•7 J 
 
 869 
 M13 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT 
 FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY 
 
 HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028080558 
 
Cornell University Library 
 DA 869.M13 
 
 Place names in Strathbogie / 
 
 3 1924 028 080 558 
 
PLACE NAMES 
 
 IN 
 
 STRATHBOGIK 
 
Fifty Copies printed on large paper, of which 
 this is No 
 
PLACE NAMES 
 
 IN 
 
 STRATHBOGIE 
 
 WITH NOTES 
 Historical, Antiquarian, and Descriptive 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES MACDONALD, F.S.A. Scot. 
 
 WITH MAP AND PLANS 
 
 ABERDEEN: D. WYLLIE & SON 
 1891 
 
8G9 
 MI3 
 
 S 
 
THESE STUDIES IN THE ARCHEOLOGY 
 
 OF THE OLD GORDON COUNTRY 
 
 ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 TO HIS GRACE 
 
 %ht ittke of Itirhmonb ani Morion, ^,@. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 "^HESE notes on the Place Names and Archse- 
 ology of Strathbogie originally appeared 
 in the ' Proceedings of the Huntly Field Club,' 
 and have now been revised, and for the most 
 part re-written. No attempt has been made 
 previously to interpret the names of the district, 
 except to a very limited extent, and I have 
 therefore not had the advantage of following 
 others in the same field. In the present state of 
 our knowledge, I do not think that any single 
 person, working within a limited district, can do 
 work of this kind which can be accepted as final ; 
 and these notes I give simply as ' studies,' open 
 to revision when the whole subject of the Place 
 Names of Scotland is taken in hand by some 
 competent authority. 
 
 I have discussed, or noted, all the names of 
 interest found in the district, or given in maps, 
 books, or manuscripts, or remembered by the 
 old people ; and they may be classed as fol- 
 lows — (i) Those of which I know absolutely 
 nothing, and can offer no suggestion as to the 
 origin or meaning. (2) Names which are ob- 
 scure, or intelligible only in part, or which may 
 allow of a double interpretation. I have given 
 
viii Preface. 
 
 the meaning of these so far as my information 
 guides me ; but in regard to explanations which 
 are conjectural or defective, I have, for the sake 
 of those who may follow me, indicated the diffi- 
 culties which have prevented me reaching more 
 satisfactory conclusions. (3) Names of which 
 there is certainty or reasonable probability as to 
 the true meaning ; and I hope that a large pro- 
 portion of the derivations of these names, as I 
 have given them, may be acceptable to Gaelic 
 scholars. 
 
 No formal classification of the names has 
 been attempted, because they are too few in 
 number within my limits to allow of such ar- 
 rangement as would be of any real value. I 
 have preferred to group them in their historical 
 associations with the landed properties in each 
 parish. 
 
 In the course of my reading in search of old 
 forms of names, 1 found that many of the local 
 historical sketches are either partly or wholly 
 untrue, or very defective ; and in noting such 
 facts as appeared in authentic writings, I have 
 endeavoured to supply material, or to indicate 
 where such material may be found, for a more 
 complete and accurate account than now exists, 
 of a district which, from its connection with the 
 Gordon Family, is full of interest in its associa- 
 tion with national affairs during at least four 
 centuries. 
 
Preface. ix 
 
 I have to acknowledge my great indebtedness 
 to His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, 
 K.G., for allowing me access to the Charter 
 Room, Gordon Castle, and the use of documents 
 containing valuable inform.ation not found else- 
 where. 
 
 I have to thank Dr. W. F. Skene for giving 
 me, on several occasions, the benefit of his ex- 
 tensive knowledge and experience in all questions 
 relating to the Topography of Scotland. I have 
 also much pleasure in acknowledging my obliga- 
 tion to Professor Mackinnon, from whom I have 
 very frequently had assistance and instruction in 
 regard to many questions affecting Gaelic names. 
 Without the efficient help he so readily gave, not 
 a few difficult names would have remained, to 
 me, unintelligible, or of doubtful meaning. 
 
 To many friends who have assisted me, by 
 recalling old names, or giving me information 
 about the antiquities and legends of Strathbogie, 
 I offer my sincere thanks. 
 
 The Farm, Huntly. 
 isi May, 1891. 
 
AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS. TITLES. 
 
 Book of Deer The Book of Deer, edited for the Spalding 
 Club by John Stuart, LL.D. 
 
 Celt. Scot. ... Celtic Scotland, a History of Ancient Alban, 
 by William F. Skene, LL.D. 3 Vols. 
 
 „ , ( The Peerage of Scotland ), c- tj ^-^ i 
 
 Douglas ... I The Baronlge of Scotland [ ^^ ^ir R. Douglas. 
 
 GordonCharters 'Inventory of Charters.' 3 Vols. MSS. in 
 
 Charter Room, Gordon Castle. 
 H. S. Diet. ... Highland Society's Dictionary of the Gaelic 
 
 Language. 2 Vols. 
 Ind. of Charters Index, drawn up about the year 1629, of many 
 
 records of Charters granted between 1309 
 
 and 141 3, edited by William Robertson. 
 Jaraieson ... Dictionary of the Scottish Language. New 
 
 Edition. 
 Jervise . . . Epitaphs and Inscriptions from Burial Grounds 
 
 in the N.E. of Scotland, by Andrew 
 
 Jervise. 2 Vols. 
 Joyce The Origin and History of Irish Names of 
 
 Places, by P. W. Joyce, LL.D. 2 Vols. 
 Kal. S. S. ... Kalendars of the Scottish Saints, by A. P. 
 
 Forbes, D.C.L. 
 Macfarlane ... Macfarlane's Geographical Collections. MS. 
 
 in the Advocates Library, Edinburgh. 
 Maxwell . . . The Topography of Galloway, by Sir Herbert 
 
 E. Maxwell, Bart. 
 Munro ... Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, 
 
 1549, by Sir Donald Munro, High Dean 
 
 of the Isles. 
 New Stat. Ace. New Statistical Account of Scotland. 
 Nisbet ... A System of Heraldry, speculative and prac- 
 
 tical, by Alex. Nisbet. 2 Vols. 
 Pitcairn ... Criminal Trials in Scotland, 1488-1624, by 
 
 Robert Pitcairn. 4 Vols. 
 
Authorities Quoted. 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS. TITLES. 
 
 Poll- Book ... List of PoUable Persons within the Shire of 
 Aberdeen , 1 696. 2 Vols. 
 
 Pro. Soc. Ant. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of 
 Scotland. 
 
 R.E.A.or Reg. 1 Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis. 2 Vols. 
 Ep. Abd. J Spalding Club. 
 
 R.E.M.orReg. \Registrum Episcopatus Moraviensis. Banna- 
 Ep. Mor. / tyne Club. 
 
 R.M.S. or \ Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, 
 
 Reg. Mag. Sig. J 1306-1580. 4 Vols. 
 
 Reg. Syn.Abd. Selections from the Registers of the Synod of 
 Aberdeen. Spalding Club. 
 
 Rental of 1600 Rental of the Lordship of Huntly, 1600, Char- 
 ter Room, Gordon Castle. MS. 
 
 Rental of 1677 Rental of the Lordship of Huntly, 1677, Char- 
 ter Room, Gordon Castle. MS. 
 
 Retours ... Inquisitionum ad Capellam Domini Regis Re- 
 tornatarum, &c. (Retours of Services) 
 1546-1700, edited by Thomas Thomson. 
 3 Vols. 
 
 Scott's Fasti ... Fasti Ecclesise Scoticanse, by Hew Scott. 
 6 Vols. 
 
 Shaw's Moray The History of the Province of Moray, by 
 Lacblan Shaw. 
 
 Spald. CI. Ant. Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and 
 Banff. 4 Vols., Spalding Club. 
 
 Spald. CI. Col. Collections for a History of the Shires of Aber- 
 deen and Banff, i Vol., Spalding Club. 
 
 Spald. CI. Mis. Miscellany of the Spalding Club. 5 Vols. 
 
 Taylor ... Words and Places, by the Rev. Isaac Taylor, 
 
 M.A. 
 
 Other Authorities referred to are sufficiently described in the Text. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Chap. I.— On the Study of Gaelic Place Names i 
 
 II. — Names of Hills and Rivers 15 
 
 III.— The Fort on the Tap o' Noth 35 
 
 IV. — Drumblade — Cocklarachy — Corvichen— Barony 
 
 ofDrumblade — Lessendrum S3 
 
 V. — Gartly — Early Historical Notices — The Barclays 
 of Gartly — The Barons of Garntuly and Ber- 
 clay — The Family of Strathbolgyn — Place 
 Names 78 
 
 VI.— Glass— The Upper Strath— Saint Wolok— 
 As wanley — Cairnborrow — Invermarkie and 
 Edinglassie no 
 
 VII. — Cabrach — The Lower Cabrach or Strathdeveron 
 — The Upper Cabrach — Historical and Des- 
 criptive Notes 131 
 
 Vin. — Cairnie — Old Parishes United — Kirks and 
 Chapels — English or Old Scotch Names — 
 Hybrid or Doubtful Names — Gaelic Names 
 in Drumdelgie Parish — Gaelic Names in 
 Botarie — Pitlurg — Old Names in Ruthven — 
 Thomas Gordon of Riven — Historical Notes 171 
 
 IX. — Huntly — Early Records — Kinnoir — Dunben- 
 
 nan— Poll Book Notes— The Burgh of Huntly 229 
 
 X. — Rhynie — Place Names and Antiquities in 
 Rhynie — Place Names and Antiquities in Essie 
 — Historical and Topographical Notes — 
 Millduan — The Gordons of Lesmoir — The 
 Aucht and Forty Dauch 252 
 
ERRATA. 
 Page 22, Line 2^,for Usige-Each read Uisge-Each. 
 
 67, 
 124, 
 
 159. 
 193. 
 200, 
 204, 
 
 252, 
 
 IS 
 8 
 
 23 
 6 
 
 19 
 17 
 
 Cairn 
 
 Sliochdan 
 
 skiath 
 
 Redford 
 
 Murrachadh 
 
 Davidson 
 
 brotack 
 
 Pol 
 
 Cant. 
 
 Slodulan. 
 
 sgiath. 
 
 Redfold. 
 
 Murchaidh. 
 
 Davidston. 
 
 brothach. 
 
 Poll. 
 
PLACE NAMES IN STRATHBOGIE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ON THE STUDY OF GAELIC PLACE NAMES. 
 
 "j^HE Gaelic place names of the counties of 
 Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine, present 
 a strongly marked family likeness. The same 
 characteristics appear throughout the entire 
 district, and the changes and corruptions which 
 have altered the old forms in one locality appear 
 in others, with perhaps slight modifications. 
 Along the southern slope of the Grampians, and 
 the upper straths of Dee, Don, and Avon, Gaelic 
 names have changed but little, and correspond 
 very closely with those in the neighbouring 
 Highlands. In the central parts of the counties 
 English names become more numerous, and 
 corruptions in Gaelic names are more notice- 
 able ; while along the seaboard Gaelic names 
 are in a minority, and in many cases have be- 
 B 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 come half-English. The relative proportions of 
 Gaelic and English names of places will be seen 
 by a comparison of the names in the inland 
 parishes, with those of the seaboard — thus Glen- 
 muick on Deeside contains about one English 
 name to three Gaelic, while Aberdour has three 
 English names to two Gaelic. The figures in 
 Banffshire are much the same — Inveravon has 
 one English name to three Gaelic, while Rathven 
 has nearly two English to one Gaelic. In 
 Kincardine, the parish of Strachan gives four 
 Gaelic to three English names, and Kinneff has 
 two English to one Gaelic. The place names of 
 Strathbogie may be taken as fairly represent- 
 ative of the three counties ; and comparing them 
 with those throughout the district, it will be 
 found that there is no material difference in the 
 general type, or in the changes so far as we can 
 trace them. It is probable that at no distant 
 date these place names of the north-eastern 
 counties will form the subject of investigation ; 
 and it may interest those who undertake this 
 work, perhaps also a wider circle, if I give a few 
 practical notes on the study, suggested by a 
 somewhat close examination of the names within 
 a limited area of the district. 
 
 We have no ancient historical or topographi- 
 cal writings like those relating to Ireland, and 
 are therefore dependent for the old forms of 
 local names on somewhat early legal documents, 
 
On the Study of Gaelic Place Names. 3 
 
 which have preserved the current pronunciation 
 of their own time, or of the time when the names 
 were first committed to writing. I am disposed 
 to think that this evidence, so far as relates to 
 Gaelic names, is occasionally undervalued — our 
 older writings being supposed to give us merely 
 the traditional sound of a language, which, ex- 
 cept in the Highlands, had become extinct by 
 the middle of the 14th century, and which was 
 unknown to the scribes, who often wrote care- 
 lessly and according to corrupt popular usage. 
 Gaelic dies slowly even in our own day, and we 
 have no clear evidence that it gave place to 
 English at such an early date. In these inland 
 districts, and off the main thoroughfares of the 
 country, it may have lingered to a much later 
 period than is generally supposed. I know, that 
 within fifty years, there were old families, natives 
 of the Lordship of Huntly, who had inherited 
 the knowledge, and continued the use of the 
 old language. A few Gaelic-speaking families 
 in a district would, no doubt, greatly conserve 
 the true sound of local names. As to the scribes 
 — they were the most literate class of their times ; 
 and probably not a few of those connected with 
 our northern religious houses, who have given 
 us our earlier documents, were of Celtic des- 
 cent, and knew Gaelic as their mother tongue. 
 Even so late as the i6th century, we have evid- 
 ence that some of them understood, or had ^ome 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 knowledge of the significance of the names they 
 wrote. In a description of the church lands of 
 Monymusk, the writer gives what he considers 
 the Latin equivalents of the Gaelic names, thus 
 — ' Coritobrith, vallis fontis;' ' Lawchtendaff, 
 locus ubi quis fuit interfectus ;' ' Sclenemin- 
 gorme {sliabh-nan-gobhar ?) mora caprarum ; ' 
 ' Aide clothi, rivulus petrosus ; ' ' Brecacath, 
 campus distinctus coloribus,' &c. In a charter, 
 of 1 22 1, on the lands of Burgyn, a note is 
 appended, interpreting in broad Scotch four of 
 the Gaelic names referred to. These however 
 are the only documents of the kind I know, 
 though occasionally a name is explained inci- 
 dentally, showing that the writers could have 
 done good work had they given their attention 
 to the exposition of place names. 
 
 The question of authorities for the old forms 
 is of the utmost importance to the student ; and 
 even those, who have a general interest in the 
 subject, are not now satisfied with unsupported 
 statements as to the spelling of names in the old 
 writings. Very properly references to place and 
 date are expected, the latter being not the least 
 important. In tracing names backward, corrup- 
 tions are very abundant till the close of the iSth 
 century ; but if we can go one or two centuries 
 further back still, we shall probably find a large 
 proportion of names, now unintelligible or obscure, 
 in such forms as leave little doubt as to their 
 
On the Study of Gaelic Place Names. 5 
 
 meaning. From the close of the nth century — 
 the date of our very earHest writings — to the 
 close of the rsth, the changes which occur are 
 for the most part either phonetic or literary, and 
 therefore not very difficult to trace ; while many 
 of those found in the writings of the i6th century 
 and forward, result from ignorance, carelessness, 
 or the conceit of the scribes. These later 
 authorities may be of use, but the general char- 
 acter of the writings, not the date, must deter- 
 mine what they are really worth. As appears to 
 me, we have no morereliable source of informa- 
 tion about our local names than the old charters, 
 which most probably give us the spellings found 
 in still older documents, or officially recognised 
 at the tirne as the proper forms. Applying to 
 the counties of Aberdeen and Banff, we have 
 these most conveniently arranged, and drawn 
 from various sources, in the Old Spalding Club 
 publications. Of scarcely less value locally, and 
 of more value generally, are the charters in the 
 Register of the Great Seal, which not only give 
 us many names of the district, but afford oppor- 
 tunity of comparing similar names throughout 
 the country. In Robertson's ' Index of the 
 Charters ' also, old forms of names appear, which 
 are not found elsewhere at an early date. 
 Second in importance, I reckon old Descriptions 
 of Marches, old Rent-rolls, Bands of Manrent, 
 Remissions to barons and their followers in re- 
 
Place Names in Strathhogie. 
 
 belHon, and all such documents as contain place 
 names which have evidently been supplied by 
 local officials. Thirdly, the old 'Inquisitions' 
 must be considered more uncertain, because they 
 date only from the beginning of the i6th century, 
 and many of them have suffered in transcription, 
 or the original documents have been incorrect. 
 Not a few of them are, however, reliable, and 
 may be accepted as corroborative of earlier writ- 
 ings. Fourthly, we have various Record Office 
 publications, Sheriff and other Court Books, and 
 comparatively late ecclesiastical records. The 
 Poll-Book of Aberdeenshire, of date 1696, also 
 comes under the class of authorities, which gives, 
 without much care, the popular pronunciation at 
 a comparatively late period. Fifthly, the forms 
 of names given in old histories or narratives are 
 interesting, but for the most part they are purely 
 arbitrary. These seem to me to be the chief 
 sources of information in regard to the old forms 
 of names, arranged according to their value, as 
 I find them applying to the north-eastern 
 counties. 
 
 Every student of place names will, no doubt, 
 adopt such methods of investigation as he may 
 find most suitable to the locality, and the material 
 he has to work upon. There are, however, cer- 
 tain facts concerning place names, especially 
 noticeable in the lowlands, which, to a certain 
 extent, must guide us in our researches into the 
 
On tJie Study of Gaelic Place Names. 7 
 
 origin and meaning of the old names. Some of 
 those I now notice have often been insisted upon, 
 and still more frequently neglected, with results 
 which are too well known. I observe, — (i) A 
 phonetic resemblance to a known or familiar 
 word is no safe guide to the derivation of a name. 
 The mere sound is often more misleading, and 
 it is therefore absolutely necessary to discover 
 the old form before we can advance a single step 
 in the study of an obscure word. Many names 
 in the low country and borders of the Highlands 
 are so completely altered, that, without search in 
 the old writings, it is impossible even to conjec- 
 ture what they may have been originally. Bo- 
 triphnie, when traced back, becomes Bothruvin, 
 and Duthell, Douchquhale ; and although cor- 
 ruptions such as these are very common, they 
 are frequently accepted as representing some 
 combination of modern Gaelic words. Logic 
 Coldstone is given in Robertson's ' Topography 
 of Scotland,' ^ lag-cul-duine, the hollow behind the 
 fort' Now the old form of Logie Coldstone is 
 Logie and Codilstan, these being the names of 
 two parishes united in 161 8, and the names 
 have no other connection. (2) In dealing with 
 concise grammatical phrases, such as many of 
 these descriptive names are — names which have 
 not been artificially formed, but have grown and 
 become fixed by use and wont, it may generally 
 be accepted that the meaning lies, or once lay 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 upon the surface; and there ought therefore to be 
 some reasonable probability that the meaning 
 assigned to any particular name could at one 
 time have been applicable to the place. It 
 follows, therefore, that explanations which are 
 simple and natural are commonly most reliable, 
 while those which have no apparent connection 
 with the history or topography of the place may 
 be taken as doubtful. ' Tulach deiseal, the knoll 
 of the turn sunward,' is an extraordinary ren- 
 dering of TuUynessle, of which the old form 
 (anno 1 360) is Tolynestyn. Still more remark- 
 able is the meaning given of Carnaveron — ' the 
 town of the east river,' especially as it happens 
 to be the name of a hill on which was a cairn 
 twenty-five feet high, and the only river near it 
 is a small stream flowing due north. Examples 
 of similar absurd interpretations of old names 
 might be multiplied indefinitely, but they are not 
 even amusing, except for the absolute certainty 
 with which they are given. (3) Few place names 
 in Scotland are solitary. Names similar in whole 
 or in part may be found in various parts of the 
 country, a comparison of which will often pre- 
 vent a fanciful rendering in one case, inappropriate 
 in others. Buchan and Buckie are often sup- 
 posed to have a purely local descriptive meaning, 
 generally connected with the coast, but there are 
 at least a dozen Buchans in Scotland, mostly in- 
 land ; and there are five Buckies in Aberdeen- 
 
On the Study of Gaelic Place Names. g 
 
 shire, besides many in other counties. Professor 
 Rhys gives glaschu, ' greyhound,' as the deriva- 
 tion of Glasgow. This may be so, but we have 
 two Glasgows in Aberdeenshire — have they also 
 the same meaning? (4) The oldest reference, in 
 any individual case, cannot absolutely determine 
 the original form without comparing the old 
 spelling of names found elsewhere, which may be • 
 derived from the same root. In one case, a care- 
 less scribe may have introduced a change which 
 has become permanent ; or a foreign element in 
 the population may have iniluenced the pronun- 
 ciation, while the name may remain unchanged 
 elsewhere. (5) A purely etymological rendering 
 of a Gaelic name into English, without regard 
 to local pronunciation, is unreliable. Drumin 
 (Banffshire), in its older form, appears as Drum- 
 mond, a name common both in Scotland and 
 Ireland, generally understood to be the diminu- 
 tive of druim, a 'ridge'; but in this case the 
 accent is on the last syllable (Drumin), showing 
 that in or min is a qualifying term, and that the 
 name has a different meaning from others of 
 similar spelling. In regard to many names, it is 
 impossible to determine on which syllable the 
 stress lies without hearing them pronounced, and 
 without this knowledge any meaning assigned is 
 purely conjectural. (6) Grotesque names, ap- 
 parently English (broad Scotch), are generally 
 corrupted Gaelic, or old Anglo-Saxon, having 
 
10 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 originally an entirely different meaning from 
 what they now suggest. Of this class are Shin- 
 sharnie, Inkhorn, Cromwellside, Broadsea (in 
 Garioch), Sunhoney, Counterlassie, and Skilma- 
 filly. (7) Legends or traditions attached to old 
 names, professing to explain their origin, though 
 interesting in themselves and often founded on 
 fact, are for the most part modern. Traditions 
 connected with English names are not unfre- 
 quently true, or partly so. (8) Many place 
 names are derived from personal, historical, or 
 ecclesiastical associations or connections ; but 
 these are often obscure, and the apparent connec- 
 tions misleading. The Danes figure somewhat 
 extensively in the 'phonetic etymologies' of this 
 county, as in Daneston ' the town of the Dane,' 
 and perhaps Daneston in Renfrew may be sup- 
 posed to have the same meaning ; but the old 
 form of the name in both cases is Danyelstoun. 
 Not a few names have historical or personal 
 associations where they originated, but have been 
 brought from a distance by family migrations. 
 Huntly is borrowed from Huntlie in Berwick- 
 shire ; Tulybardine, Perthshire, probably from 
 Tulybardine, Morayshire ; Pitlurg, Buchan, from 
 Pitlurg in Cairnie ; and Leslie in Fife, from 
 Leslie in Aberdeenshire. In such cases, the his- 
 tory of the name must be traced, before we can 
 know anything definite about its meaning. 
 
 Systematic changes and corruptions,appearing 
 
Ou tJtc Study of Gaelic Place Names. 1 1 
 
 in the old writings and in modern pronunciation, 
 must necessarily vary in different parts of the 
 country; and it is hard to say in every case 
 whether they are phonetic or merely literary — 
 actual changes in pronunciation, or different 
 modes of spelling. I give a few of those which, 
 although not confined to thisdistrict, nor indeed to 
 Scotland, are of most frequent occurrence in our 
 local names. Perhaps first in importance is the 
 loss of the letter / in many names which arc un- 
 intelligible, until the lost letter is restored, — as 
 in Coniecleuch (old spelling Culnacloyth), Co- 
 bairdy (Culbardie), Inveramsa}' (Inveralmassie), 
 Comalegy (Culmalegy), Towie (Tolly), and Ben- 
 dauch (Ballandach). This practice of dropping 
 I's first appears about the year 1 500. (2) Gaelic 
 ill and dh occasionally pass into / and d, gener- 
 ally before a broad vowel, but not uniformly, as 
 in Cairncatta, Botarie, Corncattrach, and Pit- 
 meddan. Th is pronounced as in English in 
 more than one half of the Gaelic names in which 
 these letters occur. (3) The terminals did and 
 cht change into th, and again harden into /, as in 
 Lechnocht, Lechnoth, and Lechnot, now Light- 
 not. (4) The letter t is occasionally dropped, as 
 in Alsperit (allt), and Alnapuddoch {allt). (5) 
 The letters d and t are sometimes affixed after 
 n and /, as in Foudland (old spelling Foudleine), 
 Tarland (Terlane), Drummond, Drumgowand, 
 Drumduand, and Tillytarmont (Tillytarmon). 
 
1 2 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 (6) The terminal ach is very frequently changed 
 into a, 0, and ie, or hardened into k, as in Durna 
 and Durno (old forms Dornach and Durnach), 
 and in Edinglassie (eudan-glasaich). The change 
 to k is very common — Auchinhannock, Drum- 
 shallock, Shevock, Haddock, Edendiack, &c. 
 
 (7) In many names m in modern spelling has 
 been substituted for n in the old forms, as in 
 Auchmacoy, Balmakellie, Criechmaleid, Cloch- 
 macriech, Dumbennan, and Kemnay. (8) The 
 eclipse of Gaelic ^ by ^ appears occasionally, as 
 in Auchnagatt and Candyglerioch. (9) Aspirated 
 c (ch) becomes English k, and gives us such 
 forms as karn, horn, harnie, Itarrie, and hill. 
 (10) As a terminal, ie is frequently used without 
 any apparent meaning in such names as Inver- 
 nochtie and Invermarkie ; but it must be observed 
 that ie may not be in all cases a terminal, and 
 may really represent part of a word. (11) The 
 change o( ch to /is not uncommon, and appears 
 in Drumferg, Drumfall, Ordiquhill (pron. full), 
 and Pitfancy (Pitquhincie). (12) The addition 
 of English plural s to words ending in c (k) and 
 ch, gives us the modern forms Toux, Knox, Brex, 
 Brux, Bruxie, Thorax, Quillquox, and Rouex. 
 (13) The prefixing of i- appears in Skillymarno, 
 Skilmafilly (Kilmathillie), Skilmuir (mor) and 
 Skilmanae. (14) The eflfects of the article, and 
 of the aspirate, as fully illustrated by Dr. Joyce, 
 are noticeable in many of our local names. 
 
On the Study of Gaelic Place Names. 1 3 
 
 Most of these corruptions may have occurred in 
 post-Gaelic times, probably through English 
 speaking people transferring into their own 
 language Gaelic words found in old writings. 
 
 If we accept Dr. Joyce's opinion literally, 
 that, in the interpretation of place names, ' it is 
 not only useless, but pernicious to indulge in 
 conjecture where certainty, or something ap- 
 proaching it, is not obtainable,' we, in Scotland, 
 may at once give up the study. Perhaps what 
 is meant is, that it is ' pernicious ' to give con- 
 jectures as final conclusions, and there can be no 
 doubt about that ; but even with regard to Irish 
 names there must have been a conjectural stage 
 before certainty was arrived at. The greatest 
 difficulties I have found in the way of reaching 
 absolute certainty are — (i) That names which 
 appear descriptive, even in the oldest forms we 
 can reach, may have been originally personal 
 names, or may have a double meaning applicable 
 to persons and places. Echt, dornie, erne, bolgyn, 
 mellan, beann, musk, and cian, with not a few 
 besides, all form part of local names ; but in 
 Ireland the whole of them appear as personal 
 names, forming part of place names. (2) There 
 are names which appear to me. to contain frag- 
 ments of older names, the meaning of which may 
 have been lost to those who re-cast the names 
 into the common speech of their own times. 
 (3) There are many names having widely differ- 
 
14 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ent English meanings, but which neither our 
 records, traditions, nor the natural features of 
 the place enable us to determine the exact 
 application of the name originally. And, (4) The 
 references to not a few names leave us in doubt 
 if we have reached the oldest forms, although the 
 names may appear as early as the 13th or 
 14th centuries. Now there are difficulties of 
 some sort common to every branch of study, and 
 those which give rise to uncertainty about local 
 names may be purely personal, local, or tempor- 
 ary. Investigations in other parts of the country 
 will certainly cast further light on names which 
 are presently obscure, and as yet the subject has 
 only received serious attention in a few districts 
 throughout Scotland. It is therefore premature 
 to say what may, or may not, be accomplished ; 
 but it appears to me that there must be much 
 preparatory research by individual students, in 
 compiling lists of names, with their old forms, 
 and suggestions as to their meaning, based on 
 local knowledge, before it is possible to under- 
 take a comprehensive work on the place names 
 of Scotland, with any hope of success. 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 1 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NAMES OF HILLS AND RIVERS. 
 
 •YTIOST of the hill names in this district have 
 J become more or less corrupted, and it seems 
 almost impossible to discover the original forms, 
 in the absence of written evidence. Names of 
 hills and rivers are rarely mentioned in old 
 charters, but sometimes they occur in ecclesias- 
 tical records. Previous to the Reformation, 
 disputes frequently arose about church lands, 
 which, on appeal to the law, led to the ' peram- 
 bulation of the Marches,' and in the deliverances 
 on these occasions we find here and there the 
 old spelling of a name. Having so few early 
 writings to refer to, it is evident that any attempt 
 to recover the original forms of not a few of these 
 old names must prove unsatisfactory. For this 
 reason, I have grouped together certain of the 
 hill and river names of the district, and the 
 meanings I give are for the most part conjectures, 
 based on such evidence as we have, and future 
 investigation must determine how far they are 
 correct. 
 
 We have no old spelling of the hill name 
 Fourman, the first syllable of which appears in 
 modern writings as fout, for, and fore. It has 
 
1 6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 been conjectured, that the name originated in 
 consequence of four lairds' lands meeting on the 
 top ; but from any such chance circumstance, it 
 is almost certain the name could never have come 
 into popular use as ' The Fourman.' A second 
 conjecture is more plausible — that the name is de- 
 rived from Formartyn, one of the divisions of the 
 county of Aberdeen, which is supposed to have 
 included this hill ; but I think it is probable that 
 the hill name is the older of the two. Previous 
 to the 9th century, the divisions of the county 
 were Mar and Buchan, and Fermartyn (as the 
 old spelling is) was only a thanage, of which the 
 boundaries are doubtful, but almost certainly 
 they did not include The Fourman (Celt. Scot. 
 III. pp. 43 and 250). A stronger objection is, that 
 it is contrary to usage to contract or corrupt such 
 a word as martyn into man, otherwise the name 
 of the division would likely have suffered a simi- 
 lar change. I think the name comes ivomfuar, 
 ' cold,' and monadk, ' a moorish hill.' The name 
 ' Cold Hill ' is most descriptive of the Fourman, 
 which, during a great part of the year, presents a 
 bleak appearance from every point of view. 
 Fuar enters into place names, as in Meal-fuar- 
 vounie (Inverness-shire) the 'hill of the cold 
 moor'; in Fourknocks and Fourcuil (Ireland) 
 the ' cold hill ' and the ' cold wood '; and mfuar- 
 bkeinn, an ordinary Gaelic phrase meaning ' cold 
 hill.' In Fifeshire there are the Formanhills in 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 1 7 
 
 the parish of Leslie ; and at Leuchars, near St. 
 Andrews, the name occurs as Formund, and For- 
 mond. These Fifeshire names may have a 
 different origin ; but it is noticeable that in this 
 county there are more names, which seem to be 
 parallel to those in Aberdeenshire, than in al- 
 most any other county in Scotland. The spell- 
 ings ' mund ' and ' mond ' appear to indicate the 
 derivation monadh, which I suppose to be re- 
 presented in mon and man. Thus we have 
 Kelman (hill), Mormond, Moncrieffe, and Mon- 
 trose (Monross). In the old writings mon and 
 man are frequently interchanged, as in Monecht, 
 also given Manecht ; Eglismonichto, Eggisman- 
 ichto ; Monar, Manar ; Mowny, Many ; Mona- 
 wee, Manywee ; Balmonthe, Salmon, Balmanie ; 
 Monbeen, Manbeen ; and Monelly, Manelly. 
 With such examples as these, taken from authen- 
 tic documents, I think I am right in holding 
 that man, in these north-eastern counties, often 
 represents mon, the acknowledged contraction of 
 monadh, a ' moorish hill.' 
 
 Adjoining the Fourman is the estate and 
 mansion house of Cobairdy, which originally 
 took the name from the hill, so called. The 
 old spelling is Culbardie (1596, Spald. CI. Mis. 
 IV., 155). tr«/ means a 'hill back,' and bardy^zs, 
 different meanings. In such a name it might 
 signify an ' enclosure,' and Culbardie might thus 
 be the ' hill back of the enclosure,' that is, around 
 c 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the homestead. Bard is, however, in place names 
 generally rendered ' bard ' or ' poet,' although the 
 association with our bare hills is somewhat odd. 
 Knockenbard (cnoc, 'a hill'j, parish of Insch, may 
 also mean the ' hill of the bard.' 
 
 I have not found a single reference to the 
 Battlehill in any old document, nor have I found 
 any other name which could have been used to 
 designate the hill, unless, perhaps, Thorneywraes, 
 now Thorneybrae. 
 
 The Ba'-hill is supposed to have been a resort 
 in old times of those who played ' foot-ba',' and 
 therefore came to be known as the Ba'-hill, but, 
 I think, there can be no question, this conjecture 
 is purely fanciful. It is hardly possible to im- 
 agine a more unsuitable place for such a game. 
 There is not a bit of level ground throughout the 
 length or breadth of the hill, or in its neighbour- 
 hood ; and the tradition — if it is old enough to be 
 called a tradition — is scarcely worth considering. 
 
 Ba'-hill may occasionally be a contraction of 
 Bal-hill, ' the hill of the baile' or town ; and per- 
 haps this may be the origin of Ball-hill at Auch- 
 macoy, near Ellon. In the present instance, so 
 far as the records indicate, the neighbouring 
 farms in Gaelic times seem to have been small 
 holdings, none of them of sufficient importance 
 to give a name to the hill. It is probable the 
 name, as it appears in Drumblade, is derived 
 from beitk or beatk, 'birch' and choille, a 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 19 
 
 ' wood ' — hence ' birch-wood.' So Joyce gives us 
 in ' Irish Names ' leamhchoill, (pron. lavwhill) 
 ' elm-wood ' ; eochoill (ohill) ' yew- wood ' ; collchoill 
 (culhill) 'hazel-wood'; and creamhchoill (crav- 
 whill) ' wild garlic wood.' Beith is pronounced 
 beh, but the tendency in this district is to broaden 
 the vowel sounds, as will be shown further on. 
 
 Immediately adjoining the south side of the 
 Ba'-hill is Birkenhill, an old name occurring in 
 the Register of Moray in 1 367. My impression 
 is, that the name of this farm is a translation of 
 the neighbouring hill-name, and was probably 
 borrowed at the time when Gaelic was still 
 understood in the district. On the opposite 
 side of the hill is a spring, which, I am told, has 
 been called, ' from time immemorial,' the ' Birk 
 Wallie' (birch- well), although the country people 
 have no idea why it is so called. 
 
 At no great distance from the Ba'-hill is the 
 farm of Corvichen, the old forms of the name, in 
 1541, being Crevechyn and Crevechin (R.M.S.). 
 Some years later, the name is given several times 
 Crevethin, which is only a difference in form — ch 
 and th being about this time frequently inter- 
 changed according to the caprice of the writers. 
 Crevechyn, I think, represents the Gaelic crioch- 
 bheitheachain, which is pronounced nearly the 
 same as the English spelling, and the meaning 
 is 'the end or boundary of the birchwood,' in- 
 dicating that the natural birchwoods in old times 
 
20 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 covered a considerable extent of the land now 
 cultivated or planted. Crioch becomes cri and 
 ere in place names, as in Crimond, old form 
 Creichmount (A.D. 1458, R.M.S.). We can follow 
 the changes in the old spelling of Crevechyn 
 from ere to era, ear and eor — the last being the 
 present form. Beitheach is a derivative of beith, 
 and signifies a ' birchwood.' The diminutive an 
 is used as in the common Gaelic name Guisachan, 
 a ' firwood.' So Joyce gives Kiltalaghan, Kiltil- 
 lachan, and Kilsallaghan, all meaning the ' wood 
 of the sallows,' and he explains, — ' in these three 
 names there is a combination of the adjective 
 termination aeh, and the diminutive an' (Irish 
 Names, II., 358). In this county we have also 
 the names Tornavethyne, sometimes written 
 Tornavechin, ' the hill of the birchwoods,' and 
 Culnabaichan, * the back of the birchwoods.' In 
 Morayshire is Beachans, which is given in the 
 old writings Beachan. At Aviemore, Strathspey, 
 is Loch Va, and in its vicinity is Kinveachie, 
 understood in the locality to mean ' the head of 
 the birchwood,' and which in fact it is. A name 
 in the parish of Keith-hall, from the forms in 
 which it occurs in the old documents, shows the 
 broadening of the vowel sound into ba — Bal- 
 bithan, Balbethan, and Balbathan. Fifeshire 
 also gives us Balbeth, Balbethy, and Balbathy. 
 All these names, I think, are derived from the 
 same root as Ba'hill and Corvichen. 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 21 
 
 The Clashmach has hitherto refused to yield 
 up the secret of its name, and I fear it will re- 
 main a mystery, as we have no knowledge of its 
 old form. There is no doubt that the first syl- 
 lable is dais (pron. clash) a 'furrow'; the difficulty 
 is in regard to the second. It has been suggested 
 that mach represents imic, a ' pig ' {clais-muic) ; 
 but muic does not pass into mach, the final c re- 
 maining hard, as in Loch Muick, and Beinn- 
 muic-duibh. Again, maitheach, a 'hare,' has 
 been proposed (clais-maithich), but the English 
 change would probably be may or may, as in Irish 
 names. Clais-mullaich has also been suggested, 
 and 'the furrow of the ridge' is no doubt the 
 distinctive feature of the hill ; but I have not 
 discovered a single example of mullach becoming 
 mach, though such a change is possible. Tul- 
 ach frequently becomes Touch and Tough, but 
 the loss of one / is much more common than 
 the loss of two. Mach may be a different 
 form of magh, as in Garmach, Pitmachie, Dun- 
 machie, and Mauchline. Magh means a ' plain ' 
 and also a 'battlefield,' and in this secondary 
 meaning it may be used here. Tradition points 
 out three battlefields immediately behind the 
 Clashmach, and the whole country is dotted over 
 with cairns and mounds, which are believed to 
 be the sites of contests. There is nothing im- 
 probable in the supposition that a battle took 
 place at, or near to, this furrow on the ridge of the 
 
22 Place Names in Strathhogie. 
 
 hill, which is on the line of the old road from the 
 Highlands, and that the name Clais-magha, the 
 ' furrow of the battlefield,' commemorated the 
 event. All these suggestions as to the meaning 
 of Clashmach are purely conjectural, and none of 
 them satisfactory. 
 
 Behind the south end of the Clashmach is the 
 Kyehill, a name suggestive of the Scotch word 
 kye (cows); but this hill grows nothing but 
 heather, and is most unsuitable for cattle of any 
 kind. The name probably represents the old 
 Gaelic caedh, a ' quagmire ' or ' morass,' and these 
 marshy spots are found here and there all round 
 its base. Evron Hill appears in the map, but 
 the proper spelling is Averin or Aiverin, the 
 popular name of mountain bramble or cloud- 
 berry (Rubus Chamcemorus). 
 
 Wisheach (Gartly) comes from uisge, ' water,' 
 and the terminal ach ' abounding in,' the name 
 thus meaning ' the watery hill,' which was more 
 truly descriptive before the moss was exhausted 
 than it is now. A similar name appears in 
 Strathdon, applying also to a hill, and is given 
 in the Ordnance Map, Usige-Each. The Mel- 
 shach, although often spoken of as a hill, is 
 properly a moor or moss lying between hills. 
 The name seems to be derived from meall, a 
 'lump or hump', and skac/i, a terminal meaning 
 ' abounding in.' 
 
 The hill of Foudlann, I think, takes its name 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 23 
 
 from the glen or glens so called, and means the 
 hill of ' the long glen.' The first syllable, Foud, 
 certainly comes ixovafada, 'long,' contracted in 
 place names into fad and fod, both of which 
 occur in the spellings of Foudlann, though we 
 have none old enough to determine with certainty 
 the original form. Gleann, a ' glen,' often loses 
 the aspirated ^ f^/^J in combination, and becomes 
 lann, or linn. This loss of gh is common in 
 Ireland, and in our own Highlands. Even with- 
 out aspiration, g occasionally is lost by contrac- 
 tion, as in Corinacy {q.v^. In English the same 
 change occurs, as in the Christian name Mag- 
 dalen, contracted into Maudlin. I think this 
 application of the name to the glen is probably 
 correct, because, while the hill is without any 
 strongly marked natural feature, the Glen of 
 Foudlann has been known to all travellers as the 
 most difficult and dangerous part of the road 
 between Aberdeen and Inverness. No doubt it 
 merited the same evil repute in ancient times, as 
 there are still traces of old roads over the shoulders 
 of the hills, most likely used when the lower road 
 was impassable. It is also apparent that the 
 name does not apply originally to the hill, 
 because, natives speak of the hill of Foudlann, 
 not of The Foudlann, as they do of The 
 Wisheach, The Melshach, or The Clashmach. 
 It is also common to speak of the Foudlann 
 Hills, and the hill-range of Foudlann, and prob- 
 
24 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ably this usage has come down to us from the 
 time when the meaning and appHcation of the 
 name were clearly understood. 
 
 The two outlying hills of the Foudlann range 
 are Tillymorgan and the Hill of Skares. Mor- 
 gan is evidently a personal name, and a very old 
 one we know it is, from the mention of the Clan 
 Morgan in the Book of Deer. Tillymorgan 
 might mean Morgan's hillock, but the hill is 
 1 243 feet high, and so far as I have observed this 
 is an unusual height for a tulach in these north- 
 eastern counties. It is therefore probable the 
 name may have been Teaghlach Morgan, 'the 
 dwelling of Morgan,' originally applying to the 
 'camp' or 'dun' on the south-eastern shoulder of 
 the hill. A charter of 15 10 confirms this con- 
 jecture as it gives Knockmorgan, (Morgan's hill,) 
 as the name of the hill, which is no doubt the 
 proper form. From the dun, or fort, the name 
 Tillymorgan probably passed to the hill, now 
 commonly called in the district the Hill of 
 Culsalmond. The hill immediately adjoining is 
 the Hill of Skares, that is St. Sair's, or properly 
 St. Serfs (St. Servanus). This name, as applied 
 to the hill, is comparatively modern, and the old 
 name, Culmeadden,is almost forgotten. Culmead- 
 den is a slightly changed form of cul-meadhoin, 
 'the hill-back of the middle,' or the 'middle-hill,' 
 that is the hill between Tillymorgan and the 
 hill of Foudlann. 
 
Names of Hills and Rivets. 25 
 
 Culsalmond is mentioned in a Bull of Pope 
 Celestine III., of date 119S, confirming to the 
 monastery of Londores all its possessions and 
 privileges, and the name is there given Culsamiel. 
 Three years later, at the request of the Convent, 
 Pope Innocent III. issued another ' Confirmation 
 of Privileges,' and Culsamiel now becomes Cul- 
 samuel, in which form it continues in the records 
 of the abbey for more than 200 years (Spal. CI. 
 Ant. IV., 501 ; and Earldom of the Garioch, 
 p. 25). Documents of such an early date might 
 be supposed to give with certainty the original 
 form of the name, but it will be observed that 
 they were written in Rome, probably by a scribe 
 who knew nothing of Scotch names, and who 
 certainly has blundered with several others he 
 has mentioned. Further, if Culsamiel, or Cul- 
 samuel, was supposed to commemorate some 
 person, as a place name it is neither Gaelic nor 
 English, nor a good hybrid, and I think we are 
 safe to reject these forms as unreliable. Cul- 
 salmond appears in a ' Decreet,' of date 1446, as 
 Culsalmonde (Spald. CI. Mis. V., 285), and the 
 name has remained so till the present day, al- 
 though the common pronunciation is Culsimon. 
 If Culsalmond is the true form it may mean the 
 ' back of the hill-foot,' cul-saile-mon (monaidh). 
 
 Bennachie is one of the most prominent hills 
 seen from any of the heights in Strathbogie, and, 
 in interest, is second only to the Tap o' Noth. 
 
26 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Although it is beyond my limits, the name is 
 tempting, because there hangs a mystery about 
 it one would like to penetrate. The earliest 
 references I have found are in charters of 
 Thomas, Earl of Marre and Lord of Garuiauche, 
 of dates 13SS-7 and i359(Spald. CI. Ant. I., 537, 
 and IV., 716). In the former we have Benech- 
 key, and, in the latter, Benchye. These two 
 charters, written so near the same time, and 
 probably by the same hand, may be taken as 
 correcting each other in the spelling, which 
 practically represents the common pronunciation 
 in our own day. The popular notion is that the 
 name means the ' hill of the paps,' which may be 
 appropriate as an English descriptive name, but 
 cannot be a translation of Bennachie. This is 
 the opinion of our best Gaelic scholars. 
 
 I think it is possible that Bennachie embodies 
 a personal name, or the name of a family or 
 tribe — Beinn-na'-che, or perhaps Beinn-o' cJie, the 
 hill of the Che, or descendants of Ce. A histori- 
 cal connection is possible, although extremely 
 conjectural. In the Pictish Chronicle we are 
 told that Cruidne, king of the Picts, divided 
 among his seven sons the country north of the 
 Forth and Clyde ; and Dr. Skene identifies five 
 of these divisions in Fife, Athol, Fortreen, 
 Mearns, and Caithness, which appear to have 
 been named after their respective rulers (Celt. 
 Scot. I., 185). These five divisions do not. in- 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 27 
 
 elude Mar, Buchan, and Moray, and it is possible 
 that part of the north-eastern counties fell to Ce, 
 one of the sons, whose descendants may have 
 settled in the Garioch. Whatever of truth there 
 may be in this conjecture, it appears that par- 
 ticular places and districts occasionally derived 
 names from individuals or families of influence, 
 and it is possible that some one of the name of 
 Ce, whoever the person may have been, was 
 commemorated in the hill-name Bennachie. 
 
 The Tap o' Noth is the most remarkable hill 
 in Strathbogie, partly because it is the highest 
 (1851 ft), and differs in its conical form from the 
 surrounding hills ; but chiefly because it is 
 crowned by the most perfect vitrified fort now 
 remaining in the country. 
 
 The name has given rise to much guessing 
 as to its origin and meaning, and perhaps we 
 shall never reach absolute certainty about it. It 
 has been conjectured that Noth is a personal 
 name, and only another form of Nuath, who is 
 represented in Ossian's poems as a Pictish chief 
 living near the dark rolling stream of the Duv- 
 rana. We have no evidence, however, that Nuath 
 was other than a purely imaginary personage, or 
 that Ossian knew anything of the Deveron, or 
 indeed that the poems in which these names 
 occur are older than MacPherson's time, as we 
 have them only in English. However this may 
 be, I am not inclined to attach any value to a 
 
28 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 similarity of names in a poem, particularly as Noth, 
 in its present form, is only about 300 years old. 
 
 Sometimes we have the name written Top o' 
 Noth, generally Tap o' Noth, and occasionally 
 Top o' Noath. The local pronunciation is Tap 
 a' Noth (Noth, short), and the Gaelic form may 
 be Taip-a-nochd, with the meaning ' hill of obser- 
 vation or hill of the watching,' from nochd, 
 'showing or revealing.' Taip means a 'conical 
 hill,' and perhaps we have it in this sense in Tap 
 Tillery, a hill name in the county (Deer). 
 
 If I am right in assuming Tap to be Gaelic, 
 there is nothing of vulgarity in speaking of the 
 Tap a' Noth, and it would be improper to speak 
 of the Top o' Noth in the English sense of top, 
 because the name is undoubtedly applied to the 
 entire hill, not to a part of it. The common 
 usage of the district cannot be overlooked, and 
 the natives uniformly speak of the ' head of the 
 Tap,' and the ' foot of the Tap.' It is difficult to 
 see how an expression such as the ' head of the 
 Tap ' could have become established over a wide 
 district if it has no other signification than the 
 ' top of the top.' The hill really appears a sepa- 
 rate and distinct hill, not merely a point of a 
 range. Only on one side is it connected with 
 the hill of Noth by a narrow ridge, a consider- 
 able depression lying between the two hills, while 
 on all other sides the Tap rises like a cone from 
 the surrounding glens, without any other hill 
 
Names of Hill and Rivers. 29 
 
 abutting upon it. The meaning I attach to Tap 
 is no doubt conjectural, and the word may be 
 broad Scotch ; but, if so, it follows that Tap 
 o' Noth is modern, and that no old distinctive 
 name has come down to us of this remarkable hill. 
 
 In ' Irish Names of Places ' we have the 
 word in the form tap, meaning ' a round mass or 
 lump,' and with various terminals it appears in 
 the names Topped, Tapachan, Tappadan, Top- 
 pan, and Taplagh, all meaning a round hill, or a 
 place of lumps or masses (Vol. II., 16). 
 
 Noth is of frequent occurrence in place names. 
 Had it been solitary, we might have suspected 
 an association with some person or event of 
 which we have no record ; but the localities in 
 which the word is found are too numerous, and 
 too far separated, to warrant such an idea. In 
 Strathdon we have Invernochty, and in this form 
 we find it in 1275 ; 80 years later it is Inver- 
 nochy, and for nearly a century it is Invernothy, 
 afterwards reverting to Invernochty (Reg. Ep. 
 Abd.). Near the confluence (inver) of the 
 Nochty and the Don is the ' Dun,' or fort, on the 
 top of a low conical hill, commanding an ex- 
 tensive view of the Don valley. In the Garioch 
 appears, in 1494, the name Rothnoth, ' the fort 
 of the lord of the West Hall,' but I have not 
 discovered the locality (Rothney?). On the 
 coast of Gamrie there is a place called Lightnot, 
 which is given in the records of the Abbey of 
 
30 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Kinloss, Lethnoth, and sometimes Lethenocht 
 and Lechnot. There was a fort in the neighbour- 
 hood immediately behind the cliffs, and there 
 may have been a particular rock called Leac- 
 nochd, from whence a lookout seaward was kept 
 against foreign invasion. At no great distance 
 from the extensive hill-forts of the Caterthuns, 
 Forfarshire, is a place called Balnuth, and in 
 older writings Balnucht. All these names show 
 the change from the Gaelic terminals chd and cht 
 to th, a change of which we have many examples 
 in all parts of the country. It is certain that 
 Tap o' Noth has also undergone this change, as 
 we find in a charter of 1545 (r.m. S. 3103) the 
 name given twice as ' Noucht,' but this fact only 
 shows that Tap o' Noth may possibly mean the 
 'hill of observation.' 
 
 In such a name as Tap o' Noth we naturally 
 expect to find a meaning connected with the fort, 
 and perhaps descriptive of it or of its situation, 
 but the name may have belonged to the hill long 
 before a fort was erected upon it. It is possible 
 that it may simply mean ' the conical hill of the 
 breast,' that is the breast of the hill or range of 
 hills. Uchd frequently enters into hill names 
 both in this country and in Ireland, and Dr. Joyce 
 gives the suggestive example, Doonanought, 'the 
 fort of the breast, i.e., built on the breast of the 
 hill' (Vol. II., 429). If this is the root, then it 
 appears the n of the article has been transferred 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 3 1 
 
 to its noun, thus permanently forming part of 
 the word ' noucht' 
 
 I do not think we can say, with certainty, 
 which of these meanings is most likely correct. 
 Neither of them may represent the original idea 
 embodied in the name ; either of them appears 
 to me possible, but I prefer the second, because 
 the simplest explanations, as a general rule, are 
 most reliable. 
 
 We have no old references to the Bogie, but 
 the charters and ecclesiastical records, from the 
 beginning of the 13th century to the i6th, fre- 
 quently give us the old forms in designating the 
 lands and barony of Strathbolgyn or Strath- 
 bolgy. In the Chartulary of St. Andrews is an 
 apparently earlier reference, in the grant of the 
 lands of Bolgyne to the Culdees of Lochleven, 
 by Macbeth, in the early part of the nth cen- 
 tury. This grant, however, really applies to the 
 lands of Bolgyne in the parish of Markinch, 
 Fifeshire (Laing's Appendix I. to Wyntoun, Vol. 
 III). There can be no doubt the old name of 
 the stream was Bolgyn, and in Strathspey the 
 Gaelic pronunciation is Stravalagyn or Stravola- 
 gyn. The root seems to be bolg, a ' sack or bag,' 
 generally a leathern bag, I suppose corresponding 
 to what in Shetland is called a ' bogie,' that is a 
 bag made from a sheep's skin removed from the 
 animal, from the neck downward, so that the skin 
 is left almost entire. Many Irish names are de- 
 
32 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 rived from bolg, but Dr. Joyce can only conjecture 
 that places so named may have been noted either 
 for the making of sacks, or for their extensive 
 use in farming operations. I would have con- 
 sidered it more likely that the name was given 
 to the Strath from some fancied resemblance in 
 our worn and rounded hills to these bags, were 
 it not that the name appears to belong to the 
 stream. It is the universal custom to speak of The 
 Bogie, or simply Bogie ; but it does not neces- 
 sarily follow that the name is descriptive of the 
 stream. Whatever the association or connection 
 may have been originally, Bolgyn, or Strath- 
 bolgyn, literally means ' the stream or strath of 
 the little sacks or bags.' Of the same class of 
 names are Maghbolg Achadhbolg and Dunbolg, 
 'the plain, field, and fort of the sacks'; and Drum- 
 cliff and Gortnagleav, ' the ridge and field of the 
 baskets' ft/Za^^J (Irish Names Vol. II.). Brogeen, 
 in Cork, means literally a little brogue or shoe, 
 which is quite as indefinite a river name as our 
 Bolgyn. In these cases we do not know, and 
 the wildest guessing will never help us to dis- 
 cover, how such names have originated. 
 
 The earliest notices of the Deveron I have 
 found are in two charters, the first of date 1253- 
 1299, conveying land, in the parish of Marnoch, 
 in which the name is given Duffhern (R.E.M., 
 p. 279). The second charter, of date 1 273, con- 
 veys land in the parish of Turriff, and in it the 
 
Names of Hills and Rivers. 33 
 
 name is Douern (Spald. CI. Ant., I. p. 467). 
 From this time forward, during nearly 400 years, 
 the name appears in charters and other writings 
 in the forms of Dowerne, Dovern, Doverne, 
 Duvern, and Duverne. During the next 200 
 years the old forms occasionally appear, but 
 more frequently the spelling is Doveran, which 
 in recent times has been supposed to be the 
 proper form. For the last 20 or 30 years the 
 spelling has followed the common pronunciation, 
 Deveron, sometimes pronounced as three syl- 
 lables, and frequently as two. The popular 
 idea has been, for a very long time, that Doverne 
 means ' black water,' which it might naturally do, 
 as in this sense the name would be appropriate, 
 and the largest affluent in the upper strath is the 
 Blackwater. I have also found the name apply- 
 ing to a small stream in the parish of Lethnot, 
 Forfarshire. It appears in the map as Differan, 
 but I have not discovered an old form. This 
 burn is also a dark water rising in a moss. 
 
 It appears to me that all attempts to explain 
 Deveron, or Doverne, as meaning ' black-water,' 
 have failed, and so far as I see, the only plausible 
 explanation yet proposed is that suggested by 
 Dr. Joyce (Vol. II. p. 403). He derives it from 
 the obsolete word dobhar, 'water,' diminutive dobh- 
 aran, (bh=v). While this is the only etymology 
 which appears at all possible, it is not without its 
 difficulties. It corresponds only with a modern 
 D 
 
34 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 form of the name, which may indeed be the old 
 form, but of this we have no evidence. Then 
 it seems difficult to understand how a diminutive 
 could have been properly applied to this river, 
 which is the largest between Don and Spey. 
 No doubt the terminal, in some cases, might be 
 explained otherwise ; but it is hard to see how, 
 as forming part of a river name, it could have 
 been used in any other sense. Dr. Joyce's deri- 
 vation of the name can only be accepted by 
 setting aside two of the most important rules 
 I follow, — (i) that the oldest form is most re- 
 liable if the authority is good ; and (2) that there 
 should be a reasonable fitness in the meaning 
 assigned. It appears to me possible the name 
 may mean the ' Black Erne,' but this is only shift- 
 ing the difficulty, as I do not know what Erne 
 means as a river name, though we have several 
 of them in Scotland, as well as the diminutive 
 Ernan. Findhorn appears in old writings as 
 Fyndaryn, Fynderan, and Fynderne (Celt. Scot. 
 I. p. 220; Shaw's Moray, II. p. 152 ; and Reg. 
 Ep. Mor.). The first syllable is generally sup- 
 posed to be fionn, ' white,' which may be appli- 
 cable to the rocky banks, but certainly not to 
 the water, which is among the blackest in Scot- 
 land. If Fyn means ' white,' then we have the 
 ' White Erne ;' but I have never seen any explan- 
 ation of Erne in this connection which appeared 
 satisfactory. 
 
X 
 
 
 1- 
 
 c) 
 
 n 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 
 U) 
 
 <! 
 
 
 a. 
 
 o 
 
 ,«< 
 
 fH 
 
 l-i 
 
 u 
 
 
 Ul 
 
 E 
 
 tn 
 
 H 
 
 
 tti 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 UL, 
 
 
 f;^ 
 
 
 
 
 a. 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 F-H 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 @-4| 
 
 I / 
 
 I ' Vly ^1 
 
 uoiifi4*5aA^ 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE FORT ON THE TAP O' NOTH. 
 
 "^LTHOUGH there has been much discus- 
 J sion on the subject of the Vitrified Forts 
 of Scotland, since they were brought into notice 
 about 1 20 years ago, little real progress has been 
 made in ascertaining the characteristics of these 
 remarkable erections. No solution of the ques- 
 tions to which they have given rise appears to 
 me possible, until each fort has been made the 
 subject of separate study, and the phenomena of 
 the structures carefully recorded. My attention 
 has been directed specially to the fort on the 
 Tap o' Noth ; and although there are parts of the 
 area of the fort and the hill slope not yet fully 
 examined, I give the results of my investigations 
 hitherto, which I trust may add somewhat to the 
 knowledge we already possess. 
 
 My nephew, Mr. F. W. Troup, architect, has 
 prepared for me measured drawings of the fort, 
 laid down to scale, which, so far as I am aware, 
 are the first accurate drawings of any vitrified 
 fort in Scotland. By referring to the plan, it will 
 be seen that the fort is an oblong, rounded at the 
 corners, measuring, from centre to centre of the 
 ramparts, 117 yards long, and 45 yards wide. The 
 
36 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 circumference, also following the centre of the 
 ramparts, is about 270 yards. It will also appear, 
 that the proportion of stones fused into masses 
 is comparatively small ; that a much larger pro- 
 portion is burnt, but not fused ; and that a con- 
 siderable part of the rampart is untouched by 
 fire. All fused masses of stone, wherever found, 
 are shown in the plan. 
 
 By permission of His Grace the Duke of 
 Richmond and Gordon, I made complete sections 
 through the ramparts, and from my observations 
 have arrived at the following conclusions — 
 (i) That the ramparts are a 'rickle' of loose 
 stones, the larger about 18 inches long, 12 inches 
 broad, and 9 inches thick, and these occur in the 
 lower part of the structure, while smaller stones 
 make up the higher part. (2) That these stones 
 are piled loosely together without any attempt 
 to fill up the interstices, or to compact the stones 
 by fitting them together. (3) That in the first 
 section, which was on the east side of the fort, no 
 vitrified or burnt stones appeared in any part of 
 the structure, and that there is no vitrified found- 
 ation, or vitrified wall, underlying these loose 
 stones. The rampart at this point measured 20 
 feet wide at the base, and 12 feet high. This sec- 
 tion was made at a point where no fused or burnt 
 stones appeared on the surface, the inference 
 being, that if a vitrified wall ever existed, it would 
 be found buried under the loose stones forming 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 37 
 
 the rampart. (4) That the second section, which 
 was on the west side of the fort, where fusion and 
 burning were most noticeable, showed precisely 
 the same structure as the first, and that below 
 the surface there was no appearance of the direct 
 action of fire in any part, nor were there any 
 remains of vitrified wall, or vitrified foundation. 
 The rampart at this point was 25 feet wide at the 
 base, and about 6 feet high. (5) That under all 
 the fused masses, stones unaffected by fire were 
 found, presenting in every way the same form- 
 ation as shown by the sections. (6) That the 
 entrance roadway, which is 20 to 25 yards long, 
 2 to 3 yards wide, and at the upper end i yard 
 high, is made up of the same material, thrown 
 together in the same manner as the ramparts. 
 
