrinborow,1539, Carneb orrow,

2090 ; (P) 1407,Carnb rowys, Ant. I I I . , 230 ; (P) 1 353 , Carnb rou,

Spald . C1. Mis. ,V. , 248.

Cairn brut/za,

“cai rn of the fai ries’ dwel l i ng.

”The El fs’ Hi l lock and

Glenshee are not far d istant. The last two references are doubtfu las applying to this place, and, i f rejected , I shou ld say the name i s mostprobably Engl ish

,or rather broad Scotch , though i t is certai n ly very

much older than we have any record of.

Cairnb radles, ob s. (Cai rn ie) . Cf. Tillyb reedles, Auch indoir. Likeseveral other Gael ic generic terms , Cai rn and Til ly en ter i n to combinationwith broad Scotch i n form ing place names ; i n other words, they havebeen borrowed i n to Scotch . Bradles and b reedles are common old formsof braid- leys=E. broad - leys .

Cairn Brallan (Cabrach) .Cairn Cat (Gartly) . Trad ition has always poi n ted out this cai rn

as marking the s i te of an old battlefield. Cf. Cai rn Catta, near Peterhead ,where there is no doubt a batt le was fought i n early t imes . This wouldsuggest Cam cat/za

,

“cai rn of battle or figh t,

” i f the change from Gae l iccat/za (pron . orfila) to eat were poss ible. [More probably Cam caz

'

t, Cat

cai rn . Cf.

Cairncé sh (Tu l lyness le) . 1696 , Carnkoish , Pol l Book 1686 , Cai rncoiss, Court Bk . ofWhitehaugh . Cairn wise, cai rn of the foot.” I f coz

'

se,

gen. ofmx, is the proper word , the name seems to i nd icate that there hadonce been a cai rn at the foot of the hi l l , where the farm steading now is.

Cairncoullie (Leochel) . 1598, Carnecullech t, 757; 151 1 ,

Carnecouly, 3626 . Cdm cullaz'c/z, boar’s cai rn .

Cairndaie (C l uny) and Cairndye (M idmar) . These are d ifferentspel l i ngs of the same name, which is popularly supposed to meanDavid’s Cai rn .

”

Professor Mack innon .

86 THE PLACE NAMES

Cairnhall(K i ntore) .

Cairnh ill(Cu l salmond , D rumblade, Tough) .

Cairn ie (Pari sh) . The modern parish of Cai rn ie was formed by theun ion of the old pari shes of Drumdelgie Botarie and Ruthven , i n the end

of the 16 th and begin n ing of the 18th centuries. The name seems tohave been taken from th e hal f dauch of Butharry, c laimed by the B ishopof Moray i n 1 227and 1 232 and described i n charter of 1545

3 10 3) as the lands ofCarne. The Huntly Rental of 1677givesthe modern spell ing, Cai rn ie. The Gaelic form is Caz

'

meac/z or Carnac/z,“a stony place, or place of cai rns .

”

Cairn ie (Skene) .

Cairnlea Cam lz'at/z , grey cai rn .

Cairn Leuchan (Glenmuick) . Cam “cai rn of the li ttle

wet places .

Cairnmore (Logie Coldstone, Auchindoir, Glass) . Cdm mér ,“ big

cai rn .

” A great cai rn on Cairnmore Hi l l , Glass, was removed about fiftyyears ago, and found to cover a stone c i st, above which was a s lab 6 x 35feet, having, i t is said , an i nscription upon it, but the stonewas destroyed .

Cairn MOde (Lumphanan) . A cai rn on the sou th-west corner ofS tot H i l l . Local trad ition says that a great batt lewas fought i n the ne ighbourhood, and that duri ng the fligh t

'

ofthe Danes thei r leader fell,and

was buried under this cai rn . There are many smal ler cai rn s scattered overthe hi l l , supposed to cover the remai n s of those who were ki l led in the

battle. Whatever fragmen t of truth there may be i n the trad it ion , Mudeis probably a personalname. I t is certai n ly not mod, “ a court of just ice,

”

judging from the height of the hi l l , and the pron . which is Myfi id.

Cairn na Glasha (Braemar) . Cairn not claim,cai rn of the furrow.

Cairn ofGi lderoy (S trathdon , Gi lderoy was a noted freebooter,who frequented th is part of the country. He sufi

'

ered for h is crimes i n1638, and i s commemorated i n the well -known bal lad , Gi lderoy was a

bonnie boy. See Bal lad M i n strel sy of Scotland .

”


Cairn ofMau le’s Conspicuous rocks on the northslope of the Howe of Mar.

Cairn O’

Neil, Site of(K i ntore) . When opened , th i s cai rn was foundto cover a stone coffin

,i n which was an u rn contai n ing bones. Trad it ion

says Ne i l was a ch ief who fel l i n a battle between the Scots and th e

Danes .”

Cairn Park (K i ntore) . Cai rn O’

Neilformerly stood on th is ground .

Cairnroy, obs . Aberg., pp. 1766 . Cdm mad/z, red cairn.

Cairn Sawvie (Crath ie) . Cdm saob/mz'

a’fie (saovie) cai rn of the

fox’s den.

Cairnton (Forgue, Kemnay,Petercu lter) .

Cairntoul(Braemar) . Severalexplanations of th is name have beensuggested , but none of them are qu ite sat is factory. 1 ) Cairn cm t-sab/zaz

'l(toul ) ,

“ barn cairn,”that i s l i ke a barn. (2) Cairn tuat/zal, “north cairn,

”

but this hillhappens to be the most southerly b ut one of the Cai rngormMountai ns . (3) Carrantuoh il] , I reland , has been ment ioned as probablya paral lelname. I t means a reversed reaping-hook , having the teethon the convex i nstead of on the concave s ide. This is plaus ible, but asto whether it i s the true mean ing of Cairntoulor not, I do not venturean Op i n ion.

Cairntradlin (Kinellar) 1696 , Cairntradlaine, PollBook ; 1642,

Carnetradlez eane, Retou r 26 1 ; 1494, Carnetrailz eane, Ant. I I I ., 242.

(In theselast two references z =y.) St. Triduana was one of the threevi rgi ns who accompan ied St. Regu lus to Scotland . Her name is com

memorated i n Tradlines, Forfarsh i re, and i n K i n tradwell , Cai thness, wheresh e is local ly cal led Trullen. This form of the name corresponds veryc losely with Carnetrailz eane of 1494, and with the Trollha na of theOrkneyinga Saga. Beyond the s im i lari ty of the names

,I have no

authori ty to connect the saint wi th Aberdeensh i re.

Cairn Trumpet (K i ldrummy) .

Cairnwalloch (Cai rn ie) . Cairn a’

b/zealaz'c/z (bh = v) , cai rn of the pass .See Cormellat .

88 THE PLACE NAMES

Cairnwell, The. Hi l l and wel l -known pass over the Grampians, sou thboundary

,Braemar. There is a wel l near the publ ic road , which is

popularly supposed to have given rise to the name, but i t i s real ly a

corrupt ion of 6 12772 a’ “

cai rn of the pass.” The local Gael icpron . i s Carnwallak, and Bal four (an te 1657) has Carnavalage.

Cairnwhelp (Cai rn ie) . C.S. Cairnfulp . 1662, Craignequholpe, Retour363 1638, Ernequholp, Retour 242 1600

, Carinquholpe, Huntly Ren tal1534, Carnequhilpe, 1453. Cam cfiolpa (P) , “ cai rn or h i l l of thehei fers.” Colpa,

obs., “ a cow or heifer.” Although I have marked th isderivation doubtfu l , the name i s certai n ly Gael ic. Had i t been E. or Sco.

the arrangement wou l d have been reversed— not Cai rn Whel p butWhel ps’ Cai rn .

Cairn W i l l iam (Monymusk) . This h i l l -name does not appear in any

old wri ti ng,so far as I know. I ts construct ion seems to b e Gael ic , and

the mean ing is, no doubt, W i l l iam’s Cai rn . W i l l iam is borrowed from

Engl ish , and occas ional ly appears i n place names , such as Coire UilleimMhoir

,Glenmuick . There i s no local trad it ion i n connect ionwith this

name.

Caistealna Caillich , shou lder of Conachcraig Hi l l (Glenmuick,Cast le of the old woman .

”

Caldfrush Burn (B i rse, Alltfmoz'

ciz, heather bu rn . Except i nB i rse names, I wou ld not ven ture to suppose such a corrupt ion possible.

Calfward (Leochel and I nveru rie) . Calves’ park .

Callievar. H i l l 0 11 the borders of Alford , Ki ldrummy, Leochel andTul lyness le. Coillebhar and Callievar are both given on the map at

d ifferen t poin ts of the same h i l l . The Wood of Mar has been suggestedas the mean ing, but I do not see any reason why the bi l l shou ld have beenso cal led . There were, at alltimes , many more extens ive woods i n Mar

than th is one. Ne i ther does the pron . su i t, the C.S. bei ng, as Macfarlanespe l l s the name, Callievaar. Coille Ckarr , “wood of the summit,” as onthe map , is probably right.

Calt'lrg Wood (Bi rse) . Coilleluz'rg ,wood of the shank or hi l l s lope.

90 THE PLACE NAMES

Camph i l l by the i ntroduct ion of p ,and st i l l further developes i nto

Campfield by the change of 612 to f, and the add it ion of a' fol lowi ng 6.

Al l these changes are common,and appear in th e old and presen t forms

of the names— Camquhile, Camfield, Camphell, Campfield and Camphi l l .The local pron . Camfelli s not u ncommon .

Camph i l l (Petercu l ter) . This name i s d i fferen t from the two preced ing,and is certai n ly derived from the remai ns of a camp or hi l l -fort.

Camus 0’ May (Tul l ich) . 1685, Camissamay, Retou r 466 ; 1676 ,

Camissamari,Aboyne Records

, 343 1638, Camesunnay and Camosmeyr,Retours 242 and 243 ; 160 0 ,

Games 1 Maye,Huntly Rental . Camus

means “a bay or bend ,

” here referring to a bend of th e Dee. May i spossibly a personal name

,and to be compared with Kincard ine O’

Neil,

and perhaps Aboyne.

Camusour (Tarland , det. Camus Odhar , grey or “ dun bend .

Candacraig (Tarland , det. 3 , Glengairn) . 1696 , Canacraig, Pol lBook ; 1600

, Chandocraige, Huntly Rental . Ceann dé cfirezge,“end of

two rocks.”

Candle Hil l (I nsch , Oyne, Rayne) . On these three h i l l s are stonec i rcles , which have no doubt given rise to the name

,from a fanc ied

resemblance of these pi l lar stones to cand les . Cand le Hi l l , I nsch , i s al socal led Cand le-stane H il l . Th e name Cand le- lands occurs i n this and

other counties,applying to lands set apart for meeti ng the cost of candles

i n th e cathedral s and churches . These hi l l s were not, however, very l i kelyto b e set apart for th is purpose.

Candycraig (Aboyne) . See Candacraig.

Cann ie Burn (Kincard ine O’

Neil, Clatt) . 1 20 3

- 1 2 14, Kanyn, Ant.I I .

, 55 1 233, Kanyn ,Ant. I I ., 56. Cean-ffzz

'

onn,white-faced , greyish .

I n the latter sense the name may apply to the burn , but general ly theusage i s to speak of the Burn of Cannie, which may mean the burn ofthe Hi l l of Cann ie

,for the hi l l and burn -name common ly go together. I t

i s poss ible that Cann ie may b e an older form of Kindy,as it certai n ly is

of Candy. Kan, Can and Kin represen t Ceann , but I have no evidence

that these .burn-names are the same. See Kindy.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE . 9 1

Canup Hi l l (Crathie) . Hi l l on wh ich is the Pri ncess Royal ’s Cai rn .

Caz'

nb means hemp,but I do not see that th is hel ps to the mean ing of

the name,un1ess the word appl ies to any other plan t than that wh ich

yie lds the hemp of commerce. Cf. Sh eannacannup , Knockando.

Caschan Aighean (Gorgarfi'

,Hinds’ streamlet. “

a h ind,

he i fer.”

Caochan Bheithe (Braemar,“

.

S treamlet of the birch.

Caochan Cam (Corgarff,“ Crooked streamlet. Head of the

Duiver.

Caochan Claise (Tarland , det . S treamlet of the furrow .

Caochan Crom (Tarland , det . Ben t streamlet.

Caochan Dai l (Glenbucket ,“ S treamlet of the gatheri ng,

of the dale.

Caochan Dearg (Tarland , det .“ Red streamlet. Trib. of

Ernan .

Caochan Du b h (Corgarfi) .

“ B lack streamlet . The name i s common throughout th e d istrict.

Caochan Luachar (Corgarff,“ Rushy streamlet. Trib. of Allt

a’

Choilich .

Caochan Raineach (Corgarff,“ Ferny streamlet. The estate

map spe lls Cuchan Ronnach , and I have always heard the name pronounced 50

, fol lowing th e G. Caocfian m z

’

neac/z.

Caochan Suib he (Corgarff, C. Suivey, estate map. Saob/zaz'

d/ze

diz mute) , a fox’s den.

” Trib . of Allt a’ Choilich .

Caochan Seileach (Tarland , det . 3, S treamlet of the wi l lows .

Trib . of Caochan Crom .

2 THE PLACE NAMES

Caochan Tarsuinn. A common name both on Dees ide and Strathdon . The mean ing is cross streamlet,

”and general ly appl ies to smal l

t ributaries ru nn i ng i nto the main stream almost at right angles .

Capperneuk (Chapel) . I n old t imes a capper was a maker of capsor wooden d ishes. The word does not appear i n the D ict. , but I haveheard i t appl ied to turners. I do not know i f it explai ns th is name, b uti t i s probable. Cf. Muggarthaugh and Hornershaugh .

Garden (Oyne) .

Cardensb rae (Ke ig) .

Cé rdenstone (Cush n ie) . There is here a wel l , said to be ded icatedto St . Carden .

Cardlunchart Hil l (Towie, I shou ld th ink this name must havebeen origi nal ly Carnlunchart , the cai rn of the shoo t ing-bothy.

” I haveno means of knowing i f i t was ; but the one name has no sense ormean ing, so far as I see, whi le the other has.

Carew (Logie Coldstone) . The spel l i ng suggests G. ceal/zmm/z(ker-uv) , a fourth (ofa plough-gate) , but the pron . is kar-66 , apparentlyi nd icat i ng the last syl lable as the qual ifyi ng term . I f the name is takenas a compound , it becomes a greater pu z z le. At the place there is nocatkaz

'

r,fort,

”edt/zar

,mossy ground

,cdrr , rock, nor car, a bend .

”

Al l these words are i nadmiss ible,because unsu itable, and throw us back

on ceatfimm/z, however the change of accen t i s to be explai ned . I nI reland the stress is sometimes on the first syl lable and sometimes on thelast. Cf. Carewe, Kincard inesh i re.

Carinaloquhy, obs. (Rhyn ie) . 1508, 3276 ; 1578, Comeallache, 2814. Now cal led Craigwater Hi l l , at the head of the

Ealaiche Bu rn . Cairnaloquhy probably means the c ai rn of the rockyor stony, from az

'leaclz,der. of ail

,

“a rock or stone.

”

Carlingcraig (Auchterless) .Carl i n , Carl ing, an old woman , a

Carlingden witch , a hag.

”Ci. Cnoc Caillich ,

H H'll.

Car l in Hi ll(Towie,ag S

94 THE PLACE NAMES

1 Oarn an t-‘

Sagairt, Mor and Beag (Braemar) .“ Big and l i ttle

cai rn of the priest.”

Cairn an Tuirc (Braemar) . Cai rn of the boar.

Cé rn an Uillt Leth (Braemar, Allt Leth rises i n Carn Liath ,therefore All! L z’at/lz and Cdm an Uz

’l/t Léz't/ze, cai rn of the grey burn .

”

Cé rn Aosda (Braemar) . 0 1d cai rn . This name appears to b enow unknown i n the d istrict.

Carnaveron (Alford) . 1637, Carneverane, Ant. IV. ,141 ; 1552 ,

Carnaverane,Ant . IV. ,

145 ; 1532, Carnawerane, 1 194. C.S.

Carnéveron. On this h i l l are the remai ns of a large cai rn , under whichwere found several s tone c ists

,and i n one of them was an urn contai n i ng

ashes and pieces of bone. The writer i n the NewS tat. Acct. i n fers thatthe name means the Cai rn of Sorrow— Cam a

’

b/zroz'

n,I suppose— but

were i t so, the stress would fal l on the last syl lable, i nstead of_

the second .

Carnaveron may contai n the name of th e chief person buried under thecai rn , but I make th is suggestion merely

.

as possible . I n Perthshi re,parish of Grief

,i s Mealneveron,

which seems to b e paral lel , bu t i f i treal ly is so

,the art ic le

,represented by n

,wou ld not l ike ly precede a

personal name. The on ly al ternat ive I can offer as the possible mean ingof this name is that i t means the Cai rn or H i l l of the Ofl

'

ering, the

Mass— Cdm A z

'

fr z'

nn. Th e open -air celebrat ion of the Sacrament , as

pract ised in the H igh lands,may go back to very anc ient times . I n

I reland i t does so,and we hnd names which at least have the same

sou nd , and perhaps the same mean ing as Carnaveron . Cf. A rdanaffrin,

Drumanafl'

rin,Mullanafl'

rin and Knockanaffrin— the height, ridge, summitand hi l l of the Mass . Joyce

,I . , 1 19.

Cé rn Bad a'Ghuail(Corgarff, west boundary) . C.S. Ghaoil. Cairn bad

a’

g/zobkaz'l(hou l) . Cai rn of the cl ump of the fork.

”

0am Bhac (Braemar) . Baa, gen. bank, a bend , pi t or bank .

Cé rn Chrionaidh . Cr z'

onaa’lz means wither ing. The nat ives say

Cairn Cr z'

on,

“ smal l cai rn,

” or “withered,steri le cai rn .


0am C reagach (Braemar) . Craggy cai rn .

Cé rn C rom (Braemar) . Bent or crooked cai rn or h i l l .

Cam Cruinn (Braemar) . Round cai rn .

Cé rn Cuilchathaidh “Cai rn of the back of the snowdri ft ” — so themap-name

,but the estate map andC .S. have Carn Cuilchavie

,

which cou ld not poss ibly b e th e pron . of Cuilchathaidh . The name isdoubtfu l

,but i t may b e the same as Culcavy, I reland , “ h i l l -back of the

long grass ” — Cul-ciab hach ; Joyce, I I . , 339 . The map -name of th is h i l lhasled to the adoption of the same form i n Ford of CalChathadh

, a

ford on th e Fe i th Bhai t, which I th i nk shou ld b e Cu! or Cuz'lcbad/za

,

the h i ll-back or corner of the pass,” that i s the old d rove road over theh i l l s from Corgarff to Glenavon .

Cam Damhaireach (Braemar) . Cam Dam/z-rz’

abfzacfi,

“cai rn of the

brind led or grey stags . This i s how the name i s u nderstood by the

Gael icspeaking natives, but they pronou nce i t Damariach . For the

same form of cor.,see Lamawh illis.

Garn Dearg (Braemar) . Red cai rn .

Cé rn Du b h (Braemar) . Black cai rn .

Cé rn Ealasaid El iz abeth’s cai rn . No tradi t ion .

Cam Eas (Braemar) .“ Cai rn of the waterfal l. See Allt an Eas

Mhoir and Bh ig.

Cé rn Elrig Mor (Braemar) . See El rick.

Garnequh inge, obs . (Glen tanner) . Cdm na czt z'

mfine,“cai rn of

remembrance.

”

Cé rn Fi‘

aclan (Braemar and Crath ie boundary) . Shou ld be Cam

fi aclac/z, toothed cai rn or h i l l .”

96 THE PLACE NAMES

cam Geoidh (Braemar) , Goose cai rn . C.S. Cai rn Yeoie= Cam

Cé rn Geur (Braemar, Sharp pointed cai rn .

Cé rn Gh ille gun Triub has (Braemar, More commonly cal ledBraigh Coi re Caochan nan Laoch , q .v. The former means cai rn of thelad withou t breeches.” Who he was trad ition does not say. Cf. i n I ri shnames Lough Gillagancan,

“ loch of thelad withou t a head , and LoughGillaganleane, loch

’

ofthelad withou t a shirt.” Joyce,I ., 194.

Cé rn Greannach (Braemar, As given i n the map, the mean ingis “ rough cai rn

,

” that is the vegetat ion i s rough or coarse. Perhaps

g r zanac/z ,“ sunny.

Cam Iain (Corgarff, Morelikely Cairn Bim,birds' cai rn .

Carnieston (Insch) .

Garn Ime (Corgarfl'

,

“ Butter cai rn . Probably a place wherebutter was made at the t ime of the summer pasturmg.

Leac Saighdeir Cai rn of the sold ier’s grave.

Liath (Braemar)“Grey cai rn .

Garn Meadhonach (Corgarff’

,

“M idd le cai rn .

Mhic an Toisich “Maclntosh ’s cai rn .

Moine an Tighearn (Crath ie).“ Cai rn of the lai rd’s moss.

Carn M01“ (Braemar, S trathdon) . Big cai rn .

0am na C raob h Seileach (Braemar, Cai rn of the wi l low trees.

Cé rn na C r iche (Braemar, Cai rn ofthe boundary. A marchcai rn between two estates .

98 THE PLACE NAMES

Carr Mhor (Braemar) .“Big rock. mh =v.

Carr Odhar (Braemar) . Dun rock .

Carskie Bu rn (Skene, Cmsg ,a cross ing.

Carterfolds (M idmar) . Now Newton of Cors indae, but part ofname remai ns i n the Croft of Carters .

”

Garv ie, Glen and Water (Strathdon ) . See Glencarvie.

Casaiche Bu rn (Clatt, This name may b e derived from ceasaclz,der. of ce

’

z

'

s,“a basket

,

” mean ing a causeway constructed of wickerwork or boughs of trees , cross i ng a st ream or marsh . A modificationof these wicker bridges is st i l l common i n ou r own country. Poles arelaid over a burn , across these are placed branches

,and a covering of turf

makes a sufficient bridge at a smal l cost. Cf. Casey Glebe, Cassagh ,and Cornakessagh . Joyce, I . , 362 .

Cask ieb en (Dyce) . 1548, Caskieb end, Court Books of Abdn. , Col. 1 161439, Caskybaren ,

I . ,236 ; 1 357, Caskyb en , Ant. I I . , 37; 1 2 19- 1 237,

Caskyb en, Rec. Fam. of Les l ie, I . , 148. Although there i s a Caskieberrani n Fi fe

,the spel l i ng of 1439 must b e an error. The two older references

no doubt give the correct form of the name, whatever i t may have beenbefore that t ime. Perhaps allthese references are to Caskyben, Kinkell,but i t i s probable the one place borrowed the name from the other. Wh ichof the two i s oldest i s a d isputed poi nt , though I inc l i ne to Caskieben,Dyce.

Cassiestyle, obs. (D rumblade) . See Causeyend.

Cast le Croft (Les l ie, There i s noth ing known about a castle at

th is place.

Cast le Fraser (C l uny) . [The old namewas Muchel l .] Muchil-in-Mar,

V. of D. Col., p . 637; ante 1657, Muchel l , Bal four ; 1 654, Mulcalia,Straloch ; 1451 , Mukwale

, Chamb . Rol ls ; 1429 , Mukwele,

1 34°

1 268, Mukual, Chart. of St . Andrews , Ant. I . ,

179 . M zzc b/zaz'le

,

“pig- town .

This does not necessari ly imply that pigs were reared or kept at thisplace ; th e name may have qu ite a d ifferent meani ng.


Cast le Heugh (Drumblade, 0 n the farm of Troupsmill.

Cast leh i l l (Auch indoir) . Name of a farm,but there i s no trad it ion of

a castle at or near the place. I t is on the north side of the hi l l , which , nodoubt,was original ly cal led Druminnor, and on the south s ide i s Druminnor

House,formerly Castle Forbes . From the cast le the h i l l may have been

Castle Hi l l— though I do not know that i t was— and the farm may havetaken the h i l l -name.

Castleknowe (Leochel ) . Si te of Lynturk Castle.

Cast le Stone (Kinnoir) . A large s tone or rock on the top of Mungo.

Cast le Yards (I nveru r ie, An arable field,north of the S tanners,

i n which The Bass ” is s i tuated . Supposed to b e connected wi th thecastle of the Bass .

Catach Bu rn (Strathdon) . This burn flows out of Clashnagat, andi s given i n the map , cadhach Burn . I cannot explai n e i ther form of thename.

Cat Craigs (Rhyn ie, Jagged rocks s i tuated on the south-wests lope of the Hil l of Kirkney.

Catden (Cu lsalmond ) . C.S. Ca’

dén .

Catenellan (Crath ie) . Val. Rol l . 1848, Catenealan,Aberg. Ren tal .

The spel l i ng here given is an attempt to represen t i n Engl ish form the

Gael ic pron . of Cat-ei lean — so the Gae l ic nat ives say, and they are nodoubt right. I t i s a humorous name suggested by the s i z e of the i s land

,

which is on ly a fewsquare yards i n exten t.

Cattens (Alford ) .

Catterans’ Howe (Cabrach ,

Catt ie Burn (B i rse, Keig , Tough) . Coz'llteac/z , adj . , “ wooded

,sub

a wooded place. See Ab ercattie, Tough old form ,Abercawltye.

100 THE PLACE NAMES

Cau ldron Bu rn (Auch indoir, Flows out of a spring in the

Currack, which is so named from the bubbl ing up of the water.

Cau ldron Howe (Premnay, Howe l ike a caldron or kettle.

Cauldhame (Keig, Tarland) . 1696 , Coldholme, Retour 498. Coldhaugh or meadow

,

”accordi ng to th e spel l i ng of 1696 , but Coldhome

general ly means a house on an exposed s i tuat ion .

Causeyend (Drumblade) . 0 11 rec laim ing the land i n th e neighb ourhood of th is place

,an old “causey ” was d iscovered

,supposed to b e a

Roman road,but much more l ikely a footway for men and cattle through

the marshes between Cassiestyle and Causeyend.

Causeyton (Cl uny) .

Cean'

n a’

Chuirn (Corgarff, Head or end of the cai rn .

Chapelb rae (Newhills) .

ChapelCai rn (Rhyn ie) . Remai n s of a chapel near Finglenny.

Bel l-H il lock is beside the cai rn .

Chapel C roft (Auchterless, Newh ills) .

Chapelernan (Tarland, det. 3 , S trathdon ) . Men tioned i n Retours of1606 and 1628. See Ernan Water.

Chapelhaugh and Ford (K i ldrummy) . Near s i te of St. Machar’sChapel .

ChapelHill (Aboyne, No remai n s of Chapel .

Chapel H i l l (Gartly, See St. Finnan’s Wel l .

Chapel h i l l (Glass, B) .

Chape l of Gar ioch (Parish) . The date of the foundation of theChapel of the B lessed Vi rgin of the Garioch is unknown . LadyChristian Bruce

,widow of S i r Andrew of Murray, founded a chaplai n ry

there, endowed from the lands of Drumdurnoch and Mei kle Warthi l l .

THE PLACE NAMES

Charter Chest (Braemar) . A recess i n the face of Craig Cl u n ie, i nwh ich Invercauld hid h is charters and other val uable papers when hejoined in the Rebel l ion of ’15.

Chest of Dee (Braemar) . The name is sometimes appl ied to a poolor pot i n the Dee

,th ree mi leswest from the Linn and sometimes to the

rapids above the pool , where the stream runs through a rocky gorge. Isuppose the rocks on e i ther bank form the chest.

Ch r ist’s Kirk (Kennethmont) . 1626 , Ch ristiskirk de Rothmurrielle,Retour 178 ; ante 1560 ,

Rochmurielor Christ’s Kirk,Ecc l . D iv. of the

D iocese, C0 1. 2 18. Ch ristiskirk i s al so mentioned i n the“ Registre

of M i n isters and the i r Stipendis sen the yeir of God 1567, C0 1. 228.

The K i rk of Rathmuriel[Ci. Murrial] or Christ’5 Kirk IS now incorporatedwith Kennethmont. The date of the un ion is unknown

,but i twas before

1634 See Scott’s Fasti . At Christ’s Kirk,i n old t imes

,an annual fai r

was hel d in the month of June, which was known as“Christ’s Fai r.”

More commonly i t was cal led th e S leepy Market,because i t began at

sunset, and termi nated one hou r after sunris i ng. Latterly i t was a sceneof allmanner of wickedness

,and had become such a scandal that the

country demanded its suppress ion . I t was discontinued about the middleof last century. See Macfarlane’s Geo. C0 1. i n Col. , p . 623 .

C ity Hil lock (Logic Coldstone, I thi nk this name shou ld b eSity, l i ke Sittyton (pron . 5eatyton) , whatever the mean ing may b e.

C ividly (Keig) . 1696 , Siwdly, Pol l Book ; 1638, Schevedlie, Retou r242 ; 1 563 , Seveedlie, Rec. Farm. of Les l ie

,I I I ., 43 . Probably su z

’

a’

ke,

(su ie or see) ,“a seat,

” i s the first syl lable,bu t I do not know what véédlie

represents . Cf. Pitvedlies,Kincard i ne.

Clachcurr Hil l (Tarland , det. No .

Clachdub h Hi l l (Glenbucket, “B lack -stone Hi l l clack d/mbk.

Clachenturn (Crathie) . 1607, Clach inturne, 1962. Clack an

t-suz’

m (s mute) , S tone of the ki ln .

” There is a l ime-ki l n marked onthe map at this place, very l ikely occupying the s i te of the ki l n wh ichgave rise to the name .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE . 1O3

Clach ie Bu rn, at the base of the M ither Tap , Bennachie. I n the

march of the church lands of Ke ig and Monymusk,i t is cal led Alde

Clothi Co] . 172 . Stony Bu rn .

”

Clagganghoul(Crath ie and Braemar) . Gael ic pron . c/azgionn guaz'l,

and,accord ing to an absurd trad ition , it means H i l lock of th e coal s .’

I t may have been a place where charcoal was made. There is no fork,

gob/zal, which cou ld have origi nated the name. The house which hasborrowed th is name I have marked as i n Crath ie and Braemar

,which is

l i teral ly true. The boundary l i ne runs through the centre of it.

Claggans, obs. Clazlgz'omz , “a sku l l , used topograph ical ly as mean i nga round bare hi l lock ,

” more common ly as“a fert i le field.

”

E. pl. 3

added to th i s name.

C lais an Toul(Glenmuick, Clais an t-sab/zaz'l(pron . tou l) ,

Fu rrow or hol low of the barn .

”

See Clai s Toul.

C lais Chaol (Corgarff,“Smal l hol low.

Clais Gharb h (Logie Coldstone, “ Rough hollow.

C lais Liath (Tarland , det. Grey hol low.

Clais Meirleach (Tarland , det. “ Thieves’ hol low. A smal lrocky glen near Culnabaichan.

Clais Mhor (S trathdon , Big hol low.

Clais na Fearna (Braemar,“ Alder hollow.

C lais nam Bo (Glenbucket, “Cows’ hol low.

C lais nan Gad (Strathdon , Also cal led Glac of Lochans . Adeep ravine, very steep and rocky on e i ther s ide. Accord ing to the

estate map, the name shou ld b e Clashnagat= clais nan cat,

“cats’ furrow.

”

C lais Tou l (Corgarff, Tou l general ly represents an t-sabkaz'l,of

the barn,

as i n Clai s an Tou l,Glenmuick , q.v. C lai s Tou l may b e

derived from toll, gen. mill, a hole,” but the hol low of the hole wou ld

b e rather a curious name.

104 THE PLACE NAMES

Claivei's Howe (Towie, Said to b e a hol low where shepherdsand others met to enjoy a qu iet goss ip . General ly spe l t c lavers , thoughpronounced claivers. All ied to Dan . Mafi a) , to slander ” Ger. lelafi

'

en ,

to chatter. As understood i n Aberdeensh ire,c lavers means id le stories,

often untrue and scandalous, retai led over the country with a mischievousi n tention .

Clarack (Tul l ich) . 1686 , C larach , Retour 466 . Claraclz, “a bare

,

level place.

Clashachdhu (Tarland , det . Claz'seac/z d/mb/z, “ black furrow orhol low .

”

Clashbattock (Crath ie) . The drowned or very wet hol low,from

Mite, drowned .

”Cf. Battog and Bauttagh , I reland . This name appl ied

to a farm or croft now incorporated wi th Balnoe.

Clash b ogwell(Newh ills) . Clashbog may b e ei ther Gael ic or broadScotch , for both parts of the name are borrowed from Gael ic

,and are i n

common use. The mean ing i s the boggy hol low.

”

Clash b rae, obs . (Cai rn ie) . The same remark appl ies to th is nameas to the former. See Clashbogwel] .

Clashconich , obs . Aberg. , pp . 1767. Clais hol low of themoss .”

Clash Curranach (Glenbucket, Clais corranaz'

c/z (P) ,“ hol low of

the coranich or funeral cry.

”

Clashead (Tough) .

Clashencape, Str ipe of (Auchindoir, Clais an mz’

b “ hol lowof the gap .

”

Clashenloan (Towie, Ch is an hol low of the marsh.

Clashenteple Hil l (Glenbucket and Strathdon) . Clais cm t-seépez'l,

hollow of the chape l . Th e name may have some connection wi th ' thechurch lands described in Reg. Ep. Abd .

,I ., 309.

106 THE PLACE NAMES

Clashneen (Gartly) . This h i l l-name seems to b e now forgotten i nthe d istrict

,but the map i s no doubt correct . Ci. The Claisnean.

G. Clais mm elm,birds ’ furrow or hol low.

”

Clashnettie (Tarland , det. Clais cm az’

tz'

fm,furrow or hol low of

the jun iper.”

Clash rathan (Glenmuick) . On Allt na Guibhsaich . Clais raz'

t/me,bracken hol low .

Clashwalloch Bu rn (Glenbucket, Clais a’ “ furrow or

hol low of th e pass .

C latt (Par i sh) . 1696 , Glett and Cleatt, Pol l Book 150 1 , C latt,2588 ; 1 256 , Clat, I I .

, 40 ; 1 157, Clat, I . , 6 . The

H . 5. D ict. , under Cleit, a rugged eminence,— from Norse K/eltr

,a rock,

c l i ff — refers to Clatt as a place- name derived from th is word . Perhapsi t may b e so

,but i t is doubtfu l

,because we do not know how Clat was

pronounced i n 1 157. The name may b e cen tu ries older than our earl iestreference, and i t i s d ifficu lt to see how a Norse word cou ld have found itsway i n to the heart of Aberdeensh i re, and become a place-name wherethere are so few of the sort. Although C lei t and C leat are common i nthe west and north of Scotland , C lat may b e Pict ish .

Clatterns (Forgue, A hol low part of th e old road from Bridgeof Forgue to Frendraugh t Castle. A .S . Clatnmg ,

“a c lattering

,a ratt le

D. Klater ; Klateren,to rattle. Imp. D ict. Ci. C lattering Ford and

C latteri ng Briggs.

Clatynfar (Bi rse) . Appears i n the Bi shops’ Rental of 151 1 , and

nowhere el se. I t is probably in tended for Clynter, which is not mentionedi n the Rental .

Clayb ockie (Braemar) . I am uncertai n abou t the accent . The stressi s on th e second syl . , and I thi nk 0 i s short i n Gael ic , and, i f not long, i scertai n ly longer i n Engl ish pronunciat ion

,—G.

,Cla-bochkie. Clad};

b&mz’

d/z means the bank of the appari t ion,

” but i t is more probable thatbockie i s a der. of (306 , a buck

,

”and Claybockie wou ld thus mean bucks?

bank.

”Ci. Achvochkie

,Morayshire

,and Cu lbokie, Ross -sh i re.


Claydikes (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

C layfor'd (Premnay) .

Clayhooter Hil l (Ki ld rummy) . This name and the three fol lowingare of uncertai n origi n . They may be e i ther Engl ish or Gae l ic

,but more

probably the former. Hoé ter may b e a form of lzotter,

“a quaking

moving mass , and Clayhooter thus mean “ boi l ing c lay. I f Gael ic,

cladfz+ culler pron . hboter, the bank of the back- ly ing land .

”

Claymellat, obs . (Rhyn ie) . This place was upon or near to Boginc loch . The Gael ic hi l l -name Ora’ means “

a hammer or mal let,

”and

mel lat may b e a trans lat ion, Claymellat thus mean ing “

a c lay mal letshaped hi l l .” I f the name is Gae l ic c lay may represent elad/l

,a bank,

”

but I know no Gael ic word resembl ing mellat. See Clayhooter and Cf.

Cormellat .

Claymill(Leochel ) . I am told there never was a water-mi l l at th isplace, which is probably true , because there does not appear to b e any

stream near it , and i t i s not recogn ised i n the P0 11 Book , 200 years ago,as a mi l l . S t i l l , as a Scotch name, i t m ight have originated i n some otherway, perhaps i n connection wi th brick or t i le making. As a Gael ic name

,

clad}: millwou ld mean mound -bank .

”

Clayshot Hi l l (Rhyn ie) . I n the south of Scotland , Clayshot wouldmean “

a c lay field or plot of ground ,” bu t I am not aware that shot wasever in common use i n th is part of the country. I f i t was, i t has now d iedout. A Gael ic derivation has been Suggested , bu t i t is not qu ite sat isfactory.

Cleanb rae (Huntly) . “ Clean ” i n the sense of “ we l l cu l tivated ,c leaned or c leared of stones , broom ,

whins,& c.

” Near to th is farmthe map shows C lean H i l l and Pool , which I suppose to b e the

h i l l and pool of Cleanb rae. I t is,however

,poss ible that the name i s

paral lelto C l i ne Burn , Stathdon, q .v.

Clearfi eld (Aboyne) . “Clear has much the same mean ing as “c lean

inCleanb rae , q .v .

108 THE PLACE NAMES

Cleikh imin Pot (Towie, A fine fish ing pool on the Don . The

name is used i n qu i te a d ifferen t sense from the fol lowing word , and

refers to the hooking and drawing i n of the fish .

Cleikumin (Lumphanan) . Formerly name of a farm ,which now

appears to b e cal led H i l lhead . I t is probably of the same c lass ofhumorous names as Hadagain, Scrapehard, Wardlesend, and Picktillum,

alli nd icat in g bad land and a hard l ife for the tenant.

Clerkneuk, obs. (Cai rn ie) . Probably Clarkhous of Ruthven of theHuntly Rental of 1600 , which was no doubt the parsonage or manseattached to the Church of Ruthven .

Cliftbog (Auchterless) .

C l ine Bu rn (S trathdon , The Cleen i s the Slope between Ladylea Hi l l and Clashentiple, and Cl i ne Burn is more correctly the Burn ofthe Gleen or slope

,

” from G. alarm, squ i nt i ng, i ncl i n i ng, s loping.

C l inkstone (I nsch) . 1696 , Klinkstoune, Pol l Book . There is nonotable stone at th is farm

,and

,as the accent i s on the first syl lable, the

name probably means some person ’s town . Cl in k may b e a n ickname,as i n Clinkie’s Wel l

,near Huntly.

Clinter, Mi llof(B i rse) . 1549 , Clynter, I . , 445. See Clinterty.

Clinterty (Newhills) . 1649, Bishopis-Clintertie, Retou r 297; 1430 ,

Bischape-Clyntree, I . ,

230 ; 1 381 , Clyntree, I . ,1 35 1 367,

Clyntreys, Co] . 240 ; 1 3 16 , le Crag de Clentreth i, I ., 44. The

s tress i s on the first syl lable,which must therefore b e the qual i fying term .

Though the vowel is now short,the e and y of the old spel l i ngs seem to

i nd icate that i t was once long, and I know no other word except clam ,

“ s loping,” “ i nc l i n ing

,

” which i t can poss ibly represent. The latter partof the name is evident ly a corruption . The old forms have on ly twosyl lables, except the Lati n ised Clentrethi. On th e north s ide of the Don ,abou t three mi les d istan t, is Fi ntray, which appears as Fyntrach , c. 1 175,Fyntre i n 1257, and Fyntrefl

'

i n 1 3 16 . Treth i, trach , tre, trefl'

and tray

1 10 THE PLACE NAMES

C loch More (Skene, Clock mlzor,

“ big stone. A huge gran i tebou lder

,round wh ich i n former days a smal l hamlet or c lachan stood .

Cloch ranford (Cai rn ie, Huntly) . G. Clackamn or ford ofthe stepping-stones ."

Cloch ran, now appl ies to a large rock on the wes t s ide of BoddamHi l l , but a considerable d istance from where the stepping- stones i n theDeveron were. The name may therefore b e the d im . der. of clack orcloc/z

,cloc/zaz'r

,clocfimn

,mean ing a stony place.

Cloch ter Stone (Towie) . A large whinstone bou lder, 10 feet high,on the Don , near Drumallach ie.

Clogh ill(Newbi l ls) .

Cloichedub h Hil l (Rhyn ie) . See Cloch Dhus.

Clonheugh (K i ld rummy, Possibly a hybrid , the heugh or h ighbank of the meadow .

”More l ikely the name i s a cor. of cluaz'n eac/z

,

horse meadow.

” I t is haugh- land on the Mossat Burn .

Cloughmaugh Burn (D rumblade) is given in Macfarlane’s Collect ions and i n a descript ion of the Lessendrum marches the nameappears as Clocknack. I t is now unknown i n the d istrict

,and the burn

is cal led the Knigh tland Burn .

C lova (Ki ld rummy) . c. 1 366 Cloueth , C0 1. 2 19, and the samespel l i ng i n 1 266 and 1 275, I .

,29 and I I . 52 . I n 1 327, King

Robert Bruce gave a charter of Cloueth , Forfarsh i re, to h is nephew,

Donald , 1 2th Earl of Mar ; and i n 1 374, Robert I I . gave one hal f-davochof Clouethe , Aberdeensh ire, to W i l l iam ,

Earl of Douglas . Althoughthese propert ies at one time belonged , at least i n part, to the crown

, the

name common to both may have originated qu ite i ndependently. Icannot make a s ingle suggestion as to the mean ing.

Clovenstone (Kintore) . Named from a march stone,spl i t i nto two

parts, one l ies on the lands of Thai nston , and the other on the burgh lands

of Kin tore.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE . I I I

Clovercraig (Newh ills) . Should be Clovencraig.

Cluggen Howes (S trathdon , I suppose Clazlgz'onn,a sku l l or

round h i l lock, may have been the name of one of the knol ls bes ide thisplace, which are now covered wi th wood .

Cluine or C luny Water (Braemar) . Mr. MacBain,i n “Badenoch

Names ,” u nder C lu ny, says The root is cluaz'n (meadow) , and th e

term inat ion is doubtless that i n A ’

C/zluanack , a cu l t ivated plateau beh indDunach ton, and the dat ive s i ngu lar of th is abstract form woul d give themodern Cluny from the older cluanazgfi .

C lune (Birse) . 1696 , C lu ny, Pol l Book ; 151 1 , Clune, I .

,

376 ; 1 170 , C lone, I . ,1 2 . See Cluine Water.

C luny (Parish) . See Cluine Water.

Clury (Logie Coldstone) . Perhaps from cloz'ckreac/‘z or the obl iquecase, cloz

'

c/zrzgfz ,“a stony place, der. of clac/z , “ a stone.

”

The guttural c/zoccas ional ly drops, as i n the I ri sh names C leraun and Clerragh

,Joyce

,I . ,

415.

Clyan’

s Darn (Monymusk) .

Clystie 8 11m and Bogs (Tul lyness le) .

Cnap a’

Chleirich (Braemar, The knob or knol l of the c lericc lergyman .

”

Gnap a’

Cho ire Bhuidhe (Crath ie, Knol l of the yel low corrie.

Cnapan an Laoigh (Braemar, Little knol l of the cal f.

Cnapanarochan i s a knap or poi nt on Meallan Tionailon the

borders of Crath ie and Braemar. I t i s not marked on the map ,but

el sewhere i s given Gnap Nathaireachin, the adders’ knap .

” This formof the name is doub tfu1

,b ecause there is i n Arran a place cal led Narachan

,

and the same name occu rs i n Ardgou r and Kintyre. The late D r.Cameron , i n “Arran P lace-Names

,

”conjectu res that the name may b e

1 1 2 THE PLACE NAMES

descript ive. I t can hardly b e derived from nathair,a serpent. Possibly

am’ac/zcm

,

“ h igh ground,or the height,

” may b e the word , and An

Ardachan might become Narachan. The spel l i ng I have used representsthe C.S. of the d istrict as I found it.

Cnapan Garb h (Braemar, Rough l i tt le knap or poin t.

Cnapan 0ra (Braemar, Golden l ittle knap. The h ighest pointof

i

Cairn Geldie.

Cnoc Cailliche (Auchindoir, Hag’s H i l l . There are traces ofan old fort on this hi l l .

Cnoc Chalmac (Glengairn,Little Malcolm’s h i l l .

Dub h (Glenmuick) . “Black h i l l .”

Guib neach (Corgarff, Cnoc gu z'lbneadz “ h i l l of the

The 1 of gu z'lbneac/z wou ld most l i kely drop i n local pronu nc ia

Coachford (Cai rn ie) .

Coatmore (Cou l l) . Cotmore, Val. Rol l . Probably mu i r ofthe cots .

Cobairdy (Forgue) . 1596 , Culbardie, Spal d. Cl. Mis.,IV., 155.

Cu] ,“a back — a hi l l -back or slope. Although bard, i n place-names,

often means a hard or poet,

” i n th is case an enc losure is a more l ikelymean ing. Mr. Mackay, i n Sutherland P lace-Names

,

” says bard i sgeneral ly understood i n th is sense throughou t the country. Tmm. GaelicSoc. of I nverness.

Cob ilseitt, obs . (Alford) . Rental 1552, Ant. IV.,144. 5eitt, seat

and scatt , i n th is and the fol lowing names, are, no doubt, the same i nmean ing as sett or tack ; and th e coble- sett gave the use of the ferryboat and the right of tol l , frequently al so a house and croft— henceCobletoun and Coblecroft.

Cobleheugh (Aboyne, Towie) .


Coi lle Chamshronaich (Strath'

don , Caylachameron, estate map .

Cameron’s Wood .

” North of Craig of Bunz each .

Coireachan Dub ha (Braemar, Black corries.

Coire Allt an Droighnein (Braemar, 6 . South boundary) . Corrieof the thorny bu rn .

Co ire an Freumh (Glengairn,Between Carn Bhacain and Tom

Cha. Corrie of the . root.” There i s a moss’

at the foot of the corrie,probably containing,

r fir roots.

Co ire an Sput Dheirg (Braemar,“ Corrie of the red spou t.

The C.S. is Coi re sputan dearg, the corrie of the l itt le red spou t.

Coire an Tobair (Braemar,“ Corrie of the we l l . North s ide

of Scarsoch .

Coire an t-Sagairt (Braemar, The priest s’ corrie. On the

west s ide of Little Culardoch .

Coire an t-Slugain (Glengairn,

“Corrie of the gul let. Souths ide of Cam a Bhacain.

Coire Bhoghadaire (Braemar, The archer’s corrie.

”On Beinn

Bhreac.

Coire Bhrochain C.S. Coi re Brochan , porridge kettle.

This corrie is i n Braeriach , and I suppose has been cons idered to resemblea porridge pot.

Coire Buidhe (Braemar, South of Creag Doineanta.

“Yel lowcorrie.

”

Coire Ch u i l“

(Braemar,i

“ Corrie of the back , b ut I th ink the

name shou ld be Coiregob/zaz'l, “ corrie of the fork,” which i t is, the burn

flowing through i t be i ng one ofthe forks at the head ofthe Bynock Burn .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE.

Co ire Clach nan Taillear (Braemar, Corrie of the tai lors’

s tone. The 514511 i s a large rock near the road lead ing from Braemar toS trathspey

,where three tai lors peri shed in the snow about a cen tu ry ago.

Coire C reagach (Braemar, East s ide of Monadh Mor. Rockycorrie.

”

Coire Cr ion Roib (Braemar,“ Robert’s little corrie.

”Glen

Co ire Dhonnachaidh (Braemar,“Duncan’s corrie.

”Scarsoch .

Co ire Etchachan (Braemar, See Loch Etchachan.

Co ire Feragie (Braemar) .

Co ire Glas (Braemar,“Grey or green corrie. East s ide of

Creag Liath .

Co ire Gorm (Braemar, Blue or green corrie.

Co ire na Caillich (Braemar, “ Hag’s corrie,the hag be i ng

A’

Chailleach , an upright stone s i tuated on the Ey Water.

Co ire na C iche (Crath ie, Corrie of the pap . North -east s ideof th e Me i kle Pap, Lochnagar. The same name al so occurs on the southeast face Beinn a

’

Bhuird.

Co ire na Cloiche (Braemar, Corrie'

of the stone. A rockycorrie on the south-east s ide of Derry Cai rngorm .

Co ire na Craige (Braemar, Corrie of the craig orrock.

” Sou thboundary.

