Place names of Ross and Cromarty

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY

W'3

PLACENAMES

ROSS AND CROMARTY

" BY

w J WATSON

M.A., ABERD. ; B.A., OXON.

RECTOR OP INVERNESS ROYAL ACADEMY

THE NORTHERN COUNTIES PRINTING AND PUBLISHING

COMPANY, LIMITED

EDINBURGH : NORMAN MACLEOD, 25 GEORGE IV. BRIDGE
LONDON: DAVID NUTT, 57-M LONGACRE

1904

Dfi

PREFACE.

THE uncertainty and lack of precision which have
characterised so much of the work attempted in
connection with the study of our Scottish names
of places are due chiefly to defective or imperfectly
ascertained data. In Lowland districts, where the
sole data for names of Celtic origin consist of
modern Anglicised forms and old spellings, this
uncertainty is largely inevitable : the old Celtic
pronunciation, the quantity of vowels, and the
quality of consonants must often be matter of
sheer conjecture. But wherever Gaelic is still
vernacular, or when, as often, genuine Gaelic forms
of names occurring in districts once Celtic but now
English are procurable, these difficulties are im-
mensely simplified. It will be found that modern
Gaelic pronunciation as handed down by unbroken
tradition is in the main intensely conservative,
whether the names so transmitted are Pictish,
Scandinavian, or purely Gaelic in origin. With the
aid of these modern Gaelic forms, either alone or
supplemented by old written forms, the investi-
gator, given knowledge and experience, should in

VI. PREFACE.

most cases be able to arrive at a high degree of
accuracy in interpretation. The work is raised from
the sphere of conjecture to that of solid scientific
enquiry.

In the present work, dealing with the Place
Names of Ross and Cromarty, the method thus
indicated has been followed throughout. In every
case the genuine native Gaelic forms of names have
been ascertained with absolute accuracy. In
addition, the old spellings found in charters, etc.,
have been given wherever such were available.
The result is that the interpretations offered can be
criticised by Celtic scholars in the light of a full
knowledge of the data. Incidentally a large number
of new and important facts are offered for the con-
sideration of philologists, both in the shape of
obsolete Gaelic words rescued from oblivion, and in
the treatment in Gaelic of Norse and Pictish names.

An attempt has been made in the Introduction
to focus the general results obtained. The opening
historical sections, though necessarily much com-
pressed, will, it is hoped, serve to lend perspective.
The sections which deal with the formation of
Gaelic names and with the Pictish and Norse
elements, should afford some not unnecessary assist-
ance to future investigators. The account given of
the treatment in Gaelic of the Old Norse vowels

- PREFA.CE. Vll,

and consonants is a pioneer piece of work which
will, I hope, be found generally trustworthy, but
may at least be amplified by further research. The
collection of facts adduced with regard to traces of
the old Celtic Church proves the strength of the
hold which that Church took in the North, and
indicates the wealth of material that awaits col-
lection. As for the Pictish language, its remains in
place names are only beginning to be scientifically
considered. Everything so far goes to prove its
close affinity to Cymric, but we still desiderate a
thorough critical examination of the place names of
Dalriada on the one hand and of the Central High-
lands on the other, respectively the most Gaelic and
the most Pictish of Scottish districts where Gaelic
is still spoken.

In collecting materials for this work I have

o

personally traversed all parts of the County except
Lewis, and therefore the number of those to whom
I am indebted runs to hundreds. But I am under-
special obligation to Mr Kenneth Mackenzie, Shade v,
Barvas, both for general information on Lewis
names and in particular for permission to make use
of a valuable paper on that subject contributed by
him to the Highland News. To that distinguished
Celtic authority, Dr A. Macbain of Inverness, I owe
much in friendly criticism and suggestions, especially

Vlll. PREFACE,

on the philological aspect of the names, and he has
kindly read all my proofs. I have to acknowledge
most valuable, and indeed indispensable assist-
ance generously rendered by the Rev. Charles
M. Robertson, who has freely placed at my dis-
posal his unique knowledge of the Gaelic forms
of Scottish names of places. The majority of
the Gaelic forms contained in the following pages
have been independently verified both by him and
myself. Valuable assistance has also been received
from Mr Donald Mackenzie, Inland Revenue, Bonar-
Bridge ; Mr John Whyte, Inverness ; and from Mr J.
Mathieson, H.M. Ordnance Survey, to whose pains-
taking diligence we shall soon owe a map of Scot-
land largely purged from those erroneous and mis-
leading forms of names which render the existing
O.S. maps useless to philologists.

The complete Alphabetical Index of about 3000
names has been prepared by my colleague, Mr H.
F. Robson, with the help of our pupils, and revised
by myself.

W. J. WATSON.

INVERNESS, May, 1904.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

SECTION I. — HISTORICAL.

PAGE
Physical Features*.— Ptolemy's Account.— The Picts.— The Scots.—

The Norsemen — in the Isles --on the West Coast— on the East
Coast. — English Influence . . . . * . . . . xi.

SECTION II.— DIVISIONS.

Ro.ss — Original extent and meaning. — Ergadia Borealis or North
Argyle. — Cromarty. — Ardmeanach or Black Isle. — Ferindonald.
Ferintosh. — The Five " Quarters." — Parishes. — Hebrides or Imise
Gall xxi.

SECTION III. — THE BASIS OF INTERPRETATION.

Modern Pronunciations, English and Gaelic. — Old Written Forms. —

Physical Characteristics. — Analogy ...... xxvii.

SECTION IV.— THE FORMATION OF GAELIC NAMES.

Simple or uncompounded names. — Simple words with extension. —
Compounds. — Phrase Names. — Periods represented by such. —
Prefixed Adjectives and Accent. — Prefixed Nouns and Accent. —
Prepositions and Accent. — Accent in Simple Names. — Accent in
Phrase-names. — The Article. — Case xxxiii.

SECTION V. — THE PICTISH ELEMENT.

Terms used to denote " Pict."— P and Q Celts.— Pictish Names.—
P-names. — Various. — Picto-Gaelic Hybrids. — Pictish Termina-
tions.— Stream Names (a) in -n, (6) in -ie, (c) various. — Pictish
prefixes xlr.

SECTION VI.— THE NORSE ELEMENT.

Distribution of terms. — Composition of Norse names. —Quantity of
first syllable. — Crasis. — Norse-Gaelic Hybrids. — Norse Gaelic
Phonetics — (a) Vowels, (6) Consonants liii.

X.

CONTENTS.

SECTION VII. — CHURCH NAMES.

PAGE

Records of Applecross. — Sculptured Stones. — Ecclesiastical terms —
ncimhidh — annaid — cM — clachan — tcampvM — eaglais — seipeil —
manachainn — comraich — cdtair — crois — cananaich — sgir —
manach — sagart — cliar — dtireach, ministear. — Norse Church
terms. — Dedications to Columba. — Moluag. — Donnan.— Colman. —
Malruba.— lurnan or Iturnan.— Fillan.— Congan.— Kentigerna.—
Fionn.— Brigh.— Curitan. — Ferchar. — Dubhthach. — Cormac.—
Roman Catholic Dedications lx.

SECTION VIII. — GENERAL.

Terms for Streams. — Marshes. — Confluences. — Fords. — Sea terms. —
Flats. — Hollows. — rHeights. — Promontories. — Woods, trees,
plants. — Animals. — Dwellings. — Cultivations and Enclosures. —
Crops. — Occupations and Customs. — Land Measures. — Numerical
Combinations. — Historical Events. — Miscellaneous . . . Ixxi,

PAGE.

PAGE.

Parish of

Kincardine .

. 1

Parish of Cromarty .

. 124

it

Edderton .

. 23

„ Rosemsrkie

. 128

sj

Tain .

. 32

., Avoch

. 132

t

Fearn .

. 40

„ Knockbain .

. 136

u

Tarbat

. 45

,, Killearnau .

. 142

ii

Nigg . . .

. 50

,, Contin

. 147

„

Logic Easter

. 58

Glenshiel .

. 171

.,

Kilmuir Easter .

. 63

Kintail

. 178

w

Rosskeen .

. 69

„ Lochalsh

. 184

H

Alness

. 75

,, Lochcarron .

. 192

u

Kiltearn

. 85

„ Applecross .

. 201

,,

Dingwall .

. 93

,, Gairloch

. 220

}J

Fodderty .

. 96

„ Lochbroorn .

. 241

M

Urray ' .

. 104

Lewis

. 26*

„

Urquhart .

. 113

Additions and Corrections .

. 273

„

Resolis

. 120

Index

. 285

INTRODUCTION.

I. — HISTORICAL.

THE County of Ross and Cromarty, including Physical
Lewis, the northern and larger part of the Long F
Island, is the third largest in Scotland. Its mainland
part extends from sea to sea, and falls naturally into
three divisions, Easter, Wester, and Mid Ross, each
of which possesses a character of its own. Much of
Easter Ross, between the Dornoch and Cromarty
Firths, is distinctly Lowland or even English in
type. Its great alluvial plain, Machair Rois, the
plain of Ross, comprises some of the richest agri-
cultural land in Scotland ; much of it stands only a
few feet above the sea level, and the skeleton of a
" cetaceous animal"1 found at Fearn proves that it
was actually covered by the sea at no very remote
period as geological time is reckoned. With it
goes the large peninsula known as the Black Isle,
between the Firths of Cromarty and Inverness, not
level like the Machair, but sloping gently to
both firths, and nowhere particularly Highland
in aspect. Mid-Ross may be said to extend
from the western watershed to the uplands of

1 New Statistical Account.

Xll. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Alness and Rosskeen. It is a region of glens,
straths, and streams, dominated by the massive
bulk of Ben Wyvis, and drains through the Conon
and its tributaries Orrin, Meig, Blackwater into the
head of the Cromarty Firth. Wester Ross is the
long strip to the west of the watershed, between
the latter and the sea, deeply indented by sea
lochs and seldom far from sea influence. The great
" hinterland " of Wester and Mid-Ross is wholly
mountain and moor, with the exception of the
beautiful valleys of the Kincardine Carron and its
tributaries, and the Oykell and Kyleside Valley, the
latter facing Sutherland.

Ptolemy's Our earliest information about the inhabitants of
Account. j^oss comes from the geographer Ptolemy of Alex-
andria, who lived about 120 A.D., and wrote an
account of Britain, in which he locates a number of
places and tribes, the position of which can be
determined with more or less confidence. He states
that from the Lemannonius Sinus (Loch Fyne) to
the estuary of the Varar (Beauly Firth), and on the
east side of Drumalban, lay the Caledonii ; westward
of them were the Cerones or Creones. These, then,
lay on the southern border of Ross. In the district
corresponding to Ross were the Carnonacae on the
west coast, the Decantae in Easter Ross from the
Beauly to the neighbourhood of Edderton, and the
Smertae, who may have occupied the valleys of the
Carron, the Oykell, and the Shin. Northwards of
these lay three tribes, the Caereni and Cornavii in
north-west Sutherland and Caithness, and in the

INTRODUCTION. Xlll.

east of Sutherland the Lugi. At a later period all The Picts.
the tribes to the north of the Roman wall between
the Firths of Forth and Clyde were included under
the general name of Picts, those north of the
Grampians being referred to as Northern Picts, and
the others as Southern Picts. The headquarters of
the King of the Northern Picts at the time of
Columba's visit in 565 were near Inverness ; his
authority extended at least as far as the Orkneys,
probably to the Shetlands. With regard to the
Northern Picts, two questions arise which have to
he kept separate, the question of race, and the
question of language. On the latter point the
place-names should throw some light ; here it is
enough to say that most authorities now agree that
the Picts spoke a Celtic language not of the Gaelic
but of the Welsh or Brittonic type. When this
Celtic language was introduced into the North it
is hard to say ; certainly it was there in the first
century, for Ptolemy's names are Celtic. Good
authorities place the coming of the Celts into Britain
about 600 B.C., others much earlier. One thing is
certain, that when they came they found in
possession another people less highly civilised, of a
different race, with different manners and customs.
And, as Celtic influence would reach the north last,
and would long be comparatively weak, it is
reasonable to suppose that there these primitive
people would survive longest and have most influence
on the new-comers. In point of fact, the northern
Picts show very distinct traces of non-Celtic

XIV. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

institutions and customs in respect of their family
relations and their mode of succession. It may be
concluded, therefore, that the Picts were a mixed
race, combining a Celtic strain with a strong dash
of non-Celtic and probably non- Aryan blood. In
very remote places such as Lewis this non-Celtic
element would naturally be strongest, and, indeed,
is probably still recognisable.

The Scots, In the early centuries of the Christian era Scots
from Ireland began to settle among the Picts of the
West Coast. The first colony on record was led in
the second century by Cairbre Riada, whence the
name Dal-Riada or Riada's lot.1 In 501 the coming
of the sons of Ere with a strong following marks
the establishment of Dalriada as a Scottish kingdom
roughly co-extensive with the modern Argyle. The
influence of the Gaelic-speaking Dalriadic Scots
gradually spread northward along the coast and
among the islands. When it reached the west
coast of Ross we cannot say exactly, but it is
significant that in 673 Malruba, an Irish priest and
noble, founded the monastery of Applecross, and it
is probably safe to assume that at that date Apple-
cross was well within Dalriadic territory. There
are at least two other indications of the rapid spread
of the Gaels on the west. When the Norsemen came
in 793, they called the Minch Skotland-fjorcSr, the
firth of the land of the Scots ; the province of

1 " Scoti, duce Reuda de Hibernia egressi, amicitia vel ferro sibimet inter
Pictos sedes quas hactenus habent Yindicaveruut." The Scots, led by Riada,
left Ireland, and by friendship or force won for themselves among the Picts
those territories which they still possess. — Bede, Eccl. Hist., L. i., c. 1.

INTRODUCTION. XV.

Argyle extended from the Clyde to Lochbroom, and
Argyle (Gael. Earra-Ghaidheal, older Airer Goedel),
means the bounds of the Gael or Scots from Ireland.
Not the least difficult of the problems in early
Scottish history is the manner in which the language
of the Gaels supplanted that of the Picts. For the
west coast the answer, as has been seen, is easy : it
was settled by Scots at an early date. In the east
various causes can be seen to have co-operated. In
the first place, Gaelic was the language of the more
highly civilised people, which made it a priori
unlikely that it should give way to Pictish.
Another factor, the importance of which can
hardly be over-estimated, was the influence
of the Celtic Church. Again, the advent of
the Norse on the West Coast must have had the
effect of driving the Gaelic-speaking settlers east-
ward. Lastly, we cannot tell how long Pictish
survived in Easter Koss. It is possible and even
probable that, just as on the West there was a
period when first Gaelic and Pictish, then Gaelic
and Norse, were spoken side by side, so on the East
Coast, Pictish, Gaelic, and Norse were spoken con-
currently. Pictish has, in any case, left very strong
traces in Easter Ross place-names.

The Norsemen began to make plundering expedi- The
tions on the coasts of Britain before the end of the
eighth century. In 793 they sacked Lindisfarne J
in 798 they plundered part of Man and the Hebrides ;
in 802 they ravaged lona, and in 806 they slew
sixty-eight of the monastic family there ; during

xvi. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

the same period they made incursions on the Irish
coasts also. Monasteries, being rich and defenceless,
were special objects of attack, and there can be little
doubt, though record is silent on the subject, that to
them was due the destruction of Malruba's Monastery
of Applecross.

i. In the By degrees they began to settle both in Ireland
Isles' and in the Isles. In 872 Harold Harfagr, King of
Norway, found it necessary to lead an expedition
against the western Vikings, when he subjugated
Orkney, Shetland, and the Sudreys (the Hebrides)
as far south as Man, But as in Ireland settlement
began in the first quarter of the ninth century, it is
probable that tbe Hebrides, which lie on the way to
Ireland, were occupied long before King Harold's
expedition. What is known of the subsequent
history of the Norse settlements in the Western
Isles has been related too often to need repetition.1
The Isles were finally ceded by Norway in 1266, in
consequence of the disastrous battle of Largs, having
been more or less under Norse influence for about
470 years. For much of that time the Norse
language must have been predominant ; the Isles
were not felt to be part of Scotland ; mainland
Gaels referred to them as Innse Gall, the Isles of
the strangers. And if Norse was spoken in Lewis
in 1266, as it doubtless was, it is not too much to
suppose that it was not wholly extinct at the time
of Bannockburn or even later. Hence at once the

1 Gregory's History of the Western Highlands ; Dr A. Macbain iu Trans, of
Inverness Gael. Soc., rol. xix.

INTRODUCTION. XV11.

preponderance of Norse names and their remarkable
freshness as preserved in common speech.

The Norse occupation of the western mainland ii. On the
probably began later, ended earlier, and, to judge WestCoafit-
from the place-names, was less continuous in extent.
On the west of Boss they seem to have selected the
parts most fertile arid best adapted for grazing.
Kintail and Glenshiel show very little Norse influ-
ence ; it was strong in Gairloch and round the
shores of Loch Maree. But in no part of Wester
Ross did the old Celtic nomenclature wholly give
way ; from Loch Duich to Loch Broom not only old
Gaelic but even Pictish names are well in evidence.

On the eastern mainland, according to the Sagas, iii. On the
Thorstein the Red, together with Sigurd of Orkney, East Coa8t-
conquered and ruled over Caithness and Sutherland,
Ross and Moray, and more than half of Scotland.1
Their exploits here referred to took place about 875,
and the net result of them appears to have been
that the Norsemen retained possession at least as far
south as Dingwall. Over a hundred years later,
eirc. 980, Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, defeated Finlay,
Mormaer of Moray, at Skida Myre in Caithness, and
established his power over " dominions in Scotland,
Ross and Moray, Sutherland and the Dales."
Earl Sigurd fell at Clontarf, 1014. The Norse
power on the mainland attained its highest point
under his son Thorfinn, of whom the Sagas say that
he held " nine Earldoms in Scotland, the whole of

1 Islands Landndmabdk.

XV111. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

the Sudreys, and a large territory in Ireland."1 He
died in 1064, and after his time the Norse dominions
gradually contracted to Caithness. " Many rikis
which the Earl had subjected fell off, and the
inhabitants sought the protection of those native
chiefs who were territorially born to rule over
them." 2 At the beginning of the twelfth century
Norse may still have been spoken in Easter Ross,
but the power of the native chiefs was reviving, and
by the middle of it we find Malcolm MacHeth in
the position of Earl of Ross, The total duration of
the Norse supremacy in Easter Ross was rather less
than 200 years. The place-names are instructive.
No name of Norse origin appears south of the Beauly
valley. The centre of administration was Dingwall,
Thing-vollr, plain of the Thing, the Norse court of
justice. Some important valleys well inland bear
Norse names, Alladale, Dibidale, Strathrusdale,
Scatwell. The Black Isle shows only two or three ;
elsewhere the proportion is about the same for the
area as on the West Coast. To Norse influence per-
haps may be due the curious fact that none of the
larger streams that flow into the Cromarty Firth —
Uarie, Averon, Conon — show an Inver or an Aber.
Such Invers as exist belong to small streams, the
largest being the Peffery, which gives Inver-feoran
(Inbhir-pheofharain), the Gaelic name of Dingwall.
In the Dingwall Charters, the estuary of the Conon
appears as Stavek, plainly Norse, probably Staf-vik,

1 Orkneyinga Saga. 2 Orkneyinga Saga.

INTRODUCTION. XIX.