 From these observations I infer that the 
 vitrifaction is not of design, and formed no part 
 of the original purpose in construction. If it was 
 the intention to bind the material together, even 
 on the surface, except to a very limited extent 
 it thoroughly failed. The action of the fire has 
 split up the unfused stones, and these have in 
 course of time fallen down, undermining the 
 fused masses, which have slipped from their 
 original position, and now appear here and there 
 on the sides of the ramparts. These old fort- 
 builders, judging by the work they actually did, 
 were not likely to rest satisfied with an under- 
 taking half accomplished. It seems to me hard 
 
38 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 to believe that they began to vitrify, and were 
 unable or unwilling to continue the work, unless 
 we can imagine that all the builders of vitrified 
 forts throughout Scotland tried the same experi- 
 ment and failed. 
 
 If the vitrifaction was not structural, the only 
 alternative theory, which to my mind seems at all 
 probable, is that it was incidental, and followed 
 the frequent lighting of ' baile ' or beacon fires. 
 On referring to the plan, it will be seen that by far 
 the larger proportion of fusion or burning occurs 
 on the N.W., W., and S.W. sides of the fort, 
 while the east side shows comparatively little. 
 On the theory of beacon fires this is what might 
 be expected, as an enemy could only have ap- 
 proached the hill from the east by the easily de- 
 fended passes in the glens of Noth and Kirkney, 
 which would no doubt be carefully guarded. The 
 late tradition may represent a much older one, 
 namely, that the enemies most feared came from 
 the Highlands by way of Glenlivet, the Cabrach, 
 and Finglenny. Now it is noticeable that there is 
 more vitrifaction in this direction, that is at the 
 west corner, than elsewhere ; and I imagine the 
 fires may have been used much more frequently 
 and extensively at this point than on any other 
 part of the rampart. This may have been neces- 
 sary to give warning to the inhabitants of the 
 surrounding glens, that from the fort was ob- 
 served, at some distant station, the signal of 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 39 
 
 approaching danger. On the south-west side 
 the fires appear to have occurred in groups, as the 
 plan shows ; and it is possible that these may- 
 indicate an early practice, such as prevailed in 
 the troubled times of border warfare, when, by 
 Acts of Parliament, strict rules were laid down 
 for the transmission of definite intelligence of 
 foreign invasion, by the number and position of 
 the 'baile' fires along the line of hill stations. 
 These conjectures I give for what they may 
 prove to be worth. On such subjects it is not 
 from observations on a single hill fort that any 
 definite conclusions can be arrived at. 
 
 The most southerly spot of vitrified matter 
 faces in the direction of Dunnideer, and the 
 country around ; but this may be purely ac- 
 cidental, and does not warrant us in inferring 
 that communications by beacon fires passed 
 between the forts, though it is probable. It was 
 in regard to this fort of Dunnideer, that Mac- 
 Culloch first suggested, that the stones had been 
 selected and transported from a distance because 
 they were vitrifiable, which the stones of the 
 district were not. Similar opinions have fre- 
 quently been advanced about the fort on the 
 Tap o' Noth. Mr. Charles Proctor, F.I.C., 
 Inland Revenue Laboratory, London, has ex- 
 amined the vitrified matter and the rocks in 
 place, both of Tap o' Noth and Dunnideer, and 
 with his permission I give the tabulated results 
 
40 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of his analyses. Mr. Proctor explains that he 
 has not estimated the amount of iron and some 
 of the other constituents, under the different 
 forms in which they occur in the various speci- 
 mens ; and that he has not estimated separately 
 the percentage of those constituents occurring in 
 very small quantities. For the purpose in view 
 the analyses are amply sufficient, and prove 
 conclusively that the fused and unfused stones 
 of the forts, and the rocks of the hills are 
 identical. How it could ever have been supposed 
 that they were different, or that the rocks of the 
 district were incapable of vitrifaction, I cannot 
 imagine. There is no difficulty, either on these 
 forts, or on any other vitrified fort I have visited, 
 in picking up specimens of the material, partly 
 fused and partly unfused, the stones being vitri- 
 fied on one side, and unaffected by fire on the 
 other. 
 
 In order to test the stones in a practical way, 
 I had specimens of the material of the fort of 
 Tap o' Noth, and of the rocks in place, put into 
 the furnace of a brick-kiln, and at a red heat 
 they were completely fused in fifteen minutes. 
 I also succeeded in vitrifying fragments of the 
 rock in a small greenhouse stove, using wood 
 and peat as fuel ; but my experiment failed with 
 coke, and I found that a white heat merely burnt 
 the stones, but did not fuse them. The extent 
 of fusion, of which the rock is capable, appears 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 41 
 
 in a small specimen which I have of the vitrified 
 matter of the fort, showing a sharply defined im- 
 pression of the end of a log of Scotch fir. The 
 tree seems to have been cut as any forester 
 would fell a tree in the present day. The seg- 
 ments of the circles indicate a diameter of about 
 18 inches. The log appears to have been long 
 exposed to the sun and weather, as there have 
 been rents in it, and the soft tissues have shrunk, 
 showing the circles very distinctly ; but the same 
 effects might have been produced by heat and 
 partial burning. A similar specimen from the 
 fort in Glen Nevis shows an impression of oak 
 timber, not however very well defined, perhaps 
 owing to the closer grain of the wood. While 
 the stones were in such a state of fusion as these 
 impressions indicate, there can be no doubt the 
 fused matter would sink down through the open 
 spaces and form a solid mass, giving rise to the 
 idea of a ' vitrified core.' 
 
 It was from this notion of a ' vitrified core ' 
 that Dr. John Stuart argued in favour of struct- 
 ural vitrifaction, in his ' Remarks on Hill Forts,' 
 (Proceedings of Soc. Ant., Vol. 1 11.^ p. 151), 
 but so far as concerns the Tap o' Noth, to which 
 he specially refers, my cuttings have entirely 
 disproved his conjectures. Since his time, no 
 evidence has been brought forward of any re- 
 liable kind in favour of this theory ; neither do 
 I think we have yet proved that vitrifaction 
 
42 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 is incidental. Much has to be done by care- 
 ful examination before this vexed question is 
 definitely settled. Hitherto it has stood in the 
 way of any real progress in the knowledge of forts 
 of this class. We know little or nothing of the 
 builders themselves, of the character or uses of 
 their forts, nor of the time when they were erected 
 or abandoned. It maybe too sanguine to expect 
 that we shall ever learn much on these points ; 
 but we have the advantage of dealing with struc- 
 tures which, though more or less wrecked by time 
 and the hand of man, so far as yet appears have 
 never been ' restored,' nor adapted to the require- 
 ments of later times, as the fort of Bennachie may 
 have been. We have, besides, many of the same 
 class, affording means of comparing and correct- 
 ing opinions formed in the study of a single 
 example. There can be no question, I think, 
 that the forts of Knock Farrel, Craig Phadrig, 
 Tap o' Noth, and Dunnideer, were erected at, or 
 about, the same time ; that they were built on 
 the same plan ; and I could even imagine that 
 one mind presided over the erection of the 
 whole. As to their relation with unvitrified forts, 
 such as Caterthun, we have as yet no evidence. 
 
 On examining the mass of stones piled up on 
 the slope of the Tap o' Noth immediately below 
 the ramparts, it becomes more difficult to under- 
 stand what could have been accomplished either 
 by thorough or superficial vitrifaction. One can 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 43 
 
 see that it would be harder for an enemy to scale 
 these piles of loose stones, affording no secure 
 footing, than to climb over a solid mass of vitri- 
 fied matter. For this reason, I think, the stones 
 piled up on the face of the hill below the ram- 
 parts formed one of the best securities the fort 
 had against assault. They do not present the 
 appearance of accumulations of stones fallen from 
 a height, such as are frequently seen at the base 
 of Highland hills. Neither do I think that they 
 are the debris of structures upon the ramparts, 
 nor, except to a limited extent, the material 
 which formed part of the ramparts, because (i) 
 the ramparts are not of a width capable of sup- 
 porting one-tenth of the stones around the upper 
 slope of the hill ; (2) the design in construction 
 of the ramparts evidently was to place the larger 
 stones in the lower part, and the smaller on the 
 top, but the stones of the slope are generally 
 larger than those on the ramparts ; (3) had the 
 stones fallen from the ramparts there was no 
 reason why they should not have gone further, 
 the hill being in many parts as steep below their 
 limit as above; and (4) there is evidence of design 
 in embankments at the foot of the slope, partly of 
 earth and partly of stones, forming a foundation 
 for the stones piled against the face or slope of the 
 hill ; while here and there I noticed large stones 
 at the lower extremity, with smaller stones laid 
 in regular order above them like rude masonry. 
 
44 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 The mass of stones piled on the slope of 
 the hill below the ramparts ought properly to be 
 called a stone-work, which it really is, and the 
 purpose of it is not difficult to understand when 
 we get below the surface. The sections showed 
 clearly — (i) that the ramparts were not built 
 entirely upon the natural summit of the hill, but 
 partly upon the summit and partly on the stone- 
 work of the slope, as shown in the accompanying 
 sketch ; (2) that the stone-work of the slope was 
 
 LOWER SLOPE. C Vegetation) 
 SKETCH SECTION 
 
 Showing Stone worK of Slope 4 Rampart. 
 
 built up as we now see it before the erection of 
 the ramparts, of which it forms in part the found- 
 ation ; (3) that the ramparts and the stone-work of 
 the slope are in fact one erection, and that in 
 construction there is no difference, nor line of 
 division ; and (4) that the stone- work of the slope 
 answers the purpose of a ' retaining wall,' with- 
 out which, had the fort been erected on the 
 
TJie Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 45 
 
 natural summit of the hill, it would have slipped 
 down the face and have become a wreck. It is 
 difficult to say exactly how far the ramparts 
 overlie the hill and rest on the stone-work, be- 
 cause it is probable this varies according to the 
 formation of the hill ; but, judging by the sec- 
 tions, one-third to one-half rests on the stone- 
 work of the slope. 
 
 It is said that at one time there were remains 
 of 'vitrified shelters' within the fort which have 
 disappeared of late years. This statement I 
 think is very doubtful, because, if these 'shelters' 
 existed in recent times, there is no reason why 
 they should have vanished so completely that 
 not a trace of them is left. Although of a totally 
 different character, there were erections of some 
 sort within the fort, and the semicircular found- 
 ations may still be traced abutting upon the 
 ramparts along the east side. At three points I 
 have examined these foundations by digging, and 
 found that they were of the same construction as 
 the ramparts. When the grassy surface is re- 
 moved, they have the appearance of broken down 
 dykes, about 3 to 4 feet wide, and 2 feet high in 
 the middle. Along the west side the surface of 
 the ground indicates similar erections, but they 
 were more irregular in form and arrangement than 
 those on the east side, and cannot be traced with 
 any certainty. Probably a large part of the area 
 was thus occupied with huts or shielings, provid- 
 
46 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ing accommodation for a considerable number of 
 people. 
 
 Within many of our larger hill-forts are 
 ' wells,' which have given rise to some marvellous 
 conjectures as to the source of the water supply. 
 The ' well ' on the Tap o' Noth has led to con- 
 siderable discussion, and writers have tried to 
 explain how a spring could possibly be found on 
 the summit of a hill 9 miles distant from any 
 higher ground. It has been affirmed that water 
 was always found in the 'well,' and that a 
 ' vitrified channel ' conducted the overflow from 
 it ; but the oldest inhabitant in the neighbour- 
 hood informs me that there never was an overflow 
 of water in his time. In the centre of the area 
 within the fort, 2J^ feet below the surface, there 
 is a bed of moss 3 inches thick, and under this 
 a considerable depth of clay, evidently showing 
 that there had been at one time a small loch or 
 pool on the summit of the hill. The bed of moss 
 is confined to the centre of the area, and my 
 diggings showed no trace of it towards the ex- 
 tremities. The traditions about the water supply, 
 and the examination of the subsoil, led me to 
 excavate the ' well,' which was partially filled up 
 many years ago. Within the square ' eye,' which 
 it has been the pious custom occasionally to 
 repair as a veritable relic of antiquity, surface 
 water had collected. On digging down about $ 
 feet, water oozed out from the sides of the cut- 
 
TJw Fort on the Tap d Noth. 47 
 
 ting, and at a foot lower it bubbled up vigorously 
 for a minute or two like a genuine spring, but on 
 piercing the clay and reaching the rock the 
 water collected in the cutting suddenly dis- 
 appeared. I therefore concluded there was no 
 true spring, but that surface water collected in 
 the 'well,' perhaps affording a supply to a moder- 
 ate extent. Further, I was satisfied that no old 
 masonry of any kind now remains in the ' well,' 
 if it ever existed, and that there was rock at a 
 depth of 7>^ feet from the level of the area. A 
 face of rock, 2j^ feet high, was exposed on one 
 side of the excavation, but I was unable to de- 
 termine if the 'weir had been formed by the 
 removal of rock. The original width of the ' well ' 
 was about 8 feet. 
 
 Although no spring supplied this 'well,' it 
 does not follow that the wells of all hill-forts 
 were of the same character. The well within the 
 fort of Finhaven, Forfarshire, may possibly have 
 afforded a constant supply of spring water, as the 
 hill is comparatively low, has higher hills abut- 
 ting upon it, and the well was probably deep. I 
 think, however, Caterthum, like the Tap o' Noth, 
 depended on the drainage of the area of the fort 
 for its water supply, which would be in propor- 
 tion to the greater extent of the fort, and the 
 depth of the well. 
 
 Another tradition of the fort is, that built 
 drains existed for leading off surface water; and. 
 
48 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 selecting an opening which seemed most likely to 
 have suggested the notion, I followed it for some 
 distance, but could discover no evidence of in- 
 tentional construction, and finally it disappeared 
 in the mass of stones. 
 
 It would be unnecessary to refer particularly 
 to the entrance roadway of the fort, were it not 
 that there is a popular notion in regard to Tap 
 o' Noth and other hill-forts, that the roadways 
 have been made in recent times from the 
 material of the forts to allow of carting away 
 stones for building purposes. There can be no 
 doubt a roadway is a special feature in the more 
 important forts. Dr. Christison gives several ex- 
 amples in the drawings illustrating 'The Duns 
 and Forts of Lome' (Proc. Soc. Ant., Vol. 
 XXIII). There is a roadway leading into Craig 
 Phadrig, and on Knock Farrel there is a roadway 
 both at the east and west ends of the fort. The 
 road at the west end is defended or supported by 
 piles of stones on either side ; that on the east 
 end is partly vitrified, and, as appears to me, a 
 projecting part of the rocky hill has been levelled 
 in some way, though I could not detect tool- 
 marks of any kind. I do not believe that stones 
 were ever carted away from the Tap o' Noth, 
 because, although I have seen timber carted 
 by this road into the fort in preparing for the 
 celebration of Her Majesty'? jubilee, it would be 
 a very different matter to cart stones out of it ; 
 
The Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 49 
 
 and even if this could be done the stones are of 
 little use for building purposes. These roadways 
 are certainly part of the original design, and may 
 have been intended for wheeled conveyances. 
 However absurd this conjecture may appear, we 
 have in ' Irish Names,' Duncarbit, ' the fort of the 
 chariots,' and Lisnagar, 'the fort of the cars.' These 
 names may be as old as any of our hill-forts. 
 
 Throughout all these investigations I have 
 not found a single relic of any description of the 
 men who occupied the fort. Stone axes, ham- 
 mers, and balls, and flint arrow heads have been 
 picked up from time to time in the neighbour- 
 hood ; but not even a fragment of pottery was 
 turned up in any of my diggings. Had there 
 been a ditch around the fort I might have been 
 more fortunate ; but anything thrown over the 
 ramparts would either have been lost among 
 the loose stones, or have reached the lower slope, 
 which I did not examine. The area of the fort 
 is exceedingly hard and stony, and it is improb- 
 able that any thing of stone or metal would have 
 sunk much below the surface, on which there is 
 little fresh mould deposited or thrown up. I in- 
 fer that the fort has been gradually disused as the 
 state of society and the habits of the people 
 changed, and that these careful fort-dwellers left 
 nothing behind them of any value. 
 
 The position of the outer rampart or dyke 
 will be seen on the sketch. It extends round 
 E 
 
50 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 two-thirds of the hill, but is wanting on the 
 steepest side. For the most part it is composed 
 of blocks of stone of much greater size than 
 those of the fort. I have seen the statement that 
 this dyke also was .vitrified, but have failed to 
 discover the least mark of fire on any part of it. 
 
 The position of the Tap o' Noth perhaps 
 ought to be considered in connection with the 
 fort. The range of view is very extensive, in- 
 cluding all the higher hills of the Grampians on 
 Deeside, the Cairngorm mountains, the higher 
 hills on the Avon and Spey, a wide range of the 
 low country, the coast of Caithness, the Moray 
 Firth, and a considerable extent of the Aber- 
 deenshire coast. In the old times of almost 
 constant warfare, such a commanding position 
 as this hill affords, would almost certainly be 
 occupied as a station for overlooking the adjacent 
 country, and its natural and artificial strength 
 would make it a safe refuge in times of distress. 
 
 As the result of my observations on the Tap 
 o' Noth, the most important questions which are 
 definitely settled about this fort are — (i) that 
 the ramparts are formed of rough unshapely 
 stones of irregular size, piled together without 
 structural arrangement ; (2) that no vitrified core, 
 or vitrified foundation exists under or within the 
 ramparts ; (3) that the stone-work of the slope is 
 part of the original design, and forms one struc- 
 ture with the ramparts ; (4) that the rock of the 
 
TJie Fort on the Tap o' Noth. 
 
 SI 
 
 hill is comparatively easily fused, and is identical 
 with the vitrified matter of the fort ; and (5) that, 
 so far as my cuttings showed, there are no fused 
 masses except those which are visible, and shown 
 on the plan. 
 
 All cuttings made in the ramparts were at 
 once built up, no vitrified matter was disturbed 
 in any way, and the fort remains in every respect 
 as it was. 
 
 Mr. Proctor's Analyses of the Rocks and 
 Stones of Tap o' Noth and Dunnideer. 
 
 COMPOSITION OF TAP O' NOTH ROCKS. 
 TABLE I. 
 
 CONSTITUENTS. 
 
 A. 
 
 B. 
 
 c. 
 
 u. 
 
 
 74" I 
 107 
 
 147 
 Traces. 
 
 8o-6 
 
 9-6 
 
 9-8 
 
 07 
 
 Traces. 
 
 78-S 
 io'6 
 
 10-2 
 
 17 
 
 Traces. 
 
 79 'o 
 
 1 1 '2 
 
 
 
 lO'O 
 
 
 Traces. 
 
 Manganese Oxide, &c 
 
 Total 
 
 100 '9 
 
 1007 
 
 lOI'O 
 
 1007 
 
 
 
 
 A. 
 
 B. 
 
 c. 
 
 D. 
 
 Silicates of Iron, Lime, 
 
 89-2 
 07 
 
 ^'\ 
 3-6 
 
 92-4 
 
 0-4 
 4-6 
 2-6 
 
 91-4 
 
 0-4 
 2-6 
 
 90-1 
 
 
 o'3 
 
 
 S'o 
 
 
 4-6 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 100 -Q 
 
 loo-o 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 100 "O 
 
 
 
 A. Unburnt stone, b. and c. Partly fused. D. Completely fused. 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 DUNN I DEER ROCKS. 
 TABLE I. 
 
 CONSTITUENTS. 
 
 A. 
 
 B. 
 
 c. 
 
 D. 
 
 Silica 
 
 Alumina 
 
 55-2 
 
 19-2 
 
 6-8 
 
 3 '9 
 
 132 
 
 17 
 
 52-0 
 
 1^3 
 
 2'I 
 20-3 
 
 3-0 
 
 54-1 
 
 l8-2 
 
 8-3 
 
 5"2 
 I2'0 
 
 61 -8 
 20 'O 
 
 Lime 
 
 61 
 
 Carbonate of Lime 
 
 Ferrous Ferric Oxide of 
 
 0-6 
 *io-6 
 
 Magnesia, Manganese, 
 Potash, &c 
 
 07 
 
 Total 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 99-8 
 
 99-3 
 
 99-8 
 
 
 
 A. 
 
 B. 
 
 c. 
 
 D. 
 
 Silicates of Lime and 
 Alumina 
 
 81 -2 
 
 3-9 
 
 13-2 
 
 17 
 
 74'4 
 
 2-1 
 20-3 
 
 3-0 
 
 8o-6 
 5-2 
 
 12-0 
 
 88-1 
 
 Carbonate of Lime 
 
 0-6 
 
 Magnesia, Manganese, 
 Potash, &c 
 
 07 
 
 
 Total 
 
 loo-o 
 
 99-8 
 
 99-3 
 
 lOO'O 
 
 
 
 A. Unburnt stone. B. and c. Partly fused. D. Completely fused. 
 * Ferric oxide. 
 
Dnimblade. 5 3 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DRUMBLADE. 
 
 'IJOR nearly 500 years the parish of Drum- 
 j blade appears in old writings as Drumblait, 
 Drumblat, and Drumblathe. The last is the 
 oldest form of the name I have discovered, being 
 of date 1403 (R.M.S.), and probably refers to the 
 time when the druim, or ridge, running along 
 the centre of the parish was covered with broom, 
 whins, and heather, suggesting in the season of 
 bloom the name, the ' ridge of the blossom,' or 
 ' the flowery ridge,' in Gaelic Druim-blatha. In 
 a roll of the Benefices of Scotland, supposed to 
 be of date about 15 10, the old name of Drum- 
 blade is said to have been Drumglay. I have 
 not been able to confirm this statement, and 
 think it is very doubtful. It would be remark- 
 able if such a change in the name had occurred 
 without any record until the i6th century. 
 
 COCKLARACHY. 
 
 Following the place names grouped within 
 the various estates in Drumblade four or five 
 hundred years ago, I take first Cocklarachy. 
 The oldest record I have been able to discover 
 of this place is of date 1423 (Spal. CI. Mis., 
 
54 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 IV. 127), and the name then appears as Cul- 
 clerochy, which literally means ' the hill back of, 
 or belonging to, the cleric' Similar names de- 
 rived from cleireach, a ' clergyman,' are common. 
 We have in various parts of the country Ball- 
 ancleroch (town), Corrycleroche (corrie), Dal- 
 clerochy (field), Coir-nan-clearoch (corrie), Blair- 
 inclerache (field or plain), Pitanclerach (hollow 
 or town), of which Pitlochrie is said to be a cor- 
 ruption, though more likely a substitute. 
 
 In the old times the Church owned lands 
 in almost every parish in the kingdom, and 
 occasionally even a whole parish, such as that 
 of Grange, the greater part of which belonged to 
 the Abbey of Kinloss, the remaining part being 
 gifted, in 12 19, to the ' Monks of Deir, with the 
 timber in the forest of the Cnoc ' for building their 
 abbey. This was no solitary case, as we know 
 by the Registers of Aberdeen and Moray. 
 
 I think the Church also owned part of Cul- 
 clerochy ; and though it may seem unsafe to 
 argue from a name as to the proprietorship of 
 land, we have precedent for it. In 1391, Sir 
 John of Gordon was appointed arbiter in a 
 case of disputed right of possession between the 
 Bishop of Aberdeen and Forbes of Forbes, and 
 the decision was in favour of the Bishop. The 
 first reason assigned for the award was : — ' The 
 land that Forbes clemys his is called Lurgyn- 
 daspok, that is to say the bischapis leg, the whilk 
 
Drumblade. 5 5 
 
 name was nocht likly it suld haf war it nocht the 
 bischapis.' Similar reasoning in the present case 
 can be supported by other evidence. The 
 charter of 1423, referred to, is granted by Sir 
 Walter of Lindsay, Sheriff of Aberdeen, and 
 conveys one half of the lands of Culclerochy, and 
 the other half is not fully accounted for until 
 after the Reformation. These lands were con- 
 veyed in favour of Alexander Stewart, son of the 
 ' Wolfof Badenoch,' Earl of Mar and Garioch, and 
 known in history as conqueror of Donald of the 
 Isles, in 141 1. It is interesting to find associated 
 with this place, the name of one of the most re- 
 markable men of his time. His connection with 
 the district does not seem to have been merely 
 nominal, as I have had pointed out to me a 
 spring on the hill above Corncattrach in Gartly, 
 called ' The Earl of Mar's well,' probably from 
 some incident during his residence in the locality. 
 He disposed of his half of Culclerochy (1425) to 
 Sir Alexander Seton, who had married Elizabeth, 
 sole heiress of the Gordon honours and estates. 
 This half also passed into the possession of the 
 Church, and in 1557 we have a conveyance by 
 ' Master David Carnegy, rector of Kinnoule, and 
 chaplain of the chaplainry of Saint Mary of 
 Coclarachquhy, founded by the predecessors of 
 George Earl of Huntly, to Master Thomas Keir, 
 of one half the lands of Coclarachquhy ' (Spald. 
 CI. Ant, III. SI 7). 
 
S6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 I have had difficulty in discovering where the 
 chapel, or altar, of this 'chaplainry of Saint Mary 
 of Cocklarachquhy ' was, because, so far as I 
 know, the subject is not mentioned in any pub- 
 lication connected with, or descriptive of Aber- 
 deen. In the ' View of the Diocese ' (Spald. CI. 
 Col., p. 151), it is stated that the altar of St. 
 Leonard's in St. Machar's church, was ' founded 
 by Elizabeth, the heiress of Gordon, who, dying 
 A.D. 1438, was buried there.' Sir Robert Gordon, 
 in the ' History of the Earldom of Sutherland,' 
 says : — ' The i6th day of March the yeir of God 
 1438, Elizabeth heyre of Huntlie and Strath- 
 bogy, died at Strathbogy, and was buried at 
 Nicholas his church in New Aberdene, in the 
 Yle of Coclarachie, which Yle herselff had caused 
 build' (p. 68). Again he mentions this 'Yle' 
 when he narrates that Sir John Gordon of Find- 
 later, son of the Earl of Huntly, after Corrichie 
 (1562), was executed on the Castlegate, Aber- 
 deen, and ' buried in the south side of the Yle of 
 Coclarachie, or our Ladle's altar.' Sir Robert 
 Gordon wrote his history within 70 years of the 
 date of his relative's execution, and it is not 
 likely that he would have given such a particular 
 account of the place of interment without accu- 
 rate information. It is true that Lady Ann 
 Campbell, wife of George, 2nd Marquis of Huntly, 
 having died in Aberdeen, was buried at St. 
 Machar's. Spalding says (Vol. I. p. 90), — ' Sho 
 
Drumblade. 57 
 
 was convoyit to Sanct John the Evangelistis lyll, 
 or bishop Lichtoun's lyll, on the north syde of 
 Maucher churche, and thair bureit with gryte 
 mvrning and lamentatioun. He (the Marquis) 
 maid choiss of this bureall place, and left the 
 auncient and honorabill bureall of his noble foir- 
 bearis and famous father, within the south lyll of 
 the Kathederall Kirk of Elgin, be south the queir 
 thairof, and coft this lyll fra the bischop, minister 
 and elderis of Old Abirdein, to remane a bureall 
 place for him and his posteritie, and quhilk he 
 resoluit to re-edifie for that effect, quhair I will 
 let this nobill Ladie, Dame Ann Campbell, 
 Marchioness of Huntlie rest in peace.' Orem 
 says, the Marquis, 'about anno 1630, bought 
 St. John's Aisle from Dr. Alexander Scroggy, 
 minister of St. Machar's church, and the session 
 thereof, for a burial-place to his family, for which 
 he paid 300 merks .... and upon this account 
 it is now called the Gordon Aisle. There was a 
 dike built, six quarters high, to distinguish it 
 from the church ' (Description of the Chanonry, 
 &c., p. 107). If there had been a previous right 
 of burial in St. Machar's it is not likely that the 
 Marquis would have made this new arrangement 
 without reference to the old right, even if it had 
 lapsed. 
 
 All doubt as to the church to which the 
 chaplainry, founded by Elizabeth of Gordon, be- 
 longed, is removed by the following entry in the 
 
58 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Inventory of Charters, Gordon Castle : — ' iS57. — 
 Charter by the said Thomas Kerr, feuar of the 
 half lands of Cocklarachquhy belonging to the 
 
 chaplainry of the Altar of St within the 
 
 church of St. Nicolas in Aberdeen.' Although 
 the dedication is wanting, the date, and the 
 name and designation of the grantor, connect 
 the chaplainry with St. Nicholas Church beyond 
 all question. 
 
 Subsequent to the Reformation, the whole of 
 the lands of Cocklarachy passed into the posses- 
 sion of a branch of the family of Craig, supposed 
 to be descended from John Gordon of Scordarg, 
 commonly known as Jock o' Scordarg, uncle of 
 Elizabeth of Gordon, already mentioned. These 
 notes about Cocklarachy have nothing to do with 
 the name ; but the next reference we have is im- 
 portant. From the Poll Book of 1696, we know 
 that the boundaries included the croft of Fuitte 
 {feithe, ' wet land, a marsh '), the crofts of Couls 
 {cul, ' a back-lying place '), Newbigging, part of 
 Corsiestone, then called Boghead, Newmill of 
 Cocklarachy, afterwards known as the Lint Mill, 
 and probably the whole of what is now Green- 
 haugh, which is not mentioned in the Poll Book 
 under its modern name. 
 
 This question of the boundary supports the 
 view that part of these lands belonged to the 
 Church, because we find them marching with 
 Corsiestone. The old name of this farm was 
 
Drumblade. 59 
 
 Corsestone, and almost certainly it took its name 
 from a march stone or stones marked with a 
 cors or cross. This was the distinctive mark on 
 these stones to indicate church property. I may 
 give one illustration, taken almost at random 
 from many similar, which meet us at every turn 
 in the old Registers. In 1499, after a perambu- 
 lation of the marches between the lands claimed 
 by the Abbot of Deir and John of Foverne, the 
 arbiters 'gart set up stanis and propis on the 
 heid of the hillocks (named or described) the whilk 
 sail be corsit with mell and chesaile.' These 'cors ' 
 stones appear in all disputes about Church lands, 
 and may have originated some of the corses, 
 which, used alone, or in combination, we have all 
 over the country. 
 
 On the farm of Corsiestone were discovered 
 recently two ' cup marked ' stones, one of them 
 having 4 cups, and the other 1 3, arranged in a 
 semicircle. They are rough 'heathen' stones, 
 and were found at a considerable distance from 
 each other, one partly, and the other wholly 
 buried in the fields. 
 
 CORVICHEN. 
 
 I have already given the derivation of the 
 name Corvichen. The earliest notice I have 
 found of this small estate is in 1541, when James 
 V. confirmed the charter of John Forsyth of 
 
6o Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Dikis, in favour of Sir Thomas Erskin of Brechin, 
 the King's Secretary, of the ' lands of Crevechyn 
 in the lordship of Mar, barony of Strabogy' 
 (R.M.S. 2328). In the same year Sir Thomas 
 exchanged Crevechin with Gordon of Pitlurg 
 for Hiltoun, Kincardineshire (r.m.S. 2349). On 
 the 15th of May, 1548, John Gordoun, son and 
 heir of John Gordoun of Pettemarcus (who 
 was slain in fight with the English in 1547), 
 was seised on a royal precept in the lands of 
 ' Crewethin,' in the parish of Drumblet, now 
 stated to be in the lordship of Strathbogy 
 (Spal. CI. Ant, III. 512). James VI. granted 
 a charter, in 1588, to Sir John Gordon of 
 Pitlurg, of the lands of ' Carwechin,' which then 
 included Cairnhill, part of the farms of Corsie- 
 stone and Iver Peirismylne, the whole of Peiris- 
 mylne and Thornewrays, and he had besides 
 an interest in thirteen other farms in Drum- 
 blade ; all these lands being incorporated into 
 the barony of Kynmundie ; the Reddendo being 
 ' a pair of gilt spurs annually, if asked ' (Spald- 
 CI. Ant., IV. 565). 
 
 The most interesting name mentioned in 
 connection with Corvichen, though in the barony 
 of Drumblade, is Muthillock. It was a naturally 
 formed sand hillock on the farm of Sliach, but is 
 now almost carted away. The name comes from 
 the Gaelic mod, 'a court of justice,' and no doubt 
 courts connected with the land were held at this 
 
Drumblade. 6i 
 
 place, by whom or when tradition does not say. 
 But history does tell us that in the old days land 
 courts were regularly held in the open country 
 in many districts, at places bearing the same 
 name. There was, until recently, at Ellon, 'The 
 Moot-hill,' on which, according to ancient cus- 
 tom, the Earl of Buchan, with the Dempster of 
 Buchan (the officer who pronounced doom), sat 
 to dispense judgement among his vassals, and 
 where the Earls in succession received formal 
 investiture of the Earldom. This place and cus- 
 tom are mentioned as early as 12 14 (Spald. CI. 
 Ant., III. 5). Fordun tells of the 'Moot-hill of the 
 Royal Seat of Scone, where the Kings sitting in 
 their royal robes on the throne are wont to give 
 out judgements, laws, and statutes to their sub- 
 jects.' Many such cases might be given of this 
 custom, associated both in history and tradition 
 with places bearing the name of Moat or Moot- 
 hill. There is a Moat-hill in Auchterless, with a 
 Gallowhill beside it ; another near Peterhead, 
 and many others all over the country, north and 
 south. 
 
 Iver or Upper Piriesmill, in its popular and 
 unofficial name 'The Farm,' is associated with 
 Hugh MacVeagh, an Irishman, who settled in 
 Huntly in the early part of last century, and 
 greatly promoted the manufacture of linen cloths 
 and threads in the district. Francis Douglas, in 
 his 'Description of the East Coast of Scotland,' 
 
6z Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 writing a century ago, says: — ' He built conveni- 
 ent houses, laid out bleachfields, and raised such 
 a spirit of industry in the country, that besides 
 all the yarn that he could manufacture, very large 
 quantities have for many years past been ex- 
 ported to London, Nottingham, Manchester, 
 Glasgow, and Paisley. The North of Scotland 
 owes much to him.' Being tenant of Upper 
 Piriesmill, on which he had established his 
 bleachworks, he was accustomed, residing as he 
 did in Huntly, to refer to this place as ' The 
 Farm,' and the term being adopted by his work- 
 people passed into common use. 
 
 Other tv^o names connected with the barony 
 of Drumblade are mentioned in the Corvichen 
 charter. Westrone is a contraction of Wester- 
 town, and is given in the Poll Book as West-town. 
 Wedderburn takes its name from the burn, some- 
 times written Wadderburn, as it is still occasion- 
 ally pronounced. Probably the name indicates 
 the march burn of the wedders', or wethers' 
 pasture, and is of the same class as Ramsburn. 
 Ramslaid is within 3 miles of this place — laid or 
 lade being occasionally used in the sense of burn, 
 though properly it means an artificial channel, as 
 a mill-lade. 
 
 Torra Duncan is a sand knoll on the farm of 
 Cairnhill, but who is commemorated in the name 
 we have no knowledge. Through the hollow on 
 which this knoll stands, traces of an old cause- 
 
Drumblade. 63 
 
 way or 'Roman Road,' are said to have been 
 discovered many years ago. Probably this was 
 a footway through the marshes extending from 
 Cassiestyle — wherever that place may have 'been 
 — to the present Causeyend. Old farmers tell 
 me of having assisted, in early life, to make or 
 repair such ' causeways ' for the passage of cattle 
 over bogs. Thain's Burn, especially when called 
 'The Thain's burn,' seems an important and 
 suggestive name, and I regret I cannot announce 
 the discovery of an old and forgotten Thanedom. 
 It has really a very humble origin, being named 
 after James Thain, occupying in 1696 a part of 
 Corvichen adjoining this small streaim. 
 
 BARONY OF DRUMBLADE. 
 
 Sliach is now universally allowed to be the 
 place where King Robert Bruce lay sick for a 
 considerable time, before the final struggle with 
 the Comyns at Inverurie. Local tradition is 
 very clear on the point, and we have ' Robin's 
 Height' on Sliach, and 'Bruce's Howe' on the face 
 of the hill beside Bordelseat. Barbour gives the 
 name ' Slevach,' which, I think, there can be no 
 doubt is the Gaelic Sliabhack, ' hilly, or a place 
 of slopes or braes.' It is significant that while 
 the south end of the ridge is called Sliach the 
 west side is called the Brae of Garrie. The 
 name occurs elsewhere in the county. In Strath- 
 
64 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 don is Sleach, and in Glengairn Sliach, and we 
 have Sluie Wood (hill) in Kincardine O'Neil, 
 Slewdrum in Birse, and Sliuveannachie near 
 Ballater. Sliabh (sleeve), a 'hill' is often so much 
 distorted that it is difficult to recognise, as in Sill- 
 avethy, formerly Slawathy ; and in its aspirated 
 form it may become, as in Ireland, lay and ly, 
 but the examples are uncertain except when 
 there is strong local evidence in favour of this 
 root. The Gaelic plural is sleibhte and sleibhtean, 
 which we have in Slaty, or as it is given in the 
 older writings Slatyne. Cf Sleaty in Ireland 
 (Joyce, I. 380). 'The Park' of Sliach, generally 
 supposed to be the site of King Robert's Camp, 
 is more likely to be the ' stance ' of the old 
 market of Sliach. The old conveyances read, — 
 
 ' Sliach, with le Park of the same 
 
 together with four yearly fairs and markets to be 
 holden upon the said Park of Sliach.' 
 
 The New Statistical Account, in noticing the 
 Antiquities of the parish, says, — ' Another tu- 
 mulus, at one time, stood at the north-east end 
 of the same range of high ground that forms at 
 the west extremity Robin's Height, and nearly 
 two miles distant from it. Many still remember 
 it (1840). When opened a number of great 
 stones placed in a circular form were found with- 
 in ; but it is not reported that any of them bore 
 inscriptions. The stones were used for fencing 
 the plantation which now covers the ridge, and 
 
Drumblade. 65 
 
 all trace of the tumulus seems to be removed.' 
 It is very much to be regretted we have not a 
 fuller account of the opening of this tumulus, 
 because there is no one alive who can give 
 us any further information. It may have had 
 some connection with the name of the parish, 
 although the oldest form does not appear to 
 warrant any other meaning than I have given. 
 
 There are six wells of note in Drumblade, 
 some of them are Holy-wells, while two have 
 given names to farms in the parish. Dukewell 
 can scarcely have been connected with any Duke, 
 as sometimes suggested. The name appears 12 
 years after the Marquis of Huntly was created 
 Duke of Gordon, and it would have required a 
 very much longer time for the name of a well to 
 become attached to a farm. There is a tradition 
 that in old times the tenant was bound by his 
 lease to preserve the well and the stones around 
 it, though the reason for this condition is now 
 forgotten. Garrieswell is the ' well of the Garrie,' 
 and Brideswell may have been dedicated to St. 
 Bride (Bridget), though the name may refer to 
 some old custom no longer remembered. Saint 
 Hillery's Well, near the church, is the ' well of the 
 patron saint of the parish,' who was also com- 
 memorated in Tellar Fair, an old market now 
 extinct. The Bishop's Well is on the farm of 
 Cruichie, but who the bishop was is unknown. 
 The ' Chapel Well ' is at Chapelton, at the foot of 
 F 
 
66 Place Natnes in Strathbogie. 
 
 the knoll on which a chapel and graveyard stood 
 in old times. No trace of the chapel now re- 
 mains, and it is not known to what saint it was 
 dedicated. Probably Parsonspool indicates that 
 the Church had claims on the land in the neigh- 
 bourhood, though the explanation given in the 
 district is, that once on a time a ' parson ' lost 
 his life in one of the pools, which were numerous 
 in the marshes, then extending over a large part 
 of the country around. Fifty or sixty years 
 ago they were frequented yearly by wild-geese 
 and swans. No doubt in former times these 
 birds visited the Moss of Monellie, in Forgue, 
 and gave rise to the name Moin-ealaidk, 'the 
 moss of the swan,' a very improbable explanation 
 in itself, but probable enough when taken in con- 
 nection with this statement about Parsonspool, 
 which I had from one who, when a boy, hunted 
 for the nests of these birds among the rushes at 
 the place. 
 
 A charter of 141 3, given in the Register of 
 the Great Seal, casts light on several names of 
 places adjoining those we have been considering. 
 The name Dummuies is very much corrupted, 
 and has no meaning in this form. About 250 
 years ago it appears as Dunmuys, but this is still 
 unintelligible. In this old document it is given 
 Dummullys, and the meaning and fitness of the 
 name are at once apparent, though it has not yet 
 reached its original form. Dummuies contains 
 
Drumblade. 67 
 
 four separate and distinct corruptions, which can 
 be accounted for with certainty. The name 
 comes irom dubk, 'dark,' and mullaichean, 'ridges.' 
 The corruptions in mullaichean are, first in order 
 though not in time, the I's disappear, and this 
 change must have taken place about 1 500 ; then 
 the guttural ach becomes y, a well understood 
 change of which we have numerous instances. 
 Next the Gaelic terminal an is dropped, and it 
 is replaced by the usual English s to signify the 
 plural. I have no doubt this is the true history 
 of the word, and that it means ' the dark ridges,' 
 the ridges stretching N. and S.W. being covered 
 with broom and heather. The farms take the 
 name of the hill. 
 
 To the south of Dummuie Hill is Cairn Cat, 
 which almost certainly is a corruption of Cairn 
 Catha, ' the cairn of the battle.' Formerly there 
 were numerous cairns all over this part of the 
 hill, and many flint arrow-heads have been found, 
 and are still occasionally turned up. Tradition 
 has always pointed out this spot as an old 
 battlefield. The same name occurs about five 
 miles S.W. from Peterhead, in the slightly differ- 
 ent form of Cairn Catta, at a place where there 
 cannot be the least doubt that a battle of con- 
 siderable magnitude was fought in early times. 
 The great cairn, and many of the smaller cairns, 
 have been found to contain stone cists, and there 
 have been frequent finds of weapons and arrow- 
 
Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 heads. In several other cases in this district the 
 word Cat appears in names of places which are 
 supposed to be ancient battlefields. 
 
 The charter of 141 3, to which I have referred, 
 confirmed a family arrangement, by which Mar- 
 garet of the Ard, and her son, Thomas, became 
 proprietors of lands in Drumblade, extending 
 from Dummullys to Kirkton and southward to 
 the boundary of the parish. From this Thomas 
 probably the farm of Thomastown took its name, 
 as it does not occur until after his time. It ought 
 to have a different origin, if it is true, as we are told 
 in 'Words and Places,' by Rev. Is. Taylor, that a 
 colony of Flemings, who settled in Pembroke- 
 shire in 1 1 10, gave rise to a class of names which 
 are found nowhere else in the kingdom. Among 
 others mentioned as examples are Robeston, 
 Johnston, Thomaston, Williamston, and James- 
 ton, all of which we find in this district ; but some 
 of them we can certainly trace to other than 
 Flemish origin. There can be no doubt, however, 
 that Flemings settled here and there over these 
 northern counties as early as the 12th century. 
 A charter of David of Huntingdon, of date 1171- 
 1199, is addressed to all who may see it, 'clerics, 
 laics, French, English, Flemings, and Scots.' We 
 have authentic notices of a colony of Flemings, 
 settled in the parish of Leslie at Cruterystoun 
 (Curtestown), and from them doubtless came the 
 name of Flinders — or, as it is in the old writings. 
 
Drumblade. 69 
 
 Flanders — a farm on the outskirts of the neigh- 
 bouring parish. How far these Flemings affected 
 our place names it is hard to say ; but names do 
 occur, English in sound, but not in construction, 
 which I judge to be neither of Celtic nor of 
 purely English origin. Generally, however, there 
 is not much mystery about these modern names, 
 and little interest attaches to them, even when 
 we find out all that can be known. Take Troups- 
 mill, for example. I daresay it has its name 
 from John Troup, laird of Culmalegy in 1509, 
 a worthy gentleman no doubt, who took his full 
 share in county business, as the old records show; 
 but it is impossible to get up any special interest 
 in respectable common-place people who may 
 have built a mill or farm-steading three or four 
 hundred years ago. 
 
 Two small streams run through the parish, 
 one on either side of the central ridge, which I 
 have supposed first received the name Druim- 
 blatha, or Drumblade. The burn on the north- 
 west side is called in Macfarlane's Geographical 
 Collections (1724) the ' Clough-mough,' and in 
 a description of the Lessendrum marches it is 
 given in the Cockney form of Clock-mack.' It is 
 generally known, and has been for a long period, 
 as the Knightland Burn (pron. Knichtland), a 
 name which I have no doubt connects it with 
 the Knights Templars. References to their ex- 
 tensive possessions all over the country not un- 
 
70 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 frequently occur in old charters and deeds. In 
 I ^66, Ogilvy of Boyne becomes bound to ' seise 
 in life-rent Mary Betoun in the tempill landis of 
 Strathardill in Banfe, and in the tempill landis 
 of Leslie, and siklik in the lands of Auchlevin, in 
 the Sheriffdome of Aberdeen.' No doubt Temp- 
 land, in Forgue, was also part of the Templars' 
 property. To the Knights belonged the church 
 of Kinkell with its six dependent chapels, which, 
 though so-called, were in fact parish churches, in 
 which religious services were provided by the 
 vicar of Kinkell. Of these six chapels Drum- 
 blade was one, and it is highly probable the name 
 Knightland Burn indicates some small property 
 adjoining it which the Knights Templars pos- 
 sessed. I am aware it has generally been con- 
 nected with the Gordons of Lesmoir, who were 
 Knights Baronet, and whose Drumblade property 
 it bounded for a short distance. There can be 
 no doubt, however, that Knightsmill, situated on 
 the Knightland Burn, has its name from the same 
 source, whatever that may have been, and we 
 know that it formed part of Lessendrum long 
 before there were any Gordons in Drumblade. 
 The Poll-Book indicates that 200 years ago this 
 mill had ceased to exist, and only the name re- 
 mained to show that in old times there had been 
 a mill at the place. 
 
 The second burn rises at the base of a small hill 
 or hillock called Ordiesnaught, situated near the 
 
Drumhlade. 7 1 
 
 Aberdeen turnpike road, to the south-east of the 
 Dummuies. The name is slightly corrupted from 
 the QiZ.€i\c Ardan-sneachda, 'the little height of the 
 snow,' and this hill is still spoken of as a place 
 where snow lies long at its north-eastern base. 
 The burn is known as the Burn of Drumblade, 
 but Macfarlane calls it the ' Divvies.' 
 
 Three farms occupy the point of land at the 
 junction of the Knightland and Divvies burns 
 which form the northern boundary of the parish. 
 Cruichie appears in the Lessendrum records as 
 Creiche, which most likely comes from crioch 
 (crech) 'the end or limit,' or perhaps criochan, 
 meaning 'the place of the end,' that is of the 
 land, which here lies into the bend of the stream. 
 The second farm enjoys the musical name of 
 Buglehole, or vulgarly, Boglehole, which may be 
 derived from boglach, 'a boggy place,' a name 
 frequently occurring in the county and through- 
 out the Highlands. It may, however, have 
 originated in some long-forgotten superstition 
 connected with the place. In the parish of In- 
 veresk is a field called the Bogle Hole, which the 
 ' New Statistical Account ' says was ' the selected 
 spot in the dark ages for the incremation of 
 witches.' The third farm is Knightsmill, already 
 mentioned. 
 
 Stoneyfield, foi;merly written Stonefield, de- 
 rives its name from the remains of a Stone Circle 
 on a field beside the farm-steading. About 70 
 
72 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 years ago it was much more complete than it is 
 now ; but the farmer who then became tenant 
 carried away several of the erect stones for build- 
 ing purposes, and others which had fallen over 
 were removed to allow of the cultivation of the 
 ground. This information I have from a resident 
 in the parish, who had it from the farmer himself. 
 The stones are ten in number, very unshapely, 
 and evidently in the natural state in which they 
 were found. Only four of them are standing ; 
 four have evidently been moved to clear the 
 ground, and now lie beside the stones still erect. 
 Other two He where they have fallen. The circle 
 being thus broken, it appears at first sight 
 doubtful if these stones were brought there 
 by human hands, but considering the site, the 
 nature of the stones, and the general appearance 
 of the ground, I think there can be no question 
 about the matter. The circumference of the 
 circle may have been about 55 yards. 
 
 On this farm is a knoll called Thunderknowe, 
 because about 40 years ago, during a storm, a 
 man ploughing in the field was killed by light- 
 ning. This story, which I believe is true, may 
 suggest an explanation of such names as Thunder 
 Craigs, Thunderslap, Thunderton, and not a few 
 suchlike. 
 
 Near to Stoneyfield is the Forle Den (Sc. 
 forle or whorle, a 'wheel or circle'), the name 
 being probably suggested by the bulges or bellies 
 
Drumblade. 73 
 
 formed by the windings of the burn, which in 
 course of time has cut out this singular den. The 
 burn is joined by two smaller streams near Begs- 
 hill, and is then known as the Garlet Burn — 
 Garbh-leac, ' rough flag-stone burn,' which is very 
 descriptive of its channel. Begshill was formerly 
 written, and by old people occasionally pro- 
 nounced Bogshill, from the bogs which at one time 
 spread all over the low ground. The last gener- 
 ation supplied themselves with peats from this 
 hollow which is now well-cultivated land. Coma- 
 legy is given in a charter of 141 3 Culmelegy, 
 which I take to represent Cul-maoil-lagain, ' the 
 back of the bare little hollow.' 
 
 Two curious names have died out in Drum- 
 blade. Blankets may have been a corruption of 
 some such name as Blaket, common over Scot- 
 land. If the change was intended to suggest the 
 amount of comfort in the place, it certainly has 
 not always been realized. Within my own 
 memory one tenant after another has found ' the 
 covering narrower than that he could wrap him- 
 self in it.' Poddocknest may be the nest of the 
 Puttock, Kite, or Glead. Gledsgreen is in the 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 The Ramstone has always been a well-known 
 landmark on the Aberdeen turnpike. In the old 
 times it was reckoned a ' fairies' kiln,' and these 
 clever creatures cut out six steps in this 'heathen' 
 boulder to allow easy ascent to the hollow on the 
 
74 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 top, where the grain was dried. It is a march- 
 stone, probably with reference marks cut in it, 
 and the name is purely fanciful. 
 
 LESSENDRUM. 
 
 An old ' Description of the Lands of Lessen- 
 drum ' is interesting, and gives a few names now 
 almost or altogether forgotten. It is — 'Of old 
 bounded as follows, to wit, beginning at the 
 Cross of Bisset and descending therefrae to the 
 head of the font, and therefrae be the head of 
 the said font to the corner of the fold called 
 the Garrie, and therefrae to the great stone upon 
 Blackblair, descending therefrae to the Clocknak- 
 burn to the passage beneath the shank of Affleck, 
 descending Clocknock and ascending Divvies to 
 the upper end of the haugh of Comestie and 
 therefrae going betwixt Dunlop and Hartin- 
 hillock ascending to the Muirness therefrae to 
 the Wolf Holes, and therefrae to the other Wolf 
 Holes, and therefrae to the first cairn of stones 
 under Lessendrum and therefrae to the nether 
 end of Stoneybalk and therefrae under the great 
 heap of stones and therefrae to the ford of the 
 Water of Torrance ascending therefrae to the 
 Mudmire to the said Bisset Cross lying as above 
 expressed.' 
 
 It is evident that this description of the lands 
 of Lessendrum is a translation from the Latin by 
 
Drumblade. 75 
 
 some one unacquainted with the district. ' Font ' 
 does not appear to have been a word in use in 
 the North, though ' funtain ' is common. This 
 ' font ' is the Garrieswell, a fine spring on the 
 Garrie. Divvies was never the popular name of 
 the Burn of Drumblade, and like ' font ' it has 
 evidently been taken from the Latin original of 
 this document. In the form of '■ divisa' it is 
 common in old writings, and frequently applies 
 to march-burns. Probably in some of these 
 Lessendrum papers Macfarlane found the word 
 and transferred it to his Geographical Collections. 
 Torrance is simply the Latin torrens used in the 
 sense of a 'burn,' and here converted into a proper 
 noun. The Cross of Bisset is said to commemo- 
 rate the death of a man who was shot at this 
 place, whether accidentally or by design is un- 
 known. This is possible, but I must say that 
 'cross' here looks very like a contraction of 
 'crossing' as the place is close to an old road 
 over the hill bounding the lands of Lessendrum. 
 The common form of the name is Bisset's Cross, 
 which may have quite a different meaning from 
 the ' Cross of Bisset ' as given in the 'description.' 
 Dunlop is now represented in Dunlappies, a sand- 
 hillock on the farm of Lessendrum formerly sur- 
 rounded by marshes — hence 'the dun of the 
 pools,' dun-laibean. Lappie is given as a Scotch 
 word meaning a 'pool' Dunlappie is a name 
 found also in Forfarshire. Harting-hillock is no 
 
"^6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 doubt the opposite height — from ardan, 'a height,' 
 or as it is here called a ' hillock.' ' Wolf holes' are 
 popularly believed to have been pits for trapping 
 wolves, or shelters in which hunters lay in wait 
 to shoot them. I think this explanation is 
 purely fanciful, and that these holes have no con- 
 nection whatever with wolves. They were pits 
 dug to indicate the march, as cairns or stones 
 were frequently erected for the same purpose. 
 So in the description of the marches between 
 Murcroft and Scottistown in the Reg. Ep. Abd. 
 
 (I. 245), we have 'and syn doun 
 
 the brou till a mykill pot lyke to be castyn with 
 mennys handis and syne doun till another pot 
 and to the third pot doun in the den.' Again, 
 respecting the lands of Meikledurno, .... 
 ' begynnand at ane gret pote quhilk we maid be 
 cassin with mennis handis .... discendand 
 to other pottis and frae thae pottis discendand to 
 ane faire rynnand wale &c. (r.e.a.,i. 353.) Such 
 pots as these I suppose were afterwards called 
 ' Wolf Holes.' 
 
 The Bissets of Lessendrum, if not the very 
 oldest, are among the oldest families in the 
 county. On the 26th April, 1364, Walter Byset 
 of Lessendrum, as Sheriff-Substitute of Banff, 
 presided at a court held there, in which Alex- 
 ander, Bishop of Moray, obtained a verdict, find- 
 ing that three men, Robert, Niven, and Donald 
 were the natives, and liege-men of the said Lord 
 
Drumblade. "jy 
 
 Bishop and the Church of Moray, and his pro- 
 perty. From the fact that Walter Byset occupied 
 such a responsible position in 1 364, we are safe to 
 infer that he, or his family had been settled in 
 the North for some considerable time, and there- 
 fore that Lessendrum has been in possession of 
 the Bissets for nearly 600 years. Lessendrum 
 means the ' fort ' or ' dwelling of the ridge.' 
 
78 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 GARTLY. 
 
 EARLY HISTORICAL NOTICES. 
 
 ^EFORE taking up the place names in Gartly, 
 I will give a few notes on ecclesiastical 
 affairs previous to the erection of the parish, as 
 these touch on the topography of the district. 
 There are no historical sketches applying to this 
 period, so far as I know, and I have nothing to 
 draw upon for information, except incidental 
 references in the Register of the Diocese, and a 
 very limited number of legal documents, from 
 which a fact here and there may be gleaned. 
 One of these, which might have given useful in- 
 formation on certain obscure names, is, unfortun- 
 ately, among the ' Missing Charters' ; but the title 
 is valuable, because it informs us that Robert I. 
 granted to ' Joannis Paige ane dauoche of land 
 in Strabogie, called Edindovat, in the Sheriffdom 
 of Aberdeen' (Robertson's Index of the Charters). 
 This property was ' in ward ' in 1 348, and is 
 given in the Exchequer Rolls, ' Edyndyvauch.' 
 A davach of land is supposed to have been 416 
 acres. The Latin equivalent of davach is davata, 
 which in retranslation becomes davat and dovat, 
 and I therefore understand Edindovat to be the 
 Latinised Scotch form of the Gaelic Eudan- 
 
Gartly. 79 
 
 dabkaick, now Edindiach, that is the ' hill face of 
 the dauch.' 
 
 In old times there were four chapels in the 
 district now forming the parish of Gartly, 
 viz. : — Heatheryhillock, Tallathrowie, Kirkney, 
 and Bralanknowes. This last chapel is also called 
 'the Chapel of Muiralehouse,' so named from 
 a public-house on the highway southward. 
 I imagine the road at one time lay between the 
 Clashmach and Bucharn, and probably near to 
 it were the chapels of Heatheryhillock and Kirk- 
 ney ; the former, as I judge, a roadside chapel for 
 private devotion. The chapel of Bralanknowes, 
 with which we have presently to do, stood a few 
 hundred yards higher up the hill than Muirale- 
 house, and the graveyard attached to it dis- 
 appeared only about a quarter of a century ago. 
 Now, if I am right in identifying Edindiach as 
 the davach of land in Strathbogie granted by 
 Robert I., in order to make up the number of 
 acres forming a davach, the lands of Edindiach 
 must needs have extended westward and in- 
 cluded the chapel of Bralanknowes ; and local 
 tradition confirms this supposition. But we are 
 not left to tradition or conjecture on the subject, 
 because we learn from the Gordon Charters that 
 in 1630, John, Bishop of Moray, sold the croft- 
 lands of Edindiach to James Gordon, ' at Mill of 
 Gairtly,' and his grandson disposed of the same, 
 now called Muiralehouse to the Duke of Gordon 
 
8o Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 in 1 701. It is thus certain that Edindiach in- 
 cluded the lands of Muiralehouse {i.e., Bralan- 
 knowes), on which the chapel stood. This being 
 so, we would naturally expect that the chapel 
 would have been called 'the Chapel of Edindiach,' 
 and I think originally it was so designated. But 
 here there comes in an element of uncertainty. 
 There were two Edindiachs situated ecclesiastic- 
 ally in Strathbogie, the second being Edindeach, 
 near Keith, and both were included in the Dean- 
 ery of Strathbogie. This, however, is clear — the 
 lands of Edindeach, near Keith, belonged to the 
 Bishopric of Moray a century before, and for 
 centuries after, the date of the charter of Robert 
 I., which almost certainly applied to Edindiach 
 in Gartly. We will further see that the chapel 
 at Edindiach was associated with the church of 
 Drumdelgie, as at a later period the parishes of 
 Gartly and Drumdelgie were united under one 
 vicar, or parson, appearing in the rental of the 
 diocese bracketed together from 1350 to 1565. 
 
 Among the earliest documents we hav^e re- 
 lating to this part of the country are the two 
 agreements, of 1226 and 1232, between Bishop 
 Andrew and David of Strathbolgyn, about the 
 possession of certain lands, in which are men- 
 tioned the churches of Essy, Rhynyn, Kynor, 
 Dunbennan, Buthary, Rothuan, and Drumdelgyn; 
 but there is no reference to the church of Gartly, 
 though there is to one-half davach of land at 
 
Gartly. 8 1 
 
 Dunbulg (Drumbulg) claimed by the Bishop. 
 In the second of these agreements occurs this 
 clause : — ' It is concluded that William, parson 
 of Edendyuy, and Gyllemor, vicar of Buthary, 
 shall hold the lands of Drumdelgyn, and of 
 Rutheuan, and Buthary, even as it is contained 
 in their charters which they have from the 
 Bishop.' It is highly improbable that the par- 
 son of Edindeach, near Keith, would draw the 
 revenues of the parish of Drumdelgie, the parson 
 of which appears to have performed the duties 
 of the chapel of Edindiach, in Gartly. 
 
