placenames

2005-10-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Carlingwark Cauldron circa AD 100.

Found in 1868 in Carlingwark Loch, Castle Douglas close to crannog site.

It contained over 100 items, a mix of native and Roman metalwork.

2005-10-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Torrs Pony Cap circa 250 BC

Found in a bog, formerly a loch on Torrs farm, Castle Douglas in 1820ies.

2005-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

charms and charmers?

2005-10-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Carlingwark Lane at NX 750 621

This 'lane' was originally constructed as a canal in 1765.

2005-10-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.needlesports.com/galloway/gallowayindex.htm

Galloway lanes in practice...

It should be noted that the term "lane" in the Galloway Hills means a large and often unfordable stream, rather than an easy means of passage. Thus the term "Gala Lane" does not indicate a pleasant path, though the real path may not be any drier, and in fact probably does not exist at all. (Andrew Fraser of Ayr, thanks to Stephem Reid of Needlesports, Keswick, Cumbria)

That 'lane' can mean a water course rather than a path in Galloway is a very practical fact. The lanes found in the Galloway highlands are often large enough and deep enough to make crossing them difficult. This fact is significant enough to be mentioned ( see above) on the best and most comprehensive website covering rock climbing in Galloway: http://www.needlesports.com/galloway/gallowayindex.htm

The Galla, Carrick, Cooran, Whitespout, Eglin and Tunskeen Lanes are examples of such upland/highland lanes. All must be treated with respect.

2005-10-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Corra Lane at NX 612 785

This is a very small lowland lane near Corra farm, Castle Douglas. The area to the left was probably a small loch. The lane looks as if it was dug to drain the small loch.

2005-10-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

Images of upland lanes.

For some stunning photographs of Galloway lanes, see

http://www.gla.ac.uk/medicalgenetics/carrick_lane.htm

2005-10-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Carrick Lane

This lane is hardly a 'slow flowing stream.!

2005-10-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

Strand as water course place name.

The Concise Scots Dictionary gives two forms of strand:1. a beach or shore of the sea or sandbank (probably from Old Norse strond rather than Old English strand; and 2. a little stream or rivulet.

In 1971/2 W. Riach carried out extensive research across the 44 parishes of Galloway into the Galloway dialect [published as A Galloway Glossary: Association for Scottish Literary Studies: Occasional papers No.7: 1988]. Riach gives: stran as ' a small stream' , which came from respondents in the central / northern parishes of Stewartry of Kirkcudbright plus Stranraer in Wigtownshire. The distribution of 'strand' matches Riach's findings.

McQueen [ Place-names in the Rhinns of Galloway and Luce Valley: Stranraer local History Trust: 2002: 9 , following Watson :Celtic Place names of Scotland ] suggests the 'stran' of Stranraer comes from the Gaelic sruthan; streamlet or burn.

The majority of the following 'strands' are found in upland locations. Back Strand NS 58 04 and West Strand NS 59 05 mark an east/ west boundary with 'sike' e.g. NS 80 04 Sandy Sike is the western most sike (sike/ syke also a small watercourse name). This boundary is also a 'political' one - point of intersection between Ayrshire/ Carrick and Dumfriesshire/ Upper Nithsdale with Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Riach does also give sike as 'a gutter or seep-away' - from Dalry (north) and Kirkbean (south) parishes on eastern edge of Stewartry.

In eastern Dumfriesshire, e.g. Langholm and Eskdale, I have found almost 100 sikes. The Concise Scots Dictionary gives syke/ sike as a small stream or water course esp. one in a hollow or on flat boggy ground. - originally from Old Norse sik or Old English sic.

Strands

Note : the historic western boundary of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright was the river Cree. The historic eastern boundary was the river Nith. As a rough guide therefore, any locations between NX 40 _ _ and NX 97 _ _ are within the historic Stewartry.