Staff-bay, a name which, it may be suggested,
supplanted an old *Aberconon, to be in its turn
forgotten.

In Wester Eoss the Norsemen met the Gael ; on
the eastern side they doubtless met both Gael and
Pict.

The twelfth century saw the triumph of Gaelic English
over Pictish and Norse; and probably this period Influcnce-
(circ. 1100-1200) was the only one since the coming
of the Gaels, in which one language and only one
was spoken throughout the mainland of Eoss.
Under Pictish rule, Ross was governed from Inver-
ness ; in the time of Norse supremacy its over-lords
hailed from Orkney. The twelfth century was a
transition stage ; at its close Eoss was fast coming
into touch with the south of Scotland, and to some
extent with the language of the Lowland Scots.
That English is of long standing in the north is
proved by the place-name Wardlaw, near Beauly,
which appears on record in 1210 Wardelaue, the
hillock where watch and ward was kept by the
retainers of the Norman Lord of the Aird, John
Byset. No Norman baron, however, obtained a
grant of land in Eoss ; English was introduced
there through the Eoyal Castles and the Church.
In 1179 William the Lion founded the Castles of
Dunskaith in Nigg, and Eddirdover, now Eedcastle.
In the next century we find the Castles of Cromarty
and Dingwall upheld by the Crown and the Castle of
Avoch belonging to the De Moravia family. In all of

XV111. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

the Sudreys, and a large territory in Ireland."1 He
died in 1064, and after his time the Norse dominions
gradually contracted to Caithness. " Many rikis
which the Earl had subjected fell off, and the
inhabitants sought the protection of those native
chiefs who were territorially born to rule over
them." 2 At the beginning of the twelfth century
Norse may still have been spoken in Easter Hoss,
but the power of the native chiefs was reviving, and
by the middle of it we find Malcolm MacHeth in
the position of Earl of Ross, The total duration of
the Norse supremacy in Easter Ross was rather less
than 200 years. The place-names are instructive.
No name of Norse origin appears south of the Beauly
valley. The centre of administration was Dingwall,
Thing-vollr, plain of the Thing, the Norse court of
justice. Some important valleys well inland bear
Norse names, Alladale, Dibidale, Strathrusdale,
Scatwell. The Black Isle shows only two or three ;
elsewhere the proportion is about the same for the
area as on the West Coast. To Norse influence per-
haps may be due the curious fact that none of the
larger streams that flow into the Cromarty Firth —
Uarie, Averon, Conon — show an Inver or an Aber.
Such Invers as exist belong to small streams, the
largest being the Peffery, which gives Inver-feoran
(Inbhir-pheofharain), the Gaelic name of Dingwall.
In the Dingwall Charters, the estuary of the Conon
appears as Stavek, plainly Norse, probably Staf-vik,

1 Orkneyinga Saga. 2 Orkneyinga Saga.

INTRODUCTION. XIX.

Staff-bay, a name which, it may be suggested,
supplanted an old *Aberconon, to be in its turn
forgotten.

In Wester Ross the Norsemen met the Gael ; on
the eastern side they doubtless met both Gael and
Pict.

The twelfth century saw the triumph of Gaelic English
over Pictish and Norse; and probably this period Influen
(circ. 1100-1200) was the only one since the coming
of the Gaels, in which one language and only one
was spoken throughout the mainland of Ross.
Under Pictish rule, Ross was governed from Inver-
ness ; in the time of Norse supremacy its over-lords
hailed from Orkney. The twelfth century was a
transition stage ; at its close Ross was fast coming
into touch with the south of Scotland, and to some
extent with the language of the Lowland Scots.
That English is of long standing in the north is
proved by the place-name Wardlaw, near Beauly,
which appears on record in 1210 Wardelaue, the
hillock where watch and ward was kept by the
retainers of the Norman Lord of the Aird, John
Byset. No Norman baron, however, obtained a
grant of land in Ross ; English was introduced
there through the Royal Castles and the Church.
In 1179 William the Lion founded the Castles of
Dunskaith in Nigg, and Eddirdover, now Redcastle.
In the next century we find the Castles of Cromarty
and Dingwall upheld by the Crown and the Castle of
Avoch belonging to the De Moravia family. In all of

XX. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

these the garrison was, doubtless, composed chiefly
of Lowlanders. The seat of the Bishopric of Ross
was at Rosemarkie ; in 1227 the Chapter of Ross
consists wholly, with one exception,1 of clerics bear-
ing English names. So with the Bishops of Ross,
all except the first, Macbeth. The other chief
centre of ecclesiastical influence in Easter Ross at
this period was the Abbey of Fearn, founded circ.
1225, whose Abbots as a rule came from Whithorn
in Galloway, and may or may not have known
Gaelic ; their names are usually English. The fame
of St Duthac's shrine at Tain was also a factor of
some importance in attracting Lowland pilgrims.
In 1306 we actually find Walter, son of the Earl of
Ross, a scholar at Cambridge. All this, of course,
had little effect on the native Gaelic, but it shows
that in the vicinity of Castle, Cathedral, and Abbey,
as well as among the upper classes, there must have
been some acquaintance with English. And at the
present day we find that it is precisely in these
places — Tain, Cromarty, Rosemarkie, Avoch, and, to
a less extent, Dingwall — that Gaelic, except for
importations, has practically died out. The Castles
of the West Coast, Strome and Ellandonan, were
garrisoned not by King's men, but by Gaelic-
speaking clansmen of native chiefs, and were oftener
held against the King than for him.

1 The exception is Donald, Vicar of Locunethereth (Logic Wester).

INTRODUCTION.

XXI.

II. — DIVISIONS.

The ancient district of Ross,1 which gives its
name to the modern county, originally extended from
the Stockford on the river Beauly to Tarbat Ness,
thus comprising Easter and Mid Ross, together with a
slice of Inverness-shire. The name has been explained
as from (l) Ir. and Gael, ros, a promontory; (2)
Ir. ros, a wood ; (3) Welsh rhos, a moor ; Breton
ros, a knoll, all equally possible phonetically. Ros,
a wood, does not seem to occur elsewhere in Scottish
topography ; ros, a promontory, when it occurs, is
used with the article, e.g., an Ros Muileach, the
Ross of Mull, but the article never appears with
the county name ; for these and other reasons a
Brythonic or Pictish origin seems most likely. The
meaning of " moor" would have been appropriate in
times antecedent to regular cultivation.

The Pictish kingdom was divided into provinces
—traditionally seven — ruled by petty kings called
Mormaers, who were subject to the head-king.
Whether Ross ever possessed a Mormaer of its own
does not appear ; in the records it goes with Moray.

1 Probably the earliest mention of Ross occurs in the Life of St Cadroe,
ascribed to the llth century. "The Choerisci" (wandering Celts from Asia
Minor, according to the legend), crossed over from Ireland and peopled lona.
Thereafter they coasted along the sea which adjoins Britain, and, through
the valley of the river Rosia, entered Rossia (per Rosim amnem, Rossiam
invaserunt). The river Rosis, according to Skene, is the Rasay, now called
the Blackwater. The legend may be based on an eastward movement of the
West Coast Gaels.

XX11. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The first Earl of Ross was Malcolm MacHeth,1
circ. 1157, son of Ed, Earl of Moray, and Malcolm,
who succeeded his brother Angus slain in rebellion
in 1130, appears to have received the Earldom of
Ross on his reconciliation to King David I., as part
of his ancestral dominions.

The next Earl of Ross is the Count of Holland,
of whom nothing is recorded. About 1220 the title
was conferred by Alexander II. on Ferchar Mac-in-
tagart (son of the priest), surnamed O'Beolan, who
appears to be rightly regarded as the then repre-
sentative of the lay Abbots of Applecross. The
accession of Ferchar was fraught with important
consequences, local and national. As lord of the
Church lands of Applecross, he was already
practically chief of the district from Kintail to
Lochbroom, known then as North Argyle ; when,
in addition, he became Earl of Ross, he was the
leading man in the north. This power, loyally
exercised as it was by Ferchar and his descendants,
was largely instrumental in establishing the
authority of the Scottish Crown in the Highlands
at this critical period. Locally he brought the
easter and the wester divisions together under one
strong hand, thus preparing the way for the modern
county. Previous Earls were, of course, Earls of
Ross only, i.e., the district east of the central
watershed.

1 Heth, Head, Eth, Ed all represented Gael. Aed, later Aodh, Hugh
(stili used as a personal name in Sutherland). MacHeth in modern Gaelic is
MacAoidh, Mackay. Skene's Highlanders of Scotland, ed. Dr A. Macbain.

INTRODUCTION.

XX111.

The western sea-board from Kintail to Lochbroom Ergadia
was, from the beginning of the Scottish Monarchy,
known as North Argyle or Ergadia Borealis. a term
of which the significance has been explained above.
In 1292 William, Earl of Boss, grandson of Ferchar,
got his lands of " Skey, Lodoux, and North Argyle "
erected into the Sheriffdom of Skye by King John
Balliol. The West Coast continues to appear under
the name of North Argyll till the early part of the
fifteenth century.

The Sheriffdom of Cromarty, which appears to Cromarty
have been originally connected with the Royal
Castle there, appears on record in 1266, when
William de Monte Alto was " vicecomes de Crum-
bauchtyn." It was of very small extent, apparently
not exceeding the bounds of the modern parish of
Cromarty, yet under its hereditary Sheriffs always
continued separate, and when in 1661 the Sheriffdom
of Ross was definitely disjoined from that of Inver-
ness, Cromarty is specifically excepted. The first
Earl of Cromarty was Sir George Mackenzie of
Tarbat, grandson of the Tutor of Kintail (an
Taoitear Taileach), who was made Earl in 1703,
and obtained the privilege of having his various
estates, large and small, throughout Ross erected
into the new County of Cromarty, an arrangement
extremely inconvenient, and now surviving only in
the county name Ross and Cromarty.

The Black Isle, Gael, an t-Eilean Dubh, a mis-
nomer which can be easily paralleled, is the name °
the peninsula between the firths of Cromarty and

The

XXIV. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Inverness. Peninsulas are frequently miscalled
" islands ;" the classical instance is Peloponnesus,
Pelops' Isle. The epithet " black " is sensibly
explained by the writers of the Old Stat. Ace.,
from the fact that even in their time four-fifths of
it was black moor, uncultivated. Its old official
name is Ardmanache or Arclmeaiiach, meaning the
" mid height," midway, that is to say, between the
firths, surviving in the farm of Ardmeanach,
near Fortrose. A still older name is Eddirdail,
now obsolete, meaning apparently Eadar-da-dhail,
Between two dales. The Lordship of Ardmanach
went with the fortalice of Redcastle, and included
all the Black Isle, except the Sheriffdom of
Cromarty.

Ferindonald The district from "the Averon or Alness River to
the burn of Allt na Lathaid, to the east of Ding-
wall, was called of old Ferindonald, G. Fearainu
Domhnuill, Donald's land, a name still in use. It
comprises the parishes of Alness and Kiltearn, and
is the land of the Clan Munro. The Donald in
question is the traditional founder of the house of
Fowlis, and is supposed to have received this grant
of land from Malcolm II. (1005-1034) for services
rendered against Danish invaders. Though this
account cannot be verified — the origin of the Munros
is one of the problems of Clan history — it may be
substantially correct. The name Ferindonald i&
parallel to Dalriada and Ferintosh.

Ferintosh. The origin of the division of Ferintosh is explained
at p. 114. It is expressly excluded from Ross in the

INTRODUCTION XXV.

Act of Parliament of 1661, and till recent times
continued to form part of the county of Nairn.

The "five quarters" of Ross appear in 1479 in The Five
connection with the confiscated estates of John, last U(^ua
Earl of Ross. They are (l) Delney, extending
from Tarbat Ness to the Alness River ; (2) Balkeny
or Balcony, co-extensive with the bounds of Ferin-
donald as given above ; (3) Kynnardy or Kinnairdie,
including the valley of the Peffery, arid the parts
to the south and west of it, viz., Moy, Achilty,
Scatwell Meikle, Brahan, Dunglust, Ussie ; (4)
Kynnellane, modern Kinnellan, which included
" Coul, Rogy, cum le Ess, Li till Sea thole cum le
Ess, Foreste de Rannach, Meyn in Straquhonane,
the two Eskatellis, Innermany, Innerquhonray,
Kinlochbenquherane ;" (5) Fyrnewer (a name now
obsolete), from Fairburn round by the Beauly Firth
to Kessock : " the Ferburnys, Auchansawle, Arcoyn,
Balbrade, Urra, Kynculadrum, le Orde, Belblare,
Balnagoun, Kynkell, Logyenreith, and the two
Kessokis." Though this is the first appearance
of the quarters as a whole, there appear on
record the quarter of Petkenney in 1281 and the
" maresium of Fernewyr " in 1350, from which
it is a fair inference that the other " quarters "
also existed long prior to 1479. They were
evidently divisions of the Earldom of Ross, each
under a " maor," or land steward, but they may
have represented still older tribal divisions, or,
possibly, the Norse organisation.

XXVI. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Parishes. The division into parishes must have been roughly
contemporary with the organisation of the Bishopric
of Ross, circ. 1128. The Bishopric was co-extensive
with the Earldom, and therefore it was only on the
accession of Ferchar Mac-in-tagart, circ. 1220, that
it came to include the churches of North Argyle.
But little change seems to have taken place in the
parochial organisation, the chief being the disjunction
of Fearn from Tarbat in 1628, the union of Kilt earn
and Lemlair, of Kinnettes and Fodderty, and of
Urray and Gilchrist (date uncertain) ; of Kirkmichael
and Cullicudden in 1G62, of Urquhart and Logie
Wester circ. 1669, and of Kilmuir Wester and
Suddy in 1756, now Knockbain. Glenshiel is a
new parish carved out of Kin tail. Before the
arrangement of 1661, the parish of Kilmorack
belonged territorially to Ross, as it still does
ecclesiastically. In dealing with parish names, it
is important to bear in mind that the name of a
parish is regularly taken either from the old parish
church, e.g. Kilmuir, or from the spot where the old
church stood, e.g. Logie.

Hebrides. The name Hebrides has arisen from a misreading
of Pliny's Haebudes, which, he says were thirty in
number. Ptolemy gives only five Aebudae. The
word must be Pictish, or pre-Pictish ; its meaning
is quite obscure, but it has been suggested with
some probability that its modern representative is
Bute, Gael. Bod. During the Norse occupation
they were called by the Gaels Innse-Gall, by the
Norse themselves Sudreys, the south isles.

INTRODUCTION.

XXV 11.

III. — THE BASIS OF INTERPRETATION.

The study of names of places involves two pro-
cesses, collection of facts and interpretation, and if
the interpretation is to be sound, the facts on which
it is based must be accurate and adequate. It is
therefore proper at the outset to consider the nature
of the facts at our disposal in dealing with the
names encountered in Ross and Cromarty, names
which fall, in respect of language, into four
divisions — Pictish, Gaelic, Norse, and English.
These facts or data are, in the main, of three
kinds—

(1) The names as they are now pronounced.

(2) Old written forms.

(3) Physical characteristics of the places denoted by the

names.

(l) At the present day both Gaelic and English Modem
are spoken over the whole of the county, with this
qualification, that in the eastern part English is
predominant, while Gaelic still prevails on the West
Coast and in Lewis. The result is that to some
extent over the whole, but especially in Easter Ross,
we have a sort of double nomenclature ; on the one
hand the names as they are pronounced by the
Gaelic-speaking natives, on the other the Anglified
forms used by English speakers, and by Gaelic
natives, too, when speaking English. These latter
are the "official" forms which appear in the
Valuation Roll, the Post-Office Directory, and on

XXV111. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

the maps, and are often of considerable antiquity.
The form Raddery, for instance, must have come
into vogue at a period when the d of the modern
G. Radharaidh was still audible as a consonant.
Culbokie dates from a time when the o sound had
not yet become a, as it has in modern G. Cuil-
bhaicidh. Strathpeffer shows in an unaspirated
form the /of modern G. Srath-pheofhair. Cromarty
and Drumderfit show old teminations lost in the
modern G. forms Cromba! and Druima-diar. Yet
the practical value of modern English forms by
themselves is small ; at their best they fail to
indicate the quantity or the quality of vowels,
and often they have undergone changes that quite
disguise the original. Modern Gaelic forms of
Gaelic names which have been handed down by
unbroken tradition have undergone only such
changes as occur regularly within the language ;
they are, in fact, Gaelic words, conforming to the
rules of Gaelic phonetics, and form as good a starting
point for the philologist as any other Gaelic words.
There remains the question of the value of Gaelic
forms of names originally Pictish or Norse. In the
case of Norse names, the answer is easy. Gaelic
has been, on the whole, wonderfully consistent in
its treatment of the old Norse vowels and con-
sonants, and it possesses the great advantage of
clearly indicating the quantity of the vowel in the
first syllable of Norse names, which is usually the
important part. In one small class of such names,
indeed, it fails us badly, but it is safe to say that

INTRODUCTION.

XXIX.

very slight authority can be attached to any investi-
gation of Norse names that fails to take careful
account of the modern Gaelic forms. These forms
are imitations, but they are only one degree removed
from the original ; the English forms are imitations
of an imitation. How Pictish names have fared in
Gaelic mouths is the more difficult to determine,
because practically no specimens of that language
have come down to us. It may, however, be
remarked that there is no reason to suppose that
they were treated differently from the Norse names ;
Gaelic may be expected to preserve the vowel
quantity of accented syllables, and to be tolerably
consistent in its phonetics. In both cases there was
a bilingual period, which gave the Gaels ample time
to become familiar with the names which they
adopted from Pict and Norseman. The changes
undergone subsequently have, of course, been in
accordance with those of Gaelic. Examples of
Pictish and Norse names as they appear in the
modern forms will appear later in treating of these
elements ; in the meantime some may be given to
illustrate the comparative value of the modern
Gaelic forms of Gaelic words as compared with their
English equivalents —

Pitnellie(s)

Tenafield

Kindeace

Ardroil

Bogbain

Locheye

Kilcoy

Bail' an ianlaith.