 Without being absolutely certain, I think it 
 is probable that until the early part of the 
 fourteenth century there was no parish of Gartly; 
 that the chapel of Edindiach, afterwards known 
 as the chapel of Muiralehouse or Bralanknowes, 
 was the principal chapel of the district, and was 
 all but in name a parish church ; that it was 
 affiliated with the church of Drumdelgie parish ; 
 and that one vicar discharged the duties at both 
 places. This view is partly confirmed by the local 
 tradition of the drowning of the Baron's child in 
 the Bogie, on returning from its baptism at Bra- 
 lanknowes, at the place still known as 'Lord 
 John's Pot.' Had there been a church or chapel 
 in the Barony at that time, the family would 
 not have gone to the chapel at Muiralehouse 
 for religious observances. 
 
 About 60 years ago, there were remains of 
 G 
 
82 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 an old churchyard on the farm of Faich-hill, 
 nearly half-way between the Castle and the pre- 
 sent church. It is very probable this was the site 
 of the church of the later Barons, placed within 
 easy reach of their own dwelling, and afterwards 
 removed to the more central position it now 
 occupies. 
 
 I must now give the derivation of the name 
 Gartly. From the year ijoo and downwards, 
 the usual spellings are, — Gartullie, Gartlay, Gart- 
 ley, Gartlie and Gartly. Previous to this date 
 the name is given in authentic documents under 
 twelve different spellings, which, however, are 
 practically three, viz., Garintuly, Garntuly, and 
 Grantuly, and these forms occasionally appear 
 during the first half of the i6th century. Now, 
 there is a Grantully in Perthshire, and the Gaelic- 
 speaking people of the district give, as the 
 original form, Carn-tulaich, 'the cairn of the knoll,' 
 and point out the knoll with its cairn as proving 
 this derivation. The history of Grantully in 
 Perthshire can, however, be traced for at least 
 500 years, and the name never once occurs as 
 Carntully, but always as Garintully, Garntully, 
 and Grantully. I am therefore disposed to think 
 these names have the same origin, and that the 
 Gaelic form is Garadh-an-tulaich (dh mute), 
 which means ' the enclosure of the knoll.' This 
 is the literal meaning, but, like many similar 
 words, garadh also denotes what is enclosed, as 
 
Gartly. 83 
 
 a garden, a dwelling, or ' town,' so that Garntuly 
 may be fairly translated ' the town of the knoll,' 
 or, as we now say, the Hilltown, and we have 
 evidence that the name was so understood. In 
 the ' Retours of Services ' occurs an entry, of date 
 1600, which refers to the ' lands and barony of 
 GartuUie, viz., the dominical lands of Gartullie, 
 commonly called The Hiltoun.' Another Re- 
 tour, of 1638, is more definite, and gives the 
 ' lands and barony of Gartullie, comprehending 
 Mains of Gartullie, commonly called Hiltoune.' 
 ' The Hiltoun' thus appears, nearly 300 years ago, 
 as the popular name of Mains of Gartly, and 
 the remains of the old castle stand close to the 
 farm-steading. This places the meaning of the 
 name Gartly beyond dispute. 
 
 It is probable that the name Garntuly was first 
 applied to the Castle and the grounds around it ; 
 and that one of the barons having built the church 
 in the barony, the name became attached to the 
 church and the parish when the chapels of Bral- 
 anknowes and Tallathrowie were suppressed. 
 Many parishes arose in this way, and the limits 
 were afterwards defined by the Ecclesiastical and 
 Civil Courts. 
 
 THE BARCLAYS OF GARTLY. 
 
 The historical sketches of the Barclays of 
 Garntuly are brief and inaccurate. They are 
 said to have sprung from the Berkeleys of Berke- 
 
84 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ley, in Gloucestershire. When or how they 
 acquired the barony is uncertain, but I have not 
 found any authentic reference to them previous 
 to 1350. They possessed considerable estates in 
 the counties of Aberdeen and Banff, of which 
 latter county they were hereditary sheriffs. 
 From the Acts of the Scottish Parliament, it 
 appears that Walter of Berkeley was appointed 
 Sheriff of Banff by Edward I. in 1305, but I 
 have not discovered to which family he belonged. 
 We can estimate the social position of the 
 Barclays by their marriages into the families of 
 Leslie of Balquhain, Arbuthnot of Arbuthnot, 
 Johnston of that Ilk, Ogilvie of the Boyne, Bar- 
 clay of Tollie, Forbes of Forbes, and Farquhar- 
 son of Invercauld. Alexander Berclay, 3rd 
 baron, is mentioned in the ' Exchequer Rolls 
 of Scotland,' from 1405 to 1434, as recipient 
 of an annuity of ;^5 from the ' fermes ' of the 
 Burgh of Aberdeen. Probably he was born in 
 1 391, as the first payment to himself personally 
 was in 141 2. This annuity he inherited as one 
 of the heirs of ' Richard son of Randolph,' to 
 whom the original grant was made by King 
 Robert I. He appears to have been a dis- 
 tinguished soldier, and received the honour of 
 knighthood in 1426-1433. He fell in the battle 
 of Arbroath in 1446. During his minority his 
 tutrix was Lady Agnes More, wife of Sir Walter 
 of Tulach, cousin of King James I., sister of Sir 
 
Gartly. 85 
 
 William More of Abercorn, and widow of Sir 
 Hugh of Eglinton. This lady regularly granted 
 receipts on behalf of her ward for his annuity 
 until he attained his majority. Evidently he was 
 considered a person of some importance, and the 
 fact of his being an heir of ' Richard son of 
 Randolph,' suggests a connection with the family 
 of Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, nephew of 
 King Robert Bruce. 
 
 Two men of note in their day are claimed as 
 members of this family, viz., William Barclay, 
 Professor of Law in the University of Angers, 
 who died in 1605, and his son, styled 'the famous 
 John,' author of 'Argenis,' and many other liter- 
 ary works. In Man's ' Introduction ' to his pro- 
 jected ' Memoirs of Scottish Affairs,' we are told 
 that William Barclay was a grandson of Patrick 
 Barclay, Baron of Gartly, but he gives no 
 authority for the statement (Gordon's Scots 
 Affairs, Intro. XVII.). So also Dr. Joseph 
 Robertson calls him ' a son of the ancient family 
 of Gartly in Strathbogie' (Spald. CI. Col, I. 82). 
 A newspaper discussion ('Scotsman,' Jan., 1889) 
 on the subject did not add materially to well- 
 known facts ; and it was assumed on slender 
 evidence that William Barclay was of the TolHe 
 family, and ancestor of the Russian Marshal, 
 Prince Barclay de Tollie. Dr. Irving in his 
 ' Lives of Scottish Writers ' (Edin., 1839) says : — 
 ' We are not aware that the descendants of Bar- 
 
86 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 clay are at present to be traced either in France 
 or Italy.' Fifeshire also claims these Barclays 
 as belonging to Collairnie, but it appears to me 
 there is not yet sufficient evidence brought for- 
 ward to determine between these conflicting 
 claims. The only semblance of proof we have is 
 in favour of Tollie, because there can be no 
 doubt that William Barclay was born at Cullen 
 in Gamrie, which, in his time, belonged to the 
 Tollie family, though it was formerly the pro- 
 perty of the barons of Gartly. 
 
 Several of the Barclays are mentioned in 
 ' Pitcairn's Trials ' as jurymen and witnesses, 
 though we might have expected to find them 
 occasionally occupying a different position. On 
 the 25th Jan., 1493, Patrick, 5th Baron, and his 
 relative, Walter of Tollie, were decreed by the 
 Lords of Council to pay 200 merks to the tenants 
 of Lord Gray, on account of ' dampnage, scaithis 
 and spuilyeis' committed by them (Spal. CI. 
 Col., p. 321 n). For some misdemeanour, George, 
 9th Baron, was 'in ward in Blaknes,' Aug., 1577, 
 and was liberated on the bond of Walter of 
 Towy ' that he shall, being freed, again enter into 
 the said Castle when required ' (Reg. of Privy 
 Council). The following year a serious charge 
 was lodged against him before the Lords of 
 Council, for assault on the tenants of Fidlerseat, 
 Coxtoun, Gympston and Faich-hill, whom he 
 had assaulted with his staff to the great risk of 
 
Gartly. 87 
 
 their lives, and finally imprisoned three of them 
 in his tower of Grantuly for the space of a week, 
 and put them in great fear by his violent be- 
 haviour. The Baron did not find it convenient 
 to answer the summons, and decree was given in 
 absence ; but what followed does not appear. 
 
 The Barclays are frequently mentioned in 
 official documents relating to their various pro- 
 perties, and in the Sheriff-Court books of the 
 counties of Aberdeen and Banff. In the Register 
 of Moray they are referred to chiefly in connection 
 with church-lands, and the tithes of the parishes 
 of Gartly and Drumdelgie. It is commonly sup- 
 posed they were implicated along with the Earls 
 of Huntly and Errol in the rebellion known as 
 the Spanish plot, and sought refuge in France, 
 the estates being confiscated ; but this is pure 
 conjecture, and inconsistent with known facts. 
 
 The history of this family during more than 
 200 years has been so little investigated, that 
 local historians have only succeeded in throwing 
 some interest into it by introducing persons and 
 events connected with other families of the name. 
 Thus we are told that the Barclays possessed 
 Garntuly in the beginning of the 12th century ; 
 but it is certain there were two Garintulys, and 
 that both were possessed by families of the same 
 name. The Barclays of Garintuly in the Mearns, 
 and afterwards of Mathers, were of note early in 
 the 1 2th century, and held these properties till 
 
88 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the middle of the 17th century. The identity of 
 the names of the families and their seats, no 
 doubt, led to the mistake — as it appears to me — 
 as to early settlement of the Barclays in Gartly. 
 My impression is that this family, though claim- 
 ing direct descent from the Norman Berkeleys of 
 Gloucester, really were an offshoot of the family 
 of Garintuly and Mathers ; and they may have 
 brought the name GarntuUy to the north, as the 
 Gordons brought the name of Huntly from Ber- 
 wickshire. I have very slender proof — if proof it 
 can be called — for this supposition. We know 
 that Robert I. gave four davachs of land in Strath- 
 bogie to Earl Marischal, though it is doubtful 
 where these lands were. Cordiner in his 'Anti- 
 quities,' says — ' Erie Mareshall built the castle,' 
 now called the Castle of Gartly. In the history 
 of the Garioch we are told the Barclays acquired 
 the Barony through marriage, and we know that 
 in the beginning of the 14th century Alexander 
 Barclay of Garintuly and Mathers married a 
 daughter of Earl Marischal. These statements 
 only support a conjecture, and the evidence is 
 doubtful and incomplete. It is not unfrequently 
 stated as undoubted evidence of their early settle- 
 ment in the north, that the Barclays of Tollie and 
 Garntuly, along with the other Scottish Barons, 
 swore fealty to Edward I. in 1296. They may, or 
 may not have done so, as we know absolutely 
 nothing about it. Their names do not appear in 
 
Gartly. 89 
 
 the Ragman Rolls, and of the Barclays who are 
 found there,- Patrick de Berkele was of the 
 county of Lanark, Walter de Berkele of the 
 county of Edinburgh, and we are told nothing 
 of the other two. 
 
 As another instance of the confusion existing 
 in these family sketches, we find that Sir Walter 
 Barclay, Sheriff of Aberdeen in the beginning of 
 the 14th century, is supposed to be ' of Garntuly,' 
 although he is almost certainly the same Sir 
 Walter Barclay of Kerko, to whom King Robert 
 Bruce gave the lands of Tollie in the early years 
 of his reign. 
 
 Once more we are told that one of the Barons 
 of Garntuly ' followed his relative, Earl David 
 of Huntingdon and Garvioch, to the Holy Land, 
 leading out with him five hundred men, and re- 
 turning with only ten.' This story, so far as true, 
 I think refers to Barclay, Lord Brechin, and 
 Baron of Rothiemay, a relative of Earl David 
 (see Wood's Heraldry and Douglas' Peerage). 
 
 The Barclays appear to have been close 
 friends of the Earls of Huntly. Walter Bar- 
 clay of Garntuly signed as a witness the con- 
 tract of marriage between George, Master of 
 Huntly, and the Countess of Moray in 1455 ; 
 and one or other of the barons frequently appears 
 as a witness in charters and bands of Manrent. 
 George Barclay, in 1568, signed the 'Common 
 Band for the Queen's Service,' which meant that 
 
go Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 he and those who signed with him, called by 
 courtesy ' Noblemen and Barons,' would support 
 the Earl of Huntly as Lieutenant of the North. 
 Only one nobleman, the Earl himself, signed the 
 bond, and the rest were by no means all barons. 
 In 1572, 'George Barclay of that Ilk' is named 
 in the general pardon to the Earl of Huntly and 
 his confederates and followers in the troubles 
 during the minority of James VI. The close 
 friendship between the families was once broken 
 by a serious quarrel resulting in a lawsuit about 
 a last of salmon, for which Barclay was decreed 
 liable. Several charters under the Great Seal 
 were granted to them — one in 1449-1452 on the 
 lands of Crechie and Bothelny. Other three 
 followed in 1489, 1491, and 1493, confirming the 
 purchase by Patrick Berclay of Garnetuly of 
 lands in the barony of Drumblade, which be- 
 longed to Margaret Fentoune of Baky, along with 
 the superiority of Lessendrum, with the tenants, 
 tenandries, and services of the free tenants in the 
 barony. Another charter was granted by James 
 IV. to Patrick Barclay and Elizabeth Arbuth- 
 not, his wife, upon lands in Kingedwart; and 
 lastly, James V. granted a charter to Walter 
 Berclay, 27th Feb., 1516, incorporating all their 
 possessions into one free barony of Berclay. 
 The old title of Baron of Garntuly thus died out, 
 and was superseded by the designation, Berclay 
 of that Ilk. The family had now reached the 
 
Gartly. gi 
 
 height of their prosperity, and during the second 
 half of the i6th century decay made rapid pro- 
 gress. One portion after another of their posses- 
 sions passed out of their hands, and in 1578 Sir 
 George Barclay sold the Barony of Gartly for 
 the sum of 10,500 merks, to Adam Gordon of 
 Auchindoun, better known as Edom o' Gordon. 
 He was succeeded by his brother, Sir Patrick, 
 designed of Auchindoun and Gartly, and on his 
 death at Glenlivet in 1594, the Barony passed to 
 his nephew, George, 6th Earl and ist Marquis 
 of Huntly (Charters, Gordon Castle). Whatever 
 may have brought about the ruin of the Berclays, 
 it is quite certain they had nothing to do with 
 the Spanish plot, as has been conjectured, be- 
 cause the last of their possessions was sold 16 
 years before the rebellion which led to the battle 
 of Glenlivet. 
 
 The Barony of Gartly, along with Aboyne 
 and Cromar, was gifted by the Marquis to his 
 second son, John, Viscount Melgum, on his 
 marriage to Sophia, daughter of the Earl of 
 Errol ; and after his death at Frendraught, i8th 
 Oct., 1630, the Barony fell to his eldest brother, 
 George, Lord Gordon, afterwards 2nd Marquis 
 of Huntly (Charters, Gordon Castle). I think we 
 have here an explanation of what has hitherto 
 been a mystery to me, viz., the reason why Vis- 
 count Melgum and his companions were buried 
 at Gartly. The church of Gartly was his parish 
 
92 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 church, situated upon his own property, and not 
 far distant from ' The Place of Gartlie,' where he 
 no doubt occasionally resided. 
 
 THE BARONS OF GARNTULY AND BERCLAY. 
 
 The following list of the Barons of Garntuly 
 is probably incomplete, but I give the names as 
 they appear in Charters, Inquisitions, and other 
 official records. The dates are the first and last 
 references to the persons named. 
 
 1. John de Barclay of Garintuly, circa, 1351- 
 
 1357- 
 
 2. Andrew de Barclay of Grantoly and Birkyn- 
 
 hill, son of John de B., 1360-1385. 
 
 3. Sir Alexander Barclay of Garntuly, 1390- 
 
 1446. Fell in the battle of Arbroath, 
 1446. Probably he was the Baron who 
 married Guilda, dr. of Sir William Leslie, 
 4th Baron of Balquhain, by Elizabeth 
 Fraser, dr. of Hugh, ist Lord Lovat 
 (Fam. of Leslie). 
 
 4. Walter Berclay of Garntuly, 1449-1455. 
 
 5. Patrick Berclay of Grantuly, 1487-15 10, m. 
 
 1st Elizabeth Arbuthnot, dr. of Viscount 
 
 Arbuthnot. 2nd Agnes Gordoun. 
 
 His dr. Clara m. to Johnston of that Ilk. 
 
 6. Walter Berclay of Grantuly and Berclay, 
 
 1516-1539. Nephew of Patrick B. 
 
Gartly. 93 
 
 7. George Barclay of Barclay, 1549-1556, son 
 
 of Walter B., m. Margaret Ogilvye of the 
 family of the Boyne. 
 
 8. Walter Berclay of that Ilk, 1563-4 (Pit- 
 
 cairn's Trials). 
 
 9. Sir George Barclay of that Ilk, Knight, 
 
 1568-1578, m. Catherine, dr. of Lord 
 Forbes. Had a son, Walter, who may 
 have been Walter of Drumdelgie, or Wal- 
 ter of Newton. In the Birth Brieves of 
 Aberdeen is mentioned ' George Barclay, 
 
 advocate, son of Barclay of Gartlie,' 
 
 and from the probable date I judge he 
 was a son of Sir George. The advocate's 
 son, Alexander Barclay, was vicar of 
 Drumblade from 1598 to 1608 (Scott's 
 Fasti). 
 
 In the 'View of the Diocese' we are told 
 that a daughter of Barclay of Gartly was married 
 to John Farquharson of Invercauld, son (grand- 
 son) of Finlay Mor (Spal. CI. Col., p. 642). 
 
 George Barclay of Auchrody tells us, in dog- 
 gerel rhyme, that his brother, Sir Patrick of 
 ToUie, ' chief of that name,' married a daughter 
 of Gartly, who, he says, was a 'knycht rycht 
 worthy.' This lady may have been a daughter of 
 Sir George Barclay, but it is more difificult to 
 identify the Barclay of Tollie referred to. Pat- 
 rick, who died in 1624, was born a year after Sir 
 
94 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 George Barclay sold Gartly. The name was 
 common in the Tollie family, and Patrick Bar- 
 clay of Tollie, who appears in charters from 1522 
 and died before 1558, is perhaps the person re- 
 ferred to by Auchrody, and he may have been 
 twice married. His wife's name is given in 
 1551-2, Elizabeth Forbes (R.M.S. 669). 
 
 The surname Berkeley is understood to mean 
 Birch-ley, or Birk-ley. So Elmsley, Ashley, 
 Oakley, and Lindley have also passed into sur- 
 names (See Bardsley's English Surnames, p. 1 19). 
 
 THE FAMILY 'OF STRATHBOLGYN.' 
 
 In passing, I wish to make a remark or two 
 about David of Strathbolgyn, who is so frequently 
 referred to in connection with early church affairs 
 in this district. In most 6f our historical sketches 
 the family ' of Strathbolgyn ' are called Cumyns, 
 and we read of the ' Cumyns' Castle,' and the 
 Cumyns' contests with the Gordons, one of which 
 may have given the name, Battle Hill. These 
 traditions have no foundation in fact. The his- 
 tory of the family is as complete as that of any 
 other noble family of their time. David of 
 Strathbolgyn was of the house of Macduff, being 
 third son of Duncan, Earl of Fyfe, who obtained 
 the lands of Strathbolgyn from William the Lion. 
 David became Earl of Athol on the death of his 
 brother, and several members of the family also 
 
Gartly. 95 
 
 succeeded to this title. They were strong sup- 
 porters of Robert Bruce, and two of them were 
 present at his coronation at Scone. David, the 
 last of the family who resided here, married Joan, 
 daughter of John Cumyn, Lord of Badenoch, 
 and most likely through her influence he with- 
 drew from the Bruce party and joined the 
 Cumyns, thus losing his Scottish possessions. 
 The family eventually settled on their extensive 
 English estates. Sketches of the family history 
 are given in Nisbet's ' Heraldry,' Anderson's 
 ' Scottish Nation,' and Burton's ' History of Scot- 
 land,' Anyone who cares to look into the sub- 
 ject will see that, so far as we know, no Cumyns 
 ever possessed the lands of Strathbogie, and that 
 the traditions connecting them with the Castle 
 and the district are pure fiction. 
 
 PLACE NAMES IN GARTLY. 
 
 A charter of 27th July, 1511 (r.m.S. 3599), 
 gives a few of the old names in Gartly and 
 Rhynie ; and this document is interesting in 
 itself, because by it Alexander, 3rd Earl of 
 Huntly, conveys in liferent to Lady Glammis 
 lands in these parishes, along with Strathowin, 
 Drummyn, Obyn, Glenmuk, and Glentannyr, 
 with the mansion of Loch-canmour. This is 
 somewhat remarkable at first sight, but the ex- 
 planation is not far to seek — Elizabeth Gray, a 
 
96 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 daughter of Lord Gray, widow of John, 4th Lord 
 Glammis, was soon after the granting of this 
 charter to become Countess of Huntly. Some 
 time after the death of the Earl in 1524, she 
 became Countess of Rothes. The names, as 
 given in this charter, are noticed as they occur. 
 In a charter of 1534 (R.M.S.), Bucharn is given 
 Boquharne, and in the rental of 1600 Buquham. 
 The ' cow's cairn ' has been suggested, but this 
 ought to give us Cairnbo, which is a common 
 name. It is evident the letter / has been lost in 
 the first syllable, though I have only found it 
 twice spelled Balquharne (1633 and 1635). In 
 Kincardine we have Balquharne in 1527 be- 
 coming Boquharne in 1529. There is a second 
 Balquharn in the same county, and one (Bal- 
 quharn) in Tullynessle, Aberdeenshire, these 
 being the old forms of Balcharn, more commonly 
 unaspirated as Balcairn. Baile-chairn means 
 ' the town of the cairn or hill.' The glen im- 
 mediately behind the Clashmach, and forming 
 part of Bralanknowes, is called ' The Core,' which 
 is probably derived from coire, ' a deep hollow.' 
 In its contracted form coire appears in Corgarff, 
 Corcairn, and in many Cores, chiefly found on the 
 borders of the Highlands. It also occurs in 
 Gartly in Corrielair (coire-lair), the ' corrie of the 
 floor or site ' — perhaps lair in this case may 
 mean the 'middle,' as it does occasionally in 
 Irish names (Joyce, II. 445). The 'corrie of 
 
Gartly. gy 
 
 the middle' is a probable enough meaning, seeing 
 that Corshalloch is on one side, and Corriedown 
 on the other. Corshalloch is from coire-seilich 
 (pron. shellich), the 'corrie of the willow,' and 
 Corriedown (coire-duin) means the ' corrie of the 
 dun or hill-fort.' There are traces of a dun on 
 the neighbouring hill, but they are not well de- 
 fined. No doubt there were forts of some kind 
 on many of the hills called duns, though they 
 have long since disappeared. At Tillydoun, 
 in Marnoch, it is only lately that the remains of 
 the fort were removed, and the site brought under 
 cultivation. 
 
 The old name of Knapperknowes is now al- 
 most forgotten, the land being included in Bralan- 
 knowes. Knapperts or heath-peas (Lathyrus 
 macrorrhizus) give names to not a few places 
 where they were, no doubt, abundant before the 
 land was reclaimed. {Cf. Knapperthillock, Knap- 
 pertyhillock, and Knapperlaw.) A little to the 
 south-east is Cumerton, which is derived from 
 the obsolete Gaelic comar, a ' point of land,' or a 
 ' place of meeting,' either of streams or valleys. 
 So we have Cumrie and Cumerstane in Cairnie, 
 Comrie in Perthshire, Cummerland in Lanark, 
 and in various forms and combinations the 
 word is of frequent occurrence. There are 
 several names in Gartly having a somewhat 
 similar meaning. Coynachie, or in the spelling 
 of 1600 (Rental) Conzeauchye, I think, repre- 
 H 
 
98 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 sents the Gaelic Coinneachadh (dh mute), ' meet- 
 ing,' or a ' place of meeting,' perhaps referring to 
 the junction of the Priest's Water and the Lag 
 Burn at this place. The name of the former of 
 these burns, no doubt, indicates a connection 
 with the priests of the old chapel at Tallathrowie ; 
 and the latter is derived from lag, a 'hollow.' 
 Another name which may signify a meeting- 
 place is Burncruinach. It is not mentioned 
 in the old writings, and in its present form may 
 be reckoned .modern, probably formed from 
 part of an older name derived from cruinneach- 
 adh, 'an assembly of people.' Alltcruiniche is 
 the name of a burn on the west side of Ben 
 Cruachan, and Dalchronichy in Glentilt, Col. 
 Robertson says, was a gathering-place of the 
 Highlanders in old times. Burncruinach may 
 have a possible connection with the battle which 
 tradition says was fought on the hill above 
 Kittlemannoch, and where the graves of the 
 dead are said to be still visible. The place is 
 called Tarry Buchail, but I think this name pro- 
 perly belongs to a peak on the hill about a mile 
 distant. Torr-d -buachaille means the 'hill of 
 the herd,' a fanciful name often applied to a spur 
 of a hill or projecting rock. The same idea has 
 likely suggested the modern name, ' Watchman 
 Hill' 
 
 Dunscroft is what its name indicates — a croft 
 occupied by a person of the name of Dun, which 
 
Gartly. 99 
 
 we know from the Poll-Book of 1696, was a 
 common name all over the country. Dunscroft 
 is not an old name, and has no connection with 
 a dun or hill-fort. Tallathrowie appears in'the 
 Rental of 1600 as Tollochrouyis, which is evi- 
 dently the English plural form, as we still use it 
 in speaking of the ' Tallathrowies.' I think the 
 Gaelic form is Talamh-chruaidh, meaning the 
 ' hard land,' that is stony and difficult to culti- 
 vate. That this was the character of consider- 
 able portions of these farms, even in recent times, 
 is proved by the dykes built of the stones gathered 
 off the land, and also by accumulations of stones 
 which could not be so utilised. At this place is 
 a remarkably strong spring, called St. Finnan's 
 Well, and to this saint most likely the old chapel 
 was dedicated. 
 
 CoUithie is given in 1534 Coluthie; in the 
 Rental of 1600, once Colluthye, and twice Cul- 
 luthye ; and in the Presbytery Book of Strath- 
 bogie, uniformly Cullithie. In Fifeshire there is 
 also a place called Colluthie or Culluthy, given 
 in a charter of 1 508 as Colluchty, which I have 
 no doubt is the proper form. Cuil or Cul-uchdaich 
 means the ' corner,' or ' back of the slope or hill- 
 side.' 
 
 Drumferg is not easily recognised in its old 
 form of Drumquharg, as it appears in the charter 
 of 15 1 1 (R.M.S.). The change of quh ( = ch) to/ 
 has already been noticed as common in this dis- 
 
lOO Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 trict. Similar names occur elsewhere which 
 suggest the probable meaning of quharg. We 
 have Balquharg in Fife, Dalquharg in Kirkcud- 
 bright, Badychark in Leochel, and many others 
 in the forms of quhork and fork. Qukork and 
 quhark are only different spellings of the same 
 word, as Culquhork, Culhork, and Culquhark, all 
 different forms of the same name in charters con- 
 nected with the place. Probably coirc, ' oats,' is 
 the proper Gaelic word — hence Druim-choirce, 
 the ridge of the oats,' and in the other cases, 
 ' the town ' (baile), ' field ' (dail), and ' hamlet ' 
 (bad) ' of the oats.' The hill of Drumferg is still 
 in the wild state, but the cultivated land runs up 
 the side of the hill, as it no doubt did in old 
 times when the name was given to it. 
 
 Drumbulg is probably derived from bolg, 
 literally a 'bellows,' but, in Ireland, the word is 
 used to designate 'gusty spots' (Joyce, II. 248). 
 If bo/g is the root of Drumbulg {druim-builg\ the 
 meaning is ' gusty or windy ridge,' a name which 
 is most thoroughly appropriate to it. 
 
 Kittlemannoch lies between the Hill of Bog- 
 airdy and the Watchman Hill. It is a corrie, or 
 perhaps more correctly described in its popular 
 designation, 'The Den' of Kittlemannoch. Man- 
 noch is probably meadhonach, ' middle ' (pron. 
 me-un-ack), but I do not know what Gaelic word 
 Kittle represents. Cf. Balnakettle and Balna- 
 kettill ; Balmacathill and Banakettill ; Banna- 
 
Gartly, loi 
 
 cadill; Glencuthill; 'le Hole-Kettil'; Tullicheddel 
 and Tulyquhedill. These names I suspect are 
 derived from the same root, and so far as I have 
 been able to discover they apply to deep corries 
 or ' dens.' 
 
 The hill of Corskie lies to the east of the 
 Gartly Station. The name, I have no doubt, 
 originally applied to the corrie on the north side 
 of the hill, correctly named on the Ordnance 
 map, 'The Hill of Corskie.' This is also the 
 ordinary form in the common speech of the 
 country. Corskie, I think, is a contraction of 
 Coire-uisge, ' the corrie of the water, or the wateiy 
 corrie.' The ' Slouch Moss ' is hear the head of 
 it, and is suggestive of the wet and boggy nature 
 of the ground. Corskie is a common name found 
 all over the country. On this hill are quarries 
 called Haining Quarries, which might, at first 
 sight, pass as a personal name but for the absence 
 of the possessive form. The Rental of 1600 
 suggests the explanation. The Mains of Gartly, 
 situated at the foot of the hill, was let with ' the 
 haningis about the plaice,' i.e. ' the enclosures.' 
 
 In the charter of 1 511, we have the spelling 
 of Culdrain, ' Coldrane,' which in all subsequent 
 charters, retours, and rentals is given Cowdrane 
 or Coudrane. Cut/ or Cul-draighinn means ' the 
 corner or hill-back of the thorns.' 
 
 Kirkney is one of those perplexing words of 
 which it is difficult to say whether the origin is 
 
I02 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Gaelic or English. The oldest reference to the 
 name is of date 1511 (R.M.S.), which gives the 
 spelling Kirknee, suggestive of the accent being 
 then on the last syllable, though I doubt if it 
 was so. It is possible the name means the ' hill 
 of the grouse.' Grouse in Gaelic is cearc-fhraoich, 
 but, in Ireland, only the first part of the word en- 
 ters into place names, and occasionally it takes 
 the forms olkirk and kirky, as in Castle Kirk and 
 Coolkirky (Joyce, II. 299). We might thus have 
 cearc 'grouse' and the terminal ne, with the 
 meaning the hill ' of the grouse.' This is cer- 
 tainly a very appropriate name for the hill, and 
 there are similar names in the immediate vicinity. 
 The hill of Culdrain appears in the Ordnance 
 map as Clashneen, that is the ' furrow or glen of 
 the birds.' Also about two miles west of the Hill 
 of Kirkney is the Raven Hill, of which no older 
 name has come down to us. {Cf. Glenkarky, 
 Perthshire.) 
 
 On the other hand most of our names be- 
 ginning with Kirk are English, although such 
 names as Kirkmichael, Kirkpatrick, and Kirk- 
 oswald, are rarely found north of the Grampians. 
 Even when forming part of a Gaelic name it is 
 evident that kirk is a translation of kil {cill, a 
 'cell'), as in Balnakirk and Barnakirk. Now 
 there was a chapel near the base of this hill of 
 Kirkney, but whether it ever held the position of 
 a kirk, or was so called, we have no evidence. 
 
Gartly. 103 
 
 It is not mentioned in the Register of the 
 Diocese, nor in any old writing so far as I know ; 
 but neither are other two of the four chapels at 
 one time existing in the parish. There is no 
 appearance now of a graveyard, but it may have 
 long since been removed. The site of the chapel 
 itself is reduced to half its original size, and only a 
 small heap of stones with a fringe of waste ground 
 is left to mark the spot. There is therefore no 
 evidence either in the records of the district, or 
 on the spot, that this chapel was known as a 
 kirk, except possibly in the name. This name 
 may have been originally Kirk- Kenneth, passing 
 into kenny and kny. Although this is pure con- 
 jecture, it seems to me a more natural explanation 
 of the name than the former, chiefly because kirk 
 is a doubtful form for cearc to take in Scotland, 
 and because it is generally English, and associ- 
 ated with a saint's name. 
 
 The local usage is almost uniformly to speak 
 of the Kirkney hills, or the Hill of Kirkney, and 
 the Burn of Kirkney, never the Kirkney as 
 applying to the hill, and rarely to the stream. 
 The local custom in this respect may be gener- 
 ally accepted as strong evidence that the name 
 does not apply primarily to the hill or stream as a 
 descriptive name, as we say the Binn, the Knock, 
 the Fourman, or the Balloch. I therefore think 
 that a Gaelic derivation is possible, but that the 
 name is more likely English. 
 
104 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 In the Rental of 1600 there is this note to the 
 entry of Kirkney: — 'Sett in foirmaillinge to 
 Johne Hendrie and Margaret Watson his spous 
 for five years (- - - - -), for the quilk he hes 
 payit twa thousand markis home siluer.' The 
 practice of ' foirmailHnge ' or paying rent in 
 advance, was not uncommon in these old times, 
 though in the present instance it seems to have 
 been so arranged because Johne Hendrie was a 
 man of considerable means, and probably because 
 2000 merks may have been a convenience to the 
 landlord at the time. ' Home Siluer ' is an ex- 
 pression I have not found elsewhere, and I can 
 only conjecture it has the same meaning as the 
 vulgar ' hard cash.' ' Dry siller ' is also an old 
 phrase, and perhaps ' home siluer ' and 'dry siller' 
 are suggested by the proverbial expressions 'horn- 
 hard' and 'horn-dry.' It would appear that 
 Hendrie was principal tacksman, and probably 
 represented a large number of subtenants. The 
 Poll-Book (1696) indicates a total population on 
 this holding of between 50 and 60 young and old. 
 
 The earliest notice of Tillyminnet is in the 
 charter of 1545 (R.M.S. 3103), and it is there given 
 Tollemenat, which probably represents Tulach- 
 mennat, ' the knoll of the dwelling.' Mennat, or 
 minnat, is an obsolete Gaelic word which occurs 
 in the plural number in the Book of Deer (p. 95) 
 and is there translated 'residences.' We know 
 that Tillyminnet was a seat of the Gordons of 
 
Gartly. 105 
 
 Scordarg, but this would carry us back only to 
 the end of the 14th, or beginning of the 15th 
 century, though it probably had been a family 
 residence several centuries before that time. An 
 old ruinous mansion-house. in the parish of Keith 
 bears the somewhat similar name, Kinminity ; 
 and a place of the same name is mentioned in the 
 old records of the parish of Turriff, and again we 
 find it on Deeside. 
 
 In the Barony of Gartly the oldest name we 
 have is Shanquhar, ' the old fort or seat,' from the 
 Gaelic scan, ' old,' and cathair, a ' fort ' or ' seat ' 
 (pron. Shenahar). Adjoining Shanquhar is Corn- 
 cattrach, a corruption of Coire-na-cathrach, the 
 ' corrie of the seat,' that is of Shanquhar. Part 
 of the land extends into the corrie, or, as it is 
 called, ' the Core,' and the burn which rises in it 
 is the Core burn. Cattrach represents cathrach, 
 gen. of cathair, the root of Shanquhar ; and we 
 find it occasionally in names elsewhere, as in 
 Stracathro, formerly called Strathcatherach, ' the 
 strath of the fort ' (Land of the Lindsays, p. 326). 
 One of the steep hills forming this mountain- 
 hollow, or corrie of Corncattrach, is called Aiken 
 Bank, i.e., Oakbank, indicating a natural growth 
 of oak at this place in old times. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Shanquhar we have 
 several farms called ' seats,' but there does not 
 appear to be any connection with the Gaelic 
 root cathair, although at first sight one might 
 
io6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 suppose the old name had suggested the modern 
 one. The meaning and apphcation of the two 
 words are, however, quite different. There are, 
 or were, about 25 seats in the counties of Aber- 
 deen and Banff; and, so far as I can trace them, 
 they were originally mere crofts, or small posses- 
 sions, though some of them are now considerable 
 farms. A large proportion of the names of these 
 places are unmistakably Anglo-Saxon, others 
 may or may not be, while ten are personal names 
 with ' seat' affixed. Our English word seat is the 
 Anglo-Saxon set (Skeat) ; but 1 am doubtful if 
 these place names are derived, at least directly, 
 from this root. We speak of a seat of govern- 
 ment, a bishop's seat, and a gentleman's seat, 
 but, so far as I have noticed, farms were never 
 so designated, and the word does not again ap- 
 pear until we come down to crofts. In old 
 writings these small holdings were not called 
 'seats,' but 'setts,' which may come indirectly 
 from the same root. In old Scotch set and tack 
 are synonymous (Jamieson), and appear so in 
 place names, e.g., Millsett and Milltack, Newsett 
 and Newtack. I think it is probable that these 
 places, being small, and having no distinctive 
 local name, became known by some common 
 descriptive term, or by the personal name of the 
 occupant, with ' sett ' attached, in the same way 
 as we now use the word croft in Dunscroft and 
 Ruglenscroft, both personal names. 
 
Gartly. 107 
 
 The late Captain Thomas, R.N., says (Pro- 
 ceed, of Soc. of Ant, 1876, p. 491) that the Norse 
 setr, a ' seat or residence,' is common in the names 
 of farms in the northern and western islands ; but 
 he considers that these were only summer ' seats,' 
 which became fixed residences. I do not think, 
 however, that our ' setts ' were ever shielings, or 
 in any way connected with summer pastures, 
 because not a few of them occupy low ground, 
 probably under regular cultivation at a very 
 early period. 
 
 The farm now called Glenniston is Newseatt 
 in the Rental of i6cx). Craigenseat is in Drum- 
 blade, but marches with Gartly. No doubt, 
 when a small nameless croft, it was 'sett' to 
 some person of the name of Craigen. Fidlerseatt 
 probably, also derived its name in the same way. 
 Fidler appears to have been a more common 
 surname 200 years ago than it is now, though 
 even in our own time the personal name becomes 
 attached to places, as in Fidlerswell, Aberdeen, 
 which I am told commemorates in its name a 
 former owner. Bordelseat is a difficult name, 
 and the oldest reference in a charter of 1577 
 (R.M.S. 2799) gives Bordalsait, which does not 
 assist to its meaning. In comparatively recent 
 times the name has been changed to Bothwell- 
 seat ; but I think it is extremely improbable 
 that this could have been the original. We 
 would have Bothwell changing into Bordel, and 
 
io8 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Bordel again into Bothwell, and this seems all 
 but an impossibility. Bothwell passes into 
 Boithell and Bodwell, but in no case have I 
 found any approach to such a corruption as 
 Bordel. My suggestion is that Bordel is a con- 
 traction of Borrodale, which is both a local and 
 personal name. We have not a few places of 
 the name in Scotland, but as a surname it is 
 more common in England. There is nothing 
 improbable in the conjecture that some person of 
 the name at one time occupied the place. Near 
 Peebles is Bordalhaugh ; but Chambers, in the 
 History of Peeblesshire, only mentions it as 
 haugh-land close to the town, and suggests no 
 explanation of the name. It is possible it may 
 have been part of the Borrodale, or town-lands. 
 C.f. Buirdelland, Orkney ; Borredell, Ross-shire ; 
 and Borrowdailis, Dunbar. 
 
 Gimpston is given in the Rental of 1600 
 Gimpistoune, and in the charter of 1577 (R.M.S.) 
 Gympstoun. The name is now occasionally 
 modernised into Jamestown, and although a true 
 rendering it would be unfortunate if the old form 
 of the name were lost. ' Gimps ' is not a bad 
 phonetic spelling of the vulgar pronunciation of 
 James ; and in old English writings we find 
 Gimmison and Jimpson (Bardsley's ' English 
 Surnames'). In the same way we have the in- 
 trusive / in Thompson, Simpson, Sampson, and 
 Dempster. The neighbouring farm of Coxton, 
 
Gartly. 109 
 
 formerly written Coickistoune, has its name 
 from the surname Cock, or Cox, common in 
 the district in old times. Faich-hill is derived 
 from the Gaelic faich, ' a green field,' equivalent 
 to Scotch fauch, ' part of a farm reserved as 
 pasture.' Faich-hill is a common name, as also 
 Faichfield and Faichfolds. In Ireland this word 
 appears occasionally as Fyagh, a pronunciation 
 which is not uncommon here. 
 
 Three hill-names in Gartly remain to be 
 noticed. The Slough Hill derives its name from 
 slocJid, a ' deep pit,' probably suggested by the 
 clefts and furrows along the north side of the 
 hill. Auchindinny {Achadh-an-teine) is a com- 
 mon name, as also Craigentinny and Ardentinny, 
 ' the field, craig, and height of the fire' — perhaps 
 a beacon fire. The Grumach is the Gaelic Gruam- 
 ach, ' gloomy,' and is an appropriate name for 
 a hill which seems always to have a deep shadow 
 upon some part of it. 
 
I lo Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 GLASS. 
 THE UPPER STRATH. 
 
 -je)ASSING over the Grumach into Glass, on 
 the borders of the Lower Cabrach, is Gouls. 
 This name is derived from goblial (pron. go'al) a 
 ' fork,' referring to the ' forks' or points of land 
 lying between three burns, which here unite be- 
 fore joining the Deveron. Immediately to the 
 N.E. is Soccoch, which the Ordnance map oddly 
 changes into Succoth, though the name is derived 
 from soc 'a. snout,' hence Socach a 'place of snouts,' 
 the snouts, or projecting points, being notice- 
 able features on these farms of Soccoch and 
 Soccochbeg. The latter means Little Soccoch, 
 
 Lying along the Deveron is the old dauch of 
 Auchinhandoch, a name which also occurs in the 
 parish of Mortlach, and again in Ross-shire. 
 These three places are mentioned in the ' In- 
 quisitions,' one of them in the Reg. Ep. Abd., 
 and one in the Gordon charters. The old forms 
 are, — Auchinhandauch, Auchnahandauch, Auch- 
 nahandok and Auchinhannach, while the local 
 pronunciation is Auchinhannack. I have been 
 unable to determine which of these represents 
 
Glass. 1 1 1 
 
 the original form of the name, and can therefore 
 offer no conjecture as to its meaning. 
 
 Crossing the Deveron, we enter the old parish 
 of Mortlach. This name is generally explained 
 as meaning 'the great hollow,' from mor-lag, 
 which seems to me most unsatisfactory, because 
 we have no explanation of the remarkable 
 changes which must have occurred in the form of 
 the word if this derivation is correct. The oldest 
 documents we have never give us Morlag. We can 
 go back more than 700 years, and in the bull of 
 Pope Adrian IV. (A.D. 1157, Reg. Ep. Abd.,p. 5), 
 confirming the transfer of the church lands to 
 Aberdeen, the name appears as Murthilloch. In 
 other old documents we have Morthelach and 
 Murthlach (Reg. Ep. Abd.), and in a charter of 
 1426, Murthillach (Reg. Mag. Sig.) The Pres- 
 bytery Book of Strathbogie gives generally 
 Mortulach. Were it not that the late corrupt 
 spelling of Murthlak had been accepted as the 
 old form, we would have had the derivation, as I 
 believe it to be, from Mor-tulach, ' the big knoll.' 
 This name I associate with the old tower of 
 Tullich, which probably occupies the site of a 
 still older castle, of sufficient importance in early 
 times to give its name to the district. 
 
 To the Church of Murthlach, and afterwards 
 to the Bishopric of Aberdeen, belonged the lands 
 of Dumeath, formerly Dulmeath, from dail, 'a 
 field.' The hill was called Dumeath, which gave 
 
112 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 its name to the old parish, now united to Glass. 
 Meath is common in place names, as in Methlic, 
 Methven, and Innermeath, but the origin of the 
 word is entirely unknown. Any explanation I 
 have seen is nothing better than a guess. The 
 best Irish scholars have failed to discover the 
 meaning of Meath in Ireland, but our Meths and 
 Meaths may have a different origin, whatever 
 that may be. As an old Scotch word meith is of 
 frequent occurrence in charters, and means a 
 ' landmark or boundary.' 
 
 Immediately to the south of Dumeath is 
 Beldornie. The oldest reference I have to this 
 place is in a charter of 1490-1 (r.m.s.) which gives 
 Baldorny, and during the next century we 
 have in various documents Baldornie, Baldurnie, 
 and Beldornie. There can be no doubt the first 
 part of the name is from baile, a 'town,' as in 
 Belcherrie and Belnaboth, formerly written Bal- 
 cherrie and Balnaboth, names occurring in the 
 neighbourhood, lidornie is descriptive, it would 
 be difficult to discover the meaning or appropri- 
 ateness of the name as applied to Beldornie 
 Castle, because it appears to belong properly to 
 the hill Craigdornie. Domie is here, I think, 
 an adjective, as in Drumdurno, formerly Drum- 
 dornach ; and in Mindurno, formerly Mon- 
 dornach ; also in Edindurnach. The Gaelic form 
 may be Creag-doirionnack, and mean the ' stormy 
 craig,' referring to its exposure to violent storms. 
 
Glass. 113 
 
 The testimony of the people in the district leaves 
 no doubt that, if this meaning is correct, it is 
 very appropriate, as it is also, so far as I have 
 learned, to Drumdurno, Mindurno and Edindur- 
 nach. Dornie, however, as a place name has 
 such widely different meanings that, without 
 something to guide us, any meaning assigned 
 must be somewhat conjectural. From the same 
 Gaelic word may have been derived a personal 
 name, and Baldornie and Craigdornie may be 
 ' Dornie's town and craig.' In Ireland, O'Dorney 
 is the name of a parish, derived from the personal 
 name Torna (Joyce, II. 139). In Lochalsh is a 
 village called Dornie, which Professor Mackinnon 
 derives from doirlinn, an ' isthmus.' 
 
 Around the summit of Craigdornie are the 
 remains of an old stone rampart. The dyke is 
 of irregular height, measuring about 3 feet to 4 
 feet, and built across the longest slope of the hill, 
 from craig to craig. The other sides of the hill 
 top are protected naturally by perpendicular 
 rocks. I think there is no doubt this place has 
 been a fort, and though not of much importance 
 as compared with many well-known hill-forts, it 
 would have afforded a safe retreat in time of 
 danger, 
 
 SAINT WOLOK. 
 
 Wallakirk and kirkyard are on the haugh 
 mmediately below the Castle of Beldornie. Only 
 I 
 
1 14 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the foundations of the kirk now remain. The 
 legend in the Breviary of Aberdeen tells us that, 
 in the 5 th century, the blessed Volocus (St. 
 Wolok or Wallach), the Bishop, a distinguished 
 confessor of Christ, flourished with remarkable 
 miracles in the northern parts of Scocia, and 
 chose for himself a place of dwelling among the 
 high rocks ; that he voluntarily submitted him- 
 self to the greatest hunger, thirst, and cold, living 
 in a poor little house woven together of reeds 
 and wattle ; that he laboured among a savage 
 people, whom by his preaching, exhortation, and 
 miracles, he converted to the faith of Christ, and 
 that at length, in extreme old age, on the 4th of 
 the Kalends of February, with angels standing 
 round, his soul passed away to Christ, and that 
 in his honour the parochial churches of Tumeth 
 and Logy in Mar are dedicated. The writer 
 of the ' View of the Diocese ' of Aberdeen re- 
 presents Saint Wolok as the first bishop of 
 Mortlach, and places the scene of his labours 
 in the parochin of Dumeth. He confesses that 
 in his 'Life' it is only said he preached in 
 the North of Scotland, and lived among high 
 rocks ; but he thinks he is right with the lo- 
 cality, because there is near to the church St. 
 Wolok's well, and among the rocks on the banks 
 of the Deveron, St. Wolok's baths, famous for 
 the cure of various disorders. It has been satis- 
 factorily proved that there never was a bishopric 
 
Glass. 1 1 5 
 
 of Mortlach, and, except the name, there is no 
 evidence connecting St. Wolok with the district. 
 (Preface to Chartulary of Aberdeen, p. 1 1, and 
 Skene's Celtic Scot., II. 379.) 
 
 ASWAN LEY. 
 
 On the south side of the Deveron, at the 
 bend of the river as it turns eastward, is a hill 
 partly covered with wood called Straitinnan 
 Wood. Cf. Pitinnan in Daviot parish, and 
 Corchinnan, Auchindoir. 
 
 The ridge immediately to the east is Drum- 
 duan. The name is not uncommon throughout 
 Scotland in the forms of duan, dewan, dowane, 
 diven, and dyven, but duan occurs most fre- 
 quently. Dr. Joyce gives Drumdeevin, and 
 Drumdeeveen, which he derives from diomttaoin 
 (Sco. G. diomhain, pron. djeevain), ' idle or vain,' 
 indicating meeting-places for amusement. I do 
 not know however if it was the custom in this 
 country, in old times, to have recognised places 
 of meeting for sport, and incline to think the 
 name means the 'ridge of the dark water' {druim- 
 duiMie-aibhne, bh mute). The Drumduans in this 
 county all overlook dark or mossy water. 
 
 At the base of this ridge, and close to the 
 Deveron, is Aswanley. In a charter of 1450 
 (R.M.S.), the name is almost as we have it — 
 Aswanly. As and eas occur frequently in place 
 
1 1 6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 names in the Highlands, and although eas com- 
 monly means a ' waterfall,' it also means a 'ravine,' 
 and in this sense it is used in Aswanly, referring 
 to the gully or ravine in the hills, through which 
 the place is approached from the south. The 
 second syllable wan, I think, is from bhan (pron. 
 van), meaning ' light-coloured ' or ' grey,' and the 
 last syllable may come from sleibh, gen. of 
 sliabh, which aspirated becomes shleibh (pron. 
 almost as ley). Dr. Joyce gives several illus- 
 trations of shleibh in Irish names taking the 
 English forms of lie and lay, and also of bhan 
 becoming wan. The Gaelic form would there- 
 fore be Eas-bhain-shleibh {sh and bh mute), and 
 the meaning is the ' ravine of the grey hill side.' 
 Perhaps among the oldest historical references 
 to Aswanley is the mention of Elizabeth, daughter 
 of Cruickshank of Aswanly, the mother of the 
 Gordons of Scurdarg and Riven. I know nothing 
 more of the family, except that it is said that 
 ' the laird of Aswanly is called Toshdiragh' 
 (Douglas). A Toschachdera, in old times, was ' a 
 serjeand or servitor of Court,' and this office was 
 commonly called ' ane Mair of Fee ; ' but I doubt 
 if Aswanly really held this office, as the title 
 appears rather to have been used as a bye-name. 
 Something ought to be known of this family, 
 but I have not found other references than 
 these. The tradition of the settlement of the 
 Calders in this place in the middle of the 15th 
 
Glass. 117 
 
 century is of some interest. We are told that 
 among the followers of the Earl of Huntly in his 
 expedition against the Earls of Crawford and 
 Douglas, then in rebellion against King James 
 II., was Hugh Calder, second son of Donald, 
 Thane of Calder, who, after the battle of Brechin 
 in 1452, when in pursuit of the defeated Earls, 
 was himself made prisoner by their followers. A 
 rumour of Huntly's approach led to a precipitate 
 flight of the rebel lords, and Calder was left free 
 to join his friends, which he did, taking with him, 
 as a memorial of his escape, a silver cup which 
 Crawford had been using when he was led into 
 his presence, and the cup long remained in the 
 family. The Earl of Huntly, with remarkable 
 generosity, gave Aswanly to Calder, as the re- 
 ward of his bravery in this battle. 
 
 Like most other traditions, this story needs 
 correction. Calder was in no way related to the 
 Thane of Calder, as we know on the testimony 
 of his descendant, the late Admiral Sir Robert 
 Calder of Muirton, Morayshire, who in 1820 
 possessed the original charter. It is true as 
 tradition tells, the Earl gave Aswanly to Calder, 
 but this happened twelve years before the battle 
 of Brechin, and as the charter of 1440 informs 
 us, it was granted to Hugh de Calder and his 
 wife Elizabeth de Gordon, jointly, so that I 
 imagine Aswanly was the marriage portion of 
 the Earl's daughter. Tradition may, however, 
 
1 1 8 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 be right so far, as the gift may have been made 
 absolute to Calder after the battle of Brechin. 
 The other parts of the story are true, so far as I 
 know. 
 
 The Calders retained possession of Aswanly 
 for about 300 years, and appear to have been 
 steady supporters of the House of Gordon. The 
 friendly relations existing between the families 
 are finely illustrated by a transaction which oc- 
 curred at the beginning of the i8th century. 
 Aswanly's affairs had become involved, and as 
 I conjecture from the scattered records, money 
 had been raised on a bond held by the Duke of 
 Gordon, whose representatives were pressing for 
 settlement. Fearing the loss of his property, 
 Aswanly proposed to refer the whole case to 
 the Duke, and offered to abide by his decision 
 whatever that might be. In a ' Submission and 
 Decreet Arbitral twixt George, Duke of Gordon 
 and George Calder of Aswanly registered in the 
 Books of Council and Session, nth July, 1702,' 
 is this clause : — ' the principal difference being 
 referred to the Duke himself, he determined that 
 Aswanly should take out a new charter contain- 
 ing a Novo Damns, with a Reddendo of 100 
 mks. of feu-duty over all his lands from the Duke, 
 for this among other onerous causes — the great 
 respect the Duke had for Aswanly's family who 
 had suffered much for their loyalty — four of his 
 predecessors having fallen in plain battle in 
 
Glass. 119 
 
 defence of their King and Country.' (Invent, of 
 Charters, Gordon Castle.) 
 
 On the dauch of Aswanly a few names re- 
 main to be noticed. Cairnarget is in GaeHc 
 Carn-airgid, the ' silver cairn,' corresponding to 
 our Scotch Sillercairn and Sillerhillock. Tirry- 
 horn, or as it is given in the Ordnance map 
 Terryoron, does not appear in any of the old 
 writings, and I suspect is a corruption of the very 
 common name Tillyorne, frequently written Tilly- 
 horn. The older form of Tillyhorn is Tullich- 
 ordan, and means ' the knoll of the little height.' 
 Malak probably represents miliuc, ' marshy land.' 
 Meelick is the name of many places in Ireland 
 (Joyce, I. 465). Evronhill is 'the hill of the 
 averins.' Averin, or as pronounced here ' aiverin,' 
 is the Scotch name of the cloudberry (i?«^?<j chain- 
 cemorus). Somewhere near to Cairnarget was 
 Prevon, a name which I have not found anywhere 
 except in the Poll-Book, and no one remembers 
 where the place was. It is impossible to say 
 with certainty what the name may have been — 
 perhaps Braighe-aibhne, ' the brae or bank of the 
 river.' 
 
 CAIRNBORROW. 
 
 On the north side of the Deveron is Cairn- 
 borrow, which may be the place mentioned in a 
 charter of 1353 (Spal. CI. Mis., V. 248), in which 
 William Keith, Earl Marischal, refers to his four 
 
I20 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 davats of ' Carnbrou, in the barony of Strath- 
 bolgy, in the Sheriffdom of Aberdeen.' In 1407 
 William of Keith conveys to his son, along with 
 other lands, 'Carnbrowys' (Spal. CI. Ant, III. 
 230). These references are doubtful, because 
 Cairnborrow at the time could not have been of 
 greater extent than one davach, though other 
 lands may have been included under the general 
 name of the property on which was the manor- 
 house. In 1512, James Gordon of ' Carnborrow ' 
 appears as a witness to a charter. In 1581, John 
 Gordon of ' Carnburro' is admitted a burgess of 
 Aberdeen. These older forms do not give suf- 
 ficient light on the origin of the name to warrant 
 a decided opinion as to its meaning. It may 
 be Carn-brutha (th mute), the ' cairn of the fairies' 
 dwelling' ; or it may be the name of the hill now 
 called the Newton Hill, on which is a cairn, pos- 
 sibly one of the Cairnmore group commemor- 
 ative of those who fell in the battle there. This 
 question, with others of interest, might have been 
 determined forty years ago, when the great cairn 
 at Cairnmore was removed. Unlike those re- 
 maining, which are composed of earth and 
 stones, it was wholly composed of stones ; and, 
 judging by the dykes built out of the material, 
 it must have been of great size. No stone cists 
 were found in the body of the cairn, as in the 
 others ; but a little below the natural level of the 
 ground was a single cist, which was left undis- 
 
Glass. 121 
 
 turbed. Above the cist was a slab, about 31^ 
 feet, by 6 feet, on which was an inscription of 
 six or eight h'nes, but in what characters no one 
 can tell, for the slab was turned to base uses, and 
 not a trace of letters or markings of any kind 
 are now visible. The mystery about this battle 
 will likely remain for ever undiscovered, and we 
 have nothing to warrant even a guess as to who 
 the combatants were. 
 
 To the north-east of Cairnmore is Glenshee, — 
 perhaps 'the fairies' glen,' though it is diffi- 
 cult to imagine any sensible fairy, in its wildest 
 moods, choosing even as a temporary abode such 
 a cold, dreary glen as this is. Still, as the 
 place lies midway between Cairnborrow and the 
 Elfs' Hillock in Cairnie, it may have this mean- 
 ing. Sith (pron. shee), however, frequently 
 means ' a smooth round hill,' without any special 
 reference to fairies (Dean of Lismore's Book, 
 
 P- 30). 
 
 Due west is Piketillum, a name which occurs 
 three or four times in other parts of the county ; 
 but it is doubtful, considering the changes on the 
 face of the country which have been effected by 
 modern improvements, if the features common 
 to these places which originally suggested the 
 name could now be discovered in every case. 
 The second syllable is the Gaelic tuilm, 'a 
 knoll ;' and zspike in English, and/zif in Gaelic 
 have the same meaning, we might expect to find 
 
122 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 some ' pike' or ' spur' of the hill which gave rise 
 to the name. There is, however, nothing of the 
 kind here, and I think it is probable the reference 
 is to a point of cultivated land, which may have 
 run up the face of the knoll. It happens that a 
 local tradition associates the name with a dispute 
 about a point of land, which is a probable enough 
 origin; but how old the tradition is, it is impossible 
 to determine. These angles, or sharp points of 
 cultivated land, are frequently described in the 
 names — as in Gouls, ' the forks ;' and in Ryn- 
 taing, beyond the southern boundary of the 
 Cabrach, which, in Gaelic, is Roinn-teanga, ' the 
 point of the tongue ' — a sharp point of land at 
 the junction of two burns. So also the Scotch 
 Gushetneuk is of the same class of names. 
 
 Belnaboth (baile-nam-bothan) is the ' town of 
 the huts or bothies,' and Belnacraig (baile-na- 
 creige), the ' town of the craig.' 
 
 INVERMARKIE AND EDINGLASSTE. 
 
 Passing westward behind the line of hills 
 overlooking the Deveron, we have Corshalloch ; 
 and although so many of our cars are derived 
 from coire, there is no corrie here. I can only 
 conjecture that the prefix may be derived from 
 curr, ' a place, site, or corner,' and the second part 
 from seih'c/i (pron. shellich), 'a willow,' hence 
 ' the place of the willow.' 
 
Glass. 123 
 
 On the western boundary of the parish is 
 Aultnapaddock, a name which curiously illus- 
 trates the corruption of Gaelic names into mean- 
 ingless English. The old form is Alltnapoddoch, 
 and the Gaelic differs only in the spelling — 
 Allt-na-bodach, the ' burn of the clowns or churls,' 
 but it may mean ' the burn of the spectres.' In 
 Strathdon is Belnaboddach, ' the town of the 
 clowns.' 
 
 Passing over some English names, the mean- 
 ings of which are obvious enough, about a mile 
 and a half to the southwest is Bodylair, on the 
 side of a hill not named on the Ordnance map, but 
 known as Talnamounth — that is in Gaelic, Tail- 
 na-monaidhean, the 'lump or hillock of the moors.' 
 Bodylair, in the Fife-Estate Book, is Badielair 
 (bad-na-laire), the place of the mare ;' or (bad- 
 an-lair) the ' place of the site or building.' Lair 
 may have either of these meanings. 
 