To view any of these strands on an Ordnance Survey map, go to the National Library of Scotland website

http://geo.nls.uk/indexes/default.html

and type in as six figure map reference in search box

Example:

1. For Strand of the Abyss NX 44 73 and two 5s to map reference

2. This gives NX 445 735

3. Delete spaces to give NX445735

4. Enter in search box.

NX 13 90 Straid [ MacQueen in 'Welsh and Gaelic in Galloway': Transactions Dumfriessire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society: vol 32: 1955:78 suggests may represent Welsh ystrad]

NX 19 51 Vennel Strand
NX 21 61 Loch Strand
NX 22 70 Ha'Hill Strand
NX 24 68 Loch Strand
NX 31 68 Damloch Strand
NX 31 81 Spirit Strand

NX 42 97 Dhu Strand
NX 42 98 Duple Strand
NX 44 73 Strand of the Abyss - see photograph below
NX 46 81 Cornarroch Strand
NX 46 70 Loch of the Lowes Strand
NX 48 83 Green Strand
NX 49 79 Droughandraie Strand
NX 49 83 Carselusk Strand
NX 50 73 Black Strand (1)
NX 50 76 Black Strand (2)
NX 50 76 Back Strand (1)
NX 50 79 Puldow Strand
NX 51 78 Smallwater Strand
NX 53 92 Moss Park Strand
NX 54 80 Hog Park Strand
NX 54 84 Gatepark Strand
NX 54 84 Craigveny Strand
NX 55 92 Heron Strand
NX 56 86 Black Strand (3)
NX 56 86 Rough Strand (1)
NX 57 84 Rough Strand (2)
NX 57 96 Disgee Strand
NS 57 03 Lone Strand
NX 58 50 Goat Strand
NX 58 95 Benloch Strand
NS 58 04 Back Strand
NS 59 06 West Strand
NX 60 83 Glen Sytrand
NX 62 90 Gibson's Strand
NX 62 99 Bitch Hole Strand
NX 85 74 Ged Strand
NX 65 88 Lag's Strand
NX 66 82 Bargain Strand
NX 68 82 Drummanister Strand
NX 72 99 Lamgarosh Strand
NX 74 02 Sheil Strand
NX 75 45 Castle Yard Strand

2005-10-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Strand of the Abyss as it enters Penkiln Burn at NX 445 734.

Penkiln Burn locally known as 'Penkill' Burn and originally [Pont/ late 16th century] as 'pollcill' - enters Cree at Minigaff/ Newton Stewart beside old church so probably chapel or church burn.

Strand of the Abyss shown on 1850ies OS 6 inch / mile maps. How did it get such an unusual name?

2005-10-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Lane as watercourse place name element in Mid West Scots dialect area.

The following contains a list of water course place names containing the element 'lane' .

In “The Uses of Place -Names” [Ed. Simon Taylor, published by Scottish Cultural Press, Edinburgh 1998], there is a chapter by Professor G.W.S. Barrow ‘The Uses of place-names and Scottish History- pointers and pitfalls.’ On page 59 (maps p 60/610) discusses the distribution of the P-Celtic [I.e. related to Welsh and Breton rather than Q-Celtic Irish/ Scots/ Manx Gaelic]word pol meaning a stream. Barrow suggests that in south west Scotland pol was the standard P-Celtic word for a stream and was so well established it survived the later arrival of Old English, Gaelic and Older Scots.

These pols are described as ‘ too numerous to plot’ in a central area of the map on page 60. This central area takes in the western Southern Uplands, including the Galloway highlands. This is an area with which I am familiar. Over 30 years ago, with my brothers Ian and Kenny Livingston, I followed the course of the Polmaddie Burn down from the Sheil of Castlemaddy bothy down to the abandoned late mediaeval settlement of Polmaddie.

I was fascinated to learn that the many pols of Galloway dated back to the earliest ‘language layer’. I also knew that ‘lane’ meaning a water course was locally unique. Using a set of Ordnance Survey ‘Explorer’ series 1: 25 000 maps borrowed from my brothers, I began looking at local water course place names. Altogether I have recorded around 200 ‘interesting’ water course places names.

The results for ’lane ’ are presented below. So far I have found over 70 ‘lanes’ (with a few variations- leana, loan, lain - mainly in the west of Wigtownshire). I have also researched the possible origins of ‘lane’ which I will post later.

As well as ‘lanes’, I noted over 50 ‘strands’ as small water course place names in uplands Galloway and that in eastern Dumfriesshire ‘syke’ replaces ‘strand’ for a small water course.

Lanes.

The following list is based on OS Explorer series (1: 25 000) maps covering south Ayrshire, south Lanarkshire, Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. The map references refer to the km square within which the placename was found.

The western limit for the distribution is NX 08 70 Landripple Burn. The northern limit is NS 63 65 Boghead Lane, the eastern limit is NT 00 11 Rushy Lane and the southern limit is NX 81 51 Auchencairn Lane.