Tigh na fidhle.

Cinu-deis.

Eadar dha fhaodhail.

am Bac Ban.

Loch na h-Uidhe.

Cuil-challaidh.

XXX. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Pookandraw Bog an t-srath.

Fowlis Folais.

Kiurive Ceanna-ruigh.

Fain na Feithean.

Dochcarty Do'ach Gartaidh.

Other examples will be found passim.

Old (2) The forms of names preserved in ancient

Written documerits have been utilised with much success by
Dr Joyce in dealing with Irish names of places. In
Irish writings, names have been transmitted with
great care from very ancient times by scribes who
were masters of the language, and from them
the original forms can often be ascertained with
immediate certainty. For Scotland, unfortunately,
the case is diiferent. The great bulk of our written
forms date only from the period not earlier than the
twelfth century, when charters came in under the
sons of Margaret. Their authority, moreover, is
largely discounted by the fact that they were written
by scribes who knew no Gaelic, and consequently
spelled at random. In the case of Highland names,
it is obvious that charter forms must have been
more or less phonetic attempts at reproducing
Gaelic pronunciations, and their value is, therefore,
greatest when they can be controlled and inter-
preted by the modern Gaelic. This applies equally
to all names not of English origin, whether they are
Pictish, Norse, or Gaelic. Thus controlled, the
charter forms are often helpful and suggestive ; as
independent authorities, they are unreliable. A
few examples are given in illustration ; others in
abundance will be found elsewhere —

INTRODUCTION.

XXX 1.

Pitnellies

Petnely 1512

Bail' an ianlaith.

Pitkerrie

Pitkeri 1529

Baile-cheiridh.

Strath of Pitcaluie

Culderare 1611

C uilt-eararaidh.

Rhives

le Royis 1479

na Ruigheannaiu

Ilu vis 1487

Delny

Dalgeny 1356

Deilgriidh.

Alness

Aleiies 1227

Alanais.

Lemlair

Lemnelar 1227

Luirn na' Lar.

Learnie

Larny 1576

Leatharuaidh.

Achterflow

Ochtercloy 1456

Uachdar-chlo.

Achtirflo 1560

Kilooy

Culcolly 1294

Cuil-challaidh.

Culcowy 1479

Sanachan

Tannachtan 1548

Sambnachan.

Safnachan 1583

Perhaps the best example in Ross of a really
helpful old spelling, which must take precedence of
the modern Gaelic, is Inverasdale, Inveraspidill
1566, &c. ; G. Inbhir-asdal. The oldest record
forms for Ross names belong to the first half of the
13th century, and come from the Register of Moray.
Written forms antecedent to that date are very few.
Ptolemy, the Alexandrian geographer, mentions two
names of places which seem to be rightly located in
Ross, Volsas Sinus, for which cf. Lochalsh, and High
Bank, identified with Norse Ekkials-bakki, modern
Oykell.1 In addition, he mentions three tribal names,
already referred to. The Carnonacae, somewhere on
the West Coast, are, doubtless, the men of the
Cairns, or of the Rough Bounds, and we may com-
pare the modern Carranaich, the Lochcarron men.
In Easter Ross were located the Decantae, but of
their name no trace appears subsequently. So, too,

1 Tliis identification is due to the Rev. Charles M. Robertson.

XXX11. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

with the Smertae, who may have dwelt from Kin-
cardine northwards in the valleys of the Carron,
Oykell, and Shin. In the interval of over a
thousand years between Ptolemy and the record
forms, we find only the old forms of Applecross,
Lewis, and Ross itself.

Physical (3) As the names of places are usually descrip-
Character- tive, it is often useful, sometimes necessary, to see
the place itself. It is only by inspection and com-
parison that one learns, for instance, to differentiate
between the numerous words for hill, or to dis-
tinguish between a strath, a glen, and a corry.
Inspection is specially useful when names are
applied in a metaphorical way, from likeness to some
object, e.g., Meall an Tuirc, Boar-hill, from its
striking resemblance, as viewed from a certain point,
to a boar. Na Rathanan, the pulleys, require to be
seen to be appreciated. Places involving obsolete
names such as eirbhe, faithir, seolaid, eileag, have
to be studied for confirmation of the meaning pro-
posed. This applies specially to Pictish names such
as Allan, Alness, Contin, Aradie. Orrin. But it is
well to bear in mind that no amount of looking at a
place can alter the phonetics of the name, and that
inspirations derived from inspection must be received
with caution.

In the discussions that follow, I have availed
myself wherever it has been possible of the three-
fold data above indicated. In particular, the
modern Gaelic forms, which, in the absence of
reliable old spellings, must be regarded as by far

INTRODUCTION. XXX111.

the most reliable basis of interpretation, have been
ascertained with accuracy from reliable native
sources. In addition, advantage has been taken
largely of the analogy of names occurring elsewhere Analogy,
which are wholly or partly the same as the names
under discussion, or which resemble them in assign-
able respects. This is, of course, merely the method
of comparative philology applied to place-names.
The field from which possible analogies may be
drawn is a wide one ; in practice it will be found
that for Gaelic names one has to compare names
occurring in Scotland and Ireland ; the pre-Gaelic
or Pictish element involves, in addition, an acquain-
tance with Welsh, Cornish, Old British, and Gaulish
names ; while for names of Norse origin the best
auxiliaries are the names that occur in the Sagas,
and especially the Landnama-bok.

IV. — THE FORMATION OF GAELIC NAMES.

Gaelic place-names may be divided into four
classes according as they are — (l) simple or uncom-
pounded words without extension ; (2) simple words
with extension ; (3) compounds ; (4) phrases.

(1) Simple words without extension, e.g., crasg,
a crossing ; magh, a plain (Moy) ; sron, a nose or
point (Strone). The names belonging to this class
are few, and present no difficulty.

(2) Simple words with extension or extensions.
This class is so important as to demand somewhat
•extended treatment.

XXXIV. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The following is a list of the extensions or ter-
minations added on to primary Gaelic words in the
names of Ross : -ach, -adh, -ag, -an, -ar, -dan, -I,
-lack, -lean, -t(d) or -id.

Combinations of two of the ahove are ; -ach + an,
-ach + ar, -ag + an, -an + ach, -ar + ach, -ar + adh,
-ar + an.

Combinations of three are : -ar + an + acli,
-ach + ar + an, -an + ach + an.

-ach (Gaulish -dcus, abounding in ; -dcum, place of) ;
in the locative case it appears as -aich ; the most
eommon of Gaelic terminations.

(a) With nouns : Crann-aich, place of trees ;
Giuths-ach, place of fir ; Carn-ach, place of stones
or cairns ; Capl-aich, place of horses ; Mias-ach,
place of platters ; Soc-ach, place of the snout ;
Eilean-ach, place of islands ; Glaodh-aich, place
of mire ; Av-och, place on the stream ;
Sleagh-ach, ? spear-place ; Ceap-ach, tillage place.

(6) With adjectives, less common : Breac-ach,
dappled place ; Ard-och, high place ; Dian-aich,
steep place ; Liath-ach, grey place ; Leithe-ach,
half place.

In old Gaelic, as is still the case in Irish, the
dative or locative, and also the genitive case of
nouns ending in -ach was formed in -aigh (pro-
nounced nearly -ie), and this old formation survives
in a considerable number of names. On the west
coast we have Logie (twice), G. an Lagaidh ; Dornie
(thrice), G. an D6irnidh (cf. Dornoch, an accusative)^

INTRODUCTION. XXXV.

both used with the article as nouns feminine, after
the model of nouns in -ach ; e.g., Dun na Lagaidh,
the fort of Logie ; Ceannaiche na Doirnidh, the
merchant of Dornie, as compared with Ian Dubh na
Carnaich, &c. The other west coast instances are
not found with the article, viz., Duchary (as against
an Dubhctiroch in Loch broom, for Dubh-chatharach) ;
Tolly (twice) ; Arriecheirie, G. Airigh-che'iridh ; Ach-
a-bhanaidh ; Coire-bhanaidh. In Easter Ross names
with this ending are more common, and they never
have the article. The following occur here : Logie,
Tolly (twice), Pitkerrie (G. Baile-cheiridh ; cf.
Airigh-cheiridh above) ; Delny ; Muie-blairie (cf.
Blairich in Sutherland ; a locative) ; Kinn-airdie
(cf. Ardoch) ; Drynie (cf. an Draighneach) ; Learnie
(cf. Lernock in Stirlingshire) ; Comrie ; Garty ;
Dounie ; Tarvie ; Carn Sgolbaidh ; Cambuscurrie
(cf. Cambuschurrich on Lochtay-side), Haddery
(cf. na Hadharaichean in Perthshire) ; Cartomie
(cf. Tomich) ; Culcraggie ; Culbokie ; Culvokie ;
Duchary ; Balaldie ; Cuil-challaidh (Kilcoy) ; Bealach
Collaidh ; Creag lucharaidh ; Balcony.

The above seem to be all tolerably certain cases
of survival. In one or two instances the usage
varies as between Gaelic and English : Pitglassie is
in G. Bad a' ghlasaich ; Glen Docharty is G. Gleann
Dochartaich. Here the Gaelic forms may be due to a
process of levelling up to the modern -aick formation.

In some other cases, especially in Easter Ross,
this ending seems to have been introduced by
analogy. It is difficult to account for otherwise

XXXVI. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

in Pit-hoggarty, Fluchlady, Muiilochy. Analogy
may also account for Rhynie and Gany (now in
plural Geanies), where the Gaelic is Rathan and
Gaan or Gathan.

-aidh, diminutive : Indistinguishable in sound from
the above is the diminutive ending -aidh found
chiefly on the West Coast.1 In Easter Ross there
are Strathy in Rosskeen, Creagaidh-thom in
Knockbain, and perhaps Aldie near Tain. On the
west we have Lochaidh, a small loch, thrice at
least ; Badaidh, a little clump, is common ;
Camasaidh, a little bay ; Coiridh, a little corry ;
Strathy, a little strath. In the spoken language
perhaps the best instance is rudaidh beag, " a
wee bittie ;" in Sutherland one hears beanaidh,
wifie ; and I have heard eileanaidh beag, a little
islet. This is an ending which does not seem to
occur in Irish names of places, and may be com-
pared with the common Scots diminutive seen in
" wifie," "lassie," "Jamie," &c.

-adh : this termination seems to occur only in con-
junction with -ar, as -aradh.

-ag (Irish -de), now the diminutive termination for
nouns feminine, but in the old language added to
nouns masculine also.

(a) With nouns : Breab-aig. a little start ;
Giag-aig, a little noisy one ; Fearn-aig, the little
place of alder.

(b) With adjectives : Leisg-eig, the little lazy
one, a well ; Dubh-ag, the little black one, a

1 It is also common in Sutherland.

INTRODUCTION.

XXXV11.

common streamlet name ; Cas-aig, the little steep
one, a rock.

-an (Ir. -an ; Proto-Celtic -agnos) now the diminu-
tive ending for nouns masculine.

(a) With nouns : Creag-an, little rock ; Torr-
an, little hillock ; Poll-an, little pool or hollow ;
Loch-an, a little loch.

(b) With adjectives : Arc-an, the little black
place ; Riabhach-an, the little brindled place ;
Garbh-an, the little rough place.

(c) It is common in a collective sense :
C6inneach-an, place of moss ; Dobhr-an, place of
water ; Olach-an, place of stones (stone houses) ;
Eathan (Rhyme), place of raths, or, of the rath ;
Poll a' Mhuc-ainn, pool, or hollow, of the place of
swine ; Druineach-an, place of ? Druids.

-or (cf. Gaulish -aros), rarely used alone. Croch-ar,
place of the gallows ; Salach-ar, place of willows.

-dan, the diminutive or collective termination which
Dr Joyce finds in Sailcheadain, &c., is probably
seen in Ardoch-dainn ; possibly in Crumbauchtyn,
the old form of Cromarty.

-I -II (-lo-), probably in Srath-Chromb-ail, Poll-
moral.

-loch (Gaul. Catu-slogi, war- folk ; G. sluagh) ; a
noun, sunk to a termination.

(a) With nouns : Meagh-laich (mang-lach),
place of fawns ; Muc-lach, place of pigs.

(b) With adjectives : Breac-lach, spotted place ;
Garbh-lach, rough place; Cuillich (cuing-laich),
narrow place ; Fuara-lach, cold place.

XXXV111. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

-lean : Reidh-lean, a little plain ; Ceis-lein, a little
sow (hill name). Very rare.

t, d (-id), found in Ireland by Dr Joyce, and not
uncommon with us. Se61-aid, place of (careful)
sailing, or sailing mark ; Allt na Lath-aid, burn
of the miry place ; Rath-t in Ratagan, from rath,
a round fort ; Meith-eid, Meddat ; Blaad. In
Ireland this ending is specially common in stream
names : Duinn-id, the brown stream, is the only
example in Ross.

-ach + an : a combination in which -an usually seems
to have a collective force. Gius-achan, place of
fir ; Duchan, for Dubh-ach-an, black place ;
Doire-achan, place of groves ; Cais-eachan, place
of cheese ; Achlorachan ; Fiacl-achan, place of
teeth. Na Bothachan (Boath) and na Peit'chan
are plural forms, though -an has in both the open
sound.

-ach + ar : Poll-ach-ar, place of pools, or hollows.

-ag + an: in form a double diminutive, seen in Irish
also. Coire Mhail-eagan (twice), Rat-agan.

-an + acli : a well-attested but rather uncommon
combination. Rath-anaich, place of raths ; Cip-
eanoch, place of blocks ; Frianach for Friamh-
aiaach, place of roots ; cf. Baid-eanach (Badenoch),
drowned place.

-ar + ach: with adjective; Ruadh-ar-ach (Ruaroch),
the red place.

-ar + adh : Bog-aradh. soft place ; Fliuch-araidh,
wet place ; possibly Garbh-araidK, rough place ;
Loch a' Mhagraidh, Loch of the place of pawing
(or, of toads).

INTRODUCTION. XXXIX.

The Gaelic pronunciation renders the first of
these examples certain. The others, so far as
sound goes, might come from a nominative in
-ach, with the old genitive formation in -aigh.

-ar+an : Dos-muc-ar-an, clump of the place of
swine ; Garbh-ar-an, rough place.

-ar+an+ach : Muc-ar-n-aich (Muckernich), place of
pigs ; common ; Beith-ear-n-aich, place of birch :
Ceap-ar-n-aich, place of blocks.

•ach+ ar+an : Loch Beann-ach-ar-an ;

-n-ach-an : Samh-n-ach-an.

isidh, seen in Camaisidh, Caoilisidh, Lianisidh,
Cruaidhsidh ; a difficult termination, possibly
Pictish. It does not seem to occur in Ireland.
(3) Compounds : —

(a) Noun with noun ; an uncommon formation.
Plucaird, lump promontory ; Carnasgeir, Cairn-
skerry ; Eigintol, difficulty hole ; Mor'oich, sea
plain, are the only examples met in Ross.

(b) Adjective with noun : a much more com-
mon formation. Fionn-alltan, white burns ;
Dugaraidh, black den ; Cam-allt, bent burn ;
Gearr-choille, short wood ; Crom-loch, bent loch ;
Du-chary, black rough ground ; Du-loch, black-
loch ; Seann-bhaile, Oldtown, and others.

(c) Preposition with noun : Edderton, between
duns : Eddracharran (New Kelso), between two
Carrons ; Coneas, combined falls ; Contullich,
combined hillocks ; Conchra, combined weirs ;
Conachreig, combination of rocks ; Araird, fore-
promontory ; Ach-eadarsain ; Urray for air-rath
or air-ath.

xl. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

(4) Phrases, of which the component parts stand
in grammatical relation : —

(a) Without the article ; these approximate to
compounds, but have the principal accent on the
second syllable. Beinn-damh, Stag-hill ; Suil-
ba, Cows' eye (a well) ; Acharn, field of the cairns,
and others.

(b) With the article : Carn a' Bhreabadair,
the weaver's cairn ; Tobar a' Chlaidheimh dhuibh,
well of the black sword ; Sgurr nan Conbhairean,
peak of the dog-men. This is a class too common
and well known to need further illustration.
There is, however, a variety, specially common OR
the West Coast, which deserves special notice,
where, contrary to modern usage, the article is
prefixed : an L6n-roid, the meadow of bog-rnyrtle ;
am Blar-borraich, the moor of rough grass ; an
t-Allt-giuthais, the fir-burn ; an Camas-raintich,
the bracken bay. The modern Gaelic formation
would be L6n na roid, &c.; in the old formation
L6n-roid is treated as one word.

Periods The different methods of formation indicated

represented. above mav be taken roughly to represent different
stages or periods. The second class of names, com-
prising those formed by extensions from a simple
root, must have been given at a period when the
language still retained its power of using those
extensions and combinations of extensions to form
fresh names, when, in other words, these were still
living and active. When precisely or even approxi-
mately they ceased to be such is hard to say, but it

INTRODUCTION.

xli.

is significant that the Gaelic names of Lewis and of
Skye are almost wholly of the fourth class, phrase
names. Compounds like Ben Damh, Poll-cas-
gaibhre, Suil-ba, and names involving prefixed
adjectives, nouns, or prepositions, are also of an
antique cast. Phrase names are not necessarily
modern, for they are well in evidence in the Book of
Deer (circ. 1085-1150), but as a rule they belong to
the most recent stratum.

The formation of Gaelic names is closely con-
nected with questions of accent, the position of
general and qualifying words, and the usage of the
article.

In modern Gaelic the adjective regularly follows
the noun, except in the case of the adjectives deagh,
good ; droch, bad ; sar, excellent ; seann, old, which
always precede. The old language was freer in this Prefixed
respect, and in the place-names adjectives are prefixed Adje?tlves
which modern usage would place after their nouns.
The number of such is small, and they are all adjec-
tives of one syllable relating to colour or some
other physical feature. Among the adjectives thus
occasionally prefixed in the names of Ross are the
following : — dubh, black ; ? loch, black ; fionn, white ;
ruadh, red ; Hath, gray ; glas, green ; gorm, blue ;
gearr, short ; garbh, rough ; crom, bent ; cam,
crooked ; meirbh, slender ; geur; sharp ; cruinn,
round ; saobh, false (in saothair) ; mor, big.