Co ire na C raoib he 0ra (Braemar,“Corrie of the golden tree,

so the map , but elsewhere i t is cal led Coire craoz'

é/z an éz'

r, the corrie

of the tree of the gold .

” The story is that, once on a t ime,the laird of

Dalmore h id a bag of gold under thi s tree, that he afterwards removed itand buried i t on the top of Cai rn Geldie, plac i ng over i t a great stonemarked with a horse shoe, and there i t remains. The marked stone hasnever been d iscovered .


Co ire na Feinne (Braemar, See Allt Coire na Pe i nne.

Co ire na Lairg (Braemar, Corrie of the s lope or pass .

Coire na Meanneasg (Braemar, Probably mean-easg ,

“Corrieof the l i ttle marshes

,

” but I have not heard th is name pronounced , andcan on ly conjectu re that the stress i s on mean. This corr ie i s i n GlenCl u n ie, south -east of Mor S ron .

Co i re nam Freumh (Braemar,“Corrie of the roots. The

Bu rn of Corriemulz ie ri ses i n th is corrie.

Co i re na Mu ice (Braemar,“ Pig’s corrie. The name occurs

several t imes i n the d istrict.

Co i re nan Clach (Braemar) . “Corrie of the stones.

Co ire nan Imireachan. See Allt Coi re nan Imireachan.

Co i re na Po ite (Braemar,“Corrie of the pot.

Co ire na Saob haidhe (Crathie) . Corrie of the wi ld beast’s or fox’s

Co i re na Sgreuchaile (Braemar, “Corrie of the shrieking or

screech ing,

” but there does not appear to be anything in, or about, thecorrie to account for such sounds . Perhaps, at one t ime, i t may havebeen supposed to be haunted . I t is on the north-east s ide of MorSh ron.

Co i re Ne id (Braemar,“Corrie of the nest, e ither l iteral ly or

resembl ing a nest. I t l ies between 5gor Mor and Cai rn Gregor.

Co ire Odhar (Braemar, Dun or grey corrie.

Co ire Riab hach (Corgarff,“Brindled corrie.

”

Coi re Ruadh (Braemar, Red corrie .

”

Co i re Ruai r idh (Braemar,“ Roderick’s corrie. Head of Allt

an Dubh Ghlinne.


Collorden (Logie-Coldstone) .“ Back or corner of the l ittle ord or

Col ly (Clatt) . 151 1 , I . , 362 . I do not know any such place.

Perhaps Calsie i s meant .

Col ly Riggs (Cou l l ) . Patches i n the moor north of Mortlich (h i l l ) ,which were at one t ime i n cu l tivat ion

,but have been al lowed to run

wi ld . What Col ly means is unknown .

Colnabaichan (Tarland , det . CM or Cz‘u'l71am the

back or corner of the byres ,”— so the Gael ic people of Corgarfl

'

understandth is name.

Colpy (Cu lsalmond ) . The der ivat ion of th is name i s very doub tfiul.Colpac/z means a hei fer, bu l lock , col t. I f Colpy is derived from this word ,the name must have lost its p refix,

whatever that may have been , andthere i s no reference old enough to show whether i t has done so or not.I f i t was original ly th e burn -name

,Allt Colpaich , as i n many s im i lar

cases,migh t have become the Burn of Colpy, as i t now is. Ci. Ki l ly

colpy, the s teer’s wood ,

” I reland . Colpy, may, however, represen t a

personal name. I n the parish of Turriff are several farms beari ng thename of Colp, formerly Colpie and Colpe, and i n Co . Meath

'

is the pari shof Colp, named after Colpa, one of the legendary heroes of the M i les iancolony. Golban is one of the Mormaers of Buchan mentioned i n the

Book of Deer, and from him,or some one of the same name, may have

come th is place-name. I i nc l i ne to think th is second suggest ion i s themore probable.

Colth ill(Banchory-Deven ick) . Though now wri tten Culthill, I th 1nk,Hi l l of the col ts.” The name is not uncommon , both i n Scotland and i nEngland .

Colyne (Forgue) . 1696 , Collyne, Pol l Book ; 1699 , Cullyne, Retour516 . CM or Cz

‘

zz’lloimze, back or corner of the enclosu re.

”

Comalégy (Drumblade) . 1552, Colmalegy, 767 140 3 ,

Culmalegy, pp . 252, 253 . The name i s difficult , but I . suggest as

OF WEST. ABERDEENSH IRE. 1 19

p oss ible Cu! meall-lagaz'

n, the back of themale’gy,or “ h i l l of the l ittle

hol low,

” which may have been at one t ime the name’ of the h i l l behi nd

th is farm , nowHi l l of Comalegy. Millegin, Grange, may have the samemean ing.

Comartown (Strathdon ) . See Cummerton.

Comb scauseway (Cu lsalmond ) . Comb, Combe and Coombe are

common place names i n England , and from the land-name has come thepersonal

,which probably appears i n Coomb’s D i tch and Coomb’s Edge.

Comb’s-causey may have been a roadway through a marsh , formed bysome one of the name. As a place name comb means a deep val ley ;prope rly the end of a val ley shu t i n by hi l ls .

Comers (M idmar) . 1504, Comorns, Ant. I I . , 45. Comar , obs . , “a

meeti ng of streams,glens or roads . This place i s at the j u nct ion of two

burns forming the C l u ny Bu rn.

Comesnakist, obs . (Braemar) . Pol l Book ; 1564, Camb usnakeist,Col. 88. Camus 72a cz

'

sde or aisle, “ bend of the chest(- l i ke hol low) , orcoffin.

”

Comfsty (Forgue) . 1505, Colmyste, Ant. I I I . , 590 ; 1 394, Culmesty,

I I . , 287; 1 358, Culmysty, Ex. Rol ls I ., 551 .

Commons (K i n tore) . Formerly part of the Commonty of K i n tore.

Conachcraig (Crathie and Glenmuick) . Some of the Gael ic peoplesay Conachch reig. I do not know what Conach represents , unless i t i scéz

’

mzeac/z, mean ing “

a foggy or mossy place,

” which it is allover the peatmoss at the foot of the craigs. No doubt a i n co

‘

z'

nneac/z i s long and i nConach i t i s short, but th is may b e accounted for by the stress fal l ing onthe last syl lable of the name. Whatever the word may b e, i t is repeatedin the same parish , i n Connachat Moss

,and the two names must go

together.


Concré ig (Skene) . Possibly a corruption of ceamz crezge,“Craig

head . A place h igher up the hi l l is cal led H il lhead of Concraig, but th iscan scarcely b e cal led a translat ion of the name. Concraig is nearly as

common as Kincraig, b ut i n nei ther case have I found any materiald ifference i n the old forms .

Gondoll, Bu rn of (Tu l lyness le) . 1 39 1 , R.E.A I .,248 ; 1 39 1 , Burn

of Condeland, I . ,1 88, 189 ; 1 387, Burn of Condiland,

I . ,176 . This place i s nowobs . , and the name forgotten , even as a burn

name. I do not know how it was pronou nced . See Conland.

Confunderland (Cushn ie) . C.S. Conf6 6nnerland or farmer. 1696 ,

Curfunderland, Pol l Book ; 1683 Conwh inderland, Ant . IV., 337; 1554,

Corquhinderland, Ant. IV ., 754 ; 1553 , Colquonderland, Retou r ; 151 1 ,

Conquhonderland, 3592. The last syl lable seems to b e Engl ish .

Whether Con, Co] , or Cor i s the proper form of the first syl l . I do notknow

, and there i s noth i ng to i nd icate a preference for any one of them .

Quhonder may represen t conaz'

r,

a path or road or i t may b e conb/zaz'

r,

a dog-kennel .” Cf. Badnacuinner, Bi rse.

Congalton (Rayne) . Congal is ev ident ly a personal name. There i san old barony of the same name i n D i r leton parish , Hadd ington

, and

Congleton is a town i n Chesh i re. I do not find the surname i n this partof th e country, but i t i s possible that, as nearly the whole of the pari shformerly belonged to the Church , one of the ecc les iast ics may havebrought the name from the south. There was a Sai nt Conga] , but I donot see that he had any connect ion with the d istrict.

Conglass (I nverurie) . 1625, Knokinglas, Retour 194 1 355-7,

Knockynglas, C0 1. 538 ; 1257, Cnokinglas, I ., 25. Cnomn gins,

grey or green l i tt le hi l l .”

Conglassy, obs . (Ke ig) . 1 233- 1253 , C0 1. 6 20 . Fol lowing Conglass,

and having on ly a s i ngle reference, i t is unsafe to conjecture what Conmeans .

Coniecleuch (Cai rn ie) . 1677, Connocloich , Huntly Rental 1662 ,

Connachloich , Retou r 363 ; 1 284, Culnacloyth , 462 . 672] 72a

doz'

clze,back ofthe stone, or stony hi ll-back.

”


Conyng or Oun ing Hi l l, The (Inverurie) . The popu lar not ion i sthat this name means “King’s H i l l

,

”from A .S. qym

’

ng ,

“ king,ru ler,

prince, and that the “H i l l ” i s an artificialmound coveri ng the remai n s of

King Aed or “Eth of the swi ft foot,” who is said to have d ied at “Nrurin ”

(I nverurie) , AD . 878. The Pict ish Chron ic les , however, state that he wasburied at I ona and it i s d isputed whether he d ied at I nverurie or atS trathal lan , Perthshi re. As to the mound be i ng sepu lchral

,there is no

evidence and i t i s u ncertai n whether i t is natu ral or artificial. I t is

al lowed that there are no old references to the name, and that i t i s com

paratively modern . Evidently there is noth ing known about the place,and probably there is l i tt le worth knowing. I t is not un l ikely that at

one t ime i t had been a rabbit warren, and derived the name from 0 .E.

caning ,cunning ,

“a rabbi t G. coz

'

nerm,I r. coz

'

m'

rz,W. m nz

’

ng , 0 . Fr.

com'l,cow

'

n.

Conz ie (Forgue) . C.S. Quainye and Queinye. 1699 , Coinz ie, Retou r

516 ; 1549 , ,Counyie , Co] . 1 18 ; 1459 - 1470 ,

Con z ie and Con z e,

100 5. Cu z'

mze, obs . G.

“a corner 5cot. Coynye (Barbour) . See Pit

fancy.

Cook's Hi ll(K ildrummy) .

Cookle s Sh ielLoch (K i ld rummy,

C66 Iah , The (Braemar, As given i n the map, the spel l i ngwel l represents the Gael ic cz

‘

zlaob/t , the back, back parts,” which I have

no doubt i s the mean ing of the name. I t appl ies to a h i llon the southboundary of the county.

Coomb s We l l (Gartly, I have never heard of th is wel l on

Whitelums be i ng cons idered a holy we l l,though

,l ike St. Comb s, Lonmay,

it may have been ded icated to Columba. More l i kely it is named aftersome more obscure person . See Comb scauseway.

Coranie Hi l ls (Cluny) . C.S. Corénnie. 1620 , Forest of Coranie,Retour 168. Coire earzaz

'

c/z,“corrie of the marsh.

”

OF WEST ABERDEENSHIRE .123

Corbanchory (Cushn ie) . 1696 , Curbanch rie, Pol l Book ; 1464,

Corbanchory, Ant. IV., 330 . Banchory, or Mn ckoz

'

re,“ l ight-coloured

corrie,”is probably the name of the corr ie near to th is farm , which l ies

i nto the face of Callievar Hi l l . Cor i s very doubtful, and is probably a

corruption . I t may be a place, s i te, corner, end. The stressfall i ng on ban would shorten the vowel of the first syl lable.

Corb eg, obs . (Bi rse) . 151 1 , R.E.A I ., 377. Coire éeag ,

“ l ittlecorrie.

”

Corb ies’ Hill(K i ld rummy) . Corbz’

e, Scot . a raven , Fr. coréeau,

L . comm.

Corb ies'Nest (Auchindoir, A small hol low at the head of

Corbies’ S tripe, where, i t is said , a pai r of raven s used to nest.

Corb ies, The (K i ld rummy, A brae face covered wi th loosebou lders and cropping rocks, n icknamed Corbies .”

Corb iestongue Wood (Auchindoir, A pecu l iar trench i n the

hi l l -s ide, through which runs a smal l s tripe. The out l i ne of th is hol lowis supposed to resemble a corbie’s tongue.

Corb isha Pool, on the Dec, Abergeldie Water. “Corbie’s Haugh .

See Breda.

Corblelack (Logie Coldstone) . I have not found any old referencesto th is place, and do not know what cor means . See Blelack.

Gorb us, Bu rn of (B i rse, I t i s u ncertai n whether Gorbu s orGarbus is the proper spel l i ng

,or

,i ndeed

,i f e i ther i s correct. Judg i ng by

the course of th is burn,as given in the map , I have no doubt Comus , or,

as often written , Cambus, is what the name shou ld be— G. camus,“a

bend .

” The bend is a strongly marked featu re.

Corchlnnan Bu rn (Auch indoir, 151 3, Correkynyeane, Ant. IV227; 1507, Corrykeynz ane, 3 159 . Coire ceazzf/zz

’

ozm (f/z mute) ,greyish corrie.

”


Corcraig (Rhyn ie, A group of rocks on the south s ide'

of Clayshot H i l l . Coire crezge, corrie of the craig.

Cordach (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . Probably allor cz‘

zz’lam’

ac/z, back

or -corner of the high field.

Cordamph (Alford , Coire daz’

mlz,

“ox corrie. Ci. Delnadamph .

Cordice, Forest of, obs . (Dyce) . 1509 , Ant. I I I ., 224 ; 1 3 16 , Cordys ,I . , 43 . Coiredeas (P) , south corrie

,

” i s poss ible, though not qu ite

sat i sfactory. Apart from th e ques tion of the phonet ics, I do not know a

south- lyi ng corrie i n Dyce,b ut the forest may have been more extens ive

than the l im i ts of the present par ish .

Cordie Hi l lock (Gartly, On the east s ide of Gartly Stat ion.

Cordon, Bu rn of (CorgarfT) . Coire dom/zaifl, deep corrie, the

6 - i nch map has it, and no doubt correctly.

Core, The (Gartly) . The corrie bes ide Corncattrach is cal led The

Core,”and the burn wh ich ri ses i n it i s the Core Burn .

”50 also on the

farm of Brawlanknowes. The Core is the corr ie behind the Clashmach .

CorgarflC

(Parish) . 1507, Corgarf, Ant. IV. , 2 19 . Coire garb/z ,

rough corrie.

”

Coritobrith (Keig) i s men tioned i n the description of the marshes ofthe church lands of Keig and Monymusk given i n the Spald . Cl. Col. , p .

172 . Th e name i s properly Coire lobaz’r, “corrie of the wel l — z rallz's

fontz'

s,the writer of the deed explai ns . The well. has been identified as

St . Tob ran’

s We l l on Brin ie Hil l, the source of the Fowlesy or Camach

Burn . See Proc. Soc. of An t.,Vol . VI . , 220 . The name appears i n the

map as Oberon’s Wel l— the king of the fai r ies’ wel l . Both namesare evidently corrupt ions oflobar

,

“a wel l .”

Corivran (Braemar) . Forest near head of Dee, View of Diocese,C0 1. 643 . 1654, Cory vren, Straloch ’s map . Coire b/mm,

raven’s corrie.

”

See Allt Sh illochvren.

126 THE PLACE NAMES

Corndavon (Crath ie) . Coire cm dam/zaz'

n,

corrie of the l i ttle stag.

This is now a shoot i ng- lodge,andwas formerly a farm . I t has borrowed

the name from the corrie, out of which runs the Burn of Corndavon.

Corneill(Strathdon P) . Perhaps Nei l’s corrie, but the place 18 nowunknown .

Cornellan (Tul l ich) . [Va] . Roll]

Corneyhaugh (Peterculter, Forgue) .

Corntulloch (Aboyne) . 1696 , Cuntillich , PollBook ; 1676, Con

tu l l ich , Records of Aboyne, p . 347. Ceann tulaz'c/z Hillockhead.

”

Corquh ittachie (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . 1696 , Curfuttach ie, Pol l Book .

Coire (d/z mute) ,“corrie of the woods or wooded places.”

The name is obscu re, but I suppose the 11’

s to have dropped and the

term i nal aid/z added .

Corrach (on Moun t Keen ) . Coireac/z,“ fu l l of corries . The name

appl ies to the craigs on the north s ide of the h i l l .

Corrachree (Logie-Coldstone and Tarland) . 1507, Correcreif, R.M.S.

Coire ckraoz'

b/ze, corrie of the tree,” or c/zraob/z , of the trees

Corréén Hill(Tu l lyness le) . Coire £2172, corrie of birds.

Corrennie Hi l l (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . Coire ferny corrie.

”

Corrie Me ik le (Tarland , det. No.

Corrieb eg (M idmar) . Coire beag ,

“li ttle corrie.

Corrieb reck (S trathdon ) . Farm named from Coire breac, speckledcorrie.

”

Corriehoul Coire g/zobfzaz'l,

“corrie of the fork. There

are severalsmallfarms beari ng th is name,borrowed from the neighbour

ing corrie. Corrie of the fork exact ly describes the place, which is a


sort of double corrie. F rom the west s ide comes the burn,misnamed in

the map , Allt Coi re Thol l , and from the east s ide a branch cal ledLittle Grai n . These smal l streams form the fork of the name.

Corr ie Hi ll(Ke ig) .

Corriemore (Glenbucket) . Coire mar , big corrie.

”

Corriemulz ie (Braemar) - z =y. Gael ic G.5. Corrieviiilie and Cor

viiilie. 1564, Corremulz e, Col. 87 ; 1438 and 1451 , Cormuly and

Cormoilz e, Chamb . Rol ls . Coire maoz'le “

corrie of the hi l l brow .

Cf. Corriemulz ie and Strathmulz ie, Ross -sh i re.

Corrienearn (Glenmuick, Coire cm z'

arm'

mz, corrie of the i ron .

I suppose the spri ngs on this s ide of the Panan ich H i l l s are impregnatedwi th carbonates of i ron l ike those at The Wel l s

,

”and that the name has

been suggested by the red i ron -scum characterist ic of these mineral waters .The name appl ies to one of the peaks of the Panan ich H i l l s , but thecorrie is a l i tt le to the east

,and i s cal led , i n the map, Corrie of Com

Arn .

Corrievrach (Glenmuick) . 1766, Corywrauch, al ias Riloskcroft,Aberg. pp. 1600 , Coirvroche, Hunt ly Ren tal . Coire b/zruac/z, corrie ofthe banks .

Corr Riab hach (CorgarFF) . Coire brind led or grey corrie.

Corryb eg (Glengairn) . Coire beag , l i ttle corrie.

”

Corrydown (Auchterless, Gartly) . 1696 , Coridoun (Gartly) , PollBook 1592, Corridoune, Huntly Ren tal ; 1534, Corredowyne,1453 . Coire corrie of the hi l l fort is poss ible

,and at th is p lace i n

Gartly there are traces of what may have been a dim. B z‘w is

,however

,

general ly pronounced “ doon ”

; and domhaz’

n“ deep

,

” or dorm “ brown,

”

would more read i ly become “ down .

Corryh ill(Strathdon) .

Corrylair (Gartly) . 1696 , Corilar, Pol l Book . Coireldz're, corrie ofthe mare or wireldz'r , corrie of the floor or s i te. The former is themore probable mean ing.

128 THE PLACE NAMES

Corse (Forgue, Kinnoir) . The Corse of Kinnoir (farm) i s bes ide theold Ki rk

,and i t is probable there was a pari sh cross here i n early times.

Corse i s the old Scotch form of cross, and general ly appl ies to a stonecross

,or a stone stand ing in place of a cross. I t al so appl ies to a cross

road,or cross- ly ing hi l l , and has the same mean ing as the common Gael ic

words crasg and tarsuz'

fm.

Corscamshoch , obs . (Kintore) . Camshoch , i n broad Scotch , mean scrooked ,

” but th e derivat ion is doubtfu l . The land bearing this name i snow

,so far as cu l t ivated , i nc l uded i n the farm of Fernyb rae, and the

featu res of the place are,no doubt, much changed . The name i s probably

descriptive , but I do not know how or to what i t appl ies.

Corse Cast le (Cou l l) . 1482 , Onei l Corse and le Corss, C0 1. 607.

The View of the D iocese says the old namewas Cotharis,bu t this appears

doubtfu l . A Charter of 1505 2900 ) conveys the lands of Cocheris,i n the barony of

,

One i l , to Gi lbert Hay of Ardendrach t, and this cou ldnot have been the Corse, which at that t imewas possessed by the Forbes

’s,

as i t had been for at least 29 years prev iously.

Corsefi eld (M idmar) . “Cross-ly ing field.

Corsehill(Dyce, Gartly, Rhyn ie) . These h i l l s are probably allnamed from the crossmgs of publ ic roads. I n Dyce and Rhyn ie the

name al so appl ies to farms .

Corseknowes (D rumblade) . A short road cross i ng over the knowefrom Huntly to Drumblade no doubt gave thename to th is farm .

Corsemaul(Glass) . Mau l is probably G. maol, the brow of a hi l l ,”

and may have been the origi nal name of the hi l l , or part of the name.

Corsemaul, I th i nk, means the “

crossi ng of the Mau l,that i s the road

from Glass to Dufl'

town,wh ich crosses over thefnorthern s lope of the hi l l .

Be i ng,i n the winter, st i l l a difficult and somet imes dangerous cross ing, it

is easy to understand how,i n old t imes

,the Corse wou ld be so c losely

assoc iated with the hi l l as eventual ly to form part of the hi l l -name as wenow have it.

THE PLACE NAMES

Corsman Hill(I nverurie) .

Corss, ob s. (Cai rn ie) . This place was near to the church , and it i sposs ible that here there was a cross

,ded icated to St. Mart i n , the patron

sai nt, al though there is no such record or trad it ion . Cf. St. Nathalan’

s

Cross , Tu l l ich .

Corvichen (Drumblade) . 1696 , Carveichen and Cravechen,Poll

Book 1600 , Carvech ine, Huntly Rental 1588, Carwechin , 1592

1548, Crewethin,Ant. I I I ., 51 2 ; 1541 , Crevechyn, 2328. The

mean ing of this name i s somewhat obscure. Cm'

oc/z the

boundary or end of the l i ttle bi rch-wood ” i s possible. Cr z'

oc/z becomes areand crz

'

i n place-names, as i n Crimond— old form Creichmont .

Bez'

t/zeacfz (t/z mu te) i s a derivat ive of birch,

”and th i s part of the

name may b e formed l ike Guisachan, Beachan and Allt Bheitheachan.

Although I consider this derivat ion probably correct, i t i s poss ible thatvichen may represen t beat/za z

'

c/zean (t/z mu te) ,“ beasts

,

” orbytes

,

” but ne i ther of these wordswou ld combine with crz'

oc/z.

Cosalde (Chapel of Garioch P) . “Burn -foot Ment ioned i nthe

“Marches of the Episcopal lands of Ke ig and Monymusk .

”

See

Albaclanenauch .

Cosh , Mi l l of (Crathie, Cosh is i n Gael ic caz'

s, dat . of mm, a

foot,” here mean ing hi l l -foot. No doubt the name i s partly translated ,

l ike Litt lemil l , on the same stream .

Cossack Bu rn (Glengairn, Trib. of Coulachan Burn . See

Casaiche Burn .

Costlyb um (Kinnoir and Longhi l l , Huntly) . I suppose Cost ly meansfoot of the knol l (cos tulaz

'

cb ) , but i f so, the stress has shifted from the

second to the first syl lable, possibly through contract ion ;

Cothill(Petercu l ter) .

Cots ofThernie (Auchterless) .

Cottown (Forgue) .

OF WEST A BERDEENSH IRE . 13 I

Coillach an (Glengairn) . Trib. of Gai rn . Cz‘

zl, the back , term inal s

ac/z and an,mean ing th e bu rn of the l i ttle back- lying place.

”

Co u l Bu rn (K i ld rummy,“Back Burn .

Coillick Hil l (Strathdon ) . Perhaps “Tu rf H ill , from cz‘

zlag ,

“turf.

Gob l ins (S trathdon ) . nooks or corners . The Conl i nsare a fewscattered cottar houses— hence the Engl ish plural .

Cofill(Parish) . 1 366 , Cu le, Co] . 2 19 ; 1 188- 1 199, Cu le and Cu] , Ant.I I ., 27. 6221, a (hi l l back,

”or cz

‘

z z'l, a corner.

Coullie (Monymusk) . 1628, Cou l ie, Retour 2 10 ; 1543, Cowille, Ant.

IV ., 481 . Coille, a wood.

Coulof Newe (Strathdon ) . Cz‘

zz’lor £121

,corner or back of Newe,

either Castle Newe or Ben Newe, the latter mostli kely.

Couls, ob s. (Drumblade) . Now part of Cocklarachy. The E. plurali ndicates several crofts of the same name.

Coulvoulin Plantat ion (Tarland , det. Cf)! or 6 1251mkuz'lz'mz

,the

back or corner of the mil l .” There is no mil l near, but the Plantat ionis immed iately behind the farm of M i l l town .

Counseltree, Bu rn of. Trib. of Burn of Skinna.

Counterford (Premnay) . Farm on the Gad ie.

Countesswells (Peterculter) .

Courtcairn (Cl u ny) . A farm near Castle Fraser, which has probablyder ived the name from a cai rn whereland-cou rts were held i n old t imes .

Courthillock (Aboyne) . From the P0 11 Book th is place appears to

have been a croft near the Cast le. The name has, no doubt, the samemean ing as Mut or Moothillock and Courtcairn.


Courtieston (Les l ie) . Cruterstoun, temp . David I I . , Robertson’s

I ndex 1 368, Cruthyeristoun, C0 1. 549 ; 1 359, Cruterystoun,Ant. IV. ,

155. These old forms suggest the personal name Crowther, Crouther,Cruder or Crouder.

Couttach or Couttacht, ob s. (Aboyne) . 151 1 , Rental , I .,

375. Coz’l/teaclz, a wooded place. Cf. Leep Cuttach .

Cowb rigdale (Oyne) .

Cowbyres (Chapelof Garioch) .

Cowford (Leochel ) .

Cow ie Bu rn.

Cow1e IS a common cor. of cozlle, “a

Cow ie (Forgue) . wood .

”Ci. Cowie, formerly Colly, Kin

card ine.

Cowne Wood (Hun tly) .

Cow ley (Auchterless) i s probably broad Scotch , and means the

cows’ley, though allor cz‘zz’llz'at/t, “ grey back or corner,” wou ld eas i lybecome Cowley.

Cowph t’

irnie (Tul lyness le) . Pol l Book ; 1686, Coufarne, Court Bookof Wh itehaugh ; 16 14, Colquhornie, Ant. IV. , 543 ; 1418, Curquh rony,

I .,2 17; 1400 , Corquhorny, I .,

20 2 . The name onceappl ied to a croft

,now to a field on a shou lder of Millhoch ie. W i th such

variety i n the old spel l i ngs i t i s hard to say what the original form was,but wire i s not appl icable

,whi le cz

‘

zz'l,

“a corner

,exactly describes the

place. Cz‘

zz'lc/zaomac/z

,

“rowany corner

,

” might have become Colfurny— as the spel l i ng is i n the Sess ion Records— by the change of cl: to f,which change perhaps shortened the vowel sound of ao. I give thisexplanation as purely conjectural

,as i t rests on the later forms of the

name, th e earl ier bei ng un inte l l igible.

Coxton (Gartly) . 1605, Coickstoun, Hunt ly Rental 1577, Cokstoun,

2799 . Cock andCox were common personalnames i n the countyi n old times

, as appears i n the P0 11Book.


C raiglog'

ie (Auchindoir) . 1 364, Craglogy, Ant. IV. , 373 . Creag

lagaz'

rz, craig of the l i ttle hol low.

C raigearn (Kemnay) . 1644 , Craigearne, Retou r 276 ; Creagf/zearzza,

alder craig.

”

Craigencat (Cabrach) . Creagmz cat, l i tt le craig of the wi ld -cats.

C raigend Hi l l (Gartly) .

C raigendarroch (Tu l l ich) . Creag (m daraz’

c/z,

craig of the oak.

C raigendinnie (Aboyne) . Creag cm t (s mu te) ,“Fox’s

craig.

”

CraigengellHill(Towie, Creagan geal, “ l i ttle wh ite or l ightcolou red craig.

Craigenget Hi ll(Towie, See Craigencat.

C raigenglowWood (Echt) . Creag cmgleo (P) , craig of the stri feor contest.” Gleo, ob s.

Craigenh igh (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . 1696 , Craigenhieve, PollBook.

Creag an taoz'

b/z, craig of the s ide.

”

C raigenseat (Drumblade) . I n old Scotch sett and tack weresynonymous

,as i n Millsett and Milltack

,Newsett and Newtack. Crofts

and smal l farms often took the names of the tenan ts to whom they were“ sett ”— hence Craigen

’

s sett, modern ised i nto Craigenseat. See Cobi lseitt.

C raigentrinny (Hunt ly, 1600 , Craigintrynie, Huntly Rental . Thelatter part of the name is doubtfu l . Creagan tr z

'

anacfz, craig of the th i rdpart

,

” perhaps of a ploughgate, i s poss ible so al so is Creag cm t-srutkaz’

n,

craig of the streamlet,”

-the Burn ofCraigentrinny.

Craig Ferrar (Aboyne) . See Ferrar.

C raighal l (Kennethmont, Cai rn ie) .


C raighead (Glass,

C raigheedy Hill (Towie, I su ppose heedy i s the Scot. d im . ofhead , and that the name means the l i ttle head of the craig. The nextpoin t of the ridge i s Craig H i l l .

C raighill(Alford ) .

Craigieb eg (K ildrummy) . Creaga beag’

,l i ttle c raigs.

Craigieb uckler (Banchory-Deven ick) .

Craigiedarg (Skene) . Creaga dearg ,

“red c raigs.

C raigiedows (St rathdon ) . Creaga dub/z,“ black craigs

added .

Craigielea (Tarland , Creaga lz'

ailz , “ grey craigs .

Craigsteps (Leochel ) .

Craigietake (Rhyn ie) . This hi l l i s i n the Ess ie d iv is ion of Rhyn ie,

and i s named i n the map Orditeach .

Craigievar (Leochel ) . 1696 , Craigievarr, Pol l Book, and The

Fami ly of Forbes,”1580 ,

has the same spel l i ng ; 1536 , Cragevare, Ant.

I I I ., 222 ; 151 3 , Cragyver, Ant. IV., 350 ;- 1457, Cragyuer, Col. 606. A

family of Mortimers possessed the lands of Craigievar for nearly 200

years,and duri ng most of thei r t ime the name i s general ly spelt Cragyuer

or Cragyver. However this may be explai ned , i t i s unl ikely that thepopu lar pronunc iat ion was difi

'

erent from what i t i s now,because a change

from var. toM?wou ld be unusual . There can b e no doubt that Craigievarand Coillevar must go together. I f Craigievar is the origi nal pron .

of the name, the Gael ic form is probably Creag a’

Man ;

“craig or the

summit, end, extremity. Ci. Crag y ware, same mean ing, “ManxNames.”

Craiglaggan Burn (Keig, Creag lagaz’

n,

craig of the litt le


C raiglash (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . Creag'

g/zlas, “ grey craig.

”

C raig Lash (Bi rse, See Craiglash .

C raiglea Hi ll(Towie) . Creaglz'

atfz,grey craig.

”

Craig Leek (Braemar) . Creaglz'

c,

craig of the flagstone.

C raiglich (Cou l l) . Same as Craig Leek.

Craiglogie (Auchindoir, Creaglagaz'

rz,

craig of the l i tt le hol low.

C raigmahandle (Aboyne) .

Craigmahagglis (Rhyn ie) . I f th i s form is right, the mean ing seemsto b e craig of my chu rch but the name is more l ikely a corruption ofCreag 7mfz-eaglaz

'

s,Kirk-craig.

” The craig i s not far d istant from the

s ite of the old church of Ess ie.

C raigmancie (Forgue) . Somet imes al so written Craigmanz ie. I t i sprobable that the old pronu nc iat ion was Craigmanyie, the change havingari sen from the spel l i ng Craigmanz ie, in the same way as Corriemulz ie isnow often pronou nced Corriemulcie. I I th is conjecture i s r ight, the presentform of th e name may represent Creag meannaz

’

n, the kids’ craig

,

”

e i ther because frequented by kids, or because the rents of these smal lhold ings were paid by so many kids, according to old custom .

C raigmaud Moss (Monymusk, Creag mbz’

d (P) , cou rt-craig.

C raigmeadow (Ke ig) .

C raig Meggen (Glenmuick) . Creag meacan,craig of the roots ,

fir-roots i n the Moss of Meggen,which is often mentioned i n the Aber

geldie Papers.

Craigmill(Leochel) . It i s probable th is name is a part ial translat ionof Creag mm

’lz’nn, craig of the mil l ,” because there never cou l d have been

a mi llwhere the farm stead ing now is, but it may have been the craig ofM i l l of Fowl is, wh ich is nolonger a mi l l, though the name remai ns.

138 THE PLACE NAMES

C raigour (Glass , K i ncard i ne O’

Neil, M idmar) . Creag od/zar ,

“ dunor grey craig.

C raigover (Lumphanan ) . 1680 , Craigour, Retour 443 1639 , Craigover and Craigowerforde, Retou r 247; 1488, Cragoure, Ant. I I ., 40 . Ith in k there can b e no doubt th is name i s the same as th e preced ing.

“ Our has been angl ic ised i nto “ over,” under the impress ion that

Craigowreforde mean t the craig over or above the ford , i nstead of theford of Craigour.

C raig Pot (Ke ig) . A pool or pot.

i n the Don .

C raigrae Beg (Glenmuick, Creag r z'

abkacfi Meag ,

“ l i ttle greyN

craig. Rz'

ab/zac/z general ly takes the form of 7771152, but occas ional ly

drops 611.

C raig Roy (Glass, Creag madit, red craig.

C raigshannoch (M idmar, Oyne, One of the hi l l s so named l iesto the south of M idmar Castle ; the other i s the peak of Bennach ie,marked 1500 i n the map . Creag sz

'

mmac/z,

craig of the foxes.”

C raigs of Bogs (Auchindoir,

C raigston (Skene) .

C raig Vallich (Glenmuick) . Cal led Craigieballoch i n the

papers . Creag a’

b/zealaz'c/z craig of the pass.”

C raigveg (Tarland , det. Craig Meag , l i ttle craig.

C raig Walgan (Logie Coldstone) . Creag b/zalgan, craigr of thel i tt le bags or bu lges .

C raigward (Hun t ly) . The ward or enclosure of the craig.

”

Craigwatch (Glass, B) . Creag mbaz'

a’

e (vaitch ) ,“craig of the st ick .

Timb erford i s c lose to th is place,and

,i n ol d t imes , there may have been

a plank-bridge over the burn , or through the moss.

OF WEST ABERDEENSHIRE .

Craigwater‘ Hi l l (Rhyn ie) . Craigwater appl ies to the burn ri s i ng i n

th is b i l l, the old name of which was Carinaloquhy

Craigwe l l (Aboyne) .

C raigwillie (Huntly) . 1696 , Cragcullie, Pol l Book ; 1567, Craigcu l l ie, Spald . Cl. Mis.

,IV. ,

155 ; 1547, Cragculle, 10 2.

coz'l/e

,craig of the wood .

C raig Youie (Crathie) . Creag gfiaoz'

t/z,

“ windy craig.

”

C rémlet, The (h ill) (B i rse) . Cramleat/zaa’, “ bent or curved slope.

C rampstone (K i ld rummy) . Probably a personal name. Cramp,Cramb and Cram are st i l l su rnames occas ional ly met with .

These three names may b e e i ther Gael icC ranb ég Moss (Rhyn1e) . or broad Scotch . I f Gael ic, the mean i ngC ranloch (Forgue) . wou ld b e “ tree (57717771) of the bog, loch

and hol low respectively ; but the senseis not qu i te i n harmony with th e Gael ic

nomenclatu re of th is coun ty. I t i s therefore more l i kely that cran ”is

the old Scotch for a heron, and the names wou ld thus mean Heron bog

,

loch , and corner

C ranlt'lg (Petercu l ter) .

Cranniecat Hi ll(Tullynessle) .

Crannoch Hill(Tu l l ich) . Cmmzack, ful l of trees, wooded .

C ransmill(Rhyn ie) . Formerly M i l l of Finglenny.

Granstone (K i ld rummy) .

C raskins (Tarland) . Crasgan,borrowed from E.

“cross ing.

C rath ie (Pari sh) . 1564, Crathye, Ant. I I . , 89 1451 , Crathy, Chamb .

Rol ls. c. 1 366 , Creychyn, C0 1. 2 18 ; 1 275, Creythi, I I . , 52. I nmodern Gael ic Craich idh— Sgire Craich idh , Par ish of Crath ie. The

mean ing is very obscure. The reference of 1 366 suggests creac/zan,

“a

140 THE PLACE NAMES

stony decl iv i ty or bare summi t of a hi l l,bu t the older spe l l i ng makes

th is derivat ion doubtfu l . I n notic i ng the same name i n Badenoch , Mr.

MacBain says The form Crath ie possibly poi nts to an older Gael icCrath igh .

”

See Badenoch Names .

C rath ienard (Crath ie) . 1564, Crathynard,Ant. I I . , 89 ; 1451 ,

Crachenardy, Chamb . Rol l s. Cracfie7z+az'

rde, Crath ie of the height ” =Upper Crath ie. Ci. the form of the name i n 1451 with that of 1 366

under Crath ie.

Grav ie, obs. (Tul lyness le) .“a woody place.

C rawstane (Rhyn ie) . An undressed pi l lar-stone, 6 feet h igh , 30i nches wide and 15 i nches th ick, having the fish symbol and a fantast ican imal

,perhaps i ntended to represent a deer

,i nc i sed upon it. As i t

stands i n the neighbourhood of th e old church , i t may have been thecross -stone of Rhyn ie. I ts present name i s probably a corruption . I t i si n a cu ltivated field, and, no doubt, has always been a favourite perch forrooks, thus lead ing to the change from Cross-stane to Craw-stane. Cf.

Craw-stane,Ed inburgh

,another i n Auch indoir and one i n W igton ; also

Crawstane Butt,I nverurie.

(Chapel of Garioch ) .

Bhuilg (Braemar, Crathie) . Craig of the bel ly or

C reag a'

Chait (Braemar) .“Craig of the cat.

C reag a’

Chlamhain (Crath ie, “Craig of the bu z z ard .

C reag a’

Chleirich (Braemar, Craig of the c leric or c lergyman .

C reag a’

Ghalll(Crath ie) . “ Craig of the stranger. 0 5 — 7727:

Gall,of strangers .

C reag a'

Gldas-uillt. Craig of the Glas Allt

C reag a’

Ghob hainn (Crath ie) . C.S. Craig Gowan , Smith’s craig.

142 THE PLACE NAMES

C reag an Innein (S trathdon ) .“ Craig of the anvi l . H i l ls are so

named from some fancied resemblance to an anv i l,ei ther i n the shape of

the h i l l o r rock upon it.

C reag an Loch (Braemar) .“Craig of the loch .

C reag an Lochain (Braemar) .“ Craig of the l i ttle loch .

C reag an Lurachain (Crath ie, 6 ) C.S. Creag Liirachan .

a coward ly, sku lking l i ttle fel low,has been suggested , but i t is probable

the word is descriptive. Ci. Beinn Lurachan , Argyl lsh ire.

C reagan Riach (Tu l l ich) . Creagan“ bri nd led or grey

craigs.”

C reag an Sgoir (Glenbucket) .“ Craig of the sharp rock.

C reag Anthoin (Braemar,“Anthon’s or Anton’s craig. This

Anton murdered a noted sm ith, the GowCrom of Corriemulz ie,and fled

the country after the deed , but was fol lowed by Gi l lespie Urrasach

(Gi l lespie the Bold) and ki l led , and h is head was brought to Deeside andburied near Creag Anthoin . See Legends of the Braes 0 ’

Mar.

”

C reagantoll(Bi rse, “Craig of the hole, accord ing to the map .

Creag a7z z-sabkaz'l(tou l) “Barn knol l

,is more l i kely, the C.S. bei ng

Craigentoul.

C reag an t-Seab haig (Braemar, Tu l l ich) . Pron . tyiiag.

“Hawk’scraig.

”

C reag an t-Sean-ruighe (Braemar , Pron . tean ruie. Craig ofth e old she i l i ng.

C reag Bad an Eas (Braemar,“ Craig of th e c l ump of the

waterfal l .

C reag Beinne (Corgarff,“ Craig of th e hi l l . A rocky hi l lock

on Camock hi l l .

C reag Bheag (Braemar, Litt le craig.


C reag Bh iorach (Glenmuick, “ Pointed craig.

Creag Choinnich (Braemar) .“Ken neth’s craig.

”

C reag Co i re na h -Oisinn (Crath ie,f‘ Craig of the corrie of the

nook or angle.

”

C reag Doineanta (Crath ie and Braemar) . I f doz’

neanta i s the rightword the name should be Creag Dkoz

'

nearzta,s tormy c raig b ut nat ives

say Creag Doin , which is understood to be Creag Damfiain,

“c raig of the

l i ttle stag.

C reag Gh iub hais (Crath ie) . Craig of the fir.

C reag Liath (Glenmuick) . “Grey craig.

C reag Loisgte (Braemar, Burnt craig.

”

C reag Mheann“Craig of the kid s .

C reag Mhor (Braemar) .“ Big craig.

Creag Mullaich (Glenmuick) . Craig of the top or summit.

C reag na C reiche (Glengairn ,

“Craig of the spoi l .”

C reag na Dala Mo i re and C reag na Dala B ige (Braemar) . So

the 0 . 5. map. The common pronunc iat ion is Craigandal77717277 and

b/zeag . Craigandalmay mean craig of meet ing - perhaps a commonmeeti ng place for hun ting exped itions .

Creag na Dearcaig (Braemar,“Craig of the l i ttle berry.

C reag nan Gamhna (Glenbucket, Pron . gowna,“ S teers’ craig

C reag h am Ban (Crathie, o s. Creag 71a ban,“Craig of the

women .

” Trad i t ion says witches were burnt on this h i l l— hence the

name.

THE PLACE NAMES

C reag nam Meann The kids’ craig.

C reag nan Gab har (Braemar) . Pron . gour. “Goats’ craig.

C reag nan Leachd (Braemar) .“Craig of the flagstones.

C reag na Sith inn (Glenmuick, 6 ) (t/z mute. ) Craig of th e ven ison .

Creag na Slowr ie (Glenmuick) . Creag 7m slab/zraz'd/z (s lowrie) ,Craig of th e chai n .

”

C reag na Spaine (Crath ie) . C.S. Craig Spaingie or Spainye. Icannot give any satisfactory explanation of th is name. Accord ing to themap, the mean ing is Craig of the spoon , but where the resemblance i sto a modern spoon , or what a Braemar spoon was l ike i n old times, Ihave no idea.

C reag Phadruig (Braemar) .“ Patrick’s craig.

C reag P hlobaidh (Glenmuick) . Common spe l l i ng, Craig Rh ibe.

Craig of piping ”— perhaps referri ng to the howl i ng of th e wind beating

on the face of the craigs.

C reak (Auch indoir) . 151 1 , Crawok, Ant. IV. , 455. Cmob/zacfi,

ful l of trees,a wooded place.

C

i

rich ie (Kintore) . 1551 , Creyche, Ant. IV. , 525 ; 1481 , Creichie,

Ant. I I I . , 234. Crich ie, 0 1d Deer, i s given in a charter of 1 246 (Ant. IV. ,

3 ) Crehyn ,which seems to be G. creac/zan,

“a stony decl iv ity or bare

summit of a hi l l . Cf. Crathie.

Cr ighton Stone, The (Rayne) . Also the Federate S tone— two largestones on the top of th e Hil l of Rothmaise, supposed to commemoratesome fatal encounter between th e Crichtons of Frendraugh t and the

Crawfords of Federate.

C rinoch , M i l l of (Glengairn) . Crz‘

onac/z means “ decayed trees .“a quaking bog,

” might explai n the name ]

146 THE PLACE NAMES

C ross of Fare (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . A cross-road over the s lope ofthe H i l l of Fare

,1eading from Kincard i ne O’

Neiland M idmar to Echt .Formerly a drovers’ rest ing-place. Cross = “

cross ing.

”

Cross of Saint Cather ine (Alford) . Mentioned in a charter of1523 , Ant. IV. ,

143 .

C rost, obs . (Glenmuick) . Pol l Book. Properly Crosg= cross ing.

Croijlie, Hill of (Glenbucket, Cmaa’lz 3171721517 (4171 and s/z mute) ,

hard moor or b i l l .”

C row Hi l lock (Logie-Coldstone and Tarland , Part of Braes ideWood

,on which are very old Scotch hrs

,where there has been a rookery

for ages past.”

Crowmallie (Chapel of Garioch) . A stone, 4 feet h igh and 5 feet

long. Mean ing of the name unknown .

C rowness (Cl uny) . Both syl lables are equal ly accented, and the

name i s therefore most l ikely modern . Crownest appears i n various partsof the country as a place-name

, but I have not found any older forms ofCrowness. Cf. Cuttacks Nest , Auch indoir.

C row Wood (Huntly) .

C ruich ie (D rumblade) . 1693 , Creich ie, Ant . I I I . , 520 . Same as

Crich ie, K i n tore

Cudlartrie (Monymusk or Ke ig) . 1588, 16 17.

Cuidhe C rom (Glenmuick) . C.S. Gu ie crom=G. s z’

tfie cram, the

bent trench or wreath or pen .

”The peak of Lochnagar so named is marked

on the one- i nch map 3552 . Th e s ickle-shaped trench is on the north -easts ide

,and the winter snow often lies i n i t unti l far through the summer

hence the popu lar renderi ng of the name, the ben t snow-wreath.

Gulag Hill(Towie, Cz‘

zlag ,

“turf.


Ol‘

j I Allt (Braemar) . Burn on the north shou lder of Culardoch ;back burn

,as general ly understood .

Culardoch (Braemar) . Back of the h igh field. See Ardoch .

C ulbalauche. 1507, 3 159. C7) ! or cz‘zz'lbealaz'c/z, “back or

corner of the pass.

Culblean, Hill of (Tu l l ich) . Kilblen,Fordun ; Kylblene, Wyntoun.

The name is local ly understood to mean the warm h il l ,” but I do not

know any Gael ic word mean ing warm which cou ld by any poss ibi l i tyb e represen ted by bleafz . Compari ng the old form

,Kylblene with

Cullybleen,Tul lyness le, and Killyblane, I reland , the Gael ic i s probably

Coille blz'az'n,

“wood of the flank or groin .

” Trad it ion says that i n oldt imes the h i l l was covered with oak wood . El ian i s common i n I ri shplace-names

, and sometimes means any hol low or curved place (Joyce) .Here the word might apply to the c left between the Hi l l of Culblean and

Cnoc Dubh,i n wh ich runs the Burn of the Vat.

CulCathadh , Ford of (Corgarfi‘, See Carn Cuilcathaidh .

Culdrain (Gartly) . 1534, Cowdrane, 1453 ; 151 1 , Coldrane,3599 . 67272 drazgr/zz

'

omz,

“corner of the thorns .” Cz

‘

t z'l,

“ recess,

”

i s the proper word here,not cz‘zl

,a back.

”

Culdub h Hil l “B lack back hi l l .

C ulfork (Al ford , S trathdon , Towie) . 1523 , Colquhork, Alford , Ant.IV.

,143 140 3 , Culquhork, Towie, Ant. IV. , 435. 6721 or 17277 6170175

,

h i l l -back, or corner of oats .

Culfossie (Echt) . 1607, Culquhorsie, Retour 107; 1435, Culquhorsy,Ant. I I I . , 582 ; 141 1 , Culquhorsy, Ant. IV.

,179. Quhorsy is probably a

s l ightly al tered form of the common hi l l -name, Corsky, as i t appears, withthe i n i t ial consonan t aspi rated

,i n Tulyquhorsky. The mean ing wou ld thus

b e back of the cross i ng — very appropriate sti l l , the farm b eingr on the

road cross ing from Waterton to Echt, which are places on the two mai nroads of the d istrict lead ing to Aberdeen .

148 THE PLACE NAMES

Gulhay (Tul lynessle and Forbes) . The spel l i ng is the same i n Pol lBook, 1696 , Rental of 1552 , and charter of 1532 . The last syl lable isdoubtfu l . “Back or corner of quagmire ”

— 7272%— would b e appl icableto the place

,but I do not hnd th is word i n Scotch Gael ic, nor i n O

’

R.

I rish D ict.,though Joyce uses it. Cu! or 7777! 772 17-27172 ,

“ back or cornerof the ki ln

,may have become Culhay by th e loss of the artic le.

Culispik, obs . (K i ld rummy or Glenbucket) . Mentioned i n charter ofthe domin ical lands of K i ld rummy, of date 1508, 3251 . C771 or77771 easbm

’

g , the bishop’s (hi l l ) back or corner.”