 The Markie Water rises on the borders of the 
 Cabrach, and joins the Deveron at Invermarkie. 
 Glenmarkie is derived from marc, ' a horse,' and 
 occasionally appears in the old records as Glen- 
 mark, as we have it in Perthshire and Forfarshire. 
 The name, the 'glen of the horses,' no doubt 
 originates in the old custom of turning out the 
 horses of a district, during the summer, into a 
 glen, or upon a hill, where there was a privilege 
 of common pasturage. It is not very long since 
 this custom died out in Glass. A farmer told 
 
1 24 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 me that in his youth he had seen sixty horses 
 grazing on the Brownhill to the west of Aswanley. 
 The same practice prevailed in the Cabrach. 
 ' Mine host ' of the Richmond Hotel, Ardwell, 
 says, his grandfather on one occasion put his 
 horses on the common pasturage on the Black- 
 water, and one of them wandered into a bog, 
 where it sank until it disappeared. The place is 
 still called ' Watt's Stable.' This story is useful 
 as illustrating an old custom ; and it shows how 
 a place name may originate in a casual circum- 
 stance, which could never be discovered without 
 the aid of tradition. 
 
 Passing up Glenmarkie, on the right hand is 
 Oldyne, in the Fife rent-roll, Auldyne, which in 
 Gaelic is Allt-dian, ' the impetuous or rapid burn,' 
 this being very decidedly its character. It rises 
 in the Sloggan, that is in Gaelic Sliochdan (pron. 
 slochgan), ' a little cavity or hollow in the hills,' 
 which here rapidly gathers a heavy rain-fall into 
 this hillside burn. On the opposite side of the 
 Markie is Glenachter {gleann-uachdar\ 'the upper 
 glen,' so-called because at this point the glen turns 
 sharply round to the south, the bend thus sug- 
 gesting the idea of upper and lower. Due west 
 is Corsemaul, a hill of considerable height, which 
 appears to close up the glen of the Markie. Maul, 
 as I understand it, is from the Gaelic maol, ' a 
 brow,' and applied to the brow of a hill frequently 
 comes to indicate the entire hill ; as in Maol 
 
Glass. 125 
 
 Breac, Dumbartonshire ; and Glas Maol in For- 
 farshire. Cors is the early Saxon form of cross, 
 which in Gaelic is crois. Although crosach is the 
 adjective form, crois is often used instead, as in 
 crois-slighe, a 'cross-road ;' so cors or crois-niaol 
 may mean a ' cross-hill,' that is a hill appearing 
 to stand across a valley or district. In Ireland, 
 Dr. Joyce says : — ' Cros is used adjectively to 
 signify a transverse position.' (Joyce, I. 327.) 
 We have the same meaning in the Saxon Cross- 
 mount, in Perthshire ; and in the Gaelic Ben 
 Tarsuinn, and Meall Tarsuinn ; but Corsemaul is 
 different in construction, and possibly means the 
 ' crossing of the Maul.' Cors is evidently a con- 
 traction of crossing in Corshill, Corsknowes, 
 Bisset Cross, and not a few similar names where 
 there are old roads passing over the hills or 
 knolls. One of the affluents of the Markie is 
 Allt-Venney, or Allt-Bheinne (bh pron. v), ' the 
 hill-burn.' It is curious to find in the Ordnance 
 map such a simple word spelt with a ' v.' The 
 same odd form appears in the name of one of the 
 Grampians, which is called Vinegar Hill, instead 
 of Fionn{a)gabIiar, ' the white goat' 
 
 There are no ruins to mark the site of the 
 old castleof Invermarkie, which stood on a small 
 knoll, near the confluence of the Markie and 
 Deveron, now called ' Titaboutie.' Absurd as 
 this name is, it occurs also in the parishes of 
 Kintore and Coull in this county. Of the old 
 
1 26 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 families of Innes of Invermarkie and Gordon of 
 Edinglassie, I say nothing, because what is known 
 of them is easily accessible in the ' History of the 
 Family of Innes ; ' ' Shaw's History of Moray ; ' 
 and the Statistical Accounts of the parishes of 
 Glass and Mortlach. Near to Invermarkie is a 
 small place called Dallachy, from dail, ' a field,' 
 and aghaidh, a ' face,' here meaning the ' face of 
 the hill.' I notice this name particularly, because 
 aghaidh is frequently mistaken for achadh, a 'field,' 
 in place names. With the meaning of a hill-face, 
 aghaidJi occurs in Ossian — ' air aghaidh nam 
 beann,' on the face of the hills. (Fing., I. 95.) 
 
 In the glen of Edinglassie — Eudan glasaich, 
 ' the hill-face of the grey or green pasture ' — we 
 have three names of farms situated on the sides 
 of the glen. Bonfail is on the face of a hill called 
 Tomore, or ' the big hill,' a name which is not 
 given in the Ordnance map, I suppose because, 
 as now applied, it was seen to be inappropriate. 
 Probably it is the old Gaelic name of the Gal- 
 low-hill, of which it would have been a proper 
 descriptive name ; but as now applied to a wing 
 of it, it is unsuitable. The second syllable in 
 Bonfail is probably the occasional form of aill, a 
 ' cliff,' or ' rocky face,' and which on this farm we 
 find overlooking the mill-burn. Boit means gen- 
 erally the ' bottom ' or ' base ;' but the farm-stead- 
 ing is situated on the top of the cliff, and has 
 every appearance of occupying the original site. 
 
Glass. 1 27 
 
 I think that bon here is the contraction of botJian 
 (pron. bo-han), giving the original Bothan-faille, 
 the ' bothy of the cHff.' No doubt Bonfail might 
 mean the ' bothy of the fold,' or the ' turf bothy,' 
 but the meaning I have preferred gives the dis- 
 tinctive characteristic of the place. Near Bonfail 
 is a place called Heatherygall, or more correctly, 
 as in the common speech, Heatheryga'. A gaw 
 in old Scotch is a ' furrow or hollow with water 
 springing in it' (Jamieson.) Craigour is in 
 Gaelic Creag-odhar (pron. 6-hur), 'the dun or 
 grey craig.' 
 
 In the upper part of Glass is Gowanston, 
 probably Gowan's-town — the surname Gowan 
 being derived from gobha, a ' smith,' gen. gobh- 
 ainn (pron. gown), from which we have Mac- 
 gowan, the ' son of the smith.' Balgown and 
 Balgowan indicate places where in old times the 
 smith carried on his important craft. Occasion- 
 ally gobha takes the form of go and gozv in place 
 names. Nether Dumeath is frequently called 
 Lowrie, because of a ' lowrie stripe ' which runs 
 through it — that is a marshy strip of land abound- 
 ing in rushes. Lowrie is probably derived from 
 luachrach, a ' rushy place,' corrupted by dropping 
 the gutturals. Lowrie, or ' tod lowrie,' is an old 
 name for a fox, but I do not think this is the 
 derivation, and yet we have in the Reg. Ep. Abd. 
 (I. 250), this entry referring to the same place : 
 — ' Alsua he (Robert Innes of Edinglassie) takes 
 
138 Place Names in Stratkbogie. 
 
 of little Dunmetht part fra the tode stripe to 
 Edinglasse that is alsmekill land as a celdr of atis 
 will schawe.' A ' lowrie stripe' is thus the same 
 as a ' tod stripe,' and although both names apply 
 to a fox it does not follow that this ' stripe ' was 
 a resort of foxes. Tod in Old English means a 
 ' bush,' and, as applied to a rushy place, has the 
 same meaning as luachrach. Skeat says — ' a fox 
 is generally supposed to be called a tod because 
 of his bushy tail.' On this farm of Nether 
 Dumeath are the remains of a stone circle, about 
 40 yards in circumference when perfect. Four 
 or five stones have been removed, six remain, 
 two of which are erect, and four have been 
 thrown down, evidently with the intention of 
 breaking up, as the holes drilled in them indi- 
 cate. The stones measure from 7 feet to 8 feet 
 long, 3 feet to 4 feet broad, and about 2 feet 
 thick. 
 
 Lynebain is derived from lian or leanna, a 
 ' meadow,' and ban, 'white or light-coloured.' The 
 name applies to the haugh land on the Deveron. 
 Butterward is commonly pronounced Bitterward, 
 which is no doubt correct. In this part of the 
 country ward has lost its original significance of 
 an enclosed field, and is used to denote a field 
 whether enclosed or not. The name Bitterward 
 aptly describes the character of the land. Ard- 
 gallie may be in Gaelic Aird-gaille, 'the height 
 of the rock or standing-stone.' Dr. Joyce gives 
 
Glass. 129 
 
 ' Ceann-gaille, the head or hill of the standing- 
 stone' (Vol I. 344). There is no standing-stone 
 now at this place, but on the summit of a knoll 
 above it there is a circle formed of stones like 
 the foundation of a dyke, within which the 
 ground is formed into a low mound, partly made 
 up with small stones laid in regular courses. 
 There may have been a pillar-stone at this place ; 
 but the name may have been suggested by the 
 spurs of rock and large blocks of stone scattered 
 over the hillside. The adjective gallach, ' abound- 
 ing in large stones or rocks,' might, no doubt, 
 have taken the form gallie. 
 
 I have included Glass in the lordship of 
 Huntly, though it is not usual to do so ; and it 
 seems to have been forgotten that the parish, in 
 its old extent, ever formed part of it. Dr. John 
 Stuart has taken no account in the ' Abstract of 
 the Rental' of 1600, given in the Spald. CI. Mis. 
 Vol IV., of the feu-duties chargeable on the 
 various properties. In the Inventory of Charters 
 at Gordon Castle, it appears that in the early 
 part of the i6th century, the Earl of Huntly 
 was superior of the lands of Cairnborrow, Inver- 
 markie and Aswanley, which are said to be in 
 the lordship of Strathbogie. It is not quite clear 
 however that the old parish of Glass formed 
 part of the original lands of the 'Barony of 
 Strathbogie,' though it is almost certain it did. 
 Edinglassie belonged to the lordship of Balvenie, 
 K 
 
1 30 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 and, as it still does in part, to the parish of Mort- 
 lach. In 1650, the Presbytery of Strathbogie 
 petitioned ' the'right honorabill Lordis, and vthers 
 Commissioneris appoynted for waluatioune of 
 teyndis and plantatioune of Kirkis, to interpone 
 ther authoritie and judiciall act for disjoyning the 
 saidis landis of Edinglassie from the parish of 
 Mortulach, and annexing the same to the parish 
 Kirk and parochin of Glas in all tyme coming' 
 (Pres. Book, p. 148). The only result at the 
 time was a very partial and unsatisfactory ar- 
 rangement, which has not been rectified by the 
 Boundary Commissioners. The new Statistical 
 Account says: — ' On the removal of the bishop 
 from Mortlach in the twelfth century, a large 
 district of that extensive parish was annexed to 
 those of Glass and Cabrach.' So far as this ap- 
 plies to part of the 'ancient parochin of Dumeath' 
 it is probably a correct guess, but otherwise the 
 statement is untrue, as will be seen under 
 ' Cabrach '. Of the other properties now included 
 in Glass, Beldornie belonged to the lordship of 
 Auchindoun, formerly called Kethmore, and 
 Auchinhandoch to the lordship of Balvenie. 
 Glass (glas) means ' grey ' or ' green '. 
 
Cabrach. 1 3 1 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CABRACH. 
 
 THE LOWER CABRACH, OR STRATHDEVERON. 
 
 HE march-burn between Glass and Cabrach 
 is the Lynn Burn, so called from a linn on 
 the stream. At the extremity of the Lower 
 Cabrach, to the west of the Deveron, is Belcherrie. 
 The name differs little in its present form from 
 the old spelling we have in charters of 1474, and 
 1539 — Balchere, and Balchery (r.m.S., i 155). As 
 in all similar names of the district, Bel appears 
 in old records as Bal, ' a town.' Belcherrie at first 
 sight suggests Baile-h-airidh, ' the town of the 
 shieling or summer pasture.' This it could only 
 have been as a town to which distant pasture 
 belonged. It is almost impossible, from the 
 situation, to conceive that this place occupies the 
 site of a shieling ; and the word airidh, so far as 
 I have noticed, always applies to the place of the 
 shieling or pasture. It is more likely that the 
 old form was Baile-h-earach, that is ' Easter- 
 town.' This meaning may connect it with the 
 old march dyke, which, a little to the eastward, 
 runs up from the Deveron to the top of Craig- 
 dornie, and joins the stone rampart encircling 
 the summit of that hill. The history of this 
 
132 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 old march dyke is lost ; but it probably was 
 some territorial boundary, within which Belcherrie 
 was the most easterly town. Guestloan and 
 Greenloan, immediately adjoining, are no doubt 
 of Anglo-Saxon origin. ' Loan ' is a well under- 
 stood Scotch word, meaning an opening between 
 cultivated fields, protected by stone dykes, into 
 which cattle were driven for security. It is 
 difficult in every case to distinguish between the 
 Gaelic Ion, a ' marsh,' and the Anglo-Saxon loan, 
 but the ' loans ' belonging to these farms are still 
 remembered. The tradition as to Guestloan is, 
 that white stones were built into the enclosing 
 dykes, and gave rise from their appearance in 
 the gloaming to the jocular name 'the ghaist 
 (ghost) loan.' Names occasionally arise from 
 equally frivolous causes ; and, in absence of any 
 better explanation, I see no reason for rejecting 
 what is supplied by tradition. Referring to the 
 Guestraw, Aberdeen, Dr. Joseph Robertson says, 
 — 'In the charters of the i6th and 17th centuries 
 this lane is termed vims lemurum, the street of 
 the goblins.' (Bookof Bon- Accord, p. 117.) Cf. 
 Gaisthill in Fife, and Gaistmeadow in Forfar. 
 Greenloan is what its name indicates — ' a green 
 or grassy loan.' The next farm is Soccoth — so 
 named from sac, a 'snout' or ' point of land,' which 
 is a marked feature on the height above the 
 steading, and it also appears on the lower ground. 
 The name Drywells has arisen from the fact of a 
 
Cahrach. 133 
 
 remarkable absence of springs on this farm. The 
 supply of water for ordinary purposes is drawn 
 from a distance. Forteith is derived from_^«r, 
 ' cold,' and teach, a ' dwelling ' ; ' cold dwelling ' 
 having the same meaning as our Coldhomes. It 
 has probably received the name because the 
 land slopes to the burn' of the Soccoth, and so 
 faces the north-east. 
 
 The earliest notice I find of Lesmurdie is in 
 a charter of James III., of date i474(r.m.s., iiSS), 
 confirming George of Strathachin, of Losmorthie, 
 in a third part of the lands of Balchere, Enner- 
 cheroche, and Auchnastank, all of which lands 
 his descendants possessed, along with Lesmurdie, 
 for at least 200 years. (Retour, Dec. 10, 1663.) 
 In subsequent charters connected with this family, 
 of dates 1527, 1540, and 1549, Lesmurdie is spelt 
 Losmordy, Losmurdy, and Lesmordy. (Spal. 
 CI. Ant. IV., 460 — 463.) These old forms 
 favour the opinion that the name was originally 
 Lios-mor, ' the big fort,' and that the word dauch 
 in the form of dy may have been added at a later 
 time to describe the property, when the fort had 
 ceased to be of importance. Dauch becomes 
 corrupted in post-Gaelic times into dacAt, dawe, 
 da, do, zeauch, dae ; and appears in the Latinised 
 forms of davat, dovat, davy, dovy, divy, and I 
 think also as day and dy, although I have not 
 proved these last two changes. The Lower 
 Cabrach was divided into three dauchs, of which 
 
1 34 Place Names in Strathbogie, 
 
 Lesmurdie was one, and the name may mean the 
 dauch-lands of Lesmoir, or ' the big fort.' I notice 
 this possible derivation of the name, because it 
 is locally understood to have some such mean- 
 ing ; whether it is traditional or not I have not 
 discovered. On the other hand, comparing the 
 name with many others in various parts of the 
 country, I have no doubt the meaning is ' Murdo's 
 iort' ( Lios-Murchaidh) — whoever this Murdo may 
 have been. So Dunmurchie (Maxwell p. 176), 
 and Ardmurthach (Reg. Ep. Mor., 175). Murdo 
 is the English equivalent of the Gaelic Murchadh, 
 which, according to old usage, might have been 
 written as in the earliest form of the name, Los- 
 morthie — ' th ' being frequently used to express 
 the sound of ' ch.' 
 
 Immediately above Lesmurdie is The Kelman 
 Hill. Kelman is a common surname, and there 
 was a family of Kelmans in Mains of Lesmurdie 
 a century ago, as appears on a tombstone in 
 Mortlach Churchyard. The universal practice 
 is, however, to speak of The Kelman, not of 
 Kelman's Hill, and this indicates a much earlier 
 origin of the name. The present characteristics 
 of the hill I suppose to be nearly the same as 
 when the name was first applied — a moorish hill, 
 partly wooded, hence Coille-monaidk, ' the wood 
 of the moorish hill.' On the Kelman are three 
 knolls, two of which give names to farms, — Tom- 
 bally, from Tom-ballach, the ' spotted knoll ; ' 
 
Cabrach. 135 
 
 Tombain, the ' white knoll ;' and Knock-buidhe 
 (booie), the ' yellow knoll.' 
 
 On the east side of the Deveron, forming the 
 march between Glass and Cabrach, is the Raikie 
 Burn. Tomnaven appears in a Retour of Jan. 
 9th, 1610, as Tomanaven (toman-abhann), the 
 ' little hillock of the river,' referring to its situa- 
 tion in close proximity to the Deveron. The 
 neighbouring farm bears the name Hillock of 
 Echt, which is partly borrowed. Throughout 
 nearly the whole of the 17th century, and, per- 
 haps for a longer period, this part of the Lower 
 Cabrach belonged to the Forbes's of Echt, by 
 whom it was united to the barony of Echt- 
 Forbes (Inq. Spec, Banff, 32, 142). The origin 
 of the name Echt, in its own proper place, no one 
 has yet discovered, so far as I know. Above 
 Hillock is the corrie, which gives its name to this 
 property of the Forbes's, now called the Dauch 
 of Corinacy. In a charter of 1508 the name is 
 given Corrinuisy, a corrupt form, as I have no 
 doubt, of Coire-na-giubhsaich, ' the corrie of the 
 fir-wood.' Fir roots are still dug out of the moss 
 in and around the corrie. The same word ap- 
 pears in Kingussie (ceann-giubhsaich), ' the head 
 of the fir- wood.' I suppose the ' g ' to have 
 dropped out in Corrinuisy, as 1 find in a charter of 
 1328, Carnousie, in Forglen, is called Caringusy, 
 which is, evidently, the same name as Corinacy 
 (Fam. of Innes, p. 57). 
 
136 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Pyke may be English or Gaelic (pic) — 'a 
 sharp point or pike.' On the farm so called, this 
 natural feature is strongly marked in a long, high 
 point of land or rock stretching up the river, 
 which has been worn into the shape of a great 
 horn by the action of the waters long ages ago. 
 A mile further up the stream is Dalreoch, from 
 Dail-riabhach, the 'mottled field.' In a Retour of 
 168 1 of the lands of Corrienassies (misspelling 
 of Corrinuisy), among other names mentioned is 
 ' Dalreoch called Bank,' and the question arises, 
 was the present farm of Bank of Corinacy for- 
 merly called Dalreoch ? — if it was not, it has bor- 
 rowed a name which belonged to another farm. 
 The question is easily settled. Dail applies 
 generally to a level field, and would therefore be 
 inappropriate, without a qualifying epithet, to the 
 present Bank of Corinacy, which was originally 
 called Glascorrie, 'the grey corrie.' It is so 
 named in the charter of 1508, already quoted, 
 and in the Retours of 1610 and 1681. Glas- 
 corrie is now pronounced Glassory. At Dalreoch 
 the Blackwater joins the main stream ; but what 
 the name of the main steam really is, is a ques- 
 tion in dispute in the present day, as it has been 
 for at least 200 years. It will be most conveni- 
 ent to discuss the matter further on. 
 
 Returning to the west side of the river, we 
 have on the south of the Kelman Hill, Inver- 
 charrach. The burn takes the name of the farm, 
 
Cdbrach. 1 37 
 
 though it might with perfect propriety be called 
 the Carrach Burn, which it probably was at one 
 time. It is the boundary between the dauchs of 
 Lesmurdie and Blackwater, the latter extending 
 to the borders of the Upper Cabrach at the Allt- 
 dauch or the ' burn of the dauch.' The old forms 
 of the name Invercharrach differ only in appear- 
 ance from the present — Enuercheroche, Inuer- 
 quherauche, and Invercherauche. Charrach is the 
 Gaelic Carrach, signifying ' rough broken ground 
 with a stony bottom.' Invercharrach is notable 
 as one of the recorded stages in the journey of 
 Edward I. in his progress through Scotland, 
 when he spent the night of the 30th July, 1296, 
 at ' Inverkerack,' which was then considered on 
 the highway from Rothes to Kildrummie, at 
 which latter place he arrived the following day. 
 With his passing visit to the Cabrach, tradition 
 associates the King's Haugh on the Blackwater, 
 where there is pointed out a block of stone called 
 the King's Putting-stone. The Kingsford is at 
 the bridge over the Deveron, between the Upper 
 and Lower Cabrach. 
 
 Following the Invercharrach burn westward 
 through Glac-charrach, or ' the pass of the Char- 
 rach,' the first old name we meet is Burntreble, 
 which, curiously enough, is commonly supposed 
 to be English ; though what a triple burn could 
 possibly mean I have no idea. It is true, three 
 burns join at this point, but the name comes 
 
138 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 from the Gaelic triopall, which literally is a 
 'bunch,or cluster.or gathering,' and here evidently 
 means ' the burn of the gathering or meeting.' 
 Cf. Montriple (Fife) and Glentriploch (Galloway). 
 From the north comes the burn of Findouran, or 
 Ardlouie, more commonly AUuie. I have not 
 found any old reference to Findouran, and 
 as we have elsewhere 'dorane,' ' derran,' and 
 ' durane,' as various forms of the same place name, 
 it is difficult to conjecture what the original 
 may have been. Feith-an-dobhrain {bh and th 
 mute), the ' marsh of the otter,' may be the 
 meaning. 
 
 Bodiemulach, on the opposite side of the 
 glen, means the ' clump, or place of the ridge or 
 summit' — from bad, 'a clump,' and mullach, a 
 ' ridge.' Ardluie and Craigluie, names of places 
 on this burn, mean the 'height,' and 'craig, of 
 the Luie (laogh), that is the ' the burn of the 
 calves.' The Gaelic laogh means the 'calf of 
 a cow or deer, either of which may have given 
 rise to the name here, and in numerous in- 
 stances in which similar names occur in secluded 
 Highland glens. There are two burns of the 
 same name, the East and West Lewie or Luie, 
 near the southern boundary of the Upper 
 Cabrach. Two burns from the south-west unite 
 and join the main stream at Burntreble. The 
 more southerly is the Garmach Burn (garbh- 
 magh), probably meaning the ' rough field burn,' 
 
Cabrach. 139 
 
 and the other is Cach-na-moon (caochan-na- 
 moine), ' the streamlet of the moss.' 
 
 Higher up this glen is Rynturk, which has its 
 name from roinn, a ' point or snout,' and tore, a 
 ' wild boar ' (roinn-tuirc), referring to a fancied 
 resemblance in the outline of the hill behind to 
 the snout of a boar, which it has, at least to a 
 lively imagination. On the line of the division 
 between the Aberdeenshire and Banffshire por- 
 tions of the Upper Cabrach, occurs a similar 
 name in Rounumuck, that is, in Gaelic, Roinn-a- 
 muic, the ' snout of the pig.' The hill due north 
 is called in the map ' Round Hill,' which it cer- 
 tainly is not. Evidently part of the name is lost, 
 as in the case of another long hill on the outerboun- 
 dary, which is also called Round Hill. Both these 
 hills must have been named Roinn, but the quali- 
 fying words being gone, they have been changed 
 into the inappropriate names they now bear. 
 
 The hill immediately above Rhynturk is called 
 the Hill of the Garbet. The only possible Gaelic 
 form of this name seems to me to be Garbh-ath, 
 the ' rough ford.' Passing over the burn which 
 flows round nearly one-half of the hill, is the high- 
 way from Strathdeveron to the Fiddich, through 
 the Glacs, or ' defiles ' of the Balloch. At the 
 crossing of the burn is a place now called Bal- 
 lochford, and which I suppose, before the erection 
 of a bridge, was called Garbh-ath, ' rough ford.' 
 There are other two places of the same name, 
 
140 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 one in the Upper Cabrach, and another just over 
 the Rhynie boundary, and it is worth noticing the 
 local custom in speaking of all these places. 
 The hill to which I have referred is not the Gar- 
 bet Hill, but the Hill of the Garbet. So in the 
 other two cases, in which the name is connected 
 with burns, the usage is to speak of the Burn of 
 the Garbet, not the Garbet Burn. The first of 
 these burns rises between Leidshill and 'The 
 Mounth,' and flows into the Leyburn. The old 
 road from Cabrach to Rhynie passes over this 
 Burn of the Garbet by the Cors of the Garbet. 
 The second Burn of the Garbet is generally be- 
 lieved in the district to be the true source of the 
 Deveron, and is described as flowing in a clear, 
 strong stream from below a flat stone, which has 
 the appearance as if placed there by human 
 hands. This stream joins the West Lewie to 
 form the Howe Water, which again joins the 
 Kindy Burn (ceann, a ' head ') to form the Allt 
 Deveron. Crossing the Burn of the Garbet is the 
 old road to Glenbucket, and this crossing is still 
 called the Rochford (rough-ford), and is so 
 marked in the Ordnance map. This word 
 Rochford appears to confirm the derivation of 
 the name as I have given it. These Burns of the 
 Garbet are not named in the map, and I have 
 therefore been particular as to the localities. 
 One of the peaks of Bennachie is called the Tap 
 of the Garbet, and the Burn of the Garbet runs 
 
Cabrach, 141 
 
 along its base. There may have been a ' rough 
 ford ' over this burn, but Garbet may have been 
 properly enough applied, at one time, to the pas- 
 sage through the bogs, now called the Heather 
 Brig. As I view it, Garbet has assumed its 
 present form, first by contraction, as appears in 
 Garbet, Ross-shire, formerly written Garrowbat, 
 and, secondly, by the hardening of th in ath, a 
 ' ford,' in post-Gaelic times. These fords must 
 have been formerly a noticeable feature in the 
 Cabrach, intersected as it is by burns in every di- 
 rection, and a few of them are still remembered, — 
 as Ballochford, the two Garbets, Kingsford, Red- 
 ford, the Highlandman's ford, and just over the 
 border, Sillerford, and lastly Alluie. This name 
 is frequently applied to the farm properly called 
 Ardluie, but Alluie is derived from Ath-laogh, 
 the ford of the Luie, that is the ' calves' ford.' 
 
 Badchear is derived from bad, meaning a 
 ' clump of trees,' a ' particular spot,' and in some 
 parts of the country, ' a hamlet ' ; and the second 
 syllable might be from ciar, ' brown ; ' but the 
 ' brown spot ' would be a singular name for culti- 
 vated land in the centre of moors, where it is the 
 only green spot. The present local pronunciation 
 is Bad-hear, but old people say it used also to be 
 Bad-tchear. Probably both are correct, and 
 suggest the old forms of zar,* ' west ' — Bad-a-h- 
 
 * See Dean of Lismore's Book, p. 4, 1. 37 ; p. 48, 1- 39 5 P- 
 60, 1. s. 
 
142 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 iar and Bad-t-siar, meaning 'the place of the 
 west.' Badchear is the most westerly cultivated 
 land in the district, and the name may indicate 
 the western extremity of the lands, of which Bel- 
 cherrie formed the eastern, though I merely 
 suggest this as possible. 
 
 The hill filling up the angle between the burn 
 of Invercharrach and the Blackwater is Tom- 
 navowin, which may mean ' the hill of the huts ' 
 (bhothan)., but as it is in close proximity to the 
 Milltown, I think it is more likely that — as we 
 have already seen frequently happens — the letter 
 '/' has been lost, and that the original has been 
 Tom-na-mhuilinn {nth pron. v.), ' the hill of the 
 mills.' There is a Tomnavoulin in Strathavon, 
 and similar names are very common, both in 
 Scotland and in Ireland. Only two names remain 
 to be noticed in the Lower Cabrach — Shenwell 
 and Ardwell, from Sean-bhaile, ' old town,' and 
 Ard-bhaile, 'high town.' 
 
 THE UPPER CABRACH. 
 
 The pass between the Upper and Lower 
 Cabrach is the only spot in the whole district 
 which can be called beautiful ; and seen in the 
 autumn, when the heather is in bloom, it is 
 really a lovely Highland glen. Why this fine 
 pass has no recognised name I cannot under- 
 stand. It must have had a name at one time, 
 
Cabrach. 143 
 
 but it is entirely lost to those resident in its 
 neighbourhood. The hill on the west side of it 
 has been named, in very recent years, Mount 
 Pisgah. This might pass as a joke, but it is too 
 ridiculous a name to be allowed into common 
 use. In the Ordnance map the hill is named 
 Meikle Firbriggs. The Gaelic fir-breige means 
 literally ' false men,' and is applied to heaps of 
 stones raised on hills as landmarks (H. S. Die), 
 or to upright blocks of stone, or whatever might 
 appear in the distance to represent men. I think 
 it is probable this is the true meaning of the 
 name here. It does not seem to be very common 
 in Scotland, though there are other two hills in 
 this county having the same name, and it is 
 found in lona in Port-an-fir-bhreige, ' the port of 
 the false man.' (Reeves' St Columbia, p. 332.) 
 In Ireland it occurs as Farbreague, Farbreagues, 
 and similar names, generally however applying 
 to standing-stones rather than to cairns (Joyce, 
 II. 43S). Of the same class probably are the 
 names Stonemanhill (Fyvie), Standingmanhill 
 (Fordyce), Longmanhill (Gamrie), and Sluthman- 
 hill (Sluth in old Sco. = lazy). 
 
 In tracing the names in the Upper Cabrach 
 I have taken into account local pronunciation ; 
 but I am chiefly indebted for the older forms, 
 where there have been changes, to the Rental of 
 the lordship of Huntly of date 1600 (Spal. C. 
 Mis., Vol. IV). In ordinary records I would not 
 
144 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 attach much importance to evidence of so late a 
 date, but a Rent-roll is probably in most cases a 
 careful transcript of those of earlier date ; and 
 this document very likely represents, with slight 
 changes, the names as they were found when the 
 Gordons came into possession in 1508. 
 
 Auchmair is the first name we meet in the 
 Upper Cabrach ; and it has been assumed, with- 
 out sufficient evidence, that the original form was 
 Auchmor, or 'the big field.' In the charter of 
 1347 (Spal. C. Col., pp. 615, 616) the name is 
 given Auchmayre, and it is unlikely that at this 
 early date, on the borders of the Highlands, such 
 a change as from mor to mayre could have taken 
 place. As the church of the Cabrach was dedi- 
 cated to the Blessed Virgin, and one half of Auch- 
 mayre belonged to the Church, it is a more plaus- 
 ible supposition that Auchmayre means Mary's 
 Field. Similar names originated in Catholic times, 
 as Maryland, Marywell, Maryhill, and Marypark. 
 But in a charter of 1367 (Reg. Mag. Sig., 58, 181) 
 certain lands called Auchynmayre, in Banffshire, 
 are mentioned, and as the article here comes be- 
 tween auch and mayre, the last syllable cannot be 
 either an adjective or a personal name. The name 
 must mean the field of the mayre or mare, what- 
 ever he may have been. I think the name has 
 been originally Achadh-maoir, the ' field of the 
 mair or officer.' Maor means simply a deputy, 
 and may apply to an official of any rank up to 
 
Cabrach. 145 
 
 the King's deputy or mormaer, from whom 
 possibly the district of Mar derived the name. 
 In Ireland the same word, though pronounced 
 differently, appears in names of places formerly 
 held by guardians of lands, cattle, or sacred re- 
 liquaries, for neighbouring chieftains — so Bally- 
 myre, ' the town of the keeper or steward ; ' and 
 Tigh-an-mhaeir, ' the house of the keeper ' (Joyce 
 II., 114). The position and duties of the 'maor' 
 we can clearly understand from an interesting 
 communication given in Skene's Celtic Scotland 
 (Vol. III., 390), on the land customs of the present 
 day in the Lewis. The Chamberlain is re- 
 presented in every townland by a 'maor,' and he 
 again by the 'maor-beg' or constable. Probably 
 the same custom prevailed in early times in our 
 own district. In the Rental of Lochaber (1600), 
 ' The Officear ' appears as one of the tenants or 
 occupants of lands. In the Retours of Moray in 
 1606, we have this entry, which I give nearly in 
 full : — ' Robert Dunbar heir of George Dunbar in 
 Litle Tarie, his father, — in the office of mair 
 commonly called the office of mairchip of the 
 Erledom of Murray and Westschyre of the samin, 
 that is to say the haill mair comes, reik hens, and 
 other casualties and feis quhatsumevir of the 
 tounis and lands of the Erledom of Murray and 
 Westschyre of the samin, lyand on bayth the 
 sides of the water of Findhorne ; that is to say 
 furth of every paroche ane stouk of beir, ane 
 L 
 
146 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 stouk of aittis, with the cottaris reik henis of 
 every pleuche yeirlie, together with the aiker of 
 land, houses and biggings lyand within the town 
 of Darnway and baronie thereof belonging to the 
 said office of Mairschip.' Although it is imposs- 
 ible to say with certainty, there is a reasonable 
 probability that Auchmair means the ' field of 
 the mair,' more particularly as the Cabrach was 
 Crown property, and a local official would have 
 been necessary. 
 
 On the opposite side of the valley is Torni- 
 chelt, which is given in the rental of 1600 
 Tornikelt, and I am therefore inclined to think 
 the Gaelic is Torr-na-coillte, 'the knoll of the 
 woods.' The knoll is a strongly-marked feature 
 on the brow of the hill, and clumps of natural 
 birches are still found growing all over the neigh- 
 bourhood. Similar names appear elsewhere in 
 Scotland, and in Ireland, but from a different root, 
 viz., elite gen. of eilit, a doe, as in Rahelty and 
 Annahilt (Joyce, I. 477). This place is, however, 
 quite close to what must have always been the 
 public highway, and is very unlikely ever to have 
 been frequented by such timid creatures. The 
 burn at Tornichelt is called Alsperit, which is 
 probably from allt, ' a burn,' and spretdk, ' cattle ' 
 — hence Allt-spreidh, 'the burn of the cattle.' 
 
 About half-a-mile to the southward the Allt- 
 Deveron and Rouster unite, and it is curious that 
 even in the Cabrach there is difference of opinion 
 
Cabrach. 147 
 
 as to the proper application of the names of 
 these streams. From the testimony of the older 
 people I think they are properly named in the 
 Ordnance map — the Allt-Deveron to the east, and 
 the Rouster to the west. Gordon of Straloch 
 gives, in his map of 1640, the eastern branch as 
 the River Dovern. Macfarlane, in 1725, takes 
 the opposite view, and gives Rouster, or Royster 
 as he spells it, to the Allt-Deveron. We are not 
 left, however, either to conjecture or tradition on 
 the subject ; the names speak for themselves. 
 Rouster, I think, is derived from niadh, ' red,' and 
 sruth (E. pron. stru), 'a stream,' meaning the ' red- 
 water,' as the next affluent is called the Black- 
 water, and for a similar reason — because red is 
 characteristic of one stream, as black is of the 
 other. How it is so will be seen by the follow- 
 ing notes on the geology of this part of the Cab- 
 rach, with which Mr. Hinxman, H.M.G.S., has 
 kindly supplied me. He says — ' The greater part 
 of the basin of the Upper Cabrach is occupied 
 by a small outlier of Old Red Sandstone. Like 
 the Rhynie area, it is bounded on the west side 
 by a fault, and, on the east, rests uncomformably 
 on metamorphic and igneous rocks. It extends 
 from a point a little to the N.E. of Bank of 
 Corinacy in a S.W. direction, to a point some- 
 where between Aldivalloch and Reekomlane, 
 while its most easterly extension may be seen 
 just above the bridge at Kirkton. It is gener- 
 
148 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ally obscured by peat and alluvial deposits, but 
 soft, crumbling sandstone of a deep red colour 
 is well exposed on the banks of the Rouster 
 Water.' I think there can be no doubt the 
 name has been suggested by the colour of this 
 rock, which can be traced along its banks for 
 nearly two miles from any of the neighbouring 
 heights. The Rouster must therefore terminate 
 where the descriptive name ceases to be appli- 
 cable, which is at the junction with the main 
 stream. 
 
 Allt-Deveron appears to me a peculiar name. 
 Taken by itself it would no doubt mean ' Otter- 
 burn,' but this leaves us in a difficulty with The 
 Deveron, which Dr. Joyce would derive from the 
 old Gaelic dobhar, ' water ; ' but even if this is not 
 so, we can hardly suppose the river has acquired 
 its name simply by the loss of a//(. It seems im- 
 proper, because unnecessary, to prefix aUi, 'a 
 burn ' — Deveron being, as I view it in any case, 
 a name complete in itself, and applicable to the 
 stream without any qualification. Gordon of 
 Straloch does not give alU, and Macfarlane has 
 ' o/d.' Allt may have been a late addition ; but 
 from the junction of the Howe Water and 
 Kindy Burn, where the water assumes its charac- 
 teristic dark hue from the peat bogs, I think 
 Deveron has originally been the name of the 
 stream, as in Straloch's map, and that the Rouster 
 and Blackwater are merely tributaries. I judge 
 
Cabrach. 149 
 
 entirely by the names, without regard to tradition 
 or usage. 
 
 Following the west side of the Rouster, the 
 first farm we have is Aldunie, which in the old 
 Rental is given Auldeunye, as it is still generally 
 pronounced. I think the Gaelic is Allt-diona, 
 ' the burn of the shelter.' So we have, probably 
 with the same meaning, near the Buck, Den- 
 schiel, and Tukieshiel. Shiel is the same word as 
 shieling, a shelter for cattle or their attendants. 
 The next farm bears a name commemorated in 
 the well-known song ' Roy's wife of Aldivalloch.' 
 The Gaelic form of this name is Allt-a-bhealaich 
 (bh pron. v), and means ' the burn of the pass ' or 
 old road across the hills to Glenlivet. To the 
 westward is Largue, Gaelic Learg, ' a hillside ' — a 
 name of very common occurrence. About a mile 
 further south is Reekomlane, as it is given in 
 the Ordnance map, and generally pronounced. 
 The tradition connected with this place is, that 
 ' once upon a time ' there was a great dearth in 
 the land, and the inhabitants of the Cabrach either 
 died out or fled, excepting the family in this 
 lonely spot, who supported life by successful fish- 
 ing in the burns, and their house had the only 
 ' reekin' lum ' in this district — hence Reekomlane. 
 This story of the origin of the name seems at first 
 sight so absurd, that one is disposed to look for a 
 Gaelic derivation, which would not be difficult to 
 find ; but it is likely that there is truth in the 
 
1 50 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 tradition, as it has probability and general ac- 
 ceptance in its favour. My informant had the 
 story 30 years ago, from a very old man resident 
 near the place, who, in his boyhood, heard the 
 old people speak of it as a tradition of the dis- 
 trict. Whether the name originated in this way 
 or not, it is quite clear that solitary houses some- 
 times received similar humorous names. Reekit- 
 lane appears three times in various parts of 
 Aberdeenshire ; and in Peeblesshire the same 
 idea is expressed in the name Standalane. 
 
 Close beside this place, on the banks of the 
 Rouster, is Gauch, a name about which there is 
 considerable diversity of opinion as to whether 
 Gauch or Dauch is the proper form. Even in 
 the Churchyard of the Cabrach, I notice both 
 names appear on tombstones standing side by 
 side. Now there can be no doubt that Gauch is 
 a Gaelic word which appears in many place 
 names, alone or in combination. Thus we iind 
 the hill of Goauch in the parish of Strachan, a 
 hill called Trois Geach in Perthshire, Baden- 
 goauch in Logiecoldstone, and Braidgauch, in 
 Monymusk. In the Huntly rental of 1600 this 
 place is called Geauche, and the 'Geyauche,' and 
 in Straloch's map it is Geach, so that, I think, 
 there can be no doubt this was the original name. 
 The Gaelic is almost the same as we have it — 
 Gaothach (pron. ghflach) meaning a 'windy place.' 
 The name is sometimes understood in the High- 
 
Cabrach. 1 5 1 
 
 lands to mean a junction of streams, but a 
 junction of streams, especially of glen burns, is 
 often a windy place ; and I notice besides that 
 the name occurs where there is no junction of 
 streams. The confusion which arises from the 
 similarity of the names Geauche and Dauch — 
 sometimes written and pronounced Deyauche — 
 may be accounted for by the supposition that 
 this part of the Cabrach, like its other five 
 divisions, had been also a dauch, although the 
 fact — if fact it is — and the general name are lost. 
 There is in the Huntly Rental the name Roche- 
 findzeauche, which has now disappeared, and this 
 may have been the name of an old dauch extend- 
 ing from the Buck to the AUt-dauch. It might 
 appropriately enough have been called Fin- 
 dauch, the ' white dauch ; ' and the name may 
 have come to be applied to one particular farm 
 now incorporated with Gauch. I thus imagine 
 that both Gauch and Dauch may correctly apply 
 to this farm. This is only conjecture, but it 
 seems probable. 
 
 Immediately to the east of Gauch, and 
 lying along the banks of the Rouster for more 
 than two miles, is a peat moss, named in the 
 map Balvalley. These mosses, so abundant 
 all over this district, are interesting, as giving us 
 some idea of its appearance centuries ago. One 
 feature common to most of them is, that, in 
 cutting down through the moss, there are found 
 
153 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 layers of roots and trees representing two gener- 
 ations, a new race having sprung up as the older 
 perished, — natives say ' three generations,' but 
 our geological friends say ' only two.' This also 
 appears in one of the mosses of Badnaman (the 
 ' place of the moss '), which is called the moss of 
 Fuie (fiodha) ' the timber ' moss. Oak, fir, and 
 birch are the trees principally found. Mr. Hinx- 
 man examined various sections of the moss 
 showing different ages of the tree-growth. He 
 says — ' On the Blackwater, at a depth of 6 feet 
 from the surface of the moss, is a well-marked 
 layer of large fir roots and stumps in black peat, 
 this being succeeded by 9 feet of brownish peat 
 full of twigs and branches of birch, while at the 
 bottom of the moss, and resting on the boulder 
 clay, is a layer of birch bark mixed with twigs 
 and small branches.' Balvalley is locally pro- 
 nounced Ba'ville. Ville in Ireland frequently 
 represents bile, ' a great tree.' In Scotland, vallie 
 is an occasional form of blualaich, ' a pass ; ' as 
 in Alltavallie in Glenrinnes — a burn at the base 
 of the Hill of the Glenroads. I think, however, the 
 name Balvalley may be a corruption of Baile- 
 mhuilinn, ' the town of the mill ' — hence ' the 
 moss of the Milltown,' at which place the moss 
 terminates. 
 
 Bodibae means literally 'the clump of the 
 birch,' (bad-a-beitlte), but bad also means ' a par- 
 ticular place, a hamlet' In the Huntly Rental 
 
Cabrach. 153 
 
 the name is given Baldebaes, and the Poll-Book 
 of 1696 moves the '/' and gives us Badilbae. 
 Bodibay and Badabay are also common forms. 
 Opposite Bodiebae, on the west side of Allt- 
 Deveron, is Bracklach, frequently called The 
 Bracklach, or 'the spotted place.' The name is not 
 uncommon in Ireland with the same meaning 
 (Joyce, II. 6). Professor Mackinnon mentions in 
 his papers on Argyllshire Names that Bracklach 
 occurs in Scotland as a corruption of Broclach, 
 ' the place of the badgers.' In the next parish 
 (Mortlach) is Tomnabrock, 'the knoll of the 
 badgers,' but Tulebrock in the old spelling is 
 Tulebralloch. Behind Bracklach is Ordettan — 
 from ord, ' a round hill' like a mallet, and aitionn, 
 'juniper,' hence Ord-aitinn 'the hill of the juniper.' 
 This plant still grows abundantly on the hill. 
 About a mile northward, on the Allt-Deveron, is 
 Powneed, given in the Huntly Rental, Pownuid. 
 Pow andpo are the common corruptions o{ poll, 
 a 'pool,' an illustration of which we have in 
 Po'daff, often called the ' Pot of Po'daff '— daff 
 being from Avi^=dubh. Poll-duhh means the 
 ' black pool' As the first syllable of Powneed 
 has lost its I's I am not quite certain that the second 
 may not have lost them too. The name may 
 have been Poll-an-nillt, the ' pool of the burn.' 
 The qualifying part of a name is, however, gener- 
 ally accented, and therefore less liable to change, 
 so that Poll-nead may be correct, and, if so, it 
 
1 54 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 means 'the pool of the birds' nests.' Ireland 
 gives us many parallels, as Athnid, the ' ford of 
 nest,' Drumnid, the ' ridge of the nest,' and Derry- 
 naned, the ' oakwood of the birds' nests.' At 
 this place in the Cabrach the name is most ap- 
 propriate. Anyone looking down from the 
 heights, and observing the pools and sedgy grass 
 over the low lands stretching along the burnside 
 towards Bracklach, would not be surprised to 
 learn that this is still a favourite breeding-place 
 for water-fowl, particularly wild-duck. Still 
 further north on this stream is Craigencat, the 
 ' craig of the wild cats.' The haugh along the 
 stream is called ' The Dillet,' and near by is Cul- 
 wyne, probably Cul uaine, the ' green hill-back.' 
 On the extreme point of the Cabrach, towards 
 Auchindoir and Rhynie, is Elrick, which in early 
 times seems to have stood alone, and in the old 
 charters is referred to as ' the land of Elrick,' or 
 ' Elrig,' probably because the other farms were 
 grouped in dauchs, while Elrick was too distant 
 to be included in any of them. The place occu- 
 pies a rocky hillside, and the name is exceed- 
 ingly common all over the country, and occurs 
 in this county seven or eight times. The modern 
 forms of the name are Elrig, Eldrig, Elrich, and 
 Elrick. From the similarity of the last syllable 
 to our Scotch word rig, it might be suspected to 
 have an English origin ; but this cannot be, as 
 we find it in such combinations as Elrig an 
 
Cabrach. 155 
 
 Toiseach, Cairn Elrig Mor, Bellerig and Drumel- 
 rig. In some twenty instances, where Elrick or 
 Elrig stands alone, I only find one that I am not 
 quite certain of its application to a hill or a hill- 
 side. I have no doubt the name is derived from 
 lairig, primarily 'a moor,' and applied to the 
 slope of a moorish hill, and also to a sloping 
 hill. That this is the derivation of the name 
 so far, is certain, because we find that Cairn 
 Elrig Mor, in Glen Quoich, is also called Lairg 
 Mor. The difficulty is to determine whether the 
 first syllable is aill, 'a rock, a steep bank, a 
 height,' or the article ' a,' giving simply a-lairig, 
 ' the hillside,' or ' sloping hill.' There are many 
 hill-names so formed, as A Chioch, A Chailleach, 
 A Choinneach, An Tom, Am Mullach, and many 
 others. Such names, however, as Auchinhalrig, 
 and Tom-na-h'elrig, show that the first syllable 
 cannot possibly be the article, and I therefore 
 conclude that it must be derived from ai7 or at//, 
 and the name thus means ' the rock or height 
 of the sloping hill or moor.' Cf. Elrick, Inver- 
 ness, in 1576, Allerik ; Alrig, Wigton, 1539; 
 Allerg, 1725, Abd. Sh. 
 
 From this point (Elrig) begins the old bound- 
 ary of the Cabrach as described in the char- 
 ter of 1508, to which I have already referred, 
 and part of which I give in full. Translated 
 from the original, it runs : — Beginning in the 
 south at the burn ascending between Elrig and 
 
156 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Blackmiddings, which land of Elrig is in the ter- 
 ritory of the Cabrach, and Blackmiddings in the 
 barony of Huntly, otherwise called Strabogy; 
 and from this burn ascending to the summit of 
 Ludishill towards the north, and so going over the 
 summit of the Hundehillack between Garbet and 
 Ridford, and from thence ascending by the sum- 
 mit of the hill between Cairnaloquhy and Tullach 
 Dowy ; and so always towards the north by the 
 head of the three burns between them and Glas- 
 cory, leaving the Burnhedis to Strabogy, and 
 Glascory to Cabrach ; thence descending towards 
 the north by the summit of Cornabroicht, to- 
 wards the north and east angle of Ballochbegy, 
 which is called Grenewellheid, which is the march 
 between Cabrach and Corrynuisy.' It is quite 
 clear this description does not correspond with 
 the boundary on the map, and I suspect it is im- 
 possible now to trace it. I may notice the names 
 however, and point out those which appear to be 
 their modern representatives. Ludishill is now 
 Leidshill, and may be derived from the personal 
 name Leod, or more likely from leathad, 'a 
 slope,' which occasionally appears in hill-names. 
 Hundehillock is not now known. Cairnaloquhy 
 is, I think, a contraction of Carn-Allt-lochan. 
 ' the cairn of the burn of the pools ' (or marshy 
 land), and this name Aloquhy, or Allt-lochan, 
 seems to be represented by the Eallachie Burn, 
 at the head of which is the hill now called Craig- 
 
Cabrack. 157 
 
 water Hill, apparently a free translation of Cairn- 
 aloquhy. The name Eallachie, as it appears 
 here, is quite different from Craigellachie, Strath- 
 spey ; and I may suggest to those interested in 
 the latter name, that it may possibly mean the 
 Craig of Ellachie — Elloquhy being the old name 
 of the neighbouring estate now called Elchies. 
 Tulloch Dowy means the ' black hillock,' and 
 there is a height now called the Black Hill. The 
 Three Burn-heads are well known, and Glascory, 
 as I have said, is now Glassory, the corrie to the 
 east of the Bank. On the hill at the head of this 
 corry are two springs which are landmarks. One 
 is called the Sponical, perhaps from spongail, 
 ' spongy,' because it is a quagmire (Sco. wallee). 
 The other is Ferrinay, which is probably from 
 fuaranach, ' full of springs.' Cornabroicht {coire- 
 na-bruaick), means ' the corrie of the precipitous 
 hill-face,' and this name at once suggests the 
 corrie in the hill called Bank of Corinacy, facing 
 the pass. Ballochbegy means 'the little pass,' 
 and I know of no other place which could have 
 borne such a name except the pass between 
 the Upper and Lower Cabrach. I conjecture 
 it has been called the Little Pass in contradis- 
 tinction to the Mickle Balloch or Big Pass. 
 Grenwellheids is a name which may occur any- 
 where. If my conjecture about Ballochbegy is 
 correct, then the present boundary is at the 
 wrong end of the pass, namely S.E., instead of 
 
IS8 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 N.E. I may remark, however, that although an 
 English name may appear to be a translation of 
 an old Gaelic one now lost, it does not follow 
 that the one succeeded the other on the same 
 spot. The English name may be the translation 
 of the Gaelic, but may have taken its place side 
 by side with it. So, in the next parish is Tolo- 
 phin, and at a little distance Whitehillock ; and 
 in Drumblade Culclerochy {cul, a 'back') and 
 Back o' Field. Tillybrother {brathair, a 'brother') 
 and Tillymannoch {manach, a ' monk '), are both 
 in the parish of Echt. 
 
 Turning to the hills — The Buck (Gaelic hoc) 
 is the most prominent of all those surrounding 
 the great basin. Both its height (2368) and its 
 finely-shaped conical form entitle it to bear the 
 name it does. Only one hill in the Cabrach ex- 
 ceeds it in height — viz., Cook's Cairn (2478). 
 Following the boundary which runs along the 
 summits of the hills, we have Mount Meddin, 
 from meadhon, the 'middle,' and Dun Mount from 
 dun, a ' fort ' or ' hill.' Near the march is Blair- 
 lick Hill, from blar, a ' field ' and leac, a ' flag- 
 stone,' hence the ' field of the flag-stones.' Geal 
 Cham is the 'white cairn.' To the west we 
 have Cairn-a-Bruar, from the old Gaelic brothaire, 
 a ' caldron ' — a name familiar to most Highland 
 tourists, in the Falls of the Bruar. The word is 
 applied to any hollow resembling a caldron. 
 Cairn Brallan is from Sc. ' brawlin,' which applies 
 
Cabrach. 159 
 
 to the crowberry, red whortleberry, or cranberry 
 (Gaelic braoileag). Overlooking the upper waters 
 of the Fiddich is a hill called Carn Allt-a- 
 Chlaiginn. Claigionn means a ' skull,' and is 
 applied to the round top of a hill. There seems 
 a little confusion in this name which, as given in 
 the map, means 'the cairn of the burn of the skull.' 
 It ought to be Carn-a-Chlaiginn, the 'cairn of 
 the skull,' and Allt Carn-a-Chlaiginn, the ' burn 
 of the cairn of the skull.' A hill in the next 
 parish bears the name, The Scalp, Sco. scawp, 
 ' the scalp or skull,' applied to a bare round 
 hill. The Scaut Hill is pronounced Scat ; but 
 the word is doubtful. Perhaps it may be a 
 corruption of skiath, a ' wing,' either from its 
 shape, or because it is the wing of Cairn-a- 
 Chlaiginn. Further north is the hill of Clais- 
 nan-Earb, ' the hill of the furrow of the roes.' 
 Cairncrome means ' the bent cairn or hill ' (carn- 
 crom) — and from this point, by a zig-zag, the 
 boundary on this side terminates at the Balloch 
 {bealach) or ' the pass.' 
 
 HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. 
 
 The name Cabrach is popularly believed in 
 the district to mean a place 'abounding in 
 trees,' and I know of no other meaning which it 
 can possibly have. The writer of the notice of 
 
i6o Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the Cabrach, in the New History of Aberdeen- 
 shire, says, however—' There is no Gaelic in its 
 prefix or combination to imply that it means 
 either timber or moss. We, therefore, can assign 
 no Gaelic meaning to its name ' (p. 280). This 
 writer does not appear to have had much know- 
 ledge either of English or Gaelic, and has evi- 
 dently supposed that no such name exists else- 
 where. In the parish of Kirkhill, Inverness-shire, 
 there is a district called the Cabrach, which is 
 understood by the residents to mean ' abounding 
 in trees.' In the Reg. of Moray (pp. 16 and 60) the 
 name Balcabrach — 'the town of the wooded 
 place' — is twice, mentioned. The substantive 
 cabar appears in combination frequently. In a 
 perambulation of the marches of Tarves and 
 Udny, in 1417, occurs the name Ordinkaber. In 
 Glenbervie is Bogincabar. Near Doune, Perth- 
 shire, is Gartincaber ; and in Ross-shire is a hill 
 An Cabar (?) Cabrachan appears to be derived 
 from the same root, and is formed like Guisachan 
 and Coilleachan. There can be no doubt Cab- 
 rach is good Gaelic, and may be found in most 
 Dictionaries. If I am at all correct with the 
 meanings I have assigned to the names of the 
 district, they confirm the popular rendering of 
 the name. Straloch represents in his map, in 
 1640, wood growing along the higher waters of 
 the Deveron, and on the Blackwater. Even so 
 late as 1725, Macfarlane, in his Geographical 
 
Cabrach. i6i 
 
 Collections, says — 'There is a great wood in 
 Old Doveran,' as he calls the ' AUt-Deveron.' 
 But the best evidence of the densely wooded 
 character of the district is to be found in the peat 
 mosses, which not only lie along the lower 
 grounds, but cover the summits of many of the 
 hills. Throughout all these mosses, roots and large 
 stems are found, in many places closely packed 
 together. Cabrach was an appropriate name for 
 such a district as this must at one time have 
 been. 
 
 It is the universal opinion of the natives that 
 the forests were destroyed by fire ; and they assert 
 that all the trees, when taken out of the moss, 
 are deeply charred. I have not examined the 
 question so closely as to warrant an opinion. 
 The stems and roots I saw did not bear out the 
 general testimony ; but they had been exposed 
 for some time, and were not fair specimens. So 
 far as I could learn, there is no tradition of any 
 general burning of the forests ; but, without ex- 
 ception, every native of the Cabrach, with whom 
 I have spoken on the subject, believes they were 
 thus destroyed. 
 
 I think the name Cabrach originally belonged 
 to the district now called the Upper Cabrach, 
 and that the Lower Cabrach was not known by 
 this name till a comparatively late period — (i.) 
 Because the Gordons' Charter, of 1508, describes 
 the boundary 'which divides between Cabrach 
 M 
 
1 62 Place Nantes in Strathbogie. 
 
 and Corrynuisy,' — Corrynuisy being in the Lower 
 Cabrach. (2.) I have not found in any old docu- 
 ment the Lower Cabrach called 'Cabrach,' but the 
 name always applies to the Upper Cabrach. (3.) 
 None of the old charters of Lesmurdie, Succoth, 
 or Belcherrie, describe these places as being in 
 the Cabrach, but ' in the barony of Lesmordie 
 and Sheriffdom of Banff.' (4.) In many of the 
 Retours, all the Lower Cabrach on both sides of 
 Deveron, and the Banffshire portion of Glass, are 
 stated to be ' within the parish of Mortlach.' (5.) 
 In a list of members of the Synod of Aberdeen, 
 of date April 3rd, 1652, appear the names of Mr. 
 Andrew Ker (minister) at Cabrach, and Mr. 
 James Ross (minister) at Innercharach. On the 
 20th of Oct., 1652, ' the parishionerris of Strath- 
 divren ' represented to the Synod ' that at Enner- 
 charach ther was nether accommodation, nether 
 possible could be hade, for celebration of the 
 publick ordinances, wanting both manse and 
 gleib, and therefor desyring that thee minister 
 might be licentiated to celebrat the ordinances, 
 and that it may bie lawfuU for the people to 
 convein with him for that effect at the kirk of 
 Cabrach, ay and whill convenient accommodation 
 may be obtayned and promooved in some other 
 centricall part of thie said parish ; with thie 
 which petition, the Assemblie, beeing ryply 
 advysed, and beeing satisfied with the reason- 
 ableness thereoff, doe yield therunto, and licen- 
 
Cabrach. 163 
 
 tiates thie said Mr. James Ross, and the 
 parishionerris forsaids to repair to the said kirk 
 of Cabrach, for the ordinarie publick worshipp, 
 until the tyme above expressed' (Reg. Syn. 
 Abd., p. 222). This state of matters continued for 
 eleven years, and on the 29th October, 1663, the 
 Bishop and Synod appointed five of the brethren 
 to ' perambulat the lands of Strathdoveraine, 
 and to represent the commodiousness of dis- 
 joyning the said lands from the parochin of 
 Morthlick, and joyning them to the parochin of 
 Cabrache.' In the following year (October 20, 
 1664), the Synod ' thocht fitt that the mater of 
 perambulatione betuixt the parochines of Morth- 
 lick and Cabrache be presented be the lord 
 bishope to the commissione for plantatione of 
 kirks, whereby the best remedy according to law 
 may be provyded' (Reg. Syn. Abd., p. 276). I do 
 not know the exact date of the union of the 
 parishes, but suspect the matter was allowed to 
 drag on for several years before it was settled. 
 