In all such cases the principal accent falls on the
adjective, with the result that the noun following it
tends to be pronounced indistinctly, e.g., Fuar-tholl

xlii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

becomes Fuarthol ; Garbh-allt becomes Garbhalt.
The effect is most apparent when the noun is of
more than one syllable, in which case the first
syllable of it is apt to be "jumped," e.g., Dugraidh
for Dubh-garaidh ; or slurred, e.g., Glaic nan Seann-
innsean is pronounced Glaic na' Seannisean ; so also
Bog na Seannan is probably for Bog nan Seann-
athan ; Seann-tulaich becomes Seannt'laich.

The adjective dubh, when placed first, is some-
times lengthened to du by the stress of the accent,
as in Duloch, Dug(a)raidh.

Prefixed Sometimes, though rarely, the prefixed part is a
Nouns and noun use(^ as an adjective (see above 3 (a) ), in

-A.CC£HL. 9 i

which case the results are exactly the same in
respect of accent and effect on the word following.
A special instance of this formation is the very small
class of names represented by Maoil Cheanndearg,
a' Chlach CheanmT for ceann-dearg and ceann-liath
respectively, meaniDg " head-red " and " head-gray/'
or " red, gray in respect of the head." This was a
favourite type of combination in Irish, and is seen in
Gaelic in caisionn for cas-fhionn, foot- white, speckled;
earrgheal, tail-white, etc., and in the common
terrier name Busdubh, muzzle-black.

Prepositions In compounds of which the first part is a pre-
nt' position the principal accent falls on the preposition,
with consequent indistinctness or slurring of the
second part. Thus Con-tulaich becomes Cunnt'laich,
Con-chra is Conachra; Far-braoin becomes Fara-
braoin. When the preposition eadar, between, is
compounded with a dissyllabic noun, there are two

INTRODUCTION. xliii.

principal accents, one on preposition, one on noun,
and eadar itself becomes ead'r, e.g., Eadar-dha-
Charrann becomes Ead'ra-charrarm ; Eadar-da-
chaolas becomes Ead'ra-chaolas. But if the second
part is a monosyllable the accent follows the usual
rule, e.g., Ettridge in Badenoch, Gael. Eadrais for
Eadar-da-eae, between two falls ; cf. Edderton.

In phrase names the principal accent falls on the Accent in

qualify in & part, whether adjective or noun, which J>arase~

J ° 1 J ' .: vmes

regularly comes after the generic part. In con-
sequence, the first part sometimes suffers, while the
second part is preserved entire. Thus Achadh, a
field, appears as achd in Achd-a-charn, Achtercairn,
and many other names ; ach in Ach-na-seileach,
Achnashellach ; acha in Acha-mor, Achmore ; while
it retains its full form in Achadh -ghiiirain. Perhaps
the best example is afforded by the treatment of
neimhidh, church-land. Dalnavie is in Gaelic
Dal-neimhidh ; so also Cnoc-navie and Inch-navie ;
here the strong accent has preserved the second part
in full. But when neimhidh comes first, as the
generic part, it sinks to neo' as in Neo' na Gill,
Nonakiln ; an Neo-mhor, Newmore. This is,
fortunately, an extreme case.

In uncompounded names the accent is always on Accent in
the first syllable, as in Deilgnidh, Delny ; a'
Mhucarnaich, Muckernich.

The usage of the article is noteworthy. As a The Article,
rule it is used with Gaelic nouns wherever the
grammatical structure admits, and the presence of
the article is a sure sign that the word to which it

xllV. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMABTY.

is prefixed either is Gaelic or has been borrowed
into Gaelic, and become naturalised as a Gaelic
word.1 In English we speak of Torran, Tullich,
Boath ; in Gaelic these places are always an Torran,
an Tulaich, na Bothachan.

The absence of the article, however, does not
necessarily prove a name to be non-Gaelic,
though it does raise that presumption. Pictish
names never have the article ; Norse names very
seldom, and then only in Lewis, never on the
mainland. But we have already noted above an
important class of names, chiefly found in Easter
Ross, which almost consistently reject it, though
they may be regarded as Gaelic. The exact explan-
ation of this curious phenomenon is difficult ; these
names were apparently regarded as in some way
unfamiliar or foreign. Perhaps it was because of
their retaining the old locative form, though this
seems hardly an adequate reason. Another class
seldom found with the article consists of names in
-achan, e.g. Giusachan. The only exception met
in Ross is am Fiadachan. Apart from these the
principal case of an apparently genuine Gaelic
name without the article is Suddy, G. Suidhe,
seat, see.

1 This perhaps requires some qualification in view of the usage of the
article with names of countries. Here it is sometimes capricious. Ireland is
Eirin ; Scotland, Alba ; in Ireland^is " Ann an Eirinn ;" in Scotland, " Ann an
Alba ;" yet the article appears with the genitive ; " Coig coigimh na
h-Eirinn ;" " Righrean na h-Alba ;" yet Brag had Albainn, Breadalbane.
Rome, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland, Greece, Egypt, Europe, Asia have the
article in Gaelic — an R6imh, an Eadailt, £c. But Scandinavia is Lochlann.

INTRODUCTION. xlv.

Finally in this connexion we may note that Case,
place-names seldom (if ever) appear in the nomin-
ative case. They are usually in the dative or
locative, the reason being that this was the case in
most common use after a preposition ; there was
seldom occasion to use the nominative, for a place-
name rarely forms the subject of a sentence. Thus
we get Tullich, Cill-duinn (Kildun), Cinn-deis,
where Cill-duinn,1 is dative of Ceall-dhonn, Cinn of
Ceann, and so on. Not unfrequently a name
appears in the accusative, as would arise in cases
where the custom was to speak of " to such a place."2
Thus we have Tulloch, Dornoch, Ardoch, a' Chip-
eanoch, Ceann-a-ruigh (Kinrive), and others, all
accusative.

V. — THE PICTISH ELEMENT.

The Picts of Alba3 are sometimes called by the Terms used
Irish writers Cruithnig arid Cruithne, genitive pi. *°-^e^?,te
Cruithnech, dative Cruithniu, and their land
appears as Cruithen-tuaith. From this form pro-
bably come such names of places as an Carnan
Cruithneachd in Kintail, Airigh nan Cruithneachd
in Applecross and near Scourie (Sutherland), and
Cruithneachan in Lochaber.

More often they are called in the Irish Chronicles
Picti, Pictores, Pictones, rendered into Irish by
Piccardai or Picardaig, genitive pi. Piccardach,
dative Picardachaib. Their country is Pictavia.
In Latin also they are Picti. There were Pictones,

1 Cf. An Candidam Casam, the old Latin form of Whithorn
2 Cf . Stamboul for eis rrjv TrdAti/.
3 The Picts of Erin (immigrants thither) are always Cruithne.

xlvi. PLACE-NAMEB OF ROSS AND OROMARTY.

later Pictavi, in Aquitanian Gaul, whose capital
was Pictava.

The old Norse word for a Pict is Pettr, and the
Norsemen called the channel between Caithness and
Orkney (in G. an Gaol Arcach) Pettlands-fjonSr,
now corrupted into Pentland Firth. In Shetland
there still survive names such as Petta water,
Pettidale, Pettasmog, Pettigarthsfell.1

In a charter of Alexander II. granted to the
Monastery of Kinloss in 1221 appears the phrase
" ad Rune Pictorum," glossed " Hune Pictorum, the
carne of the Pethis or the Pechts feildis " (rune = G.
raon). This gloss shows the old Scottish form of
the name.

Modern philologists derive Cruithne from the
root seen in G. cruth, a shape, "the pictured,
tattoed men." The Welsh equivalent of cruth is
pryd, and as the Welsh name for Britain and for Pict
is Prydain,2 this makes it probable that the name
Britain is derived from the Brit tonic form of Cruithne,
and means the land of the Picts.3 The name Pict
itself, in view of the Gaulish Pictones or Pictavi,
cannot be connected with the Latin pictus, painted.
It was evidently the name by which the northern
Picts were known to the Norsemen, and by which they
doubtless called themselves. The initial p indicates
Cymric affinities, and the word has been equated
with Ir. cicht, engraver, carver, thus again leading
to the notion of tattooing.

1 J. Jakobsen Dialect and Place-names of Shetland.

2 The best and oldest forms of Britain show p, Gr. IIp€TTavot,

our form is from the Latin Britannia.
3 See further A. Macbain's Etym. Gad. Diet., p. 353.

INTRODUCTION. xlvii.

Linguistic evidence goes to show that the Pictish P and Q
language was Celtic, and belonged to the Cymric
branch represented now by Welsh and Breton, and
until recent times by Cornish. One outstanding
difference between the Brittonic and Gadelic
branches of Celtic is their treatment of the
primitive Indo-Germanic qu sound. In Gaelic and
Irish this primitive qu invariably becomes c hard ;
in Welsh, Breton, and Cornish it is represented by
p. Thus a primitive maquo-s, son, becomes Gael.
mac, Old Welsh map. As for the primitive p
sound, it never appears in Gaelic. Initially and
between vowels it has dropped entirely, e.g., Lat.
pater, piscis as against G. athair, iasg. Elsewhere
it is not wholly lost, but leaves some trace either by
way of compensatory lengthening or by a new com-
bination.1 It follows that no genuine Gaelic word
contains a p, except as the result of some late com-
bination of consonants.

Initial p is seen in the names involving Pit,2 to Non-Gaelic
be compared with Welsh peth, a part, Gael, cuid, j
a share portion, O. Ir. cuit, English piece ; in Book
of Deer pett. For the usage we may compare dal,
a share, lot, in Dal-riada. Tiie Pictish pett was
borrowed by Gaelic, and treated as a Gaelic word,
e.g., na Peit'chan, the places of Pits ; Petty, G.
Peitidh, a locative of Peiteach, place of Pits. For
reasons that will occur to Gaelic scholars, Gaels have
usually translated it, most frequently into baile, a

1 For examples, cf. A. Macbain's Etym. Gael. Diet., xxxv.
2 v. Index.

xlviit. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

stead, e.g., Pitkerrie, G. Baile-cheiridh ; sometimes
into innis, a meadow, e.g., Innis-fiur, formerly Pit-
fuir, or bad, a clump, e.g., Pitglassie, G. Bad a'
ghlasaich. Sometimes it is left untranslated, as in
the Black Isle Pitfuir, G. Pit-uir ; Pitmaduthy,
G. Pit-'ic Dhuibh, also Baile-'ic-Dhuibh. The Pits
are mostly confined to Easter Ross, where Pictish
influence was most lasting, but Peitneane appears on
record in Lochcarron, and Pitalmit in Glenelg.
Other names with initial p are Peffer, Porin, Loch
Prille, Peallaig, and those involving preas.
ii. Various. In addition to these p names, which are obviously
non -Gaelic, the following are non -Gaelic either in
whole or in part : —

Achilty (2) Drumderfit Monar

Achterneed Fannich Navity

Allan (4) Fodderty Oykell

Alness Kinnettes Pitcalnie

Balkeith Kincardine Tarlogie

Blairwhyte Lochalsh Udais

Contin Lundy (3) Urquhart

Dallas Multovy

With the exception of Lochalsh and that Lundy and
perhaps Achilty are repeated on the West Coast,
... <\ all the above occur in Easter and Mid Ross. The
explanation of Multovy offered in the text requires
qualification ; the termination is better compared
with the Old Welsh suffix -ma1 (Ir. mag, a plain),
the whole representing a primitive Moltomagos,
Wedder-plain. Lo with Mucovie, Migovie, Inver-

1 Zeuss Gramm. Celt. 4, 890.

INTRODUCTION. xlix.

ness, and probably Rinavie, G. Roinnibhidh in
Sutherland.

It will be observed that Balkeith, Blairwhyte,
Kiunettes, and Kincardine are hybrids, i.e., part
Gaelic, part Pictish. The change from Pit into
Baile has been already noted. That Pictish pen,
head, has been translated into Gael, cinn is proved
by names such as Kinneil and Kirkintilloch of old
Pen-fahel and Caer Pen-taloch respectively. On
this analogy we should have had also at one time
Pencardine, Penettes. Blairwhyte is different ; it
means the Blair (moor) of Whyte, just as we say
the Moor of Rannoch.

The non-Gaelic termination -ais (open a), found Termina-
only on Pictish ground, and referred to a proto-
Celtic vostis, a dwelling, appears in Alness, G.
Alanais ; Dallas, G. Dalais ; Farness, G. Fearnais ;
Kinnettes, G. Cinn-it-'ais or Cinn-iteais ; Cnoc-
udais. The most northerly instance known to me is
Altas, G. Alltais, in Sutherland ; elsewhere it
appears in Forres, G. Farais ; Geddes, G. Geadais.

Another termination occurring only in Pictland -tidh.
is seen in Navity, G. Neamhaitidh or Neamhaididh
(from neimhidh, Gaulish nemeton), Fodderty,
Buchanty (as against Buchan) and others.

Stream names are usually old, and probably most iii. Stream
Ross -shire streams of any consequence possess names Names-
imposed in Pictish times. This, of course, applies
only to the mainland ; the names of Lewis streams,
when they are not Norse, are unmistakably Gaelic
and modern. The majority of the mainland streams

tion.
-ais.

,

1. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND OROMARTY.

— apart from mere burns, which are usually pure
Gaelic — admit of being classified by terminations,
one class, numerically small but comprising the
most important rivers, ending in -n, the other much
larger, consisting of relatively secondary streams,
ending in -ie.

(a) in -n. The -n group includes the two Carrons, Conon,
Gaul. -ona. Qrrin? Crossan, all of which in the text have been

treated as showing the Gaulish river ending -ona,
-onna, -ana, as in Matrona, Saogonna, Sequana.
.--To them should probably be added Averon and
Daan.1 With these may be compared the Don,
G. Dian, proto-Celtic Divona ; Almond from Ambona
(Gaulish ambis, river) ; Spean, Spesona, from root-
as in Spey cognate with Ir. sceim, vomo.

(b) in -idh. To the -ie group belong the following : —

-ios.

-iam Allt Gowrie Wl Grudie (2)

-eta. Allt Rapaidh H,(^ Inver-breakie

Aradie Inver-many

* Ard-essie . ;. Inver-markie

Balgaidh Inver-riavenie

Coire-bhacaidh Loch-calvie

Coire-chrubaidh Polly

Coire Liridh llaonaidh

Eathie (2) Rogie

Glen-calvie Uarie (Strathrory)

Glen-marxie Ussie

One or two of these, e.g., Breakie and perhaps
Bacaidh, may be regarded as diminutives of Gaelic
origin ; cf. p. xxxvi. sup. The majority, however,

' At p. 26 Daaii is treated as a place-name. I have since found that the
littl* glen through which the stream passes near its source is called Gleann.
Da'an, thus suggesting Daao to be a stream name.

INTRODUCTION. li.

seem to be of very old type, showing the termination
-ios seen in Ptolemy's Libn-ios, Tob-ios. Nov-ios,
or perhaps rather -id, common in Gaulish rivers.
The Gaulish ending -eta is also possible.1 The
geographical distribution of these -ie stream names
points to a Pictish origin or strong Pictish influence.
Few or none are found in Dalriada, the oldest
Gaelic settlement. Of the above list nine are in
Wester Ross as against fifteen in the eastern parts.
In Sutherland, where Norse influence was strong,
fewer are found ; there are, however, two Grudies.
But their great habitat is east of Drumalban in the
central Highlands, where Gaelic came latest ; e.g..
Feshie, Tromie, Mashie, Markie, Geldie, Nethy.

There remain some stream names which fall (c) Various,
under neither of the above categories, viz., Goran,
G. Corainn, older Gonrainn ; Meig, G. Mig ; Sheil,
G. Seile, Adamnan's Sale ; Dourag, G. Dobhrag, \ ^p* fjfc
from dobur, water. The first two are difficult
names, of which the explanations given must be
regarded as tentative ; in any case they are obviously
pre-Gaelic. The river Ewe, G. lu, I have taken,
with hesitation, from Ir. eo, yew tree ; the fact that
Tobar na h-Iu in Nigg shows the article is practically
decisive in favour of iu being there at least a Gaelic
word. No Pictish name is accompanied by the
Gaelic article. But the river Ewe may be a Pictish
name from the same root, or from a totally different
one.

1 Gaulish Albeta, White river ; Gabreta, Goat-wood ; cf. Cowrie ;
" flumen Gobriat in Pictayia."

Hi. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

foter. Of prefixes usually regarded as Pietish, there
10 occur in Ross foter, in Fodderty ; and uachdar, in
Achterneed, Achterflo, Achtertyre. The former is
undoubtedly Pietish ; the latter is good Irish,
though in point of fact in Scotland it is confined to
Pietish ground, and may therefore be of Pietish
origin. To these may probably be added the pre-
air. positions ur, Gaelic air, Gaulish are, as seen in
lir- Urray, G. Urra', on the Ford (ath), or possibly near
the Fort (rath). The ur of Urquhart is certainly
Pietish.

In view of the number of Boss* shire rivers of
fair size, it is remarkable that we can show only one
abair. Aber, and that in a corrupt form, Apple-cross.
This may be ascribed partly to strong Norse
influence on the coast, partly to the Gaelic habit of
translating abair into inbhir. To Norse influence
may be due the singular circumstance that no
important stream flowing into the Cromarty Firth
has either abair or inbhir at its mouth ; translation
accounts for Invercarron, Inveraithie.

In dealing with the Pietish element in detail, the
following Welsh words have been compared in the
text : —

arqf, slow : Aradie, Inver-arity : Gaul. Arar, Arabus.
cardden, brake or thicket : Kin-cardine, Ur-quhart.
dot, plateau : Dallas, Dal-keith ; dol-men.
- gwaneg, a wave : Loch Fannich. -v^ \\.\,
gwydd, wood : Bal-keith.
nant, valley : Achter-need.

pawr, pasture : Porin ; Inch-f uir ; Pit-f uir ; Bal-f our ; Doch-
four.

INTRODUCTION. lili.

pefr, bright : Strath-peffer.

peth, portion : Pit-calnie, Pit-kerrie, &c.

prill, streamlet : Loch Prill. 3 «

MM, moor: Ross.

tal, forehead : Tarlogie.

uchel, high : Achilty, Oykel ; Ochil ; Ochil-tree.

ud, a yell, blast : Cnoc-udais.

To these should be added the word preas,
borrowed from Pictish into Gaelic ; cf. W. prys.
In modern Gaelic preas means " bush ;" in place-
names, however, it has rather the meaning of
" clump " or " thicket," which echoes the Welsh
prys> brushwood, covert.