C ullérlie (Echt) . 1630 ,Easter andWester Collairleyis, Retour 2 16 ;

1506 , the two Cullerleis, 3071 . 6771 272'S2177

'

6/7 (slie) , “ back ofthe h igh moor.

C ullybline (Tu l lynessle) . Val. Rol l , Cullybleen ; 1696 , Cullyblein,Pol l Book. See Culblean.

C ulméllie (Cushn ie) . 1374, Culmelly, C0 1. 593 . 6771 or 77771 77772112777,back or corner of the l i tt le hi l l .

C ulquharry (Strathdon) . 1507, Culquhary, 3 1 15 1451 ,

Culquhare, Chamb . Rol ls,I I I ., 524 ; 1 359 , Culqwore, Ant. IV. , 718. The

oldest reference suggests 777! or 77771 c/wz'

re, back or corner of the corrie,

”

but the hi l l form ing the west s ide of the corrie i s given in the mapTom a

’

charraigh The two names must go together.

C ulquhony (Strathdon ) . 1546, Colquhoni, Ant. IV .,233 ; 1507,

Culquhony, 3 1 15 and the same i n 1438, Chamb . Rol l s, I I I ., 383 .

C777! 7207777777772 (P) , corner of meet ing.

”

Culreoch , ob s. (Glengairn) . 6771 or 7777777262272 (reach) ,“ brind led

or grey back or corner.”

C u lsalmond (Parish) . 1545, Cu lsalmond , Kyrktoun de,

“ sett,I ., 430 1446 , Culsalmonde, Decreet s igned at, Mis. of Spald . Cl. ,

V., 285 ; c. 1 366, Culsamuel, Tax.,C0 1. 22 1 ; same i n 1 257, Bul l of

A lexander IV., I .,25 ; 1 202-6

,chart . fund . Lundoris, Col. 246

150 THE PLACE NAMES

Culternach (Cairn ie) . A slope of the hi l l between Broad land and

Drumdelgie. 6071170272 2 02,“a woody place, a shrubbery, or shrubby

place.

”

H . 5. Diet. and O’

R.

Culth ib ert (part Tough and C luny) . C777! 1177002771, corner of thewel l .”

C ults (Banchory Deven ick , Kennethmont) . 1505, Quyltis, Ant. I I I260 . Same as Culsh

Culwyne (Cabrach) . 6771 7727770, green h i l l-back.

Culyarney (Kinnoir, Cz‘

77'

1f2027772 , corner of the alders.

Cummer Stone (Huntly) . I t i s somet imes difficult to determ inewhether these names are derived from

Cummerton (Gartly) . Scot. 67777777707, a gossip , companion (Fr.

00777777070, a gossip, a godmother) , or Gae l ic 00772 7, a meeti ng of streams,

roads,or glens. The spel l i ng is l i ttle gu ide, because Cummer and

Comar are sometimes both used in reference to the same place. The

Scot. 07777777707was al so used to denote a witch,which i s probably the sense

i n Cummer Stone. I n the old trial s for witchcraft a common charge wasthat the wi tches danced round a stone on which the devi l sat and pipedor fiddled. Comartown and Cumerton may b e e i ther from Gael ic orbroad Scotch , but the latter is most l ikely.

C umine’s Trench (Auchterless, This trench is to the west ofK i rkhi l l , and tradition says i t i s the s ite of a camp occupied by the

Cumines before th e battle of Barra in 1 308.

C ummingston (Oyne) .

Cumrie (Cai rn ie) . 1534, Cumre,

1453 1 226 , Cumery,

p . 22. 6077727 a meeti ng of streams, roads, or glens .

Cunnach Moss (Drumoak, Cunnach is ev ide ntly a form of Scot.027777202, G. 0277202, cotton grass, cats’ tai l s

,moss -crops— Eriophorum

vaginatum. The word is common in b road Scotch as cannach and

canna.


Cunningar Wood (C l u ny, Cuningar, cunn ingai re, cunnyngarthe,a rabbi t warren . 0 .E. Conygarthe. 5w. Kaningaard, from kan i na rabbit,

”and gaard , an i nc losu re. See Scot. D ict. , newcd.

Cunrie Craig (Insch ,

Curb ey, Burn of (Bi rse

Curb ré tack (Cai rn ie) . C277 0270117202,“a fou l place or corner,

marshy, boggy. The next farm is cal led The Gutter.” Both namesseem to have the same mean ing.

Curfi dlie (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . Corfeidly, Val. Rol l . Coirefl772'2

12 02 (P) , corrie of the catt le.

”

C urlagin Bu rn (Ke ig) . Coire 12g2 7'

77,

corrie of the l itt le hol low.

C u rrach (Auch indoir, 67777202, ob s ,

“a hog, marsh . This

place i s a marshy hol low on the farm of Wheedlemont.

C u rrach Pool(Clatt, Also Currat h Stri pe and Wel l. See

Currach .

Curracks, The (Premnay,I t is said that at one t ime there were

two large stones at th i s place, resembl i ng currachs or l ight Carts . This ispossible, but Curracks is morelikely the same as Currach .

C u rr ie, The, obs. (Braemar) . See Currach .

Curwick Bu rn (Midmar, Curwick seems to b e a corrupt ion ofCurrach .

C fish iestown (Rayne) . 1566 , Custestoun ,Ant . I I I . , 378. The name,

no doubt, means some person’s town , but whether Cush ies represents a

personal name or an official, such as the “ Custos de Fyvie, there i s noevidence.

Cushlachie (Towie) . 1696 , Cushlaih ie, Pol l Book.

152 THE PLACE NAMES

C ushn ie (Parish) . Now un i ted with Leochel . 151 1 , Quisny and

Cuschny, 3592 and 3626 ; 1490 , Quisne, Act . Dom . Con. , Co] .

594 ; 1 390 ,Cusschene, 1 366 , Cussh eny, Tax.

, Co] . 2 19.

The h i l ls of Cushn ie are proverbial ly cold , and th is has evident ly suggestedth e derivat ion 077711770

,obs. , “ ice, frost,

” which i s very doubtfu l . Cushn ieoccurs i n Aberdeenshi re three t imes, also i n Clackmannan , Forfar,K i ncard i ne and St i rl i ng. Cushn ie, Fordun Pari sh ,was of old Coschnoch t,which seems to i nd icate 00719, dat. of “

a foot,

”and term inal 7702 02,

probably correspond ing i n mean ing to ou r Scotch name Foot 0 ’ Hi l l .

Outheard Hi l l

Cutt ieb urn (Auch indoir, Scot. Cutt ie or Cutty has a variety ofmean ings. As an adj. i t means short ,

”

Cuttiesh illock (COUII, 6 ) as i n cu tty-stool , cutty-spoon , cuttypipe

,but i n this sense it does not enter into place-names . As a sub . the

general mean ing is a hare,” but

,i n some part s of the country, cuttie i s

u nderstood to b e a d im . of cout= colt. Ei ther of these two mean ingsmay apply to Cuttieburn and Cuttiesh illock.

Cuttieb urn (Cou l l) . Cu th i l l i s the more common form

Cuttleh ill(Cai rn ie, Newhills) . of this name,which is fou nd allover

Scotland , and i t al so occurs i n EngC utt le Hi ll(Cai rn ie) . land . I t i s diffi cult to ass ign with

certai n ty th e derivat ion of each i nd iv idual name,because there are

two 077127'

11’

s of exactly th e same spel l i ng, but hav ing ent i rely d ifferent

mean ings . To cuttle or cuthilcorn was to remove it, when cut,

from low ground to an exposed si tuat ion for winn i ng or withering.

Th e same term was used when corn was brought from a d istant fieldto the neighbou rhood of the stackyard to wai t the first opportun i tyof securi ng it. Corn was al so cuttled to al low cattle to pasture onthe stubble-field. This old custom survives to a l im ited extent

,but

the term is obsolete. The derivat ion is doubtfu l,though i t may b e

a form of E. wheed le,or at least from the same root. Coaxing

is somet imes appl ied to the s im i lar efforts to secure a cr0p i n a bad

season . Cuth i l l appears i n combination in Cuth ilgurdy, Cuthiltoun,

Cuthilb rae, Cuthildail, Cuthilfuird, Cuthilhill, Cuthillsydes, Cutle-aicker,

154 THE PLACE NAMES

Dalcheipe, obs . (Glentanner) . Nei r Glentaner K i rke (says'

Balfour,1630 where was a ford of the Dee.

”0 271 0277,

“ field of the stumpor stake.

”Cf. Coblestock. Cobleheugh was al so near the Kirk of

Glentanner, ford or ferry be i ng avai lable,accordi ng to the state of the

r iver.

Daldergy (Tarland , det. 0 271 710270277 field of the berries .

Daldownie (Crath ie) . C.S. Daldt‘ mie. 0 271 277772777,

“ field of thel i ttle knol l .” I am not certai n that th is mean ing is appl icable. Theremay be a knol l or heap at the place, though i t l ies i n a hol low c lose tothe Gai rn .

. Dalfad (Glengairn) . Th e last syl lable i s doubtfu l . F271,“ long

,

wou ld give Dai l fhad (ad) , and“ long field or haugh ”

is i nappl icable.

0 271f22'

,turf field ,

” i s descriptive, but the vowe l i s long.

Dalfllng (Chapel of Garioch) . “ field of thewen orexcrescence.

” There is a smal l poin ted knol l at the place, which mayaccount for the name.

Balgowan (Braemar, K i ncard i ne O’

Neil, 0 271g002277777, Smith’s

field.

”

Dalgrassich (S trathdon , Dalgrassick,Val. Rol l . 0 271g 70771 27020,

shoemaker’s field or haugh .

Dalhaikie (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . 1696, Dalhekie, Pol l Book. 0 271

02777100,“ reed field.

” There are marshes i n the neighbourhood,with

abundance of reeds .

Dalhandy (Strathdon , See Delhandy.

Dalhé rick (Clu ny) . 0 271 0277772702 (P) , field or haugh of the bog.

Dalherrick, as the common spel l i ng i s,suggests 02 772 735 a rock, bu t

there is no rock or craig near th e place. Moss -side i s, however, the next

Dalh ib ity (Banchory Deven ick) . See‘

Keb baty.


Dallance Pot (Huntly) . In the Deveron.

Dalliefoij r (Glenmuick) . 1688, Dillifour 1622 , Delfour 1599 ,

Dalfour, Aberg. pp . Fie ld or haugh of the pasture,” from W. P 2 707. 50

Mr. MacBain i n Badenoch Names .

Déllochy (Glass) . 0 271,

a dale, and 202222, a field,” a place of

fields or haugh - land . Ci. Dal lachy, Bellie.

Dalmadilly (Kemnay,Keig) . 0 271 772 2777110, leafy field or haugh

,

i s poss ible, and the i n terchange of 7772 and 772 is not uncommon . I donot thi nk that 7772 represents the pers . pron . 7770 ,

“my,” because the

fol lowing cons . wou ld b e aspi rated , wh ich wou ld give Dalmayilly.

Madilly may b e a pe rsonal name, and perhaps Dalmadilly shou ld bec lassed with Be lmaduthy and Dalmalook , Ross-shi re, and Dalmahoy,Ed i nburgh .

Dalmalochy (Glenmuick) . 1763, Haugh of Aucholie, common lycal led Haugh of Dalmulachy,” Aberg. pp .,

which is probably amis-spel l i ng.

0 271,

“a haugh

,

”and 77777112 02

,

“a summit,

”cou ld not we l l go together.

0 271 7772112 022722 means field or haugh of curs ing,

” though what i nc identmay have given ri se to the name is unknown. Ci. Sluievannachie, moorof bless ing.

”

Dalmaik (Drumoak) . 1492 , Dulmaok,Acta Dom. Con .

, C0 1. 278

c . 1 366 , Dalmayok, Tax. C0 1. 22 1 ; 1 359 , Dalmayak ,I .,

85 ;

1 33 1 , Dulmaock, Chart. I ., 52 ; 1 157, Dulmayok, Conf. by PopeAdrian IV . , I . , 6 . Dalmaik is now the name of a farm

,but

i t was commonly used by the parish ioners as the name of the pari shdown to 1843. See New S tat . Acc. The Chu rch of Dulmayok, nowDrumoak

, was ded icated to Sai n t Maz ota, one of the n ine maidens whofol lowed Sai n t Brigid from I reland and settled at Abernethy. See the

legend i n the “ Breviary of Aberdeen .

” Sai n t Maikie’

s Wel l i s near toth e church . 0 771 may be, as has been conjectu red

,a P ict ish form of

2271,“a field or haugh

,

”but i t has most ly d ied out i n Abe rdeensh i re.

Dalmore (Braemar) . The old name of Mar Lodge. 0 271 777207

big field.

”

156 THE PLACE NAMES

Dalmuch ie (Glenmuick) . 1600 , Dalmuckachye, Huntly Rental .Pigs’ field, or field of the piggery.

”

Dalnabo (Glengairn) . 0 271 772 77700, field or haugh of the cows .

Dalnlne (Tarland , det. Probably a contract ion of 0 2177227770 : 0 271

772 2 river haugh,

of the Don .

Dalphuil(Glengairn,0 271 15277711,

“ field or haugh of the bog or

pooh”

Dalraddie (Crathie) . 0 271 7222722, dark or ruddy field.

Dalriach (Kemnay) . 0 271 77202202 bri nd led or grey field.

Dalrossack (S trathdon , 0 271 woody haugh .

Dalsack (Aboyne, 1 59 1 , Dulsack, 1898 151 1 , Dulsak ,Rental

, I ., 377. I n modern Gael ic 0 271 520 is the field of sacks,”but i t is doubtfu l i f th is i s the mean ing here. 52 0 is borrowed from A .S .,

and is therefore not a very l i kely word to fol low 221, which is supposedto b e P ict ish . Poss ibly “

sak ofDulsak may also b e Pictish .

Dalvrégachy (Braemar) . “ Haugh of the speckled field. From07020 2 02222, speckled field.

Dalweary (K i n tore) . The old references to th i s name vary so l i ttlethat they are practical ly the same as the present form . The derivat ionof weary ”

is doubtful . 127202,west

,

”

has been suggested , but is qu itei nappl icable to thi s p lace

,and i t is diffi cult to see how the 70 would come

in . Whatever the root may b e,it is eviden t i t must begin with an

asp irated 0 or m— b h or mh = v. 0 271 777270222770, field of the churl , or0 271 7772770,

“ field of the part or d ivis ion,might ei ther of them give

Dalweary, bu t the qualifying epithets are unusual , and pu re ly conjectural .I t i s true th i s place was i n ear ly times occupied as two possess ions, andcal led the two Dalwearies,” but there is no evidence that the Dalwearyswere parts or d ivis ion s ” of lands . Cf. Balverie, Ab0yne Balweary,Fife and Leochel

,and Castle Weary

,W igton .

158 THE PLACE NAMES

Daues, The (K i ne l lar, 0 n the Don . For 22 2g2s , with Eng.

plural . See Daugh .

Baugh (Cai rn ie, I nveru rie, Kintore, Logie-Coldstone) . I n latertimes, a daugh of land was reckoned 416 Scotch acres

,or 4 plough -gates,

each plough -gate be i ng 8 0x-gates . What a dauch was i n early times ,or how 22022 02, “ a vat or tub

,

”

came to describe a certai n extent of landis u ncertai n .

Davan, Loch and Farm (Logie-Coldstone) . 1516 , the lands ofDawane, 150 3 , the lands of Dawen , 2745. Straloch ’smap , 1654, gives the name, Dawan , to the farm ,

bu t does not name theloch . I th i nk the name be longed origi nal ly, not to the loch , but to thefarm , for i n the P 0 11 Book i t is cal led the Davan . I t seems poss ible thatDavan is a modern form of 2202202277,

“ l i ttle davach,

”the gutt. 02

dropping out, as i t frequen tly does i n th i s county. Ci. Daheen i nI reland , mean ing “ l i tt le davach. See al so Me i kle and Little B augh ,Cai rn ie, and Davoch , Logie-Coldstone.

Davidston (Cai rn ie) . 1545, Dawestoun, 3 10 3. Possiblynamed from David of 5trathbogie— 1 3th century— though there is nowri tten ev idence that i t was so.

Davo (I nveru rie) . Also wri tten Dava and Davah. 1645, Dawache,Retou r 281 ; 1600 ,

“ Les l ie’s hal f daache lands (of I nveru rie) , and the

other hal f daache lands,cal led A rtannies,

”Earldom of the Garioch

, p. 29 ;

1510 , le Daw, 3556 ; 150 8,“ davate terrarum nostrarum de

I nuerowry,”

3242 . See Daugh .

Davoch (Logie-Coldstone) . 1696 , The Baach, Pol l Book ; 1600 ,

Dawachmenach , 1050 ; 1429, Dauchemanache, 1 27.

0 202202 7770222077202,middle dauch .

” There are sti l l the WesterM idd le, and Easter Daugh s i n the Coldstone d ivi s ion of the parish .

Dawmoor Wood (Oyne,

Dead Haugh (Cabrach ,


Dee, The. [This word is etymological ly connected with the Lat i n202

,and, as a name, was common among th e Ce l ts . I t was evidently the

name of a river goddess . Cf. the Gau l ish Divona, Adamnan’

s Loch272 0,

now Lochy i n Lochaber, the Dee i n Wales,the Devon i n S ti rl i ng

,Devon

i n England,810 . The obl ique case i s preserved i n Aberdeen

, Gael ic002 7 probably also i n the Don .]

Dee Cast le (Aboyne) . Formerly Candacoil. See Kandakelle.

Deelat, The (Kild rummy, 0 7011272,

“a sadd le

,

”is frequen tly

appl ied to a h i l l supposed to resemble a sadd le,or to a connecti ng ridge

between hi l ls . The name occurs both as a Gael ic and broad Scotchname. See Sadd le Hi l l , D rumblade, and An Diollaid, Braemar.

Deerh illock (B i rse) . Both here and el sewhere thi s name is understood to mean a h i l l ock where deer were wont to assemble. This maybe right

,but i t wou ld b e qu ite i n harmony with the “ dry humou r ” of

Aberdeenshire had the name original ly mean t a dear-ren ted hi l lock.

De i l’s Stane (Kemnay, A great stone,1 2 feet h igh , near the

Manse of Kemnay. The legend is that i t was th rown by the devi l fromBennach ie, with the evi l i n ten t of damaging the chu rch , i n revenge for thegood deeds of the parish priest.

Delab (Monymusk) . 170 2, Dullab , Ant I I I . , 504 ; 1628,Dillab ,

Retou r 2 10 ; 1543, Dulloib , Ant. IV. , 481 . 0 271 172700,“ field of the tu rn

or bend but poss ibly 0 7771 12700,

“ field of the mire. Ei ther mean ingm ight apply here.

Delahaish 0 271 2’

field or haugh of the cheese- pastu re favourable to the product ion of cheese. The next farm isDelavine

Delavair (Kincardi ne O’

Neil) . 1696 , Dalavaer, Pol l Book . 0 271 2’

field of the mai r or bai l iff. The name i s somet imes pronouncedDelavaird

,

“ bard’s field,” but, had th is been the - origi nal form , i t wou ldnot l ikely have lost the final2.

Professor Mack innon,

160 THE PLACE NAMES

Delaveron (Tarland , det . No. [Va] . Rol l . C.S. Delavorar : 0 271

2’-7772072770, Earl’s field ]

Delavine (Corgarff) . 0 271 2 022777770, field or haugh of mi l k.

Delavorar (Braemar) . 0 271 2’

1122072770. See Delaveron .

Deldunan (Corgarff) . 0 271 277772777, field or haugh of th e l i ttle dim.

Deléén Haugh (Tarland , det . No. 0 271 07777,

“ bird’s haugh,i s

probably the mean ing. 0 271 10272277 (12 mute) ,“ broad haugh

,

” isi nappropriate.

Deler or De l ver Bu rn (Ke ig) . Perhaps a bu rn that del ves or d igsi nto its banks .

De leva (Tarland ) . 0 271 222 022 (22 mute, bh =v) ,“ field or haugh

of th e two cows .”

Delfrankie (Glenbucket) . 0 271 F727702702,

“ F renchman’s field.

Perhaps a fol lower of one of the S trathdon lai rds may have been in

France with h is master, and n icknamed “ Frenchman ” i n consequence.

S im i lar n icknames are of frequent occurrence i n the Highlands .

Delhandy (S trathdon ) . 0 271 5227722722,“Sandy’s field or haugh is

local ly supposed to b e th e mean ing, b ut i n Perthsh i re is Balquhandie ,and quh = ch

,which rather favours Kenny’s field.

Delnab o (Glengairn) . 0 271 77277700, cows’ field or haugh .

Delnadamph (Corgarff) . 0 271 77277227772, field of the oxen .

Den, Hi l l of (Chapel of Garioch) . Den= dean A .S . 2077, 207777,

20770, ravine or c left, with steep sides .”

I t i s d isti ngu ished from a glen ,i n this part of th e country, by be i ng worn or scooped out, whi le a glen i sformed by surround ing hi l ls .

Den, The (K i ld rummy).

162 THE PLACE NAMES

Derry Cai rngorm (Braemar) . Cal led al so Cairhgorm of Derry, andLesser Cai rngorm . The writer of the View of the D iocese (C0 1.says To Macken z ie of Dalmore belongs a good part of Glen Lu i,where is the fir wood of Dirrirai.” Though I have not found this formof the name elsewhere

,i t is probably correct. Derry and Dirrirai have

almost the same mean ing 22770 is an oakwood ,”22772270 i s a derivat ive

,

pronounced darrery,”accord ing to Joyce. I t is common in I rish names

,

and appears occas ional ly i n our own country.

Desk, now Dess (Kincard i ne O’

Neiland Aboyne) . 1725, Burn and

Slogg of Desk, Macfarlane, Ant. I I . , 4 ; 1662 , M i l l , town and lands ofDesk, Retou r 363 1600 ,

Mylne of Desk, Huntly Ren tal 1589, M i l l ofDeis

,

“ Records of Aboyne,”

p . 166 . None of these references are oldenough to determine whether th e name was origi nal ly Dess or Desk

,but

the Huntly Rental of.

1600 probably preserves the name as i t was whenthe property, or part of it, came i n to th e possess ion of th e Gordons . Sloggof Desk may poss ibly b e a s l ightly angl ic i sed form of the Gael ic s/oc

270sg2 , the den or pool of th e d ish ,”that i s

,the cavi ty i n to which th e

water fal ls. I f Dess i s the older form of the name,I cannot ofl

'

er any

suggestion as to the mean ing.

Déskie (Auch indoir) . 1650 ,Dosk ie

,Ant . IV.

, 3 16 ; 150 8, B osky ,

3251 . Deskie appl ies to the farms of North and South Deskie,

Deskie Wood and Deskie Burn,the latter

,no doubt, givi ng rise to the

name,27722 777sg 0, black or dark water.”

Deskrysh iel(Logie-Coldstone) . The shiel i ng on the Deskry or i nGlendeskry.

Deskry Water (Logie-Coldstone, S trathdon , Tarland , det. Ante1657, Glendeschorie, Bal fou r ; 150 8, Discory, 3251 . Deas 720770

,

“ south corrie.

”

Deskry also appl ies to the farm andmi l l so cal led,but

,

as I understand it, the name properly belongs to the corrie at th e heador source of the stream ,

on the north -west s ide of Morven .

Desswood (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . See Desk.

Deuchries (Monymusk), 1696, Pol l Book . See Duchery.


Deveron, The. 1695, Doveran, Retou r 497; 1667, Divron,Retou r

382 1652 , Strathdivren ,Reg. of Synod of Abd .

, p . 222 160 8,Doverne

,

2075 1478, Dowarne, 1 396 ; 1474, Devern , 1 184 ;

Doverne, 909 ; 1 253

- 1 299, Duffhern, p . 279 ; 1 272 ,

Douerne,

I ., 30 . C.S. Déveron and Divron. Th e popu lar opin ion

is that Doverne,or Deveron, means black water.” No doubt i t i s a dark

water, and i ts larges t tr ibutary i n the Lower Cabrach , or Strathdeveron,

is the B lackwater ; but i t seems to me that allattempts to show howDoverne means “ black water ” have enti rely fai led . D r. Joyce derivesthe name from the d im inu tive of 202227

,

“water ”— 202227277. (bh =v)but whi le this derivat ion is poss ib le

,and may b e correct

,i t appears to

rest on a spel l i ng which is on ly 200 years old . I t is al so diflicult to seehow the d im . term inal comes i n as appl icable to the largest river betweenDon and Spey. Doverne may poss ibly mean the B lack Erne— DubhErne— as Findhorn (in 1094

-7, Eirenn) may be the Wh ite Erne. The

origi n of the river-name Erne or Earn is doubtfu l . I n Forfarsh ire is a

smal l mossy stream cal led Differan,and i n Cornwal l Devoran occurs as a

place-name. Dyff'

ryn is common in Wales,but i t does not appear as a

r iver-name so far as I have observed . Dyffryn inWel sh means “a val ley.

”

Dev i l’s Po int (Braemar) . A rocky peak on south -east shou lder ofCairntoul.

Dev i l’s Stone or Chair (Huntly) . On the Deveron , near the Castle.

There i s a hole i n the stone,supposed to resemble the impress ion of a

c loven hoof— hence the name.

Dewsford (K i ntore) .

Deyston (K i n tore) . Modern— personal name,Dey.

Dierdy Bum (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Ment ioned i n Hospital Charterof 1 250 , I I . , 274. Now unknown .

Dikenook (Clatt) .

Dillet, The (Cabrach) . See Deelat .

164 THE PLACE NAMES

Dillyb r‘ae (Glass, I do not know what D i l ly means i n thesetwo names

,and there are no old forms .

Di l ly Hi” (I nveru rie) . Any derivat ive of 227! wou ld b e qu iteunsu itable i n e i ther case.

Dinnet (Aboyne, Tu l l ich , Parish 1696 , Dunnot and Dunatye,Pol l Book ; 1624, Dunnattie

,

“ Records of Aboyne,

”

p . 237; 1600 ,

Dunnatye ,Huntly Rental . Al l these references are to the lands of M i l l

of D i n net, partly lying in Aboyne and Tu l l ich . The derivat ion of th isname i s very u ncertai n , because i t i s not known where the name originates .I t i s conjectu red that i t appl ies to a ford on the Dec

,which i s not

improbable,but there is no ev idence that i t does . 0 77772722 ,

fort of th eford

,

”has been suggested , but al though i t i s said there are remai n s of a

fort near th e ford where the Fir Mu nth road crosses the river, i t seems tome this derivat ion i s i nadm iss ible, because i t would throw th e stress onth e las t syl lable, thus al tering th e whole character of the name. Ne i therdo I th i nk 27277 (d6 6n) wou ld change to Din as i n D i n net

,because the

true vowel sound almost always remai ns i n accented syl lables . I f D i nnetdescribes the ford , the root may b e 27277,

“ strong , rapid ,” with th e old

term inal 272 and D7277272 i s the Gael ic form of Burn Dennet rapidstream ”

— th e name of a river i n County Tyrone,which seems to be a

c lose paral lel to ou r D i n net. W i th so l i ttle knowledge as we have of theplace and the old forms of the name

,I do not see that any derivat ion

suggested can b e other than purely conjectu ral .

Dinriggs, Bu rn of (Auch indoir, A dry burn between Auchindoirand Cabrach . Dinriggs=

“ Dun or grey ridges .

Dipperden We l l (Bi rse Dipper=water-ou z el .

Diracroft, obs . (Tu l lynessle) . 1641 , Retou r 255 1550 , the derrahouse

land , I ., 451 . See Deray Croft.

Dish Pot (Auch indoir and Ki ldrummy boundary) . A pot or pooll i ke a d ish

,i n Glenlaff Bu rn .

Div ies or Divv ies, Burn of (Drumblade) . Ment ioned i n Macfarlane’sCol lections and MS. description of the lands of Lessendrum

,but now

166 THE PLACE NAMES

Dorlethen (Chape l of Garioch) . 1696 , Dorelethen,Pol l Book 1625,

Darlathin,Retou r 195. 0 0770 10272277, broad thicket .

”

Dorséll(Alford ) . 1696 , Doreseall, Pol l Book 1657, Dorsoilt, Retou r338 ; 1595, Dorisall, 225. 0 0777: 777117(P) ,

“ door or pass of theburn

, the Burn of Leochel .

Dorsincilly (Glenmuick) . 1696 , Dorsinsillie,Pol l Book ; 1688,

Dorsnasillie,Aberg. Papers . 5071702

,

“ doors or passes of thewil low.

”The name i s obscure

,b ut may refer to some old cross-roads not

nowexist ing.

Dotrick (M idmar) . Corruption of 0 7722 027020,“ black craig, that

i s, a craig overgrown with heather. Cf. Drumdothrik, Marycu l ter,I .,247.

Douchel’s Poo l, Abergeldie Water,Dee . Christ ian name, Dougal or

Dougal d .

Douglas Bu rn (M idmar, Trib. of C l uny Burn . Trad ition saysi t is named after an offi cer who fel l i n an engagement between the

fol lowers of Bruce and Comyn . Whatever of tru th there may b e i n th is,Douglas is most l i ke ly a personalname. I do not find that g127

'

s0,“a

streamlet,”appears i n Aberdeenshire place-names .

Doulich Bu rn (Tu l l ich) . Trib . ofQueelBurn . 0 7722 102 0,“ black

flag b um.

Dou rie We l l (Cai rn ie,

Doveh ills (Rayne) .

Dowers (Petercu l ter) . Possibly borrowed . Dowert and Dowart arecommon— 27722 2772, black he ight.”

Dowmin (Huntly) . 1677, Domin , Huntly Rental ; 1600 ,Domyne,

Rental 1534, Domyne, 1453 .


Down ings of Buchaam (S trathdon , Three con ical h i l locks near

Buchaam.

Downs ide (Tarland) . Pron. D6 6n.

Drakewell(Premnay) .

Droichsb ridge (Alford ) . Doublet— Droich z 27072272’,“a bridge.

Druidsfi eld (Tul lyneSSIe>1There are stone c i rc les at both these

Druidstown (Premnay) J places— hence th e name.

Druim a'

Chaochain Odhair (Corgarfi'

,

“ R idge of the dun orgrey streamlet.”

Druim na Buirich (Corgarfi'

, R idge of the rutt i ng or roari ng.

A projecti ng ridge on Tolm Buirich .

Druim na Cuaich (W. bound ,

“ R idge of the cuckoo,

accord ing to the map ; but more l i kely ridge of the cup or bowlbecause on the summit of this b i l l

,i n the hol lowcal led Glac an

Lochain,there is a roundlochlet, which has probably suggested the name.

Druim na Fé ithe (Gorgarfi'

,

“ R idge of the marsh . Near toFe i th Bhaite, from which it takes the name.

Druim Odhar (Crathie) . Dun or grey ridge.

Drumakrie, ob s. (S trathdon) . K rie or cree i s a doubtfu l word , but i nLogie-Coldstone i s Corrach ree

,formerly Correcrief, which suggests 0 7777777

772 77772 022,ridge of the trees .”

Drumallach ie (Towie) . 1517, Drummelloche,Ant. IV. , 772 ; 1468

and 1545, Drummuleche, 3 1 14 ; 1 365, Drummelochy,

Ant. IV.,

158. 0 77777777772112022722,

“ ridge of cu rs ing,but why so named I know

not. Cf, Sluievannachie, moor of bless ing.


Drumallan (S trathdon ) . 0 7777777 217777777, fai r or beau tifu l ridge.

Drumanettie (S trathdon) . 0 7777777 277 27777777 (P) ,“ ridge of th e

j un iper.”

Drumb arton Hil l (Tul lynessle) .“Barton’s Cf. Dum

barton,

“ 0 7277 of the Bri tons .”

Drumb lade (Parish) . Drumblate, Pol l Book and C.S. 1567,

Drumblaitt, C0 1. 230 1504, Drumblat, Court Books,Abd . 1438,

Drumblate,

220 ; 140 3 , Drumblathe, 252 , 2 1 . Poss ibly0 7777777212722 ,

ridge of blossom,

” or flowery ridge, appl icable to the ridgerunn ing along the centre of the parish , when covered with broom

,whins

,

and heather. Although the form of 140 3 favours this derivation , i n theExchequer Rol ls of 1 342 (Vol . the spel l i ng is Drumlat, whichseems to show that the 2 fol lowing 777, as i n many other cases, i s i ntrus ive,and i f th i s is right, the name may have been original ly 0 7777777 1027222

,

ridge of the grave. A tumu lus, which at one t ime stood on the northeast end of Newtongarry Hi l l , when opened many years ago,

was foundto contai n a number of great stones , placed i n a c i rcu lar form

,but there

i s no‘ record of th e finding of u rns or stone coffins,nor

,i ndeed

,of search

for anything of th e kind . There can,however

,b e l i tt le doubt that th is

mound covered the remai n s of some person or persons of d isti nction .

From such monuments names often originated,which in process of t ime

extended to cons iderable d istricts . I t may haVe been so i n th is i nstance,

though i t i s merely a conjecture based on a s i ngle old reference. Cf.

Cromblet andCromlet i n this county also Derlett and Corlat i n I reland .

See Joyce, I ., 338.

Drumblair (Forgue) . 0 777777721277,ridge of th e field.

Drumb raik (Echt) . C.S. Dumb réck ; 1696 , Dunb reck, Pol l Book ;16 1 1 , Dumb reck , Retour 1 29 ; 160 8, Drumb rek, 2 186 . 0 7777777

2702 0,spotted or speckled ridge.

”

Drumb t’

llg (Gartly) . 160 0,Drumb ulge, Huntly Rental 151 1 , Dun

bulge, 3599 ; 1 226 , Dunbulg, p . 22. 0 7777

,

“a heap

,hi l l ,

fort ” ; 27777777, “ a ridge.

”0 olg , gen. 27771g ,

i s somet imes used in I relandto describe a windy place, but al though Drumbulg i s very much exposedto wind , the mean ing of th e name i s probably

“ hi l l or r idge of the bog.

170 THE PLACE NAMES

Drumfergue (Gartly) . 1696 , Drumferg,Pol l Book ; 160 2, Drumfergc,

Huntly Rental ; 151 1 , Drumquharg, 3599. 0 7777777 720277,“ r idge of the grouse,

” l i t. “ hens .” Change of 72 to f. The name was,no doubt

,i n use before the ridge, now cal led Th e Drum ,

” wascu l t ivated . W i thou t old references , i t i s sometimes difficult to determ inethe mean ing of such names . Quharg and quhork often represen t 720777,oats and Culquhork, Culhork , and Culquhark, the back or corner ofoats

,

”

are d ifferent forms of the same name. Cf. Balquharg, Fife ;Dalquhark, Kirkcudbright Badychark, Leochel .

Drumflettick (Tu l lyness le) . Pol l Book . 1686, Drumflatack, Cou rt

Books ofWh itehaugh . The place is now extinct,bu t old people pro

nounce Drumflectick . Mean ing unknown .

Drumfold (Cai rn ie) . 1677, Drumwhal, Huntly Rental ; 1696 , D rumfau ld and Drumfoal

,Pol l Book ; 166 2

,Drumquhaill, Retou r 363 ;

16 38, Drumquhuie Retou r 242 ; 1534, Drumquhale,1453 ; C.S. Drumfél.

Drumfork (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 0 7777777 720777,“ ridge of oats

change of 72 tof.

Drumfottie (Cushn ie) . 1696, Drumfattie, Pol l Book ; 1542 , D rummachaty,

2810 ; 1532 , Drumquhat , 3 1 15 ; 151 1 , Thom

quhatty, 3626— appears to b e the same place

,and i s probably a

mis -reading of the name. 0 7177777 2’

722722,

“ ridge of the battle.

”Cf.

Cai rn Cat and Cai rn Catta.

Drumfours (Leochel ) .“ R idge of pastu res. E. pl. 7 added . See

Bal fou r.

Drumgesk (Aboyne) . 1696 and 1538, Drumgask, Pol l Book and

Records of Aboyne.

”Under D rumgask

,i n “ Badenoch Names

,

”

Mr.

MacBain says The word gasg seems to have s l ipped out of use i tbelongs on ly to Scotch Gael ic

,and may b e a Pict ish word .

”He

conjectu res the mean ing is a nook,gusset

,or hol low.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE.

Drumgowan (Les l ie) . 10 7777777 g 022277777 (gowan) , smi th’s

Drumgowin, obs. (Tullynessle)j r idge ,

”

Drumhead (Bi rse, Cai rn ie) . Hybrid ridge-head ,

Druminnor (Auchindoir) . 1552 , Drumminnor,Ant. IV. , 425 1440 ,

Drumynour, Ant. IV. , 395. 0 77777777772277 (i nver or i nner) ,“ ridge of the

confluence,

” of Kearn Burn and the Bogie.

Drumlassie (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . Pron .lawsie— mean ing unknown .

Drumé rgettie (Crath ie) . 0 7777777 277g72’

, s ilver r idge — probablyso cal led from the appearance of the vegetat ion upon it.

Drummie (Logie-Coldstone) .

0 707772 77,

“ l i tt le ridge,but

th e d im . in these threenames may b e Scotch .

Drummies (I nveru rie) . Now Drimmies-E. pl: 7 added .

Drummy (Tarland) .

Drummyduan (Cai rn ie) . A ridge on Auchanachy, overlook ing theBurn of Cai rn ie. See Drumduan.

Drumnach ie (B i rse) . Commonly spe l t Drumneach ie and pronouncedDrumnaachy. 151 1 , Drumneoquhy,

I ., 371 1 170 , Drurnmenathy,I ., 1 2 . 0 7777777 2 772722

,ridge of the ford .

”

Drumnafanner‘ (Alford ) . 1657, Drumnawh inder,Retour 338 ; 1523 ,

Drumnaquhonner, Ant. IV.

,144. 0 7777777772 7077222770 (P) (conver conner)

r idge of the dog-kennel . 0 7777777772 70772770,r idge of the path or way,

i s poss ible. Both derivation s are conjectu ral,and there i s noth ing to

determ ine which is right. Cf. Badnacuinner,B i rse

,and Confounderland,

Cushn ie.

Drumnagarrow (Glenbucket) . 0 7777777 77277 g 0277277,“ ridge of the

horses .

172 THE PLACE NAMES

Drumnaheath (Kintore) . 1696 , Drumnaheth , Pol l Book ; 1637,

Drumahaiche,Retou r 240 ; 1 525, Drumnahaith , 30 2 ; 1505,

Drumnahach t,

290 8. 0 7777777 772 2 2722,

“ ridge of th e ki l n .

”

272 i n the gen . with the art. general ly becomes b oy, as i n Drumnahoy,but sometimes i t takes other forms

,and Annahagh i n I reland , mean ing

ford of the ki ln,

”c losely corresponds wi th some of the older spel l i ngs of

Drumnaheath .

Drumnahlve (Ki ldrummy) . 1696 , Drumnahoove, Pol l Book ; 150 8,Drumnahufe

, 3251 .

Drumnahoy (Cl u ny) .“

0 7777777772 2-2722,ridge of the ki ln .

Druim nan Saob haidh (bh = v, 22 mu te) , (Braemar,“R idge of

the foxes’ dens .”

Drumnapark, obs. (Crath ie) , Aberg. Papers. R idge of the park .

Drumnawheille (Glenmuick) . 0 7777777772 707110,ridge of the wood .

Drumbak (Pari sh) . See Dalmaik .

Drum of Cé r‘ th ill(Rayne) . Val. Rol l , Cartle. Cf. Cartlehaugh ,Old Deer

,formerly Cartillhaugh .

Drumore (Chapel of Garioch) . 0 777777777707, big ridge.

Drumquh iI Hi l lock (Towie, 0 7777777777711, haz el ridge.

Drumriach (Leochel) . 0 7777777 77222272, bri nd led ridge .

Drumrossie (I nsch) . 1 369, Drumrossy,Ant . IV , 720 ; 1 257, Drum

rossi n , I .,24. I do not know what ross i n represen ts , un less i t

i s the d im . of “a l i tt le wood ”

— hence “ ridge of thel i ttle wood .

”

174 THE PLACE NAMES

Dual Wood (Auchindoir) . 0 7722 7207110,

“ dark wood . Cf. Glassel ,Towie.

Dub h Breac Hil l (S trathdon , 0 7722 22777272,

“ black bank, i smore l i ke ly the proper form of th e name. Cf. Dub rach , Braemar.

Dub h C lais (Braemar) .“ B lack fu rrow or hol low.

Dub h Gleann (Braemar) . Black or dark glen .

Dub h Loch (Glenmuick) . 1706 ,Dullochmuick, Aberg. Papers . “BlackLoch .

”

Dub h Lochan (Braemar) .“B lack l i ttle loch .

Dub rach (Braemar) . 0 7722 22777272, black bank.

Dub s,

‘

C roft of (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Dub ston (I nverurie, Tu l lyness le, Bi rse) .

Dubyford (K incard i ne O’

Neil).

Duchery Beg (Aboyne) . Little Duchery.

Duchery, Hil l of (Bi rse) . 0 7452 blackcorrie

,

” overgrownDuch rie Bu rn (Crathie) . with heather.

Duch r‘ies (Oyne) . E . pl. 3 added .

Dufi“ Defi ance (Strathdon ) . Th e name i s qu ite modern , and arisesfrom a dispute about the s i te of a house— so i t i s local ly reported .

Dughallsb urn (Tul lyness le) . C.S. Dualsburn Val. Rol l , Doulsburn.

A burn -name transferred to a croft. Supposed to b e from the personalname Dougal l

,but see Dual Wood .

Duke’s Chai r (Braemar) . An outlyi ng spu r on the south s ide ofCarn C loch-mhu i l inn between Allt Dhaidh Mor and Beag. The

name i s modern— Duke of Leeds’ Chai r.


Dukestone (K i l d rummy) . Same i n Poll Book .

Dukewell(Drumblade) . 1696 , Duickwall, Poll Book. Probably so

cal led from a duck pond . I t is said that i n old times the tenan t wasbound by h is lease to preserve the wel l and the stones around it, but thereason for this cond it ion i s now forgotten .

Dulax (Glenbucket) . 1696 , Dulaks,Pol l Book. 0 7722 1027

,

“ blackflagstone or b ill s lope.

”E. pl. added— finalcs= x.

Dulridge 1696 , Duelrige, Pol l Book .

Dumbath ie Hill(Cai rn ie) . Dum is for 27277,

“a heap , fort. 0 7777

207720 means the fort of the birch (wood ) .

Dumeath (Glass, B. ) H i l l and farms. c. 1450 ,

“due vi l le de

Dunmeth is— MekyllDunmeth t and littillDunmeith t, I ., 250 ,

251 c . 1400 ,Dunmeth , I I 125 1 275, Dummeth and Dunmet ,

I bid . , 52, 55 ; 1 266 , Dunmeth , I b id I . , 29. Dumeath i s pronouncedDumeith and Dumméth . I do not know what 7770272 means— it may bePictish . Cf. Innermeath , Methlic, and-Methven .

Dummuies (D rumblade) . C.S. Dummuie and The Dummuies.

1696 , Drumuoy and Dumuoy, Pol l Book ; 1654, Dumoys, Straloch ’

s

map ; 1552, Drummowis, 767 ; 1413 , the two Dummullys,”252 . An extract , i n 1512 , from the Register of Charter of

140 3 , gives Dunmillis,RM .S.

, 3799 . [0 7777777 the ridge ofthe he ight or eminence -E. pl. added ] .

Dunandub h (Corgarff) .“ Black l i ttle hi l lock .

Dunanfew 0 7777277fi 02’22

,h i l lock of the t imber.

Dunb ennan (Huntly) . C.S. Dumb ennan 1534, Dunb annane,

1453 1 232 and 1 222 , Dunbanan, pp. 28 and 63 . 0 777720277772777,

dun of the l i tt le 2077777or h i l l — the Deveron separates th is b i l l from the

Bin. 0 277means heap,hi l lock

,fort.

176 THE PLACE NAMES

Dunb reac (Tarland , No.

“ Speckled h i l lock .

Duncanston (Gartly) .

Duncanstone (Les l ie) . 150 8, Duncanistoune, 1507, Duncanstoun

, 3 1 15. Perhaps named after Duncan,Earl of Mar

,

who died before 1 234, but there i s no evidence that i t was.

Dundaran (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . The name occurs i n the descriptionof the march of the Hospital lands, of date 1 250 .

Dunfuil(CorgarH) . Val. Rol l , Dunfiel. 0 77777277711,“ hi l l or knol l of

the hole,mire

,pool .”

Dunatye, M i l l of (Aboyne) . 1600 ,Huntly Rental . See D i nnet.

Dun lop (Drumblade) . March of L essendrum,M .S. Now cal led

Dunlappies— a sand -h i l lock on the farm of Lessendrum,formerly

su rrou nded by marshes. 0 777712720,“ h i l lock of the mire.

Dun Mount (Cabrach) . Doublet— 2277,“a heap, hi l l , and E. mount.

Dun Mu i r (north -wcst boundary, S trathdon) . 0 777777707,big dun or

h i l l . Mu i r,I th in k

,must be a corruption— the h i l l i s marked i n the

map , 2475, and the h i l l next to it, on ly 160 feet h igher,i s Cairn Mor.

Dunnideer (I nsch) . H il l, Castle andVitrified Fort. 1654, Dunidure,

S traloch ; 1565, Dunnydure, 1637; 150 8, Donydure,

3242 ; 1465, Dony Dowre, Hardyng’

s map , Col. 554. There are noh istorical records connected with the castle or the fort nor are thereany rel iable trad itions i n the d istrict. Th e references given above are

comparat ively modern ; and whether the name i s P ictish , or contai n s a

personal name,is purely conjectural .

Dunscréft (Gartly) . Dun’s Croft.

178 THE PLACE NAMES

Ealaiche Bu rn (Rhyn ie) . Locat ive case of 2 1 or 271,“a rock, with

probably term inal 2722, mean ing rocky or stony place.

”

Ean (Cai rn ie) . C.S. Een or The Ren. I n th e Huntly Rental of 1677the name i s Oben

,perhaps i n tended for Oven= 0 uen. I t i s

,however

,

doubtfu l i f this reference i s rel iable, because i t does not appear to bewri tten by the same hand as the rest of the Rental , or if i t i s , the style isvery d ifferent . I f the modern pronu nc iat ion correctly represents the oldname

,Een may b e th e contracted form of 07722 7777

,

“a (h i l l) face,

”as i n

Endovie, Enentier, Indego, and Indiack .

Ear and Iar Allt a’

C halltuinn (Braemar , East and west burnof the haz e l - two burns north -east of Cérn Dearg.

Earl ofMar’

s Wel l (Gartly) . A wel l -known spring on a hi l l aboveCorncattrach , and not far d istant from Cocklarachy, owned by AlexanderStewart, Earl of Mar

,i n 1423- 1425.

Earlsfi eld (Kennethmont) .

Earlseat Hill

Easter and Wester Klrn (Crath ie) . Two tributaries of the Gai rn ,south-wes t of Corndavon. Kim is probably G. 72 07777777, mountai n ash

,

rowan ,” but i t i s a curious burn -name

,without any generic term . I n the

same way, however, Keeran is the name of several town lands i n I re land .

See Joyce, I . , 51 3 .

Easter Toch res (Cou l l) .

Eastlaw (Chapel of Garioch ) . Law= A .S. 21270 ,“a hi l l

,hi l lock

,

mound .

Easttown (Tarland ) .

Eb runhedis, obs . (Bi rse) . I . , 377.

“Head or bi l l ofthe averins.

”

See Evronhill, which i s also sometimes called Eb ronhill.


Echt (Parish) . 1 366 , Eych t , C0 1. 2 19 ; c . 1 220 , Hach tis and Bych,

Ant. IL, 46 ; 1 226, Heytb , Ant. I I ., 47. Echt i s probably the name of

the bu i lder of the Barmekin of Echt or Dunecht,“Ech t

’

s fort.” So

Duneigh t, I reland , i s Eochy’

s fort, Joyce, I .,279 . Cf. Aedh

,Aodh , Heth ,

Edh,i n Chron . of the Picts and Scots .

Edderlick (P remnay) . 1696 , Ederlyik, Pol l Book 1678, Hedderlick,Ant. I I I . , 400 ; 1600 ,

Etherlik,

10 32. Hedder, Edder, and Etherare old Scot. forms of heather. Lick is poss ibly A .S. 102g or leg ,

“a

d istrict,but when used topograph ical ly i t means s imply “

a field.

Eddieston (Petercu lter) .

Edinb anchory (Auchindoir) 1552, Edinbanquhory, Ant. IV., 425

140 2, Edynbanchory, Ant. IV 457. E772277+Banchory, the (hi l l ) faceof 222 l ight-colou red corrie.

”

See Banchory-Deven ick.

Edindiack (Gartly) . 1600 ,Edindiack

,Huntly Rental ; 1534, Edindeak,

1453 ; 1490 ,Edinduvy, Ant. I I I ., 586 ; 1 348, Edyndyvauch ,

Exch. Rol ls ; temp. Robert I ., Edindovat, Robertson’s I ndex 1 232,

Edendyuy, p. 29. 0 772277 22222772 (P) , h i l l face o f the danch .