To see any of following on an Ordnace Survey map, go to National Libraries of Scotlnd website

http://geo.nls.uk/indexes/default.html

and type in map reference (without spaces) in search box.

To get straight to correct scale, must by six figure reference, so add a 5 on to each part of reference:

Example-

For Lanedripple Burn, NX 08 70

1. Add two 5s to give NX 085 705

2. Removes spaces to give NX085705

3. Type in search box

NX 08 70 Lanedripple Burn - western limit of distribution
NX 09 72 Loan of Turlochy
NX 10 71 Lain Challoch
NX 11 73 Drummanmoan Loan
NX 12 78 Leana Burn
NX 12 78 Leana Hill
NX 14 65 Cross Hill Lane
NX 14 70 Bazard Lane
NX 15 69 Sheil Lane
NX 16 90 Water of Lendal
NX 20 72 Drummuillie Lane
NX 27 58 Lannygore Burn
NX 31 82 Laniewee Burn
NX 37 83 Loan Burn
NX 38 79 Torr Lane
NX 42 94 Tunskeen Lane
NX 43 62 The Lane
NX 43 90 Balloch Lane
NX 44 90 Eglin Lane
NX 44 93 Whitespout Lane
NX 45 79 Dargall Lane
NX 47 81 Cooran Lane
NX 47 91 Galla Lane - Bleau (1645, based on Pont) gives as Galua Len. R.C. Reid, Wigtownshire Charters has 'Galloway Lane' from 1638. Marks boundary with Ayrshire.
NX 47 94 Carrick Lane - Ainslie 1797 map gives as 'Shire Burn'- marks Galloway/ Carrick boundary
NS 48 10 Head Mark Lane
NX 48 80 Loup o' Lanebreddan
NX 50 76 Craigencaille Lane
NS 52 11 Beoch Lane
NX 52 88 Lane Mannoch
NX 53 81 Minnigall Lane
NX 53 95 Carsphairn Lane
NX 54 75 Clatteringshaws Lane - now under Clatteringshaws Loch/ hydro-electric resevoir
NX 55 88 Forest Lane
NX 56 63 Lane Burn
NX 56 90 Braidenoch Lane
NS 57 11 Lane Burn
NX 57 77 Gate Lane
NT 60 03 Crooked Lane
NX 61 78 Airie Lane
NX 62 65 Grobdale Lane
NX 62 99 Keoch Lane
NS 63 25 Boghead Lane - northern limit of distribution .
NX 63 76 The Lane
NX 63 82 Trolane Burn
NX 65 70 Tait's Lane
NX 65 89 Fingland Lane
NX 66 69 Crae Lane
NX 66 91 Carroch Lane
NX 68 63 Camelon Lane
NX 68 90 Bennieloan - hill, source of Fingland Lane
NX 69 96 Dibbin Lane
NS 70 18 Back Lane
NX 70 63 Barend Lane
NX 70 63 Drumlane- farm, recorded 1619 in teind list for Balmaghie parish
NX 71 64 Greenlane Plantation
NS 72 18 Auchtitench Lane
NS 73 18 Fingland Lane
NX 74 55 Greenlane - cottage, was croft ' Greinleine' 17th century
NX 74 56 Auchlane Burn - Auchlane an old estate, sometimes 'Lachlein' e.g. Bleau's map.
NX 75 61 Carlingwark Lane - canal built 1765
NX 78 60 Corra Lane
NX 78 78 Knarie Lane - Ainslie 1797 map, now Knarie Burn
NX 79 70 Knockwalloch Lane, 17th century, now Minnydow Burn
NX 80 55 Potterland Lane
NX 80 70 Barncalzie Lane
NX 81 51 Auchencairn Lane, south limit of distribution, below high water mark in Auchencairn Bay
NX 82 52 Orchardton Lane - below high water mark in Orchardton Bay
NX 83 57 Cocklick Lane
NX 84 62 Kirkgunzeon Lane - 12 km long, recorded as 'Dufpole' in 12th century charter
NX 85 59 Little Lane - recorded as 'Polchillebride' in 12th century charter
NX 87 57 Fairgirth Lane - was Fairgirth Burn on pre 1920 OS maps. Name change after stream straightened as part of wetland drainage.
NX 87 71 Under Brae Lane
NX 89 75 Bogrie Lane
NS 90 08 Dalveen Lane
Nt 00 11 Rushy Lane - eastern limit of distribution.