In the above there is a distinct Brittonic element,
which cannot be referred to Gaelic. Many other
names show roots common to both branches, and are
therefore difficult to classify. Thus Delny, G.
Deilgnidh, might be referred to G. dealg or Cornish
dele ; Lainn a' Choirc, Oat -flat, may show the rare
G. lann or the common Welsh llan.

VI. THE NORSE ELEMENT.

While the list of Norse names given in the text
may be regarded as exhaustive for the mainland
part of the county, it is not so in respect of Lewis.

Lewis and Harris are more Norse in nomen-
clature than any other part of Scotland, and it
would be possible from Lewis alone to add a
thousand names, more or less. The great majority
of Lewis names are wonderfully well preserved, and

liv. PLACE-NAMESfiOF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

once the Gaelic pronunciation is heard, present
little difficulty. But there also, as on the mainland,
there is a residue difficult of explanation, to some
extent no doubt involving old Norse words current
in common speech, but not preserved in Icelandic
literature.

Bolstadr. On the mainland the distribution of the term
bolstaftr is analogous to that of G. baile. No name
involving bolstaSr is found on the West Coast ; on
the east there are Arboll, Cadboll, Carbisdell, and
Culbo. On the other hand, we have a parallel to
erg. the distribution of G. achadh in the Norse erg
shieling (borrowed at an early stage from G. airigh ;
O. Ir. airge), which appears on the west in Smirsary,
Kernsary, Blaghasary, Aundrary, but is not found
in the east.

Composition The composition of Norse names differs from that
of Non o£ Qaelic names, in that the specific or qualifying
part, which in Gaelic comes after the generic term,
is in Norse invariably prefixed to it. Thus N.
dalr, a dale, comes at the end of names, after the
descriptive epithet, e.g., Slattadale, Attadale, Scama-
dale. G. dal, a dale, regularly stands first, e.g.,
Dalmore, Dalbreck, Dalnacloich. In this respect
Norse resembles English ; Gaelic resembles Latin.
The accent in Norse names, as in Gaelic names, falls
on the qualifying part, that is, in this case, on the
first syllable.

Quantity In Norse names transmitted through Gaelic the

°\f KI* quantity of the first syllable — which is the important

one — can always be ascertained from native Gaelic

INTRODUCTION. Iv.

pronunciation. The quantity of the following
unaccented syllable or syllables (i.e., of the generic
part) is lost ; long vowels are shortened, e.g., vik,
bay, terminally becomes -aig. Further, in the case
of polysyllabic names, or in the case of compounds
consisting of three words — triple-barrelled — there
is, under certain circumstances, a tendency to
"telescope," i.e., to slur or even wholly jump the Oasis,
middle part of the name. Thus Askary in Caith-
ness is historically known to represent Asgrims-
ergin, Asgrim's Shielings ; the old spelling of
Inver-asdale is Inver-aspedell, G. Inbhir-asdal.
This affects only a small number of names, but
where it has taken place there must, in the absence
of record forms, be considerable uncertainty in
restoring the part suppressed. Apart from this,
the modern Gaelic pronunciation is extremely con-
servative in resisting corruption. A good example
is Skibberscross in Sutherland, G. Siobarscaig; in
1360, Sibyrs(k)oc ; 1562, Syborskeg, Schiberskek.

The hybrids that occur between Norse and Norse-Gaeli«
Gaelic are of a nature easily intelligible. Examples
are Inver-kirkaig, Glen-dibidale, Strath-rusdale,
Ard-shieldaig, Eilean Thannara. Here the Gaels
accepted the legacy of the Norsemen, and finding
such names as Kirkaig, Dibidale, &c., added on
further Gaelic descriptive terms as they found
occasion. The result is frequently unconscious
tautology, as in Glen-dibidale, Glen-deepdale ;
Strathrusdale, Strath-ram's-dale ; Ard-shilldinish,
Cape of herring-cape, and so on. What is not found

Ivi. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMARTY.

is the conscious blending of Gaelic and Norse, e.y.r
it would be wholly impossible to find Norse a, river,
bolstaftr, stead, dalr, dale, ey, island, viJc, bay,
qualified by a Gaelic adjective or noun. What we
do find is the full-fledged Norse name further
described by a Gaelic epithet or generic term, often
unconsciously pleonastic. This is exactly parallel
to the usage as between English and Celtic, e.g.,
the Kiver Avon, the Moor of Eannoch, the Strath-
peifer Valley. There is, however, a very small class
of names where the Norse fjcdl, hill, has been
translated into Gaelic beinn ; the instances known
being Goatfell, G. Gaota-bheinn, Goathill ; Blaven,
G. Blabheinn, Blue-fell; Sulven, G. Suil-bheinn,
Pillar-fell, and Badhais-bheinn in Gairloch. These
must be regarded as the exceptions that prove the
rule. Many Norse terms, of course, have been
borrowed by Gaelic, the outward and visible sign
of annexation being the prefixing of the definite
article. On the mainland one of the names so
borrowed was apparently tafta, an in-field, of
which we have a plural diminutive in Taagan,
G. na Tathagan ; the singular nominative is shewn
in Fear nan Tathag (the genitive plural being in
Gaelic identical with the nominative singular). In
Lewis ordinary Norse names are sometimes found
with the article, e.g., Cnoc a Mhiasaid : the
inference is that there the meaning of these Norse
names continued to be understood down to a late
date.

INTRODUCTION. Ivii.

Eeliable interpretation of Norse names as pre- Norse-Gaelic
served in Gaelic depends on an investigation of I>IlonetlC8-
Norse-Gaelic phonetics. A complete account of the
interchanges between Norse and Gaelic has never
so far been attempted, and that subjoined must be
regarded as subject to amplification and alteration
On subsequent enquiry. In the main I hope it is
correct.

Vowels.

Norse. Gaelic.

a a bakki, bac ; stafrr, stadh ; stafr, Staffa.

a a a, amat ; mar, Masgeir ; skari, Scarista ; gas,

Gasacleit ; grar, Gradail ; gja, geodh, geodha.
e e, ea klettr, cleit ; hesl, Ard-heslaig ; hestr, Hestaval ;

melr, Mealabhaig ; ger^i, gearraidh ; hellir,

Thealasvaigh.

e e slettr, Sleiteadal.

i i gil, gil ; fit, fid ; skip, sgioba ; rif, Biof ; tirnbr,

Teamradal. Final i is dropped : bakki, skiki.
i i hris, Risadal ; sild, Sildeag ; iss, \slivig ; I'm,

Linish ; gnipa, Gniba ; griss, Grisamal.
o o hross, Rosay ; kollr, Colabol ; oruir, Ormiscaig,

6 6 L611, toll ; h6p, ob ; 6ss, os ; stj6rn, Stebrnabhadh •

h61mr, Tolm (-tuilm).
u u kuml, Traigh Chumil ; hund, Hundagro; tunga,

Tungavat ; hlunnr, lunn.
u u hriitr, Srath-rusdail; hiis, Husabost', siili, Sulbheinn;

miili, mii^ (also maoil).

7 i myrkr, Mircabat ; kyrr, Kirivick ; hryssa, Riwil ;

byr^iiigr, birlinn.
y iu dy'r, Diurinish.

y'r, Z7ac?a/.

se ei green, Greinatot.
o o mol, ?7io/ ; stu^, s^o^A ; orfiris-ey, Orasay.

Iviii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Norse. Gaelic,

au 6 straumr, Strom, ; haugr, Tbgh : sautfr, Soay ;

hraun, Rbna.
ei ao geit, Gaota-bheinn ; eifr, uidk(aoidh).

ei breidr, Breidhvat ; belt, beid ; steinn, Steinn.
ey ao reynis-a, Raonasa (Ranza) ; dreyr-rik, Draoraig.
ei reyiT, Reireig.

eu ey-fjord^r, Euord ; ey-fjall, Euval ; ey-fjorfrr,
Euport.

but, eyland, eilean.
ja tjorn gen. tjarnar, (Loch an) tighearna ', hjortr

gen. hjartar, Thartabhat.
ja gja, geodh, geodha.

J6 eo Lj6tr, Mac-Leoid; flj6t, Srath-Flebid (Strath

Fleet) ; but, grj6t-a, Gride.

kv cu kvi, Cuidhshader ; svord'r, Suardal ; sveinn,
sv su Suainabost.

Kvaran, Cuaran.

hv f hvar es,far-asl (where is1?); hvitr, fiuit.2

bh, v hvalr, Valasay.
ch hvammr, Chamasord.

Consonants (N on- Initial).

Norfee. Gaelic.

k g skip, sgioba ; thorskr, trosg • vik, -aig ; skiki,
-sgaig (-scaig) ; skata, sgat, sgait ; sker, sgeir. After
a consonant remains c: myrkr, Mirckabat ; but
Arkb61, ^rfco?.

kk c stokkr, Stocanish ; bakki, iac ; stakkr, stac ;

bekkr, Becamir.

g gh haugr, Tbgh; hagi, Tao'udal (Taghadal) ; vagr»
-bhaigh; Sigurtf-haugr = Siwardkoch 1160; fugl,
Fulasgeir. But «,^r stands : Tungavat, Stangarey.

gg g Skeggi, Sgiogarsta ; egg, Aignish, eig.

1 TFar o/ t^e tfaeZ and the GaU, p. 174.

2 Book of Leinster, 172a 7 ; 205b 48. Tc» these may b« added Hritern
(Whi thorn), Futernc, evideatly a Gaelic form.

INTRODUCTION. lix.

Norse. Gaelic.

t d, t fit, jid ; belt, beid \ grjot, Gride ; setr, Siadar

(Shader) ; flatr, Plaid ; holt, Nead-alt • hrutr,

ruta. tn final becomes t : -vatn, -bhat ; t before 6*

is dropped ; hriitsdalr, Rasdal ; after a consonant

remains t.
tt t klettr, chit ; sle'ttr, Sleit : skattr, Scatail (Sgatail) ;

brattr, Brataig, Bratanish.
p b gnipa, Griba ; hop, bb, Oban ; Pap-ey, Paba. But

pt becomes bht, topt, tobhta.
pp p kleppr, Cleipisgeir ; kappi, Capadal.
& th,dh breidr, Breidhvat ; hladU, Lathamur ; tada,

Tathag ; saiicTa-ey, Sba ; stad'r, -sta(th) ; sto'fr,

Stoth. For -rft- in the body of a word, cf. gerfri,

gearraidh ; -r& final becomes -rd, -rt, fjord'r,

Slpkort, Ckamasord.
d d hund, Hundagro • -nd final becomes -id in Miasaid

for mj6-sund ; remains in Assynt for ass-endi ;

elsewhere remains ; sandr, Sandabhaig.
dd d oddi, Toddin (the point).

1 1 melr, Mealabhaig ; but Is becomes s ; hals, Thais.

m n hamarr, Puthar-hamar • timbr, Teamradail.

ormr, Ormiscaig.
n n always except in terminal -nd, which is sometimes

-id ; gn initial becomes gr in Griba from gnipa.
f f, bh klif, diof; rif, riof; scarf, scarbh ; rof, Robhanis ;

gljufr, Globhur (also ? Gleadhair) ; orfiris-ey becomes

Orasay ; / before s is dropped : klifsgro, Clisgro.

Initial / is apt to become jt? ; flatr, PfaiW (being

mistaken for ph] ; /«- becomes win, nn ; hofn, gen.

hafnar, Thamnabhaigh, Tannara.

th (initial) t throskr, trong ; thari, Tarigeo • Thorir, Tbrasdal.
b (initial) b regularly ; but, biid1, genitive bufrar, Putharol,

Putharhamar.

Initial h frequently developes t in Gaelic, being naturally
mistaken for th, i.e., aspirated t • thus hafnar-ey becomes Tannara ;

Ix. PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

haga-dalr, Taghadal ; Mmr, Tolm and -tuilm ; hjalli-dalr,
Tcalladal ; holl, ^To//. In one important name at least hj
becomes se : Hjaltland, SeaUainn (Shetland), or, in Reay, Seoltain.

VII. CHURCH NAMES.

Columba, the great Apostle of the Northern Picts,
arrived in lona from Ireland in 563, and two years
later visited the Pictish King Brude at his palace
near Inverness. The Irish monks were full of mission-
ary zeal. On the occasion of Columba's visit to King
Brude, incidental mention is made of a proposal by
one of his brethren to seek " a desert in the sea '*
somewhere about the Orkneys. By the end of the
eighth century, as we know on the reliable authority
of the Irish monk Dicuil, as also from other sources,
the missionaries of the Celtic Church had reached
even Iceland, which, however, they abandoned
before the arrival of the Pagan Norsemen in 875.
There is therefore no reason to doubt that before the
year 800 the Christian religion had spread to Lewis
also, though about that time it must have received
a severe check from the influx of the invaders. The
direct proofs of Celtic Church influence are three :—
(l) records, (2) sculptured stones, (3) dedications
and ecclesiastical terms preserved in place-names.
1. Records. Of records we have only those relating to the
Monastery of Applecross, as follows : —

A.D.

671 Maelruba in Britanniam navigavit (Tig. Ann.)
673 Maelruba fundavifc ccclesiam Aporcrossan (ib.).

INTRODUCTION. Ixi.

A.D.

722 Maelruba in Apercrossan, anno LXXX. aetatis suae et

tribus mensibus et xix. diebus peractis in xi. kl. Mai,

tcrtiae feriae die, pausat (ib.).
737 Failbe me Guaire, Maelrubai eiris .i. Apnorcrosain .i.

prof undo Pelagi dimersus est cum suis nautis numero

xxn. (ib.).1

From other sources we learn that Malruba before
he left Ireland was Abbot of Bangor, and that, like
Columba, he was of noble birth.2 His name has
been derived from mael, tonsured, and ruba, peace
or patience ; another quite feasible explanation is
from ruba (now rudha), a promontory ; Mal-ruba =
Gille an Hudha, the Lad of the Point. Names
were often given from the accident of place or time
of birth.3 Dedications to him are extremely common,
and his name assumes a variety of forms. In Ross
we have Combrich Mulruy, i.e., Comraich Maol-
ruibh, Malruba's sanctuary, to wit, Applecross. On
Eilean Ma-Ruibli, Isle Maree, is a bury ing-ground
and sacred well, whose waters used to cure insanity.
In honour of him the finest of our northern lakes
has changed its name from Loch Ewe to Loch
Maree. Near Jamestown in Contin is Preas Ma-

A.D.

1 671 Malruba sailed to Britain.

673 Malruba fouuded the Church of Aporcrossan.

722 Malruba died at Apercrossan at the age of eighty years three months
and nineteen days, on the 21st day of April, being a Tuesday.

737 Failbe, son of Guaire, successor of Malruba in Apuorcrosain, was
drowned in the open sea with his sailors to the number of twenty-
two.

2 Practically all that can be gathered about St Malruba is to be found in
Dr Reeves' article (Proc. Soc. Scott. Antiq. vol. III.)

3 Cf. Mael-Mocheirigh, Slave of Early-rising ; Lat. Manius.

Ixii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Ruibh, Malruba's Grove, long a place of sanctity,
and now the burial-place of the family of Coul. An
autumn fair, Feill Ma- Ruibh, was long held at
Contin, later at Dingwall, where it died out within
living memory. Two or three places are said to be
called Suidh Ma-Ruibh, Malruba's seat, where he
was wont to rest on his journeys, but I have been
so far unable to verify them. One is said to be
marked by a low pillar stone in a field at Bad a'
Mhanaich, Monk's Clump, at the west end of Loch
Rosque.

ii. Sculp- Sculptured stones belonging to the Celtic Church
58 have been found at Applecross, Rosemarkie, Nigg,
Tarbat, Edderton, and Kincardine. The presence
of such, most of them indicating a very high degree
of skill in workmanship, is in itself a conclusive
proof of strong Church influence.

iii. Ecclesias- For convenience, it will be well to include all the
tical Terms, ecclesiastical terms found, distinguishing those

peculiar to the early Church from later ones.
Neimhidh. The word neimhidh, church-land ; 0. Ir. nemed,
saceUum, chapel ; Gaulish nemetoii or nemeton, a
shrine in a grove, is a pagan term grafted on to
Christian usage. It is a common element in Gaulish
names, e.g., Nemetomarus, great shrine ; Augus-
tonemeton, shrine of Augustus ; Vernemetis. faiium
ingens, very great shrine. Zeuss quotes " de sacris
silvarum quae nimidas vocant," concerning shrines
in woods which they call nimidae ; " silva quae
vocatur nemet," the wood which is called nemet.
The root is seen in Latin nem-us, a grove ; Gael.

i

INTRODUCTION. IxiiL

neamh, heaven: It is quite possible that the places
in which the word occurs with us were originally
sacred to the pagan deities of the Picts ; later they
were church-land. In Rosskeeri are Dalnavie,
Cnocnavie, and Inchnavie, Dale, Hill, and Haugh of
the Church -land ; all adjacent to Nonakiln, G. Neo'
na Cille, in 1563 Newnakle, Glebe of the Church,
viz., the ancient chapel whose ruins still exist.1 The
N. Stat. Ace. mentions that in Rosskeen there were
at the time of writing two glebes, one " at Noinikil,
the cell or chapel of St Ninian," a derivation
obviously impossible, for it would require Cill-
Ninian. With this goes also the assumed dedi-
cation to Ninian, who is nowhere commemorated
in Ross. Eastwards of Nonakiln is Newmore,
G. Neo'-mhor, of old Nevyn Meikle, Great-glebe,
the exact representative of Nemetomarus above.
It was church-land before the Reformation. All
these names occur together. The only other
instance in Ross is Navity, near Cromarty, also
church-land, G. Neamhaitidh, the formation of
which makes it very doubtful whether it was
ever given by the Celtic Church, and strongly
suggests Pictish origin.2 It recurs in Fife as Navaty,
in 1477 Nevody. Rosneath, G. Ros-neo'idh, in 1199
Neveth, 1477 Rosneveth may mean Promontory of
the Nemet. Nevay occurs as a parish name in W.
For far.

JIn 1275 we hare " Nevoth et Roskerene " (Theiner, Vet. Mon.), i.e.^
Navie and Rosskeen. It is probable that at this date " Nevoth " included
both Nonakiln and NeMrmoi-e.

2 The well-known legend that the final Judgment is to take place on the
mo'.ir of Navity may have its root in some pagan superstition.

IxiV. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Annat. Annat, G. annaid or annait, Ir. annoid, O. Ir.