”

0 222272 is i n Lat i n davata, and retrans lated becomes davat and dovat,as i n Robertson’s I ndex . Frorn the old forms of th is name

,and the fact

th at the place was a dauch , I do not see that there can b e much doubtto the mean ing.

Edindurno (Tough) . 1696, Edindurnoch , Pol l Book ; Edindurnache,Charter by Christian Bruce, Robertson

’s I ndex. E772277 2077027777272,

stormy h i l l -face.

” The’ s i tuat ion favou rs this mean ing, but durno is a

doubtfu l word . See Drumdurno.

Edingarioch (Premnay) . 160 8, Edingarack, Retour 1 15 1579,

Edingarrah , Ant . I I I ., 399 ; 1497, Edingarrach , 2383 .

Edinglassie (Glass, B., Tarland , det . E772277g12 527

'

72,“ hi l l -face

of th e pasture orley- land .

”

180 THE PLACE NAMES

Egl ish Kian na Dallach (Braemar) . “Church at the end of the

field.

”

The writer of th e View of the D iocese ” says th is chape l wasat Dalmore —now Mar Lodge— where there are sti l l traces of an oldchu rchyard .

Eglismenethok, obs. (Monymusk) . See Ab ersnethock.

Eistth ird, obs . (Cai rn ie) . Retou r of 1638— so-cal led from the commonpract ice i n old times of sett ing ” farms i n th i rds . Cf. Freth ird

,Mei kle

th ird,Midth ird

,Middlethird

,Netherth ird

,Ouer Th ird

,Westhird.

Elf’s Hi l lock (Cai rn ie) . Elves’ or fai ries’ barns were,in

_

old times,

bel ieved to b e with i n h i l locks such as these which now bear the name.

Cf. Elphh illock , Cushn ie.

Elisonwell(Kemnay) .

El len Bu rn (Glenbucket,

Ellendoon (Rhyn ie) i s given i n the map Ellanduan,as i n

Millduan, which i s not far d istant . This i s evidently wrong,because the

qual i fyi ng terms are pronounced qu ite d ifferen tly— dune and dewan. Th e

name Ellendoon i s loose ly appl ied to a smal l burn,and to the moors and

patches of moss lyi ng on e i ther s ide of it,but i t seems probable i t was

original ly th e name of the burn— A117277207777, brown l i ttle burn .

” Forthe change from Al l tan to El len or El lan , cf. Allantersie.

Ellex

nfearn (Braemar) . E710277f027772 ,“alder i s land . There is a

smal l i s land i n the C l uny which gives the name.

Ellieallan (Ke ig) . A wel l near Longbog. Mean ing unknown .

Ellismoss (Kinel lar) . Ellis =Alehouse. So Alehouseh illock, Cai rn ie,and Muiralehouse, Gartly, are pronounced Ellish illock and Muirellis.

Elph h illock (Cushn ie) . See E l f’s H i l lock.

182 THE PLACE NAMES

Ennets (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . 1597, Ennettis, Spald : Cl. Mis. , I .,154.

I th i nk there must have been , in early t imes , a chape l at th is place,al though there is no record or trad it ion of one. Th e name 247777072 i s soun iform ly assoc iated i n some way with a mother church or importan tchapel that there seems no reason to suppose an exception i n th is case.

Fol lowi ng the general u sage i n thi s county, Annetswelli n Kinnoir ispronounced , and frequen tly wri tten , Ennetswell. E l sewhere Annet andAndate are common

,and are occas ional ly given in old charters i n the

plural— Annets and Andates. Balmannocks is c lose to Ennets,and

probably means monks’ town . Maryfield is al so near, b ut th is may bea modern fancy name.

Ennochy(Bi rse) . 151 1 , Ennochy and Ennoch ty,I . , 375 ;

1 170 ,Enachy, I . , 1 2 . Ba7zac2

,

“a marsh .

”

Ennot Hi l lock (S trathdon , The map gives Ennock Hi l locks ,but th e Estate map , The Wai rd of Chapel ton or the Park of EnnotH il lock . Chapel ton and Mi l l of Ennot st i l l remai n , and the namesBadnahannet

,Balachaileach

,and Badaglerack are remembered . The

name i s derived from 2 7777072,“a mother chu rch.

”

The names Churchhamlet, Nuns

’ town , and C lerics’ hamlet evidently show that there had

been an early rel igious settlemen t at thi s p lace.

Enz ean (Monymusk) . 1654, Inz eane, Retour 324 ; 1543, Ant. IV.,

481 . 177770277,

an anvi l,

” hence a h i l l or hi l lock l ike an anvi l .

Ernan Water (Tarland , det. See al so Invernan,Chapelernan,

and Rock Ernan. Chapelernan suggests that the chape l was ded icatedto Sai n t Ernan , and that the stream and glen took the sai n t’s name. Cf.

Killearnan,Ross-sh i re. Earnan may, however, b e the d im . of Erne, a

common river-name, the mean ing of which is obscure.

Erneh ill(Cai rn ie) . Now obs. as a farm -name, and the h i l l is cal ledArn H i l l i n the map , though there are no arns (alders) upon it, andnever cou ld have been . 1696 , Carnehill, Pol l Book 1662 , Cairnehill,Retour 363 1600 , Erneh ill, Huntly Rental ; 1545, Ernehill, 3 10 3 .

Cairnwhelp, same parish , is given i n Retou r of 1638, Ernequholp .

E l sewhere Erne appears as a corruption of 272277,“ l itt le height,

”

and

this i s probably the mean ing here.

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE 183

Esk na Meaun“Marsh of the kids . The O.S. map

changes Esk i n to Uisge , which i s eviden tly wrong.

Esk na Sleasach (Corgarff) . The O .S . map has Uisge na Sleasnaich ,whatever that may b e. The name appl ies to a marsh north of Deldunan,but Lai ng Donean Touris t ”) cal l s i t a burn .

Essach ie (Rhyn ie) . See Ess ie.

Esseyh illock (Newbi l l s) . Same as Ash ieh illock

Ess ie, an old pari sh , now i ncorporated wi th Rhyn ie. Essy,Fordun

Esseg,Wyntoun 1 226

,Essy

, p . 22. The name is der ived from025,

“a waterfal l

,rapid

,

”and occas ional ly a

“ narrow glen .

”The adj.

form is abound ing in fal lsor rapids,

”

and Essach ie is the streamwhich runs through th is glen and jo i ns the Bogie near to M i l l of Noth .

Etnach , Forest of (Glenmuick) . 1696 , Etnich , Pol l Book ; 1600

Ethniche, Huntly Rental . A77707777,j un iper,

”277707777272, abound ing i n

jun iper.”

Evronh ill(Glass) . Hil l of Averins. Averin,or

,i n C.S. ,

aiverin,i s

the Saxon name of the c loudberry.

Faenicreigh , Bu rn of. A smal l bu rn form ing the march for somed istance between S trathdon det. andTowie det . 2 0772 772 777720, marshyburn of the boundary.

Fafernie (Braemar) . Hil l on the south -east bou ndary, which seemsto b e named from some marsh upon it . F0772f027772 ,

alder marsh .

”

Faichh ill(Gartly) . 1551 , Facheh ill 623 1516 , Feauch ill1 29 . G.faz

'

72e,

“a field

,a green Scot.f27772, fal low ground ,

or land lyi ng ou t i n grass for a term of years, i n v iew of bei ng fal lowedand c ropped . Cf. Faichfield, Faichfolds.

184 THE PLACE NAMES

Faichlaw (Tarland , det . See Faichh ill.

Fair ley (Newbi l l s) . 166 1,Bogfuyrly, Gordon

’s map 1550 , Bogfarlo,Burgh Rec. Abd .

,279 1523 , Bogferlay,

ibid . 148°

1498, Bogferloche,ibid . 68. f0777-10722777

,bog of the grassy pool .

Fairy Hi l lock (Drumblade, S trathdon ) .

Fallamuck Bu rn (Towie, F21 772 777 777777,pigs’ pen or sty.

Fallamuck may, however, b e a corrupt ion of 241127777777,

“ pigs’ burn

Fal low Hill(Cu lsalmond , Ken nethmont) . Pale red,or pale yel low .

A .S . f0210 , f02 17770 ; O.E. falaz7, falewe. Fal low is not given in the Scot.D ict. , but seems to have been in use i n this part of the country

, and i sprobably descriptive of these hi l l s du ring the autumn and winter months .

Farb urn (Dyce) .

Fare, Hi l l (M idmar, Echt, and K i ncard ine O’

Neil) 1598, Fai r,8 1 1 . F2770,

“ he ight,hi l l

,sky- l i ne.

” The vowe l sound is long,

thereforef2 7'

70, watch ing,

” though common as part of h i l l -names,would

be unsu itable i n th is case. Cf. Fai re Mhor, Perthsh ire.

Farm,The (D rumblade) . I n th e early part of last century, Hugh

MacVeagh , an I rishman,settled in Huntly, and greatly promoted the

manufactu re of l inen c loths and threads i n the d istrict. As tenant ofUpper Piriesmill

,where h e had establ ished bleach -works

,he was

accustomed to speak of th is place as the Farm ,

”and the term be ing

adopted by h is work -people,passed in to common use.

Farmton (Leochel , S trathdon ) .

Far Tents (Forgue) . Far tenths, I suppose, i s the mean ing of th iscroft- name, but whether applyi ng to tenth rigs or any other d iv i s ion ofland cannot nowb e determ ined .

186 THE PLACE NAMES

Ferniord (Cai rn ie) . Though this looks l ike a Gael ic name i t i sprobably a composite

,the stress fal l i ng on the last syl lable. I t may have

been cal led “ ferny ” to d isti ngu ish i t from The 0 rd , which is on ly a

mi le or two d istant.

Fernyb rae (Leochel Cushn ie) .

Ferrar (Aboyne) . I n allol d wri t ings the spel l ing i s pract ical ly thesame— Ferrar

,P erar and Farer. Possibly the name i s derived from fez77,

grass,

”and the terminal 27, mean ing “

a grassy place.

” This,however

,

supposes the vowe l of the fi rst syl lable to have been shortened i n postGéelic t imes

,as i n several names i n the d istrict wi th in l iv in g memory.

For the use of the term inal 7 preceded by a vowel,see Joyce I I .

,1 2 .

Ferretfold (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Ferrinay (Cabrach) . A wel l -known spring above Glascory, on theboundary between Cab pach and Rhynie. F227277272,

“abound ing i n

spri ngs.”

Ferréwie (Glenmuick) . Though nowa h i l l-name, it properly appl iesto a marsh or marshy burn . F0772 77772g20, marshy burn of the sh iel i ngor slope ”

b ut the Gael i c natives sayf0772 777222, red marsh or marshyburn

,

”and that this is descriptive of the marsh and the bu rn flowing ou t

of it. Roy is the more common form of 777222.

Fetternear (Chapel of Gar ioch) . 151 1 , Fethirneyr, I . , 364

1 241 , Fethyrneir, I .,16 ; 1 157, Fethirneir, I .

,6 . Fethir

i s no doubt 70722 7,“a forest,

”common in P ictish , as i t al so i s i n I rish

names. 5The last syl lable is doubtfu l , but probably represents 27772 7, the

west ” ; and“western forest — ifFetternear was a forest— wou ld be fai rly

descript ive, as i t l ies to the west of the forest of Kin tore .

Feugh (B i rse) . Glen and Water. 159 1 , Feuchin and Glenfeuch in,

1898. F7022272 (feuach ) ,“woody,

”and term . 277

,probably 3777

i n older writ ings, mean ing a wooded place or stream .

”


Fichlie (Towie) . 1629,Fichly,Retour 2 1 3 ; 16 1 3, Faithlie,Ant. IV.,774 ;

1547, Fechillie, 62 ; 1506 , c hley, Ant. IV. , 442 ; 1495, Feeb le,Ant . IV. , 439 ; 1438, Grange of Feithly, Chamb . Rol ls, I I I . , 380 ; 1 376 ,Fythelych , Ant. IV., 443 . The

,name appl ies to the Peel of Fichlie, to

Carn Fichlie, and to the farm of Fichlie, probably referred to i n old writi ngs

as the Grange of Feithley. Carn Fichlie suggests a personal name, andthis may be poss ibly correct : but the evidence from the name is insuffi cient ,and, as appears to me, un rel iable, because th i s cai rn i s commonly cal ledthe Cai rn of Fichlie, which does not necessari ly mean Fichlie’s Cairn. Ican give no certai n explanat ion of the origi n of the name.

Fichnie (K i nel lar) . Probably d im . of j aic2e,“a green field. The

term inal s 277, 077,777, occas ional ly become 777or 7770.

Flddie (Skene) . 1637, P eddie, Retou r 240 . F022277, a smal lstreamlet. This farm probably derived its name from a smallburn at

no great d istance from it .

Fidilmonth (Auchindoir) . See Fulz emount.

Fidlerseatf, obs. (Gartly) . Huntly Rental, 1605; 1577, Fidlersait,2799 . Fid ler is a su rname which frequently appears i n the Pol l

Book, and th is croft may have been“ sett ” to some one of the name.

Cf. Fidlerswell, Aberdeen , so named from a former owner. I t may,however

,have been the Fiddler’s scatt ”— there was a

“Pyperis-lytill

croft i n the same parish .

F ielding (Oyne) .

Fifesh ill(Petercu l ter) . Farm -name— Fi fe’s-hi l l .

Fight ing Swyle, The (Rhyn ie) . There is no local trad i tion abou tthis place, which is on Templand , Ess ie.

Finarcy (Echt) . 1696 , Finersy and Findercie,Poll Book ; 16 18,

Fynnersie, Retour 157 16 10 ,Phynnersie, Retour 1 24 ; 1517, Fenersy,

Ant. I I I ., 477; 1505, Fynnersy, Ant. I I I . , 419. Perhaps a corrupt ion of

77077772772 (arj) , fai r height .”

188 THE PLACE NAMES

Findlatree (Tough) . 1696,Findlatrie, Pol l Book 1490- 1505, Fynlatir,

281 1 1446 , Fyndletter, Ant . IV. , 341 . F707777107777, fai r h i l ls ide.

”

Findlet Hi l l (Bi rse) . 17707777 fai r or l ight-coloured slope.

Flndrack (Lumphanan ) . 1696, Findarge, Pol l Book ; 1636 , Findlargand

‘

Findlairg, Retour 230 ; 1597, Finderak, Spald . Cl. Mis. ,I . ,

154.

Finlairg i s probably the correct form of this name— fi 077771027g ,fai r s lope.

”

Finglenny (Rhyn ie) . 1600 , Finglennye, Huntly Rental . F707777

g210a7z7za77, fai r l i ttle glen .

Finlat Hil l (Strathdon, See Findlet.

Finnygauld (Strathdon ) . F0772 77277gal1, strangers’ marsh .

Finnylost (S trathdon ) . 151 3 , Fennelost, Ant . IV.,227 1507,

Finnelost, 3 159 . F0772 772 107572, marsh of th eloisid or kneadingtrough .

” This place seems to have had no connection wi th the farm ofLost

,i n the same glen , un less i t belonged to i t as a rough pastu re. The

name Lost or Losset is , however, common,and may have been used

wherever there was a very product ive field. See Lost.

F inz ean (Bi rse) . C.S. Fing-én ; 159 1 , Fingen , 1898'

1549,

Fyngen, I . , 445. F707777-277, fai r or l ight -colou red place.

Finz eauch (Keig) . Der. of fi o7777— same mean ing as Fin z ean . The

name i s ob s. , and the farm is cal led Harthi l l .

Firbogs (Oyne) .

Fireach , The (Tarland , det. “Moors,h i l l- land .

Firgigs (Keig) . A flat piece of ground , covered wi th rough pastureand whins

,at the north base of the H il l of Ai rl ie.

Firley Moss (Kin tore) .

190 THE PLACE NAMES

Foderb irs , ob s. (in the barony of Aboyne) . 166 2,Fochaberis, Retour

363 ; 1638, Fochabers, Retou r 242 ; 1552, Fodderb ris, Records of Aboyne,p . 141 1506 , Forth irb irs, 296 3 ; 1417- 1539 , Forthirb ris,

2 100 . The Rental of this old lordsh ip is given i n th e Records ofAboyne (p. from which i t appears the lands and forest occupied thenorth -east corner of the pari sh of B i rse and part of Aboyne south ofthe Dee. Forthir may be a Pict ish form of I r . fo72a7,

“a forest,

” butI have no evidence that i t is so. Cf. Forth irgill, now Forti ngal l , Perth ;Forthar, Fife ; Forth ires, Forfar Forth re, Aberdeen ; Fortirletter, nowFodderletter, Banfi' Fortir de Ardoch , Ross .

Foggymill(S trathdon ) .

Foggyrig (Rayne) .

Foggyton (Petercu l ter) .

Foot ofHi l l (Dyce) .

Foot 0’ Hi l l (Gartly) . C.S. Fit 0 ’ Hi ll.

Foot ie (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . C.S. Fittie, a common name,mean i ng

the foot of a hi l l or field, or other low - lying ground .

Forb es (Parish) . 142 1 , Forbas, Ant. IV., 385 ; I 366 , Forb eys, C0 1.

2 19 ; 1 306 , Forbees, Ant. IV., 373 ; 1 271 , Forb eys, I bid ., 372 . The

tradi tional origi n of th is name i s too wel l known to requ ire part icu larnotice here. So far as I have seen , there is no evidence that i t wasbrought from I reland or e l sewhere. The Church of Forbes appearsi n the Taxatio of 1 275, four years later than the date, accord ing to S i rJohn Skene

,of the oldest Forbes charter, and i n 1 325 i t was erected into

a prebend . Had the name been brought i nto the country by the fami lyof Forbes

,almost certai n ly the old name of the church wou ld have been

men t ioned in the early chu rch records . I f the name islocal anddescriptive,the der ivat ion may be f7727 22272275, the cold brow

,

”

appl icable to therange of Callievar, which on the Forbes s ide faces the east and north-east,and i n the shadow of which the kirk lay. This suggest ion as to the

poss ible origi n of the name I give as pure ly conjectural .


Forb ridge. Mei kle Forb ridge H i l l is on the march between Glenbucket and S trathdon . Forb ridge H il l i s i n S trathdon , on march ofTarland , det. No. 1 . The name i s put i nto better Engl i sh i n Mei kleFirb riggs, Cabrach . The local au thori ties , i n the Name Books

,give

Mei k le and Little Forb rig. F027 2707570 mean s l i t. a and i sused to describe a heap of stones or spu r of rock on a h i l l - top or s ideresembl ing a person . On both these h i l l s i n S trathdon are rocks of th isdescription . F027 270720 i s used in the same way i n I rish names. See

Joyce,I I . , 435.

Fordie (Kincard i ne O’

Niel) . Ford ie general ly means a l i ttle ford,

and probably does so here, but the writer of the NewS tat ist ical Accountof Lumphanan ” suggests that i t shou ld be identified with Forthery, at

which was a chapel connected with the Chu rch of Lumfanan,the

patronage of which was conferred on the Hospital of K i ncard ine O’

Neilby Alan Durward . See I I ., 274.

Fordipstone (Keig) . Pol l Book .

Fordley (Chapel ) .

Fordmouth (Chapel and Cu lsalmond) ,

Fordtown (K intore) .

Fores ide (Premnay) .

Forest, Newand Old (Rhyn ie) . 1662 , the two forests of Myttes,Ret. 363 1600

,Forrest

,Ren tal .

Forgue (Parish) . Ferigge or Forge, C0 1. 2 16 ; 1485, Forg, Col. 522c . 1 366 , Foerg, C0 1. 22 1 1 275, Forge, I I ., 53 1 257, Forge,

I ., 23 . I th ink i t i s possible Forgue may represen t Gae l icf0777272,

“a grassy place, 72 perhaps b ecoming g i n t ranslat i ng i n to Lat i n i n early

ecc les iastical writ ings . The name may, however, be Pict ish . Cf. Forgeor Forgue

,i n Cornwal l .

Forgue, Litt le (Forgue) .

192 THE PLACE NAMES

Forle Den (D rumblade) . Scot. 7020710 ,“a c i rc le or wheel . E. whorl .

I n th e north -east counties the pron . i s F0710,and th e mean ing general ly

a twist or bend , a nearly complete c i rc le. Th e name has no doubt beensuggested by th e wimpl ings of the burn , which , i n course of t ime

, has

cut out th is s ingu lar den.

Formestoun (Aboyne) . Pol l Book. 1685, Formistones, Retou r 466 ;1573 , Formastoun,

Records of Aboyne, 120 . I conjectu re that Formasrepresents a personal name, possibly Forman

’s .

Fornet (Skene) . 1696 , Fornet, Fornett, and P ornat, Pol l Book1637, Fornett, Retou r 240 ; 1506 , Fornath t

Fornett (Kintore) . and Fornach t , 290 8. Fornoch t,Joyce

says , i s a bare h i l l .”

Fomtree (Monymusk) . Thorntree. The change of 72 to fcommon , 0g ,

Thursday becomes Feersday i n Aberdeenshire.

Forteith (Cabrach) . Perhaps from f7727, cold,

and 70272,“a

dwe l l i ng.

”Cf. Coldhome.

Foudlan or Foudland (I nsch) . There are no references old enoughto determ ine th e origi n of th is name, and i t i s qu ite uncertai n whether i ti s derived from Gael ic or broad Scotch . I n 1683, an agreemen t wasen tered i nto between Balquhain and Lesmoir as to the marches of the i rlands on “Foundland,” but i t i s left u ncertai n i f th is spel l i ng actual lyoccurs i n the deed (Fam. of Lesl ie, I I I ., Newfoundland and

Muirfoundland are i n th is county, but I am not aware that e i ther of thesenames are pronounced f0772. S i r James Bal fou r has Foudleine

, and

Gordon i n Macfarlane’s Col lections, Foudlan I n the old bal lad ofThe Duke (Lord P) of Gordon

’s Daughter,”the name is Foudlen . I t i s

no doubt much corrupted .

Foulbog (Aboyne) . Pol l Book .

Foulfoord (Tul lyness le) . Pol l Book. A ford sti l l remembered nearBithnie.

Foulis, West (Leochel) . 1696 , Foullis, Pol l Book ; 1 356 , Estirfowlys,Ant. IV., 752. The Gael ic i s Fblais

,mean ing unknown . Cf. Allt Folais,

Lochmaree.

194 THE PLACE NAMES

Frosty Hi l l (Towie, Supposed to b e so cal led from the colourof the grass growing on it .

Fuaran Mor (Tarland , det . Great Spri ng. A fine Spri ng onthe south-west of Fireach Hil l .

Fuaran nan Aighean (Glenmuick, “ Hinds’ spring.

Fuitte (D rumblade) . Pol l Book . 1557, Fethy, 1 228.

Possibly G.f07720,“wet land , a marsh . C.S. Fitty

,which is a common

Scotch name for low- lyi ng land , the foot of the field. Cf. Footie.

Fularton (Kintore) . 1696, Fowllartoune, Pol l Book . Bei ng i n the

neighbourhood of th e old Forest of K i n tore, thi s place may have beenthe res idence of the King’s Fowler.

Fulz emount (Auchindoir) . 1696 , Fulz ement , Pol l Book ; 1650 ,

Fuilyement local i ty, Ant. IV ., 3 16 ; 1506 -7, Fulz emont , 3070 .

Formerly Fidilmonth now Wheedlemont .

Futtie Str ipe (Rayne) . Cf. Fuitte.

Gadieside (Premnay) .

Gady Burn (Lesl ie and Premnay) . 1620 ,extra aquam de Gad is,

Ret . 167; c . 1 39 1 , Goudy, I . ,246 .

Gaindarg, obs. (Glenmuick) . 1766 , Aberg. pp . Now unknown .

Gairn, Water of(Glengairn) . 1685, Gardyn ,Retou r ; 1654, Gardinus

and Gard i n,Straloch . See Ab ergairn .

Gairney, Water of (Aboyne) .

Gairnsh iel(Glengairn) . The shei l i ng on the Gai rn . Modern .


Gaitside (Cai rn ie) . Cf. Gates ide.

Gal lon 0’Water (Cai rn ie, A rock on the Bin ,

i n wh ich is a

hol low contai n ing water. Th e amoun t of water i s sai d to i ncrease and

d im in ish with the flow and eb b of th e t ide !

Gallowb og (Forgue) . I n some recent maps, and topograph ical writi ngs

, Gal low,i n

Gallowcairn (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . place _ names has been changed

Gallowfi eld (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Gal lowh i l l (Alford) . remember, the pronunc iat ion

Gal lows , and no change i n suchGallowh illock (Kildrummie ) . a word i n maps or wri t ings wi l l

affect the common speech of the people. I t i s i nconce ivable thatGallowgate cou ld ever become Gallowsgate because some map-makerthought proper to write i t so. Gal low is very common throughout thenorth -eastern cou nt ies and the south of Scotland , and the same formappears i n many parts of England and I re land . I n A . Sax. the word i sGalg

‘

a or Gealga,becom ing i n m id . E. 6 2170 0, fol lowing the common

change of A. Sax. g to Engl ish 70 ; and from 6 0200 comes Gal low .

Gal low How and Hi l l (Tu l lyness le) . Always pronounced Galloch ,the H of How and Hil l hav ing become attached to Gal low.

Gal lows Hi l l (Chapel , Towie) .

Galton (Logie-Coldstone)

Gammie’s We l l (Premnay,A spring near K i rkton , which takes

its name from an old schoolmaster.

Gamr ie (Glenconrie, S trathdon) . I th i nk this name must be borrowed .

I t does not once appear i n any of the old writi ngs , and i s not even giveni n the Pol l Book.

Gannoch Hil l (Bi rse) . Various ly written i n local publ icationsGeanach

, Gainach . P 6 277777720272,

“ sandy.

”Cf. Gannagh and Glen

ganagh . Joyce,I I .

, 375.

196 THE PLACE NAMES

Garb et (Rhyn ie, Cabrach , and B i rse) . This name i s somewhatdoubtfu l . Ei ther i t i s 6 2722-2117

,rough burn

,or 6 2 722-272 (72 hardened

to “ rough ford .

”

One of these burns i s crossed by the road toGlenbucket at the Rochford

,and th e road to Rhyn ie was by the Cors

of the Garb et,whi le a th i rd Garb et

,i n Lower Cabrach

,is crossed by the

road to Mortlach . The name might thus apply to a ford,but Garb et,

Ross -shi re, i s u nderstood to mean rough burn,which may be right. I f

so,we have i n the Cabrach 2117 represented by 2 7712

,2 17

,2 1 and 07, which

is possible, but u n l ikely. On the map we find The Garb et i nS trathdon .

Garb h Allt (Braemar) . “ Rough burn .

Garb h Sh ron (Glengairn ,

“ Rough snout.

Garb rek, obs . (Glass) . 1545 Garb rek , G. 6 2 722

2277772272,rough s lope or h i l ls ide.

Garchory (Tarland , det. No. 6 2722 720770, rough corrie.

Gardnersh ill(Kildrummie) .

Garinsmilne (Cu lsalmond) . Pol l Book . 1724, Garnesmilne, C0 1. 557.

Gar ioch , The (D i strict) . 1497, Garriache, Col. 551 1424, Garviach ,

C0 1. 555 ; 140 3, Garviach t , I ., 207; 1 357, Garuyauch , C0 1. 548 ;

1 355 537; 1 29 1 , Garviach , Col. 50 1 ; 1 275, Garuiach ,I I ., 53 ; c . 1 175, Garwyach , I .

, 9. M idd le Gael ic,Gairfech ; modern Gael ic , Gaireach . I t i s ev iden t from the referencesthat

<22722,“ rough

,

” i s the fi rst syl lable. The second i s doubtfu l .6 2722-7277072

,

“ rough bounds,

”has been suggested

,but I do not

see how the 7 of 7277072 cou ld have been lost,wh i1e the 77 sound of 22

i n g2722 remai ned . 6 2722-7277072 might have become Garioch , but not,as appears to me

,Garviach . 6 2722-272222 has also been given , but

Garioch is not ‘

th e name of a“ field

,

” but a wide stretch of country.

Bes ides,thi s der ivation does not account for th e y or 7 i n th e old forms.

I prefer ga7221a72,“a rough d istrict.” Following 22, 1, i n this part of the

coun try,wou ld eas i ly sl ip i n to th e sou nd of y.

198 THE PLACE NAMES

Gé rrie, Brae of (Drumblade) . 1557, Garrie andGarre, Ant. I I I . , 518 ;1551 , Gerre, 623 ; 1516 , Garry, 1 29 ; 1428, Gerry ,

Ant.I I I . , 517; 1423 , Garry, Spald . Cl. Mis. ,

IV.,1 27

'

140 3 , Guerry,252 , 2 1 . Perhaps connected wi th g 2722, rough .

GarrolBu rn (B i rse , See GarralBurn .

Garromuir Wood (Cai rn ie) . Garromuir may b e derived from G.

gar22,“ rough

,bu t as Garrowood occurs on the I s la

,and Garronhaugh

on the Deveron, Roth iemay, garron , “a l i tt le horse,

” from G. g 0277277,“a ge ld ing,

”is probably the word here used

,so that Garromuir wou ld

mean the mu ir of the garrons or horses .” Garron means a horse of theold Scotch breed .

Garron Bu rn (Huntly, See Garrans .

Garslogay (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Mentioned i n chaiter of Hospi tallands of Kincard i ne O’

Neil, 1 250 ,I I . , 274. I n Pope I n nocent’s

Bu l l confirming the same charter i t is Garlogin. 1 359 , I .,83 .

See Garlogie.

Gé rtly (Parish) . 1600, Gartlye, Huntly Rental; 1580 , Gartelie,

p . 407; 1578, Gartulie, 2799 ; 1567, Grantullie, Reg. ofM i n isters ; 1516 , Grantuly, 1 29 ; 1494, Garnetuly, Ant. I I I ., 30 21400 , Garntuly, 366 ; 1 369 , Garnetoly,

Ant. IV., 720 ; 1 357,

Garintuly, Col. , 6 18 ; 1 350 ,Grantuly, 365. 6 27222-277

77712772, the enclosure of the knol l .” 6 27222 mean s al so the placeenc losed

,the garden

,dwel l i ng

,or “ town

,so that Garntuly means the

town of the knol l or the Hi l ltown . See the Retou rs of 1638 and 1600

the dom in ical lands of Gartullie comprehend ing Mai ns of Gartullie,

common ly cal led Hiltoune ; ” and the domin ical lands of Gartullie,commonly cal led The Hiltoun.

Garwald (Bi rse) . 6 2722 2117,“ rough burn . Cf. Garrol.


Gask (Skene) . Mr. MacBain says The word ga5g seems to haves l ipped out of use. I t be longs on ly to Scotch Gael ic , and may b e

Pictish . I t seems to mean a nook,gusset , or hol low .

”

The

latter mean i ng wou ld su i t the Gasks of Skene. See Badenoch P laceNames .

”

Gates ide (Keig, K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . Roadside.

Gather ing Cairn (Glenmuick and B i rse,

A cai rn or h i l l to wh ichcattle or sheep were gathered .

Gauch (Cabrach) . 1600 , Geyauche, Huntly Rental Geach,S traloch .

6 2 072272, wi ndy ”— a windy place. This place is al so cal led The

B auch .

”

Geal Charn (Glenbucket) .“White cai rn .

Geallaig (Glengairn) . P 6 02 1, white,and d im . term . 2 7g= 0g ,

now 2g“

.

The Wh ite H i l l .” Cf. Garvoge, rough place Glanog, white placeDuog

,black place. See Joyce, I I ., 28, & c.

Géarick (Glengairn) . Gerach , Val. Rol l . 6 7077272, short,stumpy

heath .

”

Gearlan Bu rn (Glass , Th e name i s not u ncommon in the formof Garland , probably represent i ng gar22 12 7777, rough enclosu re.

Gedjack (Cou l l ) . C S. Gadjack . P 627702g ,a small bi t

,a place to

hold barley in,a barn .

Ged Pot (Kildrummie, 6 02 (g hard ) ,“a pi ke.

Gelder Burn (Crath ie) . Gael ic pron . Geauldour. ? 6 021 20222 7,

c lear water — which i t is .

Geldie Bu rn. Head trib. of Dee. Gael ic pron. Gea1’

111y. I t i s saidto be mossy water.

200 THE PLACE NAMES

Gellon (Cou l l) . Gellan, Val. Rol l ; 1696 , M i l l of Ge l len and MeikleGellan,

Pol l Book ; Galann, note on charter of 1 188- 1 199 . P6 011277,“a

pi l lar,

” or 6 021222 77,“a fire for drying corn .

” Many mi l l s seem to b ecal led Gellie or Gellan .

”

Genach ill(Crathie) . The b i l l east of Balmoral . G. soft. C.S.

Shennah ill. 5027777(2 ) 7207110,“ old wood . Near Moral l on Findhorn is

Carn -na-seannachoile.

Gerrack (Echt) . See Garrack.

Gerr ie, Brae of. See Garrie, Brae of.

Giants’ Stone, The (Rhyn ie) . The Gian ts’ S tone l ies near the

western base of the cone of Tap o’ Noth . Legend connects i t wi th a

contest between the giant of the Tap and his brother of Dunnideer,

where al so i s a vitrified fort.

Gib etfauld (Huntly) .

Gib ston (Huntly) . See Thomastown , D rumblade.

Gigh t or Gait Stones (Kildrummie, Gai t i s probably correct,

mean ing the gate stones erected on the roadside to gu ide travel lers i nt ime of snow.

Gillah ill(Newbi l ls) .

Gillavawn P lantat ion (S trathdon , C.S. Coillievawn. 6 07110 22277,

l ight-colou red wood .

” A fir wood north of Cast le Newe.

Gillgetherb us (Cai rn ie) . Not i n map . A spot on the face of a knol lon the west s ide of the Br idge of Cai rn ie. I t was reputed in old times tob e haunted . I n the absence of trad ition i t is poss ible on ly to conjectu rethe mean ing of the name. Gillgether may have been the name of someperson . Gedder i s given i n the P0 11 Book i n Cai rn ie, i n 1696 , and i n thedistrict were the names Gillmihel, Gillanders and Gillespok. There arealder and haz e l bushes at the place.

20 2 THE PLACE -NAMES

Glac na Mo ine (Glenbucket, Hol low of the moss . A marshyhol low on the western base of Tomnagour.

Glac Riach (Strathdon , 6 12777222272, grey or bri nd led hol low .

Glandirston (Kennethmont) . 1635, Glanderstoun ,Ant. IV . , 514 ;

1507, Glandirstoune. 3 1 15 ; 1 32 1 , Gilleandristone, C0 1. 627.

“ Gillander’s Town .

”

Glas Allt (Glenmuick and Braemar) .“Grey or Green Burn .

Glasch iel(Kildrummie) .

Glasch illBu rn6 125 7207110, grey or green wood .

Glas Choille (S trathdon) .

Glaschoille Hil l (Towie) .

Glascory (Cabrach) . Given i n charter of 1508 and

is now called Glassory. I t i s the corrie to the east of Bank. 6 125-720770,

grey corrie.

”

Glasgoego (K i nel lar) . 1690 , Glasgow-ego, Ret. 160 ; 1524, Glasco,

Ant. I I I . , 244 ; 151 1 , Glasgow,I ., 357; 1505, Glaschaw,

2877; 1490 - 1500 , Glaschawe, Ant. I I I ., 472 ; 1478, Glaskego, 1 396 .

Ego i s a personal name. I t appears in Indego, and sti l l ex ists on Donside.

I n a charter, 1 364, David I I . grants confirmation to Ego, son of Fergus,of the lands of Huch tirerne. (Ant. I I . , p .

Glasgow-forest (Kinel lar) . 16 19, Glasgow-forrest, Ret. 160 1600 ,

Glascou -forrest, Ret. 51 . Dav id I I . granted to Robert Glen the lands ofG lasgowle forest

,i n the Thanedom of Kentore— I 329- 1 371 . Robertson’s

I ndex . I do not see any propriety i n add ing to the many guesses al readyon record as to the origi n and mean ing of Glasgow.

Glé spits Hill(Bi rse) .

Glass (Pari sh) . 1 226, Glas, p. 22. 6 125,

“grey or “green .


Glasset (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1 250 ,I I .

,274. Perhaps 6 125

2 117,

“ grey or green burn .

”

Glastermuire (Banchory-Deven ick ) . 1649, Glastermuire, Ret . 296 ;

1558, Glastirmure, 1 264

Glas Thom (Corgarf’f, C.S. G las Tom .

“Grey H il lock.

Gledsgreen (D rumblade) . Gled= “

glead or “ki te. Cf. Poddocknest.

Gleann an t -Slugain (Braemar) . Glen of the swallowhole orgu l let.

Glenaven (B i rse) . 1698, Glenaven , Ret. 50 8 159 1 , Glenaven,

1898 151 1 , Glenawen , I ., 375. Glen of the Aven

Glenbardie (Glengairn) . The bard’s glen .

Glenb eg (Braemar) . 6 1027777202g ,l ittle glen .

Glenbogie (Auchindoir) . Modern .

Glenboul, obs . (S trathdon ) . “Glenboulor Rummor is ment ionedi n Glenkindie charter of 1 357. Ne i ther of these names now known .

Glenb ucket (Pari sh) . 1654, I n ner Buchet, S traloch ; 1507, Glenbouchat, 3 159 ; 1473 , Glenbuchat, I ., 30 8 ; 1451 , Inverbuquhate, Chamb . Rol ls .

Glen Callater (Braemar) .

Glencat (Bi rse) . 160 2 , Glencatt, Ret . 84 ; 159 1 , 1898 ; 151 1 ,

Glencat, I . , 373 . 6 10277777277,wi ld cat’s glen .

”

Glen Clunie (Braemar) . 1564 Clonye, Ant. I I . , 88.

“Glen of the

meadow.

Glencoe (Forgue, Rhyn ie) . Glencoe,Rhyn ie

,i s probably a fancy

name, but appropriate to th is corrie, where the mist l i ngers after i t hasc leared from the exposed heights. 6 1027777-700722 ,

“

glen of the mist.”

Whoever gave th is name eviden tly supposed th is was the mean ing ofGlencoe, Argyl l sh i re, which it is not. The Gael ic of th e latter is 6 10277777227777.

204 THE PLACE NAMES

Glencolstaine (Logie-Coldstone) . Col. 78. See Logie Coldstone.

Glenconrie (S trathdon ) . 153 1 , Glenconre, Ant. IV. , 750 ; 1497,

Glenconry,2356 1426 , Glenconre, 56 . Perhaps Conry

’

s

Glen .

”Cf. Craigconry, Ayr. Conary is common in I rish names , but I

do not know if i t was a Scotch personal name. Narrow glen (which i ti s) has al so been suggested .

Glencuie (Towie) . 6 1e27777 cuz'

t/ze,Glen of the trench , pit, or cattle

fold .

”

Glen Derry (Braemar) . 6 1727777 B az'

re,“ Glen of the thicket, or

oakwood — oakwood always i n I rish names.

Glendronach (Forgue) . I n Fermartyn (p. D r. Temple saysthat thi s name dates on ly from 1825, when the Glendronach D i sti l lerywas erected , and that i t was derived from B ronac

, the name of.

a smal ls tream in the neighbourhood , by prefixing

“ Glen ”and add ing “ h .

The doubtfu l element i n th is story is th e success wi th which the

name has been man ipu lated . Some of the old people say the

burn -name is Dronach . D7’

o777zag means the ridge of the back,

” “a

smal l ridge.

” Dronnach i s “ white-backed or rurnped. Both thesewords give a shorter vowel sound than the ordinary pron . of the name

,

and I prefer 0 70122772 617,breez y

,

”as the more probable origin .

Gleney (Braemar) . Ci. Glen a ,Ross- sh ire. See I nverey.

Glenfeuch in, Forest of (Bi rse) . See Peugh .

Glenfi nz ie (Glengairn) . 1696, Glenfenz ie, Pol l Book . See Inverenz ie.

Glengairn (Parish) . Glen of th e Gai rn . See Abergairn .

Glengarry (Lumphanan ) . Ci. Glengarry i n Lochaber, Gael ic

6 17277772<gr27

’2277 connected with garéfz,

“ rough .

”

Glengelder. See Gelder.

206 THE PLACE NAMES

Glensh ee (Glass) : 6 162 77774 1117may mean the fai ries’ glen , or the

glen of the peace.

” There are trad itions of a great battle fought i n thene ighbourhood

, and the black roads or earthwork along the face of thehi l l , and the cai rn s at Cairnmore confirm the trad i tion . Peace mayhave been conc l uded at Glenshee. I t i s a bare, cold glen , faci ng the

north , and al together un l i ke a fai r ies’ glen .

G |entana House (Glen tanner) . Modern .

Glentanner (old Parish) . See Tanner.

Gluastoch (Braemar) . There was a chapel at th is place, Co] . 642.

Golden P umphet (Towie, A square enc losure,made of earth ,

stone,or wood

,for cattle or sheep. Probably cal led golden from the

colou r of the grass or vegetat ion around it.

Gollach ie Wel l (Kildrummie, Golach , Scot. “beet le — hereappl ied to the water beet les common i n wel l s. G. goblzlaclz, “ forked ,pronged .

Gooseh illock (Rayne) .

Gordonsb urn (Hunt ly) .

Gordon’s Howe (Echt, On the north-east s ide of the Hi llof

Fare. Here,says trad it ion , George, 4th Ear l of Huntly, lost h is l i fe

during,or immed iately after

, the Battle of Corrich ie, i n 1562 : whethersmothered i n h is armour

,or trodden to death , or

“ st icket ” by S tuart 0’

Inchb rek, as the old bal lad te l l s .

Gordonstone (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) .

Gordonstown (Auchterless) .

Gorehead Wood (Dyce) .

Goreyh ill(Towie) .


Gormack (Mi dmar) . Joyce gives Gormagh .

Gormack (Echt) . 1598, Gormeg , SI I .J B l ue field .

”

Goukstone (M idmar and Logie-Coldstone) A common name,sup

posed to mean a stoneGOUkStYIG on which a gouk OI

‘

cuckoo was accustomed to perch . I am not aware that a cuckoo has a

spec ial favour for stand ing stones, and i t wou ld b e unusual to see thiswandering bird sett le twice on the same spot. I think Goukstone wasprobably a humorous name for a stand ing-stone

,from a fanc ied resemblance

to a gouk or stupid person . So Goukstyle may have been named fromupright stones erected as gate posts. There i s sti l l s tand ing a marchstone on Bennachie cal led The Gouk S tone.

”See McConnoch ie

’

s

Bennach ie.

”

Goukswell(Cu lsalmond ) . See above.

Gouls (Glass, Gowlis, 1490 ,1997. 6 02221

,

“a fork

,

which at thi s place describes the forks or poi nt of land at the j unct ion ofthree burns. There are two farms, Litt le Gouls and Backhillof Goulshence E. pl.

Govals (Chape l) . A form of Gouls (see above) b ut i n th is case theplace so cal led is not s ituated at the j unction of burns . The fork ” is adeep glen .

Gowanb rae (Petercu l ter) .

Gowanston (Glass, Gowan’s town Gowan from 6 0022,

“a

sm ith .

”

Gowdie Hil lock (Huntly, Golden hi l lock . So cal led from the

natu ral grass,which hada yel low appearance at certai n seasons . I t i s now

cu l t ivated .

Gownie (Tough) . Local trad it ion says the old namewas Tillygownie,which i s very probable

,but I have no older reference than the P0 11 Book,

208 THE PLACE NAMES

where the name i s the same as at present. T771202-

ga77727za means Cal f’sknol l .” There i s aTillygownie in S trachan , Kincard inesh i re .

Gownies (Kinellar) . See above.

Great Stone (Monymusk and Chapel ) .

Greenb um (Newh ills and Tough)

Greencotts (Cou l l ) .

Greencrook (C l u ny) .

Greenfold (Huntly) .

Greenhaugh (Drumblade) . Modern .

Greeninches (P remnay) .

Greenkirtle (Kemnay) .

Greenloan (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil; Cabrach) .

Greenness (Auchterless) .

Greenwelltree (Newb i l l s) .

Greymare Stone (Kildrummie, A large,whi tish grey stone

,so

cal led from i ts appearance at a d istance.

Greymore (M idmar) .

Gneystone (Aboyne, Alford , Cu lsalmond , Glengairn, Kennethmont,Leochel

,Logie Coldstone, Skene, Tu l lyness le) .

Grilsie Nouts (Kennethmon t,“

6 77713237, Scot. gross,coarse

,

c l umsy.

” Jamieson . Nouts is doubtfu l,but I th ink i t i s the same as Knute,

hi l l -name i n Gartly and Cabrach,which may b e a form of Scot. knot ,

“a

l ump,c l ump

, c l uster.” Th e name now appl ies to a patch -of whinson the sou th -eas t s ide of Fal low H i l l .


Guttrie Hi ll(Peterculter, M i ry or marshy.

Gwaves, The (Bi rse, A steep ravine on the Bu rn of Auldairney.

6777020, obs . (modern G. a trench , awet hol low.

”

Cf. The Queves,Cai rn ie, and The Queys , Oyne.

Hadagain (Midmar) . I have no doubt th is is a humorous name,i nd icati ng that the farm or croft was popularly cons idered very bad land ,and unprofitable or diffi cult to work. Cleikumin has the same mean ing.

Haddo (Forgue) . Haddo or Haddoch i s a con

traction of Half-davach — zHaddoch (Ca1rn 1e) . ploughgates of land . I n a

Haddoch of Coullie (Monymusk) Retou r of 1680 Esti r and

Westir Haldachs of Ardmannoch are cal led the Hal f-clavachs al iasHaldachs.

” Hal f-davach,Haldach

,Haldoch

,Haddoch and Haddo are

the most common forms of the name i n the coun ties of Aberdeen,

K i ncard ine, Moray, Nai rn , I nverness and Cromarty. The Haddoch ofCai rn ie is almost certai n ly the hal f-davach of Cumrie c laimed by B ishopAndrew of Moray i n 1226 and 1 232. There are st i l l the remai n s of avery old chape l and graveyard on the farm .

Haggieshall(Cairn ie) . C.S. Haggisha’

.

“Moss -hags means mossground broken up

— pits i n moss . Hags also means the prun ings oft imber used for firewood and the parts of a wood marked out for cutting.

See Jamieson . Han . hack. Haggis i s a common name throughou tScotland , and appears i n the counties of Aberdeen , Banfi

’

,Renfrew,

Lanark , Ayr, Berwick. Probably moss-hags is in this case the origin ofthe name. For hal l

,see Overhall.

Hag ley (K i ncard ine O’

Neil) . See above- Haggieshall.

Hain ing Quarries (Gartly) . Scot. H2 777'

77g or 22 7°

777°

77g ,

“ hedges,i nc losu res ” (Jamieson ) . Mai ns of Gartly, at the foot of the hi l l on whichthese s late quarries are

,was let i n 1600 ,

with the haningis about theplaice.

”

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. 2 1 1

Hairmoss (Forgue) .

Haldekat (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . I I ., 274. A111 2’

022 11,

Cat’s bu rn .

Hal l Forest (K intore) . 16 37, Halforrest, Ret. 240 ; Hall -of-Forrest,S traloch .

Hallgreen (Cai rn ie) . See Overgreen .

Hardgate (Clatt , Aboyne, and Dgumoak) .

Hare Cai rn (D i nnet) . S. bound . Scot. “March Cai rn .

Hare-etnach Burn (Gartly, C.S. Hairyetnach . 14777212 2711077

772 02,

“ J un iper shei l i ng. Jun iper used to grow abundantly along the

burn .

Haremire (Ken nethmont) .“Boundary m ire.

Harestone (Premnay) .

Harlaw (Chape l) . 1506 , Herlawe, Ant. I I I . , 355 ; 1423 , Hairlaw,

I . ,2 19. Boundary H i l l .” Ci. Harelaw,

Fife.

Harth i l l (Alford , Keig, and Newh ills) .

Harth ills (K i n tore) . 1637, Hairthilles, Ret 240 .

Hartinh illock (D rumblade or Forgue) . A doublet— Am’an

,

h i l lock.

”

Hartwe l l (Kintore) . 1637, Hartwal l , Ret. 240 .

Hary’s Cai rn (Auchindoir) .

Harystone (Kildrummie) .

Hassiewells (Auchterless) . 16 16 , Halsiewells, Ret. 143

Halswallis, Ant. I I I . , 570 ; 1553, Haisse Wol l i s, Ant. I I I . , 566 ;Hassilwellis, 2 148. Haz e l -wel l s .

THE PLACE NAMES

Hatton (Auchterless , Oyne , Newb i l l s , Skene) . Hatton is a verycommon name both i n Scotland and England . Th e old form 15 u n i formlyHaltoun ,

that i s,the town of the hal l or manor-house. I n th is county

the Ha’ or Ha

’-house i s al so used to d istingu ish a farmer’s house from a

crofter’s,but I th ink there i s a humorous e lemen t i n th is use of the term.