 Nearly as far back as we can trace the re- 
 cords of the Cabrach, it was called a royal forest ; 
 though this does not necessarily imply that the 
 country was wooded. Tradition says that it was 
 reserved for grazing the royal horses, which is 
 perhaps true of part of it, as we know from the 
 Chamberlain Rolls that Strathaven certainly was 
 so used in 1438. The earliest mention of the 
 Cabrach I have found is in a charter of Robert II., 
 
1 64 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of date 1374, in which he gives 'to our cousin 
 William, Earl of Douglas, all and whole the 
 lands of the Cabrauche, and a half davat of the 
 land of Auchmayre, with the service of the free 
 tenants of the other half of the said davat which 
 is called Clouethe, with the pertinents within the 
 sheriffdom of Banff which formerly belonged to 
 David Brown of Glendriston, which the said 
 David has resigned ' (Reg. Mag. Sig., 104, 47). 
 During the next 200 years several persons of 
 note are associated with the Cabrach as propri- 
 etors, either in whole or in part, and these I can 
 only mention briefly. In 1397, Robert III. con- 
 firmed a donation of certain lands by Sir James 
 Sandilands to his son George, Earl of Angus, 
 whose mother was Countess of Mar and Angus, 
 and among these lands were Buck, Cabrach, and 
 Cloveth. In 1404, Lady Isabell, sister of the 
 Earl of Angus, and widowed Countess of Mar, 
 presented these lands along with much besides 
 — herself included — to Sir Alexander Stewart, 
 thereafter known as Earl of Mar and Garvioch. 
 On his death, disputes arose as to the succession 
 of the lands and honours of Mar, and one of the 
 claimants, Sir Robert of Erskine, in 143S, pro- 
 mised the Cabrach to Alexander of Forbes, if, by 
 his help and counsel, he succeeded in gaining the 
 Earldom. When the time came for implement- 
 ing the bargain. Lord Erskine retained the 
 Cabrach, and, after much ado, substituted lands 
 
Cabrach. 165 
 
 in Strathdee. When, or how, Cabrach reverted 
 to the Crown, I do not know, but in 1 508 James 
 IV., ' for good and free service ' granted to 
 ' our beloved cousin Alexander, Earl of Huntly 
 our lands and forests of Cabrach, with 
 all its pertinents lying within our Sheriffdom of 
 Aberdeen;' and at the same time he incorporated 
 these lands with the barony of Huntly (r.m.s). 
 However this gift may have been valued by the 
 Earl, he sold the whole of the lands and forests, 
 before the expiry of the year, to James Gordon 
 of Auchmullys (r.m.s). Again there is a silence 
 of nearly a century, broken only by two short 
 records. In 1565, John, Lord Erskine, Earl of 
 Mar, resigned all rights which he possessed to the 
 Cabrach, ' already desponit be the Quenis Majiste 
 to Robert commendator of Haliruidhous and his 
 airis.' In 1580, 'our Soverane Lordis Col- 
 lectour' let to the Master of Elphinstone, the 
 teind sheaves and other profits pertaining to the 
 common kirks of Kildrummie, Logiemar, Glen- 
 bucket, and Cabrach. Taking these two notices 
 together, it seems probable that the disposition 
 to the Commendator only aifected the church- 
 lands of Cabrach, viz., the half dauch of Cloveth. 
 Incidental references show that the Gordons' 
 Cabrach remained in possession of one or other 
 branch of the family, and reverted, as I conjec- 
 ture, by failure of succession, to the Earl, in the 
 latter half of the i6th century. In 1600, it ap- 
 
1 66 Names Place in Strathbogie. 
 
 pears along with the other possessions in the 
 Rental of the Lordship. 
 
 Of stirring events in the Cabrach in old 
 times, we have merely brief incidental notices. 
 On the 1 8th July, 1463, the Earl of Huntly, along 
 with other lords, summoned the Alderman and 
 town of Aberdeen to meet them in the Cabrach. 
 What expedition was in hand does not appear ; 
 but the Alderman excused himself and his towns- 
 men, on the ground that the tryst was too hasty ; 
 that ' they had no horses and could not get none,' 
 as the county gentlemen had been summoned ; 
 besides, they had been charged by their sovereign 
 Lord to keep their own town against a ' flot of 
 Inglismen,' and so he trusts that, from an en- 
 tirely different quarter, their ' singular lordships ' 
 may receive all necessary protection ' at your hee 
 and mythty nobil hartis desiris.' 
 
 In 1592, the Cabrach was subjected to an in- 
 road of a serious character. A long-standing 
 feud existed between the Earl of Huntly, and 
 Macintosh, chief of the Clan Chattan, which was 
 ever breaking out in petty warfare. Macintosh 
 had invaded Strathdee, and killed several of the 
 heads of the Gordon families resident there. 
 Huntly retaliated by a raid on the lands of Pettie, 
 killing many of the Macintoshes, and harrying 
 the country. On his return home, news reached 
 him that William Macintosh, son of the chief, 
 had invaded the lands of Auchindown and 
 
Cabrach. 167 
 
 Cabrach with a force of 800 men (?) The Earl, 
 accompanied by a small body of 35 horsemen, 
 attacked them near The Gauch, and defeated 
 them with a loss of 60 men. This fight is com- 
 memorated in an old ballad, well remembered 
 in the district by the last generation. I have 
 only picked up a few lines, which are probably 
 a fair specimen of the rude doggerel. Some 
 one taunts Macintosh with his defeat — 
 
 ' Oh, Willie Macintosh, oh, Willie Macintosh, whaur 
 left ye a' yer men ? 
 Ye've left them in the Granes* o' the Gauch, feeding the 
 Cabrach swine.' 
 
 He replies — 
 
 ' Head me or hang me, death canna fley me ; 
 I'll bum Auchindoun or life ley me.' 
 
 Two years later the Cabrach was the gathering- 
 place of the confederate lords, Huntly, Errol, 
 and others, previous to the battle of Glenlivet. 
 They remained there one night, probably waiting 
 their iDeeside friends, and the assembling of the 
 vassals in the neighbourhood. 
 
 In 1745, Lord Lewis Gordon summoned the 
 Cabrach to join the Prince's standard, along with 
 the other Gordon retainers ; but although for a 
 time he fully expected a strong contingent from 
 
 * Granes, ' the branches of a stream or valley ;' hence Burn- 
 ganes, and Burngrains. 
 
1 68 Place Names in Stratkbogie. 
 
 the upper district, by and by he writes from 
 Huntly Castle bitterly complaining of the few 
 men who had joined him, owing to the Duke 
 having given orders to his people to ' keep quiet' 
 Taking these recorded events as indicating 
 the troubled times previous to the middle of last 
 century, it is probable that the Cabrach frequently 
 suffered heavy losses, both in life and property, 
 as we know the neighbouring parishes did. In 
 1362, Kildrummie and Cloveth (Cabrach) were 
 united by the Bishop, because the revenues of 
 the churches were so much wasted by frequent 
 wars. Still, whatever changes may have followed 
 these local wars, either in the loss or scattering of 
 the inhabitants, they are not sufficient to explain 
 the fact that there are remarkably few traditions 
 of an old date to be found in the district. So 
 noticeable is this, that I imagine there must have 
 been virtually an entire change of the popula- 
 tion, and this may possibly have occurred 
 as the result of famine, as the all but solitary 
 tradition — noticed in connection with Reekom- 
 lane — tells. Whatever the cause, it almost cer- 
 tainly dates back beyond 1600, at which time, as 
 appears in the Huntly Rental, 13 farms in the 
 Upper Cabrach were let to non-resident tenants, 
 who were either themselves lairds, or lairds' sons. 
 Three farms appear to have been unoccupied. 
 Only 5 farms were let to residents, and these 
 had 16 tenants settled upon them. Unless the 
 
CabracK 169 
 
 non-resident tenants were merely nominal tacks- 
 men, with many subtenants whose names are 
 not mentioned, the population at this time must 
 have been very small. About a century later it 
 was little short of what it is now. From the Poll- 
 Book of 1696, we can estimate the numbers 
 pretty closely, and reckoning three children to 
 each married couple, we have 296 inhabitants, 
 against 312 at present. 
 
 In 1600, the Rental of the Upper Cabrach 
 was '366 merkis silver maillis' and 17 stones 
 butter. In 1696, the Rental had risen to 454 lbs. 
 Scots, or nearly double. It is suggestive that 
 while most of the low country rents were partly 
 paid in grain and meal, neither entered into the 
 Rental of the Cabrach. Mills uniformly paid 
 largely in meal, but the miller of the Cabrach had 
 to pay silver ' maillis ' and 2 st. butter. 
 
 There is nothing in the family names, either 
 in 1600 or 1696, to show whether the people 
 were of Highland or Lowland descent. There 
 are a few purely Highland names, but the same 
 list might be made up from any of the Lowland 
 parishes. Of the place names, 14 of Gaelic 
 origin apply to the farms circling the great basin 
 of the Cabrach, and are almost all situated on 
 the hill slopes, while the 7 English names are 
 found in the centre of the valley. As I have 
 suggested, there may have been a settlement 
 of strangers, or of English-speaking people, on 
 
170 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the lower grounds, after the destruction, or par- 
 tial destruction, of the forests. The Gaelic 
 names most closely adjoining those of A. S. 
 origin, have suffered greater change than the 
 Gaelic names forming the outer circle, and the 
 changes are of the same character as we find in 
 the low country. 
 
Cairnie. 171 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CAIRNIE. 
 OLD PARISHES UNITED. 
 
 'J^HE parish of Cairnie was formed by the 
 union of the old parishes of Drumdelgie, 
 Botarie, and Ruthven. Drumdelgie and Botarie 
 were united at the close of the i6th century, 
 under the name of Botarie parish, to which 
 Ruthven was united in the beginning of the 1 8th 
 century. The New Statistical Account of Scot- 
 land, after referring to the annexation of part of 
 Mortlach to Glass, says : — 'The other annexation, 
 consisting of the best farms in the east end of 
 the parish (Glass), taken from the parish of 
 Drumdelgie or Peterkirk, now annexed to 
 Cairnie or Botary, was made about the end of 
 the seventeenth century, so that the original 
 parish must have been very small.' I do not 
 know how this story has arisen, but it is repeated, 
 without any authority, by almost every writer on 
 the parishes of Glass and Cairnie. The Rentals 
 of 1600, and 1677, clearly show that the whole of 
 Drumdelgie parish, on the north side of the 
 Deveron, was united to Cairnie. The Retour 
 of 1638 indicates that the marches between 
 Glass and Cairnie were then exactly as they 
 are now. 
 
172 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 KIRKS AND CHAPELS, 
 
 Within the district covered by these three 
 old parishes, are to be seen the ruins, or tra- 
 ditional sites of at least seven kirks or chapels. 
 Peterkirk, the parish church of Drumdelgie, stood 
 on the haugh to the west of the Deveron, near 
 to Broadland. Part of the walls remain, and the 
 graveyard is still occasionally used. The kirk 
 was destroyed by fire in the latter half of the 
 i6th century, and the ruin was therefore com- 
 monly known as the Burnt Kirk. Like other 
 buildings of greater note, tradition assigns its 
 destruction to a kae, or jackdaw; but we are left 
 to conjecture how it carried the spark which set 
 the sacred building aflame, and also how this 
 imp of darkness had entered so thoroughly into 
 the spirit of the times. The priest and his as- 
 sistant, who officiated in this parish at the Re- 
 formation, are said to have been ' executed,' and 
 buried in the public highway, their remains 
 being discovered in recent years. 
 
 On the face of it this story is untrue, because 
 it is inconsistent with the history of the period ; 
 and however severe the law may have been, it is 
 difficult to imagine who would, or could, have 
 put to death the priests of an obscure country 
 parish, surrounded by a friendly people, and 
 within three miles of the seat of one of the most 
 powerful Catholic nobles in the kingdom. Had 
 
Cairnie. 173 
 
 such an event happened, we would not have 
 been left to conjecture about it, as the facts would 
 have been fully recorded, and most likely the 
 murdered priests would have been canonised. 
 The whole story is evidently a late invention to 
 account for the finding, or supposed finding, of 
 human remains in the neighbourhood of the old 
 church. 
 
 As I have already mentioned, Drumdelgie 
 and Garntully, from a very early period, were 
 associated ecclesiastically, and so late as 1556 
 the old connection appears in the grant, by the 
 Bishop of Moray, of the teind sheaves of these 
 parishes for 19 years to George Barclay of 
 Barclay, which barony included Garntully. This 
 connection between Drumdelgie and Gartly, 
 which now appear to us widely separated 
 parishes, will be more intelligible by following 
 the old marches. From a Rental of the Lordship 
 of Huntly, of date 1677, it appears that part of 
 Drumdelgie lying to the south of the Deveron, 
 including Domin, Wellheads, Collonach, and 
 Artloch was joined to Dunbennan (Huntly). It 
 is probable that the old boundary line ran from 
 the present boundary of Cairnie and Huntly, be- 
 between Inshtomach and Westertown, to the 
 summit of Dunbennan, along the ridge of the 
 Craighead to the north end of the Clashmach, 
 and along the ridge of this hill until reaching the 
 march of Gartly it followed the boundaries of 
 
174 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 this parish and of Glass, descending to the 
 Deveron at the Burn of Torry, directly opposite 
 the present march of Cairnie and Glass. As 
 Drumdelgie and Garntully thus marched for 
 several miles, we can understand their ecclesi- 
 astical connection, and see that the parson of 
 Drumdelgie could travel to the chapel at Bralan- 
 knowes, which was under his charge, without 
 going beyond the limits of his own district. 
 
 On the north side of the Deveron the parish 
 included Broadland, Bogforth, Mill of Cairnbor- 
 row, Drumdelgie, Bogmoon, Boghaugh, Binside, 
 Overkirks, and Inshtomach. 
 
 It is interesting and important to notice how 
 slowly changes were introduced into these old 
 Rentals. In that of 1677, to which I have re- 
 ferred, we find the limits of these old parishes 
 followed more than a hundred years after they 
 had ceased to exist as ecclesiastical boundaries. 
 The district is entirely wanting in any traditions 
 as to their extent or limits, and but for such 
 official documents we should now have lost all 
 knowledge of them. Comparing the Rentals of 
 1600 and 1677, I find the changes few and un- 
 important, and we are safe to conclude that there 
 has been in past times special care to preserve 
 the old forms of the place names — hence the 
 value of these documents in all topographical in 
 vestigations. 
 
 On the annexation of Drumdelgie to Botarie, 
 
Cairnie. 175 
 
 the parishioners were ordered to attend the 
 church of St. Martin's, now the church of Cairnie, 
 which they objected to do because it was not 
 ' sufficiently commodious or centrical.' To meet 
 the common wants it was proposed to erect a 
 new church at Hecklebirnie, but the material 
 laid down for this purpose during the day was 
 spirited away overnight, and found next morning 
 at St. Martin's. The pious inhabitants could not 
 but read these signs as clearly indicating the 
 place designed for their common worship, and 
 on Gordon of Pitlurg offering to enlarge the 
 existing church, the scheme of a new edifice at 
 Hecklebirnie was abandoned. So says the 
 tradition, giving as usual a proportion of fact 
 and fiction ; but it is clear that the site chosen 
 for the new church was at Hecklebirnie, where, 
 it is believed, stood in ancient times a church or 
 chapel, commemorated in the name Kirkhillock. 
 Although there is no written record to support 
 this conjecture, it seems^probable, because there 
 appears no other possible explanation of the 
 adoption of the name Botarie as the name of 
 the parish, unless we accept the tradition that the 
 original church was at Kirkhillock (Heckle- 
 birnie), which was upon the lands of Botarie. 
 Hecklebirnie may have been the Gaelic name of 
 this ancient church, possibly meaning the 'Church 
 of St. Birnie.' Mr. Anderson, in the Rhind 
 Lecture of 1879, says it is probable that the 
 
176 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 dedication of the church of Birnie, Morayshire, 
 was to St. Brendan, whose name appears in Kil- 
 brandon, Kilbrennan, Kilbirnie, and Balbirnie. 
 St. Brendan was also the patron saint of Boyndie, 
 in which parish is Kil- or Cul-birnie, and to him 
 may have been dedicated this church or chapel 
 at Botarie. I give this as purely conjectural, be- 
 cause having no old spelling of the name, ' Heckle,' 
 as it would be a corrupt form of eaglais, may be a 
 corrupt form of an entirely different word ; while 
 ' birnie ' in place names often represents bearnach, 
 ' gapped,' and also the surname Birnie. ' Go to 
 Hecklebirnie' could not, however, have originated 
 as a proverbial expression without some good 
 reason such as the legend supplies. The old 
 kirk of Ruthven, or Riven, continued to be used 
 as a place of worship till about 1721, after which 
 time it was allowed to become a ruin. Part of 
 the side walls and one gable remain, and the lat- 
 ter still bears the belfry and bell, known as the 
 ' Wow o' Riven.' This bell is a fine cast, said to 
 have been brought from the Netherlands, and, 
 according to Dr. Stuart, bears the inscription, — 
 ' Omne regnum in seipsum divisum desolabitur, 
 1643.' A friend has supplied me with a literal 
 copy taken from the bell, which reads, — 'Nerenvm 
 in seipsvm desolabitur. Anno 16430.' The 
 kirks of Ruthven and Dipple were erected into a 
 Prebend of the Cathedral by Bishop Bricius of 
 Moray about 1208 — 14. Caral Fair, Caral's 
 
Cairnie. 177 
 
 Well, and Caral's Cairn, no doubt preserve the 
 name of the patron saint — probably St. Cyril. 
 Tradition connects two chapels with the Gordons 
 of Riven — one a private chapel attached to the 
 Manor-house, and another at Auchindroyne, said 
 to have been built at the instance of the 'Abbot 
 of Grange,' by a Gordon of Riven as an atone- 
 ment for alleged inroads on the monks' lands. 
 There is now no evidence for, or against, the 
 truth of these traditions. A small Episcopal 
 chapel at Little Daugh continued to be used as 
 a place of worship down to 1 837. 
 
 About a mile due south from Ruthven is 
 Mortlach, where was a Catholic Chapel, the foun- 
 dations of which are still pointed out ; but I 
 think from the position, which is N. and S., these 
 are probably the remains of a later building, used 
 when the old chapel became ruinous. Within 
 the present century there was here a resident 
 priest, who maintained regular service in the 
 chapel. In discussing the name Mortlach 
 (parish), I gave the Gaelic form Mor-tulach, ' the 
 big hillock,' which is also appropriate to this 
 place in Ruthven. In a Retour of 1662 the 
 name is given Mortylach, being almost exactly 
 the same spelling as some of the older forms of 
 the other Mortlach. 
 
 Probably of much earlier date was the chapel 
 of Haddoch, the foundations of which are still to 
 be seen, with the surrounding graveyard, close 
 N 
 
178 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 to the public road, a quarter of a mile south of 
 the farm buildings. The chapel stood almost 
 due E. and W., and measured 32 ft. by 17 ft. 
 outside the walls. The foundations show rough 
 unhewn stones, indicating a very old and rude 
 building. The graveyard dyke is 120 yards in 
 circumference. It is more than 100 years since 
 the last interment. The park in which the chapel 
 stood is still called the Chapel Park, and the 
 'Chapel Weir is on the opposite side of the 
 road. 
 
 In a description of the parish of Cairnie, of 
 date 1726, given in the Spald. CI. Ant, Vol. II. p. 
 188, it is said that there was a chapel at Cormellat ; 
 but I find no authority for this statement, nor is 
 there any local tradition of a chapel ever having 
 been there. The similarity of the name Cor- 
 mellat, to that of the Monastic Order of Car- 
 melites has probably given rise to the conjecture. 
 It is also probable, that the fact of the priest of 
 the chapel of Haddoch having his residence at 
 Cormellat, may have led one, imperfectly ac- 
 quainted with the district, to infer that the chapel 
 was also there. Part of the gable of the priest's 
 house still remains, forming a portion of the 'yard' 
 dyke. Like the chapel, it was built of undressed 
 stones and clay, and has the appearance of a very 
 primitive building. 
 
Cairnie. 179 
 
 ENGLISH OR OLD SCOTCH NAMES. 
 
 The Gaelic place names in Cairnie have been 
 more corrupted than in any of the parishes 
 already gone over, and as there is a large pro- 
 portion of English names, it is probable the 
 Celtic inhabitants were displaced, or had lost 
 their Gaelic at an early period. I shall notice 
 about 34 English (old Scotch) names, 9 doubtful 
 or composite, and 49 Gaelic, and will take them 
 in these three groupings as far as possible. 
 
 Broadland has an entirely different meaning 
 from what the present form suggests. The 
 Register of the Great Seal gives not a few places, 
 in various parts of the country, bearing the al- 
 ternative names Brodland and Bordland. There 
 can be no doubt, from what is known of the Bord- 
 lands, that the latter is the true form of the name, 
 which is of Norse origin, and means the land of 
 the 'bord' or table, because resei-ved for the supply 
 of the baron's table, thus agreeing with our 
 modern term the ' Home Farm.' Most commonly 
 the Bordland was in the immediate vicinity of 
 the baron's castle, and the distance of Broadland 
 in Cairnie from Huntly Castle led me at first to 
 doubt if it had been the mensal farm. I have 
 been told, however, on good authority, that not 
 a few of the Bordlands are found at a consider- 
 able distance from the baron's castle, though 
 
1 80 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 generally as a matter of convenience land re- 
 served for this purpose would be not far distant. 
 In the present case, the name most likely origin- 
 ated at an early period, and within the range of 
 our records I have not been able to trace any- 
 thing peculiar about the occupancy of the place. 
 For a time it appears as a separate property, and 
 is occasionally mentioned in the old records as 
 belonging to different families. Thus, Robert 
 Innes appears as proprietor in 1502. John 
 Gordon, designed ' of Brodland,' died in 1 533, and 
 was buried in Mortlach Church (Jervise). William 
 Gordon ' de Brodland ' is named in the remission 
 for the field of Glenlivet, of date 1603. These 
 Gordons of Brodland were descended from John 
 of Scurdarg. 
 
 Various other places in Cairnie appear from 
 time to time as separate and independent pro- 
 perties, as Drumdelgie, Pitlurg, Davidston, Cairn- 
 whelp, Bad, Auchanachie, and Dauch, several of 
 these being merely ' wadsets,' that is, they were 
 held as securities for debts contracted by the 
 actual owner. The nominal owners, holding dis- 
 positions of the land until its i-edemption, figured 
 as landed proprietors, but they are of exceedingly 
 little interest to us. They had no influence in 
 the district, and have left no record behind them, 
 except the simple fact that they possessed a few 
 thousand merks, which they invested on good 
 security, and thereby had their names entered in 
 
Cairnie. i8i 
 
 the Court-Books of the County. Apart from 
 this we would scarcely have known of their ex- 
 istence, and our loss would have been very small. 
 Whatever changes in nominal ownership there 
 may have been, it is sufficient for us to know 
 that what we now call Cairnie formed part of the 
 original lands of Strathbogie, and of the lordship 
 of Huntly. 
 
 To the N.W. of Broadland is Bogforth, to 
 which 1 have no references older than two or 
 three hundred years. Forth in old Scotch writ- 
 ings means occasionally a ' fort,' and sometimes a 
 ' ford ;' but although there may, at one time, have 
 been a fort at this place, as indeed anywhere else, 
 we know nothing about it ; and the name could 
 not possibly have had any reference to a ford. 
 It seems much more likely to mean the bog- 
 fourth, or quarter, — probably two oxgangs, or the 
 fourth of a plough-gate. This extent of holding 
 was common, and in Gaelic times was called a 
 rath, a word which occurs in place names, such 
 as Rawgown, 'the smith's fourth, or quarter' 
 (Celt. Scot., III. 243). 
 
 On the west side of the bridge of the Burn of 
 Cairnie is a point or face of a knoll having the 
 curious name Gillgatherbus, or as generally pro- 
 nounced Gillgetherbus, which it has been sug- 
 gested is a nickname; but there is no explan- 
 ation how it could be so, or how it originated. 
 Before we can say that a place name is a nick- 
 
1 82 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 name, we must know as much about it as we do 
 about any ordinary topographical name which 
 we attempt to explain. A corrupt form of a word 
 may seem to have a humorous meaning now which 
 it had not at first. Confounderland appears at 
 first sight a nickname, but when we find that the 
 old spelling was Conquhendarland, we see at once, 
 although we have only made two steps backward 
 towards the original form, that we are attaching 
 a meaning which does not belong to it. Although 
 several explanations of Gillgetherbus have been 
 offered, none appear to me of any value what- 
 ever, and I can only add a conjecture to those 
 already given. Gillgether probably represents a 
 personal name, originally Gillegedder. Gedder 
 is a name which appears in Cairnie in 1696, and 
 Gill was a prefix common in the district, as Gill- 
 mihel, Gillanders, Gillespok, and others. As I 
 conjecture, from the legends associated with the 
 place, some person of the name lost his life 
 there, and in a superstitious age, may have been 
 supposed to haunt the neighbourhood. In Ire- 
 land such events occasionally gave rise to place 
 names having the prefix Gille, followed by 
 a personal or descriptive name ; and appari- 
 tions are also associated with the English word 
 bush, as Dullowbush, ' the bush of the phantom,' 
 Gillgetherbus is certainly an old name, as we 
 know that a century ago it was reckoned a 
 haunted place ; and legends of kelpies, candles. 
 
Cairnie. 183 
 
 and apparitions, connected with it, could not 
 have originated in recent times. 
 
 Other superstitions, now extinct in Cairnie, 
 are commemorated in The Elf s Hillock, through 
 which a road has been lately cut, no doubt 
 greatly to the inconvenience of the lively crea- 
 tures whose nightly threshings are no longer 
 heard in their subterranean barns, as in the old 
 times. 
 
 Unlike the Cabrach, which abounds in streams 
 and rapid burns, crossed by fords having dis- 
 tinctive names, Cairnie has only one burn with a 
 few small tributaries. Murrayford, Stoneyford, 
 and Coachford, names attached to farms, com- 
 memorate the fords of late date ; while Clochran- 
 ford at the bridge near Ruthven reaches back to 
 early times, and means ' the ford of the step- 
 ping stones,' from the Gaelic Clacharan or Cloich- 
 irean. 
 
 Four names occur of A.S. origin, somewhat 
 peculiar and interesting. In Ruthven we have 
 Sittinghillock, which evidently has the same 
 meaning as in English names, such as Sitting- 
 bourne, from A. S. scetan, a ' holding,' or ' settle- 
 ment.' Riggins is a more common name. The 
 ' riggin' of a house is of course the roof or ridge of 
 the house, and a knoll having a resemblance 
 to a roof is called the ' Riggin.' The plural is 
 used when there are several houses or holdings 
 upon the ridge. The name Cuttlehill comes 
 
1 84 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 from the old custom of ' cuttling corn,' that is, 
 carrying it, when reaped, from a low ground to 
 an exposed height for ' winning ' or withering it. 
 The same term was used when corn was removed 
 from a distant field to the neighbourhood of the 
 stackyard to wait the earliest opportunity for 
 securing it. From this old custom we have the 
 names Cuttlehill, Cuttlecraigs, Cuttlebrae, and 
 Cuthiltown. Hollowdyke is understood locally 
 to mean ' the hollow of the dyke,' but I have not 
 found the English word ' hollow' in Scotch names. 
 The place is in the neighbourhood of The 
 Tullochs and Horntowie, and the name may be 
 derived from the same root {tulacJi). Cf. Tillyduke 
 in Strathdon. Plodders is a small place near 
 Overhall, very marshy, and abounding in pools 
 which at one time were used as ponds for 
 ' steeping ' lint. Flodder in old Scotch means to 
 overflow, and it is probable that the name has 
 been suggested by the wet character of the land. 
 Cf. Floderburn, Lanarkshire. 
 
 Other English names in Cairnie need no ex- 
 planation, but there are a few which have died 
 out, and which are worth notice. In a Retour 
 of 1638, are mentioned 'Eistthrid and Westthrid,' 
 farms in Botarie. These names are representative 
 of a class very widely distributed over the whole 
 country, and illustrate the old custom of letting 
 a single holding among three tenants. These 
 ' thirds' do not appear to have been divisions of 
 
Cairnie. 185 
 
 any particular or uniform extent of ground, but 
 occasionally each ' third' was reckoned of exactly 
 equal value. In the Rental of 1600 we find, — 
 ' The Manes of Boigegeyght, ane pleuche sett in 
 thirdis, — The Ouer Third thairof, payis yeirlie, 
 Tuentie twa bollis, ane firlott, ane peck, ane third 
 part peck ferm wictuall half maill, half beir. Ane 
 boll custom aittis with the fodder. Twa wadderis, 
 withe ilk fyir house ane reik hen, seruice about 
 the place.' The Mid Third and Nether Third 
 paid exactly the same rent and custom. Besides 
 these ' thirds' we have Meikle Third and Frethird ; 
 but Midthird or Middlethird is now most com- 
 mon, no doubt because the other two 'thirds' have 
 been joined to it, while its own name has been 
 retained. 
 
 In the Retour above referred to we have the 
 names Outseat and Midseat, now also forgotten 
 in the district. Outseat occasionally has a par- 
 ticular or restricted meaning, applicable even if 
 the place was known under a different name. By 
 referring to the Rental of the Bishopric of Aber- 
 deen, of date 1511, we find that the haugh of 
 Bolgie was let to Robert Blak, one condition 
 being that within a certain time he should build 
 three 'outsettis' habitable by himself or his 
 dependants. Many old charters, after giving the 
 name of the lands conveyed, add 'with the 
 outsettis,' as later charters say 'with the out- 
 pendicles,' and from the connection I judge the 
 
1 86 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 term to apply to the houses and steadings of the 
 subtenants on outlying portions of the land. 
 
 The last of the old Scotch names worth 
 notice which have died out in Cairnie, is Intoun, 
 a term now rarely heard, and scarcely under- 
 stood by the younger generation, though in 
 former days all farms of importance were divided 
 into ' intoun' and 'outfield.' To the 'intoun,' which 
 surrounded the steading, the farmer gave his best 
 attention; while the 'outfield' was robbed and 
 starved for the sake of the more favoured land, 
 and, when completely exhausted, it was allowed 
 to lie fallow for a term of years, when it was 
 again subjected to the same unkindly treatment. 
 
 HYBRID OR DOUBTFUL NAMES. 
 
 Among names of doubtful origin I may in- 
 clude Starhill, not because there is any uncer- 
 tainty as to the meaning of this name, but names 
 somewhat similar are doubtful. Starr, accord- 
 ing to Jamieson, means 'sedge' {Carex ccBSpitosa), 
 and Sir H. E. Maxwell gives several examples 
 of Galloway names derived from this root. In 
 this part of the country the name starrs (gener- 
 ally used in the pi.) is applied to rushes (Juncus 
 squarrosus) found abundantly in bogs. Starhill 
 therefore means the ' hill of the starrs,' and Star- 
 mires, ' the mires or marshes of the starrs,' but 
 I am doubtful about Starhead and Starbrigs. 
 
Caimie. 187 
 
 There are not a few names derived from Gaelic 
 stair, ' a path or causeway ' made to allow sheep 
 and cattle to pass over bogs. So we have Star- 
 nafin, ' the causeway of the marsh,' Starnamoneth, 
 'the causeway of the moor,' and Kinstair and 
 Kinstairy, ' the head or end of the causeway.' 
 Starhead appears somewhat like a partial trans- 
 lation of Kinstair. Starbrigs, also, may be a 
 hybrid, formed by uniting the Gaelic word and 
 its English equivalent. It is, however, common 
 to cross bogs by stepping from one bush of starrs 
 to another, and this practice may have given rise 
 to the name {^Cf. Heatherbrig on Bennachie). 
 Causeways must have been very common in old 
 times, and we find them commemorated in our 
 local names in the forms of cassie, hassie, and 
 hassock, Gaelic ceasach ; but cobhas (couse) may 
 give us Kingcausie (old form Kincousie), 'the head 
 or end of the causeway.' Many names having the 
 same meaning are found all over Ireland, the 
 causeways there being generally formed of 
 bramble and clay (Joyce, I. 362). Probably in 
 Scotland they were more commonly constructed 
 of stones gathered in the neighbourhood, and 
 these may have given us some of the old road- 
 ways, which we are pleased to call Roman. Of 
 Scotch names we have Causeyend, Causeyton, 
 Crosscausey, Causeybutts, and Causeyfolds. Pro- 
 bably Longsteps and Steppingstone Loch are 
 of the same class. All these names, however 
 
1 88 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 derived, indicate the state of the country in for- 
 mer times, and the expedients to which the in- 
 habitants resorted to meet the difficulties of their 
 situation. 
 
 To the north of the Church of Cairnie is the 
 Garromuir Wood, or as it is often pronounced 
 Garrymuir — Garry meaning a ' rough place,' as 
 in the Garrie in Drumblade, and in many other 
 parts of the country. The same word again 
 occurs in the Garro-wood, between the Balloch 
 and the Isla. 
 
 In Ruthven district there are two places be- 
 longing to this division of composite or doubtful 
 names. Drumhead is the 'head of the ridge.' 
 Hogston, or Ogston, is a name found all over the 
 low country. I have never seen any explanation 
 of it, and cannot say with certainty which is the 
 older form. Applying to land, it does not once 
 appear in the Reg. Mag. Sig. from 1 306 to 1 546 
 in the form of Ogston, but always as Hogstoun 
 or Hoggistoun, though as a surname Ogstoun is 
 common. In the charter of 1534 (r.m.s.), this 
 place in Ruthven is given Hogstoun. Probably 
 some will prefer the derivation Og's-town (Og = 
 Young), but it is remarkable if so many persons 
 should have given the name to places scattered 
 over such a wide extent of country. It appears 
 to me more probable that Hogstoun belongs to 
 the class of surnames derived from lands, which 
 originally took their names from domestic 
 
Cairnie. 1 89 
 
 animals. We have many such names, as Oxford 
 and Oxenford, Oxley and Oxlee, Shipley (sheep), 
 Shipton (sheeptown), Lambourne, Cowley, Swin- 
 don, and Kinton (kine, cattle). These I give on 
 the authority of the Rev. 1. Taylor in ' Words 
 and Places.' We have also Oxton, Kidston, 
 Cowham, and Ramstead. I think it is probable 
 that Hogstoun is of the same class. It must be 
 understood that, if this derivation is correct, the 
 name does not come from the English word hog^ 
 'a pig,' but from the Scotch hog, ' a young sheep.' 
 Some families of the names of Hogdene and 
 Ogden not unnaturally prefer to derive their 
 names from oa^ (Bardsley's English Surnames, 
 p. 118). 
 
 Five names occur — one in Botarie, and four 
 in Ruthven — of a class of which there are besides 
 only about fifteen in the counties of Aberdeen and 
 Banff. These are Binhall, Overhall, Hallgreen, 
 Craighall and Haggishall. In these names it is 
 common in local pronunciation to drop the I's, 
 making ha'. All these names are derived from 
 /ia' or kal/, a farmer's house as contrasted with 
 those of the cottars (Jamieson). In this sense 
 it appears to be improperly used, the ' Ha' house' 
 being the Manor House, and the ha' of a small 
 house the principal apartment. It could only 
 have been in comparison with much smaller 
 dwellings that the word could have been diverted 
 from its proper and original meaning. About 
 
190 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 forty years ago hd was occasionally used in this 
 district in referring to a farm house, though 
 generally in a somewhat jocular sense. 
 
 Haggisha' is a name we find also in the 
 counties of Banff and Perth. Haggischeill ap- 
 pears in Forfar, and Haggishill in Banffshire. 
 Hagbray, Hagbank, and Hag Wood also occur ; 
 and as the name of lands. Haggis appears in the 
 counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Renfrew, Lanark, 
 Ayr, and Berwick. All these names, I think, are 
 derived from hag (hack), ' to hew,' though possibly 
 Haggishill may be the equivalent of the com- 
 mon Gaelic name Cairn-calliach, 'the hag's cairn.' 
 Hag, as a substantive, applies to copsewood ; to 
 one cutting of a certain quantity of wood ; to 
 branches lopped from trees reserved as firewood ; 
 also to moss ground broken up for reclaiming 
 — moss-hags. From this word we have also 
 ' hagyng,' an enclosure, or hedging, hence hag- 
 hedge (Jamieson). Haggisha', now pronounced 
 as three syllables, but no doubt formerly as two 
 (Hags-ha'), probably means the ' ha' or house of 
 the broken moss-ground,' though either of the 
 alternative meanings might have suggested the 
 name. 
 
 Gingomyres (initial g hard) does not appear 
 in the Ordnance map, as it is now included in 
 SmalJ|burn. Only once have I found the name 
 in the old writings, viz., in the Rental of 1677, 
 where it is the same as at present. As I conjecture 
 
Cairnie. 191 
 
 the Scotch word ' myres ' has been attached to 
 an old name, and ' Gingo' may have been origin- 
 ally Ceann-gobha, properly gobhainn, but as Dr. 
 Joyce says, the genitive is often the same as the 
 nominative, and both terminations may be gener- 
 ally translated ' of the smith.' Gingo may there- 
 fore be ' the head or hill of the smith,' possibly 
 the former name of the hill, now called the 
 Black Hill, at the foot of which this farm was. 
 The same qualifying word appears in Cairngow, 
 on the top of the Meikle Balloch, which may be 
 the 'smith's cairn.' It is difficult now to say 
 why a smith, although the most esteemed of all 
 skilled workmen in former times, should have 
 been associated with a hill, unless, perhaps, his 
 forge was near it, or upon it. Dr. Joyce gives 
 Kinego, ' the smith's hill,' and Ednego, ' the hill- 
 brow of the smith ' (I. 223). 
 
 The ' Stone Circle of Gingomyres ' is now en- 
 tirely removed ; not a stone of it remains. Even 
 the great 'recumbent stone,' measuring 13^ ft. 
 by 6 ft, has been broken up. Thus our memorials 
 of ancient times disappear one after another, and 
 by and by nothing will remain but the tradition 
 that such things were ; or perhaps we may have 
 the hasty notes of some one who took a passing 
 interest in them. 
 
 On the hill behind Broadland formerly stood 
 a pillar stone, measuring, after being taken down, 
 1 2 to 1 3 ft. long, I \ ft. broad, and i^ ft. thick. It 
 
192 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 was known by the name of Macneisgar or Mac- 
 neiscar. Around the base was piled a cairn of 
 stones, but there was nothing of interest dis- 
 covered when they were removed. There are 
 no markings on the stone, nor are there any tra- 
 ditions connected with it. 
 
 GAELIC NAMES IN DRUMDELGIE PARISH. 
 
 Following the Gaelic names, with their as- 
 sociated English names, according to the old 
 divisions of the parish, we have first Drumdelgie, 
 which is derived from druim, 'a ridge,' and 
 dealgan, ' a little thorn' — Druim-dealgan, ' thorny 
 ridge.' Our earliest references to the name give 
 the diminutive form of dealg, as Drumdalgyn 
 (A.D. 1227, Reg. Ep. Mor., p. 22), and Drum- 
 delgyn (1232, Reg. Ep. Mor., p. 28). As in 
 many other cases this prominent ridge gave its 
 name to the parish. Between Drumdelgie and 
 Broadland, the slope of the hill is called Culter- 
 nach, the ' back-lying land.' To the N.W. there 
 was formerly a small place called Ferniord— 
 from Fearna-ord, 'the height of the alders or 
 arns,' these trees being still remembered by old 
 people as growing at the place. Cf. Fearnmagh, 
 'alder plain,' Joyce, I. 5x5. Near to Drum- 
 delgie is another name similarly formed, only 
 found in the common speech of the district. It 
 
Cairnie. 193 
 
 is Rainymeall (raithne-meall), ' the knoll of the 
 ferns,' or as we say in Scotch, Fernyhillock. A 
 very boggy place on Drumdelgie is called Hen- 
 nipots, whatever that may mean, (Helliepots ?). 
 Rowaird (in Botarie) is in Gaelic Ruadh-aird, 
 ' the red height.' It does not now appear why it 
 was called ' red,' though there must have been 
 some reason. Redford is the name of the next 
 farm. 
 
 Bogmoon is given in an Inquisition of 1638 
 as Boigmoyn, and again in 1662 as Boigmonnie, 
 and in the Huntly Rental, 1677, as Bogmuyne. 
 The second of these references suggests the root 
 monadhy a ' moor,' which often takes the form of 
 ' money ' both in Scotch and Irish names ; but 
 Bognamoon, Balnamoon, and Dalnamoon, make 
 it evident from the form of the article that moine, 
 ' moss or peat,' is the word here used. Bogmoon 
 therefore means the ' peat bog,' and although no 
 peat moss is now visible, draining operations 
 show a considerable depth of coarse moss below 
 the surface soil. To the west of Drumdelgie is 
 Milleath {nieall-liath), 'the grey hill.' On the 
 N.E. side of the Deveron, near the boundary of 
 the parish, is Inshtomach. The name is not 
 materially different in the old writings, and is 
 derived from innis, here meaning a ' haugh,' and 
 tomach, ' abounding in bushes or knolls.' At the 
 battle of the Bridge of Dee, fought in June, 1639, 
 we are told in Gordon's Scots Affairs that ' John 
 o 
 
194 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Gordon of Inshstomacke, a Strabogye man, 
 killed with a marked shott Capt. Andrew 
 Ramseye a gentleman of Montrose party, out of 
 indignation that they had killed John Forbess a 
 burgesse of Aberdeen.' I do not find any further 
 notice of this Gordon of Inshtomach who has 
 his name thus recorded in history as a successful 
 marksman. 
 
 GAELIC NAMES IN BOTARIE PARISH. 
 
 Passing into Botarie the first name we have 
 is Drumfold, which is interesting to trace back 
 to the early form, on account of the changes 
 which have occurred. The common pronuncia- 
 tion is Drumfall. In the Poll-Book of 1696 it is 
 given Drumfauld and Drumfoal ; in the Rental 
 of 1677 Drumwhal ; in the Retour of 1662 
 Drumquhaill, and in that of 1638 Drumquhuie, 
 evidently a misreading , of Drumquhuil. In the 
 Charter of 1534 we have Drumquhale. As 'quh' 
 is the old Scotch equivalent of 'ch,' we come 
 very close to the sound and form of the Gaelic 
 Druim-choille, 'the ridge of the wood.' Cf. 
 these forms of the same names — Ardchille and 
 Ardyuhalze ; Coquhille and Coilquhailze. This 
 old dauch of Drumquhale extended from the 
 Burn of Cairnie to the Burn of Ardonald, and 
 though it is difficult now to imagine it a wooded 
 ridge, reclaimed as much of it is, the old name 
 tells of what it once was. 
 
Cairnie. 195 
 
 To the east of Drumfold is Shinsharnie, to 
 which I have referred before as an illustration of 
 those ridiculous names, apparently old Scotch, 
 but utterly senseless and really corruptions of 
 Gaelic. In the ' Remission to Huntlie for Ald- 
 quheynachan — 1603,' the name is given in good 
 English spelling ' Schincharnie,' that is Sean- 
 charnach or chairneack, ' Old Cairnie.' ' Thomas 
 Gordon in Schincharnie' was one of the more 
 prominent followers of the Earl of Huntly and 
 his confederates in the expedition against the 
 Marquis of Argyll in 1594, and no doubt stoutly 
 bore his part in the battle of Glenlivet, surviving 
 to share, with others in Cairnie and the district 
 around, in the general amnesty which followed 
 the leaders' submission. 
 
 On the north end of the ridge of Drumfold 
 is Ean, called 'The Een,' and in recent times 
 written Oyne, but as I read the Rental of 1677 
 it is Oven. Oyne (parish) in the Garioch is also 
 pronounced Een, and in the Reg. Ep. Abd. is 
 given Ouyn, Ovyn, Owyn, and Oven. There is 
 too great an apparent discrepancy between the 
 modern pronunciation and the old forms to admit 
 of a decided opinion as to the meaning. If 
 modern popular usage gives the true reading of 
 the old spelling, it suggests the Gaelic word eang; 
 a ' point of land,' which is exactly what this place 
 is. Close to The Ean was formerlyj Brackles or 
 Bracklach, ' the spotted field.' Bracklach, Brack- 
 
196 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 lay, and Brackles, are the various forms of the 
 name, the last being the English plural. A neigh- 
 bouring field on Smallburn is called ' English- 
 field,' because here, as tradition tells, in the time 
 of 'the '45,' an engagement took place between 
 the Royal troops, called ' the English,' and the 
 rebels. It may be indicative of the general feel- 
 ing of the agricultural population in some parts 
 of the country at the time, that the tradition 
 goes on to tell that ' the servants at Bracklach 
 left their work in the field and sought shelter in 
 the house, because the balls were flying about 
 them.' Evidently the worthy people considered 
 their personal safety a much more important 
 matter than the issue of the contest. 
 
 The name Old Cairnie suggests another 
 Cairnie of later date, and although no such place 
 is now remembered in the district, the Rental of 
 1677 indicates its locality and extent very dis- 
 tinctly. It is referred to in the older writings 
 as ' the lands of Carne,' and in the later as ' the 
 toune of Carne.' It included 4 oxgates of Kirk- 
 toun, 4 oxgates called Corss, 4 oxgates called 
 Midtoun, and 4 oxgates called Yonderton, — 16 
 oxgates or 2 ploughgates, or one half-davach of 
 land. This land on which the church stands, I 
 have no doubt, was the half-davach of the church- 
 land of Botarie, in dispute in 1227 and 1232. 
 Corss is near the church, and it is not unlikely 
 that at this place there was a cross dedicated to 
 
Cairnie. 197 
 
 St. Martin, the patron saint, although we have 
 no such record or tradition. These crosses were 
 common, and not a few of the places called Corse 
 are beside old churches, as the Corse of Kinnoir, 
 which, like the Corse of Cairnie, includes the 
 Kirktown. Yonderton, just mentioned, is now 
 called Jam, a common Scotch word applying to 
 ' anything big and ugly' (Jamieson). It has also 
 the meaning of a projection or addition, as the 
 ' back-jam ' of a house, and the aisle of a church 
 was also called a ' kirk-jam.' In Pratt's Buchan 
 it is stated that at Rosehearty, in the middle of 
 the 1 6th century, 'there were two large houses 
 erected, one of which was called " the Jam." It 
 is still (about 1858) in good repair, and inhabited.' 
 These are the only suggestions I can offer as to 
 the meaning of this curious name. 
 
 Marching with the church-land is the dauch 
 of Cairnwhelp, no doubt the old name of the hill 
 now called Hill of Newton, on the north shoulder 
 of which is the farm of Cairnwhelp. The name 
 is given in the Inq. of 1662, Craigenquholpe ; in 
 that of 1638, Ernequholp ; and, in the Charter of 
 1534, Carnequhilpe. Even with the help of 
 these old forms the name must remain of doubt- 
 ful meaning. It is certain the English word 
 whelp, 'a young dog,' could not have been in 
 common use in Cairnie 350 years ago, and if it 
 had, in such a combination, it would have no 
 meaning. The spellings, of 1638 and 1662, sug- 
 
1 98 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 gest as possible, Cam-cholpa, from the obsolete 
 Gaelic colpa, ' a cow or heifer,' indicating the place 
 where such cattle were pastured. Cf. Colpy and 
 Colpach both in this county. 
 
 Five names belonging to the dauch of Cairn- 
 whelp have been lost in consequence of the farms 
 being annexed to Newton, — Gaitside (Roadside), 
 Clashbrae (the furrow of the brae), Thorntree, 
 Basquharnie, and Bruckleseat. Basquharnie is 
 no doubt Cairnie with das prefixed, probably re- 
 presenting batJmis (pron. bd-esh), 'a brow' — 
 hence ' the brow of the rocky place.' In a late 
 Rental (1806) the name is given Bissuarnie, 
 which clearly shows that the first syllable never 
 was the English word 'bush.' Bruckleseat is 
 from the common name Brockholes, contracted 
 into Bruckle, with ' seat ' added. 
 
 Adjoining Cairnwhelp is Botarie, which, as 
 already mentioned, gave its name to the parish. 
 The oldest references to the name occur in the 
 deed of 1226, erecting ' Elchies and Buttharry' 
 into a prebend of the Cathedral of Moray, and 
 which the vicar signs, 'Gillemor vicarius de 
 Buchtarry.' It is worth observing that the vicar 
 bears a Celtic name, and, from his spelling, I 
 judge" that place names in Botarie, even at that 
 early date, were becoming corrupted. In the 
 first agreement between Bishop Andrew and 
 David of Strathbogie, the name is given Botharry, 
 and although this agreement was stated to be 
 
Cairnie. 
 
 199 
 
 binding 'for ever,' a second became necessary 
 five years afterwards, in which practically a new 
 bargain was concluded about the church-lands ; 
 and in this second deed we have the slight 
 change Butharryn, and also the old spelling 
 Butharry. There seems no reason to doubt the 
 Gaelic is Both-airidh, ' the bothy of the summer 
 pasture.' In a charter of 1529 (Spal. CI. Ant., 
 III. 116) Botarie appears as Potare, and in the 
 Retour of 1662 it is given Pittarie. Although 
 these are solitary instances of this change in the 
 first syllable of the name, they no doubt indicate 
 the gradual process by which many of our 'boths' 
 were changed into ' pits.' 
 
 The present tenant of Botarie informs me, 
 that about twenty years ago there were on one 
 of his fields two round spots on which all crops 
 grew much more luxuriantly than elsewhere. 
 Tradition said that two chiefs had been buried 
 there, and curiosity led him to dig into these 
 supposed graves, in hope of finding stone coffins 
 or other relics of interest. The examination of 
 the first of these spots yielded no results. On 
 digging into the second it soon became apparent 
 that the ground had been previously disturbed, 
 and he found that an excavation of considerable 
 width had been made through the rock to the 
 depth of 1 1 feet, and at the bottom was a quantity 
 of what he believed to be charred grain. He 
 therefore concluded that this place had been ex- 
 
200 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 cavated and used in old times as a kiln. The 
 excavation was about 8 feet wide at the bottom, 
 and sloped upward at one side as if intended to 
 allow access to the fire below. 
 
 To the south-west of Botarie the Bum of 
 Ardonald joins the Burn of Cairnie, and on the 
 former of these at one time stood the Mill of 
 Gale, as the name is written, though pronounced 
 Gellie {Cf. Gellyhill, Gellymill, and Gellyburn, in 
 Gamrie). Tradition says that this mill with all 
 its belongings was swept away by flood. On 
 the west side of the burn is Ardonald, ' Donald's 
 height,' locally called the Knowe of Ardonald, or 
 Ordonald. No tradition lingers as to who this 
 Donald was who has given his name to the hill. 
 About a mile distant is The Ord (hill) near to 
 Hollowdyke. In the old writings Ord and Ard 
 are used in combination interchangeably. Many 
 names appear so frequently in both forms that 
 I am doubtful if in topographical names there is 
 any distinction. Three Gaelic names occur in the 
 neighbourhood — Raemurrack, probably Reidh- 
 Murrachadh, ' Murdoch's or Murray's field ;' 
 Auchinclach (achadh-na-cloiche), ' the field of the 
 stone, or the stony field ;' and Auchairn, sup- 
 posed to mean Ack-fheafna,'th.G field of the 
 alders,' but the Retour of 1662 gives 'Auchin- 
 chairn,' the ' field of the cairn.' Heatheryfield was 
 formerly called Bogforge and Bogferge, which 
 may represent Bog-feurach, ' the grassy bog.' 
 
Cairnie. 201 
 
 PITLURG. 
 
 The lands of Pitlurg form the N.W. corner of 
 Cairnie, and belong to Banffshire. From an In- 
 quisition of 1663 we learn that the property then 
 included ' the lands and dauch of Botarie, com- 
 prehending the town and lands of Bottarie, 
 Aucharne, Auchincloche, Boigferge, Whytstaines, 
 Claymyres, and the Mill of Bottarie,' but these 
 formed no part of the original property, and 
 were merely ' wadsetts.' Pitlurg is said to have 
 been one of the small estates which the Earl 
 of Huntly gave for special services rendered at 
 the battle of Brechin in 1452, but this could not 
 possibly have been the case, because Pitlurg 
 never belonged to him. This battle appears to 
 have taken a strong hold on the popular imagin- 
 ation in the north, judging by the number and 
 extent of the landed properties supposed to have 
 been gifted as rewards for valour displayed on 
 that occasion. Although it does not figure 
 largely in Scottish history, great national in- 
 terests hung on the issue of the day, and the 
 importance of the struggle is indicated by the 
 legend of the king's reward to Huntly 'for keeping 
 the crown on our head.' Pitscottie tells us that 
 Crawford, the defeated leader in the rebellion, 
 declared 'that he wished to be seven years in 
 hell to have the honourable victory that had 
 fallen to the Earl of Huntly that day.' It was 
 
202 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 hardly won, however, for Sir Robert Gordon 
 says, ' William and Henrie (the Erie of Huntlie 
 his two brethren) with divers other gentlemen 
 were their slayn, which maid the victorie lesse 
 pleasing to the Erie of Huntlie' (Hist. Earld. 
 Suth.). 
 
 Whatever lands may have gone as ' rewards 
 of valour,' at the time Pitlurg was in no risk of 
 changing owners. It is repeatedly mentioned 
 in the Reg. Ep. Mor. as part of the church-lands 
 claimed by Bishop Andrew in 1227 and 1232, 
 and which he refused to surrender on any terms. 
 It appears to have remained in possession of the 
 Church till 1539, when Bishop Patrick granted 
 a feu-charter to John Gordoune of Lungar of the 
 lands of ' Petlurge, Over and Nether Auch- 
 quhorties, with the croft of Petruchany, in the 
 barony of Keth,' and Gordon signed the condi- 
 tions of sale, ' Johne Gordoun of Petlurge and 
 Lungar with my hand at the penn led be master 
 William Wysman, notair public ' (Reg. Ep. Mor., 
 p. 414). During the two following centuries the 
 descendants of Gordon of Scurdarg were known 
 as the Gordons of Pitlurg, but, in 1724, the estate 
 passed out of their possession. About 1815, 
 General Gordon, the representative of the family 
 at that time, gave the name Pitlurg to his estates 
 of Birness and Leask in Buchan (Mem. of 
 John Gordon of Pitlurg and Parkhill). 
 
 Of the members of the family the most 
 
Caimie. 203 
 
 notable are, (i) the well-known and talented 
 Robert Gordon of Straloch, second son of Sir 
 John Gordon of Pitlurg, who built the Pitlurg 
 Aisle at Botarie, and is buried there ; (2) 
 Straloch's seventh son, James Gordon, minister 
 of Rothiemay, author of the ' Scots Affairs'; and 
 (3) the grandson of Straloch, founder of Gordon's 
 Hospital, Aberdeen. 
 
 In the documents already quoted from the 
 Reg. Ep. Mor., of dates 1227 and 1232, the name 
 is given Petynlurg and Petnalurge, leaving it 
 doubtful if the second syllable represents the 
 diminutive or the article. The sense is nearly 
 the same in either case, and Pitlurg means the 
 ' town of the shank,' that is a ridge at the foot of 
 a hill (luirg). Of the old Castle of Pitlurg only 
 a mere fragment remains. 
 
 At the eastern end of the Glen of Pitlurg, and 
 on the lands of Auchairn, is a little dell called 
 ' The Dualties,' a name which is amusingly in- 
 terpreted as meaning a place to which disputants 
 resorted, for the purpose of privately settling 
 their differences by appeal to the sword. In old 
 times in Cairnie, as elsewhere, serious quarrels 
 were most frequently settled without delay on 
 the spot where they arose. Part of the name 
 may be lost, but as the burns of Pitlurg and 
 Raemurrack join at this place, and both rise in 
 mossy ground, it is probable that ' The Dualties ' 
 may mean 'the black little burns,' from dubh. 
 
204 Place Names in Strathbogie, 
 
 ' black,' and alltan, ' a little burn ' — the Gaelic 
 terminal being changed into the English plural. 
 Elsewhere the name appears in the singular, 
 Dowalty (burn), and we have also Finalty, the 
 ' white or clear little burn.' 
 
 The dauch of Davidson bears an old name, 
 which appears in the charter of 1545 as Dawes- 
 toun (Davestoun), and possibly it may date back 
 to the time of David of Strathbogie, although we 
 have no written evidence that it does so. Three 
 Celtic names occur in this part of Cairnie, viz., 
 Brankie, Curbrottack, and Shenwell. Brankie is 
 probably the name of the hill to the west of the 
 farm so called, and which now bears the name of 
 the hill of Janetston or Jannieston. Brankill is 
 the name of several places in Ireland meaning 
 'raven-wood;' Brankie may have the same 
 meaning. Cf. Brainkyllie in Inverness-shire. 
 Curbrottack is derived from Curr-brotach, mean- 
 ing ' a foul place,' that is a place characterised by 
 marshy or boggy land. The farm next to this 
 one is called ' The Gutter,' which may be a free 
 translation of Curr-brothach. Shenwell means 
 ' old town.' 
 
 OLD NAMES IN RUTHVEN. 
 
 Turning now to the third or Ruthven division 
 of Cairnie, we have at the eastern point, Conie- 
 cleuch, the corrupt form of Cul-na-cloicke, 'the 
 
Cairnie. 205 
 
 hill-back of the stone, or stony hill-back.' A 
 charter of 1284 (r.e.m. 462) shows that the land 
 was then held of the Earl of Sutherland by John 
 de Moravia. This charter conveys ' the lands of 
 Culnacloyth and Ruthtrelen in Strathbolgy.' 
 Ruthtrelen does not appear in any other writing, 
 so far as I have been able to discover, and with- 
 out knowing where the place was it is impossible 
 to conjecture what the name means. 
 
 Haddoch, in the form we have it, appears to 
 be a Gaelic name, though it is undoubtedly 
 English. The Easter and Wester half-dauchs 
 of Ardmannoch are given in ' The Thanes of 
 Cawdor,' under date 1458, in the spelling ' Half- 
 davach,' and the same places are referred to, in 
 a charter of 1526, as ' Estir and Westir Haldach;' 
 Haldach and Haldoch being the intermediate 
 forms of all our Haddochs and Haddos. In the 
 Retours of date 1680 we have ' the Half-davachs, 
 otherwise Haldachs.' In the old writings are 
 mentioned the lands of Half-Dawach in the 
 Lordship of Cromar ; and the town and lands of 
 the Half-Dawacht, Inverness. Haldach, Had- 
 doch and Haddo occur in the counties of Kin- 
 cardine, Aberdeen, Moray, Nairn, Inverness and 
 Cromarty, but I have not noticed the name 
 elsewhere. There can be no question that 
 Haddoch and Haddo are simply contractions of 
 Half-davach, which we have in the Gaelic 
 Leddauch and Lettoch. 
 
2o6 Place Names In Strathbogie. 
 
 Bishop Andrew of Moray, in 1227 and 1232, 
 claimed one half-davach of the lands of Cumry, 
 adjoining Haddoch. The Rental of 1677 gives 
 Cumry as one half-dauch, and Haddoch exactly 
 the same extent, and no doubt this latter is the 
 half-dauch, or Haddoch of Cumry, now Haddoch 
 of Cairnie, which in old times belonged to the 
 Church. The fact that the chapel and grave- 
 yard are on this farm makes the supposition 
 highly probable. 
 
 The hill immediately to the south-west of 
 Haddoch is commonly, though improperly, 
 reckoned part of the Binn. It bears on the map 
 the half-Norse name Ord Fell, which I take to 
 be a corruption of Ord-choille, ' the hill of the 
 wood,' c/ioi7/e undergoing the common changes 
 ofck to gu/i and/. Ordiquhill (parish) also follows 
 the same change from gfuk to / in the vulgar 
 tongue. 
 
 Immediately behind Rothiemay Railway 
 Station (s.w.), is Ernehill, now included in 
 Haddoch farm. Erne is of frequent occurrence 
 throughout Scotland, but names in which this 
 word appears have not all the same origin. 
 Several places in the south have the name from 
 A.S. csrn, ' a dwelling,' while others throughout 
 the country are undoubted corruptions of Gaelic 
 words. Sir H. E. Maxwell gives ard-an as the 
 Gaelic form, and this is no doubt in many cases 
 correct, as I find two examples in old charters 
 
Cairnie. 207 
 
 of this change. In the north am and erne are 
 different forms of the same word, and these are 
 almost certainly corruptions of cam, as are also 
 the final syllables orn and horn, as in Tillyorn 
 and Tillyhorn, — different forms of Tillycairn. 
 Horn, as in Horntowie and Horngow in Cairnie, 
 is, I think, also a post-Gaelic corruption of Cam. 
 Horngow and Cairngow are alternative names 
 of the same hill. There can be no doubt arden, 
 am, erne, am, ftorn, and cam are synonymous 
 terms. Cairnwhelp is given in both forms earn 
 and erne, and Ernehill also we have as Carnehill. 
 Dean Munro in his ' Description of the Western 
 Isles,' 1549, says — 'At the mouth of Kyle I la, 
 betwixt it and Duray, lyes ane ile, callit in the 
 Erische Leid Elian Charne, in English the iyle 
 of Earne' (p. 25). In the Reg. Mag. Sig. we 
 have the following forms of the same name in 
 charters on the same property, — Cleghorn, Cleg- 
 herne, Cleghirne, and Clegerne — the last being 
 the oldest. Gartharne in a charter of 1494 
 becomes in 1 5 1 2 Gartcarne (R.M.S). 
 