Annaid. an^i^ is a very old term, peculiarly and decisively
characteristic of the Celtic Church. It appears to
come from late Lat. antas, antat-is, glossed senatus,
council of the ancients or elders. In Irish usage the
annoid was the church in which the patron saint of
the monastery or monastic district was educated, or
in which his relics were kept. The Book of Armagh
(c. 800) relates that St Patrick left Iserninus or
larnan at a certain place to found his monastery
(manche) and his patron saint's church (andooit).
The exact position of the Scottish Annats is not so
clear ; they are at any rate of great antiquity, indi-
cating doubtless the earliest Christian settlements
in their particular districts. We have Ach-na-
h- Annaid in Kincardine ; Annat and Loch na
h- Annaid in Nigg ; Annat and Clench na h-Annaid
beyond Clachuil on the way to Strathconon ; Annat
opposite Iiivermany ; Annat at Torridon ; and Annat
at Kildonan, Lochbroom — six in all, on the main-
la'nd of Ross. In the Island of Crowlin, off Apple-
cross, is Port na h-Annaid. In Lewis there is na
h-Annaidean, the Annats at Shader ; there is also
an Annat in the Shiant Isles, G. na h-Eileanan
Sianta, the Charmed Isles. These names must
have survived through the Norse occupation from
the time of the early missionaries.

Cill. dM is the locative case of O.I. cell, a church,
from Lat. cella, a cell. In place-names it always
means church, in modern G. churchyard. As a rule
cill stands first in compounds, followed by the name

INTRODUCTION. Ixv.

of the saint commemorated by the dedication.
Sometimes, but rarely, the specific part of the com-
pound is not a saint's name, e.g., Kildun, G. Cill-
duinn, appears to be the locative of Cell-dhonn,
Brown Church. The Gill's of the Celtic Church
may be distinguished by their dedications to Celtic
saints, e.g. , Kilmachalmag ; names such as Kilmuir
and Kilchrist are of Roman Catholic origin. In
English spelling and pronunciation, but not in
Gaelic, cill is apt to be confused with cuil, corner,
e.g., Kilcoy ; caol, narrow, e.g., Kildary ; coille,
wood, e.g., Kinkell, G. Ceann na Coille, Woodhead.
For the Ross Gill's see index under Kil-, Gill-.

Clachan, a stone church, Ir. clochan, a stone Clachan.
bee-hive monastic hut. On the mainland of Ross
clachan is practically confined to the West Coast :
on the east the only instance known to me is Beinn
a Chlachain, not far from the Parish Church of
Kincardine. On the west, as a reference to the
index will show, it is common.

Teampull, a church, borrowed from Lat. templum, Teampull.
a temple, occurs only twice on the mainland, and in
both cases it seems likely that the term applied not
to a "temple made with hands," but to places
naturally adapted to shelter a few worshippers.
In the Isles it means simply church, and is regularly
followed by a saint's name.

Eaglais, from Lat. ecelesia, the modern G. for Eaglais.
church, occurs seldom in place-names. Beinn na
h-Eaglaise above Annat, Torridon, is one of the few
examples with us.

Ixvi. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Seip«il. Seipeil is a late word from Eng. chapel, as is
shown by initial s ; a direct loan from Lat. capella
would give caibeal.

Manachainn Manachainn, a monastery, abbey, priory, from
manach, a monk. From the Abbey of Fearn the
parish is in G. Sgir na Manachainn. The other
northern example is Beauly Priory, G. Manachainn
'ic Shimidh, v. Fearn.

Comraich. There were in Ross two girths or sanctuaries,
that of St Malruba in Applecross, and of St Duthac
at Tain. The memory of the former is preserved in
the G. name for Applecross, a' Chomraich, and of
the latter by Clais na Comraich, on the Scotsburn
road, two miles from Tain. The limits of both were
marked by stone crosses. Reference to the Tain
girth-crosses is made in the text ; in Applecross one
was to be seen just opposite the U.F. Church
Manse till recent times, when the zeal of a Pro-
testant mason smashed it. The most notable
personages who sought to the sanctuary of St
Duthac were the queen and daughter of King
Robert Bruce (1306); "but that travele they mad
in vane," for the influence of the English King was
sufficient to induce William, then Earl of Ross, to
violate the girth and surrender the fugitives. The
last occasion of public importance in this connection
was in 1483, when William, Lord Crichton, on a
charge of treason, took refuge in the girth of Tain.
Celtair. Celta-ir, an Irish word for church, is perhaps seen
in Kildermorie, Alriess, though in the absence of
the Gaelic form we can have no certainty. Natives

INTRODUCTION. Ixvii.

speak only of Gleanna-Mhoire, Mary's Glen. Per-
haps Kildermorie is to be regarded as a reversed form
of Maryculter, a name which, with Peterculter, has
never been satisfactorily explained.

Crois, a cross, appears in Crois Catrion, near Crois.
Tain ; probably also in Crosshills, and Corslet.

A' Ohananaich, the place of Canons, Chanonry, Cananaich.
is the Gael, name of Fortrose. A Roman Catholic
term.

Sgir, a parish, is a loan from Ang. Sax. sci'r, a Sgir.
county, now shire.

Other ecclesiastical terms occasionally found in Manach.
place names are manach, a monk ; sagart, a priest ; ^** "
cliar, clergy ; cleireach, a cleric ; mfnistir, a minister Oeireach.
— the last a presbyterian term. Cf. Ard-mhanaidh , Mmistir-
Priesthill, Dochnaclear, Dalnaclerach, Clach Airigh
a' Mhinistir.

Traces of ecclesiastical establishments found by Norse
the Norsemen on their arrival are Inverkirkaig, ^er^g
from kirkju-vik, Church Bay ; Mungasdale, Monk-
dale, both in Lochbroom ; Pabay, Pope or Priest
Isle ; Bayble, Priest-stead ; Mungarsta, Monk-
stead, in Lewis.

The saints commemorated in Ross are Columba, Dedications.
Moluag, Donnan (contemporaries of Columba),
Colman, lurnan, Malruba (already mentioned),
Fillan, Congan, Kentigerna, Fionn, Brigb, Curitan,
Ferchar, Dubhthach or Duthac, and perhups Cormac.

No dedication to St Columba appears on the Columba.
mainland of Ross. In Lewis the old church of
Lochs, on Eileau Chalum-Cille (St Columba's Isle),
was dedicated to him.

Ixviii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Moluag. Moluag shows the honorific prefix mo, my, com-
mon with saints' names. Lu-oc itself is a pet form
of Lugaid, root long, win, whence the Celtic sun-
god Lugos. The saint was Bishop and Abbot of
Lismore, and tradition says that he was buried at
Rosemarkie.1 His name survives in Davach-Moluag,
Fodderty.

Domian. Donnan of Eigg (from donn, brown), has his
name preserved in Kildonan on Little Lochbroom,
Seipeil Donnain or St Donan's Chapel in Kishorn,
and probably j Eilean Donnain, Donnan's Isle,
Kintail.

Colman. Caiman, " little dove," was a favourite name
among the Irish clerics, and in the multitude of
Colmans it is impossible to be sure of the particular
saint who is commemorated in the names Kilmach-
almag, G. Cill-mo-Chalmaig, and Portmahomack,
G. Port-mo- Cholmaig, and to whom the parish
church of Tarbat was dedicated. In Portmahomack
is Tobair Mo- Cholmaig, St Colman's Well. At
Kilmachalmag, near the right bank of the burn not
far from its mouth, there are still traces of a very
small chapel adjoining a disused and sadly neglected
bury ing-ground. East of it is Achnahannet, noted
above,
lurnan. ;por Iurnan Vm under Killearnan.

Fillan, G. Faolan, little wolf, was the son of
Kentigerna. Hence Kilillan, G. Cill-Fhaolain, in
Kintail.

1 Aberdeen Breviary.

INTRODUCTION. Ixix.

Congan, brother of Keritigerna, is the patron Congan.
saint of Lochalsh, and appears also in Kilchoan,
now Mountrich, in Kiltearn.

Kentigerna, Ir. Caintigerna, kind lady, crossed Kentigerna.
from Ireland to Lochalsh, according to the legend,
c. 615, accompanied by her son, Fillan, and her
brother, Congan. Her name is kept in Cill-
Chaointeort (Glenshiel), in 1543 Kilkinterne, 1727
Kilchintorn, 1719 Killiwhinton. It will be seen
that the place-names support the legend.

The existence of St Fionn is guaranteed by the Fionn.
name Killin, G. Cill-Fhinn, at Garve, taken together
with Loch Maol-Fhinn, Loch of the shaveling of
Fionn, which is the G. for Loch Garve.

Brigh, a female saint ; Cladh mo-Bhrlgli is a Brigh.
small burial place with remains of chapel between
the public road and the sea, two miles east of Ding-
wall.

Curitan, G. Curadan, Latinised Queretinus, and Curitan.
sometimes called Boniface, was a native of Scotland,
for he is referred to as Albanus Queretinus (i.e.,
Curadan Albanach), cf. St Duthac. Curitan was an
important personage, who flourished c. 700, a con-
temporary of Nechtan, son of Derili, that King of
the Northern Picts who promulgated the edict of
conformity to Rome in the matters of Easter and
the tonsure. It is probable that Curitan was of the
Romanising party, and was Nechtan's adviser in
things spiritual. In Ross we have Cladh Chur-
adain, St Curitan's graveyard, a small rectangular
burying-ground north of the farmhouse of Assynt,

Ixx. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Novar, used within living memory, and stated to
have contained stories with inscriptions and car-
vings.1 Cnoc Churadair, north of Ardoch, Alness,
is St Curitan's Hill (the n of Cladh Churadain is
sometimes heard as r) ; as the place is thickly
wooded, it would be difficult to search for remains
of a chapel, and I have heard no tradition. Other
traces of Curitan are Cladh Churadain and Suidh
Churadain at Lochend, Inverness; Cladh Churadain
at Struy, Strathglass ; Cladh Churadain, Tobair
Churadain and Croit Churadain in Gleri-Urquhart.
The old church of Fearnua, in Kirkhill paiish, was
dedicated to " Corridon."

Ferchar. Ferchar (Ver-caros, very dear), is known only by
a small deserted burial-place opposite Shiel School,
called Cill-Fhearchair.

Dubhthach. Dubhthach or Dubtach (Dubotacos), from Dubh,
black, was a name not uncommon. Dubhthach,
contemporary with St Patrick (432), was one of the
nine compilers of the Seanchus Mor ; another was
Abbot of lona (850-870), and there were others
besides. It is generally agreed, however, that St
Duthac of Tain is the one whose death is thus
recorded in the Annals of Ulster under date 1065:—

Dubtach Albannach, prim Anmchara Erinn agus Albain in

Ardmacha quievit.
Dubtach of Alba, chief soul-friend of Erin and of Alba rested

in Armagh.

St Duthac is the patron saint of Tain, where may
be seen the ancient chapel " quhair he was borne,"

1 This venerable spot was inadvertently planted, but is now cleared and
tended by order of Novar,

INTRODUCTION. Ixxi.

and Tain in G. is Baile-Dhubhthaich, Duthac's Town.
Hugh Miller notes St Duthus' well near Cromarty.
In Kintail there are Clachan Dubhthaich on Loch
Duich, and Cadha Dhubhthaich, the name of the
Bcalach leading into Glen Affric.

The name of St Cormac may be commemorated Cormac.
in Tobair Corniaig, Niggf. A Tain fair was also
named after him (v. Tain). Cormac was the name
of the brother for whom Columba sought the pro-
tection of King Brude, and who reached Orkney in
his voyaging.

All the saints above mentioned belong to the Roman
Celtic Church, though by Duthac's time relations Dedication!.
with Rome were closer. To the subsequent period,
when under the influence of Queen Margaret and
her sons the Scottish Church was made in all
respects to conform to the Church of Rome, belong
such dedications as Kil-muir, Kirk-michael, Kil-
chriat, and names like Tobair Eadhain Bhaist, Port
Eadhain Bhaist, Weil and Port of St John the
Baptist. St Cowstan's Chapel, on the Eye Penin-
sula, shows a dedication to St Constantino .

VIII.

It may be useful to add a short analysis of the
principal terms connected with natural features,
artificial structures, old occupations, plants, animals,
etc., found in the names of Ross. As the Norse
names of Lewis are so arranged in 1 he text, it will
be unnecessary to include them here.

Ixxii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Streams. The general name for a river is abhainn, applied
to all relatively large streams, and often to smaller
ones, whose course is tolerably smooth. The obsolete
word abh, stream, is seen in Av-och, stream place.
Allt, in Irish means a wooded valley or glen, a cliff ;
in Welsh, a wooded cliff; connected with Lat. altus,
high. Our meaning of " stream, burn," is peculiar to
Scottish Gaelic, and is probably of Pictish origin. The
original meaning appears in the common Leth-allt,
half-burn, really half-height, applied to a burn with
one steep side. Oaochan, from caocli, blind, is applied
to a small stream which is sometimes almost hidden
by the heather. Another term for stream is glais,
more common in Ireland than in Scotland. With
us it occurs in Glen-glass, in Fowlis G. Folais for
fo-ghlais, arid in Allt Folais on Loch Maree. A
slender rivulet is feadan. The very general term
uisge, water, is met in Uisge Bhearnais, water of the
cleft, Kintail. A still, narrow channel between two
waters is uidh, a water isthmus, from Norse ei(S.
The nearest Gaelic equivalent is eileach. Feitli,
literally a vein, is applied to a bog channel.
The O. Ir. word bir, denoting water, well, is seen in
Poll a' Bhior, in the Applecross river. O.G. and
Pictish dobur, water, gives Dobhran, Dourag,
Eddirdover. A fall is eas ; a combination of two or
more is coneas. Cuingleum, Coylum, narrow leap, gut.

Marshes. The Pictish name for a marsh appears to be
Allan, from the root seen in Lat. pal-us. Alness,
G. Alanais, means ' the place of the marsh.' Riasg
means a boggy place, where dirk grass grows.
Bogradh is a soft place ; glaodhaich, a miry, gluey

INTRODUCTION. Ixxiii.

place ; cathar, a place of broken, mossy ground. A
damp meadow is Ion usually ; once we find cala.

The Pictish for confluence is Con tin, in G. Confluences.
Cunndainn, cf. Gaulish Condate, Contion-acum.
Another Pictish term is obair, for od-ber, out-put,
out-How, corresponding to the Gael, inbhir for in-
ker, in-put, in-flow. The real term for a junction is
comar, from eon-ber, joint-flow ; also, though rarely,
comunn. In Lewis the regular term for a river
mouth is bun, bottom. The Norse for confluence is
dr-mot or d-mot, river-meet, appearing as Amat.

A ford is dth ; a ford-mouth, beul-atlia, pro- Fords,
nounced quickly apt to be confounded with baite.
A place where crossing was wont to be made on
planks sometimes involves cldr, a board, e.g., Poll
nan Clar. A place for crossing on stones is
clacharan, in Lewis starran.

Camas means a bay, bend ; ob from Norse hop is Sea Terms,
the same ; also bdgh, a late word not much used in
place-names. A sound, firth, or narrow is caolas or
simply caol, e.g., Caolas Chromba', the Cromarty
Firth ; an Caol Arcach, the Orkney Narrow, i.e., the
Pentland Firth. A tide race is sruth, e.g., Sruth na
Lagaidh ; or strom, from Norse straumr. Parts of
the Minch are called linne, pool, e.g., an linne Sgith-
eauach, an linne Rarsach. The Minch itself is a'
Mhaoil, the Moyle ; also an Cuan Sgith, the sea of
Skye ; Cuan Uidhist, the Little Minch. A shore is
cladach ; a stony beach, faoilinn ; a sea bank, scaup,
oitir ; port means a harbour on the west coast ; on
the east a ferry, usually ; aiseig, a ferry. Feadhail

Ixxiv. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

is an extensive beach, or a place between islands
uncovered at low tide ; pi. feadhlaickean. Bodha,
Norse bofti, is a sunken reef; iolla, a fishing rock,
usually covered at high tide. Saothair, from saobh-
thir, false-land or side-land, is a low promontory
covered at high water, or the similar bank between
an Eilean Tioram and the mainland. The shelving
slope between the old raised beach and the present
beach is on the west coast c&TLedfaithir, probably
from fo-thir ; Tairbeart is a portage, isthmus.
Flats. The level land by a river side is srath, a strath,
Norse dalr, dale. The term srath is much commoner
in Scotland than in Ireland, and may be rather
Pictish than Gaelic. A narrow strath is gleann,
a glen ; a rounded glen is coire, a cauldron, corry ;
often narrow at the mouth. Innis, primarily an
island, means commonly a haugh, river-side meadow ;
fan is a level place or a gentle slope ; hence fanaich,
place of the flat. Dail is a dale, usually by a river
side ; it is to be compared with Pictish dol,
dal, dul, plateau. A plain is magh ; a sea-plain
is mor'oich, from mur-magh ; a mossy flat is blar.
Machair is an extensive low-lying fertile plain ;
monadh, tolerably level hill ground. In Lewis the
land between machair and monadh, the strip where
the houses stand, is the gearraidh, from Norse
ger^Si, an enclosure. Another word for a plain is
clar, primarily a board. A little plain is re'idhlean ;
a wet plain or lea, leana, diminutive leanag, or
with us lianag, e.g., Lianagan a' Chuil-bhaicidh.
Faithche means a lawn ; ailean, a green ; cluan,
meadow.

INTRODUCTION. Ixxv.

ID dealing with names of lochs, straths, glens,
and comes, it is well to remember that the Celtic
custom is to name each after the stream that flows
through it.

A gap or pass between hills is bealach ; a cleft is Hollows.
beam or bearnas. A chasm is glom, e.g., Eas na
Glomaicb, Falls of Glomach. Eag is a sharp notch ;
lag, a rounded hollow ; slacan, a circular depression
like a kiln ; poll, a wet miry hollow, also, a pool ;
sloe, a pit, slough ; cos, a nook ; dais, a narrow
shallow ravine.

Beinn (an oblique case of beann) with us means Heights,
a high hill ; in Ireland applied only to hills of
medium size. Its primary meaning is pinnacle,
horn, which is still kept in Eilean na Binne and in
the adjective beannach, pointed. Sliabh, applied in
Ireland to mountains, is very rare with us, and
means rather a mountain moor. A hill of medium
height is cnoc ; xgurr is a high sharp pointed hill ;
-sgor, a peak. A low smooth hill or ridge is tulach ;
the highest tulach is Tulach Ard or Ard-tulach in
Kintail. Tom is a rounded knoll, with diminutive
toman ; a one-sided torn or toman is a tiompan. A
great shapeless hill is meall, a lump ; sgonn is
similar, but rare ; maol, maoil, means a great bare
rounded hill. Aonach is (1) market place, (2) high
moor ; aoineadh, a very steep hill side. A broad
slope is leathad ; leacainn and leitir have much
the same meaning. A level shelf in a hill side
where one would naturally rest is spardan, a roost,
or suidhe, a seat. Pait, a hump, sometimes a ford.