Occas ional ly Haltoun and Hiltoun appear i n the old wri t ings,probably

i n error,as applying to the

‘same place. Although there i s no d irectevidence, I th ink i t is almost certai n that some of the Haltouns wereoriginal ly Halftowns. I n charters we have Hal f Haltoun de Dalmahoy

,

”

“ bi ne part is de Haltoun ” of Rettray,

“occidentalem dimedietatem vi l le

et terrarum de Haltoun de Ogi lvy,

” “ binam partem de Haltoun dc

Och terles.

” Not u nfrequen tly two places c lose to each other are

d istingu ished as Easter and Wester Hatton,North and South Hatton

,

Meik le and Little Hatton,Hatton and Mai n s of Hatton . I can give no

explanat ion why this shou ld b e other than I have suggested . Cf. HaddoHal f daugh , Halcroft= Ha1fcroft

,Hal lands =Halflands

,Halh ill= Hal f

h i l l .

Haughspittal(B i rse) . Ci. Spittal .

Haugh ton (Alford , Petercu l ter) .

Hawfl“ Park (Kildrummie) . Hawtf,al so spe l t Hoif

, Hoff, Hove and

Houfi'

means (1 ) a hal l , (2) a burial p lace . Th e Howfi'

,Kildrummie

, was

erected by Jonathan Forbes of Brux , as burial p lace for h imse lf. For as im i lar pu rpose th e Howff, Lumphanan , was erected by a Dugu id ofAuchinhove. Though houff is sometimes spel t 170770

,the name Auch in

hove i s of enti re ly d i fferent origin . Cf. The Houff, Dundee, andThe Southesk Houff, Kinnai rd .

Hawkhall(Forgue) .

Hawkh ill(Premnay,

Hayb ogs (Tough) .

Haz e l head (Newhills) .

Headinsch (D i n net) .“ Heade I nsch , Book .


Hileyford (Kennethmont) .

Hi l lend and Hi l ls ide (Cai rn ie) .

Hil ler Hil l (Glenbucket) . From the appearance of the h i l l I con

jecture that the Gael ic namewas 67700 or T0777772 24012770, hi l l or h i l lockof the eagle. On the north side of i t is a rock cal led Eagle’s S tone .

Hi l lfoot (Logie-Coldstone) .

Hillockhead (Huntly) .

Hi l lock of Ech t (Cabrach) .

Hindland (Kintore,Hindrum (Kincard ine O

’

Neil) . H in probably=ln or En=Eden ;as Engarrak for Edingarioch , Inglassie for Edinglassie, Indiack forEdendiack, and Inaltrie for Edinaltrie, now in C.S. Nyatrie. E772277

71707772 , face of the ridge.

”

Hirnley (Aboyne) . H7'

r770,a corner, a recess. amieson. ) A .S. 2yr77.

Arnley— alder-ley— might, however, become Hirnley i n th is county,

al though the former derivat ion is more probable, comparing H irne i nthe barony of Cu l ter-Gum ing,

”al so cal led The H irne.

”

Hisles (Forgue) . 1699 , Hisles, Ret. 516 1696 , Hassel l s, Pol l Book.

Cf. Hassiewells.

Hogg in (Petercu l ter) . Hogging, a place where sheep, after havi ng

arr ived at the s tate of hogs , are pastu red . Jamieson’s Scot. D iet. The

word is given as pecu l iar to th e . south of Scotland, but there is no

diffi culty i n u nderstand i ng how such a word might be borrowed .

Hogston (Cai rn ie) . 1600 , Hoigistoun, Hunt ly Rental 1534, Hogstoun

,1453 . Doubtful . Hog may b e a personal name. Engl ish

Hogdene and Ogden are said to b e from oak (Bardsley’

s“Engl ish

Surnames But probably this name comes from Scotch 20g , a youngsheepf

’

Hogstoun is the form in R.M .S. from 1 306 - 1546 . For placenames formed from ox, sheep, swi ne, kine, & c.,

see Taylor’s “Wordsand Places.”


Hole, Mi l l of (M idmar) .

Holemill(Petercu l ter) .

Ho l ib uts (Skene) .

Hollinhead (Leochel ) . For Holmhead

Hollowdyke (Cai rn ie) .

Hollowlind (Chape l ) .

Hol ly Linn (Monymusk , A waterfal l,12 feet h igh , on the Hol ly

Li nn Burn , named from hol ly bushes wh ich at one t ime grew about it.

Holmhead (Aboyne, Leochel , and Newbi l l s) . Haugh end. Scot.holme haugh .

”

Holmsb urnside (Les l ie) .

Ho lywe l l (Kennethmont) .

Honeyb arrel(Kildrummie) .

Hoodhouse (Alford) . Hoodhouse of Alfoord is men t ioned on an oldtombstone of 1724. The hood house, or headhouse, i s an old term for

an i n n or hostel ry. The b eadhousewas general ly s i tuated near the parishki rk

,as were those of Alford and Clatt.” Jervise, I ., 120 .

Hope Farm (Newbi l l s) .

Hopeton (Echt) . Modern .

Hopewe l l (Tarland ) .

Hornershaugh (Rhyn ie) . Horner,in old Scotslaw

,one put to the

horn ,”

an outlaw. The Hornershaugh was most l i kely a placefrequented by a travel l i ng horner

,

” or worker i n horn .

Horney C roft (Rayne)


Horn Ford (Kintore) .

Horngow (Cai rn ie) . Same as Cairngow

Horntowie (Cai rn ie) . Probably 62 r77Cairngow i n th is parish is al so cal led Horngow.

Horsehow Bu rn (Strathdon ) . A common pasture on which the

horses of the d istrict were tu rned out for summer pastu re.

Houfi , The (Lumphanan , Hawff

Howemill(Glass B) .

Howe 0’ Mar (Kildrummie) .

Howe Water (Cabrach ) .

Howeford (Inverurie) .

Hundeh illock, obs. (Cabrach) . I t i s ment ioned in Charter of 1508,

3276, but i s not now known . Perhaps the same as Dog-hi l lock.

Hunt ly. Original ly the name of a Berwicksh ire hamlet,whence the

Earls of Huntly took the i r t i tle. The res idence of the Earls of Huntlywas cal led Huntly Castle, and the adjoin i ng vi l lage the “ Rawes ofHuntly — now Huntly. Huntly :

“ hunting lea or meadow.

”

Cf.

Huntley i n Gloucestersh i re.

Inch (Petercu lt er) . 17777719, an i s land,meadow,

or haugh .

lnchb air (Bi rse) . 1725, Macfarlane, Ant. I I ., 5 1641 , Inschbair,

Ret. 256 . Bai r probably represents St. Barr, but how connected I do notknow. In S tracathro is I nchbare, also associated with the sai n t. Sai n ts

’

names frequently occur i n connection with I nch . Cf. Inchmarnoch ,Inchkenneth , I nchb rayock, Inchcolm, & c.


Inshtémach (Cai rn ie) . 1696 , Inch tomack , Pol l Book ; 1677, I nchtammack

,Huntly Rental . -107772 02

,haugh of the bushes or knol ls .”

Intoun (Cai rn ie) . 1638, Retou r. The i n town was the land aroundthe farm stead ing under regu lar rotat ion of cropping, whi le the “

outfieldwas on ly occas ional ly cropped , andlay for years i n fal low or pastu re. Ou

many farms the names are st i l l appl ied to certai n parks which at one

time were Intoun and Outfield.

Inver (Monymusk) . 1772277,“ r iver mouth , and espec ial ly

th e del ta at same ; al so a j unction ofInver, Cl‘Oft 0f (Leoch e1) . r ivers or Streams .

Inveramsay (Chapel ) . 1625, Inneramsay, Retour, 195 ; 151 1 , I nveramsay, C0 1. 375 1485, Inveralmusy,

1625 1 355

C0 1. 538.

Inverb uquhate. See Glenbucket.

Inve rcauld (Braemar) 1654, Inuercald, Ant. I L, 88. 02 071,

the confluence of the strai t or narrow part of the strath. The namemay not have origi nated at the place where Invercauld now stands.There is no 7777707 qu ite near to it.

Inverchandlick (Braemar) . Map, 1702 ; Val. Rol l , 1702. Ci. Egl ishK ian na Dallach and Kindalloch

,at the western extremity of the haughs

of Allanmore and Allanaquoich , Inverchandlich bei ng at the eastern end.

-0027777 the I nver at the end of the field.

”

Invercharrach (Cabrach) . 627772 02,“ rough , broken ground , with a

stony bottom .

”

Carrach was probably the burn name, though the burnnow takes the name of the farm . I t flows through Glac -Carrach.

”

Inverchat (Bi rse) . 1755, Enderchat, Ant. I I . , 75 151 1 , I nuerquhat,I .,274 ; 1 170 , Innercat , I . ,

1 2. See Glencat .

Inverden (Towie) .

OF !VEST ABERDEENSHIRE.

Inverenz ie (Glengairn) . 1696 , Inverinz ie, Pol l Book 1654, Inverenz e,

Th e “Inbh ir

” or confluence of th e Fin z ie Burn . Cf. Glenfin z ie.

“ Fi n z ie ” i s probably a derivat ive of j z’

07777,

“white or l ight-coloured ,”

referring to the general hue of the grass,called i n some parts of the

Highlands “ fionnach,

”

and which tu rns grey i n the autumn . Cf.

Finglenny, Finz eauch , Fin z ean and Findachy. I t w i l l b e noted that i ffionnach i s the proper word i t loses thef by asp i rat ion .

-F27'

077772 02.

Inverernan (Tarland , det . No. the confluence

of the Ernan wi th the Don . See Ernan .

Inverey (Braemar) . C.S. ae. 1672 , Inverray, Col. 36 ; 1451 , Inverroy,

Chamb . Rol ls . “The confluence of the Ey with the Dee, at the mouthof GleneyInverge lder (Crathie) . See Ge l der.

Invermarkie (Glass) . See Mark ie Water.

Invermossat (Kildrummie) . Mossat may b e 77700202,fol lowing the

spel l i ng 021,common i n words term inat i ng i n 02.

-777052 02,the

d i rty i nver ”— perhaps referring to the colou r of the water.

lnvernettie (Glen Noch ty, S trathdon) . 1550 , Invernyte, Ant. IV.,

475 ; 1507, I nvernethy,Ant. IV ., 738 ; 1451 , I nvernate, Chamb . Rol ls.

Cf. Drumanettie, which i s near th is p lace ; Bothanyettie i n the next parishand Renatton

,which al so is near.

Invernochty (S trathdon ) . 1546 , Invernothy, 2 1507, I nvernoch ty, 3 1 15 ; 1493 , Innernothy, I ., p . 334 ; 1437,

I nvernoch ty, I ., p . 150 ; 1 356 , Inuyrnochy, I . p . 82 ;

1 275, lnnernoch ty, I I ., p . 52 . Perhaps connected wi th 7700201.

Ci. Tap o’ Noth . Near Invernoch ty i s a dun or fort on a low h i l l

,

command ing an extens ive v iew of th e Don val ley. [See Place Namesi n S trathbogie, p .

Inverord (Skene) .

Invers, ob s. (Huntly) . [7722773“confluence. E. pl. 5. Now cal led

The Meeti ng of the Waters - Bogie and Deveron.

220 THE PLACE NAMES

lnverthernie (Auchterless) . 1624, Inverthernie, Ret. 184 ; 1540 ,Invertherny, 2 146.

Inveru r ie. 1 29 1 , Inverthurin,Bu l l of Pope N icholas IV . , 50 3 1 275,

I nnerowry,Tax. ,I I ., 53 1 257, Inuerroury,

Bu l l of Pope Alexander,I .,25 1 250 , Innerwry, Chart , I I ., 275 1 195, Inverthurin,

Earl dom of Garioch, p . 27 1 199, Inuerurie and Inuerurin, Bu l l of PopeI nnocen t I I I ., C0 1. 247; 1 172- 1 199, Ennroury, Chart . Co] . 154 ; 10 th

Cent , N t urim ,The P ict i sh Chron ., p . 9. The confluence of the Urie

with the Don .

Inverythan (Auchterless) .

Irelandb rae (Rayne) .

Isaacside (Auch indoir) .

Is la Water (Cai rn ie) .

Is les (Premnay) .

Ittingston (Huntly) . 1696 , Witingston, Pol l Book ; 1677, Utti ngstoun

,Huntly Rental 166 2

,I ttingstoun,

Retou r 363 ; 1600 ,Wittingstoune,

Huntly Rental 1547, Uttestoun, 10 2 1534, Uttinstoun,

1453 . Probably Hutton’s Town . Hutton Hal l,Berwickshi re

,appears

i n old wri ti ngs HutounehallandAtounehall,and i n i tial H may have been

lost i n Utinstoun . A charter of 1 277was witnessed by A lan , son ofHut i ng, senschalof Buchan . Cf. Wittingshill, Buchan .

dackeys (Oyne) .

dam (Cai rn ie) . Jan,a projection or add ition to a bu i ld i ng, as a

back -jam. A church ais le was cal led a kirk-jam (Jamieson) . Cf. The

Jam,

” i n Rosehearty (Pratt’s Buchan

denk in’s or Gink in Hole. A pot i n the Ury, where malefactorswere drowned in old times . So the records show.

THE PLACE NAMES

Kandakellie (D i n net) . Pol l Book . Kyan -na-Kyl , V. of D. ,

p . 640 ; Kean na Kyll , S traloch , Col. I 25 1600,Chandokeilz ie, Huntly

Ren tal . 6 027777 772 007110, wood end.

Kat ie McCallum’

s Cairn (S trathdon , The Cai rn marks the

spot where a woman (whose name, however , was Cal lum ) per ished i n th eSHOW.

Kearn (Auch indoir) . 1595, Keyrne, R.M .S. 1 366 ,Keryn, C0 1. 2 19 ;

1 275, Kierne and Kyern, I I ., 52 , 55. I t has been attempted to

ass ign a mean ing to th is name, connect i ng i t with the House ofDruminnor, but Kei rn occurs in the Cabrach , where no church ever cou ldhave been . I t also appears as an old spel l i ng of Cairndeard i n the sameparish . As there is a large cai rn and several h i l ls cal led cai rn s withi nthe old boundaries , it seems probable that Kearn is s imply a form of6777777, the pl. of 62m .

Keb baty (part ly i n Cluny, M idmar, and K incard ine O’

Neil) . 1696 ,

Keb bettie, Pol l Book ; 1620 , Keb itie,Retou r 168 1444 and 1539,

Keb idy and Achkeb idy, 2 100,Ant . IV. , 340 . Keb baty may b e

a form of 6 02102 02,“a t i l led plot

,

”common i n old wri t i ngs as Keppach t .

Achkeb ity and Dalhibity (Banchory-Deven ick) may mean the field ofthe plots or rigs,

”a poss ible enough mean ing under the old ru n -rig

system of cu l tu re. This i s the on ly suggestion I can offer i n the absenceof older forms of the name, and i t must b e taken as pure ly conjectu ral .

Keb b uck Knowe (Kildrummie, See Allt-na-Kebbuck.

Ke ig (Parish) . 16 17, Monkeig, R.M .S. 1 29 1 , Monkegin, Bu l l ofPope N icolas IV.

,An t. IV.

, 50 2 1 268, Keg, Col. 178 1 245, Kege, Conf.of Pope I n nocen t, C0 1. 177. Monkegin =Monadh +Kege or Kegin,“Moor of Kege.

” A personal name,I conjecture

,as i t is i n I reland .

Keige and Keig are also common names i n the I s le of Man ,and Kegwm

and Mackeggie are Scotch forms of the name.

Keiloch (Braemar) . G.C.S. Keuloch . 1696 , K i l loch , Pol l Book1564, Kelloch , Ant. I I . , 88. P 62 01-2 02, narrow fie ld .

”Cf. Keelagh and

Keilagh , I reland (Joyce, I I . , Kelaugh— Chamb . Rol ls, 1451— seemsto have been somewhere i n Strathdon .


Ke i r,Hil l and Mains of (Skene) . 62 122777

,

“a c i rcu lar stone fort.

A c i rcu lar, broken -down wal l i s the on ly remams of the fort on the

summit of the h i l l .”

Ke ith (Kintore) . Th is name appears among thelands belonging toth e Burgh of K i n tore in a charter of 1506 -7 but I do notfind i t in any other writ i ng. I t i s not mentioned i n Watt’s EarlyH istory of Kintore

,

” nor i n the P0 11 Book , and I th i nk i t may b e ei ther amisreading

,or more l i kely a crofter’s name.

Keithney (Chapel) . 1696 ,Kethen

,Pol l Book ; 163 1 , Kethny,

171 3 . Cf. Learney.

Kelaugh , obs. (Strathdon ) . See Keiloch .

Kellach Burn (Cu lsalmond) .

Kellands, The (I nveru rie) . Arable land extend ing from road onnorth s ide of the Don to near the stead ing of Westfield. Trad i tion saysi t origi nal ly belonged to the Roman Cathol ic B ishop of I nveru riehence cal led Key

- land ! Ki l land is a common place-name,

as al so K i l lan . Cf. Killenhead and Killenknowes.

Ke lman Hi l l, The (Cabrach) . 77707727712, the wood of the

moorish h i l l . I t i s a moorish h i l l,part ly wooded .

Ke |pie’

s Needle (D i n net) . Also cal led the De i l’s Need le— a pi l larstone i n the Dee at Polslaik. There i s a hole th rough the stone— hencethe needle.

Keltswell(Rayne) .

Kemboig (Monymusk). Cf. Kaimh ill.

Kemh ill(Kemnay) . See Kaimh ill.

Kenfi eld (Banchory-Deven ick) .

224 THE PLACE NAMES

Kénnerty (Petercu l ter) . 1548, Kennarty, Ant. I I I . , 350 1534,

Kennerty, Ant. I I I . , 348 1486 , Kennardy, Ant. I I I ., 348 1482,

Kynnardy,Ant. I I I .

, 347. The oldest form of th is name is exactly thesame as Kynnardy i n Banffsh ire and e l sewhere

,which means th e “ head

or end of the l i ttle he ight — 00277772 7722777. I t is possible the accent mayhave changed

,though

,i n such a word

,th is wou ld b e very unusual . As

nowpronounced— Kénnérty— the name i s, to me , un i n tel l igible.

Kennethmont (Parish) . 1600 , Kynnathmont and Kynnauchmount,10 32 1418, Kyllachmond,

I I . , 2 18 140 3 , Kynalchmund,C0 1. 626 c. 1 366 , Kynalcmund, C0 1. 22 1 1 299, Kilalckmunith , Co] . 6251 172- 1 199, Kyllalchmond, I I .,

1 3 ; 1 165- 1 188, Kynalcmund, Co] .624. 6711, a cel l or church .

”

St. Alcmund is sai d to b e a wel l -knownsai n t i n the Roman Calendar. I do not find his name i n th is form i n the“Kalendars of the Scottish Sai nts,

” but i t is probable that there was asai n t so cal led . I t i s not qu ite certai n , however, whether Kyn or Kilisthe older prefix. Kinbattock al so has th e old forms of Kilbethok and

Dolbethok. I t i s poss ible that i n both cases Kiland Kyn may b e thed ist i nctive names of the church and the chu rch lands. St. Alcmundmust have had a ce l l apart from the chu rch

,or he may have fal len i n to

d isrepute,for the church was ded icated to St. Ru le, and i n 1572 i t appears

i n an Act of Secrete Counsallas Trewle K i rk. See Trewe l Fai r. I na charter— given i n the Register of Ab erb rothoc, p . 55— by Earl Davidon a ploughgate ofland i n Kinalchmund, i n favour of the Church of St.Thomas of Aberb rothoc

,the names of the fou r men are given who had

fixed the marches , and among them is “ Symon fiandrensis.

”He may

have been one of the F lemish colony settled in this part of the country,

and to whom there appears to b e reference i n charters of date 1 171 - 1 199

and 1357, C0 1. 546 and 548. This charter by Earl Dav id (12 1 1 - 14) givesthe spel l i ng Kinalchmund ; the Royal Confirmation of the same yearKelalchmund and the Confirmation by Earl John , 1 2 19, Kynalchmund.

Kepplecruick (Auch indoir) . Cf. Kebpleh ills.

Keppleh ills (Newbi l l s) . Kepplehills=Chape1h ills, from 6270112 ,“a

chapel . See Newhills.

226 THE PLACE NAMES

Kincardine, Mi l l of. See Kincard i ne O’

Neil.

Kincardine O’

Neil(Parish) . 1645, Kinkarnoneill, Ret . 283 ante1657, Kincairne of Ne i l l , Bal fou r ; 1 59 1 , i n baron ia de Ne i l l

,

”

1 245 1539, i n baron ia de Nei l l,

20 24 ; 1 275, Kincardyn ,

I I ., 52 ; 1 250 ,

Kincardynonele, I I .,273 ; 1250 ,

“ terrenostre de One le

,I I .

,273 . Nei l i s probably a personal name

,

and the old wri ters seem to have cons idered i t so. Whether 0 i s a con

tract ion of of,or, as i n I rish names , means the family of Neili s doubtful .Cf. Ob eyn (Aboyne) , Camus 0

’

May, perhaps al so Tap o’ Noth . The burn

at Kincard i ne O’

Neili s cal led The Ne i l , but we find i n I ri sh names manystreams bear th e names of former owners of adjoi n i ng lands . I t i s cal ledWattir Kincardin i n charter of 1539 evidently showing thatthe Ne i l Burn i s mere ly th e burn of Kincard i ne O’

Neil. Mr. Machai n,

I nverness,der ives Kincard i ne from Wel sh 0277171077, a brake or th icket

,

”

hence the head of th e brake or th icket .

Kinclune (Towie) . Pronounced Kincleen . 1507, Kinclune,3 159 . 6 027777017727770, head or end of the meadow.

Kincraigie (Lumphanan , Tarland , Tough) . 6 027777 072 7200,“ Craig

headf’

Kindalloch (Braemar) . V. of D.,642 . See Inverchandlick.

Kindie. See Kindy.

Kindroch t (Braemar) . 1564, Kindroch t , Ant. I I . , 88 1 275, Kindrochet

,I I .

, 52 1 2 14- 1 2 34,

Kindrouch, Col. 86 . 6 02 7777-71700227710,

Bridge end. Old name of Castleton of Braemar.

Kindy (Cabrach) and Kindie (Strathdon) . Kind ie is general lyexplai ned 6027777717722, black head

,but this wou ld throw the accen t on

the last syl lable,as i f Kindé é , and i s i nadmiss ible. The personal name

Kenneth is possible, and Tib b erchindy or i n the old formTob erchenz e

,seems to favour th is mean ing. The sou rces of Kindy i n

Cabrach , and Kind ie i n S trathdon , are with i n less than a mi le of eachother, and Dun Moun t l ies between them . Had there been traces of a

OF WEST ABERDEENSHIRE . 227

dun on th is hi l l i t wou ld not b e hard to bel ieve that i n early timessome Kenneth had a place of strength on this h i l l

,and gave name to

the streams issu ing from it . S t i l l,i f we fol low the analogy of s im i lar

names,i t seems more probable that the old form was Kinyn . So Cann ie

was formerly Kanyn,which may i ndeed b e on ly another form of Kind ie.

Kinyn may be formed from 6027777, a head,

”and th e term inal 3777, often ,

though not always,attached to burn -names . The mean ing wou ld thus be

the “ Head burn,

”and these streams rise c lose to the watershed . The

der ivation from a personal name i s i n many ways very tempting, but theal ternative appears to me more probable.

Kinel lar (Parish) . 1557, Kinnellar and Kynnellar, Retours 24 and

25 1465, Kynnellor, 837. 6 0277777012770, Eagle’s head or h i l l .Though it is diffi cult now to assoc iate the Hil l of Kine l lar wi th eagles

,i t

may have been frequented by them at one time, the Forest of Dyce bei ng

on one s ide and Glasgow Forest on the other.

King’

s Chair (K i n tore,

Kingsford (Alford , Auchter less, Cabrach , and Petercu l ter) .

King’

s Haugh (Cabrach) .

Kingsh ill and Wel l (Petercu l ter and Newb i l l s) .

King's Hi l lock (Clatt,

King’

s Puttingstone (Cabrach) .

King’

s Seat (Kintore,

Kinminity (B i rse) . C .S. M 1’

1nnity. 1696 , Kinmonety, Pol l Book ;1687, Kinminitie, Retour 469 151 1 , Kynmonty, Rental , I . , 372

1 170 ,Kynmonedy, I . ,

1 2 . Th e Rental probably gives the correctpronunc iation at the t ime

,and the spel l i ng of 1 170 may represent but

three syl lables . I therefore think that the name is a form of Kinmundyas i n Skene. 6 02777777702 2722 Muirend,

” or Mu irhead .

”

Kinmundy (Skene) . See Kinminity.

228 THE PLACE NAMES

Kinnern ie (M idmar) . 1485, Kynnarney, Ant. I I . , 28 ; 1 178- 1 2 1 1 ,

Kynernyn, Ant. I I . , 41 .

Kinnoir (Old Parish) . 1696 , Kinnoir, Pol l Book 1534, Kynnor,

1453 1 224-

42 , Kynor, p . 66 1 226 , Kynor,

p . 22 1 222,Kynor, p . 60 . G) 6 027777-077, the head or h i l l of the

edge or margin .

”

077 al so means th e east,” which

,however

,wou ld most

l ikely give us 07 or 02 7. Th e name,no doubt

,origi nal ly belonged to th e

hi l l now cal led the Wood of Kinnoir, which is bounded by the Deveron .

Kinord (D i n net) . (Loch ) 1753 , Loch Keander Man,Gordon ’s Scots

Affai rs 1638, Chandmoir, Retou r 242 1654, Loch Keanders,Straloch ’

s

Map ; 1600 , Chandmoiris, Huntly Ren tal ; 1534,“ terras de Canmoris cum

lacu et loco earundem,

”1453 1515, Loch canmore, 29 ;

1 51 1 , Lochcanmour, 3599 ; 1497, Loch tcanmor, Spald . C1. Mis. , IV . ,

190 ; (Farms ) 1696,MeikleKanders andLittleKandrie

,Pol l Book ; 1685, Mei kle and Little Kendoirs, Retou r 466 ; 1662 ,

Little and Mei kle Candores, Retou r 363 ; 1638, Me ikle and Little Chandmoiris

,Retou r 242. 1753, Kean -ord Man, Gordon

’s Scots Affai rs ; 1696 ,Kainord, Pol l Book ; 1685, Kendord, Ret . 466 ; 1638, Chandord, Ret. 242.

These names apply to the Loch and three farms around it. So far as we

have records,down to 1600 the name was Canmore ; 2

’ then appears i nChandmoiris

, (E . pl. added) . The i nt rusion of 71 seems to haveled to thedropping of 777

,giv i ng us

,i n 1654, Keanders, and there fol lowed the further

changes of final2’ i n Candord,and the loss of th e former 2’ i n 1696 , when

th e P0 11 Book has Kainord. I n the Huntly Rental of 1600 the nameoccurs on ly once as Chandmoiris

,the plural be i ng used as the common

name of th e various farms on the dauch . The common pronunc iation i snow Cannor. I f th i s i s the correct account of the changes wh ich haveoccu rred , Canmore is the oldes t form . 6 0277777707 means big head .

Kinstair (Alford) . 1454, Kynstare, Ant . IV. ,142 . 6 027777 712770

,

Causey-end.

Kintocher (Lumphanan ) . Same form in Pol l Book, 1696, and Retou rof 1638. 6 027777 1002277

,causeyend.

230 THE PLACE NAMES

Kirkpleugh (Premnay) .

Kirk Stane (Auchindoir, A large mass serpenti neCraigs

‘

of Bog.

Kirkst ile (Gartly) .

Kirkstyle (Kemnay) .

Ki rkton (Cabrach and Tu l lyness le) .

Kirktown (Cai rn ie and Kinnoir) .

Kirktoune (Dyce and Glengairn) .

Kirr iemu ir (Premnay) .

Kittlemannoch (Gartly) . Mannoch i s probably 77702220772 02 (pron .

me-un -ach ) ,“m idd le . Kittle i s doubtful . Cf. Balnakettle and Bal na

kettillBalmacathilland BanakettillBannacadillGlencuth il; le HoleKettil; Tullicheddeland Tulyquhedil. So far as I can ascertain

,all

these names, l i ke Kettlemannoch , apply to deep “ dens ” or corries.

Kittlepoint (Clu ny,

Kittycallin (Forgue) .

Kittyneedie Stone (Auchindoir, A large stone i n the Don, socal led because the kittyneedie or sandpiper is often seen upon it.

Knappach Ford

Knapperknowes, obs . (Gartly) . Knapperts (Scot ) o r heath-peas .

(L2 12y7770

Knappert Hil lock (Auch indoir) . See above.

Knappies (GartlyKnappy Park (Bi rse) . Scot . knap,

“a knob.

Knappyround“Knobby H i l lock.


Knightland Bu rn and Kn ights Mi l l (Drumblade) . C.S. Knich tlan’

and Knichtsmill. Most probably th is burn and farm have thei r namesfrom th e Knights Templars, to whom be longed the Church of Kinkell,with i ts six dependent chapel s, of which D rumblade was one. I t has

been frequently asserted that the kn ights referred to were the Gordons ofLesmoir, who were Kn ights Baronet, and owned property i n th is parish ,b ut Knigh tsmillex isted before the Gordons were proprietors i n Drumblade

Knockandhfil(Crath ie and Tul l ich) . 67700277 717722,“ black l ittle

knoHP

Knockandoch (Leochel) . 1629 , Knokandauche,Retou r 2 13 ; 1600 ,

Knokandath Col. 606 ; 1513 , Knokandow,Ant. IV. , 350 . 67700 0202777720271

,

market-hi l l . So Shaw in Moray, approved by most Gael ic scholars .

[Perhaps 0770027722222702, l i ttle knol l of the

Knockandy (Kennethmont) . ?67700 00277-f2707777,“white-faced or

greyish h i l l .” The proper spel l i ng to represent the pronunc iat ion of th isname shou ld have been Knock -canme

,and there i s a farm at the south

west base of the hi l l cal led Candy, or more common ly Cann ie. See

Cann ie Bu rn , Kincard i ne O’

Neil.h

Knockanrioch (Glenmuick) . Aberg. pp. 67700277-77222202,

“ bri nd ledl itt le h i l l .

Knockb uidhe (Cabrach) . The yel low knol l .

Knock Argatey (Logie-Coldstone) . Knock Argatey i n Ruthuen

(Bal fou r) . 67700-A7rg72’

,

“ S i lver H i l l . Perhaps,be i ng a grassy h i l l

,

so named from the grey hue of the grass i n the autumn and winter.

Knock Cast le (Glenmuick) . 67700,“a h i l l .

Knockenb ard (I nsch) . 1508, Knokinbard, Ant. IV. , 52 1 . 677002 77

227771, l i tt le hi l l of the bard .

”

Knockespock (C latt) . 151 1 , Knockespak , Ren tal , p . 36 1 .

67700 152 1277723 B i shop’s H i l l .


232 THE PLACE NAMES

Knockfullertree (M idmar) . There are no references to th is name i nold wri ti ngs

,so far as I know

,and i t i s impossible to say with certai n ty

what i t was origi nal ly. Poss ibly i t may have been 67700 7012770, eagle’sh i l l

,

”and corrupted i n to its present form in some such way as Finlatree

i n the neighbouri ng parish of Tough'

.

Knockgrue (Echt) . This name appears only i n the P0 11 Book,and

i s probably i ncorrect. No name i s given i n the s ix - i nch Map ofwhich i t cou ld b e a corrupt ion .

Knockh uise (Aboyne) . 1696 , Knockews,Pol l Book ; 1685, Knock

gu ies,Retou r 466 . 67700—g777222 73

'

,

“ h i l l of the fir.

”

Knockie Branar (D i nnet) . Probably Branar i s the name of someperson assoc iated with the hi l l at one t ime

,ei ther as owner or by some

occurrence,bu t there i s no tradi t ion about the origin of the name.

Knockie Branar i s not a Gael ic form ,and probably i t is not very old .

Compare the fol lowing two names .

Knockie-Know (B i rse) . Knows i n the Val uat ion Rol l . 160 2 ,

Knokie-Know , vu lgo the Lang Ledrih , Retou r 84 ; 159 1 , KnockieKnow

,1898 ; 151 1 , Knotty Know

,Rental

, I . , 377.

67700277, of which Know or knol l i s‘

a translat ion . Lang Ledrih :

Lang= E. Long ; Ledrih =L071702 02, gen. of £ 07107,“a hi l l s lope

,

”and

probably part only of the original name .

’

Knockieside (Aboyne) . The s ide of the 077002 77or h i l lock.

Knockinglew (I nverurie) . 1756, Knockinglewes, Fami ly of Les l ie,497 1696 , Cockinglues, Pol l Book ; 1678, Knockingleus, Ant . I I I . , 474 ;1643, Knokinblewes, Retou r 270 ; 1595, Knokinblewis

,Ant. I I I . , 533 ;

1490 ,Knok dc Kynblewis, Ant. I I I ., 472 1460 ,

Knokynblewis, Fami lyof Lesl ie.

” This h i l l i s marked 780 on the 1 - i nch map . I t i s now cal ledthe Hil l of Balquhain ,

and th e old name i s almost unknown . There i sno doubt the names given above apply to the same places wh ich , i n theearl ier documents, are cal led Auldtown,

Nethertoun, and Middletoune ofKnokinblewis, and i n later t imes of Knockinglewes. I cannot account for

234 THE PLACE NAMES

'

Knows Durno (Chapel ) .

Knute Hil l (Cabrach , P 677772 022, a l ump.

Kolcy (Monymusk) . A burn named as a march i n a 16th centurywrit i ng, C0 1. 171 .

Kye Hil l (Huntly) . Probably from old Gael ic, 02 022,“a quagmire.

There are marshy spots allround the base of th is h i l l . I t i s coveredwith heather

,and qu ite unsu i table for feed i ng kye (cows) .

Kylacriech (Glengairn) . 607110 772 0770170, wood of th e boundary.

Kynn (Dyce) . 1629, LitellKynn ,Retour 2 12. 6027777,

“ head .

Kynoch (Tarland) . Coynoch , Val. Rol l . 60077702 02, moss or mossyIandf

’

Ladyb og (Auch terless) .

Ladycroft (I nsch) .

Ladylea. L02 1222 172 12,grey slope. Trad i tion says

, .cal led Ladylea

, because there th e Lady of Brux watched the contests between h erlover Forbes and Mouat of Ab ergeldie, as told i n the “ Legends of theBraes of Mar

,

”and other local publ icat ions. The next h i l l to Ladylea,

however, i s Badinlea, and the two names must go together. Bes ides,102

i s Engl ish,and we shou ld have had Ladyley i f the trad ition accounted

for the name.

Ladymoss (C l u ny).

Ladyscr‘

oft (Forgue) .

Lady’s Dowry (Coldstone, Now part of the Farm of Pitentagart.Origin of name u nknown .

Ladywell(Premnay) .

Lag Bu rn (Gartly) . Lag ,

“a hol low.


Lagclasser (Skellater) . L2g gl2 s-f2e07r ,“ hol low of the meadow

grass .”

Laggan (Cl u ny and Glengairn) . Little hol low.

Laighs (Skene) . Scot. 122 73725,“ low- Iying ground . Cf. Lech is Moss .

Lai r of Aldararie (Glenmuick) . Probably modern— v. Allt Darrarie.

Lai rd’

s Cave (Kildrummie, This cave was used as a h id ing-placeby the Lai rd of Brux after ’

45.

Lai rd’

s Hiding Hole (Cou l l , A smal l cave i n the face of theH il l of Corse. The “Old S tat ist ical Accoun t ” says i t was used as a

h id ing-place by D. Forbes of Corse i n the t imes of the Covenanters .

Laithers (Rayne) . Lath ries, Val. Rol l .

Lamawh illis (Bi rse) . H i l l . Poss ibly 1202722020711, elm-wood,

corrupted l ike 0 27772 772222 02 i n to Damariach .

”

Lamb h ill(Forgue and Towie,

Lamb slack (Auchterless) . Sl202= “an Open ing between h i l l s

,

” “a

hol low.

”

Lamoch rie (B i rse) . 1695, Retou r 496 .Both these names are ob so

Iete,and the pronunc iat ion

Lanch rie (Bi rse) . 159 1 , R-M-S 1898. and local i ty are unknown .

I do not know if they apply to the same place or not.

Landerb erry (Echt) . Lander is probably a personal name.

Landowertown (Dyce) . 16 14, Landowertown de Dyce, Retou r 1 32.

The land above the town of Dyce.

Langadlie Hi ll(Alford) . 1523 , Ledgadlie, Ant. IV 144.

Langdeming (Tough) .

236 THE PLACE NAMES

Langollne (Clatt) . I have not found th is name i n any old wri ti ng.

I t does not appear i n the P 0 11 Book, but the Retu rn of th is parish on lygives the pri nc ipal names , 70 ,

of th e townsh ips or separate estates,and

th is place was probably i nc l uded under Auchlyne. I conjectu re that thename i s partly Scotch , and that i t i nc l udes i n contracted form the nameof the 22 7702— Auch1yne

— ofwhich i t may have formed a part. There i sst i l l M ickle Auchlyne, Yondertown of Auchlyne, and Croftend of Auchlyne. Langoline may have been the Loan of Auchline. I t is on ly a

mere guess, but I have no other suggestion to offer.

Lang Stane o’

C raigearn (Kemnay) .

Largie (I nsch) . 1623 , Largie- i nche

,Retou r 178. See Largue.

Largue (Forgue and Cabrach) . L027g ,a h i l l s ide

,or slope.

Lary Hi l l and Farm (Glengairn) . L2777Lg'

,a pass, — so say the

Gael icspeaking nat ives .

Lasts (Petercu l ter) . 1607, Lachtis, 2172s Lastis, Ret . 1 14 ; 1598,

Laich tis al72s Lastis, 81 1 . Possibly Lost pl. 3 .

£ 07572, i n current Gael ic, means a kneading trough ; but the word is a

not uncommon name of a farm . Ci. Lost.

Latch (Skene and Tough) . Scot , a mire.

Lauch intilly (Kemnay) . 16 14, Loch tulloche, Retour 1 32 151 1 ,

Lochtillach, 3600 1505-6 , Lauch tintule, 290 8. 12002-277

17712702, the loch of the knol l.” I t was a boggy place, and the loch wasprobably a mere pool .

Lauth inthy, ob s. (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Ren tal , I ., 377. Same as

Lethenty

Lavel l (Glengairn) . 1696, Lebhall, Pol l Book ; Lével. L012

222710,

“ hal f town .

”

238 THE PLACE NAMES

Leamington (Oyne) .

Learg an Laoigh (Braemar, The slope of the cal f or fawn .

Learney (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . C.S. Lairnie. 1725, Lairnie, Macfar

lane,Ant. I I ., 5 1696 , Lernie, Pol l Book 1506 -7, Largue is,

3070 1494, Largeny, Ant. I I I ., 30 3 1446 , Largny, Records ofAboyne,

”

p . 9. Cf. Lerny, Lairny, or Learnie, Ross - sh ire. The old formssuggest L02 7g ,

a hi l l -s lope,

” with a term inal,probably 3777, changing i nto

as i n Keithyn , which is later Keithny. The mean ing of Learney thusappears to be the place of the hi l l -s lope.

Lech is Moss (Alford ) . Ant. IV.,143. Scot. Laigh , “ low- lyi ng

ground,general ly appl ied to low- lying fields rec laimed from moss or

marsh— hence th e laighs,

”common i n the north .

Leddach (Skene) . 1696 , Liddach , Pol l Book ; 1637, Leddauch ,Retou r 240 ; 1505, Laidach t, 2908 ; 1457, Ledach of Skene,C0 1. 281 . PL012

“ hal f dauch .

”

Cf. Haddoch.

Ledikin (Cu lsalmond) . 1644,Lethinghame, Retour 275 1600 ,

Ledinghame, Ant. IV., 51 1 . [Leideag, pl. Leideagan,is a common name

for fie lds,espec ial ly those on outsk i rts of farms , i n the West H ighlands.

The words appear very simi lar, but I am not prepared to say they are the

Ledmacay (Glen Nochty, Strathdon ) . 1507, Ledmakey, R.M.S.

3 1 15 1451 , Lan Kay, Chamb . Rol ls . Led=L02 1222, a h i l ls ide

,

probably th e original name, to which the owner’s or occupant’s name has

been added . So i n Kintyre there is Uggadul-McKay, andwe have thesame mode of d isti ngu i sh ing places i n our own county i n Bel tie-Gordon .

Leep Cattach , obs. (Glenmuick) . 1799 , Leep Cultach , Aberg. pp.

L772-007111702, bend of the wood .

”

Legatsden (Chapel) 1600 , Leggattisden,153 1 ; 1506 ,

Legatisdend, Cou rt Books, Ant. I I I ., 385. Personal name, Leggatt.Cf. Leggattsb rig, Fife and Leggatstoune, Forfar.



Legatside (M idmar andCu lsalmond) .

Leggerdale (M idmar) .

Leidsh ill(Cabrach ) . 150 8, Luddishille, 3276 . I n Ant. IV. ,

465, the spe l l ing is Ludish ille. Ei ther a personal name Leod (P) or

G. L02 122 2’

,

“a dec l iv i ty,

” “ s ide of a h i l l .” Most l ikely the doublet i s

correct.

Le ight (Corgarfi'

,S trathdon ) . L020— old form 102021— “

a hi l l ,” or

hi l l-s lope. Also a cai rn or grave mound .

Leirich ie-laar (Rhyn ie) . [See Place Names i n S trathbogie, p . 263 ]

Le ith-hall(Ken nethmont) .

Lench ie (I nsch) . Lenshie, Val. Roll. “ Lang-shaw. Cf. Lenshie.

Lendrum (B i rse) . See Slewdrum.

Lenshaw (Forgue) . See Lenchie and Lenshie.

Lensh ie (Auchterless) . 1638, Lenschave, Retour 242 ; 1625, Langschawb ray,

Retou r 187 160 6 , Langschaw-bray,Retou r 104 1540 ,

Langschawb ra, Chart , 2 148. Brae of the long wood or grove.

”

Lent Haugh (Auch indoir) . Lin t-haugh, Val. Rol l .

Lentush (Rayne) . 1566 , Ledintushe,Ant. I I I . , 378 ; 1509 ,

Ledintosche, R.E.A I ., 353 ; 1 333, Ledintosach , R.E.A. 60 ; 1 304,

Ledyntoscach , I ., 38. L02 12271 277T075702, the ch ief’s s lope

,or

it may b e the s lope of the front.”

Leochel(Parish) . 1696, Leochel ] , Pol l Book ; 1542, Loquhell, Ant.I I I ., 499 . Loychel, 1 199 - 1 207, C0 1. 173 1 2 14- 1 234, C0 1. 60 3 1 250 ,

C0 1. 605 1 268, Co] . 178. Cf. Laugh i l

,Loghi l l and Lough ill, i n I re land ,

from L027772-020711,

elm-wood,

” Joyce,I ., 509 .

240 THE PLACE NAMES

Lesl ie (Parish) . There can b e no doubt that the family name ofLes l ie was derived from Lesslyn i n the Garioch . I t was not u nti l th efifth generat ion that the descendan ts of Barthol f

, the Hungarian,

”

fol lowed the growing practice of assuming a surname,which they did i n

the usual way, by adopting the name of thei r prin c ipal landed property.

Lesslyn i s a very difficult name, and I do not th ink that any explanat ionwh ich has been proposed is sat isfactory. L705 1777770,

“ fort or garden ofthe pool ,

” might b e appropriate,as the cast le stands c lose to the Gad ie

(though the Gad ie i s here a smal l rapid stream , and there i s no pool at ornear the castle, and never cou ld have been) , but this derivation wou ldrequ ire the stress to fal l on the last syl lable, which i t does not. I nLesmoir, Lesmtirdie, and Lessendrum the stress is on the qual i fying term

,

but i n Lesslyn, if th e stress was origi nal ly on 1777,we have no explanationof the change. L701 , a fort,

” i s most l ikely correct, but I i ncl i ne to thinkth e last syl lable has suffered contraction to the e xten t of al teri ng the

structu re of the name, and the accen t has then fol lowed the general ru le.

I f such a contract ion has taken place i t is useless to guess what theoriginalword may have been .

Leslie’s Cairn (Forgue) .

Lesmoir (Rhyn ie) . L705 77707, the big fort .

Lesmfi rdie (Cabrach B. ) 1549, Lesmordy, Ant . IV. , 463 ; 1540 ,

Losmurdy,Ant. IV ., 462 ; 1527, Losmordy, Ant. IV. , 460 ; 1474,

Losmorth ie, 1 155. Poss ibly L703 77707, the big fort,” with 227702

subsequen tly added ; but more probably L703 111 777022722,“Murdo’s

fort.” Cf. Dunmurchie (Maxwel l, p . 176 ) and Ardmurthach

Lessendrum (D rumblade) . 1551 , Lessindrum,623 ; 140 3 ,

Lossyndrum, pp. 252, 253 ; 1 364, Lessyndrom, p. 16 1 .

L703 -2 77-2707772 ,l i kely mean ing the dwel l i ng of the r idge. L701 now

means a garden , but formerly a fort,

”a dwel l i ng.

Lethenty (Tul lynessle) . 16 14, pend ic le of the said lands cal ledLeth indae

,

”Charter, Ant. IV . , 543 . 1599 , common ly cal led lie

Lethintie,

”Charter, Ant . IV.

, 540 . ?L72 12 02772 02, grey marsh .

”

Cf. Lethenie and Lethane,R.E.M .

242 THE PLACE NAMES

Ligh tna (Kinnoir) . G. 1070770, d im . of 1020, a flagstone. So Lickny

and Dunleckny, I reland . Joyce,I I ., 27.

Linchork (Glengairn) . 170 1 , Loynquhork, 1677, Linquhork, Aberg. ,

pp. L07’

7777-2 -02070, field of the oats .

Lind (Petercu lter) . I n the P0 11 Book, Line and Linestock.

Line (Skene) . I t i s a l i ne,or straight row of houses . There i s no

waterfal l nor indeed a burn . Cf. Rawes (rows) of Huntly.

Lingamend (Cou l l) . Scot. Lang holm end,

the end of the longmeadow.

”

Linn (Tough) .

Linn of Dee (Braemar) .

Lion’

s Face (Braemar,

Litt lem ill (Glenmuick) . 1698, Milnebeg, Aberg. , pp. 1147771027777

202g ,

“ l i tt le mi l l .”

Loanend (Gartly, Huntly, Lumphanan , and Premnay) .loan

,or open space between cu l tivated fields, enc losed by

which cattle were driven for security.

Loangarry (Drumblade) .

Loanhead (D rumblade and Petercu l ter) .

Lochan a Bhata (Braemar) .“ Little loch of the staff

,or of the

boat,” perhaps from i ts shape and smal l ness . I t i s a mere pool on the

top of a h i l l .

Lochan a Ch reagan (Braemar) . The l i ttle loch of the l i ttle craig.

”

Lochan an Tarmachan (Braemar) . Little loch of the ptarm igan .

Lochandhu (Cou l l) . B lack l i ttle loch .


Lochan Feurach (Crath ie, near Loch Builg) . Grassy l i ttle loch .

Lochanlar (Crath ie) . Properly Loch nalar. L002 772 12770,“ loch of

the mare.

”

Lochan na Feadaig (Braemar, near Lochan an Eoin ) .“ Little loch

of th e plover.”

Lochans (Kildrummie and S trathdon ) . £ 0022 2,

“ l i ttle loch,pool

,

or marsh . E. pl. added .

Lochan Suarach . 57727202, insignificant. I t i s a very smal l pool .

Lochan Uaine (Braemar) .Green l i tt le loch .

Lochan Uine (Logie-Coldstone) .

Locharmuick (Glen Garv ie, Strathdon ) . Charmuick probably

represents Charmaig= Cormack , a personal name. The first syl lable mayb e a contraction of Lochan . Lochans i s near to it . Locharmuick

Cormack’s marsh or marshy ground .

Loch Brothachan (Braemar) . Pronounced Brotachan,

“ d irty lochbut I am told th is is not appl icable. P

“ Loch by the steep bank .

Loch Buidhe (Glenmuick) . “Ye l low Loch .

Loch Céllater (Braemar) . Pronounced by Gae l ic people Callter andCallater.

Loch Ceann-mor (Glen Callater, Braemar) . “Loch of the big heador h i l l .

Loch Davan (D i n net) . 1516, The lands of Dawane,

1 33

150 3 , The lands of Dawen,

”2745. Straloch gives the town ,

Davan , i n his map , but does not name the loch . Cf. Daan , Dawane, andDawin , Ross - sh i re. Th e loch i s fed by two streams , but th is may havenoth ing to do with the name.

244 THE PLACE NAMES

Loch Dub h (Braemar) .“B lack Loch

LOCherY (Skene) . L772 0272 02, a rushy place. Cf.