 On the summit of Ernehill are the remains of 
 a stone circle surrounding a low mound. The 
 ' recumbent stone', is a huge slab of whinstone 
 II feet long, 5 feet high, with an average of 2 
 feet 3 inches thick. It is set on edge on a base- 
 ment of flat stones, manifestly laid by human 
 hands. This stone stands near the west side of 
 the circle facing eastward, but it is not placed to 
 
2o8 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 any particular point of tlie compass. Two pro- 
 jecting spurs of rock immediately behind this 
 great stone seem to have formed part of the 
 circle, while four large stones lie on the ground 
 where they have fallen or been thrown down. 
 These stones measure from 6 feet to 8 feet long, 
 2 feet broad, and i\ feet thick. The other 
 stones completing the circle have no doubt been 
 removed and turned to some useful purpose. 
 The circle, when complete, was about 90 yards 
 in circumference. Jervise says a stone coffin 
 containing urns was found on Ernehill, but this 
 is incorrect. An urn was found on Haddoch, 
 but there never has been anything of the sort 
 found on Ernehill. 
 
 About half-a-mile westward is the Hill of 
 Cormellat, which is really a group of three hills 
 or cairns, each having its own distinct name. 
 The most westerly point is Cairnwalloch — Carn- 
 bliealaich (bh = v), ' the cairn of the pass.' Wal- 
 loch is a somewhat unusual form of bealaich, but 
 we have, in Strathdon, Cullwalloche and Cul- 
 balach, both applying to the same place. Below 
 this place is Cumry, from the old Gaelic comar, 
 ' a point of meeting,' and in this direction the old 
 road had passed through the opening of the hills 
 from the valley of the Deveron to the country 
 beyond. The central hill of the group is Dum- 
 bathie (dun-beithe), ' the fort of the birch.' Here 
 there are evident remains of a dun or hill fort, 
 
Cairnie. 209 
 
 and the broken irregular circle of stones can be 
 traced for a considerable distance, while within 
 and around this circle the grass is much greener 
 than on the hill — a feature common to old sites 
 of forts. The third or eastern cairn is called the 
 Corshill, or ' hill of the Cross.' Cormellat seems 
 to be the general name of these cairns and of the 
 two farms on the east side of the Corshill. The 
 name is given in the charter of 1534, Cormalite ; 
 in the Retour of 1638, Cormaleit ; and in the 
 Rental of 1677, Cormcllet. These old forms do 
 not give any light as to the origin of the name, 
 about which as yet I can give no satisfactory ex- 
 planation. Cf. Claymellat in Essie. On the 
 north shoulder of the Corshill was formerly a 
 place having the curious name Parrahunk, which 
 I have never seen in writing. It may possibly 
 be a corrupt form of a Gaelic name. Behind 
 the hill is a spot called Scoolie's Neuk — ' scoolie ' 
 being understood in the district to refer to the 
 devil, whatever may be the origin of the word. 
 There can, however, be no doubt of its meaning 
 here, as there is a large stone at the spot having 
 a very distinct impression of a cloven foot, which 
 ought to settle the matter beyond all question. 
 
 Near the junction of the Deveron and Isla is 
 Tillytarmont, 'the knoll of the Termon land.' 
 Dr. Joyce tells us, that in old times in Ireland, 
 land around the church was marked off by 
 crosses or pillar stones as a sanctuaiy or refuge. 
 P 
 
2IO Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 The word tearmunn was originally applied to 
 these termini or ' boundaries,' but afterwards ex- 
 tended in meaning to signify an asylum, and in 
 a popular way to denote church-lands. Our old- 
 est reference (charter of 1534) to this place is de- 
 fective, part of the word being illegible, and we 
 have only Tillent( )mend, but it preserves the 
 article, which is lost in later writings, and in- 
 dicates as the probable Gaelic form Tulach-an- 
 tearmuinn, ' the knoll of the refuge or sanctuary'. 
 The Rental of 1677 gives the spelling Tillitar- 
 mount, and the Poll-Book, Tillitermount. The 
 final ^ or / is often dropped by the older people 
 of the district, and in the Inventory of Gordon 
 Charters the name is given, under date 1535, 
 Tilletarmen. Dr. Joyce mentions Ardtermon 
 as having the same meaning, ' the height of the 
 sanctuary;' Professor Mackinnon in ^Argyll- 
 shire Names' gives Clach-an-tearmuinn,Colonsay, 
 ' the stone of the sanctuary ;' and in the Reg. Ep. 
 Abd, (p. 44) in a charter of 13 16, is mentioned 
 Auchynaterman, near the church of Dyce. How 
 long ago it is since the name Tillytarmont 
 ceased to be applicable we have no knowledge. 
 It is only incidentally, arising out of a quarrel 
 about church-lands, that we know anything 
 about Cairnie 650 years ago ; and, except in 
 regard to this particular struggle between a 
 greedy churchman and an unscrupulous baron, we 
 know almost nothing of the district for the next 
 
Cairnie. 211 
 
 300 years. Tillytarmont belonged to William, 
 second son of John Gordon of Scurdarg. He 
 was ancestor of the Gordons of Lesmoir and 
 Craig (Mem. of John Gordon of Pitlurg and 
 Parkhill). 
 
 The name of the old parish of Ruthven or 
 Riven is now popularly restricted to the district 
 around the old church. It is a somewhat com- 
 mon name, and occurs at least thirteen times in 
 the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Moray, Inver- 
 ness, Perth, and Forfar, and probably may be 
 found elsewhere over the country. The old 
 forms of the name given in charters in the 
 Register of the Great Seal are, Rathven, Roth- 
 ven, Ruthven, Ruthfen, Ruwen, Ruven, and these 
 are commonly pronounced, as in later writings. 
 Riven (Riv'-en). I have no doubt the Gaelic is 
 Rath-bheinne, ' the hill-fort.' The name does not 
 occur in Ireland, but similar names are common, 
 as Rathard, 'the fort of the height or high fort ;' 
 Rathdrum, 'the fort of the ridge ;' Rathedan, 'the 
 fort of the hill-brow ; ' and Rathlackan, ' the fort 
 of the hill-side' (Joyce). Col. Robertson gives 
 Ruthven in Perthshire as Ruadh-abhuinn, 'the 
 red river,' and Rathven in Banffshire as Rath- 
 abhuinn, ' the fort on the stream.' Ruthven and 
 Rathven are only different forms of the same 
 word, and the name occurs where there is no red 
 stream. Although several of the Ruthvens I 
 know are associated with old forts, or have old 
 
212 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 forts in the neighbourhood, it would not absol- 
 utely prove the origin of the name could we 
 discover such connections in all cases ; but 
 the old forms appear to me to admit of only one 
 interpretation. 
 
 THOMAS GORDON OF RIVEN. 
 
 The Gordons of Scordarg and Riven must 
 have been remarkable men in their day, but there 
 is very little that is authentic known of them. 
 There is no evidence to prove absolutely whether 
 they were uncles, cousins, or, as Ferrerius says, 
 half-brothers of Elizabeth of Gordon ; but it 
 seems probable that the reference is to them in 
 the charter of Ardlach, in Aberdour, of date 
 1423, in which John of Gordon and Thomas of 
 Gordon are mentioned as natural sons of Sir 
 John of Gordon, and therefore half-brothers of 
 Adam of Gordon, father of Elizabeth of Gordon, 
 who is also mentioned in the same charter, 
 (Spald. CI. Ant. II. 3;8). 
 
 In the 'Resignation of the lands of Cul- 
 clerochy,' a certain Thomas Gordon, a witness, 
 is supposed to be ' of Ruthven,' but unless there 
 is other evidence of the truth of this conjecture, 
 there is none in the deed. In a charter of 1448, 
 appears 'Thomas de Gordon, esquire, lord of 
 Auchinrach,' also supposed to be Thomas Gordon 
 of Ruthven ; but tradition has never associated 
 
Cairnie. 213 
 
 him with any other place than Ruthven, and there 
 may have been several persons of the same 
 name. 
 
 Excepting these doubtful references, and the 
 probable reference in the charter of Ardlach, I 
 do not find Thomas Gordon of Ruthven appear- 
 ing in any legal writing even as a witness. 
 Most likely he could not sign his own name, 
 which is not surprising if, as tradition says, he 
 had a ' lucken hand,' that is webbed like a duck's 
 foot. That he was three times married and had 
 18 children, we know; but when he was born 
 when he died, what sort of a man he was, what 
 he did either of good or evil, we have not the 
 smallest information. He is said to have fought 
 the abbot of Grange whom he slew, losing his 
 own life at the same time ; but this small infor- 
 mation we have only by tradition, and even this 
 is not true. We know from the records of the 
 Abbey of Kinloss that no Abbot could have 
 fought with Gordon of Ruthven, though it is 
 probable that a monk of Grange did. The 
 quarrel arose probably about the church-lands, 
 described in the Kinloss charter ; and a dispute 
 about these lands was carried on for seven years 
 between Earl Alexander and Abbot Crystal, 
 which the Earl eventually abandoned. The story 
 of the contest between Tam o' Riven and the 
 Monk of Grange is vigorously told in the modern 
 ballad, no doubt with large poetic licence, which, 
 
214 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 is pardonable seeing that nothing is known about 
 it historically. A cairn on the north shoulder 
 of the Little Balloch marks the spot where the 
 monk fell, and the well of Auchindroyne is the 
 place to which Gordon was carried after the fight, 
 and where he died. In a niche in the north wall 
 of the kirk lies the effigy of Gordon of Ruthven, 
 represented in armour, with his sword by his side; 
 but the face and other parts of the figure are 
 much damaged by exposure, and probably rough 
 treatment. 
 
 Daugh and Auchanachie belonged to Gordon 
 of Riven, and were held by his descendants till 
 a comparatively late period, merging into the 
 Gordon estates, the former in the beginning of 
 the present century and the latter about the 
 middle of last century. It is sometimes stated 
 that Auchanachie belonged to the Ogilvies of 
 Boyne, but this is incorrect. Walter Ogilvie be- 
 came possessed of the ' lands of Auchannoquhy 
 lying within the Forest of the Boyne in the 
 county of Banff,' — a description which does not 
 apply to Auchanachie in Cairnie. 
 
 Auchanachie has, occasionally, been inter- 
 preted ' the field of the field,' but I do not see 
 that it could possibly have this meaning. As we 
 have the name it appears unintelligible, but 
 Craghannachy, in Carrick (Reg. Mag. Sig. 2899), 
 suggests that part of the word has been lost. 
 Perhaps the lost letters are supplied in ' Buth- 
 
Caimie. 215 
 
 quhanyoquhy' i.e. Bothchanyochy, and in the hill 
 name Cairn-a-cheannaiche — probably so called 
 from a commemorative cairn. If these letters, 
 ch^ really belong to Auchanachie, then the name 
 would read Achadh-cheannaiche, ' the field of the 
 merchant,' or of the ' buyer or seller,' possibly in- 
 dicating the field where in former times Caral 
 Fair may have stood. So far as I see at present, 
 this is the only explanation I can suggest. The 
 latter part of the name seems to be common 
 in other compound words, and it is probable 
 that further light may be cast upon it. Perhaps 
 we are apt, in regard to such places, to expect a 
 name corresponding to the character of the place 
 at the time it becomes known to us, while in fact 
 the name may have originated when the place 
 was of no importance. 
 
 The high ridge of land in front of Auch- 
 anachie, overlooking the Burn of Cairnie, is 
 called Drummyduan, which in the form of Drum- 
 duan I have had occasion to notice. If duan 
 means ' black-water,' it is appropriately used to 
 describe the Burn of Cairnie. On Auchanachie 
 was Clerkneuk, called in the Rental Clerkhouse, 
 no doubt the residence in old times of the priest 
 of Ruthven. 
 
 Auchindroyne {ach-an-droighinn), ' the field 
 of the thorn or sloe,' is now only remembered as 
 a small possession, but it formerly extended to 4 
 ploughgates, and included all the small holdings 
 
2i6 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 between Daugh and the Little Balloch,— the 
 Tullochs (knolls) being the only Celtic name 
 which occurs. The croft of Rollingstone, I have 
 been told, had its name from a large stone on a 
 neighbouring knoll, which revolved three times 
 every morning at cock-crowing. Sceptical people 
 may satisfy themselves as to the truth of this 
 tradition by visiting the place at the proper time. 
 If the explanation is not fully confirmed, I may 
 suggest as an alternative, RoUanstoun (Roland's), 
 a name which appears several times throughout 
 the county. There are two ravines or water- 
 worn 'sloughs' on the eastern side of the Mickle 
 Balloch, called the ' Mickle and Little Queve.' 
 Queve seems to represent the old Gaelic cuiblte 
 (bh = v), 'a deep trench.' The only remarkable 
 thing about these gullies is, that they appear to 
 have retained a Gaelic name almost unchanged 
 from very early times to the present day. 
 
 Four places bearing Gaelic names are en- 
 tirely lost to us, although two of them existed 
 in 1662, and the other two in 1696 : — Caim- 
 bradles ; Bradranich, which means ' the breast of 
 the ferns ;' Auchindrum, 'the field of the ridge ;' 
 and Bad, signifying a 'hamlet' This place 
 B^d was in Ruthven, and the name occurs in 
 the old writings between Mortlach and Drum- 
 head. I think it must have been the old name 
 of Binha'. 
 
 These complete the names in Cairnie with 
 
Cairnie. 217 
 
 the exception of the Isla (river), of which all 
 that any one can say is that the old forms are 
 Strath-ylif, — ylay, — yla, — ilif, — ily, — and ila. 
 
 HISTORICAL NOTES. 
 
 In looking over the records of the parish of 
 Cairnie of 200 years ago, one is apt to form the 
 opinion that the population was then much 
 greater than it is now. In rural parishes, tra- 
 ditions of a dense population in former times are 
 common ; and in Cairnie the older people hold 
 firmly to the belief that the inhabitants were at 
 one time twice as numerous as they are now. 
 This is not surprising, because there were many 
 small holdings, and the number of cottars was 
 very great as compared with our own day. There 
 are no means of testing the statistics which have 
 come down to us from the close of the last cen- 
 tury ; but if they are at all correct they are very 
 remarkable. Meantime we have to do with the 
 population of Cairnie about 200 years ago, which 
 in 1696 we can estimate pretty closely, the 
 boundaries of the parish being at that time the 
 same as they are now. The Poll-Book gives us 
 the names, occupations, and residences of all the 
 inhabitants above 16 years of age, and reckoning 
 3 children resident in the family to every married 
 couple — which is perhaps a high average — we 
 have 1502 of a total population in 1696 within 
 
21 8 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the Aberdeenshire part of Cairnie, against 1 505 
 in 1881 ; but there were in addition, in 1696, the 
 poor persons living on charity, or, as Dr. John 
 Stuart calls them, the ' beggars,' however many 
 they may have been. It may be interesting to 
 give a few details which come out in examining 
 these returns. In Botarie and Ruthven there 
 were 257 married couples, and. according to my 
 estimate of 3 resident children to each family, 
 771 children. Of farm and domestic servants 
 there were 106 men and 68 women, single men 
 not in service, 24 ; and single women not in 
 service, 14 ; widows 5. It is difficult to estimate 
 exactly the number of cottars, because the en- 
 tries are irregular, and they are described as 
 cottars, cottars and tradesmen, and sometimes 
 only the name is given. I give a close approxi- 
 mation to the numbers, and do not include those 
 merely entered as tradesmen, nor sub-tenants 
 who may have been crofters. Of cottars there 
 were about 105 families, cottars and tradesmen 
 58 families, and grassmen 10, or a total of cottar 
 families of about 163. It is much to be regret- 
 ted that in this parish the trades of those who 
 are returned as cottars and tradesmen are not 
 specified, as in many other parishes. There are 
 7 millers mentioned, but these are the only 
 tradesmen whose employments are stated, ex- 
 cepting those on Hillside of Davidstown, where 
 there were 3 weavers, i shoemaker, i walkster. 
 
Caimie. 219 
 
 and curiously enough there were in this out-of- 
 the-world place, i painter, and i gardener. 
 Grassmen or Girsmen were cottars, and so we 
 find Girsmantown and Cottartown with the same 
 meaning. No doubt many of the cottars were 
 in the position of farm-servants occupying cot- 
 tages in our own day, and they found employ- 
 ment on the neighbouring farms when work was 
 to be got. They were all sub-tenants, and even 
 if they possessed a small patch of garden ground, 
 or a cow's grass for service rendered to the tacks- 
 man, their lot must have been a hard one. 
 
 Of the tenant farmers, 17 returned themselves 
 as 'gentlemen,' while the rest declined the 
 honour of being so designated. It was rather a 
 diflficult question for a farmer to decide what 
 position he would claim. If he declared that he 
 was ' no gentleman,' his renunciation of the claim 
 was recorded in the Herald's Register gratis ; 
 while if he claimed to be a ' gentleman,' he had to 
 pay £1 Scots of poll money for himself, and also 
 the ordinary tax for each of his children though 
 under age. Of a man who, on occasion, buckled 
 on his sword, mounted his own horse, and fol- 
 lowed his lord on whatever enterprise he was 
 bent, it could hardly be expected that he would 
 choose to appear in the public records in any 
 other light than as a ' gentleman.' 
 
 Of the 1502 inhabitants in 1696, 136 were 
 Gordons ; but we do not know how many of 
 
220 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 these bore the name by virtue of a small con- 
 sideration. Probably not a few found it good 
 policy to lay aside their own surnames and claim 
 nominal relationship with the head of the Great 
 Family. It can scarcely have been by accident 
 that in the Rental of 1677, of the tenants whose 
 names are given, there were 24 Gordons, and 
 only 18 having other surnames. The names of 
 all the tenants are not given, and some of 
 these Gordons may be twice mentioned if they 
 happened to hold two farms. 
 
 Looking over the old Estate-Books of 200 
 years ago, and such other records as help to cast 
 light on the condition of the people of Cairnie, 
 my impression is that as a whole they were very 
 poor. There were exceptions such as James 
 Duff, to whom Bad, Cairnwhelp, and Over Robie- 
 ston were ' wadset.' There is abundant evidence 
 that a large proportion of the farmers had often 
 extreme difficulty in meeting their rents ; and 
 not a few, after struggling for a time against their 
 adverse fortunes, had to give up the contest. If 
 there ever was a good time for the farming in- 
 terest in Cairnie, it certainly was not during the 
 latter half of the 17th century. In 1677, about 
 four-fifths of the rental was payable in money, 
 and one-fifth in kind; while in 1600, the proportion 
 was one-fifth in money and four-fifths in kind. 
 This system of payment appears to us now-a- 
 days particularly clumsy, though in these old 
 
Cairnie. 221 
 
 times it had its advantages both to the landlord 
 and the tenant. I may give as an example of the 
 system, the farm of Gingomyres, including 
 Dykehead, which in 1676 was 'sett to Will. 
 Gordon,' and for which he paid in ' money mail 
 ;^So(Sco.), of teynd silver £i\ Ss., i-^ boll gleib 
 meal, and 3f bolls multure bear,' — Customs — 
 ' 3 bolls corn and straw, f mart, 3 wedders, 3 
 lambs, 3 geese, 3 gryse, 9 capons, 3 hens, 30 
 pultrie, 6 doz eggs, 18 ells linen, f leit peits.' 
 It must not be supposed that these rents and 
 customs were arranged in any indiscriminate or 
 arbitrary fashion. Every item had its established 
 value, and was nicely adjusted to the extent of 
 the holding. The next farm, Smallburn, is a 
 good illustration, as its extent was 1 1 oxgates, 
 while Gingomyres was 12, so that in this case 
 fractional parts are introduced. Again the 
 tenant was a Gordon, and his rent was ;^38 19s. 
 2d. Scots, 3^ bolls, 3 pecks multure bear ; 
 Customs — 2f wedders, 2^ lambs, 2f geese, 2f 
 gryse, %\ capons, 2f hens, 27!^ pultrie, 5^ doz. 
 eggs, \6\ ells linen, \ and 2-16 leit peits. With 
 all this exactness in the adjustment of rents, 
 there is evidence in these dry old documents of 
 kindly feeling and consideration on the part of 
 the landlord towards his tenants. Patrick Gordon 
 became tenant of the mill and mill-lands of 
 Cairnborrow in 1676, at a rent of £66 13s. 4d. 
 and 16 Bolls Meal, but there is a note to this 
 
222 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 entry, — ' he begins payment at Martimes TJ, and 
 for the first four years he payes only ;£'200, a mill 
 suyne, and i doz. caponis.' Evidently the 
 Marquis wished that his tenant should have a 
 fair start before commencing to pay the full value 
 of his holding. This note is added to the entry 
 of the ' sett ' of Gibstown, same year — ' this 
 soume pay'd of old 8 chalders victuall and one of 
 them is given down during this tack for my lord's 
 goodwill to Shirref Gordon, the tacksman's 
 father-in-law.' 
 
 Of the people of Cairnie in Gaelic times 
 we know absolutely nothing except from the 
 place names. From these we learn their dwell- 
 ings were placed on the drums, tullys, cairns, 
 and ords, partly for the sake of personal safety, 
 and partly because the lower ground abounded 
 in marshes. Around the dwellings were the cul- 
 tivated lands, and the various descriptions of 
 cattle and sheep belonging to the townships, 
 according to the old custom, moved to the shiel- 
 ings in the early summer. Peat bogs were 
 numerous, though not extensive, and some of 
 those which remain abound in trunks and roots 
 of fir, oak, hazel, birch and alder, but how long 
 it is since these flourished we have no idea. 
 Though many parts of the country around were 
 thickly wooded, there seems to have been only 
 a clump here and there in Cairnie. There was 
 probably wood on Drumquhale, perhaps also on 
 
Cairnie. 223 
 
 Drumdelgie and Auchindroyne, but more likely 
 stunted bushes and scrub. Alders gi'ew on 
 Ferniord, and Inshtomach, and birches on Dun- 
 bathie, but these are all the woods of which we 
 have any record, unless perhaps on Brankie and 
 Ordfell. There must have been a hill fort of 
 some importance in Ruthven ; there was a dun 
 on D'umbathie, and there may possibly have 
 been a fort on Ardonald. If I have given the 
 correct meaning of Tillytarmont, the chapel at 
 Haddoch is, as far as we know, the oldest in 
 the district, and the only one of which we can 
 say with any probability that it existed in Gaelic 
 times. The English names we find for the most 
 part on the low grounds, or superseding, in whole 
 or in part, the Gaelic names on the heights. 
 Among these late names we have the bogs, 
 myres, burns, fords, ha's, seats, and towns, all in- 
 dicating, if not an entirely different race, at least 
 a people having different modes of life, and living 
 in a totally different state of society. It is only 
 glimpses we have in this way into the darkness 
 of the past, and not until we come down to the 
 middle of the 17th century does the history of 
 the people begin. 
 
 The Presbytery Book of Strathbogie (1631- 
 54) is well known, and I only draw from it a 
 very few facts and events connected with Cairnie 
 240 years ago. If we accept these records as 
 giving anything like a true account of the state 
 
224 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of society at the time, it was altogether bad ; but I 
 am doubtful if they are wholly true. The Presby- 
 tery assumed the position of judges in all matters 
 relating to the opinions, morals, and actions of 
 the whole community. Except in aggravated 
 cases, the civil power did not trouble itself with 
 many of the grave offences and crimes with 
 which they dealt. Hard and pitiless judges 
 they appear to us, but considering the state of 
 the country, and the people they had to do with, 
 it can scarcely be doubted that more gentle 
 measures would have been taken as an acknow- 
 ledgment of weakness, and their condemnation 
 of transgressors would have been unheeded. This 
 we must say for them, that the same justice, 
 such as it was, was dealt out with impartiality. 
 When occasion arose the ban of the Church fell as 
 unsparingly on the Marquis of Huntly as on some 
 ruffian who stabbed his neighbour in a drunken 
 brawl, or on an old hag who charmed a cow for 
 good or ill. Neither did these Clerics spare each 
 other, and every one knew that the measure he 
 meted out would be measured to him again. 
 The proceedings of stern men, such as these 
 were, passionately bent on the repression and 
 punishment of what they considered wrong-doing, 
 like the records of an ordinary Court of Justice 
 could not but represent the darker side of human 
 nature, and the worst features of society as it 
 then existed. In charity we hope there were 
 
Cairnie. 225 
 
 many whom they could, and did commend, 
 though we chiefly know them as a terror to the 
 evil-doers. Perhaps even these were not so bad as 
 they reckoned them. The Solemn League and 
 Covenant, which raised such intense enthusiasm 
 over a large part of Scotland, was coldly received 
 within the Lordship of Huntly. On the 24th 
 December, 1643, the minister of Cairnie ' reportit 
 that he had solemnlie sworne and subscryved the 
 Covenant in presence of his people, and that 10 
 in Botarie and 2 in Ruthven had subscryvit with 
 him ; and since that tyme many had come to 
 him in privat, offerring their subscriptions, quhilk 
 he refused to accept but publictlie befor the 
 congregation.' Here lay the difficulty — the clergy 
 attempted to lead or drive them in one direc- 
 tion, the Marquis of Huntly's influence was 
 altogether on the other side, while their own ex- 
 perience must have led them to cherish most 
 unfriendly feelings towards the Covenant and 
 its supporters. No doubt many of them had 
 followed their Chief in 1639, in the armed 
 demonstrations against Aberdeen and Turriff; 
 and they knew he had been basely entrapped 
 and carried, virtually a prisoner, to Edinburgh. 
 In 1640, Munro was sent north to enforce sub- 
 scription to the Covenant at the point of the 
 sword ; and we are told by Spalding of the 
 robbery and destruction of property which took 
 place during the time he remained in Strathbogie. 
 Q 
 
226 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Three years were not sufficient to efface the 
 bitter recollection of these events; and the sub- 
 scription of the Covenant in 1643, must have sat 
 lightly on the consciences of the men who, in 
 April, 1644, responded to the Marquis' call to 
 arms, when a second time he took and occupied 
 Aberdeen. Then followed in September of the 
 same year the raid of Argyll and his High- 
 landers, when the Rawes were burned, and the 
 lands of Strathbogie and the Enzie were laid waste. 
 Next year Lord Gordon raised 500 foot and 160 
 horse among his father's vassals, joined Montrose 
 — now a Royalist — took part in the battle of 
 Auldearn in May, 1645, and the battle of Alford 
 (2nd July), in which he himself fell. During 
 this year (1645) the Presbytery had only one 
 meeting at Botarie from January to August, ' be 
 reason of continowall troubles, armies going 
 among us every week almost.' Unfortunately 
 these armed bands occasionally remained for a 
 time in the district, and the clerk records that 
 there was no meeting, ' because of two or three 
 hundreth Highlanders who were sorning and 
 plundering within the boundis of the presbyterie 
 under pretext of guarding the Earle of Airlie who 
 was at Huntlie for the tyme.' 
 
 In 1645, the Marquis made a final effort to 
 turn the tide in favour of the Royalist cause, but 
 although he captured Aberdeen by storm, and 
 held it for some time, he could accomplish 
 
Cairnie. 227 
 
 nothing further. He had made his last demands 
 for active service on his followers ; his power 
 was broken, and next year saw him a fugitive in 
 the wilds of Lochaber. These eight years had 
 been a time of constant trouble, and occasionally 
 of hard fighting to the Gordon vassals ; and now 
 when those who survived returned to homes and 
 lands which had been harried by each party in 
 turn, they were not allowed to settle down quietly 
 to repair their damaged fortunes. Practically 
 they were outlaws, being under the ban of the 
 Church. In June, 1647, at the presbytery meet- 
 ings held at Keith and Botarie, appeared the 
 tenants of Auchanachie, Craigihead, Drumdelgie, 
 Overhall, Brackles, and two sons of Bad, the ten- 
 ants of Wellhead, Whythill, Acharne, Mill of 
 Cairnborrow, Daach, and many others from 
 neighbouring parishes, who subscribed the 'band' 
 drawn up by the Assembly for signature by those 
 engaged in ' the lait horrid rebellion,' and having 
 ' in a solemne maner acknowledgit their offence 
 upon their knees,' were ordained 'to mak ther 
 repentance, in sackcloth, befor the congregation, 
 the nixt Lord's day.' Perhaps these brave fel- 
 lows, buffeted and broken down by contending 
 forces, knew little, and cared still less, about the 
 great principles at stake ; but they fully entered 
 into the spirit of the old Highland maxim, to 
 stand by the Chief in his quarrel ' whether in the 
 right or the wrong.' 
 
228 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 I have given a brief outline of the local his- 
 tory of this particular period, because so many 
 of the men connected with the old place names 
 of the district took an active part in the stirring 
 events of the time ; and because the full historical 
 records bring so vividly before us the state of 
 society in Cairnie 240 years ago. 
 
Huntly. 229 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HUNTLY. 
 EARLY RECORDS. 
 
 "TSHE parish of Huntly is formed by the union 
 of the old parishes of Kinnoir and Dun- 
 bennan. In 1222, Pope Honorius confirmed the 
 erection of these parishes into a prebend of the 
 Cathedral of Moray. So far as appears they 
 were always held as one charge, though it was 
 not until 1725 that they were formally united. 
 The early records are few, and all that can be 
 gleaned of the ecclesiastical history has been 
 given in the Spald. Club Antiquities, the Sta- 
 tistical Account of the parish, and various local 
 publications. 
 
 KINNOIR. 
 
 The earliest references to Kinnoir are of 
 dates, 1222, 1224-42, and 1226, (R.E.M.), and the 
 name is given Kynor which I think, represents 
 the Gaelic Ceann-oir, ' the head of the edge or 
 margin,' possibly referring to the Deveron. The 
 name no doubt originally applied to the hill now 
 called the Wood of Kinnoir. In the same way 
 the parishes of Dunbennan, Kildrummie, Towie, 
 Kintore, and many others derived their names 
 from hills or ridges in the respective parishes. 
 
230 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Some of my geological friends suggest that the 
 margin was the shore of the loch which at one 
 time occupied the Howe of Kinnoir, and I am 
 willing to allow this application of the name when 
 assured that there was a loch there in Gaelic 
 times. That the hollow in the centre of the 
 parish was in the far past a loch, I have no 
 doubt, but it is probable that the early inhabi- 
 tants found it full of clay mires and marshes, 
 unfit for habitation, as we have all the old names 
 on the higher ground. This is common to all 
 valleys which formerly abounded in bogs. 
 
 The earliest mention of Avachie, which I have 
 been able to discover, occurs in the ' Remission 
 for Correchie,' of date 1567, in which John 
 Gordon of Awachie appears among the followers 
 of the Earl of Huntly. In the ' Remission for 
 Glenlivet, 1603,' John Gordon apparent of Avachie 
 is mentioned. The Rental of 1600 gives Auachie. 
 On the 2Sth Jan., 1687, Henry Gordon is served 
 heir to his father John Gordon of Avachie. The 
 Poll-Book gives Avachy ; the Rental of 1677, 
 Abachie ; and the ' View of the Diocese of Aber- 
 deen' (1732), Abachie. This form, Abachie, has 
 no significance whatever, and is simply a mis- 
 reading of the letter v, which in old writings 
 closely resembles our b. The same mistake 
 occurs in other two instances in the Rental of 
 1677, in which we first have this spelling. Over- 
 kirks is given Oberkirks, and Oven, Oben. The 
 
Huntly. 231 
 
 Ordnance Map gives the modern spelling, 
 Avochie, but the old form is, no doubt, Avachie, 
 and with or without the terminal, ie ; it occurs also 
 in the counties of Banff, Moray, and Ross. Abh- 
 achadh, ' waterfield,' has been suggested as the 
 meaning, but the construction is awkward, and 
 abh is too doubtful a word to use in interpreting 
 the names of this district. Possibly Adiadh- 
 bheithich (ach-vehich) may be the Gaelic form, 
 meaning ' birchfield,' but I think it is more likely 
 Allt-bheithich, 'birch burn,' Sco. Birkenburn, re- 
 ferring to the burn which bounds the property 
 on the east. It is a small stream, but has given 
 the modern name Burnfield of Avachie, and the 
 Gaelic people were more ready to fix upon such 
 a feature of the place, and incorporate it in the 
 name, than were those who followed them. The 
 changes I suppose to be, — first, the loss of t in 
 allt, as in many names derived from this word. 
 Then, in this case, the U's drop out ; but in not 
 a few names which, I think, must have been 
 originally the same, at least one / remains, as in 
 Alvah and Alvaichie, though it is not generally 
 pronounced. 
 
 The dauch of Avachie contains no Gaelic 
 names, unless perhaps Cowie Muir, which may 
 represent coille, ' a wood.' Cowie in Kincardine- 
 shire was formerly written Colly (R.M.S.). The 
 only English name of interest is Midplough, 
 partly corresponding to Midthird, and evidently 
 
232 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 so named because occupying the centre of the 
 property. 
 
 In the ' View of the Diocese of Aberdeen ' 
 (1732) it is said, — ' Sir William Leslie of Bal- 
 quhain, for his bravery at the battle of Brechin 
 (1452), got from Alexander, Earl of Huntlie, the 
 lands of Kincraigie in Mar, and Abachie in 
 Strathbogie.' I know of no authority for this 
 statement, and like the case of Pitlurg, already 
 referred to, it is purely conjectural. 
 
 Whatever may be true about Avachie, it is 
 almost certain that the statement about Kin- 
 craigie is not correct. From 'an obligation 
 anent the redemption of Kincraigie and other 
 lands in Tulch in the barony of Cluny,' we 
 learn that ' Alexander of Leslie son and ayer 
 apperand of Sir William of Lesly of the Syde, 
 Knycht,' received from Alexander, Earl of 
 Huntly, 'infeftment of the lands of Fyndletter 
 Kyncragy and Tulachmar, the quhilkis my fader 
 held in fee of the forsaide Lorde, and which 
 Alexander of Leslie promises to resign on pay- 
 ment of the bond by the Earl ' (Spal. CI. Ant, 
 IV. 341). This document is of date 1446, or 
 six years before the battle of Brechin, and it 
 was not until 1 549, that a charter was granted by 
 Earl George to George Leslie of Kincraigie, 
 which was confirmed by James VI. in 1 593 (Reg. 
 Mag. Sig.). The story seems about as true as 
 the grant of Badenoch to the Earl of Huntly for 
 
Huntly. 233 
 
 the battle of Brechin, the charter being dated 
 28th April, 1451. 
 
 From the Inventory of Charters at Gordon 
 Castle, I find that on the 12th of Jan., 1484, 
 George, Earl of Huntly, granted a charter ' upon 
 the lands of Avachy and Milnhaugh lying in the 
 Barony of Strathboggie in favour of Patrick 
 Leslie of Balquhain.' On the 3rd April, 1558, 
 John Leslie resigned these lands, but for what 
 reason is not stated, and there is no further entry 
 until 1622, when a charter was granted to John 
 Gordon of Auchannachy, heir to John Gordon 
 of Avachy. From which branch of the family 
 the Avachie Gordons were descended is un- 
 known. They are said to be of the Scordarg 
 Gordons, but this seems to be very much matter 
 of conjecture. 
 
 Adjoining Avachie was the dauch of Auch- 
 inboe, as the Poll-Book spells it, or Auchinbo, as 
 in the charter of 1534. Achadh-nam-ho means 
 the 'cow-field,' though the derivation may be Ach- 
 adh-na'-botha (th mute), ' the field of the bothies.' 
 Boginspro is probably Bog-na-spruain, ' the bog 
 of the brushwood.' C/. Dilspro. Rivestone does 
 not appear to be of Gaelic origin, although rieve 
 occurs sometimes in Gaelic names, as in Auch- 
 inrieve. The name is not given in the old 
 Rentals, nor in the Poll -Book, and as there were, 
 about twenty years ago, several reeves, or folds, 
 constructed of earth and stones, on the top of 
 
234 Place Navies in Strathbogie. 
 
 the knoll beside the farm-steading, it is probable 
 that these have suggested the name. Killen- 
 knowes likely belonged to this dauch, and the 
 name may mean the knowes of the ' little wood ' 
 — killeen, representing the diminutive of coille, is 
 of frequent occurrence in Ireland. We have in 
 our own country several Keltiewoods, also a 
 hybrid name, from coillte, ' woods.' 
 
 The dauch of Mickle Kinnoir included Loan- 
 end, Briggs, Annetswell, and two plough-gates 
 not named in the Rentals. Briggs was occupied 
 in 1677 by John Brown, the representative of a 
 very old family, about whom there is the curious 
 tradition that they held rent receipts from the 
 Cumyns, and that some of their old leases 
 contained an obligation to hunt the wolf for a 
 certain number of days yearly in the Maelshach. 
 It is much to be regretted that these documents 
 are lost, because they would have afforded us the 
 only existing evidence, so far as I know, that the 
 Cumyns ever possessed the lands of Strathbogie. 
 Further, we would have liked to know if the 
 Cumyns, or any other of the great landowners, 
 did grant minutes of lease, or receipts for rent, 
 in these old days ; and perhaps we might have 
 been able to conjecture if any of their tenants 
 could read them, or even distinguish one docu- 
 ment from another. Many fragments of inter- 
 esting information are evidently lost to us. As 
 to the obligation to hunt wolves in the Maelshach, 
 
Huntly. 235 
 
 I suspect the 'tradition' originates in an attempt 
 to connect the name Briggs with the old Gaelic 
 breach, 'a wolf.' There are so many places of 
 the same name all over the country, especi- 
 ally in the Lowlands, that I see no reason for 
 supposing it is anything else than the Scotch 
 form of our English word bridges. There are 
 several burns bounding the farm, and it is the 
 most natural supposition that there may have 
 been some sort of bridges over these, in old 
 times, giving rise to the name. 
 
 Near to Briggs is Annetswell, of which name 
 I can only give a conjectural, though very prob- 
 able explanation. Annet is a word of doubtful 
 origin, but of frequent occurrence in place names, 
 and it is always associated with a church or 
 chapel. An 'Annoid Church' is understood to 
 mean a church of first rank, that is a mother- 
 church, or church dedicated to its founder, or in 
 which a saint's relics were preserved. Now 
 Annetswell is at a considerable distance from 
 the church or church-lands of Kinnoir, with 
 which the name cannot therefore have any con- 
 nection. The construction of the word suggests 
 a personal name, as it may be the possessive form, 
 Annet's Well. The explanation I suggest is, 
 that this well was named after Wintoune of 
 Andate in Methlic, and although this may ap- 
 pear a wild conjecture it is not so in reality. On 
 the property of the Annet, or Andate, as it is 
 
236 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 more frequently written, was the chapel of St. 
 Ninian, from which the name no doubt originated. 
 The laird of 'Andet ' was also owner of a part of 
 Cocklarachy, as we know by the records of a 
 Head-Court held at Aberdeen in 1504, though 
 we have earlier notices of members of the family 
 as residents or visitors in the district. Ranald 
 Wintoune of the 'Andat ' is witness to a charter 
 at Huntly in 1472 ; and in the same year, also 
 at Huntly, he is witness to a band of man-rent 
 in favour of the Earl of Huntly. John Wintoune 
 dates a charter in 1457 at Dalclerachy, which I 
 suppose to be the distinctive name of the 'Andate 
 quarter' of Cocklarachy. ' The Earl of Mar's 
 Weir commemorates another owner of part of 
 this property in the same century, and it appears 
 to me probable that this well in Kinnoir, at no 
 great distance from Cocklarachy and Huntly 
 Castle, may in 'some way have been associated 
 with the Laird of Andate, perhaps from some 
 hunting event ; or he may have had a favour for 
 the spring. I know of no other explanation 
 which fairly meets the difficulties suggested by 
 the name. 
 
 The Kirktown of Kinnoir, now included in 
 Corse, belonged to the barony of Keith, and re- 
 gality of Spynie. Ih 1547, the Bishop of Moray 
 ' set ' these lands to George, Earl of Huntly, and 
 Elizabeth Keith, his spouse, for nineteen years, 
 at a rent of £'13 5s. 8d. according to the Regis- 
 
Huntly, 237 
 
 ter of Moray (p. 411), while the Inventory of the 
 Charters at Gordon Castle says £\o i6s. 8d. as 
 the price of 26 bolls of victual, each boll being 
 8s. 4d. Scots. The difference in these statements 
 is made up by the rent of the Alehouse. At the 
 same time, the Earl was empowered to build a 
 mill, and charge multures during the lease. On 
 the 17th Dec, 1572, Patrick, Bishop of Moray, 
 granted a feu-charter upon the church-lands of 
 Kinnoir to the Earl of Huntly (Inventory of 
 Charters, Gordon Castle). 
 
 The hill called ' Saint ' Mungo is supposed 
 to be so named from the ' Apostle of Kinnoir,' 
 but I have not found any evidence connecting 
 the Saint with this parish, or the hill of Mungo. 
 Had the dedication of the church been to St. 
 Mungo, there would have been ground for ac- 
 cepting the popular belief about the hill, but 
 Walcottin'Scoti-Monasticon' gives 'The Blessed 
 Virgin,' without, however, quoting his authority, 
 and I know of no old writing which names 
 either saint as patron. In a ' Description of the 
 parishes of Dunbennan and Kinnoir,' of date 
 1726 (Spal. CI. Ant, II. 164), St. Mungo seems 
 to be referred to chiefly for the sake of writing 
 a short biography of the saint, and we have 
 merely the statement that 'Saint Mungo was 
 patron of Kinore.' The hill name alone suggests 
 the possibility ; but we must notice that, except 
 in very recent writings, and in the Ordnance 
 
238 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Map, we never see or hear of St. Mungo's Hill. 
 The custom of the district is to speak of 
 'Mungo,' without further designation ; and if this 
 usage has come down to us from Gaelic times, 
 the name must have a distinct and complete 
 meaning, applicable to and in some way descrip- 
 tive of the hill. I may further point out that 
 Mungo appears to have a strong family-likeness 
 to Gingo (^ hard) and Cairngow in Cairnie, and 
 may be only another form of ' the smith's hill.' 
 In Forfarshire is a hill called Mungodrum, which 
 cannot be named after the saint, because if so 
 according to established rule, it would be Drum- 
 mungo. So far as appears, I do not think there 
 is evidence that St. Mungo is commemorated in 
 the hill name Mungo. He may be, but that is all 
 that can be said. I do not forget St. Mungo's 
 Well on the hill, but there is also St. John's Well, 
 and a strong spring called Bogerdeuch, whatever 
 that may mean. Cf. Boiggergown, in Kin- 
 cardine ; Bogerfoul, in Lumphanan ; Bogerjohn, 
 in Old Deer ; and Bogare, in Carrick. ' Boger ' 
 may be a corruption of bothar (pron. boher), a 
 ' road,' but I have not found earlier forms. 
 
 Overvillans is a name given in the Ordnance 
 Map, which suggests a Gaelic origin correspond- 
 ing to many similar in Ireland. The Rental of 
 1600 gives Willans, and this is the common pro- 
 nunciation in the district. Over or Iver- Willans 
 means the ' Upper Saughs ' — willans being an 
 
Huntly. 239 
 
 old Scotch form of ' willows.' In the charter of 
 1534 is mentioned a place called Towquheis, or, 
 as given in the Retour of 1662, Tuchies, probably 
 a corruption of tulach. We have these changes 
 in documents referring to the parish of Tough — 
 TuUoch, Tulch, Touch. The place is now for- 
 gotten, but was likely situated on one of the un- 
 named knolls. Costlyburn may also contain a 
 contracted form of tulach, which we have occa- 
 sionally as tly and tlay, — so Contulioch, Con- 
 tilauche, Contlaw and Contlay (Spal. CI. Ant.). 
 Costly probably means the ' foot of the knoll,' 
 ' burn ' being a late addition. 
 
 The dauch of Affleck contained Bruntstone, 
 Affleck (wadset in 1677 to Alexander Hendrie, 
 whose descendants still occupy the farm), Green- 
 fold, and Hillockhead. Affleck is a corruption 
 of Achadh-nan-leac, ' the field of the stones, or 
 stony field.' The name is very common over 
 the whole kingdom, and with few exceptions 
 may be found once, and occasionally two or 
 three times in every county. Although fre- 
 quently written in extended form it is generally 
 pronounced Affleck. The same change occurs 
 in Affloch, a farm on the Loch of Skene, which 
 in the old writings is given Auchinloche. 
 
 DUNBENNAN. 
 
 Dunbennan means the dun of the little beinn, 
 in contrast to 'The Binn' — beinnean being the 
 
240 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 diminutive of beinn, ' a hill.' There are no re- 
 mains, nor traditions of a fort on this hill, though 
 it is highly probable there may have been one 
 guarding the pass from the upper district to the 
 open plain. On and around Dunbennan, I think 
 there can be no doubt, the earliest settlements of 
 the Celtic race in the locality were formed. The 
 old names indicate this, and when we know any- 
 thing definite of the place we find it the centre 
 of the population, and the site of the Kirk. On 
 the slope of the hill towards the Deveron is 
 Pitscurry, possibly from sgorrach, 'rocky,' but 
 although the name in this sense would be appro- 
 priate it is more probable that ' scurry' represents 
 the old Gaelic sc^^h, 'a ford' — Pitscurry being 
 close beside an old and important ford of the 
 Deveron. Scurryford occurs in the counties of 
 Aberdeen and Banff; and there is a Pitscurry in 
 Chapel of Garioch, on the burn which joins the 
 Urie at Pitcaple. Beside it is Fordley, and on 
 the opposite side of the burn is Whiteford. From 
 these associations, I think, it is probable that 
 scurry or scairbh was at one time the local 
 term for a ford. 
 
 Domin is on the north side of the hill, and 
 may represent Dail-tnead/wn, ' the field of the 
 middle.' Ball-Domin is one of the old names we 
 find in the Book of Deer, but the place has not 
 been identified. In the charter of 1534, the 
 spelling of Domin is Domyne, and in the Retour 
 
Huntly. 241 
 
 of 1662, Doun, probably an error, but it suggests 
 dun as possibly the true form of the first syllable 
 of the name. As we have it, Domin does not 
 admit of more than a conjecture as to the old 
 form. A little to the east of this place the 
 Deveron was formerly crossed by stepping- 
 stones, called 'Fitters steps,' supposed to be 
 from the name of a person resident at the spot. 
 The Poll-Book, however, mentions a place called 
 Fitters, but I have not discovered where it was. 
 Further down the river is the Struach ford (sruth- 
 ach) at a point where the channel widens out, and 
 the stream runs rapidly over the shallow stony 
 bottom — hence the name ' full of rapids.' Still 
 further down was Clochran ford, — from Clach- 
 aran, ' stepping-stones.' Some of these stones re- 
 mained till a comparatively recent date, but are 
 now gone. Artloch is, no doubt, the name of the 
 small hill, at the foot of which is the farm of 
 Artloch. In the Foil-Book the spelling is 
 Arclach; in the Rental of 1677, Artloch; and 
 in the charter of 1545, Artlaucht. Spalding 
 gives Ardclache, which is probably nearer the 
 true form. Cf. Ardclach in Nairnshire. Aird- 
 cloiche means the'height of the stone;' and there 
 is a large upright stone on the highest point of 
 the hill, which may be seen from a considerable 
 distance. 
 
 Near to Artloch is Bowmanhillock. The 
 name has, no doubt, the same meaning as Bow- 
 R 
 
242 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 manstown in Rayne, Bowmanslands in Forfar, 
 and Bowmanis in Kincardine. There is also a 
 Bowmanhillock on Lessendrum, Drumblade. 
 Sheriff Cosmo Innes, in his ' Lectures on Scotch 
 Legal Antiquities,' explains the term Bowman. 
 Referring to a report, ' On the condition of the 
 Agricultural People and their Tenures,' by a 
 factor on the Drummond estate, Perthshire, he 
 says : — ' After the tenants holding by lease, and 
 the common class of sub-tenants he (the factor) 
 enumerates — i, A Bowman, whom he calls a 
 hired servant of the tacksman. But we know 
 better from other parts of the country that the 
 bowman was, or I may say still is, a person who 
 farms for a season the tenant's milk cows, and 
 the pasture to maintain them. 2. The Perth 
 factor next mentions Steel-bowmen, a class of 
 tenants who received stock and cattle along with 
 their farm.' The Sheriff is no doubt strictly 
 correct as to the primary meaning and use of 
 the term, but, so far as I have observed, 'bow- 
 men ' is used in various parts of the country to 
 designate small farmers, and occasionally farm- 
 servants. 
 
 Collonach is given in the charter of 1534, 
 Cullannach, and in later writings it is essentially 
 the same as we have it. Cul-lonach means ' the 
 marshy hill-back,' which at one time the place 
 was, though now improved by drainage. Of this 
 dauch, Wellheads was 200 years ago, a very 
 
Huntly. 243 
 
 small part, extending to two oxgates. The name 
 has become very appropriate as the place is now 
 the source of the water supply for the town of 
 Huntly. Craigentrinny (creagan-trian) seems 
 to be ' the little craig of the third.' The ' third ' 
 is matter of conjecture, but the old Rentals in- 
 dicate that it may have been a third of the dauch 
 of Collonach. There were, however, three small 
 holdings at this place, and Craigentrinny may 
 have been a third of the plough-gate. The 
 bum beside this place is called the Deochrie, a 
 name which in various forms is common all over 
 the country. It is derived from Dubh-thir, 'black 
 or mossy land.' [Cf. Duffry in Wexford. Joyce, 
 II. 268). 
 
 Near to Dunbennan is Arnhall, which ap- 
 pears in the Rentals as Bogtown. The modern 
 name has been suggested by the arns or alders 
 growing at the place. 
 
 Ittingston is one of those puzzling names 
 which it is impossible to trace with certainty to 
 any reliable source, as it appears in a variety 
 of forms, not one of which is much more intelli- 
 gible than the others. In the Rental of 1677, it 
 is given Uttingstoun ; in the Retour of 1662, 
 Ittingstoun ; in the Poll-Book of 1696, Witingston 
 and Wittingstoun ; in the Rental of 1600, Wit- 
 tingstoune; and in the charter of 1534, Utins- 
 toun. In Lanark is Uddingston, and in Mid- 
 lothian, Wittingham, the latter being derived 
 
244 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 from the Teutonic family name of Wittings, the 
 origin also of Wittingham, Whittington, and 
 Weddington in England (Taylor's Words and 
 Places, p. 513). 
 
 Aitionn, 'juniper or furze,' has been suggested 
 as the first part of the name, and this is possible. 
 Occasionally initial a becomes u ; and sometimes 
 we find that part of a Gaelic name is combined 
 with the English ' ton ' or ' town.' So Crannach- 
 town in Ireland is derived from Baile-na-gcran- 
 nach, 'the town of the trees;' and Ittingston 
 might have the same meaning as Ballinattin in 
 Waterford, 'the town of the furze' (Joyce, I. 
 
 519)- 
 
 I think, however, Ittingston is really derived 
 from a personal name. In Berwickshire is 
 Hutounehall, also written Atounehall. So, many 
 of our old names are found with and without the 
 initial h, sometimes in the same writing, as Hard 
 and Ard, Hogstoun and Ogstoun, Haltoun and 
 Altoun. The old forms of Ittingstown, Wit- 
 tingstoune and Utinstoun, may have dropped the 
 h, and possibly the original form may have 
 been Hutton's town. In 1277 a charter upon 
 the lands of Innyrathy was witnessed by Alan, 
 son of Hutting, seneschal of Buchan ; and in 
 Buchan is Wittingshill. Although we have no 
 authority for connecting this official with the hill- 
 name, there was a personal name in the district 
 which might have become Utting or Witting. 
 
Huntly. 245 
 
 It therefore appears possible, and, as I think, 
 probable, that in some such way Ittingston 
 originally received the name. 
 
 Craigwillie is given, in the Poll-Book, Crag- 
 cullie, and in the ' Remission for Correchie ' (i 567) 
 Craigcullie. Also in the charter of 1534, v/e 
 have the misreading of e for c in Crageulle. 
 Creag-coille means ' the craig of the wood,' and 
 within the last forty years there were still old 
 trees growing on the craig or rocky knoll. 
 
 Tullochbeg, associated with not a few of the 
 legendary and historical incidents connected with 
 the district, retains its name without much change. 
 Tulach-beag means ' the little knoll.' 
 
 Gibston, Robieston, and Sandiston, are 
 probably derived from Christian names. A 
 tradition lingers that a certain lady-proprietor in 
 Drumblade had a family of five sons, whom she 
 placed in five farms called after their Christian 
 names, these three farms in Dunbennan being of 
 the number. The tradition may be true, as 
 Thomastown is also supposed to be one of them, 
 and we know almost certainly that it was named 
 after Thomas, eldest son of Lady Margaret of 
 the Ard, who owned lands in Drumblade in the 
 beginning of the 15 th century. Cleanbrae and 
 Ordbrae are probably both modern names. 
 Cleanbrae may have the meaning of ' cleared,' as 
 Scotch farmers use the word in the term ' clean 
 land,' that is cleaned or cleared of weeds. The 
 
246 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 ' Invers ' was the land at the junction of the Bogie 
 and Deveron, and would appear from the Rental 
 of 1677 to have been called Nether Maynes. 
 The Munzeall was in the neighbourhood of Mill 
 of Castletown. Muineal means the ' neck ' and 
 probably refers to a narrow neck of haugh-land 
 on the Deveron. 
 
 Of old names which have given place to 
 others of recent date are mentioned in the 
 Rental of 1600, 'Manes of Huntlye, Ravis, Mans, 
 Mylnchauche, Gibetfauld, and The Parkis.' These 
 lands were set for five years to four tenants, who 
 paid of 'ferme, six chalderis ferme wictual, half 
 meill half beir, four bollis aittis with the fodder.' 
 To this entry are appended these notes, — 'And 
 in payment of the said wictual, the tenantis shall 
 gif fourtie bollis aittis, with the fodder, for twentie 
 bollis wictual.' ' Reserwand the Midowes and 
 Broomfidle to my lordis wse, and the stain bame 
 also for my lordis teyndis ; reserwand also Fuddis 
 croift for payment of twentie sh. maill allanerlie.' 
 It is scarcely consistent with our notions that 40 
 bolls of oats and fodder, and 20 bolls oatmeal 
 are of equal value, but this seems to have been 
 the regular standard, as many entries show. It 
 is very likely the grain grown in these times was 
 of the very poorest description, that there 
 was much waste in the manufacture, and that the 
 traditions are not unwarranted of customs and 
 practices which diverted much of the poor farmer's 
 
Huntly. 247 
 
 property to benefit the miller's stock. Perhaps 
 landlords had some notion of this when they ex- 
 acted from every mill a fat pig yearly. Careless- 
 ness and dishonesty did not thrive however in 
 consequence of monopoly, for in this parish alone 
 there were four mills, one at Artloch, one at 
 Castletown, a third called Nethermill, now Mill 
 of Huntly, and a fourth called Mill of Haiche, 
 wherever it may have been. 
 
 POLL-BOOK NOTES. 
 
 According to the Poll-Book, in 1696 the total 
 population of the parish of Huntly (Dunbennan 
 and Kinnoir), including the Rawes, was 1528, 
 against 4388 in 1881. The population of the 
 Rawes was 189, and the population of the town 
 of Huntly at last census was 3519.* Dunbennan, 
 in 1696, had a population of 798, against 450 at 
 present, and Kinnoir had 541 against 419. The 
 landward part of the united parishes in 1696 was 
 1339 in population, against 869 at present. The 
 cottar population of Dunbennan was chiefly 
 grouped around Robieston, Gibston, Westertown, 
 and Artloch. On Gibston there was only one 
 principal tacksman, yet there was a population 
 of 1 16, there being on the place 20 cottar families. 
 
 * These notes on the population of Huntly refer to the 
 census of 1881. The census of this year (1891) gives the popu- 
 ation of the parish as 4581, and of the town, 3758. 
 
248 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 In the whole of Dunbennan there were about 68 
 cottar families, and if we add the sub-tenants, 
 many of whom were merely cottars, these to- 
 gether would represent about one-half the rural 
 population. In Kinnoir there were 56 cottar 
 families besides 20 to 30 who are entered as 
 tenants or sub-tenants, and were either cottars 
 or crofters. 
 
 It is unfortunate that we have no information 
 about the trades in Kinnoir, except that there 
 were 1 8 ' tradesmen,' 4 millers, and i walkster. 
 About Dunbennan the information is fuller, 
 although not complete. There were, 6 millers, i 
 smith (at Artloch), i mason, i walkster, 2 tailors 
 (at Collonach and Ittingston), 3 shoemakers, and 
 I cordiner. There was a ' notary publict ' in 
 Kinnoir; and John Grant, 'gentleman,' was 
 ' girnallman ' of Huntly. Among the farmers 
 1 3 designate themselves ' gentlemen.' One 
 brave lady allows herself to be entered ' mother- 
 in-law.' There were 12 weavers in Dunbennan 
 but probably a considerable number of the 
 'tradesmen' in both parishes belonged to the same 
 craft. In old times weaving looms were com- 
 mon in cottars' and crofters' houses, and the 
 occupants, though not professional weavers, often 
 wove into cloth the yarn spun by the female 
 members of the household. In Kinnoir, in 1600, 
 the tenants paid as part rent 239 ' hesps yairn,' 
 and 13 dozen 'elnes claithe," which had fallen to 
 
Huntly. 249 
 
 10 dozen in 1677. Dunbennan paid 200 hesps 
 yarn and 8 dozen elnes linen. The service 
 exacted from the tenants was sometimes curious. 
 In 1772, 7 tenants of the Corvichen lands were 
 bound to carry a certain number of letters yearly 
 ' the length of Gordon Castle,' — 3 tenants carried 
 
 2 each, one 4, two 5, and one 6, thus providing 
 for a fortnightly despatch from the factor at 
 Huntly to the Castle. Poultry seems to have 
 been extensively reared in the district, and the 
 customs of both parishes included '51 geis, 14 
 dozen capones, 36 dozen pultre, 6\ dozen 
 cheikinis, and 86 dozen egges.' 
 
 Of the 189 inhabitants in the Rawes, there 
 were 10 ' merchants,' 8 of them having stock ex- 
 ceeding 100 merks and under 500, i smith, 2 
 shoemakers, i litster (dyer), 3 glovers, i weaver, 
 
 3 masons, i cottar and tradesman, i officer 
 (ground-officer), i messenger (at Arms). There 
 are enumerated, 20 men servants, and 23 women 
 servants, but as more than one-half of these were 
 employed by the merchants and glovers, it is 
 likely some of them may have been assistants in 
 their various businesses. 
 
 THE BURGH OF HUNTLY. 
 
 A curious name appears in an old unfinished 
 and undated map of Huntly at Gordon Castle. 
 In it Deveron Street is called Polcockgate, and 
 
2SO Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 the lands adjoining the west end of the street are 
 the Polcock acres. Probably the same name 
 occurs in Polcak in Forfarshire, and Polcalk, 
 Aberdeenshire. 
 