Ixxvi. PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Two words remain : sitliean and cathair. Slthean
means a fairy mound ; in some of the very few cases
in which it occurs with us it applies to a big rounded
hill. The fairy mound is always called cathair on
the West Coast, and conversely almost every cathair
is a fairy mound.

The following parts of the body are found used
to denote shape, position, and appearance : — Ceann,
head ; claigionn, skull ; aodann, face ; sron, nose ;
beul, mouth ; teanga, tongue ; fiat-ail, tooth ; bile,
lip ; siiil, eye ; feusag, beard ; braghad, neck, upper
part of the chest ; uchd, breast, with its diminutive
uchdan ; cioch, mam, a pap ; druim, a back ;
gualann, shoulder ; achlais, arm-pit ; ruigh, fore-
arm ; meoir, fingers ; ionga, nail ; dorn, fist, cf.
Dornie ; mas, buttock ; amhach, neck ; ton, rump ;
slios, side.

Woods. The generic term for wood is coille ; doire means
Plants a grove> primarily of oaks ; bad, diminutive badan
and badaidh, is a clump ; gar, a thicket, is rare ;
preas, in modern G. a bush, is in place-names better
translated clump. The Pictish cardden, a brake,
occurs in Kincardine, Urquhart, and Glen-Urquhart.
A tree is crann, whence Crannich. Of individual
trees we have call, hazel (the modern calltuinn never
appears), darach, oak ; rala, oak ; beithe, birch ;
caorunn, rowan ; giuthas, fir ; cuilionn, holly ;
fiodhag, bird cherry ; fearna, alder ; sgiach, haw-
thorn ; draigheann, blackthorn ; seileach, willow ;
uinnsin, ash, is rare ; leamh, elm, also rare and
somewhat doubtful. From fiodh, wood, comes

INTRODUCTION. Ixxvii.

Achnegie, G. Achd-aii-fhiodhaiclh, with which may
be compared the Pictish Balkeitli.

Among the smaller plants are aitionn, juniper ;
bealaidh, broom ; eidheann, ivy ; roid, bog myrtle ;
raineach, also rainteach, bracken ; fraoch, heather ;
luacliair, rushes ; creamh, wild garlic ; borrach,
rough hill grass ; giivran, cow parsnip ; suibhean,
raspberry ; dris, bramble ; sarnh, sorrel ; feartag,
sea-pink ; carrachan, wild liquorice.

The regular words for promontory are rudha and Promon-
ard or aird, corresponding to Norse ness. Ros, a
point, occurs in Rosemarkie and Rosskeen. Some-
times, chiefly in Lewis, gob, a beak, occurs. A little
promontory at the end of a rounded bay is corran,
very common on the west coast. Ploc is a lumpish
promontory. Maoil, a loan from Norse miili, is rare.
cf. the Mull of Cantyre.

The various names for horse are each, marc, Animals.
capull ; a mare is lar, and is often difficult to dis-
tinguish from lar, floor, low ground ; and lar, middle.
Tarbh is a bull ; bo, a cow ; laogh, a calf (of cow or
hind) ; gamhainn, stirk ; gabhar, a goat ; boc, buck ;
meann, kid. Caor, a sheep, does not occur, though
mult, wedder, appears as applied figuratively to sea
rocks ; also in the Pictish Multovy ; Norse, saufta,
sheep, hrutr, ram, give Syal and Strath-rusdale ;
muc, pig, is common ; tore, boar, is applied some-
times to hills from their appearance, e.g., Meall an
Tuirc ; sometimes from the wild boar ; cat, a cat,
indicates haunts of wild cats ; broc, badger, is rare ;
cu, dog ; cu odhar, otter, appears in Altchoriier, G.

Ixxviii. PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Allt a' choin uidhir ; madadh may mean either fox
or wolf. Of the deer tribe, we have damh, stag ;
eilid, hind ; agh, hind ; mang, fawn ; earb, roe.
Moigheach, a hare, occurs once.

The following names of birds are found :—
Coileach, a grouse cook ; clamhan and clamhag, a
kite ; speireag, a sparrow-hawk ; seabhag, a hawk ;
fitheach, a raven, also the old word bran, raven ;
iolair, an eagle ; feadag. a plover ; druid, a thrush ;
corr, a crane ; lack, tunnag, a duck ; leirg, black
throated diver ; geadh, a goose ; caiman, a pigeon ;
eala, a swan ; sgarbh, a cormorant.

Dwellings. A house is tigh. The regular word for a home-
stead is baile, so common in Ireland. The distri-
bution of this term in Ross is remarkable. In
Easter and Mid Ross it is extremely common,
occurring over eighty times. On the west there are
only four instances, Balmacarra in Lochalsh, Baile
Shios, Baile Shuas, and am Baile Mor ( = Flower-
dale) in Gairloch ; in Lewis there is only Balallan.
The absence of baile in Lewis is natural : the town-
ships are denoted by the Norse bol-sta&r and stafSr.
On the West Coast its place is taken by achadh, a
cultivated field, which is correspondingly rare in the
east. The distribution of achadh is over forty in the
west, to about twelve in the east. The Pictish pett
so common in Easter Ross has already been noted.
Both, a booth, hut, occurs only in na Bothaclian,
Boath, and perhaps in Claonabo in Kin tail. This is
another term the distribution of which throughout
the Highlands deserves investigation. It is very

INTRODUCTION. IxxiX.

common along the valley of the Caledonian Canal,
also in certain regions of Perth and Stirling,
extremely rare north of Inverness. The obsolete
fasadh, a dwelling, is frequent ; outside of Eoss it
occurs in such names as Fassiefearn, Teanassie, Foss.
Another much less common term of the same
meaning is astail. A shieling hut was called long-
phort,1 which appears in Loch-luichart, and in the
form of Longard, Lungard. Treabhar, as a collective
noun in common use in Easter Ross, meaning farm
buildings, is found once only in Tornapress, G.
Treabhar nan Preas. The ancient fortified places
are represented by dun, rath, lios. The site of a
ruined house is larach ; a ruin with walls s Landing
and roof fallen in is tobhta.

A cultivated field is achadh (shortened into ach, Cultivation
acha, achd), the distribution of which has been Encu>glircs
noted above. Another word in common use for
field is raon ; a lea field is glasaicli ; a park is
pairc, an early loan from English ; bard, very common
in Mid Eoss, means, usually, enclosed meadow.
lomair is a ridge or rig ; feannag, a lazy-bed ; gead,
a narrow strip of land. Gart is enclosed corn-land ;
diminutive goirtean ; ceapach, a tillage plot. Terms
connected with enclosures are eirbhe, now obsolete,
a fence, or wall ; dig, a moat ; cro, a sheep fold, with
its variant era, a cruive ; buaile, a cattle fold ; fang,
a fank ; geata, a gate ; cacJ/aileitJi, a field gate, or
hurdle. A tidal weir for catching fish is cairidh ;
an arrangement for catching fish in a stream by

1 Taylor, the Water Poet, who travelled in Scotland in 1618 and saw a
hunting in Marr, mentions the " small cottages, built on purpose to lodge in,
which they call Lonquhards."

Ixxx. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

means of the cabhuil is eileach, applied also to a
narrow shallow stream joining two lochs, or to a
mill-lade. JEileag, now obsolete, appears to have
been a Y-shaped structure, wide at one end, narrow
at the other, into which deer were driven and shot
with arrows as they came out.1

Together with the general term arbh, corn,
Crops, which occurs thrice, there are several names
involving seagail, rye ; Lainn a' Choir c is the Oat-
flat ; lion, flax, occurs twice.

In connection with the preparation of corn for
Occupations fOOcl are ath, a kiln ; eararadh, the process of
Customs, parching ; muileann, a mill. Sabhal, a barn, is
fairly common, as also baitheach, a cow house.
Cnagan na Leathrach, and possibly the Sutors, are
connected with tanning. Allt and Muileann
Luathaidh commemorate the fulling of cloth.
Gobha, a smith, occurs in Balnagown and Led-
gowan. Ceardach, a forge, smithy, has sometimes
reference to ancient smelting works. The seven-
teenth century works on Loch Maree side give
a' Cheardach Huadh, the red smithy, Fuirneis,
Furnace, and Abhainn na Fuirneis, E-iver of the
Furnace. The old practice of making peat char-
coal gives rise to Meall a' Ghuail. The shieling
custom gives the numerous names involving
airigh. Flax was steeped at the Lint-pools
and Tobair narn Puill Lin, and linen was bleached
at Baliritore. Balleigh means Leech's or Physi-
cian's stead. Baronies with power of pit

1 Another name, not found in Ross, for a similar arrangement, but not
necessarily artificial, is Elriy, G. lolairig.

INTRODUCTION. IxxxL

and gallows have left traces in the not uncommon
Cnoc na Croiche, where men were hanged, and Poll
a' Bhathaidh, where women were drowned.

The old standard measure of land in Pictland was Land

. . ,, P ., , , Measures,

the dabhach, originally a measure 01 capacity, vat.

The extent of the dabhach varied according to the
land and the locality. It is usually given as four
ploughgates, but must have been often less. Many
names involving dabhach are found all over the
mainland part of Ross. Lewis was divided into
fifteen davachs. The word usually appears in
English as Doch ; in E. Ross the Gaelic form is
do'ach. A half-davach is leith-do'ch, Englished
Lettoch. or sometimes Halfdavach, whence Haddach,
Haddo. Further divisions of the davach appear to
have been the ceathramh, fourth part, and the
ochdamh, eighth part, whence Balcherry, Ochto or
Ochtow.

The old Gaelic practice of division into fifths
survives in the name Coigach, Place of fifths.

The oxgate appears doubtfully in Midoxgate ;
the rental of 1727 gives Mickle Oxgate and Middle
Oxgate as divisions of Ruarach in Kintail. The
merkland survives in Drumnamarg in the Black
Isle, and in 1538 appear "the four merklands of
Eschadillis" (Eskadale, Ashdale), somewhere in
Strathconon. But apart from the davach and its
divisions, the representation in place-names of these
old land measures is trifling.

Aon, one, is found in Leathad an aon Bhothain,
Hillside of the one hut. Names involving the ations
numerical da, two, are not uncommon on the West

Ixxxii. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Coast, e.g., Achadh da Tearnaidh, Field of two
Descents ; Cnoc da Choimhead, Hill of two pros-
pects; Ach' da Domhnuill, Field of two Donalds;
Ach' da Sgaillt, Field of two bare places; Poll
da Ruigh, Wet hollow of two slopes. In the eastern
part the only examples met are Cnoc Dubh eadar
dk Allt a' Chlaiginn, Black hill between the two
burns of the Skull, and Ach' d& Bhannag, Field of
two Cakes. Trl, three, is found in Sgeir an Trith-
inn, Trinity Skerry, a sea rock with three humps.
Coig, five, is the base of Coigach, Place of Fifths.
Seachd, seven, occurs in Fuaran seachd Goil, Well
of seven Boilings. Leth, half, is frequently prefixed
to denote one-sidedness. Lethallt, half-burn, really
half-height, describes the valley of a stream with
one steep side ; leth-ghleann, half-glen, is of similar
meaning. Leth-chreag is a one-sided rock ; leith-
each, a one-sided place, half-place, e.g., the narrow
strip of land between loch and hill ; Norse skiki.
So lethoir, half-border, similar in meaning to Welsh
lledymyl = G. leth-iomall, border near the edge, which
exactly describes Learnie, on the south side of the
Black Isle, sloping down to the sea- cliffs. The very
common leitir is probably for leth-tir, half-land,
sloping hill-side.

Historical Fights of olden times are commemorated in such
Events and names as Blar nan Ceann, Knocknacean, Ath nan
Ceann, Moor, Hill, and Ford of the Heads ; Allt nan
Cnuimheag, Burn of Worms ; Bealach nam Brog,
Pass of the Brogues; a more recent battle (1719)
has left its mark in Sgurr nan Spainteach, Peak of

INTRODUCTION. Ixxxiil.

the Spaniards. Cadha na Mine, Path of the Meal,
and other names near it, are connected with the '45.
Leac na Saighid and Sgurr na Saighid recall old
feats of archery. One of the most interesting names
is Scotsburn, G. Allt nan Albanach, in connection
with which are Cam nam Marbh, Dead men's Cairn ;
Lochan a' Chlaidheimh and Bearnas a' Chlaidheimh,
Sword Lochlet and Sword Cleft. That a consider-
able battle was fought here is practically certain ;
also that Albanaich, " Scotfcis men," were engaged
in it. The curious thing is that the burn should
have been named from the Albanaich, Scots, and
not from their opponents, as might have been
expected. It looks as if from the standpoint of the
namers the Albanaich were regarded as strangers.
They may have been Lowland Scots.

The great Pictish name Nectan appears in the
obsolete Dalvanachtan, i.e., Nectan's davach, also in
Cadha Neachdain, Nectan's Path. The latter is one
of the many steep paths in Nigg Rocks, and from the
fact that near it is a cave called Uamh an Righ, the
King's Cave, one is inclined to connect it with the
Pictish King Nectan, son of Derili, who flourished
circ. 715. This king had a remarkable and
chequered career, one of the incidents in which was
his joining the Church or becoming a recluse. The
scene of his clericatus is unknown, but it may be
plausibly conjectured that he spent some part of it
in Uamh an Righ.

The great forest or hunting ground of Freevater,
G. Frith Bhatair, Walter's Forest, in which Leabaidh

Ixxxiv. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Rhatair, Walter's Bed, occurs twice, most probably
derives its name from Walter, that son of the fourth
Earl of Eoss who fell at Bannockburn, v. p. 12.

Glaic an Righ Chonanaich, Hollow of the Strath -
conon King, is a somewhat surprising name, for
which v. p. 249. The West Coast names are rich in
references to local men and events of note. Of
legendary heroes we have Fionn, Diarmad, and
Oscar, all of the Fenian cycle. The widely spread
story of Diarmad's tragic death is located with con-
siderable circumstance in Kintail. A reference to
Fionn seems to be contained in Suidheachan Fhinn.
Fenian legends are attached to Feith Chuilisg,
Loch Lurgainn, Cnoc Farrel, Clach nan Con Fionn,
Coulin, but several of these have obviously been
invented to explain the names. The Fenians appear
in Coire na feinne, and legends of their huntings
are connected with Sgurr nan Conbhairean. The
hero Oscar's name is found in Buillean Osyair,
Oscar's Strokes — certain claisean or gaps on Little
Lochbroom. From the great battles of modern time
we get Camperdown, Waterloo (near Dingwall), and
Balaclava (or Balnuig). Maryburgh, near Dingwall,
was named from Queen Mary, wife of William of
Orange. A good deal of fancy nomenclature has
arisen in Easter Ross within the last century and a
half, e.g., Mountgerald, Mountrich, Petley, Arabella,
Invergordon, and others, in English — not to the
same extent in Gaelic — displacing the old names.

Under this head may be noted our one certain
instance of druid/i, a Druid, viz., Port an Druidh,

INTRODUCTION. IxXXV.

the Druid's Port, with Cadha Port an Druidh, the
Druid's path near it, both in Nigg, old names doubt-
less. The term druineach, which occurs with us in
Airigh nan Druineach, Cladh nan Druineach,
Druineachan, Poll and Drochaid Druineachan is
frequent elsewhere, e.g., Cam nan Seachd Druin-
eachan in Glen Fin tag, Inistrynich is Lochawe,
Cladh nan Druineach in lona, Tigh Talmhaidh nan
Druineach (Earth House of the D.), a round house or
broch in Assynt. The word is sometimes equated
with druidh;ii is based on O. Ir., druin, glossed
glicc, wise, clever ; and druinech in Ir. means an em-
broideress. 'The exact significance of it in our place
names is far from clear. Logan1 takes it to mean
cultivators of the soil as opposed to hunters, which
may represent a genuine tradition. Martin makes
mention of little round stone houses in Skye capable
only of containing one person, and called " Tey-nin-
druinich, i.e., Druids' House." Druineach, says
Martin, signifies a retired person much devoted to
contemplation.

Some miscellaneous terms omitted above follow.
Croit, a croft, with its variants creit, crait, cruit, is
common in Easter Ross. The Exchequer Eolls
supply an interesting record of the crofts held by
the minor officials of a great castle, v. p. 146. Linne,
besides meaning a pool in a river, is used to denote
a part of the sea near the shore, also a bay.2 Crasg,
a crossing, generally, if not always, applies to a

1 Scottish Gael, II., 72 (ed., Dr Stewart).
2 The Greek equivalent At/xv?/ has exactly the same meanings in Homer.

Ixxxvi. PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

crossing over a ridge. Gasg, diminutive gasgan, is
explained at p. 208. Cadha is usually a steep,
narrow path, but is sometimes applied to steep parts
of a regular road, e.g., an Cadha Beag and an Cadha
M6r, near Gruinard. By Bac we mean in E. Ross a
peat moss ; in the west the primary sense of bank,
ridge, is preserved ; Norse bakki. Grianan means
a sunny hillock, or a place, e.g., good for drying
peats. Roinn, a point, occurs in Roinn an Fhaing
Mhoir. Botag is a wet or soft channel in a peat
moss. Rabhan, after much search, I took to mean
water lily, and from one description of it that seemed
correct. But another and better authority had no
hesitation in defining it as a long grass growing in
shallow, muddy parts of lochs or pools, and formerly
used for feeding cattle, an account of it which I
have had since confirmed beyond doubt. The word
is almost certainly a Pictish loan, to be compared
with Welsh rhafu, to spread ; rhqfon, berries
growing in clusters. It occurs frequently in Suther-
land place-names. A similar kind of grass growing
in pools and lochs is barranach, from l>arr, top.

PLACE-NAMES

OF

ROSS AND CROMARTY

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

KINCARDINE.

Kincardine — Kyncardyri 1275 — G. Ciim-chardain ;
' cinn' is the locative case of ' ceann,' head ; cardain
is of common occurrence in names on Pictish ground,
cf. Adamnan's Airchartdan, now Glen-Urquhart,
Plus-carden, Carden-den, and the various Kin-
cardines and Urquharts. Though not found in
Gaelic, it appears in Welsh as ' cardden,' a wood,
brake, whence Kin-cardine means Wood-head or
Wood-end. The name originally 110 doubt
applied only to the immediate neighbourhood of
the church ; whence it extended to the district
served by the church, i.e., the parish. Such is
the origin of most parish names. The parish falls
into two divisions : the part drained by the
Carron and its feeders, and the part beyond the
watershed, toward Sutherland. We shall begin
with the former.