Lochery (Glenkindie, Strathdon ) . Loch rie.

Val. Rol l , Loch ray.

Loch Etchachan (Braemar) . ?From 07102 02,“ burn t heath, which

m ight apply i n the sense of burn t by su n and frost.

Loch Kinord (D i nnet) . See K i nord .

Lochmanse (Cou l l) . 1696 , Lochmanss, Pol l Book 1630 ,Lochmans,

Retour 2 16 .

Lochmoss (Forgue) .

Lochnagar (Braemar) . 1769, Lagh in y gai r, Pennan t ; Lochnagair,Aberg. pp . 1654, Loch Garr, Straloch ’

s map. Loch of the goats is th e

usual mean ing ass igned,bu t

<77221727, which is common i n Aberdeenshi re

names, i s always pronounced g0777. So far as I have observed , the Gael icpronunc iat ion is not Loch -na-

gar, but Loch én i gyar, close ly resembl ingthe spel l i ng of Pennant

,and i t therefore appears to me doubtfu l i f gar

i s mas. or fem. ,s ing. or pl. Probably we shal l never arrive at certai n ty

as to the mean ing of the name, bu t I am d isposed to thi n k the mostplaus ible suggestion yet offered i s that th e root may b e <ga7r or gaa7r,wai l i ng

,moan ing

,shou ti ng

, confused noise,”applying to th e wi ld howl ing

of th e wind on the face of th e crags . I n times of storm i t is said to b eterrific. Whether the h i l l was ever cal led Ben -na-

gar i s very doubtfu l .The range i s known as TheWh ite Mounth , which may b e a translationof a Gael ic name

,but there is no trad ition i n the d istrict to warrant even

a conjecture.

Loch Phadruig (Braemar) . Patrick’s or Peter’s loch .

Loch rie (Rhyn ie) . L2 2 0272 0 “ rushy,hence a rushy place. Cf.

Loughry, I reland (Joyce, I I . ,

246 THE PLACE NAMES

church,but i t may b e the hi l l back or corner or recess of Cathal ,

whoever he may have been . Th e name Cathal appears i n the Book ofDeer as that of one of the Toisechs of Buchan . St . Cathal was an I rishsai n t

,who flourished i n the 7th century, and is honoured i n Scotland . I t

wi l l b e observed that the fu l l name, Colquhoddilstane, on ly appears for ashort t ime after the Reformat ion , as appl ied to the parish

,and was

dropped probably on d iscoveri ng th e mistake. S tane is a Saxonadd it ion to th e Gae l ic name

,as i n P ittendrichseat, Bracklochf012,

Crum10070f1, Tarboth ie2711, Cumer1077, and Calbrydestoz m. I n placenames

,Scot. stane= E. s tone, and occas ional ly toun . The accen t appears

to determ ine the mean ing, the stress be i ng on stane or stone, mean ing“a stone.

”So 6722stone, Crab512770, 6727zstone, Crow1 12770, 6777105tone,

Grey3 10770, Wh ite510770, 6 002stone, 3 72772stone, Boutins10770, and 6015tone.

My conjecture amounts to th is, that Culquhathalrepresents the originalname, and contai n s a personal name— sai n t or otherwise that the Saxonstane was afterwards added that

,later

,part of the name was borrowed

,

as the name of a farm or property,and final ly became the name of the

parish .

Logie Durno (Chapel) . Logie Durno was the old name of theParish now known as Chapel of Garioch 1696 , Logie Durno, Pol lBook ; 1600 , Logydornoche and Logydornoch t, Ant. IV 507 1532 ,

Paroch ia de Logidurno,Ant. I I I . , 373 ; 1 275, Durnach , I I .

, 53 ;

1 198, B urnah , Liber Sancte Marie de Lundores, 39 ; I 178, Darnach , ibid ,40 . As regards Logie, see Logie Coldstone ; and as regards Durno, seeDrumdurno.

Log ie Elph instone (Chapel ) .

Logie, Mains of (Logic Coldstone) .

Logiemar House (Logie Coldstone) . Modern .

Lo in (Glengairn) . £ 07772 ,an enc losu re

,field.

Loinahaun (Glengairn) . Occas ional ly i n C.S. and writing, héavan .

L077777772 2-22227777, enc losure or field of the river river field .

”


Loinchork (Glengairn) . 1 696 , Loynch irk , Pol l Book ; 1677, Lin

quhork , Aberg. pp . £ 07772 2’

020770,field of th e oats.

Loinherry (Corgarff, S trathdon) . £07277 5202772 02, the foal s’ park— enc losed ground .

Loinmor‘e, ob s. (Glenmuick) . C.S. Lynmuie. 1706 , Loynemure ;1677, Lenmoy ; 1568, Lynmoy : alli n the Aberg. pp . Loynemure i shal f Scotch : mure =moor. M oy suggests 77zag2,

“a plai n , but i t is

quite unsu itable. The place was on a h i l l s ide, and c lose to a knol l . Asin Dummuie, the 11

’

s may be lost, and i f so,£0727777777112702, enc losu re of

the top or height. The spe l l i ng more fol lows the hal f Scotch formof 1706 .

Loinnaghoil(Glengairn) . A ru i n . £ 072 77 2’

g2o22a71,“enc losu re of

the fork .

”But th e Val. Rol l and C.S. give Loinagoil, and, as three burns

meet near th is place, the proper G. form may be £07772 77277 go22al,enc losure of the forks .

Loinveg (Crath ie) . 1696 , Loinveg, Pol l Book ; 1607, Loinvaig,

1962. The l i tt le enc losure.

”

Loh ach (Tarland , det . £02 202,marshy — a marshy place.

Lonenwell(Alford ) . Loan or Loan ing— an open space betweenfields, near homestead , where catt le are driven . See j amieson .

Long Bank (Gartly) .

Long Burn (Gartly) .

Longcairn (Newbi l ls) .

Longh i l l (Hun tly) .

Longlands (Auch indoir) . Loglands, Book ;land is , Ant. IV.

, 3 16 .

Long ley (Kildrummie) .

248 THE PLACE NAMES

Longmoor Wood (Kinnoir, Huntly) .

Longyter (loch) (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . This name occurs i n the

description of the Hospital lands (1 250 , I I .,

Lonib eg (Braemar) . ?L077777-202g ,l i tt le field .

Lord Arth u r’s Cairn (Auch indoir, There i s a trad ition that thebody of Arthu r Forbes

,cal led B lack Arthur, who fe l l at Tillyangus i n

1572 , rested here on i ts way to burial i n Ke i rn Churchyard but the storyseems improbable, and i t i s l ikely the name has some other origin .

Arthur was a common name among the Forb eses.

Lord J ohn’s Pot (Gartly) . Trad ition says that a chi ld of one ofthe Barons of Gartlywas acc idental ly drowned i n th is pot

,

” i n the Bogie.

Losset Park (Bucharn, i n Gartly) . £07572 !a knead ing

Losset Park (Home Farm ,Huntly Lodge) .

trough, wh ich , applied

to a field,means that

Lost (S trathdon ) . i t i s rich and productive. See Finnylost.

Lowdrum (B i rse) . See Slewdrum.

Lowr ie (Glass, Name of fie ld on Nether Dumeath,so cal led

from a lowrie stripe ” which runs through it. I n the R.E.A . (I . , 250 ) i sth is entry Alsua he takes of l i tt le Dunmeth t part fra the tode stripeto Edinglassie. A “ lowrie stripe is thus the same as a

“ tode stripe,

”

and 102’ i n old Engl ish means a

“ bush .

” Lowrie seems to be derivedfrom the Gael ic 17720272 02, a rushy place.

Lumphanan (Parish) . 1504, Lunfanane, Col. 1 1 2 c. 1 366 , Lunfanan,

Col. 2 19 ; 1 357, Lunfannan, Ant. I I . , 37; 1 275, Lumfanan ,I I . ,

52 . Lunfanan and Lumfanan, Fordoun. Lunfanan, Wyntoun. £ 27777

F77777277, Church of St. F i n nan . Cf. Llanfinan, Anglesea.

250 THE PLACE NAMES

Lynn Carn (Corgarfl‘

,S trathdon) . Pronounced Lyne Yeorn. £ 07277

007772,barley field.

”

Lynturk (Leochel and Tough) . 1696 , Lenturk, Pol l Book 1524,

the lai rd s igns of Ledinturk,

” Ant. IV. , 347 1407, Ledyn turk, Co ] . 60 5

[ 02 12271 2 77 177770, s lope of the boar.

Macb eth’s Cairn (Lumphanan) .

Machershaugh (Kildrummie) . 150 5, Macharishalch,R M .S.,

281 2 .

At Macker’s Haugh was a chape l ded icated to St. Macarius,Macfarlane,

C0 1. 589 .

Mackstead (Chapel ) . Cf. Makish ill,Makiswode

,Maksyd and

Maxside .

Macneisgar or Macneiscar (Cai rn ie) . A pi l lar stone, 1 2 to 1 3 ft .

long,1 21 ft. broad , 1} ft . th ick, formerly stand ing on the hi l l behind

Broad land,Cai rn ie. Around the base was pi led a cai rn of stones

,but

there was noth ing d iscovered when they were removed . There were nomarki ngs on the stone

,nor are there any trad itions connected with it .

Magg ie Gl utton (I nveru rie) . A smal l portion of the sou th end ofthe town , bei ng th e oldest inhabited part. Trad ition says i t derives i tsname from a certai n Meg the Gl u tton

,who at one t ime had a smal l croft

here.

Maiden Castle (Oyne) .

Maiden C raig (Newbi l l s) .

Maiden Wood (Oyne,

Mains of Davidston (Cai rn ie) .


Malak (Glass) . Probably M717770, marshy land . Cf. Meel ick,a

common place- name i n I reland . Joyce, I ., 465.

Malcolmsleys (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Maldron (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . I n th e Pol l Book , Meickle Malder.

Malt C roft (Kildrummie) . Rental of 1650 , Ant. IV. , 3 17.

Maltmansmyres (Forgue) .

Mammie Hil l

Mam nan Cam (Braemar, The M2777or round hi l l of cairns .

Manabattock Hil l (Tul lyness le) . This name seems to b e almostparal lel wi th Mullanabattog, I re land . Joyce, I I . , 412 . 8 at1og is a

derivative of 22 12, to drown,

”and means a drowned or marshy place.

Manar (I nveru rie) . Named in memoriam from the Gu lf ofManaar

,I nd ia. The old name was Badifurrow.

Mannofi eld (Banchory-Deven ick) .

Manorplace (Auchter less) .

Marchfi eld (I nverurie) .

Marchmar (Auch indoir) . 1595, Mairchemar,

2 25 ; 1552 ,

Merchemar, Ant . IV., 425.

Marchnear‘ (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1696 , Merchneer, Pol l Book . I tseems to be i n the l i ne of the march of the Hospital lands .

Marionb urgh (M idmar) . john Mansfield, a former proprietor, cal ledthis place after h is daughter Mar ion .

Maris Croft (Kildrummie) . Rental of 1650 , Ant. IV., 3 17.

252 THE PLACE NAMES

Mark ie Water (Glass) . Glenmarkie means the Glen of the horses,from 77270, a horse. The custom in old times was to turn out allthehorses of a d istrict on the common pastu re duri ng the summer. I t i s notvery long si nce this custom d ied out i n Glass .

Marlpool(Newb i lls) .

Mar’

s Road (Auchindoir, An old road from Ki ldrummy toGarioch .

Maryfi eld (Auchterless , Kincard i ne O’

Neil,Ke ig and Petercu l ter) .

Mary We ll(Bi rse) .

Marywell(Lumphanan) .

Mason Faughs (Oyne) . Scot.faz702 orf2 77g2, fal low ground . Cf.

Faichhill.

Mastrick (Newhills and Rayne) .

Matnach (Clatt) . Perhaps 111 077710202, a mossy place.

Mayfi eld (Keig and Tough) .

Meadow (Tarland) .

Meadow Boddam (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Meadowhead (Forgue) .

Meagry, Hil l of (Ke ig) .

Meal Al v ie (Braemar) . 21 02 11 7411272 “wi ld h i l l .

Meallan t Sluichd (Braemar) . “ Hi l l of th e pi t or gu l ly.

Meallan Uain (Glen Lu i , Braemar, “Lamb’s h i l l .

Meallb eg (Strathdon , “Litt le h i l l .

254 THE PLACE NAMES

Me i k le Firb riggs (Cabrach) . F027-2re7ge, a fal se man a figure orheap of stones rai sed on an eminence or hi l l as a land mark, H .S.D.

A standing stone, l i ke the figure of a man, is cal ledfear-270’

72g0 : Joyce, I I . ,435. On each of the two Forb rigs, S trathdon , is a spur of rock on thehi l ls ide, resembl ing a man. Cf. P 071-2 77-f/777227072g0, the port of the falseman

, I ona (Reeves’ “St. Columba,

”

p . Probably of th is c lass areStonemanhill, Standingmanhill, and Longmanhi l l .

Meiklehaugh (Keig) .

Melgum (Logie-Coldstone) . 1600 ,Melgoune, Retour 67 1575,

Melgum,2528 1548, Melgoun ,

234. C.S. Me’lgun .

Perhaps a contract ion ofM71147277, a round l i ttle hi l l see Joyce, I ., 396 .

Mellenside (Cu lsalmond) . 1636 , Mealinside,Retou r 23 1 Mal i ng

syide, Ant. IV. , 51 1 . Cf. St. Maleing, Fife.

Melshach Mu i r (Gartly) . From 7770211,“a l ump or hump , and the

term inal $2 02,

abounding in.

Meoir Bheannaich (Corgarff) . Beannaich on the Estate Map . Asappears to me

,th is i s not properly a burn -name

,but s imply means th e

“Grai n s of the Beannaich,

” or the branches which form the AlltBheannaich , by which name the stream is known unti l i t joi ns the AlltTuileach

,and forms the Don . Beannaich i s probably a derivat ive of

Beinn , and, though an adject ive,appears to b e treated as a noun , and

means a hi l ly place. So Joyce, i n I r ish Names,

” gives Aghavannagh =

A 022712 220277772 02,and i n the same way Allt b heannaich would mean

the burn of th e pointed or h i l ly place.

” This is th e on ly way i n which Ican understand these somewhat pecu l iar names .

Meredrum (Rhyn ie) . 1600 ,Newe and Auld Merdrume, Huntly

Ren tal ; 1578, Mardrum,

2814 ; 1534, Me ld rum ,1444 ;

151 1 , Newand Au ld Mardrom, 3599 . Me ldrum , bare r idge,

” i sevidently an error. Mardrum (C.S. Mairdrum) is probably a corruptionof 77707-7127777777

,big ridge.

”

Merl in d. e (Ke ig,


Merryhaugh (Rhyn ie) . There are no trad it ions about thi s haugh onMai n s of Rhyn ie. I t may have been a play-ground i n old times . Cf.

Merryhillock and Happyhillock .

Mlcras, East and West (Glengairn) . 1 564, Mecraw,Ant. I I ., 90 ;

1451 , Mekra, Chamb . Rol l s .

Middlemere (Ke ig) .

Middleth ird (Monymusk) . See Eistth ird.

M iddleton (I nveru rie) .

Midlar (Leoche l) . 1539, Midlar, Ant. IV., 322 ; 151 3 , Maidlare

,

3841 .

Midlettie (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . Pol l Book. M i sread ing for Midbeltie.

See Be l t ie.

M idmar (Pari sh) . 1504, Megmar, Ant. IV. ,2 16 ; the same 1485,

Ant . I I .,28

,and i n Burgh Records

,1478, p . 409 ; 1468, Mygmar, Ant.

IV., 405 ; 1 368, Migmar, Acts of Parl iament, Ant. I I . , 42 ; 1 366 ,

Migmarr, C0 1. 2 19 ; 1 275, Migmarre, I I . , 52 .

Midplough (Kinnoir) . Cf. Midthird.

Midseat (Cai rn ie) .

Midshed (Kinel lar) .

Midstrath (Bi rse) . Migstrath , V. .of D., 634 ; 151 1 , Megstrath t ,

I ., 373 1 170 , Migstrath , I .,1 2.

Midth ird (Cai rn ie) . The th i rd part of a ploughgate. Cf. Eisth ird,

Westh ird, Over Third , Nether Th ird , Mei k le Third

,Middleth ird.

Migv ie (Par ish , un i ted wi th Tarland ) . 1507, Mygvie, Ant. IV.,2 19 ;

1 377, Mygweth , Ant. IV. , 723 1 362 , Mygvethe, Ant . I I . , 25 1 172- 1 199,

Miggeueth , Ant . I I ., 20 . The Church of M igv ie was ded icated to St .Finnian .

256 THE PLACE NAMES

Milduan (Rhyn ie) . Pronounced Milldewan . The name properlyappl ies to the knol l between the Tap and th e Bu rn of Kirkney. ?M 02 11

27722-222277777, tl1e knol l of the dark water.” The names Millduan and

Drumduan are common i n Scotland . Tillyduan and Baldewan al so occur.[For the traditions attached to Millduan see

“Place Names i n Strathbogie,”

pp 2771-278]

Millanb rae (I nverurie) .

Millb uie (Skene) . 1458, Moylboy,Ant. I I I . , 325 ; 1457, Mulboy,

Ant . I I I ., 323 1456 , Milboy,Ant . I I I ., 322 . M 0211 27777120,

“ yel low hi l l .”

Milldourie (Monymusk) . 1597, Milnedowrie, 598. ?Dowrie27722- 1277, black land .

”

Milleath (Cai rn ie) . M 0211—172 12, grey hi l l .

Millh ill(Gartly) .

Millhockie (Tul lyness le) . Pronounced Millhoch ie— so i t i s given tome— bu t I th ink i n C.S. 0 i s shorter. There i s a Toch io i n LeochelCushn ie, and one i n Kincard i ne. Perhaps M 0211 10022

,hi l l of the th igh .

Lurgyndespok and Cullybline leg and flank (P) are i n same parish .

Millh uie (S trathdon) . M 02 11-02777120,“ hi l l of the pit or cattlefold .

There i s a natu ral pi t on the hi l l u sed as a fold .

M i l l Maud (Lumphanan ) . Cf. Cast le Maud and Moss Maud

(Monmaden) , i n the neighbourhood .

Millmeddan Hill(Clatt) . M 02 11 77702712077,

“ midd le hi l l . Cf. M i reof Midgates.

M i l lstone Hil l (Oyne) .

M i l lt imb er (Petercu l ter) . No certai n explanat ion of th is name can

b e given . I have fou nd no reference to an old mi l l of any sort at , or

258 THE PLACE NAMES

Mo ine Bad nan Cab ar (Crath ie) .“Moss of the clump of the

stumps or antlers.” 1607, Baddichab er, 1962. Bad-a’

“clump of the stump or antler. [Caban i n Scottish , caber

,means i n

Gael ic a broken branch or stump,and i s common ly appl ied to antlers ”

of deer, and rafters i n houses ]

Mo ine Bhealaich (Braemar, “Moss of th e pass .

Mo ine Bhuidhe (Balmoral Forest, Crathie,“Yel low moss.

Mo ine Chailleach (Gorgarfl'

, Moss of the old woman .

Mo ine Ch ruinn (Crath ie) .“ Round moss .

Mo ine na Cloiche (Glenmuick, Moss of the stone.

Moine na h -Uisge (Corgarff, More l i kely Moine Ghiubhais,

fir-moss.” C.S. Monahuish .

Moinieseach Bu rn (S trathdon , C.S. Mountsack Burn . Atributary of the Noch ty. Probably corruption of M oz

’

nteacfi,

“a mossy

place.

”

Mol ly Watt’

s Hill (Towie and Coldstone, Local ly supposed tob e a woman’s name, but Macfarlane (Ant. I I .

,1 3) several t imes names

the h i l l Maliewat , without the add i tion of h i l l , showing that th e name wasa hi l l - name

,and was so understood . I conjectu re that th e Gae l ic i s

maladk-b/zat, the hi l l -brow of the st icks or cudgel s .” Ci. Mealla bhata

,

Sutherlandsh i re.

Monach (h i l l) (Tul lyness le,

Monadh an t-Sluichd Le ith (Strathdon ,“The moor of the

grey hol low. C.S. Month of Slochd Lee.

Monadh Mor (West boundary, Braemar) .“ Big moor.


MonaelWood (Towie, The origi n of this name i s uncertai n .

The hi l l is now thickly wooded , and i ts featu res before plan ting cannotb e determined . Monaclis pronounced Mon-éE-él

,and mon

’

aoz’l, “moor,

of the l ime,” may b e the mean ing. Balachlachair

,

“ mason’s town,

” i snean

Monagown (S trathdon) . M oz’

ne moss of the sm ith .

There i s an extensive moss here.

Monaltrie (Crath ie and Tul l ich) . The name of Monaltrie House,

Bal later,is borrowed from Crath ie. 1564, Monaltre

,Ant. I I ., 89 ; 1451 ,

Monaltre, Chamb . Rol ls . I have never seen any explanat ion of this name

which is at allsat isfactory. Allcannot mean burn ,”

qualified by rig, i nany sense, whether as an adject ive or substantive, because the stresswou ld be on the last syl lable. I t seems to me poss ible the mean ing mayb e the moor of the al tar,

” or perhaps “ l i ttle al tar, mon’-alfaz°re or

altaz'rz’n, i nd icat i ng a place where Christ ian worsh ip was held i n earlyt imes , e i ther before th e erect ion of a sacred bu i ld i ng, or when it wasmore conven ien t to meet i n the open air

,as i n the H ighlands i n the

present day. From the same custom in I reland 'in early times,altoz'r

gives names to places , as a s imple word , or i n combination . See Joyce,I .,1 20 .

“Alterin ” occurs i n the “Book of Deer,”andmay b e the d imi nu tive

form , mean ing “a l i ttle al tar

,

” or the place of the al tar.” Inaltrie i s i nDeskford , Banfl

'

shire,and i n old charters i s given Edinaltrie, now in C.S.

Nyatrie. Al ter and Altrie occu r i n various parts of th is country.

Monelly (Forgue) . 1696 , Manellie, Pol l Book 1653 , Manellie,

Retour 3 17. M oz’

ne moss of the swan . The moss must havebeen at one t ime extensive

, though long s ince drai ned . I n the neighbouri ng mosses, with i n the las t fifty years, wi ld swans annual ly nested , andbrought out thei r young.

Monelpie (Glenmuick) . M aine az'lpa, moss of the height or lump .

Monmaden (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Cf. M i l l Maud .

Monnefuit or Monniewh it (S trathdon ) . Perhaps a composi tename. M aine

,moss

,

”and Eng ,

“ foot ” ; or poss ibly moine fad,“ land

of the moss,

” or mossy land . But ci. Monyfuth , Forfar.

260 THE PLACE NAMES

Monrae (h ill) (Bi rse,Montgarrie (Tul lynessle) . 1685, Mangerie

, Court Book of Whi tehaugh ; 1599 , Montgarrie, Ant. IV., 540 ; 1551 , Montgare, Ant. IV. , 537

1 39 1 , Mongerry, Ant. IV. , 379. Accen t gerrie or gérrie. The oldestreference favours M onadk garb/z,

“ rough moor.” The land is nowcu lt ivated

,though there is st i l l moor adjoi n ing.

Mony Burn (Drumoak,

Monymusk (Parish) . 1654, Monimosk , Straloch ’

s map ; Monymusk ,March i n wri ti ng of 16 th cen tu ry

, C0 1. 173 ; the same i n Conf. of 1 2 1 1 ,Col. 174, and i n Bu l l of Pope I n nocen t of 1 245, C0 1. 177. Perhaps M aine

musgac/z , filthy bog.

”

Monyroads (Monymusk and Lumphanan ) . May perhaps b e manyroads

,

”and there are not a fewroads at these places , but possibly moine

roz'

a’

,moss of the i ron scum .

”

Moonhaugh (Ke ig) .

Morchory (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . 1 250 ,IL,

274. See

Coirmoir.

Morkeu (Banchory-Deven ick) .

Morlich (Towie) . 1532 , Morthlay i n Mar,Ant . IV.

, 429 ; 1488,

Murthlie i n Mar,Ant. IV.

, 427; 1 3 10 ,Murthuli i n Mar

, Ant . IV., 426 .

See Mortlach , Cai rn ie.

Morpie Howe (Drumoak) .

Mor Sh ron (Braemar) .“ Big nose.

Mort lach (Cai rn ie) . 1662 , Mortylach , Retou r 1545, Mortlauch t,3 10 3 . There can b e no doubt th is name is the same as Mortlach

Parish,which is given i n old wri ti ngs going back to 1 157, Murthillach ,

Morthelach , Murthlach , and Mortulach . M or big knol l .

Morven (Logie-Coldstone and Glengairn) . M ar Mez’

mz,big hi l l .

262 THE PLACE NAMES

Muche l l or Muchal ls (C l uny) . [See Castle Fraser. ]

Muckle Black Hi l l (Gartly) .

Muckle 0 rd (Bi rse) . Ord, a hammer,

a round h i l l .

Mudlee Bracks (Bi rse) . Proper ly Mulnab racks, as i n C.S. M eall7mm brae, badgers’ hi l l .”

Mueress (Tul l ich) . Possibly “Moors -the plural 3 be i ng made a

separate syl lable.

Muggarthaugh (Leochel) . 1696 , Mugarthaugh , Pol l Book. Amuggar was, i n old t imes, a maker of wooden d ishes , and such a personmay have pl ied his trade at this p lace. Cf. M i l lert for m i l ler i n some oldwri tings

,and al so i n C.S. See Hornershaugh .

Muggiemoss (Newhills) . 1696 , Muggemoss, Pol l Book.

Muick, Water of (Glenmuick) . M ac,

“a pig.

Muickan, Croft of (Braemar) . C.S. Croft Micah , “ Pigs’ place.

Muiralehouse (Gartly) . The Chape l of Muiralehouse is also cal ledthe Chapel of Brawlanknowe. See Brawlanknowes.

Muirness (Drumblade) .

Muirside (Gartly) .

Mu i rs of C lova (Kildrummy) . See Clova.

Muiryheadless (I nsch) . 1696 , Muriheadles, Pol l Book.

a n ickname describ ing a narrow strip of land .

“ Headlace,

ribbon for bind ing the head a snood . Pronounced head less .”

Mulbodach , Burn of (Towie, M eallbodac/z, “Hi l l of the oldman.


Mullachdub h (S trathdon) . “ Black summit.

Mu llan (Lumphanan ) . On the Estate of Glenmillan . Littleh i l lock .

Mullholl(M idmar) . 1696 , Mullholland Millholl, Pol l Book.

Mulloch (Glengairn) . M zdlac/z , the top,summit.”

Munandaven (Aboyne) . 1685, Monerdaven,Retour 466 ; 1638,

Munnudaven,Retour 242.

Mango (Huntly) . Mungo, cal led in the Ordnance Map St. Mungo’sH i l l .” I n a description of the parish of Kinnoir, of date 1726 (Ant. I I . ,

i t i s said “Sai n t Mungo was patron of Kinore, b ut I know of noolder au thority . Walcott’s “Scot i-Monasticon

” gives The B lessed V i rgi n .

Except i n recent wri ti ngs and the Ordnance Map I have never seen thish i l l cal led St Mungo’s H i l l. I n the d istrict the custom is to speak ofMungo wi thout any further description . St. Mungo may have beenpatron of Kinnoir, but we have no authori ty beyond the h i ll-nameMungo.

”

Munz eall, obs. (Huntly) . 1600 , the Munz eall, Hunt ly Rental.M uz

’

neal, the neck,

” referr i ng probably to a narrow neck of haugh landon the Deveron. I n the Rental of 1772 Muniels i s deleted

,and Mensells

written above.

Mu rch ie Bu rn (Kildrummie,

Marley (Bi rse) . 1696 , Muirly, Pol l Book .

Murrayford (Cai rn ie) .

Murrial(I nsch) . 1696 , Mu rrie l , Pol l Book ; 16 16,Rothemurricll,

Retour 145 1557, Rochmureill, 1 196 ; c . 1 366 , Ratmuryel, Tax,

Col. 22 1 ; 1 29 1 , Radmuriel, Bu l l of N icolas IV Ant. IV., 50 2 ; 1257,

Rauthmurielland Rathmuryell, Bu l l of Pope Alexander, I . ,25

1 245, Rathmuryel, Chart, Col. 625.

“ Rath (fort) of St. Murie l .” There

i s noth i ng known about th is sai n t, except that her name occu rs among

the virgi n s and widows i n the Dunkeld Li tany. See Forbes’ Kalendars .

”

THE PLACE NAMES

Murth ill(Petercu l ter) . 1696 , Murth ill, Pol l Book ; 1548, Murthlect,

Ant. IV., 430 ; 1532, Morthlay, Ant. IV . , 429 ; 1488, Murthlie

,Ant. IV. ,

427 1 382 , Murthh ill,

I ., 426 1 3 10 ,

“de Murthuli i n Mar,

” Ant.IV. , 426 . M or -Zulacb

,big knol l .”

Mu rt le (Banchory-Deven ick) . 1696 , Murthell,Pol l Book ; 160 3 and

1 583 , Murth ill, 1 397. Cf. Murthill.

Muth illock (Drumblade) . 1588, Muth illok , 1592. A natu ral lyformed sand hi l lock on the farm of Sliach , now removed . The name i sderived from mad

,

“a court of j ustice,

”and no doubtlandcourts were

,i n

old t imes , held at th i s place, but by whom or when trad it ion does not say.

Cf,Moot -hi l l of E l lon , Moat -hi l l , Auchterless , and the Moot-h i l l of the

Royal Seat of Scone . (Fordun .)”

Muttondyke (Cou l l ,

Muttonh illock (Cu lsalmond) .

Mylnchauch , obs . (Huntly) . The name occu rs i n Rental of 1600 .

Myriewell(Echt) .

M‘

ytice (Rhyn ie) . 1662,Myttes, Retour 363 and Rental 1600 ;

151 1 , Mytas, 3599 .

Naked Hil l (Glenmuick,

Nash ick (Echt) .

Nebatstone (Alford) . C.S. Neb b itsté’

e’

n . Neb b it,nosed , or having

a , beak, or sharp poin t.

” Probably a sharp-poi n ted stand ing stone hasgiven rise to the name.

Ne i l Bu rn. See Kincard i ne O’

Neil.

266 THE PLACE NAMES

Newtongarry (Drumblade) .

Nine Maidens’ We l l (Auchindoir, Cf. N i ne Maidens’ Chapel ,under Chapel ton , Drumblade.

Noch ty, Water of (Strathdon ) . See Invernoch ty.

Nook (Rayne) .

Norham (Cou l l ) . 1696, Noram ,Pol l Book ; 1600 ,

Northam,Retou r

69 ; 1593, Norham ,Col. 607. Probably a borrowed name.

Norry Hi l l (Glass,

North toune of Ardune (Oyne) . Charter of 1506 , Ant . I I I ., 452 .

(Ardune : see Ardoyne.)

Noth (Rhyn ie) . [Old Noth , New Noth , Bogs of Noth , M i l ton ofNoth

,are farms , and Rawes of Noth i s a smal l hamlet, lyi ng to the north

and east of the H i l l of Noth : see Tap o’ Noth .]

Ochterb rass (Bi rse) . 1 170 , Chart ,I .

,1 2 . Upper Brass or

B i rse.

”

[Och ter, Auch ter,equivalcnt to Gael i c uac/za’ar ,

Old Echt (Echt) . See Echt.

Olderg (S trathdon ) . Occurs i n the Pol l Book,but must b e a mis

spel l i ng of Allargue

Old Les l ie (Lesl ie) .

Oldyleiper (Bi rse) .

Oldyne (Glass) . I n the Estate Books, Auldyne. Allt the

rapid or impetuous burn,this bei ng very decided ly i ts character. I t

rises in the Sloggan or hol low in the h i l l s,

” which rapid ly gathers a heavyrai n -fal l i n to this h i l l s ide bu rn .


O’

NeilCorse (Cou l l) . Corse of the barony of O’

Ncil.

O rchard (Premnay) . 1620,Retou r 167. (Churchlands) .

0 rd (Auch indoir, Skene, Petercu l ter, and S trathdon ) . 0 rd,

“a

hammer,

” “a round hi l l

,l i ke a mal let .

0 rd,The (Cai rn ie) . 0 rd,

“a hammer

,— a hammer- shaped hi l l .

Ordachoinachan (Corgarf’f, S trathdon) . P“Height of l i tt le foggy

place.

”

Coz'

mzeac/z,moss fog.

” There i s st i l l moss at this place.

Ordachoy (Strathdon ) . POrd-a the height of lamentat ion .

Ordb rae (Hun t ly) . Brae of the 0 rd .

O rdens (Leochel ) . Pol l Book.

Ordettan (Cabrach) . 0 rd“ height of the j un iper. Jun iper

sti l l grows at this place.

OrdfelI Om’ or Ard“ h i l l of the wood , ckoz

'l/eundergoing th e common change of c}; to gu/z and f, as i n Ordiquhill(Parish , Ban ffsh i re) , vu lgarly Ordifull.

0 rd Fundlie (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1593, Orquh indlie, 67.

There i s here the common change of guk = ah to f, which suggests thatFundlie comes from c/zz

'

mz Zulaz'ck, knollhead, as Cantly is a contract ionof Cantolly. A place cal led Contolly i s mentioned i n the Hospi talCharter of 1 250 ,

and may poss ibly b e the gulz z’

na’lz’e of 1593. Ord Fundlie

appears to mean the 0 rd of the head of the knol l , or i n Scot.Knowehead,

”the rou nd hammer-shaped knol l of the high ground

between Torphin s and Kincard ine O’

Neil.

Ordgarfi (Corgarff) . Rough height.

Ordhead (Cl u ny) .

Ordheid (Monymusk) .

268 THE PLACE NAMES

Ordh ill(Cl u ny and M idmar) .

Ordiallan (Auchindoir,

Ordichattan (Strathdon) . So pronounced in C.S. Ardchattan ,Val.

Rol ls,1865 and 1892 . I f Ard is the proper form

,th is name i s probably

Cattan’s height.” Cf. Ardchattan,Killchattan i n Argylesh ire. I f C.S. is

right,i t may b e Om

’a’

cfiaz'

tz'

fl,he ight of th e l i ttle cat.

” This name i s agood example of the i nd iscrim inate use of Ord and Ard . There appearsto b e no d ifference i n mean ing. Cf. Ordley.

Ordich ryne (Rhyn ie) . A knol l on Ord Merdrum,not marked i n

map . Ord—a’-ckroz

'

mz,ord or height of the tree.

”

Ordie (B i rse and Logie-Coldstone) .“ Little Ord see Ord .

Ordie Cab ar (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Ordan caéaz'

r,

“ l i ttle Ord orheight of the pole or stake.

Ordiesnaugh t (D rumblade) . Ordazz or A rdan-szzeac/zda, the l i ttle

height of the snow . This l it tle h i l l i s sti l l spoken of as a place wheresnowlies long at i ts north -eastern base.

Ordifork (M idmar) . 1444, Ordyquhork, 2 100 .

he ight of the oats ” P

Ordley (Auchterless) . 1541 , Ard ley, Ant. I I I 566 ; Ordley,Ex. Rol ls , I ., 551 . Hybrid theley of the Ord .

Ordmill(Monymusk) .

Ordonald. See Ardonald.

Outseat (Cai rn ie) . 1638, Retou r, 242 . An out pend ic le,or croft on the

outlyi ng parts of a farm . Occas ional ly the name seems to mean farmhouses or stead ings . I n th e Rental of Aberdeen

,151 1 , th e haugh of

Bogie was let with the cond ition that the tenan t shou ld bu i ld threeoutsettis habi table by himsel f or h is dependants .

270 THE PLACE NAMES

Packstoune (Kildrummie) . Pol l Book.

Panan ich (D i n net) . The i n itial P suggests a non -Gael i c root . The

name may b e Pict ish , but i t is possible that p i s hardened from 6,and that

the root is 5627171. I f this i s so,Panan ich would mean “

a hummocky place,”

or a place abound ing i n hummocks , which happens to b e descriptive of it .

Pant ieland (Logie-Coldstone) . 1696 , Ponteland , Pol l Book ; 1600 ,

Pontaland,R.M .S 10 50 . Funder- land , the land of the pundar=

pundler = poynder. See Jamieson ’s Scot. D ict . P 1md (E. Pound ) , a penfor enc los ing strayed cattle. Cf. Punderland, Hadd ington ; Ponderlands,Sti r l i ng ; Pundland, Dumfries . Also Pondelaw= Pondlaw= PunderlawForfar.

Parad ise (Kemnay) . 1675, Parad is , Ant. I I I ., 482 ; 1644, Paradyce ,

Retou r 276 .

Paradise Wood (Monymusk) .

Park . See Perk.

Parkdargue (Forgue) . 1699 , Parkdarge, Retour 516 ; 1696 , Parkdargue, Pol l Book.

Parkhal l (Glass) .

Parkh i l l (Kinel lar) .

Parl iament Knowe (Crathie,Parsonspool(Forgue) . The local trad i tion is that once on a t ime

a parson lost h is l i fe i n one of the pools i n the marshes wh ich i n oldtimes extended over a large part of th e d istrict arou nd this place. Cf.

Parsonspool, Berwicksh ire.

Paterland (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Pathkellok (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . This name occurs i n the descriptionof th e Marches of the Hospital Lands . (1 250 , I I

.,


Fat ie’s Knowe (Tough) . Modern . So named from a late proprietor .

Paulscroft (Dyce, Appears to b e a corruption of Polnacroscell.See Marches of th e Forest of Cordys , 1 3 16 .

Pecktillum (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Peddies Hi l l (Auchindoir) .

Peel Bog (Lumphanan ) .“ Bog of th e pee l or fort. An old peel

i s marked on the map .

Peem’

s Wel l (Rhyn ie) .

Peill(Ken nethmont) . 1635, Ant. IV . , 51 3 ; 1595, 532 . An

old fort.

Pelgonir Bu rn (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . This name occurs i n the

Marches of the Hospital Lands of Kincard i ne O’

Neil. (1 250 ,I I . ,

Pennystone Green (Coldstone, I t is said that i n old times a

smal l tax was lev ied on crofters for the pasture of the i r cows on the

haugh , and that the pence were col lected at this stone. A penny stoneor penny stane was a quoi t made of stone, and playing at pen ny stanewas a common game i n old times i n Scotland . See Jamieson , Pennant .The latter i s th e more l ikely origi n of the name.

Percie (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Parsy, I ., 376 ; 1419, Pars i ,I . ,

2 18 ; 1 170 , Parc i , R.E.A I . , 12.

Perk, The (or Park) (D rumblade and Rhyn ie) . The Park of Sliachi s general ly supposed to b e the s i te of Bruce’s camp

,but i t i s more l ike ly

to have been the“ stance ” of the old market of Sliach .

.The charterreads Sliach withle Park of the same together wi th fou ryearly fai rs and markets to b e holden upon the said Park of Sliach .

”

The Perk of Ess ie i s on the top of an uncu l t ivated h i l l , and most l ikelyhas the same origi n as the Park of Sliach .

272 THE PLACE NAMES

Perkh ill(Lumphanan and Tough) .

Persylieu (C latt) . Near Kirktown . Moluac,who was patron sai n t

,

was local ly cal led Luacfi , which may b e represented by lieu,as i n

Kilmolew.

Peteb rach ere (Drumoak) . 1 33 1 , I . , 52.

Petercu lter (Parish) . 1 598, Cultar ex ant iquo Cultar de Ardboyk

81 1 1 526 , Petirculter, Ant. I I I . , 346 ; 1456 ,

Petirculter, Ant. I I I . , 322 ; c . 1 366 , Cultyr, Col. 22 1 ; 1 287, Cultir and

Cultyr, Ant. I I I . , 295 ; 1 178- 1 199 , Gultir, Co] . 292 ; 1 165- 1 199 , Kultre,

C0 1. 292 .

“ Lands and barony of Cultar, cal led from of old Gu l tar deArdb eik

,Retou r of 1607. C212] tz

'

r,“ back land .

” The church is ded icatedto St . Peter. Peter’s Wel l and Heugh are near the chu rch

,New S tat.

Accoun t. Marycu l ter is on the south s ide of the Dee,Kincard i nesh ire .

Peterden (Drumblade,

Peter Hil l (B i rse) .

Peter Kirk (Cai rn ie) . The church of the old parish of Drumdelgie,now i ncorporated with Cai rn ie. The ki rk was acc idental ly bu rn t downi n the end of the 16 th centu ry

,and was thereafter known as the Burnt

Kirk . I t i s so noted i n Straloch ’

s map .

Petmathen . See Pitmiddan.

P etnamone .(Logie Coldstone) . 1429 , 127. P etle 7mmoine,

pelt or portion of the moss .”Cf. Pett.

Pett (Tarland ) . 1638, Pett, Retou r 242 ; 160 1 , Patt, 1 246 .

[Pi t— a common prefix i n Pict ish names . In Book of Deer, pet, pelt,

means “ farm,

” “ portion .

” I n modern days the word equates i n placenames with Gael ic Baz

'le. ]

Pett s (Monymusk) . 1588,“lie Pett is of Monymusk , 16 17.

Cf. Pett above .

Professor Mack innon .

274 THE PLACE NAMES

P iriesmill, Iver or Upper (Drumblade) . 1588, I ver Pierismyln ,

Ant. IV., 565. See The Farm .

P itandlich (Towie) . C.S. Pit -hyandlich . P ett —l—cfieann -dalac/z,

th e

town of field-end.

”Cf. Inverchandlick , Braemar ; and Torqh indlach ie,

B i rse.

P itb ea (Chapel) 151 1 , Petb e, Ant . I I I . , 375 ; 1 355-7, Petb ey, CO1.

538. P ett bez’

tlze,the pelt or town of the birch .

P itcap le (Chapel) . 1549, Petkepill, Col. 1 17; 1506 , Petctapill, Ant.I I I . , 371 . P et caibez

’l, Chapel ton . I t i s i n the parish,and near to the

Chapel of the Garioch , i n connection with which was the chaplai n ry ofPitcaple, and a croft of land for the chaplai n .

P itcullen (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Cu l len’s pelt or town , or the petz

of the hol ly.

”

Cf. Pett.

P itentagar‘

t (Logie-Coldstone) . P et cm t-sagaz'

rt, priest’s felt ortown .

”

P itfandy (Forgue) . 1651 , Pitquh incie, Retou r 30 8 ; 1505, Petquhynse,Ant. I I I . , 590 ; 1504, Petquhynsy, C0 1. 1 1 2. Perhaps from old form ofu z

’

nsean, th e ash tree — P et thepet! or portion of the ash tree.

”

Aspirated f fol lowed by u z'

might have led to the spel l i ng gzz/z. I t i sprobable

,however, that final47or sy represents a late pronunc iat ion of

zy=ye, i n the same way as Engl ish people now pronounce Corriemulz ie

,

Corriemulsie. I f th is conjecture i s r ight, PitfancyandConz ie are probablyfrom the same root , cuz

'

nne. These places are near to each other, and fill

up th e “corner ” formed at the j unct ion of the Knigh tland Burn and the

Burn of Forgue. See Conz ie. Cf. Ballaquh inz ie, Fife Ret. Drumquhence,Perth Ret.

P itfich ie, Cast le and Hil l of (Monymusk) . 1696, Pitfechie, Pol lBook 1518, Petfeche, Ant. I I I .

, 499 temp. Dav id I I ., Petfeth ik , Robertson’s I ndex. P ett faz

’

c/ze (In) . The pelt of the green .


P itfodels (Banchory-Deven ick) . 1552 , Pittfoddelis, Ant . I I I . , 277;1488, Petfodellis, 1698 ; 1450 ,

Badfothale, Ant . I I I 272 ; 1440 ,

Badfodalis , 238 ; 1 397, Badfothal, Ant. I I I . , 263 ; 1 389, Bad

fothellis,Ant. I I I ., 26 1 1 157, Badfothel, I .

,6 . Fothelprobably

represen ts a personal name. I t may b e doubtfu l whether Pod la, sonof Cruithne, the eponymus of the Pict ish race, was a real person , whogoverned the prov ince of Atfodla

,now Athol

,bu t he appears as such

i n the Pict ish legends . This,however, is certai n , that Fodla was a

personal name, and i t is poss ible that some one beari ng the same or as im i lar name may b e commemorated in Pitfodels . I t i s s i ngu lar to findi n the references Bad appearing as an older prefix than Pet, and I doubti f i t real ly is so. The one may b e the general name of the property, andthe other that of a part icu lar part of it.

P itgaveny (Oyne, P ett gob/taz'

m,sm ith’s town

,or poss ibly

P ett gam/ma,st i rk’s town .

P itglassie (Auchterless) . The same i n Pol l Book ; 1 589 and 1504,

Polglassy, Ant. I I I ., 569 and 151 . P t

'

t the pelt or portion ofthelea- land .

”P olis doubtfu l .

P itlyne (Logie -Coldstone) . 1696 , P itloyne, Pol l Bool< 1628,Petlyne,

Retour 209 . P ettloz'mz , the portion or town of the enc losure .

P itmach ie (Oyne) . 150 5, Petmachy, Ant . I I I . , 446 1 362 , Pethmalchyand Petmalchy, I .

, 92 and 94.

“Mal chy’s pelt or town .

” Thispersonal name appears i n a charter i n the Book of Deer (p . whereMalechi is a witness to the gift of Achad Madchor to the Abbey ; andprobably i t is the same person who is named Malaechin i n the fol lowingcharter of Colbain of Buchan (p .

P itmeddan (Dyce and Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . P ett portionor town of the midd le

,

” midd le town .

”

P itmiddan (Oyne) . 151 2- 1 3, Petmeddane, 381 1 1485,

Petmathen,Ant . I I I .

, 445. This place i s now cal led Petmathen. The

mean ing is the same as the foregoing.

276 THE PLACE NAMES

P itmunie (Monymusk) . 1696 , Pitmuny,Pol l Book ; 170 2, Pittinine

alias Pittinmunie alias Pitenmouny, Ant. I I I . , 504 ; 1654, P ittinim aliasPittinminim

, Retou r 324 ; 1628,Pitmuie alias Pitmownie, Retour 2 10

1429, Petnamone, 1 27. P ett 72a moine,“

pelt or town of the moss .

P itmurch ie (Lumphanan ) . 1480 , Petmurquhy, Ant. I I . , 38. Mur

doch’

s town .

P itodrie (Chapel ) . 1625, Pettodrie, Retou r 195 ; 1505, Pettodry,

Ant . I I I . , 374 ; 1355-7, Pettochery, C0 1. 538. P ett uac/m’aracfi ,

“ uppertown .

P itprone (Leoche l) . C.S. Pitpron. 1696 , Pitprone, Pol l Book ;151 1 , (P) Petberne, 3626 . P ett-bm z

’

nne,

the pelt of the fron tor breast.

P itscurry (Huntly and Chape l ) . (Chapel ) , 1625, Petskurrie, Retou r195 ; 1 355, Petskurry, Co] . 538. Possibly from sgomck

,

“ rocky,

” butmore l ikely from O.G. scaz

'

rb/z,

“a ford . Scurryford occurs i n the

count ies of Aberdeen and Ban ff,and Pitscurry i n Chape l is near Fordley

andWhiteford .

P itslugarty (Bi rse) . Now on ly the name of a croft, though it is saidto b e the old name of Bi rkhal l , and extended along the south s ide of theDee. The name means the pelt or portion or town of the swal low-hole.

”

Cf. Slugartie, Kemnay and Slugitie, Kincard inesh i re.

P ittélach ie (Logie-Coldstone) . 1628, Pettallach ie, Retour 209 ; 1600 ,

P ittalach ie, 1050 . P et! az'leac/z, “pet! of the stone or rock.

”

P ittendamph (C l uny, P ett cm daz'

mk,“ox town .

P ittenderich (Tarland ) . P ett-an-fi tmoz’

dz,“

pelt or portion of theheather. Cf. Pittendrigh .

P ittendrigh (Keig) . 1696 , Pittendreich , Pol l Book 1543 , Pettindreich ,

Ant. IV. , 480 . P ett-an the pelt or port ion of the heather.”

P ittengullies (Petercu l ter) . Petergullies i n the P0 11 Book.

278 THE PLACE NAMES

Poddocknest (Drumblade) . Puttock, Kite, or Glead . Gledsgreeni s not far d istan t from th is place.

Pogstoun (Logie-Coldstone) . 1696 , Pol l Book. Properly Bogstown ,

or town of the bogs .”

Po int , The (Premnay) .

PolBaw (Glentanner Water) . Cows’ pool .

PolBhuirn (Invercauld Water) .“ Burn pool .

PolBruich (Glentanner Water) .“ Bank pool .

PolBuidhe (Upper Dee) . “Yel low pool .

Polcockgate, obs . (Huntly) . This name occurs i n an old map ofHuntly (undated ) i n Gordon Cast le. Deveron S treet is Polcockgate, andthe Polcock acres adjoi n . Cf. Polcak (Forfarshi re) , and Polcalk (Aberdeenshire) .

PolDearg (Upper Dee) . “Red pool .