 In ' The Castles of Aberdeenshire ' by Sir A. 
 Leith Hay, it is stated that, 'in 131 1 Sir Adam 
 (Gordon) obtained authority from Parliament, 
 holden at Perth, to change the name of Strath- 
 bogie to that of Huntly.' If he did so the 
 change did not take place till much later. On the 
 1 2th Jan. 1505-6, James IV. granted a charter to 
 Earl Alexander, incorporating the lands and 
 barony of Strathbogy, Toucht, Cluny, Obyne, 
 Glentanner, and Glenmuk, into one free barony 
 and earldom of Huntlie, the principal messuage 
 formerly called Strathbogie to be called the 
 Castle of Huntlie. (r.m.S. 2909.) On the 3rd 
 July, 1545, Queen Mary granted a charter to 
 George, Earl of Huntly, erecting the town of 
 Torrisoule into a free burgh of barony, with 
 power to create free burgesses, bailies, and other 
 officials, with liberty to the inhabitants to deal 
 in all kinds of merchandise, and to hold weekly 
 markets on Saturday, and a free fair annually 
 on the day of St. Peter in prison (Peter Fair), and 
 in every August afterwards in all time coming. 
 
 Torrisoule was the name of the village which 
 stood near to the site of the town of Huntly. Dur- 
 ing the last 2CX) years the name not unfrequently 
 appears, chiefly in historical writings, as Tillie- 
 
Huntly. 251 
 
 soul. Jamieson says Tilliesoul is derived from 
 French, and means a ' place to which a gentle- 
 man sends the servants and horses of his guests 
 when he does not choose to entertain the former 
 at his own expense ;' but he does not give 
 examples of the name, nor authority for the 
 meaning he assigns. As the hostelry of Strath- 
 bogie was at Torrisoule, it has been assumed, 
 without sufficient evidence, that Tilliesoul was 
 the old name. I have failed to discover a single 
 instance of such a place name in Scotland, but I 
 find Torsoule in Stirlingshire given in a charter 
 of 1510 (R.M.S). The Gordon charter of 1534- S 
 (R.M.S., 1453) gives Torresowill, and the 'Charter 
 of Erection' (R.M.S., 3134), Torrisoule. It is 
 reasonable to suppose, that when the town was 
 erected into a burgh, the proper form of the 
 name would be entered in the charter. Our 
 best Gaelic scholars consider the name means 
 the ' knoll of the barn ' {sabhal, pron. saul, a 
 ' barn '). With the same meaning we have not 
 unfrequently throughout the country, Knocksaul 
 and Drumsoul. If Tilliesoul exists as a place 
 name, it is probable it has the same meaning as 
 Torrisoule. 
 
 The name Huntly was borrowed from Huntlie 
 in Berwickshire ; the barony of Gordon, including 
 Huntlie and other lands in that Shire, being 
 owned by the Earls and Marquises of Huntly 
 down to 1638, (Inq. Spec. Berwick, No. 230). 
 
252 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 RHYNIE. 
 PLACE NAMES AND ANTIQUITIES IN RHYNIE. 
 
 TTTOWARDS the N.E. corner of the parish of 
 Rhynie, and near the farm of New Noth is 
 the Gulburn, which springs up in a strong stream 
 at the foot of the hill. The name probably comes 
 from guala ' a shoulder ' which is frequently 
 applied in Irish names to the shoulder of a hill, 
 and at a projecting angle or ridge this spring is 
 situated. There was in times not very remote a 
 common belief abroad in the country, that a 
 piece of wood dropped into the ' well ' on the 
 Tap o' Noth would in due time appear at the 
 Ee' o' Gulburn, the distance on the map being 
 over two miles. 
 
 Pouran is a small croft on the S.E. of the 
 Hill of Noth which takes its name from the burn 
 coming down a steep part of the hill, and forming 
 in its course pools and marshes — hence Pol 
 rathain [th mute) ' the pool or marsh of the ferns.' 
 Pourane and Powrane occur in Dumfries and 
 Fife, and Sir H. E. Maxwell gives Pulrain, and 
 Dr. Joyce, PoUrane, with the same meaning. 
 
 Smithston and Milton were, I think, two of the 
 old dauchs, though the Rentals only indicate that 
 they were so by the number of plough-gates and 
 
Rhynie. 253 
 
 the rent. There must have been older names 
 than either, but I have failed to discover them. 
 On Milton is Lochrie — from Luachrach, a ' rushy 
 place.' Dr. Joyce says — ' the simple word gives 
 name to Loughry, i.e. rushes, or a rushy spot, the 
 name of some places in Tyrone' (Vol. II. 333). 
 To the west of Milton is the Corshill, on which 
 there may have been a memorial cross as graves 
 are reported to have been found in the neigh- 
 bourhood. Due north from this point is a glen 
 or corrie, running up into the hill, called Glencoe 
 — Gleann-ceotha, ' the glen of the mist,' a name 
 which I suspect is borrowed, though it is appro- 
 priate to this corrie, where the mist naturally 
 lingers after it has cleared from the exposed 
 heights. I may remark however, that Glencoe in 
 Argyllshire does not mean ' the glen of the mist.' 
 In this corrie was an ' earth-house,' and a vener- 
 able farmer in the neighbourhood tells me he was 
 wont, when a boy herding cattle, to find shelter 
 in it. It was then much blocked up with rubbish, 
 and in late years the outer stones were partly 
 removed, the door filled up, and cultivation 
 extended over the top of it. 
 
 Clochmaloo, is a spur of rock jutting out on 
 the side of the Tap o' Noth overlooking Scordarg, 
 and half-way up the Tap. The face of this per- 
 pendicular rock is about 30 feet high, and behind, 
 standing clear of the hill, it is 7 or 8 feet high. 
 Two names occur elsewhere which help us to 
 
254 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 understand this puzzling name. In charters of 
 date 1450, and 1508, we have in the barony of 
 Lochawe, Kilmolew, and in Morvern, Kilmalew, 
 both churches dedicated to Saint Molocus, 
 bishop. The Saint's name generally takes the 
 forms Moluach, Moluoc, Molua, and Molew, 
 which last gives the exact pronunciation as in 
 Clochmaloo. Moluach is patron saint of Mort- 
 lach, and at Cloveth (Kildrummie) is Simmer- 
 luak's well. Clatt was also dedicated to this 
 saint ; and in that parish there was in old times 
 St. Mallach's fair, and there is a farm close to 
 the Kirktown of Clatt called Persylieu, which 
 may contain the saint's name. Tarland is an- 
 other dedication, and in this parish is Luoch's 
 Fair (Forbes' Kal. S.S.). We have thus four 
 dedications to Moluach within no great distance 
 from Rhynie, two of them being in the neighbour- 
 ing parishes ; and Clochmaloo, ' the stone of 
 Moluach,' suggests the possibility that he was 
 also patron saint of Rhynie. I may notice that 
 clach means ' a stone,' and it is unusual to find 
 this word applied to a spur of rock. As it is 
 so used here, it may indicate that the name is 
 artificial, thus differing from all the Gaelic names 
 around it. 
 
 A little to the westward of this rock, and near 
 the base of the cone, is a large boulder called the 
 Giant's stone. The legend connected with it is, 
 that in the days when giants inhabited this part 
 
Rhynie. 255 
 
 of the world, the giant of Dunnideer made an 
 assault on his brother of the Tap, who, in defend- 
 ing his fort, pitched this great stone from the 
 rampart against the enemy. Dunnideer to show 
 his contempt put out his foot and checked the 
 boulder in its downward course. The stone re- 
 mains on the very spot where it was arrested, 
 and the imprint of the giant's foot may still be 
 seen upon it. 
 
 On the opposite side of the hill we have the 
 name ' EUendoon,' which applies to the moor 
 stretching away from the north-east of the Tap 
 in the direction of the Glen of Noth. The name 
 seems to be Ailean-duin, 'the plain or level field 
 of the dun.' 
 
 Along the west side of the hill is Scordarg. 
 The old forms of the name do not differ materi- 
 ally from our ordinary spelling. The Poll-Book 
 gives Scurdarge, the Retour of 1662 Skurdarge, 
 the Rental of 1600 Scordarge, and the charter 
 of 1534 Scordarg. Sgor-dearg va.&'axis 'the red 
 scaur or pointed rock,' and although this scaur 
 is not now easily discovered, I am told that there 
 was a rock of a reddish colour long quarried for 
 road-making, but which has almost disappeared 
 by the reclamation of the land. No trace has 
 ever been discovered of the castle of John Gordon 
 of Scordarg, nor is it ever mentioned in any of 
 the old writings. Some of the farm buildings 
 long since removed were said to have been built 
 
256 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of large roughly hewn stones, which might have 
 been taken from the ruins of the castle, but there 
 is absolutely nothing known of any such building 
 in the neighbourhood. I think it is possible he 
 may have early removed to Lesmoir, retaining 
 the designation of the lands which he first owned 
 in the district. He is frequently designed in old 
 writings ' of Essie and Scordarg,' Lesmoir being 
 in Essie. 
 
 Ardglenny was situated on the farm of Mains 
 of Rhynie, and seems to have been a sort of 
 hamlet on the high bank overlooking the Bogie 
 to the south of the church. The charter of 1 545 
 gives the name of Ardlony ; the Rental of 1600, 
 Ardlonye; the Poll-Book 1696, Ardglowie ; and 
 the common speech of the district has it, Ard- 
 glenny. Ardglowie is no doubt a misreading, 
 but the ' height of the marshy place ' (lonaich), 
 or 'of the glen' (glinne) would be equally 
 appropriate. It is most unlikely that Ardlony 
 was changed into Ardglenny, though g might 
 have dropped in the latter. 1 think it is possible 
 both names may have been in use at the same 
 time, distinguishing two neighbouring groups of 
 cottars' houses. 
 
 The ' Craw-stane ' of Rhynie stands on the 
 high ground south of the churchyard. It is a 
 pillar-stone 6 feet high, 30 in. wide, and 1 5 in. 
 thick, having incised upon it the fish symbol, and 
 below this a fantastic animal which cannot with 
 
Rhynie. 257 
 
 any certainty be identified. It has been sug- 
 gested that the name is derived from the Gaelic 
 cro, ' a circle,' and that the stone is one of a circle 
 which may have once stood on the spot. This is 
 almost certainly incorrect, because the fish is a 
 common Christian symbol, the meaning of which 
 is well known (see Rhind Lee. 1885, p. 120). 
 Dr. Anderson says, — ' No stone that is certainly 
 known to have marked a pagan interment ex- 
 hibits them (the Christian Symbols). . Their 
 assumed connection with stone circles in certain 
 instances is not established by sufficient evi- 
 dence' (Rhind Lee. 1880, p. 181). My impres- 
 sion is that the name may be a corruption of 
 Cross-stone. Dr. Joseph Robertson says, that 
 many of the Scotch crosses were ' unhewn blocks, 
 graven with a cross, or covered with uncouth 
 figures and symbols' (Scottish Abbeys and 
 Cathedrals). The symbols on this stone may have 
 conveyed the same meaning as a cross, and 
 possibly the stone was the Cross of Rhynie. 
 In its present form, the name probably indicates 
 that the stone, being in the centre of a culti- 
 vated field, has always been a favourite perch 
 for rooks, and therefore called 'The Craw-stane.' 
 So, also, we have Gledstane, Goukstane, and 
 Hawkstane. There is a Craw-stane near Edin- 
 burgh, another in Wigton, a Crawstane Butt at 
 Inverurie, and probably there are many others 
 in various parts of the country. 
 S 
 
258 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 About a mile to the north-east of the church- 
 yard, on the ridge of Druminnor Hill, Auchin- 
 doir, are the remains of a stone circle. The 
 recumbent stone has fallen, or been thrown 
 down, and is broken through the middle. When 
 entire it measured 1 3 feet long, 7 feet high, and 
 3|- feet thick at the base. So far as can now be 
 judged it stood on the south-west side of the 
 circle. The pillar-stone on its east side, also, 
 lies on the ground, and is 8 feet 9 in. long, by 2 
 feet 8 in. broad. The corresponding stone on 
 the west side is the only one now erect, and is 
 7 feet 3 in. high, 2 feet 9 in. broad, and 2 feet 3 
 in. thick. This is also a ' Craw-stane,' and the 
 surrounding wood is called the 'Craw-stane 
 Wood.' Druminnor means the ' ridge of the 
 inver,' the hill occupying the point at the junction 
 of the Burn of Keirn with the Bogie. 
 
 Hornershaugh is on Mains of Rhynie, beside 
 the Bogie. Probably it represents a personal 
 name ; but I have heard it called ' The Horners- 
 haugh,' and if this was the old usage it may 
 have another meaning. In Old Scotch, 'horner' 
 means an outlaw, a man ' put to the horn,' and 
 some one under the ban of the law may have 
 skulked about this place. 
 
 PLACE NAMES AND ANTIQUITIES IN ESSIE. 
 
 Finglenny is in Gaelic Fionn-gleannan, ' the 
 white or light-coloured little glen.' In this glen 
 
Rhynie. 259 
 
 there is a 'mound' known as the Wormie 
 Hillock, which has long been regarded as one of 
 the interesting sights of the place. Legend tells 
 us it is the grave-mound of a dragon, which at 
 one time infested the neighbourhood, and was 
 slain at this spot by some unknown St. George. 
 The surrounding dyke, which is 50 yards in 
 circumference, and 5 ft. high, is the only artificial 
 part of the work, and there can be no doubt it 
 was erected as a pen or ' round ' for protecting 
 sheep in stormy weather. The centre ' mound ' 
 has been formed by digging out material for 
 the dyke, and the soil or rotten rock of which 
 it is composed has never been disturbed. I 
 much regret having spoiled an interesting legend, 
 but my attention was so frequently directed to the 
 place, I was obliged to examine it. Near to this 
 place are the Chapel Cairn, and Bell-hillock, mark- 
 ing the site of another of those small chapels so 
 common in old times in this part of the country. 
 Near to Mill of Finglenny (now Cransmill) 
 was ' Broickhollis,' a name derived from broc a 
 'badger.' This word is said to have been 
 borrowed from Gaelic into the common speech 
 of the country, and I have heard people speak 
 of the broc who appeared to be ignorant of the 
 English name badger. Brocaire, a fox hunter, 
 has also become a well-known word. Broickhollis 
 has given place to the name Butterybrae, which 
 appears on the map. It is not an uncommon 
 
26o Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 name, and I have noticed the suggestion that it 
 was derived from bothar, a 'road.' Now this 
 word is held responsible for some strange names, 
 but the explanation of this one by a farmer in 
 the neighbourhood, is at least possible. He says 
 it was given because there was a large yield of 
 butter when the cows were fed on these braes. 
 Whether this is true or not, it is noticeable that, 
 in 1600, there were only four farms in the whole 
 parish which paid butter as part rent, and this 
 place was one of them. 
 
 Bogincloch, as a pasture farm, paid 40 st. 
 butter, besides custom, and 20 lb. Scots. This 
 place owes its name, Bog-na-cloiclu, the 'stony 
 bog' to a deposit of great boulders, thickly 
 scattered over an area of about 4 acres of elevated 
 ground surrounded by bogs, or land which was 
 formerly boggy. The stones range from 2 to 
 6 feet long, 2 to 4 feet wide, and 2 to 3 feet in 
 thickness. At the end of the ridge nearest to 
 the Lodge, within an area of less than 2 acres, 
 are the foundations of between 30 and 40 houses, 
 or erections of some sort. These foundations are 
 formed of rough boulders without any dress- 
 ing, and are either square or oblong, some of them 
 being rounded at the corners. They vary in size 
 from 8 feet to 14 feet long, and from 5 feet to 
 10 feet wide, inside measurement. Under a 
 deposit of 12 inches of loamy soil, the areas 
 appear to be all neatly paved. The erections 
 
Rhynie. 261 
 
 occur here and there among the boulders, ap- 
 parently where there happened to be a sufficiently 
 clear space. Not a few of them are double, 
 having a close division in the centre, and door- 
 ways at either end. One noticeable thing is that 
 there is a large stone in the centre of each erection 
 or compartment. The most southerly erection 
 I think must have been a byre, judging from its 
 length, and the fact that two of the three com- 
 partments open into a semicircular enclosure. 
 Here and there on the outskirts are similar 
 enclosures, probably for securing cattle. A burn 
 at some little distance has been diverted from its 
 course, and led by a cutting of considerable 
 depth through the centre of the place ; but I 
 could form no opinion as to whether this cutting 
 was of date corresponding to the buildings. 
 The popular idea is that the place is the site of 
 an ancient village ; and it is pointed out that it is 
 situated at an angle of the glen, so as to com- 
 mand a view both of the Tap and the Buck. 
 As a matter of fact, both hills are clearly seen 
 from the place, but whether there is anything in 
 this, I do not venture an opinion. My time for 
 observation was too limited to allow of such a 
 close and extensive examination as would war- 
 rant me in giving other than a very general 
 description of these curious erections. On Bog- 
 incloch was a place called Claymellat Cf. Cor- 
 mellat in Cairnie. 
 
262 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Merdrum appears in the later writings as 
 Mardrum, Mairdrum, and Merdrum, but in the 
 charter of 1534 it is given Meldrum. This is 
 the oldest reference we have, and I think it is 
 probable our modern forms are corruptions of 
 Maol-druim, ' the bare ridge,' which is still de- 
 scriptive of the place. Merdrum occasionally 
 figures as a lairdship, though it was only ' wad- 
 sett ' to James Duncan, who was pleased to call 
 himself 'of Merdrum;' but the Rental of 1600 
 if he had seen it, would have reminded him by 
 three separate entries that he was only ' in Mer- 
 drum.' Personal vanity occasionally shows itself 
 in these old times in rather amusing fashion. In 
 the churchyard of Keirn is a tombstone to the 
 memory of ' Ihone Laing Baron of Noth who 
 died in March 1624.' I suppose the person so 
 described is John Laing, who was tenant of one- 
 fourth part of the dauch of Noth in 1600, and 
 not unlikely was ' baron bailie ' of the district, a 
 position which scarcely entitled him to the 
 designation of Baron. 
 
 The hill to the west is Cloichedubh or the 
 ' black stone,' so named from a huge boulder 
 stone upon it. Between this hill and Merdrum 
 are The Forrests, indicating, along with other 
 names, the wooded nature of the country in old 
 times, which is further proved by the abundance 
 of tree roots found all over the district. In the 
 Rentals the 'two forests of Mytice' are men- 
 
Rhynie. 263 
 
 tioned, and Kirkney was set in 1600 ' reservand 
 aluayes the woid of Kirknie to my lordis awn 
 use.' 
 
 Three old names connected with Merdrum 
 are of some interest. Between Mill of Lesmoir 
 and Bruntland is a small hill called ' The Croich,' 
 which may have been the Gallowhill in old 
 times, for croich means a ' gallows.' What is 
 now known as the Gallowhill is nearly south 
 of the Castle of Lesmoir. Croich might be 
 derived from cruach, ' a heap or hill,' but there is 
 no apparent reason why this hillock should be 
 specially called ' The Hill.' On Old Merdrum is 
 a knoll called Ordichryne, probably Ord or 
 Aird-cC-chroinn, 'the height of the tree.' Not 
 far distant is Leirichie-laar, or as an old native 
 calls it, Leirichie-va. Tradition says, that a band 
 of Highlanders going to Harlaw, left sticking 
 in this piece of ground, a rod for each man of the 
 company, and on the return of the survivors, 
 so great was the mourning on account of the 
 heavy loss sustained in battle as represented by 
 the unclaimed rods, that the place was called in 
 Gaelic, ' the place of lamentation.' A Ross-shire 
 Highlander tells me, that he has heard among his 
 own people ' leirichie-vlaar ' and 'leirichie-va' 
 used as expressions of sorrow or lamentation. 
 He thinks both forms are correct, but that ' laar ' 
 should be bhlair (bh = v), 'of the battlefield.' 
 Leirichie-laar, as a place name, may therefore 
 
264 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 have some such meaning as tradition assigns to it. 
 I give this information as I have it, without 
 further opinion of my own. 
 
 The name Clayshot Hill is of doubtful origin. 
 If the spelling is correct as given on the Ord- 
 nance Map, it is south-country Scotch ; and I 
 have not found that the word ' shot ' was ever in 
 use in the north, though it may have been. 
 Shot means a plot of land, as in Stoneyshot, and 
 Welshott ; and Clayshot is therefore a ' clay 
 field,' which would be no peculiarity anywhere 
 in this district. As pronounced, I would write 
 the name Claish-6t, which might represent Clais- 
 uillt, J' the furrow or glen of the burn,' i.e., the 
 Leyburn. Having no old form of the name I 
 cannot say which conjecture is most likely 
 correct. 
 
 Most of the burn-names are lost. A small 
 croft on a tributary of the Bum of Lesmoir 
 has preserved the old name of the burn, Almuck, 
 that is Allt-mtiic, the ' pig's burn.' On the dauch 
 of Essie was a croft having the common name 
 Auchenleck or Affleck, 'the stony-field,' both 
 forms being given. The Rental of 1600 tells us 
 that this dauch was ' sett in fewe to the Laird of 
 Lesmoir' at the nominal duty of 'Tuentie 
 poundis fewe maill.' In the neat little church- 
 yard of Essie, a tombstone, of date 1774, gives 
 us the curious name Rumfud. On inquiry, I 
 find this place was the highest cultivated land 
 
Rhynie. 265 
 
 on Scordarg, on the side of the Tap o' Noth. 
 The old name is now converted into Ramfold. 
 
 Balhinny is given in the charter of 1545, 
 Balhany ; in the Rental of 1600, Balhanie ; and 
 it frequently appears in other old writings Bal- 
 hennie and Balhene. The same name occurs in 
 Glenmuick, and in the Garioch there was a place 
 called Balchinny. This latter spelling is im- 
 portant, and I think it is most likely that Bal- 
 hinny represents Baile-Chainnick, Kenneth's town. 
 Near to this place were two ' earth-houses,' one 
 on either side of the burn. These were removed 
 about 50 years ago, ' in case of accident by the 
 roofs giving way.' As these same roofs were 
 formed of great stones, some of them 9 feet long, 
 it is more probable that they were coveted as 
 material for building purposes. At all events, 
 this was the use to which they were turned. 
 Also near to Balhinny is the traditional site of a 
 battlefield, called ' Cammel,' but whether the 
 Campbells were combatants on one side no one 
 can tell. Camphill may be the old name. To 
 the east is a knoll, the top of which, still uncul- 
 tivated, is called ' The Perk.' No doubt this is 
 the site of an old market, now forgotten, though 
 the name remains, like The Park on Sliach, 
 Drumblade, a memorial of former times. 
 
 On the lands around Balhinny many cup- 
 marked stones have been found ; and although 
 these have been diligently carried away, some are 
 
266 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 still occasionally discovered. The cups occur 
 sometimes singly, but more frequently in groups, 
 and rarely with concentric circles. The stones 
 appear to have had no connection with any par- 
 ticular spot, are of various sizes, and lie scattered 
 about among the heather, or are turned up in the 
 cultivated lands. So far as I have learned there 
 were no cup-markings of any kind on the stones 
 dug out of the earth-houses. 
 
 To the west of Balhinny is Glack, a word 
 common in Gaelic and Scotch, meaning a cleft 
 between hills. Bruntland is what its name im- 
 plies — land, the surface of which had been 
 burned, according to the old wasteful system of 
 farming. Auchindinny and Blairindinny may 
 also refer to this old custom. The extensive 
 peat moss in this corner of the parish is divided 
 off under different names, but the general name 
 of the whole is Badnaman, which may be Bad- 
 na-moine, the ' place of the moss.' The name is 
 sometimes rendered ' the hamlet of the women,' 
 Bad-na-mban, where b is eclipsed by m ; but if 
 this is the meaning, I should have expected the 
 sound of b to have been retained in this part 
 of the country, as in Clochnaben, ' the stone of 
 the women.' Still this may be the proper mean- 
 ing, but it is difficult to imagine a ' hamlet of 
 women,' and one would fain hope there were not 
 many such places. 
 
 Craigietake is a hill which at once attracts 
 
Rhynie. 267 
 
 the eye from its jagged outline, so different from 
 the smooth-topped hills in the neighbourhood. 
 The name occurs also in Ireland as Craigatuke, 
 from Craig-cH -tseabhaic {s and bh mute), the 
 'hawk's craig.' Our Scotch form is slightly- 
 different — Creag-d-tseabhaig (pron. tyo-ag), but 
 I think there can be no doubt both names are 
 identical. 
 
 If Blackmiddens has any sense or meaning 
 as a Scotch name, it may refer to the finding 
 of traces of ancient habitations in this wild 
 place. The name may be a corruption of 
 a much older one, although the present, with 
 which we are disagreeably familiar, is given in 
 the Gordon charter of 1 508. ' Black' is occasion- 
 ally a substitute for 'breac' or 'broc' Thus in 
 the Reg. Mag. Sig. we find these two forms 
 applying to the same places — Brochlach becomes 
 Blaclach; Brakywell, Blakwell ; Braktillo, Black- 
 tillo ; Broklardyk, Blacklardyk ; and in Robert- 
 son's ' Index,' Kinbrackmount, Kinblackmount. 
 Midden may represent meddan, the Scotch 
 form of the Gaelic meadhon, 'the middle.' 
 Mount Meddan is not far distant, and meddan is 
 very common in place names. The 'spotted 
 middle' exactly describes the place, because it 
 lies between two hills ; and the grey rocks and 
 boulders are so abundant as to give a speckled 
 appearance to the face of the country. I do 
 not say that this is the meaning of the name, 
 
268 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 because there is no authority for it, but it is 
 possible. 
 
 Several names of places, which are only found 
 in the common speech, have been given me, but 
 I can do little more than name them. Merry- 
 haugh is on Mains of Rhynie. {Cf. Merryhillock 
 and Happyhillock.) The ' Fighting Swyle ' is 
 on Templand, and Brankum on Merdrum. 
 Craigmahaggles is in Essie, not far from the old 
 kirk, and may mean the ' craig of the church.' 
 Peem's well is not far distant, and Peem may be 
 a very corrupt form of a saint's name. 
 
 HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 
 
 Our earliest notices of Rhynie are in the 
 Register of the Diocese of Moray, of dates 1224, 
 1227, and 1232. In these documents relating to 
 the church-lands of Strathbogie, the name is 
 given Rynyn and Ryny, occasionally both forms 
 appearing in the same writing. There is no 
 reference to a parish of Rhynie, the common 
 practice in these old ecclesiastical records being 
 simply to give the name of the church. It is 
 probable, however, that even at this early date 
 there was a recognised parish, as in the cases of 
 Dunbennan, Drumdelgie, Botarie, and Ruthven. 
 Any explanation of the name Rhynie, has rarely 
 been attempted, and only one has been suggested 
 which is at all plausible. It is that the church 
 
Rhyme. 269 
 
 may have been dedicated to St. Irenaeus, or St. 
 Renny, and Kilrenny in Fife is given as parallel. 
 Saint Irenaeus however does not appear in the 
 ' Kalendars of Scottish Saints,' and the patron 
 saint of Kilrenny was St. Itharnan. Walcott's 
 Scoti-Monasticon gives St. Rule as the patron 
 of Rhynie, which is a mere conjecture without 
 any historical warrant. It is very evident that 
 many of these supposed dedications are guesses 
 suggested by an apparent similarity in names, 
 which on examination proves to be entirely false. 
 Like all place names, Rhynie is found in 
 other parts of the country. There is a Rhynie 
 in Fearn, Ross-shire, and a Rhynie or Rhynach 
 in Aberchirder, Banffshire. The root may be 
 roinn, ' a point or headland,' which, as we have 
 seen, occurs several times in Cabrach hill-names. 
 The adjective form is roinneach, 'pointed or 
 abounding in points.' It is a curious coincidence, 
 if nothing more, that a few miles distant from 
 Rhynach in Aberchirder is the modern place- 
 name ' Points.' I think, in the case of Rhynie 
 parish there is good ground — if not amounting 
 to certainty, at least to a strong probability — 
 for associating the name with a particular spot. 
 Overlooking the site of the old church is a 
 pointed knoll, called the Bell Knowe, which in 
 Gaelic might have been called Roinnean — dimin- 
 utive of roinn — ' a little point or headland.' On 
 this knoll was suspended, within a wooden tri- 
 
270 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 angle, the kirk bell — the church being situated 
 on the low ground the sound of the bell would 
 not have been heard at a distance. This Knowe, 
 as distinctive of the place, might have originated 
 the name. As roinn takes the modern form of 
 Rhinn and Rhynd, it does not appear unreason- 
 able to conclude that roinnean may be repre- 
 sented by the phonetic spelling Rynyn, the 
 oldest form we have of Rhynie. Dr. Joyce says, 
 — 'The diminutive Rinneen, 'little point,' is the 
 name of several townlands in Galway, Clare, 
 and Kerry.' 
 
 The bell suspended on the ' Bell Knowe,' like 
 many other old bells, was considered to possess 
 a fine tone, and a tradition explains the cause of 
 it. As the founders were busily occupied pre- 
 paring to cast the bell, the Marquis of Huntly 
 chanced to pass, and on learning what was going 
 on he threw a handful of silver coin into the 
 molten metal — hence the 'silver tone' charac- 
 teristic of the bell. This story might possibly 
 suggest the idea of a lost art in Strathbogie, but 
 the old bell speaks for its founder. The inscrip- 
 tion upon it reads, — ' Michal Burgerhuys ; m : 
 f: soli: Deo: gloria: 1620.' The same founder 
 cast two of the bells in the church of St. Machar, 
 Old Aberdeen, and re-cast the old bell (Lowrie) 
 of St. Nicholas, recently destroyed by fire. 
 
 Essie derives its name from eas, ' a waterfall 
 or rapid,' and occasionally ' a narrow glen.' . The 
 
Rhynie. 271 
 
 Essachie, the principal stream in this glen, is 
 occasionally very rapid in its course, contrasting 
 strongly with the slow winding Bogie of the 
 neighbouring Strath. Easach is the adjective 
 form, meaning 'abounding in waterfalls or 
 rapids,' and it is fairly descriptive of the stream. 
 The name Essie occurs also in the counties of 
 Forfar, Moray, and Inverness. The Essachie 
 is supposed to extend from the Bogie to Temp- 
 land, it then becomes for a short distance the 
 Burn of Essie, further on the Burn of Balhinnie, 
 and what it is beyond no one very well knows. 
 I have no doubt Essachie was originally the 
 name of the stream from its source to its junction 
 with the Bogie. 
 
 Rhynie and Essie were closely associated 
 ecclesiastically from a very early period, appear- 
 ing in the records of the Diocese (Moray) gener- 
 ally as one charge, though occasionally as two. 
 In 1227, in the agreement between the Bishop 
 and David of Strathbogie, Essy and Rynyn are 
 mentioned as separate churches, with their re- 
 spective church-lands. In the Taxations of 
 Benefices in 1350, the vicar of Ryny and the par- 
 son of Essy are entered separately. About 1400 
 Ryne and Essy are conjoined. From 1536 to 
 1544 'William Gordoun, parson of Essey,' appears 
 as a witness to legal documents. This, however, 
 may be William Gordon, at that time Treasurer 
 of Moray, and parson of Essie or Essil, now 
 
272 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 Speymouth. In the Rental of the prebend- 
 aries of Moray, 1563, the parsonage of Ryne 
 is set for 80 merkis to Mr. James Gordon 
 son of the Erie of Huntly, but Essie is not 
 mentioned. In the list of Ministers and Reid- 
 aris, 1576, we have: 'Essie, — Walter Leslie 
 reidare the haill thrid of the parsonage and vicar- 
 age of Essie extending to £6 1 3s. 4d. Scots ; 
 Rhynie, — James Uruell reidare, ;^I3 6s. 8d. Scots, 
 with the Kirklands.' In 1646, Mr. Geo. Chalmer, 
 ' helper ' to Mr. Henrie Ross, Rhynie, complains 
 to the Presbytery that the parishioners had failed 
 to pay him according to agreement '4olbs. to 
 build ane house upon the manse of Essie,' and 
 the matter was arranged by the retirement of 
 Mr. Ross under pressure, he having become un- 
 fit for public work from a cause suggested rather 
 than expressed. It is said that public worship 
 ceased in the church of Essie in 1740. 
 
 The erection by Bishop Bricius of the church 
 of Rynyn into a prebend of the Cathedral was 
 ratified by his successor. Bishop Andrew, 5 th 
 May, 1226, the prebendary being bound to pro- 
 vide a sub-deacon to serve as his vicar in the 
 Cathedral Church. Master David Monypenny, 
 prebendary, 1473- 1489, seems to have preferred 
 a quiet life in his country parish to residence in 
 Elgin, and neglecting his Cathedral duties he 
 was, in 1488, amerced in the seventh part of the 
 fruits of his benefice. 
 
Rhynie. 273 
 
 No tradition exists in the district of the 
 march between these old parishes. In Macfar- 
 lane's Geographical Collections, it is stated that 
 the length of Essie ' from Bogncloach to Temp- 
 len is two miles ; and its breadth from Crane's- 
 miln to the Ton-burn as much.' Excepting this 
 very general description there is no existing re- 
 cord, so far as I know, which gives any informa- 
 tion on the subject except the Rental of the 
 Lordship of Huntly of 1600. Part of this docu- 
 ment is given in the Spalding Club Miscellany, 
 Vol. IV., but the Editor did not consider it 
 necessary to give more than a summary of 
 several of the parishes, Rhynie and Essie being 
 of the number. This valuable old record has for 
 years past been lost sight of among a mass of 
 other documents connected with the estates in 
 the Muniment Room in Gordon Castle, and it 
 seemed probable that the knowledge of the 
 boundaries of these parishes would never be re- 
 covered. Quite recently the document has 
 been found, and by the kind permission of His 
 Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, I 
 have been allowed the use of it. It must be re- 
 membered that a Rental only deals with the 
 letting of lands, and gives no description of the 
 marches of farms, hill pastures, or neighbouring 
 parishes ; but in the present case there is not 
 much left to conjecture. 
 
 The parish of Essie, according to this Rental 
 T 
 
274 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of 1600, consisted of the lands of Finglennie, 
 Bogincloch, Forrest, New and Auld Merdrum, 
 Longley, Garbet, Lesmoir, Essie, and Balhanie ; 
 and we know from the Retours that Templand 
 was the 'Temple-lands of Essie.' Myttes and 
 Scordarg both formed part of Rhynie. I there- 
 fore conclude that the old boundary extended 
 from the summit of the hill now called the Hill 
 of Cransmill, down the slope to the east of 
 Cransmill, formerly called Mill of Finglennie, 
 to the junction of the Burn of Merdrum with 
 Kirkney Water, which burn it probably followed, 
 and crossing over the ridge between Scordarg 
 and Lesmoir, it descended to the Burn of Les- 
 moir, which was the march until it joined the 
 Essachie to the east of Templand. 
 
 Rhynie and Essie are understood to have 
 contained eight of the ' aucht and forty dauchs 
 of Strathbogie,' and I give the names of seven of 
 them. Lesmoir, Essie, Balhanie, and Affleck 
 constituted the dauch of Essie, and there fol- 
 lowed ' The Waterside,' Scordarg, Rhynie, Mil- 
 ton, Smithston, and Noth. These I give partly 
 from tradition and partly from written records, 
 but the eighth dauch I have failed to discover. 
 
 MILLDUAN. 
 
 At the base of the Tap o' Noth, lying N. by 
 N.W., is Millduan (pron. Milldewan), interesting 
 from the traditions connected with it. The 
 
Rhynie. 275 
 
 story runs that in the far past a great battle was 
 fought on this moor, supposed to have been the 
 last struggle for the sovereignty by Lulach, step- 
 son of Macbeth ; and it is believed that here he 
 fell, and was buried in the grave-mound called 
 the Cairn of Millduan. Many heaps of stones, 
 supposed to be cairns, are said to mark the 
 graves of those who fell ; and certain remarkable 
 enclosures are pointed out as the burial-places of 
 the chiefs. 
 
 It is easier to say how far these traditions 
 are not true, than to get hold of the facts under- 
 lying them. We know from Fordun and Wyn- 
 toun that Lulach was slain in Essy or Esseg, in 
 Strathbolgyne, whether in battle or overtaken in 
 flight is uncertain. Fordun adds, evidently 
 quoting from the Chronicles of the Picts and 
 Scots (anno 11 87), 'some also relate that both 
 these kings, Machabeus and Lulach, were buried 
 in the island of lona.' Wyntoun quotes the 
 'Cronicon Elegiacum,' 1270 — 
 
 ' Hos in pace viros tenet Insula lona sepultos, 
 In Tumulo Regum, Judicis usque diem.' 
 
 This was not the belief in the north, for we have 
 pillar-stones in various parts of the country 
 supposed to mark the grave of Lulach. If he 
 fell in Essie, it could not have been on the 
 battlefield of Millduan, which is not in Essie, 
 but in Rhynie, if I am correct in tracing the old 
 marches. Essie may have been named without 
 
276 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 special knowledge or regard as to the bound- 
 aries of the parishes, if they then existed ; but 
 making allowance for this possibility, the tra- 
 ditions break down when they are closely ex- 
 amined, and appear to be in great measure con- 
 jectures of a comparatively recent date, so far as 
 1 know, unsupported by old or authentic writings. 
 Allowing that a battle may have been fought 
 at Millduan in 1057, and that Lulach and many 
 of his followers fell in the battle, it is very doubt- 
 ful if their graves could have been distinctly 
 traced a generation ago, as we are told they 
 were. If this was possible after the lapse of 
 800 years, it is remarkable that within 30 or 40 
 years they have almost disappeared. Old people 
 are still remembered who could point out the 
 positions assigned by tradition to the contending 
 forces, the heights occupied by the women who 
 were onlookers, and the Piper's Well on the 
 battlefield. Almost certainly these details could 
 not have been handed down through eight cen- 
 turies, and must refer to a battle of a much later 
 date than Lulach's time. As to the fact of a 
 battle having taken place at Millduan there can 
 be no question, because the traditions are too 
 circumstantial to admit of doubt, confirmed as 
 they are by the find of weapons on various parts 
 of the field ; but I do not think we have any 
 evidence as to the combatants, or the time when 
 the battle was fought. 
 
Rhynie. 277 
 
 The Cairn of Millduan, once described as 
 'stupendous,' has almost ceased to be a cairn, 
 the stones being removed, within the memory of 
 people still alive, for the purpose of building a 
 sheepfold. The tumulus was opened in 1859, 
 by Sir Andrew Leith Hay, and a stone cist 
 found within a well-built chamber. From his 
 report to the British Association, it does not 
 appear that he discovered anything of interest 
 in the cist, or in any of the smaller cairns which 
 he examined. The ground under these cairns 
 shows no signs of ever having been disturbed ; 
 and as a crofter at one time had a small farm at 
 the place, it is probable the cairns are merely 
 heaps of stones gathered off the ground with the 
 view of reclaiming it. My impression further is, 
 that the enclosures, supposed to mark the graves 
 of chiefs, are the remains of the crofter's houses. 
 I judge chiefly from superficial observation, and 
 it is possible excavations would give us more 
 light on the subject. 
 
 It has been conjectured that the name Mill- 
 duan means ' the grave of a thousand,' but, so far 
 as I see, there is not the slightest warrant for any 
 such rendering. It might possibly mean the 
 grave-mound of Duan = Duff, but this is open to 
 the objection that we have many similar names 
 all over the country. The same objection ap- 
 plies to the personal name Maelduin, which 
 occurs three times in the Chronicles of the Picts 
 
278 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 and Scots. Millduan and Drumduan are com- 
 mon ; Tillyduan I have found once or twice ; 
 and only once have I noticed Baldewan. I 
 think the name properly belongs to the knoll 
 lying between the Tap and the Burn of Kirkney ; 
 and at the base of this knoll, and forming part 
 of it, is the site of the battle. Probably the 
 Gaelic form is Meall-duibhe-aibhne, meaning the 
 ' knoll of the dark water.' 
 
 THE GORDONS OF LESMOIR. 
 
 The Gordons of Lesmoir first appear in the 
 reigns of James III. and James IV. (Douglas.) 
 In 'The Castles of Aberdeenshire,' they are 
 said to be descended from William Gordon of 
 Tillytarmont, 2nd son of John Gordon of Scor- 
 darg, but no authority is given for the statement. 
 Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun in 'The 
 History of the Earldom of Sutherland,' says they 
 were of the family of Scordarg. In family 
 papers, connected with the Gordons of Lesmoir 
 and Terpersie, which have come into my hands, 
 it is stated that James, ist laird of Lesmoir, 
 was second son of the Earl of Huntly ; but the 
 first Earl had no son of the name, and the second 
 Earl's 4th son was James Gordon of Letterfourie. 
 In the Register of Birth Brieves of Aberdeen, of 
 date 1703, Gordon of Inverebrie, Gordon of 
 Kirkhill (Kennethmont), and John Gordon bur- 
 
Rhynie. 279 
 
 gess in Aberdeen, stated in evidence, that the 
 Gordons of Terpersie, descended from Lesmoir, 
 were of the family of the Duke of Gordon, 
 These statements, being so contradictory, must 
 be taken merely as the opinions of members of 
 the family and others, so far as they knew, but 
 there is no certain evidence in favour of either 
 side. Sir Robert Gordon is good authority in 
 such matters, and is probably right. 
 
 James Gordon, ist laird, according to 
 Douglas, married Lady Ann Stewart, daughter 
 of John, Earl of Athol, and widow of Sir Robert 
 Gordon of Pitlurg, by whom he had one son, 
 James, who became the father of a numerous 
 family afterwards settled in various estates in the 
 counties of Aberdeen and Banff. Who ' Sir 
 Robert Gordon of Pitlurg ' was I have no know- 
 ledge, having failed to discover any one of the 
 name ; and I have already said that the Gordons 
 acquired Pitlurg in 1539, about 30 years later 
 than the time referred to, though they may have 
 resided at Pitlurg previous to becoming actual 
 owners. 
 
 Lady Ann, after the death of her husband in 
 1508, and during the minority of her son, built, 
 or probably rebuilt the Castle of Lesmoir. James, 
 the Sth laird, was created a baronet in 1626, but 
 for what distinguished service does not appear. 
 The date, however, suggests that he paid for the 
 honour in the current coin of the realm. The 
 
28o Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 baronetcy was of the new order of Scotland 
 and Nova Scotia, instituted in 1625. Robert 
 Gordon of Gordonstoun, was the first person 
 who received the honour, and as the title was to 
 be had almost by any person who could pay for 
 it, not a few country gentlemen readily accepted 
 the dignity. 
 
 The Gordons of Lesmoir figure in most of 
 the stirring events of their time, and were closely 
 associated with the Earls of Huntly, by whom 
 the near family relationship was recognised. 
 In a charter by Earl George, in 1552, he con- 
 veys certain lands to his ' kinsman ' William 
 Gordon of Terpersie, son of James Gordon of 
 Lesmoir. Another son, Patrick, was at Corrichie 
 in 1562. James Gordon, ist Baronet, was 
 engaged, along with other friends of Huntly, in 
 the murder of the Earl of Moray at Donibristle 
 in 1592. His 2nd son, William of Broadland, 
 afterwards of Lesmoir, took part in the battle of 
 Glenlivet, 1594. For some years previous to this 
 event the loyalty of the great Catholic families in 
 the North was under grave suspicion by the 
 Government, and in the Acts of the Privy 
 Council we find that, on the 30th April, 1589, 
 along with many other Barons, George Gordon 
 of Lesmoir signed a band at Aberdeen in defence 
 of the true religion and His Majesty's Govern- 
 ment. In the same year, by order of the Privy 
 Council, he had to find caution to the extent of 
 
Rhynie. 28 1 
 
 10,000 merks that he would ' attempt nathing in 
 hurte or prejudice of his Majesty . . . nor 
 the religion presently professit.' His son Alex- 
 ander had also to find caution to the amount of 
 2000 merks. In the following year, George 
 Gordon of Lesmoir was ordered to find caution 
 for 20,000 merks that he and his followers should 
 keep good rule in the country, and make them- 
 selves and their men answerable to justice. 
 
 The troubles which followed the burning of 
 Frendraught cost Lesmoir frequent appearances 
 before the Lords, first at the trial of those 
 suspected of setting fire to the tower, and during 
 the five following years he was called on several 
 occasions to give evidence about the raids on 
 the lands of Frendraught. His name appears, 
 along with many other barons of the Gordon 
 Family, in the numerous orders respecting the 
 ' broken men,' and the maintenance of order in 
 the district. 
 
 The Gordons of Lesmoir acquired consider- 
 able landed property in the county, and about 
 the middle of the 17th century we find them in 
 possession of one-half of the parish of Drum- 
 blade, all the lands of Essie and Lesmoir, one-half 
 Auld Merdrum, the Temple-lands of Fulze- 
 mont and Essie, with the patronage of the church 
 of Essie, and they had also various smaller 
 possessions in other parts of the county. They 
 occupied an honourable position among the 
 
282 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 landed proprietors of the North for nearly 300 
 years, but in the latter half of the 1 8th century 
 they drop out of sight without leaving record of 
 the disaster which had befallen them. In the 
 Inventory of Charters in Gordon Castle there is 
 this significant entry — ' Newton-garie, Drum- 
 blade, bought by the Duke of Gordon in 1765 
 from Sir Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir, and his 
 Trustees and Creditors.' From the same source, 
 we learn that Corvichen was purchased from Sir 
 Wm. Gordon of Lesmoir by Andrew Hay of 
 Mountblairy, anno 1739, and sold by George 
 Hay, his son, to the Duke of Gordon in 1770. 
 Finally, we learn that the lands of Essie and 
 Lesmoir were purchased by the Duke of Gordon, 
 in 1780, from the Trustees of John Grant of 
 Rothmaise, who a few years previously had 
 bought them from the last of the Gordons of 
 Lesmoir. The only memorial of the old family 
 is the ruin of the Castle of Lesmoir, of which 
 little remains but unshapely masses of masonry 
 overgrown by vegetation. Though compara- 
 tively small, the castle seems to have been of 
 considerable strength, with an outer defence and 
 moat, which can still be distinctly traced. 
 
 ' THE AUCHT AND FORTY DAUCH.' 
 
 In a manuscript preserved in the library at 
 Slains, and given in the Spal. CI. Ant. II., p. 164, 
 
Rhynie. 283 
 
 it is said — ' Strathbogie was of old divided into 
 forty- eight davachs, each containing as much as 
 four ploughs could till in a year.' This has no 
 doubt always been the popular opinion in the 
 district, and it is supported to some extent by 
 known facts. The four divisions of Kinnoir 
 almost represent the extent of the parish. In 
 the case of Rhynie, we only want one to com- 
 plete the traditional number assigned to it, 
 though several of these dauchs have lost their 
 old names. Glass was almost completely 
 mapped out into regular and equal divisions, 
 which are still well-known. Dunbennan evi- 
 dently underwent greater changes at an early 
 date, and I have not found a single instance in 
 this parish of the term being applied to any 
 farm or group of farms, though Collonach pro- 
 bably was a dauch in name as it was in reality. 
 In the Rental of 1600, the unit of land measure 
 was the plough-gate, by which, and its propor- 
 tional parts,* all rents were adjusted whether in 
 ' money maills ' or ' ferme victuall' A davach 
 (dabhach) means literally a 'vat,' and in this 
 sense it is used in Irish names ; but how the 
 word has come to describe a certain extent of 
 land in Scotland is as yet unexplained. 
 
 I much regret that I have not been able to re- 
 cover the whole of the names of these old davachs 
 
 * 8 oxgates=l plough-gate, 4 plough -gates = 1 davach, 
 or 416 acres. 
 
284 Place Names in Strathbogie. 
 
 of Strathbogie. Occasionally they are mentioned 
 in the Rentals and the Poll-Book, but rarely in 
 charters, and local tradition respecting them has 
 to a considerable extent died out with the last 
 generation. Still, from what I have recovered 
 either from personal evidence or written record, 
 the presumption is strong that in old times the 
 whole district was divided into davachs, each 
 bearing its own distinctive name. It may appear 
 useless to keep up the remembrance of these old 
 land divisions, but even the incomplete know- 
 ledge we have, may at some future time serve 
 to illustrate or explain the land system in old 
 times, about which we are imperfectly acquainted. 
 Be this as it may, natives of Strathbogie will 
 always have kindly associations with the ' Auld 
 Aucht and Forty.' 
 
INDEX OF PLACES. 
 
 Aberdour, 2- 
 Aboyne, 91, 95. 
 Affleck, 239, 264. 
 Affloch, 230. 
 Aiken Bank, 105. 
 Aide cloiche, 4. 
 AldivdUoch, 147, 149. 
 Aldunie, 149. 
 AUtavAlUe, 152. 
 Alltcruinicbe, gS. 
 Allt-Dauch, 151. 
 Allt-Deveron, 140, 146, 
 
 148. 
 Allt-Venney, 1:25. 
 AUuie, X38, 141. 
 Almtjclc, 264. 
 Alnapflddoch, 11. 
 Alsplrit, II, 146. 
 Alvah, 231. 
 Alvaichie, 231. 
 An Cabar, 160. 
 Annetswell, 234, 235. 
 Ardentinny, 109. 
 Ardg&Ilie, 128. 
 Ardglenny, 256. 
 ArdKiie, 138, 141. 
 Ardonald, 200. 
 Ardwell, 142. 
 Arnhall, 243. 
 Artloch, 241. 
 Asw^nley, 115. 
 Auchaim, 200. 
 AucMnachie, 214. 
 Auchenldck, 264. 
 Auchinbd, 233. 
 Auchincl^ch, 200. 
 Auchindinny, log, 266. 
 Auchindroyne, 177, 215. 
 Auchindrfjin, 216. 
 Auchinhdlrig, 155. 
 Auchjnh^ndoch, no, 130. 
 Auchinhannock, 12, no. 
 Auchinldck, 239. 
 Auchinldche, 239. 
 Auchinrieve, 233. 
 Auchmac6y, 12. 
 Aucbtnair, 144. 
 Aucbnagdtt, 12. 
 Aucbnastdnk, 133. 
 Aucbynaterman, 210. 
 Auchynmdyre, 144. 
 
 Aultnapaddock, 123. 
 Avachie "I 
 Avocbie/^30. 
 
 Back o' Field, 158. 
 BJid, 216. 
 Badcbear, 141. 
 Badengoaucb, 150. 
 Badnamin, 152, 266, 
 Badychark, 100. 
 Balbetb, 20. 
 Ba'hill, 18. 
 Balbitnan, 20. 
 Balcabrach, 160. 
 Balcaim, 96. 
 Balcbaim, 96. 
 Balcbinny, 265. 
 Balgowan, 127. 
 Balgown, 127. 
 Balninny, 265. 
 Ballancrerocb, 54. 
 Ball-Bomln, 240. 
 Ball-bill, 18. 
 Ballocb, 159, 216. 
 Ballocbbegy, 156, 157. 
 BaUochford, 141. 
 Balmakellle, iz, 
 Balmonthe, 17. 
 Balnakirk, loz. 
 Balnamoon, 193. 
 Balnutb, 30. 
 Balquharg, 100. 
 Balvalley, 151, 152. 
 Bank of Corinacy, 136. 
 Bamakirk, 102. 
 Basquharnie, 198. 
 Battlebill, 18, 94. 
 Beacbans, 20. 
 Beggshill, 73. 
 Belcberrie, 112, 131. 
 Beldornie, 112, 130. 
 Bellerig, 155. 
 Bellnaboddacb, 123. 
 Belnabdth, 112, 122. 
 Belnacraig, 122. 
 Bendaucb, 11. 
 Bennacbie, 25, 140. 
 Ben Tarsuinn, 125, 
 Berkeley, 94. 
 Binba', 216. 
 Binball, 189. 
 
 Birkenbill, ig. 
 Birnie, 176. 
 
 Bisbop's Well, Tbe, 65. 
 Bisset s Cross, 75, 125. 
 Blackblait, 74. 
 Blackbill, 157, igi. 
 Blackmiddings, 156, 267. 
 Blackwater, 136, 147. 
 Blairindinny, 266. 
 Blairlick Hill, 158. 
 Blankets, 73. 
 Bodiba^, 152. 
 Bodiemiillacb, 138. 
 Body lair, 123. 
 Bogare, 238. 
 Bogerdeucb, 238. 
 Bogerjobn, 238. 
 Bogferge, 200. 
 Bogforge, 200. 
 Bogfortb, 181. 
 Boggerfbul, 238. 
 Boghead, 58. 
 Bogie, 31. 
 Bogincabar, 160. 
 Boginclocb, 2G0. 
 Boginsprd, 233. 
 Boglebole, 71. 
 Bogmoon, ig3. 
 Bognamoon, ig3. 
 Boiggergown, 238. 
 Bonfail, 126. 
 Bordalbaugb, loS. 
 Bordelseat, 107. 
 Borredell. 108. 
 BorrodalCj 108. 
 Borrowdailis, 108. 
 Bot&rie, 11, 194, 198, 199. 
 Botn'pbnie, 7. 
 Bowmanbillock, 241, 242. 
 Bowmanslands, 242. 
 Bowmanstown, 241, 
 Bracklacb, 153, 195, 
 Brdckles, 195. 
 Bradrdnich, 216. 
 Braidgauch, 150. 
 Bralanknowes, 79, 
 Brankie, 204. 
 Brankum, 268. 
 Brecacath, 4, 
 Brex, 12. 
 Brideswell, 65. 
 
286 
 
 Index of Places. 
 
 Btiggs, =34- 
 Broadland, 179. 
 Broadsea, 10. 
 Brodach, I53- 
 Broickhollis, 259' 
 Brownhill, 124. 
 Bruce's Howe, 63. 
 Bruckleseat, igS. 
 Bruntland, 266. 
 Brux, 12. 
 Bnixie, 12. 
 Buchan, 8, 16. 
 Buchkrn, 96. 
 Buck, The, is«i 158- 
 Buckie, 8. 
 
 Buirdelland, 108. 
 
 Bumcrilinach, 98. 
 
 Burnfield of Avochie, 231 
 
 Burngranes, 167. 
 
 Bumhedis, 156- 
 
 Burnt Kirk, 172. 
 
 Burntreble, 137. 
 
 Buthary, 80. 
 
 Buthquhanyoquny, 214. 
 
 Butterward, 128. 
 
 Butterybrae, 259- 
 
 Cabrach, 131. i6"v , 
 Cabrach (Inverness), 160 
 Cabrach, Upper, 139, 142 
 
 159- , 
 Cabrachan, 100. 
 Cach-na-moon, 139- 
 Caim-a-Bruar, 158. 
 Caim-a-cheannache, 215. 
 Cairn Ant-a-chliUginn,i59 
 Caimaloquhy, 156, iS7- 
 Caimir|et, 119. 
 Caimbd , 96. 
 Caimborrow, 119- 
 Caimbradles, 216. 
 Cairn Brallan, 158. 
 Caim-calliach, 190. 
 Cairncat, (17. 
 Cairncatta, 11, 07. 
 Caim-crome, i59' 
 Cairn Elrig-mor, i55- 
 Caimgow, 191. =°7. ^S'- 
 Caimie, 171. 
 Caimmore, 120. 
 Caimtradles, 216. 
 Cairnwalloch, 208. 
 CMrnwhelp, 197. 207. 
 Cammel, 265. 
 Candyglerioch, 12. 
 Carnaveron, 8. 
 Came, 196. 
 Carnotisie, 135. 
 Cassiestyle, 63. 
 Causeybutts, 187. 
 Causeycnd 631 ^^1' 
 
 Causeyfolds, 187. 
 Causeyton, 187. 
 Chapelton, 65. 
 Chapel Well, 6S- 
 Clais-nan-Earb, iS9- 
 Clashbrae, 198. 
 C14shmach, 21. 
 Clashneen, 102. 
 Claymellat, 209, 261. 
 Claymyres, 20I. 
 Clayshott HiU, 264. 
 Cleghorn, 207. 
 Clerkneuk, 215- 
 Clochmacriech, 12. 
 Clochmaloo, 253- 
 Clochnabdn, 266. 
 Cldchranfcrd, 183, 241- 
 Clocknock, 74- 
 Cloichedubh, 262. 
 Clough-mough, 69. 
 Coachford, 183. 
 Cobairdy, 11, i7- 
 CocklArachy, 53. ^S"- 
 Coilleachan, 160. 
 Coir-nan-clearoch, 54- 
 Coldhome, 133- 
 CoUithie, 99. 
 ColWnach, 242. 
 Colly, 231. 
 Cdlpach, 198. 
 Colpy, 198- 
 Comal^gy, II, 73- 
 Com&tie, 74. 
 Comrie, 97. 
 Confounderland, 182. 
 Conieclelich, 11, 204. 
 Contlay, 239. 
 Cook's Caim, 158. 
 Corcairn, 96. 
 Core Burn, 105. 
 Core, The, 96. 
 Core&rff, 96. 
 Connacy, 23, 135. 
 Coritobrith, 4. 
 Cormellat, 178, 208. 
 Cornabroicht, 156, i57- 
 Corncattrach, 11, 105- 
 Corriedown, 97. 
 Corrielkir, 96. 
 Corrycleroche, 54. 
 Corse of Kinnoir, 197, 23° 
 Corsemaul, 124. 
 Corshalloch, 97, 122. 
 Corshill, I2S, 209. 253- 
 Corsiestone, 58. 
 Corskie, loi. 
 Corsknowcs, 125. 
 Corss, ig6. 
 Corvlchen, 19, 59- 
 Costlybum, 239. 
 Cottartown, 219. 
 
 Couls, 58- . 
 Counterlassie, 10. 
 Cowie Muir, 231. 
 Coxton, 108. 
 Ctfynachie, 07. 
 Craghannacny, 214. 
 Craigddmie, 112, 131. 
 Craigellachie, 157. 
 Craigencat, 154. 
 
 Craigenseat, 107 
 
 Craigentinny, 109. 
 
 Craigentrinny, 243. 
 
 Craighall, 189. 
 
 Craigietake, 266. 
 
 Craigliiie, 138. 
 
 Craigmah4ggles, 268. 
 
 Craigour, 127. 
 
 Craigwater HiU, IJ7- 
 
 Craigwillie, 245. 
 
 Craw-stane of Rhyme, 
 
 256, 2_S7; 
 
 Criechmaleid, 12. 
 Crimond, 20. 
 Crdich, The, 263. 
 Cromar, 91. 
 Cromwellside, 10. 
 Cross-causey, 187. 
 Cross-mount, 125. 
 Crtiichie, 71. 
 Culbalach, 2o8. 
 CulcWrochy, 158. 
 Culdrain, loi. 
 CuUen, in Gamrie, 86. 
 Cullwalloche, 208. 
 
 Culmeadden, 24. 
 
 Culnabaichan, 20. 
 
 Culqlihork, 100, 
 
 Culsilmond, 24, 25- 
 
 Cultemach, 192. 
 
 Culwyne, 154. 
 
 Cumerstane, 97. 
 
 Cumerton, 97. 
 
 Cummerland, 97. 
 
 Cumry, 97, 206, 208. 
 
 Curbrottack, 204. 
 
 Curtestown, 68. 
 
 Cuthiltown, 184. 
 
 Cuttlebiae, 184. 
 
 Cuttlecraigs, 184. 
 
 Cuttlehill, 183, 184. 
 
 Dalchronichy, 98. 
 Dalclerochy, 54> 236- 
 Dallachy, 126. 
 Dalquharg, 100. 
 Dalnamoon, 193. 
 Dalreoch, 136. 
 Daneston, 10. 
 Dauch, 150. 
 Baugh, 2x4. 
 Davidston, 204. 
 
Index of Places. 
 
 287 
 
 Denschjel, 149. 
 Deichrie, 243. 
 Deveron, 32, 140, 147, 148. 
 Differan, 33. 
 Dillet, 154. 
 Divvies, 71, 75. 
 Dbmin, 249. 
 Domie, 112. 
 Dowalty, 204. 
 Drumbfadej 5^, 6g, go. 
 Dnimbulg^ 81, xoo. 
 Drumdelgie, 171, iga. 
 
 Drumdelgyn, 80. 
 
 Drumdornach, 112. 
 
 Drumduan, 115. 
 
 Drumduand, 11. 
 
 Dnimdumo, 112. 
 
 Drumelrig, 155. 
 
 Drumfall, 12. 
 
 Drumfergj 12, 99. 
 
 Drumfola, 194. 
 