Poldu (Logie-Coldstone) . A chalybeate spri ng near Blelack House.

P olldzzb/z, black hole,pool

,or pot.

Pol-g lashen (Monaltrie Water) . Poo l of l i ttle stream .

Polhéllick (Glenmuick) . Polholick is a place adjoin ing Bellachalich,

andwas part of the pastu re of that place,” Aberg.

, pp . 1798. Ballachalichis pronounced Balhollak, and is entered i n Val. Rol l Balthollak. Hol ickappears to b e a corruption of chalich

,and Pol l -chalich i s the pool or hole

of the old woman .

”

Polinar (I nveru rie) . See Apolinarius Chape l .

Polkh ill(Les l ie) .

Pollagach (D i nnet) P ol/ag ,a l itt le pool pol/agac/z , abounding

l i ttle pools or holes.


Polleye (Oyne) . Pol l Book .

Pollocks, obs . (Glengairn) . See Pollagach .

Pol-manear (Balmoral Water) . Manear,sai n t’s name .

PoI-na-hamlich (Abergeldie Water) .

Polna s lake (Upper Dee) .

Polniuch rach (Tul l ich) . P oll72a lz- z'uclzmcfz,

“ hole,pot

,

the key.

”

See Legend of St . Nathalan .

Pologie (M idmar) . Pol l Book . Equ ivalen t to Bal logie

Po I-sherlyss (Camus 0 ’

May Water) . Charles’ pool .

Polslaik (D i nnet) .

Pol-vheir (Morven Water) . The maor or Bai l ie’s pool .

Pooldh ulie (Strathdon ) . C.S. Pold6 61ie . P oll “ pool of thefoliage ” = 1eafy pool ; properly the name of the pool be low the bridgeover the Don .

Poo lend (Forgue) .

Poolwalls (Chapel) . Pronounced Pee l wa’

s. There are remai n s ofan old pee l or tower at th is place.

Port-Elph instone (Kintore) .

Potarch (Bi rse) . 151 1 , Poterch t, I ., 354. ?P olltaz'rb/z, the

bul ls’ pool .” The name may refer to the great rocks at the end of th e

pooL

Potside (Bi rse) .

280 THE PLACE NAMES

Pots of P ittentarrow (Kildrummie, P ett—an-taz’

rbk, portion ortown of the bul l .”

Pots of Poldach (S trathdon , Poldyé i s the proper pronunc iat ion .

P oll “ David ’s pool,

” may b e th e mean ing,but there i s no

trad ition .

Potter’

s C roft (Oyne) .

Poundash Pot (Auchindoir, Pot i n the Don east of Powford.

?P oll—mz- taz'bfise,Ghost pool .”

Pourah (Rhyn ie) . Perhaps P ictish . I f i t i s Gael ic, possibly P olm tfiaz

’

n (tfi mute) , the pool or marsh of the ferns .” The stream fromwhich th e croft takes i ts name forms marshes and pools . Cf. Pourane

and Powrane i n Dumfries and Fife. D r. Joyce gives Pollrane with thesame mean ing.

Powdaggie (Petercu lter) .

Powdagie (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Powford (Auch indoir) .

Powlair (Bi rse) . P ollZaire,Mare’s pool .

Powneed (Cabrach) . 1600 ,Pownuid, Huntly Rental . PP ollm’

a’

,

the pool of the nest.” A swampy place near Bracklach,frequented by

wi ld duck i n th e breed i ng season .

P raecinct (Auchterless) . 169 1 , Retou r 483 ; 1540 ,The two

Parsantis,

”

2 148.

P remnay (Parish) . 1579 , P ramoth , Lease— The Vicar s igns ofP remnauch t

,Ant. I I I . , 399 ; P remach t , Aberdeen Breviary, C0 1. 550 ;

c . 1 366 , Frameth , C0 1. 220 ; 1 257, Frameth,

I . ,25.

P ress-na-Le it re (Corgarff, Bush of the h i l l s ide or slope.

282 THE PLACE NAMES

Quardo (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Probably a d ifferent spel l i ng ofCordach

Quarry Stone (Cabrach , A boundary stone between SnowyS lack and Kebbuck Know,

erected i n the march of the lands of the Earl sof March and Huntly

,i n th e begin n i ng of the 16 th centu ry . Why cal led

Quarry S tone no one knows.

Q uartalns (Drumoak) . 1696 , Cortaines, Pol l Book .

Quec l (Tul l ich ) . 60 ; “a wood. Engl ish p] . i n Queels refers to

Q ueels (Huntly) . the cottar houses at the place.

Queen’s b r iggs (Auchindoir) . Trad ition says King Robert Bruce’sQueen concealed hersel f u nder th e arch when fleeing from KildrummieCast le, i n 1 306 , pursued by the Earl of Pembroke. No vestige of th ebridge remai ns.

Queen’

s Chai r (Echt) . A rock about hal f a mile due south fromthe M i ther Tap of H il l of Fare, on which say some Queen Mary sat and

watched the progress of the batt le of Corrich ie, 28th October,1562 .

Others say that she vis i ted Corrichie after the batt le, and surveyed thefield from th is rock. I have not d iscovered any evidence that she wasever at the place, e i ther during the figh t or after it.

Queen’s Ford (Rayne, A ford on the Don,about a mile south

east of Old Rayne, crossed by Queen Mary i n her progress from I nvernessto Aberdeen , i n 1562 .

Quéve (Cai rn ie) . The M ickle and Little Queve are two water-worntrenches or ravines on the eastern s ide of the M ickle Bal loch

,and the

name may represent the obs . Gael ic cuz'

bfze,“a deep trench .

”Cu z

'

b/ze=

cuz'

t/z,

a trench , a snow wreath , a damp place, a cattle-fold .

”

Queys, The (Oyne, A rugged rocky bank on the Shevach burn .

Supposed to b e so cal led from the pastu ri ng of young cattle at the place.

Th e explanat ion is not very satisfactory,and I i nc l i ne to thi nk that the

name has the same origi n as the Queves i n Cai rn ie, and the Gwaves i nB i rse, viz . , Cu z

'

éke or Cu z'

tk, a trench , awet hol low,

” here applying to thehaugh i n front of the bank ,


Quhob s (Drumoak) . Pol l Book.

Q uhytmik (Kennethmont) . Rental of 1635, Ant . IV. , 51 3 .

Qu ielBu rn (Tu l l ich ) . See Queel.

Quillichan Burn (S trathdon ,

Q uinach (Cluny) .

Q uithelhead (Bi rse) . Cuthelh i l l , he ight for drying corn .

Cu tt le h i l l .

Q uittlehead (Lumphanan ) . Cf. Quithelhead.

Q uoich (Braemar) . Cuack, cup or hol low.

Q uoise or Q uhoise, Mi l l of (Crathie) . 1798, M i l l of Chosh ,Abergeldie Ren tal ; 1688

, Quhoish , Aberg. pp . Cal'

s,dat . of Cas, a

foot ”— the foot of the h i l l . Cf. Cush and Cuss , I reland , Joyce, I ., 527.

Q uynok (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Quynok S tone is men tioned i n thedescript ion of the Marches of the Hospital lands . (1 250 , I L

,

Rack Moss and Rack We l l (Gartly, 6 , and D rumblade, Rackhere refers to the green scum which covers the surface of the water i n themoss pools

,and which somet imes forms i n we l l s . Rake is now the

common pronunc iat ion . See Rak, Scot. D ict. , New Ed.

Raefi eld (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Raemurrack (Cai rn ie) . Rez’

dk“Murdoch’s , or Murray

’sfield.

”

Ragslaugh (Tul lyness le) . C.S. Rashlach . Rz’

asglac/z (McAlpine) ,moorish

,marshy land

,growing riasg or d irk-grass .”

284 THE PLACE NAMES

Raich (Forgue) . Same i n the P0 11 Book , and i n Retour of 1699 .

Raik Pot (Keig, Rai k was a term used i n connect ion with salmonfishings to denote the exten t of a fish ing ground . See Jamieson . Cf.

The Rai k,” i n the Dee.

Raikie Burn (Cabrach) .

Rainnahaggan (Bi rse) . Ramnagane i n Pol l Book .

Rainymeall(Cai rn ie) . Raz’

t/me-meall, the knol l of the ferns ,ferny h i l lock .

Haiths (Dyce) . 16 16,Reth is, Retour 145.

Ramslaid (Drumblade) . Laz’

a’ or lade i s an artificialchanne l for

water,as a mi l l - lade

,but is occas ional ly used i n the sense of bum . Ci.

Wedderburn .

Ramstone (Drumblade) . A boundary stone and we l l -known landmark on the Aberdeen turnpike. I n old times reckoned a fai r ies’ k i ln .

”

Ramstone Mill (Monymusk) .

Ranna (Tarland ) . Cf. Rannagowan.

Rannab roith (Crath ie) 1564, Ant. I I ., 90 .

Rannagowan (Tarland ) . The poin t or d iv is ion of the sm i th .

Rapplab urn (Auchterless) .

Rapplich (Les l ie) .

Rashenlochy (Drumoak, The l i ttle loch abound ing i n rushes.Rash is the Scotch for rush . Rashen or rashy is the adjective.

Rash ieslack (Forgue) . “ Rushy hol low. Cf. Rashenlochy.

286 THE PLACE NAMES

Redsmithy (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Modern— so cal led from its ti ledroo£

Redstones (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Reekitlane (Petercu lter and Cou l l ) . A humorous name appl icable toa house standing alone. See next word .

Reekomlane (Cabrach) . The local trad it ion i s that, during a famine,most of the Cabrach people left the d istrict

,and that this house was th e

on ly “reeking lum ” to b e seen,the family support i ng themsel ves by fish ing

i n the ne ighbouri ng burns . Thirty years ago this story was told myinformant by a very old man

,who heard i t as a trad it ion when hewas a

boy. Cf. Reekitlane ; al so Standalane i n Peebles-sh i re.

Ree Pot (I nveru rie, Jamieson gives Ree (Rae, Wrae,or Reeve) ,

as mean ing a pen or enc losure for catt le, sheep, or swine. The Ree Potis the pot bes ide the ree or reeve.

Regharchory (Glengairn) . See Richarkarie. Shie l i ng of the roughcorrie.

”

Reich ul(Braemar and Crathie) . So i n Val. Rol l . The C.S. is

Ruibal. Of common report the fu l l name is Ruighe-Balchlaggan, the

sh ie l i ng of Balchlaggan.

”

Reidridge (Premnay and C latt) . So i n Pol l Book . 1620,Et ruda

vocata R ig,” Retou r 167.

Re ik ia (Alford) .

Reilosk, ob s. Sheal i ng of Inchmarnoch . 1766 , Aberg. pp . Rzzzg/ze

loz'sg te, the burn t shiel i ng.

”

Re i ve, The (B i rse) .See Ree Pot.

Re i ve, The (Glenmuick) .


Relaquheim (Tarland , det . C .S. Relawhyme . I nqu is i tionsof 1606 and 1628 give Roulz ech rome and Roulz ieth roun,

ne i ther of wh ichappears trustworthy. I f the local pronunc iat ion is correct

,the name may

b e from rez'

dfileacfz, “a flat derivat ive from rez

'

a’iz (Joyce) ; and from

c/zez'

m,

“a step

,a h i l l path —hence the flat of the hi l l path or pass .

”

There i s such a flat piece of ground where the farm is .

Remicr‘as (Glengairn) . G.C.S. Ru zg/z-m'

cms, the sh iel i ng of m icras .

Renatton (Glengairn) . 13mg}; cm az'

tz'

nn,j un iper sh ie l i ng.

Resh ivet (Chape l) . C .S. Rés-ivet. 1683 , Resivet, Retou r 457 151 1 ,

Ressavate, Ant. I I I . , 376 151 1 , Roth syviot , 3624 ; 1504,

Rostheveot, Ant. I I I . , 384.

Rett ie, C roft of (Oyne) . 1696 , Raities pleugh , Pol l Book. Rett ie,a man’s name : pleugh

,a measu re of land .

”

Revantrach (D i n net) . A haugh south of Camus 0’ May Rai lway

S tat ion . Ruzg/z blmntmz'

c/z, the widow’s sh ie l i ng.

”

Rewmoire (Bi rse) . 151 1 , I ., 374. Ru zg/z-mor , big slope.

Reyenlore (Glengairn) .Rh inachat (Crathie) .

Rh innaha (Strathdon) . Roz’

mz na lz -dtba, the poin t or head land of

th e ki l n .

” Therewas an old ki l n on a project i ng ridge at th is place aboutfifty years ago.

Rh instock (Invernettie, S trathdon ) . Roz’

mz-stuz'

c, the point of the

project ing knol l or rock .

Rh intach (Keig) .

Rhynie (Par ish) . 1600 ,Ryn ie

,Huntly Ren tal 1464, Ryny,

p . 230 ; 1232 , Rynyn and Rymy, p . 28 1226,Rynyn, p .

22 ; 1 224-42, Ryny, p . 9 1 . Roz’

nnean ,d im inutive ofRain”,

“a

smal l promontory or head - land . Cf. R i n neen , “ l i ttle poin t,” Joyce

,I . ,

407. Also Rhyn ie,Fearn ; and Rhynach , Aberch irder. Probably

Rynyn” was the knol l beside the old k irk, cal led the Bel l Knowe, on

which the bel l was suspended w ithin a wooden triangle.

288 THE PLACE NAMES

Richarkarie (Glengairn) . 1656 , Richarcharie, D rum Charter , Recordsof Mar ischal Col lege, I ., 207. The C.S. i s same as Charter, and the Gael icnat ives understand the mean ing to b eRez

'

d/z,“field

,

” or Ku zyk,“shiel ing” of

Garchory This is possibly correct,but the old spe l l i ng is somewhat

doubtful . The Retour of 1658 gives Richarkorie, suggesti ng Ratylackarcaz

'

re,i n Scot . G. a prison , i n I ri sh place-names a confined road , a

pass,

”and the old road between Glengairn and S trathdon pass ing th is

place may b e cal led a pass .”

Riddlehead (Rayne) .

Riding Stone (Kintore, 6 , and Tul lynessle, A stone marking theheight of water at which i t was unsafe for r iders to attempt to cross .Both these stones are at old fords of the Don .

Ridwells (Cluny) .

Riegunach ie, Bu rn of (Logie-Coldstone, There are al so the

We l l , Shiel s, and House of Riegunach ie. PRun/z ceamzaz'

c/ze,

“ sh iel i ngof the merchants or ped lars. Ci. Annagannilay, “ ford of the ped lars ,Joyce.

Higgins (Cai rn ie) .“R iggin ” i s Scotch for the roo f or ridge of a

house,and i s appl ied to a ridge or ri s i ng ground resembl ing a roof. The

pl ural refers to several crofts , not to more than one ridge.

Righorach (I nverernan , S trathdon ) . Rm’

gfi c/zorm z'

ck,

“ sh iel i ng ofthe bog.

”

Rinab aich (Glengairn) . Rhynabaich , Val. Rol l Rinabugh t, Pol lBook . Rzz zg/z ml sh ie l i ng of th e bi rchwood .

Rinasluick (Glenmuick) . [321s na sloo/za’, sh ie l i ng of the pits .

Rinavéan (S trathdon) . Pronounced Ryn -a-voan . Roz'

mz a

poi n t or head land of th e bothy.

”

Cf. Mealla Bhothain,I nverness .

Rinawealie Poo l (Glentanner Water) .

290 THE PLACE NAMES

Rob ieston (Huntly) . See Thomastown , D rumblade .

Rob ins Height (Drumblade) .

Rochford (Cabrach) .“Rough ford .

Rochmuriell. See Murrial.

Rockyden (Rayne) .

Rogieh ill(Skene) . Rodgerh ill.

Roinn Dearg (Corgarff,“Red poin t or head land . A rocky

h i l lock on the east s ide of Tornahai sh H i l l .

Roinn Fad (S trathdon ,“ Poin t of the tu rf. Rinfaud i n th e

Estate map

Rollinstone (Cai rn ie) . Rollanstoun (Roland’s) appears several t imesi n the coun ty. The trad ition is

‘

that th is'

croft had the name from a largestone

,which revolved three t imes every morn ing at cock - crowing !

Rollomyre (Kintore,Roman Camp (Kintore) . Part of th e Val lum remai n s on th e north

side of Kin tore .

Roman Hi l l (Glenkindie, Strathdon) . Perhaps so cal led from th e

Roman Cathol i c Chape l of St . Ronald,near th is bi l l . The chape l i s now

exti nct .

Rones, The (Cabrach , Rones here probably means bushes : i nth is sense th e word

,i n th e old spel l i ng (Ronnys) , i s often used by Douglas .

See Jamieson . Rone i s al so a form of rowan,but the place i s marshy

,

and unsu i table for rowans.

Rookfolds (Forgue) .

Rookford Br idge (Drumblade,

Roquharold (Kemnay) . 1696 , Racharrell, Pol l Book ; 1644, Ratharrald

, Retou r 276 ; 1481 , Rothharrald, 1484.

“Carrol ’s Kalb

,or

b i l l fort ,”


Rore, The Hi l l of (Logie-Coldstone) . PCnoc reamlzar , the th ickor gross h i l l .” From the same root are Knockrour and Knockrower i nI re land

,Joyce.

Rosach ie (Aboyne) . Ros,

a promontory,a wood

,and the term inal s

ac/z-an, mean ing here a wooded place.

”

Rose Ca irn (Gartly, A cai rn at the poi nt where the parishes ofHuntly, Gartly,

and Glass meet . I t was erected on the march of twoproprietors’ lands , andwas named after th e factor at the time on the FifeEstate.

Roseh i l l (Aboyne) .

Rothens (Monymusk) .

Rothmaise (Rayne) . 1696 ,Rothmeiths and Rothmaith s, Pol l Book

1 333 , Rotmase, Ant. I I I .

, 428 ; 1 304, Rothmase, I . , 38 ; 1 175-78,

Rothemas, Ant. I I I . , 428. Cf. Polmais.

Rothmuriel. See Murrial.

Roth ney (P remnay) . 1623 , Rothnay,Retou r 178 ; 1600 ,

Roth nik,

Retour 70 ; 1454, Rothnoth , I .,26 1 1 359 , Rotheneyic, Ant. IV.,

716 .

Rotten Bog (I nsch) . Rotten (a Scand i nav ianh

Rotten of Brotherfi eld (Petercu lter) . 321

3103 11

2,floicg

o

jl

m'tm

e

Rotten of Gairn (Petercu l ter). SW ”We”,rotten

,a part i

ciple of an old verb now lost) . (3) Yie ld i ng below the feet not soundor hard .

‘ The deepness of the rotten way.

’

Knolles.

‘ Bridges lai dover bogs and rotten moors .’ Mi l ton .

”—Imperial D ict. That th is is the

mean ing of Rotten i n Rotten of Brotherfield andGai rn is h ighly probable,from the fol lowing extracts from a description of the “ R id i ng of theMarches,

”2nd August

,1673 Th e other hal f of the sai d reisk (marsh)

shal l belong to the lands of Brotherfield and Gairdaine that atthe rottin as bei ng moss ground .

— Cadenhead’

s Terr i torialH istory. E lsewhere we find Rottenbog, Rottenmoss,lie Rottin-dub and

292 THE PLACE NAMES

Rottanburn— th is last correspond ing to the Gael ic fez’

tfie, as understoodi n Braemar a marshy burn .

”Rottenrow or Rattanrawmay possibly

b e derived from the same root. Two suggest ion s have been offered as tothe mean ing of this obscure name I st. That i t is of Gae l ic origi n , mean inga strongly fortified place,

” but one has on ly to cons ider where the nameoccurs to see that th is is impossible. There i s

,or was, a Rottenrow i n

Aberdeen , Arbroath , Glasgow,York

,Shrewsbury

,and London

,and i t i s

the name of a vi l lage i n the West R id ing of Yorksh ire. I t al so occurs i nthe counties of Forfar, Fife, Perth , Dumfries , Roxburgh , Hadd ington

,and

Ed inburgh . 2nd Cosmo I nnes says The anc ien t ecc les iastical name

of Rottonrow” i s now general ly supposed to b e derived from Routi nerow— an u nsatisfactory etymology.

”— Early Scottish H istory, p . 66 .

(The Imperial D ict. gives Routi ne (from Fr. route,

a way a round ofbusi ness, amusement, or pleasu re, dai ly or frequently pursued .) CosmoI nnes does not say on what grounds he considers Rottenrow an

eccles iast ical name. I have fai led to d iscover i n the old charters orretours that i t i s connected with the Church , or referred to as Churchproperty

,more than any other name. No doubt Rottenraw, Glasgow,

of which he is speaking, was i nhabited partly by Cathedral ofl

'

icials ;bu t Rattenraw,

Aberdeen,cou ld scarcely have been so . be i ng a

conti nuation of the Gaistraw i n to the Castelgait, and, except thati t j oined the Netherkirkgate, i t does not appear to have beenconnected with any chu rch or chapel . Further, i t wi l l be observedthat Rottenraw appears i n at least seven count ies i n Scotland , and i nsome of these two or three t imes , and always as the des ignation of landswi thou t any reference to thei r be i ng Church property. I n three i nstancesRottenrowappears i n charters as an al ternat ive

,thus i n vico fori , al ias

d icto le Ratonraw Balfouris-Bochquhoppil, al ias Rattounrawnuncupat

“Eastfield al ias Rottenrow.

” These al ternat ives suggest thatthe name may b e descriptive, and the mean ing the same as i n Rotten ofBrotherfield and Rotten of Gai rn . I f so

,as appl ied to a street, Rottenrow

may b e an unpaved roadway,i n contrad isti nct ion to a Hardgate.

Rough Bu rn (Bi rse) . Auldgarney is on or near th is burn .

Rough Gr ip (Strathdon ,

Rough Haugh (M idmar) .

294 THE PLACE NAMES

Rumblingculter (Crath ie,Rumb l ing Pot (Kintore, 6 , and S trathdon , Th e Rumbl ing Pot

at Kintore is part of the old course of the Don between Boat of Kintoreand Broom ,

I nsch . I n S trathdon, the Rumbl i ng Pot i s on the Don , near

Cast le Newe, and is so named from the sound of the water flowing over ar idge of rock.

Rumfud (Rhyn ie) . Now inc l uded i n Scordarg,‘

and cal led Ramfold.

Rumfud appears on a tombstone i n Ess ie Churchyard , of date 1774. The

name may b e a corruption of s’

m-faa’

,long ridge.

”

Rum ley (Cou l l ) . The name of the farm is so g iven i n the Val. Rol l .I t is the same name as Rumblie above.

Runcieb urn (Premnay) .

Ruphlaw (Oyne) . “ Rough hi l l .

Rusheade (Petercu l ter) . Pol l Book .

Rushloch , The (Kintore,Rutherford (I nverurie) .

Ruthrieh ill(Newbi l ls,Ruth trelen, ob s. (Cai rn ie) . The name occurs

,so far as I know

,on ly

i n a charter of 1 284, p . 462 .

Ruthven (Cai rn ie and Logie-Coldstone) . 1464, Rothwen,

p . 230 ; 1534, Rowane, 1453 ; 1 232, Rotheuan , p . 28 ;

1 226 , Rothuan, p . 22 ; 1 20 8- 15, Rothuan , p . 42 . Theseapply to Ru thven i n Cai rn ie. Ruthven i n Logie-Coldstone appears as

R iven i n the Pol l Book , and as Ruthven and Rothven i n older writi ngs .The old forms i n which the name

,which is common in the north -eastern

coun ties , occurs i n charters i n the Register of the Great Seal are Rathven ,Rothven

, Ruthven , Ruthfen,Ruwen

,Ruven , and allthese are i n C.S.

Riv-en . Rat/z Mez'

nne,

hi l l fort.” Cf. names i n I reland , such as

Rathard, fort of the he ight Rathdrum

,fort of the ridge Rathedan ,

fort of the hi l l brow,

”

& c. Joyce.


Ryal l (Auchindoir) . 1650 ,Ryell, Ant. IV ., 3 16 . ?Rzzaa

’lz allt,

“red

burn .

”

Ryh i l l (Oyne) . 1696 , Ryeh i l l , Pol l Book ; 150 8, Rih ill, Ant . IV.,

Rynturk (Cabrach ) . ROZflfl tum,w1ld boar’s snout — referri ng to

a fancied resemblance 1n the outl i ne of the hi l l beh ind to a boar’s snou t.Cf. Rounumuck .

Saddleh ill(Drumblade) . So cal led from a supposed resemblance to asadd le. Cf. An diollaid (the Sadd le)

Salterh ill(Les l ie) . General ly written and pronounced Sé terh illandSé turh ill. There 1s al so Saturh ills 1n Rathen Pari sh— in 1592 , Salterhillis,

2 176 ; and m Moraysh ire, Salterhill R.M.S. , 007

Sammiluaks Chapel(Kildrummie) . The s ite of this chape l i s nearBattlehillock . I t was dedicated to St. Molocus

,common ly pronounced

St . Moluok,of which Sammiluak i s a corruption . To h im also were

dedicated'Mortlach , C latt ; a

‘

nd'Tarland .

Sandistoun, obs . (Huntly) . See Thomastown .

Sarb ogs (Chape l ) . 1682,Cou rt Book , Ant . I I I .

, 440 . Probably forsou r-bogs .

Satan’

s Howe (Towie,

Satan’

s We l l (Chape l , On the south side of Gal low H i l l .

Sauchen (C lu ny) . 1696 , Sachan , Pol l Book ; 1540 , Sauquhyne,

2248 2 100. Sa'

uch,Saugh

,

ma‘willow

or'sallow tree.

” Sanchen,adj.,

“ be longing“ to th e' wi l low,

"but ‘ i n th iscounty ofte

‘

n'

used f0 r ~ Sauch‘

ie,

“abound ing i n wi l lows

,

”

brae Sauchenb rae.

296 THE PLACE NAMES

Sauchenb og (Kildrummie) . See Sanchen .

Sauchenb ush (Echt and M idmar) .“W i l low bush .

Sauchenloan (Chapel and Cu lsalmond) . Loan,Lone

,Loan ing, an

open ing between fields of corn , near or lead ing to the homestead , leftuncu ltivated , for the sake of driving the cattle homewards. Jamieson .

Sauchen Str ipe (Glenmuick , See Sanchen .

Saugh . See Sanchen .

Scab b ed Inch (Kintore, Cf. Scad Hi l l .

Scad Hil l (Kildrummie, Scad , a contraction of Scabbed . I t i sst i l l a bare scabbed h i l l . Cf. Scautcairn.

Scare Wood (C l uny) .

Scarghee Hil lock (Towie, P Sgor gaoz'

t/ze, rock of the wind .

Scar Hil l (Towie,

Scau r' Hi l l (Leochel) . Sgor , a sharp rock .

Scautcairn (M idmar) . 1696 , Scart Kerne, Pol l Book. Scaud,Scawd

,

Scaut (Scot ) , scabbed . As appl ied to a h i l l , i t describes a broken su rface,ei ther by rocks , loose stones , or bare, unproduct ive patches of the hi l lface. Scart does not appear to b e appl icable i n any of i ts mean ings . Cf.

Scaut H i l l , The, Cabrach .

Scaut Hil l , The (Cabrach) . See Scautcairn .

Sclattie (Newhills) . C.S. Skletie. 1696 , Sclattie, Sklattie, andSclatie,P0 11 Book ; 1 373 . S laty, I . , 1 16 ; 1 165- 12 14, S laty, I . ,

8

1 157, Sclaty, R.E.A I . , 5. 51222612, pl. Slez'

b/zte, moors or moorish h i l l s .

Sclenemingorne (Monymusk) . March , 16 th centu ry wri t i ng, dateunknown , C0 1. 172. The reference i s — “

ad cacumen montis qu i vocaturSclenemingorne quod interpretatur, mora captaram .

” Perhaps Slz'ab/znan gab/zar ,

“moor of the goats,”

or, as i t has been original ly wri tten ,Scleuenangovre. Now cal led Satu r H i l l . Mr. Low in Proceed .

Soc. Ant.,Vol . VI . , 2 19.

298 THE PLACE NAMES

Scutterhole (Crathie) .

Scutt rie, M i l l and Farm (Leoche l) . I n a charter of 1527(Ant. IV.,

325) i s mentioned th e lands of Fowlismount , with th e mi l l , mi l l - lands ,& c. ,

with the pend ic le of the same, common ly cal led Scutriefoord.

”

“Scutrie,” therefore, original ly appl ied to the ford , now to the mi l l ,

formerly M i l l of Fowl is-Mowat.

Seallchean (Towie) . Salacfzan , a fou l , miry sez’leac/zan ,

a place of wi l lows — more probably the former.

Seats (Cu lsalmond and Tough) .

Seely Hillock (Strathdon ,

Seggat (Auchterless) .

Seggieden (Kennethmont) . 1696 , Seggeden ,Pol l Book ; 1522,

Segydene, 529 ; 1514, Segatiden, z'

bzd.

Semiel(S trathdon) . C.S. S‘

u-meel. 1507, Summe i l 3 159 ;

1451 , Seymyll, Chamb . Rol l s. Su z'

d/ze maol, bare seat.

Sgor an Eo in (Braemar,“Rock of the bi rd .

Sgor Buidhe (Tul l ich) .“Yel low scaur.

Sgor Damh (Gorgarfi‘

,

“ Rock of the oxen . More l i kely SgérDaim/z , rock of the ox —as there i s on ly one rock , perhaps supposed toresemble an ox.

Sgor Gorm (Tarland , det. 3 , Bl ue rock .

Sgor Mor‘

(Braemar) .“Big rock.

Sgor na h -lolaire (Crathie, “ Rock of the eagle.

Sgroilleach (Strathdon ) . Common spel l i ng Scraulac. PS prefixed,

Scraulac = Cruaz'd/z leac, “ hard flag or slope .

” The Estate map givesScroulick.

”


Shackle Cairn (Gartly,

Shane l l (Bi rse) . The name occurs i n Elgi n,Kincard i ne, Banfi

’

,

Kin ross,Fife

,Perth, & c. , as Schanwell, Shanwall, Shanval, Schannel,

Shenwal, Shennal, andThe Shennal. Schanwelland Schannelapply to

the same places . Sean-ékaz’le, old town .

Shank of Baditimmer (Rhyn ie, ?Baditimmer,“c lump of the

wel l .” Cf. M i l lt imber.

Shannoch (Alford and Strathdon) . Sean ac/zad/z, old field.

Shannoch Burn and Moss (Tarland , det.

Shénquhar (Gart1y) . 1549, Schankqubai r, 623 ; Schanchar, Huntly Rental , 1605. Sean

old fort or seat.”

Sharperh illock (Auchterless,

Sheal (Leochel ) .

Shelling Hi llock (Kennethmont,

Sheddocksley (Newbi l l s) . 1677, Schethockisley, Ant. I I I . , 2 17;

1596 , Schedockisley, Ant. I I I ., 2 16 1400 ; Scethokisley or delySchethok,Reg. of Burgh Abd .

, Spal. Cl. Mis. , V. ,15. These forms of a personal

name appear i n the old wri ti ngs— Scheth , Schetho, and Schethow.

Schethok may b e a d im inut ive, l i ke Scottack, Keithock, Birsack, & c.

Sheelagreen (Leochel ) .‘

Sheelogreen (Culsalmond) 1724, Sheelagreen, Col. 557.

Shenalt (Crathie) . Affluent of Gai rn . Sean-allt,

“ old burn .

Shenb hal(Glengairn) . 1564, Schanvill, Ant. I I . , 89. Sean-Maz’le

,

old town . Cf. Shanel l .

300 THE PLACE NAMES

Shenwall(Cai rn ie) . Sean-bfiaz’le, old town . See Shanel l .

Shénwell(Cabrach) . Sean-Maz’le, old town . See Shane l l .

Shenval(Pool , Ab ergeldie Water) . See Shenbhal.

Shévock Bu rn (I nsch) . Perhaps Sez’

mkeag ,meanmg qu iet

,tranqu i l

,

which wou ld b e descriptive ; or i t may mean“ smal l ,

”

as compared withthe Ur ie, i n to wh ich i t flows .

Sh iels (M idmar) .

Sh inn ies (Keig) . Shunies, Val. Rol l and C.S. Sz'l/zeaiz, a fai ry

h i l lock .

”Eng. pl. added . Cf. Shanes , Sheeny, and Sheena, Joyce,

I ., 187.

Sh inshé rnie (Cai rn ie) . 1677, Sinsharnie, Hunt ly Ren tal ; 1600 ,

Schincharnye, Huntly Rental ; 1545, Schecarne, 3 10 3 . Sean

c/zamacfi ,“ old Cai rn ie. See Cai rn ie.

Shuen Str ipe (Glass ,

Sillerford (Cabrach) .

Si l ler‘ Hil l (Kintore,

Sillerton (Auchterless) .

Silverb urn and Leys (Les l ie) .

Si l ver Bu rn (Petercu l ter) .

Si l ver Stone (S trathdon , A large bou lder stone i n Glencarvie,under which

,tradition says

,Anderson of Candacraig found the money

which enabled him to buy Candacraig.

Sine P leugh (Auchterless) . 1653 , Retou r 3 18.

“ Sun plough , the

ploughgate exposed to th e sun . Ci. Sunnys ide (Drumoak) , which isSynesyde i n the P0 11 Book.


Skinna, Bu rn of (Aboyne) .

Skipparty (Cl u ny) . The Tipper Castle Wel l Cor. of Tobaror Tz

'

obar, a wel l .”

Skyb rae (M idmar) .

Slack (Cou l l , Kennethmont, and Tarland) .

Slackb urn (Monymusk) .

Slackend (Forgue) .

Slack Methland (Gartly,

Slack of Larg (Skene) .

Slain na gou r (Glentanner, mm gablzar , moor or h i l l ofthe goats .”

Slapfield (Banchory-Deven ick) .

Sleach (Glengairn) . Same as Sl ioch , Drumblade

Sleepie Hillock (Dyce) . So i n the P0 11 Book . 1673 , Slipie hi l lock ,Court Books ; 1645, Slipiehillock, Retour 281 ; 16 14, Sleipih illock,Retou r 1 32.

“ S l ippy or sl ippery hi l lock ”-e i ther from the steepness

or c lay ground .

Sleepienuick (Forgue) .

Sleepy Hillock (Corgarff, 6 , and Hun tly, Ci. Sleepie Hi l lock.

Slewdrum Forest (Bi rse) . So the Map. The Val. Rol l has Forestof Lendrum the “Records of Aboyne,

”

the Forest of Lowdrum. Lendrumis probably LeaZ/zan druz

'

m,

“ broad ridge. Cf. Lend rum,Monquhitter.

As to Slewdrum and Lowdrum I can say nothing. No one can explai nor reconc i le these spel l i ngs

,or say which is the proper form .


Slidderyb rae (Bi rse) . “Sli ppery brae.

Sl ioch (D rumblade) . 1696 , S l ioch , Pol l Book ; 1588, Sleauche,1592 ; 1516 , Sleauch , 1 29 Slenach , Fordun ; Slevach , Barbou r.Slz'abfiac/z, “ h i l ly place,” or place of slopes or braes. The north s ideof this long ridge 1s cal led The B rae of Garrie ”

Cf. Sleach ,S trathdon ; Sliach , Glengairn ; Sluie Wood,

Kincard i ne O’

Neil; Sluievannachie, Bal later.

Sl ioch Hill(Strathdon , The O.S. Map has Sliochd Hil l,but

S l ioch is the proper form . See Sl ioch .

Sloggan (Glass) . Sloc/za’an,d im . of sloc/zd (see S louch H i l l ) , “a cavi ty

or hol lowi n the hi l l s or slugan , d im . of slug (see Slugartie) .

Sloggie (Glenbucket) . Sluggie in Val. Rol l . For Slugad/z, “swal

lowing,

”

the gu l let.

Slouch Hi l l (Gartly) . Scot. slouc/z , A.S. slog , G. sloc/zd,

“a deep ravine

or gu l ly. A name suggested by the deep c lefts and furrows al ong thenorth s ide of th i s h i l l

Slouch Moss (Gartly) . See above.

Sloughallan Bu rn (Auchindoir,

Slugartie (Kemnay) . Slug , to swal low Ir. slog . Joyce says

(I I 40 2) A common derivat ive is slogaz’

re, l iteral ly a‘ swal lower,

’

t0 pographically, a swal low-hole,which gives name to Sluggary, south-west

of Limerick.

”Slugartie, or, as i n the Retou rs , the Haugh of Slugartie,”

i s no doubt from the same root, t bei ng intrus ive.

Slugdhu (Cluny) . Slug ,

“ swal low “ black the blackgu l let 0 1 hole.

Sluie Hi lland Haugh (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) , and Easter andWesterSluie (farms) . 151 1 , Slwy and Slowy, I . , 354. Sliab/z, “a mooror moorish h i l l .

304 THE PLACE NAMES

Sluievannach ie (Tul l ich) . Slz'ab/z, amoor,

and possibly a d im . ofbez

’

nn— hence th e moor of the hummocks or poin ted knol ls .” This hasbeen suggested

,but i t seems to me unl i kely. I t i s uncertai n where th is

name originated,and whether i t be longs properly to the place (farm ) ,

which is said to b e modern .

Slydie (Midmar) . Sleide i n Pol l Book .

Smallb urn (Cai rn ie) .

Smart’s Cairn (Gartly,

Smiddyh ill(Alford and Tarland ) . Ci. Tillycardock.

Smithston (Rhyn ie) . 151 1 , Smythistoun , 3599 ; 1504,

Smyth toun de Noth , 2823 . Whether Smith’s town , or town ofthe smith , i s u nknown . There i s nei ther record nor trad ition .

Sneck, The (Bi rse,

Snipefi eld (Cu lsalmond ) .

Socach (Strathdon ) . Snou ty hi l l ,” from 505

,snou t.

Socach Mor (Braemar) . Big snouty h i l l .

Sé ccoth (Cabrach) . Soc, a snou t. Th e snout or po in t of land is awelI-marked featu re.

Sockaugh (Tarland) . Same as Socach

Sourfi eld (Monymusk) .

Souterh ill(Skene) .

Soutertown (Forgue) .

Souths ide (Tough) .

306 THE PLACE NAMES

Sron Muic“ Pig’s nose.

St . Br ide’s

St . Carol’s Wel l (Cai rn ie,

Si. Colin’s, Hi l l of (B i rse,

St . Col umba’s Chape l (Crath ie) . 1692 , 355.

St. Cuthb erd's C roft (Petercu l ter) .

Si. Donah's We ll(Auchterless,

St . Erchan’

s Wel l (Kincard ine ofNeii) . Ant.

St. F innan’s We ll(Gartly) . A fine spri ng near the Chape l ofTillath rowie, probably ded icated to St. F i n nan . St. Finnan=S. WynninGwynnin. See Forbes’ Kalendars.”

St . Hi l lary’s We l l (D rumblade) . A wel l near the church , ded icatedto the patron sai n t, who was al so commemorated i n Tel lar Fai r

,

”

an oldmarket nowextinct.

dames’s Chapel (P remnay,

J ohn’

s Close (Tul lyness le, See Wh itehaugh .

J ohn’s We l l (Logie-Coldstone) . Modern .

Lawrence (Rayne) .

Lawrence We l l (P remnay,

Luke’s Chape l (Kildrummie,

Margaret’

s (Logie-Coldstone) . Modern .

Margaret’s We l l (Chape l ,

Mark’s We l l (Petercu lter,


St . Mart in’

s (Cai rn ie) . The church of the old parish of Botarie , nowCai rn ie

,cal led i n the Pol l Book St . Mart i n ’s Pari sh.

St. Mary’s We l l (Chapel ,

St. M ichae l’s We l l (Cu lsalmond ,

St. Mungo'

s Chape l and We l l (Glengairn) .

St. Nathalan’

s Chape l (Tu l l ich) .

St. N in ian’

s Chape l (Oyne,

St . Sairs (Cu lsalmond) . 1644, Sanct Serffis Fair, Retour 275Sanct-Serffis-Fai r, 1717.

St . Thomas’ Chape l (Cu lsalmond ) . Modern .

St . Wolock’s Stone (Logie-Coldstone,

St . Yarchard'

s Wel l (Kincard i ne O’

Neil,

Standing Stones (Dyce, Skene, and Echt) . Dyce— There i s a stonec i rc le at th is place ; 1645, Standanstane, Retour 281 . Echt— There i s astone c i rc le adjacent.

Standing Stones (Leochel ) .

Stane of Heeb reem (Kildrummie, A large bou lder i n GeskinS lack . Heeb reem High broom .

Stankfi eld (Petercu lter) .

Stanners (I nverur ie) . S tan ners, Stannirs, Stanryis. The smal l

stones and gravel on th e margi n of a river or lake, or form ing the sea

beach . Evenwhen the grave] i s m ixed up with large stones the term isappl ied i n common to both ”

— Scot . D iet. The word seems to have beeni n common use i n o ld times

,and occas ional ly appears i n p lace-names

see Scot. D ict., where the term is fu l ly d iscussed . Cf. al so Stan ner-Bed,S tanner-Steps , S tannery and Stanerie.


Starb og (Keig, I n th is part of the coun try the name S tarrs isappl ied to rushes (Iuncus squarrosus) found

Starh i l l (Cai rn ie) . abundantly i n bogs . Cf. Starh ead, Starmires

and Starb rigs.

Stayknowe (Oyne, Cf. Steyb rae .

Steplar Road, The (Cabrach ,

Stepp ingstone Loch (Auchindoir) .

Ster in (Glenmuick) . Now Bi rkhal l— on the Muick . C.S. S tern .

1696 , Sterrein,Pol l Book ; 1677, Stering, Aberg. pp . ; 1568, Sterryne,

Aberg. pp . S tai r, p ] . stairean ,

“ s tepping- stones .” The stepping-stonesare now removed, but are wel l remembered by old people.

Steyb rae (Tough) . Sley or stay,steep,

” “diflicult of ascen t .Jamieson . A .S . stey, a bank.

Steywell(Huntly) .

St irling (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Stocket (Newh ills) . 1 3 19 and 1 3 1 3 , Stoket, Ant . I I I . , 2 1 1 and 2 10 .

Stockfi eld (Petercu l ter) .

Stockie Bridge (D rumblade,

Stodfold (Gartly) . 160 5, Stoidfauld, Huntly Ren tal 1551 , Stodfauld,3 1516, Fluri s dele Studefald, 1 29. The fold of the stots

or bul locks .” I n E. stot means a young horse,from A .S . stad , “a stal l ion ,

”

but i n DE . appears to have the same mean ing as i n Scotch . Fluris,pronounced F leers

,and seems to have the same mean i ng aslaz'rs,laz

'

rroc/z,

and G. Larac/z,

a floor or s ite,

” frequent ly the s i te of a ru i n .

Stoneb ridges (Kildrummie) .

Stonefi eld (Tough) .

THE PLACE NAMES

Strathb ogie (Huntly) . Strathbolgyne, Wyntoun . 140 8, Strabolgy,

129, 1 1 1 324, Strabolgin,Acts of Scot. Parl iamen t ; 1 232 , 1 226 ,

Strathb olgyn, pp . 22-28. The root is 601g ,

“a sack, which enters

i nto I rish names,e.g .,

Magh bolg, Achadhbolg andDunbolg, but th e prec iseappl ication of the term is matter of conjectu re. I t may refer to the roundh i l l s along the strath , or to the windings of th e stream ,

or,as I th ink more

l ikely, i t may be a personal name. Bolgyn was an old Cel t ic name, andas Bolgan or Bolean enters i n to I rish place-names

,such as Drumbulgan,

Trabolgan and Bovolcan (Joyce, I I . , the latter corresponding to theS trathspey pronunc iation of S trathbogie— Stravolagan and Stravalagan .

Ci. Bolgyne i n Markinch,Fifcshire

,which lands were granted by Macbeth

to the Cu ldees of Loch leven .

Strathdon (Par ish ) . See Don .

Strathgirnock (Glengairn) . 1696 , Strathgirnick, Pol l Book ; 1677,

Strathgairnock, Aberg. pp . ; 1595, Straitgarnik, 225 ; 1539 ,

Strogarnik, 1890 .

Strathlunach (Tul lyness le) . C.S. Strathlunich , more frequen tlyS tron ie. 1696 , Strathlunack, Pol l Book 1595, Stralownak , 225

1552 , Stralovnak, Ant. IV. , 426. Perhapsluaz'rzeack, moving l ike a rapidstream ,

” which this burn is. [The 7} i n the oldest spe l l i ng suggests an

earl ier é , i n which case the mean ing wou ld b e the winding

Strathmore (Cou l l) . 1696 , S trathmore and Strathmoire, Pol l Book ;1 549, Stramor, 271 . Big strath.

”

Strathorn (Rayne) . I doubt i f th is is an old name.

Strathpat (Tough) . Understood to be named from a late proprietor.The name appears on the Map , but is now obsolete.

Strath ray (Kinel lar) . 1637, Strary,Ret. 240 . Smt/z smoothor c lear strath

,or strath of the field.

Professor Mackinnon .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH IRE . 3 1 1

Strathweltie (Cou l l) . 1696 , Strathmeltrie (m c lerical error forPol l Book ; 1696 , Strathveltie, Retou r 498 ; 1549 , Straweltis, Ant . IV. ,

445. Sratfi the strath of the towns .

St r ipe of Badit immer (Gartly, See Shank of Baditimmer.

Stnpe, awet or marshy streamlet.

Stroin (S trathdon ) . Stroan i nVa] . Rol l . Srén ,

“a nose

,ridge of a

Stronagoar Hi l l (Braemar) . Srén 7mgaé/zaz'

r,goat’s nose.

Strone Hill(Aboyne, Alford , and Gartly,Srén

,

“a nose.

Strow Burn (Al ford ) . Sm tfi,“a curren t, a burn .

Struachford (Huntly) . Sr utbacfi ,“ fu l l of streams or rapids . At

th 1s pomt the Deveron ru ns rapid ly over a stony bed.

Strypes (K intore) .

Stuc garb h mhor (Braemar, Great rough stack or pinnac le.

Stydie (M idmar) . Properly Slydie

Succoth (Glass , C.S. The Socach . Soc,“a snou t ; socacfz

,

project ing points or snouts,

” which are features on the farms of Succothand Succothb eg.

Succoth b eg (Glass, Li tt le Succoth . See Succoth .

Sudluyth (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1250 ,I I .

,275.

Su ie Cai rn (Clatt) . Suz'

d/ze,

“a seat. See next word .

Su ie Hi l l and Burn (Tul lyness le) . Suid/ze,

“a seat, probably so

cal led from a rock near the summit , cal led the Clatterin Kists , near towhich is th e Thieves’ S lack. These names poi nt to the days of theCaterans , when successfu l raiders , seated on the rock , cou ld watch overthe l i fted cattle i n the s lack

, and from the hi l l -top look out for pursuers .


Sundayswells (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . 1630 , Sondays-wal l s, Retou r 2 16 .

So cal led,no doubt

,from some old local custom . Ofanother we l l i n the

parish , near Drumlassie, Macfarlane says crowds of people resorted to i ton the fi rst Sunday morn ing of May, readi ly s i tting by i t allthe Saturdayn ight before. Ant. I I . , 5.

Sunhoney (M idmar) . C.S. Sinh innie. 1696 , Sunhonie, Pol l Book ;1638, Sunhynnie, Retou r 242 1468, Suth nahune and Suthnahunne, Ant.I I .

, 48. There i s a great stone c i rc le at the place.

Sunnyb rae (Lumphanan ) .

Sunnys ide (Lesl ie and Forgue) .

Sunnys ide (Drumoak) . Synisyde and Sunisyde i n Pol l Book .

Suyfoord (Clatt) . 1705, Court Book, Ant. IV., 500 . Cf. Su ie Cai rn .

Swe l l (Tough) . General ly pronounced Swyle i n this county.

Jamieson gives swell= a bog. This i s scarcely the mean ing which Iwould attach to it . A bog i s, or may b e, stagnan t water, whether on orbe low the su rface. A swyle i s water forc i ng up from below and form inga myre. This i s the sense i n which the word i s commonly used .

Swel ls (Alford) . See above.

Syde (Kennethmont) . 1696 , S ide and Syde, Pol l Book ; 1635, Syde,Ant. IV. , 513 ; 1514, Syd , 529.

Syllavethy (Tul lyness le) . 1595, Slavith ie, 225 1552 ,

Sillavathy, Rental , Ant. IV., 426 ; 1532 , Slawethy,1 194. Th e

spe l l i ng i n the Abstract of the Rental i s doubtfu l— it looks i n several ofthe entries modern . I n the same way Sluievannach ie appears i n someVal. Rol ls Sillavannach ie. Slz'ab/lz birch moor.” I t i s commonlycal led The Meer o’

Syllavethy,” and birch is abundant .


Tap 0’

Noth (Rhyn ie) . 1545, Milnetoun de Nouch t, 3 10 3 ;

151 1 , Noth , 3599 ; 1504, Smyth toun de Noth, 2823 .

C.S. Tap a’

N(‘

Sth. Tap may be Scotch for Top, as i n The M i ther Tap,Bennach ie, or G. Tm} ,

“a round mass or lump

,

”as perhaps i n Tap

Ti l lery,and i n I r ish names . Th e common express ions

,Head 0

’

the Tapand Foot 0 ’ the Tap are significant, showing that Tap i s now understoodas applying to the whole h i l l . Nacka

’

, showing or reveal i ng,

”has been

suggested as the Gael ic of Noth , hence the h i l l of observi ng or watching.

”

Td z}? cm uc/za’has al so been suggested , mean ing the Tap (con ical h i l l) of

the breast.” Cf. Doonanough t, the fort of the breast, Joyce, I I . , 429.

And,last1y, Noth may b e a personal name, assoc iated with the vitrified

fort at the summit. Any explanat ion that can b e offered of th is h i l lname must b e taken as purely conjectu ral . [I t shou ld be observed thati n the old references given above, Noth appears as a farm name

,or part

of a farm name. Cf. the farm names given under Noth— Old Noth, NewNoth

,& c. Al l these adjoi n the ridge known as the Hi l l 0 ’ Noth.

”

Ne i ther the Hil l 0 ’ Noth ” nor the Tap o’ Noth ” i s ever cal led Noth

or the

Tarland (Parish) . c . 1 366, Taruelun, Tax, Col. 2 19 ; 1 268, Taruelone,Ant. I I ., 23 1 207- 1 228

,Tharualund

,Ant. I I . , 18 1 183 , Tarualund, Ant.

I I ., 14 ; 1 171 , Tharuelund and Tharflund, Ant. I I ., 15. Church ded icatedto St. Mathuluoch or Moluach .

Tarntoul(Glenbucket) . Tar r cm t Knol l of the barn .

Tarry Buchail(Gartly) . Tormn“ Knol l of th e herd

,a

fanc i fu l name often given to a spu r of a hi l l or projecting rock . Th e

modern name is Watchman H i l l .

Tassack (Pool on Dec, Camus 0

’MayWater) .

Téyloch (Clatt) . 160 2 , Tailz each t, Ant. I I I . , 382 ; 151 1 , Tulyauch ,I . , 362 . The oldest form suggests tuz

'leacfi,

“flooding, de luging.

’

Al though not on the s ide of a stream, the name might apply to land

subject to floodi ng by rai n . Around th is place are Bogend, Boghead,

Mosshead , Seggieden, Mosstown,Mantach (a mossy place) .


Teetab outie (Glenmuick) . See Titaboutie.

Temp land (Auchterless, Rhyn ie, and Cu lsalmond) . The Kn ightsTemplars were extens ive owners of land , and frequen t references occu r to“tempillland is ” i n o ld deeds and charters . Cf. the six words following,

and Knigh tland Burn

Templarlands (Rayne) . 1487,“Templar lands of Litt le Verthill,

Ant . I I I ., 426 .

Temp le C lose (Tul lyness le) . SeeWh itehaugh .

Temp le C roft (I nsch) . 1680 , Court Books , Ant. I I I ., 406 .

Temp le, C roft of (Kennethmont) . 1635, Temple Croftis, Ant. IV ,

514 ; 1623 , TempillCroft of Ch ristiskirk, Retour 178.

Templefold (Echt) .

Templeland (Forgue) .

Temp leton (Kildrummie) . 1650 , Templetone, Ant. IV., 3 17.

Terpersie (Tul lynessle) . 1696 ,Tarpersie, Pol l Book 1428,Tyrpressy,

R.E.A 229 1 39 1 , Tirepressy, Ant. IV. , 379. Tifpreasac/z, bushy land .

”

Tir,m. or f. Terpersie i s sometimes cal led Dalpersie i n the old writi ngs.

Terry Chape l (Leoche l) . The s i te of this chape l is on Newton ofCorse, but noth i ng is known of its history. Terry may b e a corrupt formof a sai n t’s name.

Térrymill(Tu l lynessle) . 1696 , Tirremilne, Pol l Book ; 16 14, Tirriemyllane, Ant. IV., 543. Tif a

’

mfiuz’lm'

n, mi l l land .

Te’

rryoron (Glass) . Doubtfu l . The name is not given i n the P0 11Book

,nor i n any old writing I have seen . I t may have been the name

of one of th e knol l s on the place. The C.S. i s Tirryhorn, which may be acorruption of Tillyorn. 0m somet imes represen ts cam and somet imesom’

cm, but i n th is case th e Gael ic i s most l i kely Talack-eama

, the knol lof the bar ley

,

”as i n Tillyorn i n Cou l l and Echt .


Terryvale (Skene) . 1696 ,Tearavelland Terevell

,Pol l Book ; 1627,

Tillivall,Court Books of Barony 1481 , Tulivale, 1476 .

Tersets (Drumoak) . 1696 , Terfets or Terfetts, Pol l Book . Cf.

Tarseth ill, S lai ns, Ant. I I I .,156 .

Tertowie (Kinel lar) . 1686,Tartowie, Retou r 468 ; 1505, Tortolle,

290 8.

Thain’

s Bu rn (Drumblade) . Named after James Thai n,crofter on

Corvichen (1696 , Pol l Book) , c lose to this burn .

Thain s ton (Kintore) . 1696 , Thaynestoune, Pol l Book ; 1 383 , Thaynstona

, Col. 251 . Kintore was a thanedom .

Thainston (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . Kincard i ne O’

Neilwas one of thethree thanages 0 11 Dees ide— Kincard ine O’

Neil,B i rse and Ob eyn . See

Ce l t ic Scotland .

Thernie Cots and Knaps (Auchterless ,

Th ief’s C ra ig (Auch indoir,

Th istleyfaugh (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) .

Thomastoun (Auchterless) . Pol l Book . See fol lowing name.

Thomastown (D rumblade) . Probably named from Thomas,son of

Margaret of the Ard who,accord ing to local trad it ion , placed her

sons i n Thomastown,Rob ieston

,Sandieston

,Gib ston,

W i l l iamston,

Adamston and Gympston ,naming the farms after th e Christian names of

her sons . The tradi tion is no doubt correct as to the first-named farm ,

and may b e true of th e others .

Thomnaconlak, obs . (Leoche l) . 151 1 , 3626 . Tom 7m cz‘

zz'lezlg,

knol l of the l i ttle corner or recess.

3 1 8 THE PLACE NAMES

Tilfogar (Crathie) . Gae l i c pronunciation , Tilhogar. 1782 , Tul lo

quhoker 170 1 , Tulloquhocher 1677, Tulloquhocker, Aberg. pp . Tulac/zc/zocaz

'

re, cook’s h i l l .” Cf. Mealla chocaire,I nverness-sh i re.

Tilfoudie (Aboyne) . Tilphoudie, Val. Rol l 1696 , Tillehaudie,Tillewhoudie, Pol l Book 1 638, Tullochowdy, Retour 242 1536 ,

Tulloquhode, Spald . Cl. Mis.,IV. ,

20 2 ; 1536 , Tolloquhowdy, Spald . Cl.Mis., 199 . Tulac/z (pron . app . hoiudich ) .

“ Knol l of thewarder or guard .

” This place i s on a knol l abutting on a hi l l on wh ich isan old Pictish fort

,and i t may have been an advanced guard or watch ing

station,there be i ng an extensive view up and down the Strath of the Dee.

Tillath rowie (Gartly) . 1696 , Tallath rowie, Pol l Book ; 1662 , Tul lach rowes, Retour 363 1600 , Tolloch rovyis, Hun tly Rental . Talamfi

hard land ,” stony and diffi cult to cu ltivate.

Tilleb rother (Echt) . Perhaps Tulac/z brat/zaz'

r,

“Knol l of the brothersmonks) .

‘Tillymanoch , which may b e “monks’ knol l,is i n the same

parish .

Tillenh ilt (M idmar) . 1 380 ,Tulynah iltis, Chart , Ant. I I . , 43 . T”lack

?za-fi knol l of the h i nd.

”

Tillentach (Bi rse) . C.S. Tillentaich ; 1696 Tillenteach , Pol l Book .

Possibly Tulack cm tadelt , knol l of the house.

Tillenturk (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1540 , Tullinturk, 2 155.

T01! an mire,

“ hol low of the boar. But perhaps Till= tulach . See

Tilfogar andTilfoudie.

Tilleshogle (Echt) . Talack seagaz'l,knol l of the rye.

Tillesnacht (Bi rse) 1 170 Tulysnach t , I .,12 . Tula'

clzmeacfia

’

a,knol l of the snow.

Tillib reck (Monymusk) . Tulaclz breac, speckled or spotted knol l .


Tillichashlach , obs . (Monymusk) . Tulacfi “Knol l of th e

(rapid) ford or of the footpath .

” I n an old map of Monymusk Parish ,“Tillyhashlak ” i s given c lose to the Don

,and near to the presen t croft

of Woodend .

Tillielair (Aboyne) . Tulack Zaire, knol l of th e mare.

Tilliesuck (Glenbucket) . Pol l Book . 1510 ,Tulleskyuche, Ant. I V.

475 1507, Tuleskeuch , 3 159. Tulac/z sg z'

tkeac/z , Thorn -h i l lock .

Tilligray (Leochel ) . Tulac/z g rezlgfze, knol l of the herd .

Tillioch (Echt) . 1681 , Tillieoch , Retour 447; 16 10 ,Tullioche

,Retou r

1 24. Tulac/z “ knol l of the field or perhaps Tu/acfz -eacfz,“ horse knol l .”

Tilliriach (Tough) 1460 ,Tulyreoche, 2 100 1444,

Tuloch reoch , Ant. IV. , 341 . Tulac/z rz'abizack, grey or bri nd led knol l .”

Tillyangus (Clatt) . 1696, Telongous, Pol l Book ; 151 1 , Tulyanguse ,I . , 36 1 ; 1 39 1 , Tulyanguss , 187. Tulac/z Aong/zuz

'

s,

“ Angus’s knol l.”

Tillyb in (Kintore) . 1696, Tillib inne, Pol l Book ; 1637, Tillib in, Retou r240 ; 1587, Tullieboyne, 1 341 1525, Tulybyn , 30 2 .

Tulacfz bz'flne, knol l of j udgmen t,

of a court.

Tillyb irloch (M idmar) . 1696 , Tillib rokloch and Tillib rickloch,Pol l

Book 1504, Tulib rochlok , Ant . I I . , 44 ; 1487, Tulib rolloch , Ant. I I ., 441 380 ,

Tulyb rothlok , Ant. I I . , 43 . Tulacfi knol l of the badgers .

den,

” or warren .

” Th is place i s now cal led Bi rl ie.

Tillyb oy (Echt) . 16 10,Tulliboy, Retour 124. Talack buz’d/ze

,yel low

knol l .”

Tillyb rach tie (Auch indoir) . Tulac/z éreac/zta,spotted knol l .

320 THE PLACE NAMES

Tillyb reck (Skene) . 1657, Tullib reloch , Retour 338. Tulacfi broclaz'clz,

knol l of the badgers’ den.

”

Tillyb reedles (Auchindoir) .

Tillyb reen (Aboyne) . 1696 ,Tillyb rein, Pol l Book 1685, Tillib rin ,

Retou r 466 ; 1562 , Tuleb reyne, Chart. Aboyne Records , p . 98. Tulac/zbrez m, marshy knol l .” B reammeans l i teral ly filthy,

rotten,foetid

,

”and

i n I rish names i s appl ied to stagnant,marshy ground . The uncu l tivated

land around Tillyb reen is of th is character.

Tillyb rock (Oyne) . Talack bruz’c,badger knol l .

Tillycairn (Aboyne and C l uny) . 1444, Tulycarn (Clu ny) , Ant. IV. ,

341 . Taldriz cairn,knol l of the cai rn .

Tillychaddy (Cl u ny) . Tillechadie,Pol l Book .

Tillychardock (Tarland ) . 1696, Tillychardach , Pol l Book ; 160 1,

Tullehardoche,Chart , 1 246 . Tulac/z “ knol l of the

sm ithy.

”

Tillychermick (Logie-Coldstone) . So i n Val. Rol l more commonlyTillyhermack. Tillecharmach

,Pol l Book. Carmack’s knol l .”

Tillychetly (Alford) . 1609, Tullichetlie, Ant . IV. , 146 ; 1595,

Tulliechetlie,

225. Cf. Tulychedill, Strathearn , 182 3

and Balquhadlie, Forfar, 1579

Tillych ing (Lumphanan ) . 1680,Tullich ing, Retou r 444 ; 1597,

Tillih ing and Tulliheine,Spald . Cl. Mis. ,

1 57; 1 357, Telanchsyne ,Ant. I L, 36 ; 1 324

- 1 329 , Tolach syn,Ant. I I .

, 36 . ?Tzzlack sean,

“ oldknoH.

Tillych rad (Cou l l) . PTulaclz knol l of the road .

322 THE PLACE NAMES

Tillyfro (Clu ny, Talack heather knol l .

Tillyfroskie (Bi rse) . C.S. Tillyfruskie. 1696 , Tilleforskie, Pol lBook ; 1597, Tilliquh roskie , 1 254 ; 151 1 , Tulyquhorsky,I ., 375 1 170 ,

Tulliquhorsky, I . , 1 2 . Talack c/zmsgaz'

dfi,

“Knol lof the cross ing.

”

Tillyfunter Hi l lock (Towie, PTulac/zfi omz “ knol l of thel ight -colou red th icket.” B az

’

re is doubtfu l, as representi ng the last

syl lable,but i s poss ibly correct.

Tillygarmount (B i rse) . 151 1 , Tulygermont and Tulygarmonth t ,I ., 374 ; 1 170 ,

Tulycarman , I .,1 2 . PTu/ac/z garb/z

“ knol l of the rough moor.

Tillykirie (Tough) . 1696 , Tillikirie, Pol l Book ; 1638, Tulliekeirie,Retou r 242 1444,

Tulykery, Ant. IV., 341 . Although this name i s now

spe l t Tillykerrie, and pronounced so,the old forms ind icate a long vowe l

i n the penu ltimate syl lable,as i n Tillykirrie, Tarland , which i s pronounced

keerie. The spel l i ng of both names i s practical ly the same i n the P0 11Book . Tu/acfz ckaomc/z , knol l of the sheep .

”

Tillykirrie (Tarland ) . 1696 , Tillekire, Pol l Book . See prev iousname.

Tillylair‘ (Cou l l ) . 160 3 , Tillilair, Retour 90 . Tulac/z ldz're,mare’s

knol l.”

Tillylodge (Cou l l) 1658, Tilliluds, Retou r 344 ; 160 3 , Tulliludge,Retou r 90 . P Tulacklu zzg,

knol l of the hol low.

”

Tillymair (Tough ) . 1446 , Tulochmar, Ant. IV., 342 1444, Tulymar,

Ant. IV ., 341 . Talack maoz'r

,bailifi’s’ knol l .”

Tillymanoch (Echt) . Perhaps Tulac/z manac/z, “monks’ knol l . Cf.

Tilleb rother i n same parish .


Ti l lyminnate (Gartly) . 1600 , Tullemenett , Huntly Ren tal ; 1545,

Tollemenat, 3 10 3 . Tulac/z-memzat

,the knol l of the dwe l l i ng.

”

M ermat or mz'

fmat i s an ob s. Gae l ic word,which occu rs i n the pl. i n the

Book of Deer, p . 95, and is there translated res idences.”

Tillymorgan (Cu lsal mond ) . Knockis no doubt th e proper form of the name, as the hi l l i s a Knock

,

not a Ti l ly. Cnoc—morgaz’

rz is “Morgan’s h i l l .” See Book of Deer.Tillymorgan may mean the dwe l l i ng (feagklacfi ) of Morgan , and mayb e connected with the dun or fort on the sou th-east shou lder of the h i l l .

Tillymuick (P remnay and Oyne) . Tulack muz'c, knol l of the pig.

Tillymutton (Logie-Coldstone) . Not i n map . There is no knol l atth is place, and the name may b e borrowed . Tz/lacfz mead/zoz'n (mead/zon

meddan = corruption mutton ) i s m idd le knol l .” More l i kely thename has been origi nal ly Teagklac/z M ataz

'

n,Mattan

’

s dwel l i ng.

”

Ci. Tillymorgan .

Tillyneckle (K i ncard i ne O’

Neil) . 1696 ,Tillenachtie

,Pol l Book . Old

people pronounce Tillynechlie. PTulac/z an eacfilaz’nn,

“ knol l of thestable,

” or “ horse enc losure ”— poss ibly eacklaz't/z

,

“a manger.”

.Tillyoch (Petercu l ter) . 1696 , Tilieoch ,Pol l Book 1446 , Tulyoch ,

Ant. I I I ., 183 . P Tulac/z eac/z,knol l of the horses .”

Tillyorn (Cou l l and Echt) . 1630 , Tilliorne, Retour 2 16 .

eorrza, knol l of the barley.

”

Tillyp ronie (Tarland) . 1507, Tulliprony, 3 1 15.

3

6702327113, knol l of the breast.

Tillyronach (M idmar) . Tulacfz “fairny-h i l lock .

Tillyseat (C lu ny) . A hybrid name.

324 THE PLACE NAMES

Tillyskuke (Cou l l ) . C.S.Tillyskukie. Tilleskuck ,Pol l Book . Perhaps

from sgozg, th e throat .

Tillytarmont (Cai rn ie) . C.S. Tillietarmen . 1696 , Tillitermont , Pol lBook 1535, Tilletarmen

,I nven tory of Gordon Charters 1534,

Tillent(er)mend, 1453 . Talada tearmu z’

zm,knol l of th e

Termon - land .

”Tearmunn origi nal ly appl ied to the termini or boundaries

marki ng the sanctuary around th e church,and the name came to b e used

i n a popular way to i nd icate church - lands . Cf. Clachantearmuinn ,

Colonsay ; and Auchynaterman, Dyce, men tioned i n a charter of 1 3 16

Tillywater (Monymusk) . Tulack uacfia’az

’

r , upper knol l . Cf.

Waternaldy.

Tilty (Kintore) . C.S. Tavelty. 1696 , Taveltie, Pol l Book ; 1481 ,

Tavilty, Ant. I I I . , 234. ?Dam/z-al/tan ,ox-burn .

Timb erford (Glass, See Craigwatch .

Tipper Cast le We l l , The (Cl u ny) . Tobar or Tz'

obar,“a we l l .

Tipperwell(Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Doublet— Tobar or Tz'

obar,

wel l .”

Tippoch , The (Gartly,

Tirrygowan (C l u ny) . Probably a corruption . Tzzlac/z -gobkamz , smith’sknol l .” Cf. Terryhorn.

TirrymunealHi l l (Kildrummie) . Probably Tirry represen ts B az'

re,

a grove.

” M u z’

neal,

“a neck

,

” does not appear to b e appl icable.

M uing/zz’

czl,

“a hal ter

,suggests a grove where branches su itable for

twisti ng in to hal ters were found .

Titab outie (Kintore, Cou l l , Glenmuick and Glass) .“ Look about

you,

”an absu rd fanc i fu l name. I n Glass i t is the modern name of the

knol l on which the castle of Invermarkie stood . Th e place i n Cou l lappears i n Pol l Book a s Tabourtee andTa

'

bu'

tie.

326 THE PLACE NAMES

Tolduquh ill(Glen Noch ty, Strathdon ) . 1696 , Pol l Book ; 1577,Toldoquhill, 270 8.

Tolib oyer (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Mentioned i n the March of th eHospital Lands of Kincard ine i n chart . of 1 250 I I . , The

place i s now unknown,and I have not found the name el sewhere.

Tollach ie (Monymusk) . Same i n Pol l Book,and i n 1628

,Retour 2 10 ;

1543 , Todlochy, Ant. IV., 481 . I t i s difficult to say whether th is name

i s broad Scotch or Gae l ic . Th e accent is on the first syl lable,but the

name may have been origi nal ly two equal ly accen ted words . Tod -loch ie,

the l i ttle loch of the tod= fox or bush .

”So Todhole becomes Todle i n

Todleh ills. I f a’ is i n trus ive,then G. luladzmz

, a l i ttle knol l .”

Tollafr‘aick (Glenkindie, S trathdon) . 1609 , Tollofraik, Ant . IV .,

470 . P Tulac/z crezge, knol l of the craig.

”

(Change of £11 tof )

To l ly, Me i k le and Litt le (S trathdon) . Tzzlac/z,

“a knol l . Formerly

Tolahaspeck

Tolm Buirich (Corgarff, west boundary) . Tom “ h i l l of theroaring or be l lowing (oi deer)

”

Tolmaads (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . 1725, Tomads, Ant. I I 5 ; 1696 ,

Tollmads,Pol l Book ; 1540 , Tolmade, 2 100 . The Tolmaads

are Easter and Wester Tolmaads, and M i l l town of Tolmaads.

Maads, with E. pl. , may b e the same as Maud Castle, Moss Maud,

both i n K i ncard i ne O’

Neil,and M i l l Maud i n adjoin ing parish of

Lumphanan . Poss ibly Moss Maud is Monmaden (moine,“a moss ) of

the Hospital Charter of 1 250 , and Maden may b e a personal name. Ifound a local trad it ion that the d istrict at one t ime be longed to a

bishop,

” whatever that may b e worth. (Probably on ly the story of St.Erchard, born at Tolmaads.) There was a St. Maddan

,and a B ishop

Madianus,compan ion of St. Bon i face, and, though nei ther appears to have

had any con nection with Aberdeensh i re,there was such a name as

Maden,which may have been the name of some person of note i n this

part of the country. To] may b e toll, “a hol low,

” more l i kely tulacfz, a

knol l .”


Tolmount (Braemar) . P Toll “ hol low of th e moori sh hi l l .Perhaps the name origi nates i n the glack on the s ide of the hi l l th roughwhich the road passes .

Toloph in (Auchindoir) . 1650 , Tollophin , Ant. IV. , 3 16 . Tulackfi omz , whi te knol l .” Wh iteh illock i s the next farm .

Tolyocre, obs. This name appears i n a charter,of date 1 358, by

Thomas,Earl of Mar

,i n favou r of Duncan , son of Roger, of the lands of

Ab b irgedly, but I do not recogn ise any such name as Tolyocre i n the

Ab ergeldie Papers. See Ant. IV., 715.

Tom a’Bhealaidh (Braemar) . 1564, Tomb ellie, Ant . I I . , 90 . Broom

Tom a’

Chaisteil(Glenbucket, “ Castle knol l , c lose to the oldcastle of Glenbucket .

Tomachalich (Aboyne) . 1696 , Tamachallich ,Pol l Book 1676 ,

Tomahaleck, Records of Aboyne, p . 343 . Tom a’ knol l of the

(grouse) cock.

Tomachar (D i n net and Logie-Coldstone) . Tam a’

cfidt/zaz'

r,

“ knol lof the mossy ground .

”

Tom a’

Charraigh“Knol l Of the pi l lar—stone.

There is no stone now onTom a

’Charraigh (S trathdon) . e i ther of these hi l l s , The

second is immed iately beh ind the church of S trathdon,where there may

have been a stone c i rc le i n old t imes .

Tom a’Chatha (Glengairn ,

Tomachleun (S trathdon) . C.S. Tomachloun. Perhaps Tamac/z

leam/zaz'n , th icket of the elm.

Tomachon (S trathdon ) . Tom a’

chain,knol l of the hou nd or dog.

Tomachonie Hi l l (S trathdon ,

328 THE PLACE NAMES

Tom a’

chuir (Crath ie) . The knol l of the bend,

of the Gai rn,

which sweeps round more than hal f th e c i rcumference of i ts base.

Tom a’

ch u rn (S trathdon , Tam a’

ckaoruz'

mz,rowan hi l lock .

Tom a’

Gharaidh (Corgarff,“ Knol l of the den.

Tomanchapel(S trathdon ) . Tom an t—sezfez'l,

“ chapel knol l .

Tom an Lagain (Glenmuick, “Knol l of the l i ttle hol low.

Tom an Uird (Crath ie,“Knol l of the hammer.

Tom Bad a’ Mhonaidh (Crath ie) . The knol l of th e c lump of the

moor.

Tomb ain (Cabrach) . Tom ban, whi te knol l .

Tomb ally (Cabrach and Glengairn) . See Tom a’

Bhealaidh .

Tom Ban (Corgarff, White or l ight-colou red knol l .

Tombay (Glenmuick) . T0772 bez'

tbe, bi rch knol l .

Tomb eg (Monymusk) . 1628,Toimeb eg, 1588. Tom

l i ttle knol l .”

Tom Be ithe or Tomb eith (Towie,“ B i rch knol l .

Tom Breac (Crathie and Glenbucket) .

Tomb reac (Auchindoir) . Spotted or speckled knol l .

Tomb reak (Glenmuick) .

Tomdarroch (Glenmuick) . Tom daraz'

c/z,knol l of the oak .

Tomdh u (Braemar) . T0772 dublz, black knol l .

Tomdub h Bu rn (Logie-Coldstone) .“ B lack knol l Burn .

330 THE PLACE NAMES

Tom na gab har (Glenbucket , Knol l of the goats .

Tom na Glais (Glenbucket , Tom 712 knol l of the furrow .

Tomnagorn (Cl uny) . Tomnagorum i n Pol l Book.

Tomnaharra (Braemar) . T0m 7mFaire,

“ knol l of the watch ing.

Probably a borrowed name.

Tom na h-Elrig (Braemar, See El rick.

Tomnahay (Aboyne , Tom nalz-atlza,knol l of the ki ln .

Tom na h-eirigh (Strathdon , C.S. Tominlre. Perhaps Tom an

aoa’

kaz’

re, the shepherd’s knol l.”

Tomna h Olainn (Crathie,

Tomnakeist (Tul l ich) . Tam 722 cz'

sa’e, knol l of the coffin or hol low.

Probably coffin is mean t here,as there was an old grave-yard at the

place, i n wh ich were stone coffins.

Tomnaman (Tul l ich , Glenmuick and Glengairn) . 1685, Retou r.

[Probably Tom 7mm ban, woman’s knol l ,”5 bei ng ec l ipsed by m ]

Tomnamoine, obs. (Braemar,“Knol l of the moss.

Tomnavone (Glengairn, [P T07mma’ “ knol l of the

Tomnavowin (Cabrach ) . Toman-a’ “ h i l l of the mi l l .” I t

is c lose to M i l l town .

Tom na Wan (Tarland, Tommm (Jan,

“lambs’ h i l lock .

Tom Odhar (Glengairn) . Dun or grey knol l .

Tomquhatty (Leochel) . 151 1 , Charter, 3626 . Ci. Drumfottie.

0 1? WEST ABERDEENSH IRE. 33 1

Tomscairn (B i rse and Cl u ny) . In th is case Tom may be a personalname.

Tom’s Forest (K i n tore) .

Ton Burn (Monymusk) .“Toen Burn

,

” i n a March of 16th cen turywriti ng

,date unknown . Ton , the bottom .

”

Tonb urn (Rhyn ie) .

Tonley (Cou l l) . 1725, Tindlae, Macfarlane, Ant. I I ., 263 ; 1696 ,

Teanley, Pol l Book ; 1549, Taynlie, Ant. IV. , 445. n fz mm“calves’ house, or Tzg/z an 1434,

“ house of the physic ian .

”

Tonley (Tough) . 1696 , Tonlay, Pol l Book.

Tonrin Bu rns (Logie-Coldstone,

Top ofSavey (Cluny, Saob/zaia’fz,

“a fox’s den.

Topp les (Kintore) .

Torb eg (Braemar and Glengairn) . Tarr beag , li ttle heap or knol l .

Torgalter (Glengairn) . Tarr ,“a heap or knol l and Pgealloz

'

r,

“a

bleacher,”O

’

R. ; or Pgealtaz’

re,“a coward ,

”H .S.D.

Toringloise (Monymusk) . 170 2 , Tornagloyes and Tornaglois, Ant.IlI ., 50 5 1628

, Tarnaglois, Retou r 2 10 1588, Tornoglois, 16 17.

See Tom na Glai s.

Tornab uckle Wood (S trathdon , Torr 7mm buacfiaz’ll

,

“ h i l l ofthe herds.”

Tornagawn (S trathdon) . Tarr mm gobfiann,

“ knol l of the sm iths.

Tornagirroch (Crathie, Perhaps Tarr mm gearm z’

ck,“ hi l l of

the hares.

332 THE PLACE NAM ES

Tornaha i s h (Corgarff) . 7077471 2 ckaz'

se,l i tt le knol l of th e cheese.

Tornahatnach (Strathdon ) . 1609 , Tornahaithneich e, Ant. IV.

, 470 .

Tar r 7m k knol l of th e j un iper.”

Tornamean Hil l (M idmar) . Torm iz mead/zaz’

n,midd le knol l

,

stand ing between th e two westerly poin ts of the Hi l l of Fare . Were i tnot for i ts pos i t ion

,Torr 7mm mean”

,

“ hi l l of the kids,

” wou ld appearpreferable.

Tornaveen (Kincard i ne O’

Neil) . Formerly Tornavechin,as i n 1638,

Retou r 242 ; 1460 and 1 539, Tornavethyne, 2 100 ; 1444, Tornavythyn ,

Ant . IV ., 341 . Tbrrcm a

’ “ l i ttle knol l of th emidd le

,is probable ; but th e form of- “ Tornavech in

” suggests as

poss ible Tornm a“ l i tt le beast’s knol l

,

” where smal lan imal s were pastu red or enc losed .

Tornichélt (Cabrach) . 1600 ,Tornikelt Huntly Rental . Hel t and

h i l t often represen t ez'lz‘e gen . of “

a doe, but as th is place i s c lose towhat must always have been a publ ic road

,i t i s more l i ke ly that th e

Rental of 1600 gives th e true form ,Torr -nmz -coz

’llte, knol l of the woods .”

Tornmach ie, obs . (Tu l l ich) . 1662 , Retour 36 3 . Poss ibly Tarr 7mm

mullac/zafl,hi l l of the l i ttle ridges

,but this i s very doubtfu l .

Torph ins (Kincard ine O’

Neil) . 1696 , Turrfins, Pol l Book ; 1630 ,

Torfynnes, Retour 2 16 ; 1597, Torph innis, Spald . C1. Mis.,I . ,

154. Torr

fi omz, white or l ight-coloured knol l . E. pl. added .

Torquhandallochy (Bi rse) . C .S. Torfunlach ie. 1696, Tarqhundlacieand Torqh indlachie, Pol l Book ; 1539 , Torquinlachy, Records of Aboyne,87; Torquindallocy,

Estate Plan of Bal logie. Torr ceamz dalac/z, th e

h i l l of the head or end of the field or dale ,” which i t very c learly is at

the presen t date.

Torra Duncan (D rumblade) . A sand knol l on the farm of Cairnh ill,but there i s no trad ition who is commemorated i n the name.

334 THE PLACE NAMES

Tough (Parish) . 1540 ,Tulich

,2 100 1450 ,

Tulch ,3 14 ; c . 1 366 , Tulyuuch , C0 1. 2 19 ; 1 275, Tulich ,

I I ., 52 , 55. The

S tat. Acct . derives Tough from tuat/z , north,

”and other local publ icat ions

have fol lowed . Tuath su i ts ne i ther the phonet ics nor the old form . AsTulch and Touch the name occurs i n S t i rl i ng, Fife, Ross , Perth and

Kincard i ne,and some of these i n combinat ions i n wh ich tuat/z , north

,

cou ld have no sense or mean i ng. The spe l l i ng of 1 366 i s evidently an

error, the form of a cen tury before and a century after bei ng Tulich .

Tulac/z , “a knol l .”

Towhaugh and Tow ley (Les l ie) . 169 1 , Touleyes, Retour 482 .

Tow ie, Upper and Nether (Towie) . 1512 ,“ terras de duab us

Tol l is,

”

3799 ; 1500 - 1,Tolleis

, Ant. IV . , 447; 1495, Uvir Towiis

and Nethir Towiis, 2279 ; 140 3 ,“ terras de duabus Tol l is,

” Ant.IV., 435. See be low.

Tow ie (Pari sh) . Formerly Kinb ethock (v. Kinbattock) , afterwardsTowie-Brux— so cal led because the fami ly of Brux were the largestproprietors i n the parish. 1556 , Tol ly, 1 1 24 Tulacfz, a knol l .”

The parish has no doubt derived the name Towie from Upper and NetherTowie. See above.

Tow ie (Auchterless) . Tol l ie i n Pol l Book. Talack, “a knol l .

Towie (Clatt) . 1696 , Tolach , Pol l Book ; 151 1 , Tol ly, Ant. IV.,

487. Tulac/z,

a knol l .”

Tow ie Bu rn (Les l ie,

Towie Tu rner (Auchterless) . Towieturno i n Pol l Book .

Towleys (Premnay) . Cf. Towhaugh , above.

Tow Mi ll(Premnay) .

Townhead (Glass,


Towquheis, obs. (Huntly) . 1534, 1453 . Tuch ies,1662

,

Retou r 363 . Form of Tulac/z,

“a knol l

,

”E. pl. added . Cf. Tul loch

,

Tulch and Touch,forms of Tough (Parish) .

Trallannes (Auchterless) . 1664, Retour 373 .

Trancie Hill

Tremb l ing Tree (B i rse) . The aspen .

Trenech inen, obs . (Monymusk) . March of the Episcopallands ofKe ig and Monymusk, 16th century writi ng— date unknown : C0 1. 172.

The reference is— “ad cacumen s i lne que vocatur Trenechinen quod

Lat i ne sonat, l ignum recte extensum .

” I t i s impossible to guess whatthe Gae l ic form was. The place is conjectured to be now Wh itehi l lsee Pro. Soc. Ant , 1865, p. 222.

TrewelFair (Kennethmont) . Cor. of St. Rule’s Fai r, St. Regu lusbe i ng patron sai nt of Kennethmont. 1572, Trewlekirk, Act of SecreteCounsall.”

Troch ie (pool) (Glentanner Water) .

Trooperstone (Leochel) .

Trotres Hi l l (Kildrummie) . 1650 , Ant. IV. , 3 17.

Trotten Slack (Logie-Coldstone,

Troupsmill(D rumblade) . Named after JohnCulmalegy, c. 1506 -9.

Trumpeter Hill(Auchindoir,

Truttle Stones (Huntly,

Tuach Hil l.(Kintore, I t i s difficult to say with certai n ty what is

the mean ing of Tuach . Tuaa'fz,“a hatchet or axe,

” sometimes appears

336 THE PLACE NAMES

i n place-names . Tuat/zac/z,“ belonging to tenantry, i s possible, but the

hi l l cou ld not have been of much value, even had i t been a commonty.

Tzzaz‘fiacfi ,“ northerly

,

” might b e suggested,but from what important

poin t i t wou ld apply i s not c lear. Tulac/z,

“a knol l

,might become

Tuach , but th is wou ld b e unusual .

Tub eruskye, obs . (Echt) . Tobar -m’

sge, a spri ng wel l . The namei s given i n a charter of 1 598, 81 1 , but i s now unknown .

Tukiesh iel(Cabrach) . Shiel , same word as shiel i ng —a shel ter forcattle or thei r attendants .

Tullach (Aboyne) . Tylacfi,

“a knol l .

Tullecarne (Tu l l ich , Glenmuick and Glengairn) . Tulac/z m z’

m,

knol l of the cai rn .

”

Tullesm, obs. (Cou l l ) . 1574, Retour 50 . Now unknown .

Tu l l ich (Parish) . Tulac/z , “ a knoll, h illock. Ante 1560 , Tullinath1ak,Col. , p . 2 17; c . 1 366, Tulynathelath , Col. , p . 2 19 ; 1 275, Tulynath tlayk,

I I ., p . 52 . I t i s poss ible nat/zlalz may b e a form of Nathalan,

wi th the term inal 0g ,common to sai nts’ names . St . Nathalan i s the

patron sai n t of Tu l l ich , and, according to th e Breviary and tradition,h e

was a nat ive of the d istrict, who flourished i n the 5th centu ry,andwas

buried with in th e church . St . Nathlan’

s Cross and Nathlan’

s Fai rcommemorated the sai n t down to 1817, i n which year the fai r wasremoved to Bal later, and the cross was destroyed . See Forbes and

Jervise.

Tullifour, obs . (Echt) . 16 10 ,Retou r 1 24. Cf. Ti l lyfour.

Tu l loch (Petercu l ter, Keig,Logie-Coldstone and Lumphanan ) . Tulac/z,

a knol l .”

Tullocharroch (Glenbucket) . PTulacb carrac/z,“ stony knol l . The

un rec laimed land around thi s farm i s very stony.

338 THE PLACE NAMES

Tu l lyness le (Parish) . 1549, Tillenessil, Col. 120 ; 1 376 , Tholynestyn,

I .,1 19 ; c . 1 366 , Tulynestyn , C0 1. 22 1 1 275, Tulynestyn ,

I I ., 54 ; 1 157, Tulinestin ,I . ,6 . I t has been suggested that

Tulinestin i s derived from Teagklacfi , “a fami ly

, + Nestin , a personalname. The absence of any h i l l now bearing th e name favours this idea,and Nes or Nesius appears among the early fami ly names of the

Marmaors of Mar. (See Ant ., IV.,

But the name of th e principalstream is the Esset, formerly wri tten Nessoke I . ,

and i tseems l ike ly that Tulynestyn and Nessoke are both derived from th e

same root. I n one of the oldest Forbes Charters , Esset or Nessoke i swri tten “Assach

,

” i nd icat i ng the Gael ic Easack,as Nessoke wou ld

Easachan,for at the date final e was often pronounced . Cf. Essach ie

,

Rhyn ie. I n old local wri ti ngs,dz frequent ly becomes é , all! and t, and

these changes may account for the forms estyn and “essoke

,

” whi le n

may represen t th e artic le. However the presen t forms of the namesmay b e accounted for

,i t i s probable that eas, “a waterfal l or rapid stream ,

”

i s the root. Esset i s a rapid stream,and there is a smal l waterfal l upon

it. Tul lynessle i s a very d ifficu l t word,and th e above suggested

derivat ion must b e taken as conjectural .

Tulyquhassly, obs . (probably Glenbucket) . Chamb . Rol l s, 1438.

Perhaps Tulac/z e/zas-lzg/ze, “ knol l of the rapid ford ,” but the place i s

u nknown,and th e mean ing is therefore conjectu ral .

Turfgate (Bi rse) . Moss road .

Turnouran (Crath ie) . Tornuaran , Val. Rol l . C.S. Torranawarran.

1688,Tornawarran

,Aberg. pp . Tarr an ffiuam z

’

n,knol l of the spri ng.

”

Turshoonack (Kemnay, Ci. Torsh inach .

Tynabaich (Crathie) . ?Tigh 7m “ house of the birch- land .

Tynacriech (Braemar and Crath ie) . Tenrich and Tanrich , Pol l Book .

Tenrich suggests tzlg/z cm ffimoz’

cfi , heather house, whi le Tynacriechwou ld appear to b e tzgk 7m crime, “ house of the march .

”


Tyrebagger (Newh ills and Dyce) . Tz'

r -bogaz'

re,“ land of the boggy

place,

” or Tz'

r-balgaz'

re,

“ land of the fox.

” The V. of D. ment ionsTyrebagger as one of the pri nc ipal forests i n Mar. I t was, however,on ly part of the forest of Cordys .

Tyries (Kildrummie) . PTyrie’

s Croft .

Uisge Each So the map, b ut the local authori tiesgive Esk, Each and Scaich . I t is a high and dry moor, forming the

north -west sh i n of the Brown Cow H i l l . Uisge has noth ing to do withthe name

,and the Pictish ask, 0 . I r. esc,

“a water chan nel

,

” i s equal lyinappropriate. Scaich , or Skeach , as the name seems to be pronounced ,is doubtfu l .

Upper Beg inge (Auchindoir) . 1650 ,Ant. IV. , 3 17.

Upperth ird (Auchterless) . See E is t-thi rd .

Ury. See I nverurie.

Vat, Burn of the (D i n net) . The Vat probably derives the namefrom the vat - l ike c left or gorge i n the rocks , common ly cal led the Caveof the Vat, through which the burn runs, en tering from the higher levelon the west

,and form ing the Fal l s of th e Vat .

Viewfi eld (M idmar) .

Wagglehead (B i rse) . Waggle (Scot ) , a bog, a marsh , properlya quaking bog. Wagglehead= Boghead.

Waggle (K i nel lar) . See above.

Wagley (Newb i l l s) . See Wagglehead.

340 THE PLACE NAMES

Wakemill(Forgue) .Wau lkmi l l bleach ing m i l l .

Wakmill(Kincard ine O’

Neil) .

Walery Hi l l (Glenmuick) . Properly Watery H i l l .

Walkendale (Echt) . 1696 ,Wachendale,Pol l Book 16 10

,Vachindaill,

Retou r 1 24 “A bleachfield.

”

Walkerfold (Forgue) .

Walkinstone (Cou l l) .

Walkmi ll(Dyce) . Wau lkm i l lbleach ing mi l l .Ci. Wakemill,

Walk M ilne (Cu lsalmond) . and Wau lkmi l l .

Walkmilne (Kennethmont, Leochel , Tul lyness le) .

Wallakirk (Glass , Churchyard and ru ins of a kirk ded icated toSt. Volocus=St. Wolok or Wal lach

,Bi shop , who flourished i n the sth

century. See Breviary of Aberdeen . The wri ter of the View of th eD iocese of Aberdeen ” makes h im first B ishop of Mort lach, but i t hasbeen proved there never was a bishopric of Mortlach . D r. JosephRobertson cons iders i t probable the old parish of Dumeath , i n wh ichWallakirk i s , was the scene of St . Wal lach labours

,because near the

ki rk is St. Wolok’s We l l , and among the rocks on the banks of th eDeveron are St. Wolok’s baths . See Preface to Chartu lary of Aberdeen

,

p . 1 1 , and Skene’s Cel tic Scotland , I I . , 379 .

Walton (Newbi l l s) . 1696 , Weltoun ,Pol l Book ; 1 367, 16 Weltona

,

C0 1. 240 .

Wandboig (Premnay) .

Wantonwells (I nsch , Premnay, and Skene) . There are several placesso cal led

,and I cannot imagine what the name means, un less i t is that

there are not wel l s at the place (which I am told is the case) . Cf.

D rywel ls.

342 THE PLACE NAMES

Watch Cairn (S trathdon ) .

Watch C raig (Oyne,

Watchmanb rae (Newbi l l s,

Watchmanh ill(Gartly) . See Tarry Buchail.

Watchman Hi lls (Rhyn ie,

Watchman's C roft (Forgue) .

Watchmount (Braemar, Forgue and Newhills) .

Waterairn (Logie Coldstone) . 1638, Auch tererne,Ret. 242 ; 1540 ,

Auch terarne, 2 155 ; 1505, Ouch tirarne, Ant. I I . 1 1 ; 1 364,

Huch tirerne, Ant. I I ., 10 . Uac/za’ar am’

an,“ upper height.

Waternady (Aboyne) . 1696 , Waternaldie, Pol l Book ; 16 15, Auchternadie, Records of Aboyne, p . 229 . Uac/za

'ar cm alltaz'fl, height of the

l i ttle burn .

”

Waters ide (Glass) .

Waterton (Echt and I nsch ) .

Watt’

s Stab le (Cabrach) .

Wau lkmi l l (Aboyne, M idmar, and Petercu l ter) . See Wal km i l l .

Wealthytown (Ke ig) .

Wedderb u rn (Drumblade) . 16 1 3, Wadderburn ,Ant. I I I .

, 512 ;

1600 , Wedderburne,Ant. IV.

, 566 . Th e name may have been borrowedfrom Berwickshi re

,but i t i s probably th e march burn of the wedders’ or

wethers’ pastu re,and of th e same c lass as Ramsburn. Ramslaid

i s wi th i n three mi les of th i s p lace. Cf. Wedder Lai rs, Aberdeen ;Wedderh ill

,Dumbartonsh i re ; Wedderhaugh , Perth ; Weddergang, Fife ;

Wedderl ie,Berwick Weddirlawis

,Forfar.


Weets (Ken nethmont) . 1696 , Weits,Pol l Book 1635, Weittis

,Ant.

IV ., 514.

Weistern (D rumblade) . 1696 , West- town,Pol l Book ; 1588,Wistronc ,

1592 . Weistern i s a con traction of Wester- town .

Wel l heads (Huntly) .

We l lhou se (Alford ) . 1595, Walhous,

225 ; 1552 , The Wolhouse

,Ant. IV. ,

145.

We l l Rob in (Auch indoir,

We l lwood (Banchory Deven ick) .

Westercors (Cou l l) . 1600,Retou r 69 .

Wester Park (Glass) .

Westertown (Huntly) .

Westfold (Huntly) .

Westhal l (Oyne) .

Westseat (Gartly) .

Westth ird (Cai rn ie) . See Eistthird.

Wetherh ill(Forgue) .

Wetlands (Leochel ) .

Wheedlemount (Auchindoir) . See Fulz emount.

Wh iteb row(I nsch) .

Wh itecross (Chapel) .

Wh iteford (Chape l ) .

344 THE PLACE NAMES

Wh ite Geese, The (Rhyn ie, This name appl ies to some blocksof quartz at the north-east corner of Craigwater Hi l l , near the poin twhere the parishes of Rhyn ie, Gartly, and Cabrach meet.

Wh itehaugh (Chapel and Tul lynessle) . The Church owned muchland i n Tu l lynessle, and there is one field on Wh itehaugh cal led Templec lose

,and another St. John’s c lose. These names suggest the Knights

Templar, but the Bishop of Aberdeen i n the oldest records appears as

nominal proprietor.

Wh iteh i ll(Cai rn ie) .

Wh iteh illock (Auchindoir) . See Tolophin.

Wh itehouse (Tul l ich) . So cal led because when bu i l t i t was the onlystone and l ime house i n Cromar.

Whitehouselum (Keig) .

Wh iteinches (Chape l) .

Wh ite Lady (Monymusk ,

Wh iteley (Auch indoir, D rumblade, and Tarland) .

Wh iteleys (Tough) .

Wh itelums (Gartly and Rayne) .

Wh itemires (Newhills) .

Wh ite Stack (Monymusk) .

Wh itestone (Bi rse) . 151 1 , quhitstane mureailehous,375.

Wh itewe l l (Chapel) .

346 THE PLACE NAMES

pot lyke to b e castyn with mennys hand is and syn doun ti l l another potand to the th ird pot doun in th e den .

”

So al so of Me ikle Durno“ b egynnand at ane gret pote quh ilk we maid b e cass i n with mennishand is discendand to other pottis and frae thae pottis discendandto ane fai re rynnand wale, & c.

”I . ,

Wolfholls (Forgue) . 1699, Retou r 516 .

Wolfstone (Cl u ny,

Wombleh ill(Kintore) . 1696 , Woumb illh ill,Pol l Book ; 1637,

Womb ilh ill, Ret . 240 ; 1525, le Wedmylh ill, 30 2. I f the lastreference i s to Wombleh ill

,which is probable

, we have Wedmylh illWood of Millhill, contracted i nto Wummleh illi n C.S.

— hence Womblehi l l . There are two m il l s at th e foot of th e hi l l , and i t may wel l havebeen cal led Millhill.

Woolh illock (Skene) .

Wormie Hil lock (Rhyn ie) . The “ grave-mound of a d ragon ,accord ing to th e legend . I t i s an old pen or

“ round for protect ingsheep i n stormy weather.

Wormiewell(Skene) .

Wraes (Kennethmon t) . 1696 , Wris, Pol l Book ; 1514, le Wrays,I 3 . Ci. Wraeton.

Wraeton (Kemnay and Aboyne) . Wra,from Dan . vmae

,a corner.

This word is not uncommon i n the south,but wme

,pronounced vrae

,i s

often a corrupt ion of brae. So Thorneywray and Thorneyb rae i nD rumblade. Wraeton (Kemnay) appears i n th e P0 11 Book as Wirritown ,

andWraeton (Aboyne) as Writown.

Wrangham (Cu lsalmond ) . 1696 , Wranghame, Pol l Book ; 1644,

Wranghame, Retour 275 1 366 , Warngham, C0 1. 22 1 .

Wynford (Newh ills) .

OF WEST ABERDEENSH I RE . 347

Yarrowh illock (Chape l , I f this name i s nat ive,and not borrowed

from the south , I wou ld spe l l Yarryh illock ,from Yarr

,corn - spu rrey

(spergula arvem z'

s) , a very troublesome weed , common i n th is coun try ,

and most abundant i n poor soi ls .

Yonderton (Monymusk and Cai rn ie) . Scot yonter more d istant '

Yondertown (Forgue) .comparat ive oi

'

yam.

Ythan, We l ls of (Forgue) .

Ythanside (Bi rse) . A modern borrowed name .

THI S BOOK I S DUE ON THE LAST DATESTAMPED BELOW

AN INITI AL FINE OF 25 CENTSW ILL BE ASSESSED FOR FA ILURE TO RETURNTH IS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE P EN ALTYW ILL INC REASE TO 50 C ENTS ON THE FOURTHDAY AND TO OH THE SEVENTH DAY

OVERDUE.

West Aberdeenshire

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