 Drumgley, 53. 
 
 Drumgowand, 11. 
 
 Drumhead, 188. 
 
 Drutnin, 9, 95. ■ 
 
 Druminnor, 258. 
 
 Drummond, 11. 
 
 Drummyduan, 215. 
 
 Drumshalloch, 12. 
 
 Drywells, 132. 
 
 DuaUies, The, 203. 
 
 Dukewell, 65. 
 
 Dulmeath, iii. 
 
 Dumbathie, 208. 
 
 Dumeath, iii, 114. 
 
 Dumeath Nether, 127. 
 
 Dummfiies, 66. 
 
 Dunbennan, X2, 80, 229. 
 239. 
 
 Dunbulgj 81. 
 
 Dunlappie, 75. 
 
 Dunlop, 74. 
 
 Dunmachie, 21. 
 
 Dun Mount, 158. 
 
 Dunscroft, 98, 106. 
 
 Duma, 12. 
 
 Dumo, 12. 
 
 Duthell, 7. 
 
 Eallachie Burn, 156. 
 Ean, 1^5. 
 Edendiack, 12. 
 Edindeach, 80. 
 Edindiach, 79. 
 Edindovat, 78. 
 Edindumaoh, 112. 
 Edinglassie, 12, 126. 
 Eelismonichto, 17. 
 Eist-third, Z84. 
 Elfs Hillock, 121, 1S3. 
 EUendoon, 255. 
 
 EUoquhy, 157. 
 Elrick, 154. 
 
 Elrig an Toiseach, 154. 
 Englishfield, 196. 
 Ennercheroche, 133. 
 Ernehill, 206. 
 Essachie, 271. 
 Essie, 80, 258, 270, 
 Evronhill, 22, iig, 
 
 Faichfield, 109. 
 Faichfolds, log. 
 Faich-hill, 82, 109. 
 Farm, The, 61. 
 Femiord, 192. 
 Ferrinay, 157. 
 Fiddich, 139. 
 Fidlerseatt, 107. 
 Fidlerswell, 107. 
 Fighting Swyle, 268. 
 Finally, 204. 
 Findauch, 151. 
 Findhom, 34. 
 Findouran, 138. 
 Finglenny, 258. 
 Flinders, 68. 
 Flodders, 184. 
 Floderbum, 184. 
 Fordley, 240. 
 Forle Den, 72. 
 Formanhills, 16. 
 Formartyn, j6. 
 Formund, 17. 
 Forrests, The, 262. 
 Forteith, 133. 
 Foudlann, u, 22. 
 Fourman, 15. 
 Frethird, 185. 
 FCiie, 152. 
 Fuitte, 58. 
 
 Gaisthill, 132. 
 Gaistmeadow, 132. 
 Gaitside, 198. 
 Gale, Mill of, 200. 
 Gallow Hill, 126, 263. 
 Girbet, 141, 156. 
 
 — Bum of the, 140. 
 
 — Cors of the, 140. 
 
 — Hill of the, 139. 
 
 — Tap of the, 140. 
 G5.rlet Bum, 73. 
 Girmach, 21. 
 Gdrmach Bum, 138. 
 Gamtuly, 82. 
 Garrie, 65. 
 
 Garrie, Brae of, 63. 
 Garrieswell, 65, 75. 
 Garromuir Wood, 188. 
 Garro-Wood, 188. 
 Garthame, 207. 
 
 Gartincaber, 160. 
 Gartly, 78, 82. 
 Gauch, 150. 
 Geal Cham, 158. 
 Gibetfauld, 246. 
 Gibston, 245. 
 Gillgatherbus, 181. 
 Gimpston, 108. 
 Gingomyres, 190. 
 Girsmantown, 219. 
 Glac-cbarrach, 137. 
 Glacs of the Balloch, 139. 
 Glack, 266. 
 Glascorrie, 136, 156. 
 Glasgow, g. 
 Glas Maof, 125. 
 Glass, no, 130. 
 Gldssory, 136, 157. 
 Gledsgreen, 73. 
 Gledstone, 257. 
 Glendchter, 124. 
 Glencoe, 253. 
 Glenlivet, i4g. 
 Glenmarkj 123. 
 Glenmarkie, 123. 
 Glenmuick, 2, 95. 
 Glenniston, 107. 
 Glenshee, 121. 
 Glentannyr, 95. 
 Glentriploch, 138. 
 Goauch Hill, 150. 
 Goukstane, 257. 
 
 Gouls, no, 122. 
 
 Gowanston, 127. 
 Grantully, 82. 
 Greenfold, 239. 
 Greenhaugh, 58. 
 Greenloan, 132. 
 Green wellheid, 156, 157. 
 Grilmach, log. 
 Guestloan, 132. 
 Guestraw, 132. 
 Gulbum, 252. 
 Gtiisachan, 20, 160. 
 Gushetneuk, 122. 
 Gutter, The, 204. 
 
 Haddo, 205. 
 Haddoch, 177, 205, 
 Haddock, 12. 
 Hagbank, 190. 
 Hagbray, igo. 
 Haggis, 190. 
 Haggischeill, 190. 
 Haggisha*, 190. 
 Haggishall, 189. 
 Haggisfaill, 190. 
 Hag Wood, 190. 
 Haining Quarries, 101. 
 Haldach, 205. 
 Haldoch, 205. 
 
288 
 
 Index of Places. 
 
 Half-dauch of Ardman- 
 
 noch, 205. 
 Half-dauch of Cromarj 
 
 205. 
 Hall^een, 189. 
 Hartmhillock, 74. 
 Hawkstane, 257. 
 Heather-brig, 141, 187. 
 Heatheryfield, 200. 
 Heatherygall, 127. 
 Heatheryhillock, 79. 
 Hecklebimie, 175, 176. 
 Hennipots, 193. 
 Highlandmansford, 141. 
 Hillock of Echt, 135. 
 Hiltown of Gartly, 83. 
 Hogston, 188. 
 HoUowdyke, 184. 
 Hornershaugh, 258. 
 Homgow, 207. 
 Homtowie, 184, 207. 
 Howe Water, 140, 148. 
 HundehiUoclc, 156. 
 Huntly, 10, 229, 251, 
 
 Inkhorn, 10. 
 Innermeath, 112. 
 Inshtdmach, 193. 
 Intoun, 186. 
 InverSmsay, 11. 
 Inveravon, 2. 
 Invercharrach, 136. 
 Invermarkie, 12, 122. 
 Invernochty, 12, 29. 
 Invers, 246. 
 Isia, 217. 
 Ittingston, 2^1.3. 
 Iver Piriesmill, 60, 6i. 
 
 Jam, 197. 
 
 Jam, The, Rosehearty, 
 
 197. 
 Jameston, 68. 
 Janniston, 204. 
 Johnston, 68. 
 
 Kelman Hill, 17, 13^. 
 Keltiewood, 234. 
 Kemnay, 12. 
 Kilbirme, 176, 
 Kjlbrandon, 176. 
 Kilbrennan, 176. 
 Kildrummie, 229. 
 KjUenknowes, 234. 
 Kilrenny^ 269. 
 Kincraigie, 232. 
 Kindy Bum, 140, 148. 
 Kingcausie, 187. 
 Kingsford, 137, 141. 
 King's Haugh, 137. 
 King's Puttingstone, 137. 
 
 Kingussie, 135. 
 Kinminity, 105. 
 Kinneff, 2. 
 Kinnftir, 229. 
 Kinstair, 187. 
 Kinstairy, 187. 
 Kintore, 229. 
 Kinveachie, 20. 
 Kirkhillock, 175. 
 Kirkmichael, 102. 
 Kirkney, 70, 101, 103. 
 Kirkoswalci, 102. 
 Kirkpatrick, 102. 
 Kirkton of Cabrach, 147. 
 
 — of Caimie, ig6. 
 
 — of Kinnoir, 236. 
 Kittlemannoch, gS, 100. 
 Knapperknowes, 97 
 Knapperlaw, 97. 
 Knapperthillock, 97. 
 Knightland Bum, 69. 
 Knights' Mill, 70. 
 Knock-buidhe, 135. 
 KnockenbStrd, 18. 
 Knockmorgan, 24. 
 Knox J 12. 
 
 KyehiU, 22. 
 Kynmfindie, 60. 
 Kyn6r, So. 
 
 Lag Burn, 98. 
 Lairg mor, 155. 
 Largue, 149. 
 LawchtendaflF, 4. 
 Leddaucb, 205. 
 Leid Elian Chame, 207. 
 Leidshill, 140, 156. 
 Leirichie-Ikar, 263. 
 Leslie, 10. 
 Lesmdrdie, 133. 
 Lessendrum, 74, 77. 
 Lettoch, 205. 
 Lewie, East and West, 
 
 138, 140. 
 Leyburn, 140. 
 Lightnot, II, 29. 
 Lintmill of Cocklarachy, 
 
 58. 
 Loan end, 234. 
 Loch Canmour, 95. 
 Loch Muick, 21. 
 Lochrie, 253. 
 Loch Va, 20. 
 Logie Coldstone, 7. 
 Longmanhill, 143. 
 Longsteps, 187. 
 Lord John's Pot, 81. 
 Lowne^ 127. 
 Ludishill, 156. 
 Lurgryndaspok, 54. 
 Lynebain, 128. 
 
 Lynn Bum, 131. 
 
 Mains of Gartly, ioi. 
 
 — of Rhynie, 256. 
 M&lak, 1 10. 
 Manes of Huntly, 246. 
 Mar, 16. 
 
 Markie Water, 123. 
 Maryhill, 144. 
 Maryland, 144. 
 Marypark, 144. 
 Marywell, 144. 
 Mauchline, 21. 
 Meal-fuar-vounie, 16. 
 Meall Tarsuinn, 125. 
 Meikle Firbriggs, 143. 
 M61shach, 22. 
 Merdrum, 262. 
 Merryhaugh, 268. 
 Methlic, 112. 
 Midplough, 231. 
 Midseat, 185. 
 Midthird, 185. 
 Milld&an, 277. 
 Milleath, 193. 
 Millsett, 106, 185. 
 Milltack, 106. 
 Milnhaugh, 233. 
 Milton, 252. 
 Mindurno, 1x2. 
 Mon^r, 17. 
 Monawee, 17. 
 Moncrieffe, 17. 
 Mondijmach] 112. 
 Monecht, 17. 
 Monelly, 17, t^. 
 Montripie, 138. 
 Montrose, 17. 
 Mormond, 17. 
 M6rtlach, iii, 177. 
 Mounth, The, 140. 
 Mount Meddan, 158, 267. 
 Mount Pisgah, 143. 
 Mowny, 17. 
 Muiralenouse, 79. 
 Muimess, 74. 
 Mijngo, 237. 
 Mungodrum, 238. 
 Munzeall, 246. 
 Murrayford, 183. 
 Muthillock, 60. 
 Mylnchauche, 246. 
 Mytice, 262. 
 
 Newbigging, 58. 
 Newmill of Cocklarachy, 
 
 58. 
 Newsett, 106. 
 Newtack, 106. 
 Newton, igS, 
 Newton Hill, 120. 
 
Index of Places. 
 
 289 
 
 Ogston, 188. 
 Oldyne, 124. 
 Ord, The, 200. 
 Ordettan, 153. 
 Ord Fell, 206. 
 Ordichryiie, 263. 
 Ordiesndught, 70. 
 Ordinkaber, 160. 
 Ordiquhill, 12, 206. 
 Ordonald, 2cx3. 
 Outseat, 185. 
 Oven, 230. 
 Overhall, 1B9. 
 Overkirks, 230. 
 Over Willans, 238. 
 Gyne, 195. 
 
 Parkahunk, 2og. 
 Parsonspool, 66. 
 Peem's Well, 268. 
 Peirismylne, 60. 
 Perk, The, 265. 
 Persylieu, 254. 
 Peterkirk, 171. 
 PiketiUum, 121. 
 Pitanclerach, 54. 
 Pitfancy, 12. 
 Pitlochry, 54. 
 Pitlurg, 10, 201. 
 Pitm<ichie, 21. 
 Pitmeddan, 11. 
 Pitscurry, 240. 
 Pittarie, igg. 
 Pitters, 241. 
 Po'-daff, 153. 
 Poddocknest, 73. 
 Polcak, 250. 
 Polcalk, 250. 
 Polcockgate, 249. 
 Potare, 199. 
 Pouran, 252. 
 Powneed, 153. 
 Prevon, 119. 
 Priest's Water, 98. 
 Pyke, 136. 
 
 QUEVE, MiCKLE i 
 
 Little, 216. 
 Quillquox, 12. 
 
 Raemurkack, 200. 
 Raikie Bum, 135. 
 Rainymeall, 193. 
 Ramsburn, 62. 
 Ramslaid, 62. 
 Ramstone, 73. 
 Rathven, 2, 2x1. 
 Raven Hill, 102. 
 Rawes, 246. 
 Rawgown, 181. 
 
 U 
 
 Redfold, 193. 
 Reekomlane, 147, 149. 
 Reiki tlane, 150. 
 Rhinn, 270. 
 Rhynach, 269. 
 Rhynd, 270. 
 Rhynie, 252, 269. 
 Rhynyn, 80. 
 Ridford, 156. 
 Riggins, 183. 
 Riven, 211. 
 Riveston, 233. 
 Robiestorij 68, 245. 
 Robin's Height, 64. 
 Rochefindzeauche, 151. 
 Rochford, 140. 
 Rollingstone, 216. 
 Rothney, 29. 
 Rothnothj 29. 
 Rothven, 80, 211. 
 Rouex, 12. 
 Rounamfick, 139. 
 Round Hill, 139. 
 Roiister, The, 146. 
 Rowaird, 193. 
 Ruglenscroft, 106. 
 Rumfud, 264. 
 Ruthtrelen, 205. 
 Ruthven, 171, 183, 211. 
 Ryntaing, 122. 
 Rynturk, 139. 
 
 Sandistoun, 245. 
 Scalp, The, 159. 
 Scaut Hill, The, 159. 
 Sclenemingorme, 4. 
 ScooUe's Neuk, 209. 
 Scordirg, 255. 
 Scurryford, 240. 
 Shdnquhar, 105. 
 Sh6nwall, 142, 204. 
 Sh^vock, 12. 
 Shinshdmie, 10, 195. 
 Sillav6thy, 64. 
 Sillercaim, 119. 
 Sillerford, 141. 
 Sillerhillock, 119. 
 Sittinghillock, 1S3. 
 Skares, Hill of, 24. 
 Skilraafilly, 10, 12. 
 Skilmane, 12. 
 Skilrauir, 12. 
 Skillymamo, 12. 
 Slaty, 64. 
 Sliach, 64. 
 Slewdrum, 64. 
 Sliach, 63, 64. 
 Sliach, Park of, 64. 
 Sliuvdnnachie, 64. 
 Sloggon, 124. 
 Slouch Moss, loi. 
 
 I Slough Hill, 109. 
 Sluie Wood, 64. 
 Sluthmanhill, 143. 
 Smallbum, 190, 196. 
 Smithston, 252. 
 Sdccoth, 132. 
 Spdnical, 157. 
 Standalane, 150. 
 Standingmanhill, 143. 
 Starbrigs, 186. 
 Starhead, t86. 
 Starhill, 186. 
 Starmires, t86. 
 Stamafin, 187. 
 Stamamdneth, 187. 
 Steppingstone Loch, 187. 
 Stonemanhill, 143. 
 Stoneybalk, 74. 
 Stoneyfield, 71. 
 Stoneyford, 183. 
 Stracithro, 105. 
 Strachan, 2. 
 Straitinnan, 115. 
 Strathbogie, 31. 
 Strathb61gyn, 94. 
 Strathdeveron, 139. 
 Strathowin, 95. 
 Struach-ford, 241. 
 Succoth, no. 
 Succothbeg, no. 
 Sunhoney, 10. 
 
 Tallathrowie, 79, 98, 
 
 99. 
 Talnamounth, 123. 
 Tap o' Noth, 27. 
 Tap Tillery, 28. 
 Tarland, 11. ^ 
 Tarry Buchail, 98. 
 Templand, 70. 
 Terryoron, 119. 
 Teuchies, 239. 
 Thain's Bum, 63. 
 Thomastown, 68, 245. 
 Thorax, 12. 
 Thomeybrae, 18, 60. 
 Thomtree, 198. 
 Three Burnheads, 157. 
 Thunder Craigs, 72. 
 Thunder Knowe, 72. 
 Thunder slap, 72. 
 Thunderton, 72. 
 Tilliesoul, 251. 
 Tillybrother, 158. 
 Tillycaim, 207. 
 Tillydoun, 97. 
 Tillyhom, 119, 207. 
 Tilly mannoch, 158. 
 Tillyminnet, 104. 
 Tillymorgan, 24. 
 Tillyora, 207, 
 
290 
 
 Index of Places. 
 
 Tillyorne, 119. 
 Tillyt^rmont, 11, 209. 
 Titaboutie, 125. 
 Todstripe, 128. 
 Tolophm, 158. 
 Tombain, 135. 
 Tombally, 134. 
 Tomnabrdck, 153. 
 Tomnah^lrig, 155. 
 Tomnkven, 135. 
 Tomnavoulin, 142. 
 Tomnavowin, 142. 
 Tomore, 126. 
 Tomavethyne, 20. 
 Tomichdt, 146. 
 Torra Duncan' 62. 
 Torrance, 75. 
 
 Torrisoule, 250. 
 Tough, 239. 
 Toux, 12. 
 Towie, II, 229. 
 Towquheis, 239. 
 Trois Geach, 150. 
 Troupsmill, t<^. 
 Tukiesbiel, 149. 
 Tulebrdck, 153. 
 TuUochbeg, 245. 
 Tulloch Dowy, 156, 157. 
 TuUochs, 184, 216. 
 Tullynessle, 8. 
 Tulybardine, 10. 
 
 Uisge-Each, 22. 
 
 Vinegar Hill, 125. 
 
 Wallakirk, 113. 
 Watchman Hill, 98. 
 Wedderbum, 62. 
 Wellheads, 242. 
 Westrone, 62. 
 West-thrid, 184. 
 Whiteford, 240. 
 Whitehillock, 158. 
 Williamston, 68. 
 Wisheach, 22. 
 Wittingshill, 244. 
 
 YONDERTON, 197. 
 
 INDEX OF PERSONS. 
 
 Aberdeen, Alderman of, i66. 
 Abbot Crystal of Kinloss, 213. 
 Abbot of Deer, 59. 
 'Abbot' of Grange, 177. 
 Angus, Earl of, George, 164. 
 Arbuthnot of Arbuthnot, 84. 
 Arbuthnot, Elizabeth, 90. 
 Athol, Earl of, David, 94. 
 
 Badenoch, lord of, Alexander 
 Stewart, 55, 
 
 — lord of^ John Cumyn, 95. 
 Barclays of Collaimie, 86. 
 
 — of Gartly, 83. 
 
 — of Garintuly and Mathers, 87, 
 
 88. 
 Barclay, Alexander, of Garintuly and 
 Mathers, 88. 
 
 — Sir Alexander, of Garntuly, 84, 
 
 92. 
 
 — Alexander, vicar of Drumblade, 
 
 93- 
 
 — Andrew de, of Grantoly, 92. 
 
 — George, advocate in Aberdeen, 
 
 93- 
 
 — George, of Auchrody, 93. 
 
 — George, of Barclay, 97, 173. 
 
 — Sir George, of that irk, 86, 89, 
 
 90, 91, 93. 
 
 — John, author of ' Argenis,' 85. 
 
 — John de, of Garintuly, 92. 
 
 — Patrick, of Grantuly, 85, 86, 90, 
 
 92. 
 
 — Sn- Patrick, of Tollie, 93. 
 
 — Walter, of Drumdelgie, 93. 
 
 — Sir Walter, of Kerko, 89. 
 
 Barclay, Sir Walter, Sheriff of Aber- 
 deen, 89. 
 
 — Walter, of Garntuly, 89, 92. 
 
 — Walter, of that Ilk, 93. 
 
 — Walter, of Garntuly and Ber- 
 
 clay, 92. 
 
 — Professor William, 85. 
 
 — Lord Brechin, 89. 
 
 — of Tollie, 84. 
 
 — of Tollie, Prince, 85. 
 
 — Walter, of Towie, 86. 
 Berkeleys of Berkeley, 83, 88. 
 Eerkely, Walter, Sheriff of Banff, 84. 
 Betoun, Mary, 70. 
 
 Bishop Andrew of Moray, 80, 198, 206, 
 272, 
 
 — Brecius of Moray, 272. 
 
 — John of Moray, 79. 
 
 — Patrick of Moray, 237. 
 Bissets of Lessendrum, 76. 
 
 Byset, Walter, of Lessendrum, Sheriff 
 
 of Banff, 76. 
 Brown, David, ofplendriston, 164. 
 
 — John, in Briggs, 234. 
 Buchan, Earl of, 61. 
 Burgernuys, Michael, 270. 
 
 Caluer of Aswanly, George, 118. 
 
 — of Aswanly, Hugh, 117. 
 
 — Admiral Sir Robert, of Muirton, 
 
 Campbell, Lady Ann, Marchioness of 
 
 Huntly, 56. 
 Camegy, Master David, rector of 
 
 Kinnoule, 55. 
 Catherine, dr. of Lord Forbes, 93. 
 
Index of Persons, 
 
 291 
 
 Ce, son of Cruidne, 26. 
 
 Chalmer, George, helper, Rhynie, 272, 
 
 Crawford, Earl of, 201. 
 
 Cruickshank, Elizabeth, of Aswanley, 
 
 116. 
 Cruidne, King of the Picts, 26. 
 Cumyns, The, 04, 234. 
 Cumyn, Joan, dr. of Lord of Badenoch, 
 
 95- 
 
 Dempster of Buchan, The, 6t. 
 Donald of the Isles, 55. 
 Douglas, FranciSj 61. 
 
 — Earl of, William, 164, 
 Dunbar, Robert, Little Tarie, 145. 
 
 Edendyuy, William, parson of, 81. 
 Edward I., 88, 137. 
 E^linton, Sir Hugh of, 85. 
 Elizabeth, dr. of Viscount Arbuthnot, 
 
 92. 
 Errol, Earl of, 87. 
 Erskine, Lord John, Earl of Mar, 165. 
 
 — Sir Thomas, of Brechin, 60. 
 
 Farquharson of Invercauld, 84. 
 
 — of Invercauld, John, 93. 
 Fentoune of Baky, Margaret, go. 
 Finlay Mor, 93. 
 
 Forbes, Alexander of, 164. 
 
 — of Echt, 135. 
 
 — Elizabeth, w. of Barclay of 
 
 ToUie, 94. 
 
 — of Forbes, 84. 
 Forsyth of Dike, John, 59, 
 Foveme, John of, 59. 
 Fyfe, Earl of, Duncan, 94. 
 
 Gordon, Adam,of Auchindoun, 91. 
 
 — Sir Alexander, of Lesmoir, 282. 
 
 — George, of Lesmoir, 280. 
 
 — Henry, of Avachie, 230. 
 
 — James, of Auchmullys, 165. 
 
 — James, of Camborrow, 120. 
 
 — James, of Lesmoir, 279. 
 
 — Sir James, of Lesmoir, 278, 279. 
 
 — James, of Letterfourie, 278. 
 
 — James, of Mill of Gartly, 79. 
 
 — James, minister of Rothiemay, 
 
 203. 
 
 — John, of Auchannachy, 233. 
 
 — John, of Avachie, 230, 233. 
 
 — John, of Broadland, 180. 
 
 — John, of Caimborro, 120. 
 
 — Sir John, of Findlater, 56. 
 
 — John, of Inshstomacke, 194. 
 
 — John, of Lungare and Pitlurg, 
 
 202. 
 
 — Sir John, of Pitlurg, 203. 
 
 — John, of Pettemarcus, 60. 
 
 — John, of Scordarg, 202, 255, 278. 
 
 Gordon, SirPatrick, of Auchindoun and 
 Gartly, ^i. 
 
 — Patrick,Mill of Camborrow,22i . 
 
 — Robert, of Gordonstoun, 280. 
 
 — Sir Robert, of Pitlurg, 279. 
 
 — Robert, of Straloch, 203. 
 
 — Thomas, of Auchinrach, 212. 
 
 — Thomas, of Ruthven, 212. 
 
 — Thomas, of Schinchamie, 195. 
 
 — William, of Broadland, 180, 280. 
 
 — \Villiamj parson of Essie, 271. 
 
 — Sir William, of Lesmoir, 282. 
 
 — William, of Terpersie, 280. 
 
 — William, of Tillytarmont, 278. 
 
 — Adam of, 212. 
 
 — Duke of, Alexander, 282. 
 
 — Duke of, George, 118. 
 
 — General, of Birness and Leask, 
 
 202. 
 
 — James, son of Earl of Huntly, 
 
 272. 
 
 — Lord George, 91. 
 
 — Lord Lewis, 167. 
 
 — of Riven, 177. 
 
 — Sir John of, 54, 212. 
 
 — of Straloch, 147. 
 
 — Elizabeth of, 55, 56, 57, 212. 
 
 — Elizabeth de, w. of Hugh 
 
 Calder, 117. 
 Gordons, of Avachie, 233. 
 
 — of Broadland, 180. 
 
 — of Cocklarachy, 58. 
 
 — of Edinglassie, 126, 
 
 — of Lesmoir, 70, 278. 
 
 — of Pitlurg, 60, 202, 279, 280. 
 
 — of Scordarg:, io4- 
 
 — of Terpersie, 279. 
 
 — of Tillytarmont, 211. 
 Grant of Rothmaise, John, 282. 
 Gray, Elizabeth, Lady Glammis, w, of 
 
 3rd Earl of Huntly, 95. 
 Gyllemore, vicar of Buthary, Si, 198. 
 
 Hay of Mountblairy, Andrew, 282. 
 Hendrie of Kirkney, John, 104. 
 Huntingdon, David of, 68, 89. 
 Huntly, Alexander, ist Earl of, 117, 
 201, 232. 
 
 — Alexander, 3rd Earl of, 95, 165, 
 
 213. 
 
 — George, 4th Earl of, 55, 232, 
 
 233, 236. 
 
 — George, 5th Earl of, 90. 
 
 — George, 6th Earl and ist Mar- 
 
 quis, gi. 
 
 — George, 2nd Marquis of, 56, 91. 
 
 — George, Master of, 89. 
 
 — William and Henry, brothers of 
 
 the ist Earl of, 202. 
 Hutting, seneschal of Buchan, Alan, 
 son of, 244. 
 
292 
 
 Index of Persons, 
 
 Innes of Invermarkie, 126. 
 
 — Robert, of Broadland, 180. 
 
 — Robert, of Edinglassie, 127. 
 
 James I., 84. 
 
 — II., 117. 
 
 — IV., 90, 165. 
 
 — v., 59, 90. 
 
 — VI., 60, 90. 
 Johnston of that Ilk, 84. 
 
 Keir, Master Thomas, 55, 58. 
 Keith, Elizabeth, w. of George, 4th 
 
 Earl of Huntly, 236. 
 Kelmans in Lesmurdie, 134. 
 Ker, Andrew, minister of Cabrach, 
 
 162. 
 
 Laing, Jhone, 'Earonof Noth,' 262. 
 Leslie of Balquhain, 84. 
 
 — Patrick, of Balquhain, 233. 
 
 — Walter, reidare, Essie, 272. 
 
 — Sir William, of Balquhain, 92, 
 
 232. 
 
 — Sir William, of the Syde, 232. 
 Lindsay, Sir Walter of, 55. 
 Lovat, Lord, Hugh, 92. 
 
 Lulach, 275. 
 
 Macbeth, 31, 275. 
 
 Macintosh of Clan Chattan, 166. 
 
 Macintosh, William, 166. 
 
 MacVeagh, Hugh, 61. 
 
 Mar, Countess of, Lady Isabell. 164. 
 
 Mar and Garioch, Earl of, Thomas, 
 
 26. 
 Margaret, Lady, of the Ard, 68, 245. 
 Manschal, Earl, William Keith, 119. 
 Melgum, Viscount, John Gordon, 91. 
 Montrose, Marquis of, 226. 
 Monypenny, David, preb. of Rhynie, 
 
 272. 
 Moravia, John de, 205. 
 Moray, Countess of, 8g. 
 Moray, Earl of, 280. 
 Moi*e, Lady Agnes, 84. 
 
 — Sir William, of Abercorn, 85. 
 
 Ogilvie of the Boyne, 70, 84, 214. 
 
 Ogilvie, Margaret, w, of George Bar- 
 clay, 93. 
 
 Paige, Joannis, 78. 
 Pope, Adrian IV., 11 1. 
 
 — Celestine, III., 25. 
 
 — Honorius, 229. 
 
 — Innocent III., 25. 
 
 Ramseve, Capt. Andrew, 194. 
 Randolph, Thomas, Earl of Moray, 
 
 85. 
 Richard, son of Randolph, 84. 
 Robert I., 63, 78, 79, 80, 84, 88, 8g, 95. 
 
 — III., 164. 
 
 — commendator of Haliruidhous, 
 
 165. 
 Ross, Mr. Henrie, parson of Rhynie, 
 272. 
 
 — James, minister, Invercharrach, 
 
 162. 
 
 Sandilands, Sir James, 164. 
 Scroggy, Dr. Alexander, m. of St. 
 
 Machars, 57. 
 Seton, Sir Alexander, 55. 
 Sophia, wife of Viscount Melgum, gi. 
 Stewart, Alexander, Earl of Mar and 
 
 Garioch, 55, 164. 
 
 — Lady Ann, w. of James Gordon 
 
 of Lesmoir, 279. 
 Strathachin of Losmorthie, George of, 
 
 133- 
 Strathbolgyn, David of, 80, 94, 198. 
 Sutherland, Earl of, 205. 
 
 Thomas, son of Lady Margaret of 
 
 the Ard, 68. 
 Troup, John, of Culmalegy, 69. 
 Tulach, Sir Walter of, 84. 
 
 Urwell, James, reidare, Rhynie, 272. 
 
 William the Lion, King, 94. 
 Wintoune of Andate, 235. 
 
 — John, of Andate, 236. 
 
 — Ranald, of Andat, 236. 
 Wysman, William, notair public, 202. 
 
 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Aberdeen, capture of, by Marquis of 
 
 Huntly, 226. 
 Aberdeenshire, old divisions of, 16. 
 'Annoid ' Churchy, meaning of, 235. 
 Aswanley, historical notices of, 115. 
 
 Auchindoun, lordship of, 130. 
 Auchindroyne, chapel at, 177. 
 
 Badenoch, grant of, to Earl of 
 Huntly, 232. 
 
Index of Subjects. 
 
 293 
 
 Kalvennile, lordship of, 129, 130. 
 Barclay charters, 90. 
 
 — cfltatcB, sale of, 91. 
 Barclays. hiHtorical notes on the, 83. 
 DattleueldH on Clashmach, 21. 
 Hattle of Alford, 226— Arbroath, 84— 
 
 Auldearn, 236— Brechin, 1T7, 
 201, 232— Bridge of Dee, 193 
 — Glenlivet, 91, 167, 180, 195, 
 230— Kittlemannoch, 98. 
 
 Reacon fires, 38. 
 
 RelcheiTie, old march dyke at, 131. 
 
 Hell Knowe of Rhynie, 269. 
 
 Hell of Rhynicj 270. 
 
 — of St. Nicholas, 270. 
 Bells in St. Machar'n, 270. 
 Hftrclay, b.'irony of, 90. 
 llerkeley, meaning of name, 94. 
 Htaclcwater, 147. 
 
 BoKincloch, ancienl village at, 260. 
 Bolgyne, Fife^ lands of, 31. 
 Botaric, Gaelic names, in, 194, 
 
 — old kilns at, 199. 
 Bowmen, 342. 
 
 Bull of Popej Adrian IV., iii. 
 
 — Celestine III., 25. 
 
 — Innocent III., 25. 
 Burgyn charter, old names in, 4. 
 Burning of the Rawes, 226. 
 Butthary and Elchies, a prebend, igS, 
 
 Cabrach— church dedicated to B.V., 
 144— -dauchs of Lower C, 133 
 —family names, 169— fords, 
 141— forests destroyed by fire, 
 ifji— ffoology, 147 — historical 
 and descriptive notes, 159 — 
 name belongs to Upper C, 
 ifii — old march, 155 — popu- 
 lation in 1696, iCg — rental in 
 i6oo, :69 — a Royal forest, 163 
 — Synocf applied^ for adjust- 
 ment of boundaries, 163 — the 
 Pass, 142 — Upper Calsrach, 
 142 — woods, 160 — united to 
 Kildrummie, 16S. 
 
 Cairnborrow, earb^ notices of, 119. 
 
 Cniniie — Burnt lUrk, 172 — cottar fam- 
 ilies, 218 — Covenant, the, 223 
 — English and old Scotch 
 names, 179 — church-landa, 196 
 — farmers and the Presbytery, 
 327— gentleman farmers, 219 
 —Gordons in parish, 219-— 
 historical noten, 2:7— hybrid 
 names, 186 — kirks and chapels, 
 173 — population in 1696, 317 — 
 trades, 2i8. 
 
 Cairns at Cnirnmoro, 120. 
 
 Caldcrs of Aswanley, 116, 
 
 Caral Fair, 176, 215. 
 
 Caral's Cairn, 177— Well, 176. 
 
 Causeways, old, 02, 187. 
 
 Chapel Cairn and IBell-hillock at Fin- 
 
 glenny, 259. 
 Chapelhouse at Cormellat, 178. 
 Church-lands, 54. 
 Circle at Ardgallie, 129. 
 Clan Morgan, 24. 
 Cocklarachy, owned by Church, 54, 
 
 — historical notes, 53. 
 Cors-stones, 59. 
 
 Crawford's, Earl of, rebellion, 117. 
 Craw-stones, 256, 257, 258. 
 Ooss-stones, 257. 
 Cumry, church-lands of, 206. 
 Culdees of Lochleven, 31 . 
 Cup-marked stones, 59, 2155. 
 ' Guttling ' corn, 184. 
 Cuinyns, The, 94. 
 
 Dauoh, Episcopal chapel at, 177. 
 Dauch, The Auch and I'^orty, 282. 
 Davacli, 78, 283. 
 
 — corrupt forms of, 133. 
 Decreet Arbitral betwixt the Duke of 
 
 Gordon and Aswanley, 118. 
 
 Deer, Monks of, 54. 
 
 Devevon, source of, 140. 
 
 Drumblade, barony of, 63. 
 
 Drumdelgie, boundaries, 173— church, 
 80 — Gaelic names, 192. 
 
 Dumeath belonged to Bishop of Aber- 
 deen, III. 
 
 Dunbennan, early settlement in, 240. 
 
 Earth-houses in Essie, 265. 
 Echt-Forbes, Barony of, 135. 
 Edindiach, chapel o^ 80. 
 Edward I, at Invercnarrach, 137. 
 Elgin Cathedral^ 57. 
 Essie and Rhynie, 8 davachs of, 274. 
 
 — old march betwixt, 273( 274. 
 
 — place names and antiquities, 258. 
 
 FAiCH-hill, old churchyard at, 82. 
 Flemings in Leslie, 68. 
 ' Foirmailtinge,' 104. 
 Forest of Cnoc,_ 54. 
 Forests of Mytice, 262. 
 Frendraught, 91, 281. 
 
 Gaelic and English names, proportion 
 of, I. 
 
 Gallowhill— Auchterless, 61 — Edin- 
 glassie, 126 Lesmoir, 263. 
 
 Gartly, Barony of, 91— castle, 88 — 
 church, 83 — ecclesiastical af- 
 fairs, 78— old chapels, 79— 
 rise of parish, 81— the 'Place' 
 of Gartly, 92, 
 
 Garntuly and Berclay, Barons of, 92 
 
294 
 
 Index of Subjects, 
 
 Gauch, fight at, 167. 
 
 Giant Stone, Tap o' Noth, 254. 
 
 Gibston, ' sett' of, 222. 
 
 Glass— parish, no— in lordship of 
 
 Huntly, 129— old boundaries, 
 
 130. 
 Gordon vassals and the 45, 167. 
 Gordon's Hospital, Aberdeen, 203. 
 Gordons in Cairnie, 219. 
 Gordons of Lesmoir, their possessions, 
 
 28 1 — decline of the family, 282. 
 
 Haddock, chapel at, 177, 223. 
 
 Half-davachs of Ardmannoch, 205. 
 
 Heckle-birnie, 175. 
 
 Hills, names of, 15. 
 
 HiU-Forts — Bennachie, 42 — Cater- 
 thun, 47 — Craigdornie, 113 — 
 Dumbathie, 208 — Finhaven, 
 47 — Tillydoun, 97. 
 — Roadways, 48 — wells, 47. 
 
 Holy Wells in Drumblade, 65. 
 
 ' Home Silver', i04_. 
 
 Himtlie, Berwickshire, 251. 
 
 Huntly — Burgh, 249— charters, 250 — 
 corn-mills, 247 — cottars, 247 — 
 customs, 248 — manufactures, 
 62— Poll-Book notes, 247 — 
 population in 1696, 247 — rise 
 of parish, 229 — trades in 1696, 
 249— tradesmen, 248. 
 
 Invermarkie, castle of, 125. 
 
 KiNLOSS, Abbey of, 54. 
 Kinkcll — Church of, 70. 
 Kinnoir — alehouse of, 237 — in Barony 
 
 of Keith, 236. 
 Kirkney, chapel at, 102 — woods in, 
 
 263. 
 Knapperts, 97. 
 Knights Templars, 69, 70. 
 
 Leathern bags in Shetland, 31. 
 Legend of obligation to hunt wolves 
 
 2?4- 
 
 Legends, value of, 10. 
 
 Lesmoir, castle of, 27^, 282. 
 
 Lesmurdie, early notices of, 133. 
 
 Lessendrum, old boundaries of, 74. 
 
 Letting farms in 'thirds', 185. 
 
 Lichton's lyll, 57. 
 
 Liege-men claimed by Bishop of 
 
 Moray, 76. 
 Londores, monastery of, 25. 
 
 Maer, The, 144, 145. 
 Mairship of Earldom of Moray, 145. 
 Mar's Well, Earl of, 55, 236. 
 Millduan, battle of, 27G — Cairn, 277 — 
 traditions, 274. 
 
 Monk's Cairn, The, 214. 
 
 Moothills, 60. 
 
 Mortlach, ' Bishopric' of, 130. 
 
 — church of, in. 
 
 — chapel at, 177. 
 
 Mosses of Badnaman, Fuie, and Black- 
 water, 152. 
 
 Norse 'setr', 107. 
 
 Outsettis, 187, 
 
 Pasturage, old custom of, 123. 
 
 Pillar-stone at Broadland, 191. 
 
 Pitlurg, aisle at Cairnie, 203— Castle, 
 203 — historical notes, 201. 
 
 Place names — authorities for old forms, 
 2, 4~corruptions, 4— difficul- 
 ties in interpreting old names, 
 13 — Fifeshire names, 17 — pre- 
 servation of old forms, 3 
 — proportion of Gaelic and 
 English names, i — study of 
 the subject, 6 — systematic 
 changes, 10. 
 
 Presbytery records of Strathbogie, 223. 
 
 Raid of Macintosh, 166. 
 
 Rebellion of '45, 168, ip6. 
 
 Relative value of * aittis, and wictual , 
 246. 
 
 Rentals, value of, 174. 
 
 Rents of Gingomyres and Smallbum, 
 221. 
 
 Rents in kind, 220. 
 
 Rhynie — Bell Knowe^ 269 — early 
 notices, 268 — historical notes, 
 268 — old boundaries, 273 — 
 place names, 252. 
 
 Rivers, names of, 15. 
 
 Robert Bruce's camp, 64. 
 
 Ruthven, kirk, 176 — old names, 204. 
 
 Ruthven and Dipple, prebend of Cath- 
 edral of Moray, 176. 
 
 ScoTLAND,old divisions underCruidne, 
 
 26. 
 ' Seats,' 105. 
 ' Sett ' of Gibston, 222. 
 Spanish plot, 87, 91. 
 Spynie, regality of, 236. 
 St. Finnan's Well, 99. 
 St. Hillery's Well, 65. 
 St. Irenseus, 269. 
 
 St. John the Evangelist's lyll, 57. 
 St. John's Well, 238. 
 St. Leonard's Altar, 56. 
 St. Machar's Cathedral, 57. 
 St. Martin, church of, 175. 
 St. Mary of Cocklarachy, chaplainrj- 
 
 of, 55, 56. 
 
Index of Subjects. 
 
 29S 
 
 St. Moluach, 254. 
 
 St. Mungo, 237. 
 
 St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, 58. 
 
 St. Wolok, the Breviary on, 114. 
 
 St. Wolok's Well and Baths, 114. 
 
 Starr-grass, 186. 
 
 Stone circles— Drumminor, 258— Erne- 
 hill, 207 — GingomjTes, igi — 
 N. Dumeath, iz8 — Stoney- 
 field, 71. 
 
 Strathbolgyn, history of the family of, 
 94. 
 
 Superstitions in Caimie, 182. 
 
 Surnames derived from lands, 188. 
 
 Symbols on Pillar-stones, 257. 
 
 Tam o' Riven and the Monk of 
 Grange, 213. 
 
 Tap o' Noth Fort, 35 — drains, 47 — 
 erections within fort, 45 — for- 
 mation of ramparts, 36 — Mac- 
 CuUoch's views, 39 — no relics, 
 49 — plans effort, 35 -position 
 of hill, 50 — outer ramparts, 49 
 — results of investigations, 50 
 — rocks fusible, 40 — Stuart's 
 theory,4i — stonework of slope 
 
 43 — tables of analyses, 39, 51 > 
 
 52 — vitrifaction, 37 — well, 46. 
 Teller Fair, 65. 
 Temple-lands, of Essie, 274 — ofStrath- 
 
 ardill, 70. 
 Termon-lands, 209. 
 Tower of Tullich, in. 
 Traditions of Reekomlane, 149. 
 Transfer of church-lands of Mortlach, 
 
 III. 
 Tumulus in Dnimblade, 64. 
 
 Vitrifaction, 37. 
 
 Vitrified Forts, 35 — Craig Phadrig, 42 
 — Dunnideer, 39, 42 — Knock 
 Farrel, 42— Glen Nevis, 41. 
 
 Vitrified matter and rocks, Mr. Pro- 
 tor's analyses of, 39. 
 
 Wadsets, 180. 
 
 Watt's stable, legend of, 124. 
 
 Well, Earl of Mar's, 55, 236. 
 
 Wild swans in Drumblade, 66. 
 
 Wolf Holes, 76. 
 
 Wormiehillock, 259. 
 
 Wow o' Riven, 176. 
 
 INDEX OF GAELIC WORDS, 
 
 Etttering into names of places in the district of Strathbogie. 
 
 Abhuinn (av-en, aweii), s.f. a 
 
 river, 115, 119, 278. 
 Achadh (ach-a), s.m. a field, 109, 
 
 no, 144, 200, 215, 216, 
 
 233. 239, 264, 266. 
 Aghaidh (aogh-e), s.f. the face, 
 
 126. 
 Ailean, s.m. a green, plain, 255. 
 Aill, s.f. a cliff, a rocky face, 
 
 126, 155. 
 Aird (ard), s.f. a height, 71, 
 
 128, 193, 241, 256, 263. 
 Airgiod (ar-gud), s.m. silver, 
 
 119. 
 Airidh (ar-e), s.f. a shieling, hill 
 
 pasture, 131, 199. 
 Aiteann\(atyunn), s.m. juniper, 
 AitionnJ 153,244. 
 
 Allt, s.m. a burn, stream, rivulet, 
 123, 125, 146, 148, 149, 
 
 tS'. 153. 156, 159. 204. 
 
 231, 264. 
 Ard, a. high, 142. 
 Ardan, i. m. a height, eminence, 
 
 71, 206. 
 Ath (a), s.vi. a ford, 139, 141. 
 
 Bad, s.m. a clump, cluster, 
 
 hamlet, 100, 123, 138, 141, 
 
 152, 216, 266. 
 Baile (bally), s.m. a town, farm, 
 
 18, 96, 112, 122, 131, 142, 
 
 265. 
 Ballach,a. spotted, speckled, 134. 
 Ban, a. white, light-coloured, 
 
 116, 128, 135. 
 
296 
 
 Index of Gaelic Words. 
 
 Bard, s. a poet, bard, 17. 
 Bathais (ba-esh), s.f. forehead, 
 
 front, 198. 
 Beag (beg), a. little, short, 157, 
 
 24s, 256. 
 Bealach (byallach), s.m. a pass, 
 
 mountain-gorge, 149, 152, 
 
 IS7, 159. 208. 
 Beinn (ben), s.f. mountain, hill, 
 
 16, 25, 125, 211, 239. 
 Beith (ba), s.m. and /. birch, 
 
 18, 152, 208, 231. 
 Blar, s.m., afield, a battle, 158 
 
 263, 266. 
 Blath (bla), s.m. a flower, 
 
 blossom, 53. 
 Bo, a cow, 96, 233. 
 Boc, gen. buic, a he-goat, a 
 
 buck, 151, 158. 
 Bodach, an old man, clown, 
 
 spectre, 123. 
 Bog, a. soft, miry, damp, 193, 
 
 233, 260. 
 Boglach, s.f. a marsh, moor, 
 
 bog, 71. 
 Bolg, s.m. gen. builg. bellows, 
 
 bag, belly, 31, 100. 
 Bonn, s.m. bottom, foundation, 
 
 126 
 
 Both (bo), s.m. 
 Bothan (bohan). 
 
 Bothar (bohur), s.m. a lane, 
 
 road, 238. 
 Braighe (braie), f.?«. a brae, 
 
 bank, 119. 
 Brathair (brahur), a brother, 
 
 monk, 158. 
 Breac, a. speckled, spotted, 4, 
 
 153- 
 Breug, gen. br^ige, s.f. a lie, 
 
 falsehood, 143. 
 Broc, s.m. a badger, 153. 
 Broclach, s.f. a warren, a 
 
 badger's den, 153. 
 Brothach (bro-ach), a. foul, 
 
 miry, 204. 
 
 Brothaire (bro-aru), s.m. obs. a 
 
 caldron, 158. 
 Bruach, j.?«.y! a steep bank, 157. 
 Bruth (brhu), s.m. a dwelling of 
 
 fairies, 120. 
 Buachailelf (buach-ell), s.m. a 
 Buachaill / herd, 98. 
 
 Buidhe (bhu-e), a. yellow, 135. 
 
 Cabar, s.m. a pole, rafter, beam 
 
 160. 
 Caedh, ohs. (kag), a quagmire, 
 
 22. 
 Cailleach (kallyach), an old 
 
 woman, a hag, 190. 
 Carn (karn), s.m. heap of stones, 
 
 a cairn, 67, 82, 96, 119, 
 
 120, 156, IS9, 192, 197, 
 
 208. 
 Carrach, a. stony, 137. 
 Cas, s.f. the foot, 239. 
 Cat, s.m. a cat, 154. 
 Cath (ka), s.m. a battle, fight, 
 
 67. 
 Cathair (ka-hur), gen. cathrach, 
 
 s.f. a chair, seat, fort, 105. 
 Ceann (kyann), s.m. a head, 
 
 point, end, 20, 192, 229. 
 Ceannaiche (kyann-ech-u), s.m. 
 
 a buyer, a merchant, 215. 
 Cearc (kerk), gen. circe, a hen, 
 
 102. 
 Ceasach, obs. s.f. a causeway, 
 
 187. 
 Ceo (kyo), s.m. mist, fog, 253. 
 Ciar (kear), a. brown, dark, 141. 
 Cill (kell), s.f. a cell, church, 
 
 102. 
 Clach, s.f, gen. cloiche, a stone, 
 
 200, 204, 241, 254, 260, 
 
 262, 266. 
 Clacharan, s.m. a causeway, 
 
 stepping-stones, 183, 241. 
 Claigionn (klagunn), j.w. a skull, 
 
 .159- 
 Clais (klash), s.f. a furrow, 
 
 trench, 21, 264. 
 
Index of Gaelic Words. 
 
 297 
 
 Cl&each (klerach), a cleric, 
 
 clergyman, 54. 
 Cnoc (knock), s.m. a knoll, hill, 
 
 18, 24. 
 Cobhas (couse), ohs. Ir. a 
 
 causeway, 187. 
 Coille (kolyu), s.f. a wood, forest, 
 
 18, 13s, 146, 194, 206, 231, 
 
 234. 245- 
 Coire (koere), s.m, a caldron, 
 corrie, 54, 96, loi, 105, 122, 
 135. 157 
 
 Comar, obs. s.m, a meeting, 
 
 way, valley, 97, 208. 
 Core \ 
 
 Coirc Wkoerk), J.?». oats, 100. 
 Coirce J 
 Crann, s.m. a tree, timber, beam, 
 
 263. 
 Creag (kragg), s.f. a rock, craig, 
 
 112, 122, 127, 154, 243, 
 
 24s, 266, 268. 
 Crloch (krech), s.f. an end, 
 
 boundary, 19. 
 Crois (krosh), s.f. a cross, 125. 
 Crom, a. curved, bent, 159. 
 Cruaidh (kruae), a. hard, firm, 
 
 99- 
 
 Cruinneachadh, s.m. a gather- 
 ing, assembly, 98. 
 
 Cuibhe, obs. a trench, pit, 216. 
 
 Cuil (kai), s.f. a corner, 99, loi. 
 
 Ciil, s.m. the back, a hill-back, 
 17, 20, 24, 25, 54, 58, loi, 
 154, 192, 204, 242. 
 
 Ciirr, s.f. a corner, site, place, 
 204. 
 
 Dabhach (davach), s.f. a mea- 
 sure of land, 79, 133. 
 
 Dail (dall), s.f. a field, plain, 98, 
 100, III, 126, 136, 240. 
 
 Dealgan, dim. of dealg, s.m. a 
 thorn, 192. 
 
 Dearg (dyerg), a. red, 255. 
 
 Dian (dyean), a. rapid, swift, 
 
 124. 
 Dion, s,7n. a shelter, fence, 149. 
 Dobhar (dovar), s.m. water, 33, 
 
 148, obs. 
 Dobhran (doran), s.m. an otter, 
 
 138- 
 Doirionnach (doer-un-ach), a. 
 
 stormy, 112. 
 Draighionn \s.m. thorn, 101, 
 Droighionn / 215. 
 Druim, s.m. the back, a ridge, 
 
 9, 53, 100, IIS, 188, 192, 
 
 194, 215, 216, 258, 262. 
 Dubh (dah), a. black, dark, 67, 
 
 IIS, 153. 203. 21S, 243, 
 
 262, 278. 
 Dim (d4n), s.m. a heap, hill, 
 
 hill-fort, 75, 97, 239, 255. 
 
 Eaglais (eglish), s.f. a church, 
 176, 268. 
 
 Ealadh}-^-"'-^™''^'^^"'^^- 
 
 Eang (eng), s.f. point of land, a 
 nook, corner, portion, 195. 
 
 Earb (erb), s.f. a roe, 159. 
 
 Ear (er), s.f, the east, 131. 
 
 Eas (ess), s.m. a waterfall, ra- 
 vine, lis, 270. 
 
 Easbuig (as-beg), a bishop, S4- 
 
 Eilid, a hind, 146. 
 
 Eud^nn }-«.aface,78,i26. 
 Eun (te), s.m. a bird, 102. 
 
 Fada, a. long, distant, 23. 
 Faich, s.f. a field, plain, green, 
 
 109. 
 Faill, s.f. a chff, precipice, 127. 
 Fear, a man, pi. fir, 143. 
 Fearn (fyarn), j. m. the alder-tree, 
 
 192. 
 Feith (fa), s.f. a marsh, bog, 58, 
 
 138- 
 Feurach (ferrach), a. grassy, from 
 feur, grass, 200. 
 
298 
 
 Index of Gaelic Words. 
 
 Fiodh (feugh), s.m. gen. fiodha 
 timber, adj. fiodhach, a- 
 bounding in timber, 152. 
 
 Fionn (fyunn), a. white, pale, 
 -34, I2S. 151. 204, 258. 
 
 Fuar, a. cold, 16, 133. 
 
 Fuaran, s.m. a spring, fountain, 
 157- 
 
 GABHAR\(gour), s.f. a goat, 4, 
 Gobhar / 125. 
 
 Gaoth (ga6), s.f. wind, adj. 
 
 gaothach (gao-ach), windy, 
 
 ISO. 
 Garadh (gara), s.m. a garden, a 
 
 dyke, 82. 
 Garbh (garv), a. rough, rugged, 
 
 73, 138, 139, 188. 
 Gille (gellye), a lad, man-servant, 
 
 182. 
 Glac, s.f. a defile, hollow, 139, 
 
 266. 
 Glas, a. grey, green, 126, 130. 
 Gleann (glyann), s.m. a glen, 
 
 valley, 23, 253, 256, 258. 
 Gobha (go-a), asmith, 127, 192. 
 Gobhal (go-ui), s.m. a fork, no. 
 Gruamach, a. gloomy, 109. 
 Guala, s.f. a shoulder, mountain, 
 
 projection, 252. 
 Giubhsach (geusach), s.f. a fir 
 
 wood, from giubhas, s.m-. 
 
 fir, 135- 
 
 lAR (ear), s.f. the west, 141. 
 Inbhir (inver), s.m. a confluence, 
 
 the mouth of a river, 122, 
 
 136, 246, 258. 
 Innis (ennesh), s.f. an island, 
 
 pasture land, 193. 
 
 Lag, s.m.f, a hollow, 98. 
 Lagan, s.m. a little hollow, 73. 
 Lkib, s.m. a mire^ pool, 75. 
 Lkir (laer), s.f. a mare, 123. 
 Lairig (Werig), s.f. a moor, hill- 
 side, 155. 
 
 Laogh (Uflgh), a calf, 138. 
 Lar, s.m. ground, a floor, 96, 
 
 123. 
 Leac (lyek), sf. a flag-stone, 
 
 slab, 73, 158, 239, 264. 
 Learg (lyerg), s.f. a little height, 
 
 face of a hill, 149. 
 Leathad (le-ud), s.m. a slope, 
 
 side of a hill, 156. 
 Lian, \j.;». a field, meadow, 
 Leana, / 128. 
 
 Liath (Iga), a. grey, 193, 20$. 
 Lios (less), s.f. a garden, 
 
 dwelling, fort, 77, 133. 
 Loch, s.m. a loch, lake, 156, 
 
 239. 
 L6nach, a. marshy, 242. 
 Luachrach, s.f. a rushy place, 
 
 127, 253. 
 Lurg, s.f. shin, shank, ridge of 
 
 a hill, 54, 203. 
 
 Magh (mach), s.m.f. a field, 
 
 plain, 21, 138. 
 Maitheach \(may-,moyach), s.f. 
 Maigheach/ a hare, 21. 
 Manach, a monk, friar, 158. 
 Maol, a. bald, bare, 72, 262. 
 Maol, s.m. the brow of a hill, 
 
 124, 125. 
 Maor (m^or), a messenger, 
 
 steward, 144. 
 Marc, s.m. ahorse, 123. 
 Meadhon (me-un), the middle, 
 
 24, 158, 240, 267. 
 Meadhonach, a. middle, loo. 
 Meall (myall), s.m. a lump, 
 
 knoll, 193, 278. 
 Mennat or Minnat, ohs. a 
 
 dwelling, 104. 
 M6d, s.m. a court of justice, 
 
 60. 
 Moine, s.f. peats, moss, 66, 
 
 139, 193, 266. 
 Monadh (m6na), s.m. a moor, 
 
 heath, mountain, 16, 25, 
 
 123, 134, 193- 
 
Index of Gaelic Words. 
 
 299 
 
 M6r, a. great, large, chief, in, 
 
 133, 144, 177- 
 Muc, s. a sow, pig, 21, 139, 264, 
 Muileann (mulyunn), s.m, a mill, 
 
 142, 152, 
 Muineal, s. m. the neck, 246. 
 Mullach, s.m. ridge, height, 21, 
 
 67, 138. 
 Murchadh (muruchu), a man's 
 
 name, 134, 200. 
 
 Nead (nyed), s.m. a nest, 153. 
 
 Odhar (o-hur), a. dun, drab, 
 
 127. 
 Oir, s.m. an edge, border, 229. 
 Ord, s.m. a hammer, a round 
 
 hill, 153, 192, 200, 206. 
 
 Pit or Pet, (?) a hollow, portion, 
 
 town, 54, 203. 
 Poll, s.m. a hole, pond, pool, 
 
 153, 252- 
 Preas, s.m. bush, thicket, 254. 
 
 RAlTHNE\(ra-ina),j./. fern, 193, 
 
 Raineach/ 216. 
 
 Rath (ra), s.m. a fortress, hill- 
 fort, 211, 
 
 Reidh (ray), s. in. a plain, level, 
 200. 
 
 Riabhach (rea-ach), a. drab, 
 brindled, 136. 
 
 Roinn, s.m. a point, headland, 
 122, 139, 269. 
 
 Ruadh (rua-gh), a. red, 147, 
 193- 
 
 Sabhal (sav-uU or sauU), s.m. 
 
 a barn, 251. 
 Sail, s.f. 3. heel, foot, 25. 
 Scairbh (skariv), ois. s.f. a 
 
 shallow ford, 240. 
 Seabhag (shohak), a hawk, 267. 
 Sean (shen), a. old, 105, 142. 
 Seileach (shellach), s.m. willow, 
 
 97) 122. 
 
 Sgiath (sge-agh), s.f. a wing, 
 
 shield, 159. 
 Sgor, s.m. a sharp rock, 255. 
 Sgorach (skorrach), peaked, 
 
 rocky, 240. 
 Sith (she), s.m. a round hill, 
 
 Z2I. 
 Sith (she), a fairy, 121. 
 Sliabh (sleav), s.m. a moor, hill, 
 
 mountain, 63, 116. 
 Sliabhach (sleavach), a. hilly, 
 
 mountainous, 63. 
 Slochd, s.m. a pit, hollow, 109, 
 
 124. 
 Sneachd (snechg), s.m. snow, 
 
 71- 
 Soc, s.m. a beak, snout, no, 
 
 132. 
 Spreidh (sprae), s.f. cattle, 146. 
 Sruth (sru), s.m. a stream, 
 
 rapid, 147, 241. 
 Stair (star), s.f. a causeway, 
 
 stepping-stones, 187. 
 
 Tail (tall), s.f. a lump, hillock, 
 
 123. 
 Taip, s.f. a mass, lump, hill, 25. 
 Talamh (talluv), s.m.f. earth, 
 
 land, 99. 
 Teach (tyech), s.m. a house, 
 
 habitation, 133. 
 Teaghlach (tyallach), s.?n.f. a 
 
 household, a house, a 
 
 dwelling, 24. 
 Teanga, s.f. a tongue, 122. 
 Tearmunn, s.m. a boundary, 
 
 refuge, 210. 
 Teine (tyene), s.m. fire, 109, 
 
 266. 
 Tir (tyer), s.m.f. land, country, 
 
 192, 243. 
 Tobar, s.m. a well, fountain, 4. 
 Tom, s.m. a bush, knoll, 134, 
 
 135. IS3. 193- 
 Tore, g-en. tuirc, a boar, 139. 
 Torr, s.m. a hill, a heap, 20, 
 
 98, 146, 250. 
 
300 
 
 Index of Gaelic Words. 
 
 Trian (tr&n), s.m. a third part, 
 
 243- 
 Triopall, s.m. a bunch, cluster, 
 
 138- 
 Tulach, s.7n. a knoll, hillockj 
 24, 82, 104, III, 177, 184, 
 216, 239, 245. 
 
 Uachdar, s.m. top, upper part, 
 
 124. 
 Uaine, a. green, 154. 
 Uchd, s.m. the breast; face of 
 
 a hill, 30. 
 Uchdach, s.f. side of a hill, 
 
 slope, 99. 
 Uisge (ushge), s.m. water, 22, 
 
 lOI. 
 
 TAYLOR II nKMUnnSOW. ABBRDEBK.