Carron — There are two rivers Carron in Ross, and
some half-dozen elsewhere in Scotland, all char-
acterised by roughness of channel. The root is
kars, rough, and, on the analogy of Gaulish rivers

1

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

such as the Matrona, the primitive form of Carron
would have been Carsona. It is doubtless pre-
Gaelic, that is to say, Pictish ; cf. Carseoli in
Italy.

Pools in Carron are : Poll na muic, sow's
pool, opposite Gledfield ; pott a ckapuill, horse
pool, near Braelangwell ; linne sgainne, pool of
the burst, a large dam-like pool opposite Dounie ;
poll an donnaidh, pool of the mishap ; poll an
t-slugaid, pool of the gulp or swallow. With the
last named we may connect Braghlugudi, which
appears in 1529 as belonging to the Abbey of
Fearn, and no doubt refers to the braighe or brae-
face above the pool. In 1623 appears " part of
Carron called Polmorral," still known as Poll-
moral. Mr Macdonald (Place-names of West
Aberdeenshire) collects the following instances of
this name : Balmoral, Polmorral on Dee near
Banchory, Morall in Stratherne, Drummorrell in
Wigtown, Morall and Lynn of Morall in the lord-
ship of Urquhart, Morall mor and Morall beag on
Findhorn. Mr Macdonald suggests mor choille,
great wood, which is far from suiting the
phonetics. The examples collected above may
not all be of the same origin (Morel at Tomatin,
for instance, is in Gaelic Moirl), but the second
part of Poll-mbral above can hardly be other than
moral, majestic, noble. The pool in question is
one of the largest on the river. Craigpolskavane
appears on record in 1619, and appears to refer
to a pool somewhere below Craigs, near Amat.
There is a Loch Sgamhain in Strathbran.

KINCARDINE. 3

Esbolg — Waterfall of bubbles, appears on record in
1657. On one of T. Font's maps it is located on
the river now known as the Blackwater, which
joins the Carron at Amat, but on the old map
called Ayneck (perhaps from confusion with the
Eunag, a tributary of the Oykell). There is a
large waterfall on this stream near Croick, now
Eas a' mhuilinn. Perhaps, therefore, Esbolg is
the "Big Fall" on Carron. Balgaidh, bubbly
stream, is the name of a river in Applecross ;
cf. also the better known Strathbhalgaidh,
Strathbogy. Working from the eastern part of
the parish along the south side of Carron, we have

Ardchronie, G. ard-chronaidh, an obscure name ;
ard, of course, means height or promontory ;
cronaidh may be from either cron, dark brown, or
cron, a hollow, both found in Irish names. Dr
Joyce gives Ardcrone in Kerry as meaning brown
height, and Ardcrony appears in the " Four
Masters."

Gradal — G. Gradal, Norse Gra-dalr, gray dale ; now
usually called Badvoon.

Allt Eiteachan — (O.S.M. Allt na h-eiteig), probably
from eiteach, root of burnt heather. Hence
' an fheill eiteachan,' the Kincardine market.1

1 The old-established Feill Eiteachan, the winter market still held at
Ardgay, is said to owe its name to a certain quartz stone (clach eiteag), the
old custom being that the market was held wherever this stone happened to
be at the time. The stone was sometimes shifted west by the Assynt men,
and east by the men of Ross, but finally it was built into the wall of the pre-
sent Balnagown Arms Hotel at Ardgay, and so the market has ever since been
held there. I give the story for what it is worth. Ma 's breug bhuam e, is
breug thugam e. But eiteachan cannot be based on e"iteag, which is a loan
word from English hectic (Macbain).

4 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Tigh'mhadaidh — Dog's (or wolfs) house.
An garbh choille — The rough wood.

Ardgay — G. ard gaoith, windy height. A deed,
granted in 1686 to erect it into a burgh of barony,
was never carried into effect.

Near it is Cam Deasgan, apparently the remains
of a broch. There are numerous mounds near it.
Less than half-a-mile away is Cnoc ruigh gricg,
hill of the pebbly slope. It bears marks of forti-
fication on its western brow, and this side is
studded with tumuli.

BadaVOOn — G. bad a' mhun (' n ' long). This is
the highest lying place with traces of cultivation
in the locality. ' Mun,' with long ' n,' seems to
be a dialectic form of ' muine,' just as ' dun,' with
long ' n,' is heard for ' duine ;' muine means,
according to O'Reilly, thorn, brake, mountain, and
the last, if it can be relied on, would suit the
situation — mountain clump, Joyce, however,
gives muine only in the sense of ' brake/ and
Lhuyd has it ' thorn-tree ;' cf. Bad a' mhuin bheag
and Bad a' mhuin mhor in Coigach.

Gledfield — A translation of G. leth'-chlamhaig, half
(i.e., half-strath) of the buzzard. The word
is usually clamhan, a masculine diminutive,
while clamhag is of feminine form. The place is
known also as eloii na speireig,' sparrow-hawk
mead, but the other form is supported by the
records: Lachelawak, 1529; Lawchclawethe, 1561,
as belonging to the Abbey of Fearn ; Lachclawy,
1606 ; Lachclaveig, 1643. A third form given me

KINCARDINE. 5

is Leac 'chlamhaig, which also satisfies the written
forms.
An t-sean bhaile — Old town, a very common name.

Clais a' bhaid choille — Wood-clump dell.

L6n dialtaig — Bat-meadow (Upper Gledfield).

Dounie — Dun, fort, with extension. There are traces
< >f an ancient fort.

Ruigh na meinn — Ore-slope. The epithet ' na
meinn; literally ' of ore,' is usually applied to
places where the water shows signs of oxide of
iron.

An airigh fhliuch — The wet shieling.

Alitan Domhnuill — Donald's burn.

Gruhiard or Greenyards, Croinzneorth 1450, Grain -
yord 1528 ; Norse grunnfjorcSr, shallow firth ; cf.
Gruinard in Loch broom and Gruineart in Islay.

Na h-6rdan— The heights, from ard, high. The
common tendency to change 'a' into 'o' is par-
ticularly strong in Strathcarron.

An fhanaieh — The declivity; fariach, of which
fanaich is locative, is a derivative of fan, a gentle
slope, which is itself a common element in place-
names, e.g., Balnain (but Balnain in Badenoch is
beul an iithain, ford-mouth) ; cf. also na fana, the
Fendom, Tain.

Bun an f huarain— Well-foot.

Croit na caillich— Old wife's croft.

Dal na era — Dale of the (sheep) fold, or, possibly,
cruive ; era is a variant of cro, and is here
feminine, if, indeed, it is not, as it may well be, for
dal nan era (gen. pi.)

6 PLACE-XAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Grianbhad — ? Sun clump ; but it may be Norse
grunn-vatn, shallow loch.

Dalbhearnaidh— Dale of the cleft.

Bail* an achaidh— Town (i.e., homestead) of the
cultivated field.

Amat— Amayde 1429 ; Almet 1643, G. amait, from
Norse a-mot, river-meet, confluence, to wit, of the
Carron and the Blackwater rivers. There are also
Amat in Strath-Oykel and Amat in Strath-na-
sealg, Brora, while the records show an Amot in
North Kintyre 1643 (Eeg. Mag. Sig.), in Islay
1614. Amat in Strathcarron is in two divisions,
Amat iia' tuath (of the husbandmen) to the south
of the Carron, and Amat na h-eaglais (of the
church) on the north side. There is still a
tradition of a church having once stood on the
'claigionn,' above the present Lodge, and in 1609
there appears ' Amott Abbot under the barony of
Ganyes, called of old the Abbacy of Fearn ' ; also
in 1611 Ammotegiis, and Amad Heglis, T. Pont.
1608. The spelling Almet is of no significance
beyond that the ' 1 ' shows that the initial vowel
is long.

BaiP an fhraoich — Heather-stead.

Baile Chaluim — Maicolm's-stead.

Bail' an dounie — G. bail' an donnaidh, town of the
mishap. Near it is a pool in Carron, poll un
donnaidh, so called, doubtless, from some drowning
accident.

Bail* an loin — Town of the damp meadow.

Baile mheadhonach — Mid-town.

KINCARDINE. 7

Bail' uachdarach — Upper-town.
Dal-ghiuthais — Fir dale.

An garbh allt— The rough burn.

Gar nan aighean — Thicket of hinds ; from gar

comes the diminutive garan, thicket. On it is
Drochaid chaolaig, bridge of the little narrow
place, over the Carron. The green place (lub) on
the Glencalvie side was known as bail' bean an
dro'idich, town of the bridge-wife, but a still
older name for it is said to have been Tuitim-
tairbheach. There may be here a confusion with
the well-known place of that name at Oykell : my
informant was born and bred at Gar nan aighean.
Also Coylum. i.e., cumhang-leum, narrow leap ;
cf. Cuilich in Rosskeen.

Glencalvie — G. Gleann Cailbhidh, cf. Loch Cail-
bhidh in Lochalsh. A Glencalvie man (there are
still such, but not in the Glen), is known as a
' Cailbheach.' Glencalvie was, and is, noted for
its herbage, and so are the shores of Loch Calvie :
the root may therefore be calbh, colbh, plant-
stalk ; Ir. colba, wand ; Latin culmus, stalk,
calamus, reed.

Coire mhaileagan — V. Glenshiel. The waterfall
at the mouth of the Corry was given by two
informants, both natives of Glencalvie, as Eas
caraidh and Eas cadaidh.

Dibidale— ' The half-davach of DebadailT 1623,
G. Diobadal, from Norse djupr, deep ; dalr, dale,
djiipidalr, ' deep-dale,' which accurately describes
this beautiful, but now solitary, glen. There is a

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMAKTY.

Glen Dibidil in Rum, Mull, Skye, and Lewis ;
cf. also Diabaig, Gairloch.

Sallachy — Salki 1529, on record as pasture land of
the Abbey of Fearn ; from saileach, the old form
of ' seileach,' willow ; Ir. sail, saileog, with meaning
' place of willows.' For formation cf. Lat. salictum,
from salicetum, a willow copse, cf. Sallachy on
Loch Shin, Sallachy in Lochalsh, Sauchie-burii ;
also Salachar in Applecross, Salacharaidh, Loch
Nevis. At the head of Strathcarron, forking off
to the right, is

Alladale — G. Aladal, probably Ali's dale, from Ali,
a Norse personal name.

Glenmore — Glenmoir, 1619 ; great glen.

Deanich — G. an dianaich, the steep place ; a locative
of dianach from dian, steep, a name which well
fits the place.

Meaghlaich — A place where the road crosses by a
ford to Dianich ; locative of mang-lach, place of
fawns ; cf. coire na meagh, between Dibidale and
Lochan a* Chairn. On one of Pout's maps it is
marked Meuloch. Above it is srbn 'n ngaidh.
Near it is

An giuthais mosach — Pout's Gewish Moussach ;

Gyrissmissachie 1619, Reg. Mag. Sig. (where the
transcriber is surely at fault), the nasty fir wood.

Tordigean : oigean, from 6g, young, is used as a,
sort of nick-name ; the name therefore means
Oigean's torr, or the youth's knoll. On the north
side of the Carroii we have

InvercaiTOn — Estuary of the Carron.

KINCARDINE. 9

Baile na COite — Boat-town ; cf. Sron iia coite on

Loch Maree.

Langwell— Norse, lang-vollr, long-field.
Cornhill — G. Ciioc an airbh ; Knokinarrow, 1642;

O. Ir. arbe, corn ; later Ir. arbar, genitive arba,

whence our modern Gaelic arbhar. The form

' arbh " occurs also in Cnoc an airbh, Urray, and

in Ard-arbha, Lochalsh.
Syal— Seoll 1578, Soyall 1642; G. saoidheal ; locally

explained as ' suidhe fala,' seat of blood ; but it is

Norse sau'Sa-vollr, sheep-meadow.
Clllvokie — G. culbhocaidh ; hobgoblin's nook ; it

has an uncanny reputation ; so has Poll-bhocaidh

at the foot of Glenmore ; cf Culboky in Ferintosh.
Cadearg — G. an cadha dearg, the red steep path.
Culeave— G. Cul-liabh, apparently for cul-shliabh,

back (or nook) of the mountain moor ; cf. for

formation Cul-charn, Culcairn.
Balnacurach — Town of the curachs or hide boats ;

cf. Balnacoit above.
Hilton — Bail' a chnuic.
Corvest — G. coire-bheist (accented on first syllable),

locally explained as ' the monster's corry.' There

is a very deep gully at the place, which gives

colour to this, but the accent is against it.
An t-allt domhainn- — Deep burn, flowing through

the corry just mentioned.
Braelangwell — -G. braigh-langail, upper part of

Langwell.
Bard an asairidh— Asair, or fasair, good pasture :

bard is a somewhat uncommon word, but known

10 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

in Badenoch in the sense of ' meadow.' In Boath,
Alness is Bard nan laogh, and in Glen-Urquhart
is a meadow called ' the Bard.' The present name
therefore means ' the meadow of good pasture.'
Near Bard nan laogh in Boath there is curiously
enough ' an asaireadh,' the Assarow. Bard seems
borrowed from Norse bar^, meaning first, beard,
then fringe, edge (cf. a hill, etc.,) hence applied to
the land on the edge of a river, which is the
situation of the Strathcarron, Boath, and Glen-
Urquhart ' bards.'

Scuitchal— Scuittechaell 1642, Skuittichaill 1657,
? Skatwell 1584, Skuddachall, Pont, G. Sguit-
chathail. Scuit is a locative of sgot, a piece of
land cut off from another, a small farm ; cf. the
Scottish ' shot,' a spot or plot of ground. The
second part of the compound is most probably the
personal name Cathal, Cathel, the meaning of this
being Cathel's section or croft.

CraigS — G. Tigh iia creige, Rock-house, from the
rocky hill behind it. Font's map shows Kreig-
skaweii about this spot, and in 1619 we have
Craigpolskavane.

Glaschoille — Green wood ; Glaischaill 1619.

Lub-conich — Mossy bend.

Lllb-na-meinn — Bend of the ore (irony water).

Letters — Na leitrichean, the hill slopes.

Croick — G. a chroic ; ' gillean iia croic ' occurs in a
Strathcarron song ; the word is thus feminine.
It may be a locative of croc, an antler, thus
meaning 'a branching glen, or side glen,' which

KINCARDINE. 1 1

would suit the locality ; a locative of crog, paw,
hand, is also possible, in which sense the common
' glaic ' might be compared. The latter meaning
suits the Croick in Glencasley, Sutherland. A
diminutive of cro, sheep-fold, has been suggested,
but the difficulty here is that cro, being masculine,
would give cro-an, unless, indeed, we may sup-
pose cro to have been dialecticaily feminine.

Strathcuillionach means as it stands, 'holly
strath ;' there is, however, a strong local tradition
that the older Gaelic was ' srath cuireanach,'
from ' car ' a turn ; hence, winding strath. The
stream which flows through it is certainly very
winding, and the change from ' r ' to ' 1 ' is quite
possible. In its upper reaches this stream is
called Allt a glilais citha, burn of the wan ford.
In the high ground adjoining Strathcarroii are

Garvary — G. garbhairigh, rough shieling. The
termination -ary is usually best regarded as an
extension of the adjective, but as there actually
were shielings at Garvary, it may be taken as
airigh.

Meall na CUachaige — Cuckoo hill ; possibly hill of
the little ' cuach,' or cup-shaped hollow.

Meall Bhenneit — Apparently Bennet's Hill; cf.
Bennetfield in the Black Isle, G. Baile Bhenneit.

Coire bog — The wet or soft cony.

Sron na saobhaidhe — Point of the den ; usually
called sron saobhaidhe.

Carn Bhren — So often in Gaelic, but a Glen-
calvie man, who ought to know, called it Cam

12 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Bhreathainn. There is a legend connecting it
with Fingal's dog Bran. He entered a cairn
there, and was never seen again. It means
Raven's Cairn.

Cam salach — 'Dirty' cairn, from the broken and
boggy nature of its surface.

Cam an liath-bhaid — Hill of the grey clump.
Creag na ceapaich — Rock of the tillage plot.

Ceapach (Keppoch) is one of the commonest
names in the Highlands.

Cnoc na Tuppat — Locally derived from the English
tippet, from the appearance of the vegetation on
its rounded top ; but it is more likely from * tap,'
a rounded mass or lump, which gives in Ireland
Topped, Tapachan, Toppan, £c. (Joyce).

Creag Riaraidh— So the O.S.M., but G. creag(a)-

raoiridh, the rocky termination of the ridge behind
the old lodge of Glendibidale. There is in Tarbat
a famous cave called toll-raoiridh, and below
Achtercairn, Gairloch, is Leac raoiridh. This
somewhat difficult name may be from roithreim
(O'.R.) a rushing (ro, very, and rethim, run), and
may have reference to the very stormy nature of
the place.

Leaba Bhaltair— Always called Leabaidh Bhatair,
Walter's Bed, is on a hill on the south side of
Glendibidale. There is another similar place
bearing the same name on Alladale ground.
Who the Walter in question was may be con-
sidered doubtful ; but in any case the name
must be connected with Frivater, ' fridh Bhatair.'
or Walter's forest. The probability is, and 1

KINCARDINE. 1 3

believe there is a tradition to the effect, that the
Walter whose name we find among these wild
hills was one of the early Rosses of the line of
Ferchar Mac an t-sagairt. The name is old, for it
is stated in the Chronicle of the Earls of Ross
that Paul Mactyre (fl. circ. 1360) acquired inter
alia Friewatter. Sir Walter Ross, son of William,
the fourth Earl, fell at Bamiockburn, and, as he
was evidently a noted man, being recorded as the
dear friend of Edward Bruce, he may be the
eponymus of Walter's Bed and Walter's Forest.
The next choice would be Sir Walter de Lesley,
who married Euphemia, daughter of William, the
sixth Earl, and regarding whom William, in 1371,
addresses a ' querimonia ' to King Robert II.,
complaining of the way in which his lands had
been given to Lesley. But the reference in the
Chronicle of the Earls of Ross, though perhaps
not decisive, points to the existence of the name
before Sir Walter de Lesley's time. With regard
to Paul Mactyre, I may say in passing that tradi-
tion makes him a freebooter. He may have been,
and probably was, a man of his hands, but he is
said to have been a great-grandson of the King of
Denmark, and he certainly married the niece of
Hugh of Ross, Lord of Fylorth, and obtained the
lands of Gairloch by grant of William, Earl of
Ross, in 1366 ; and in 1365, by grant of Hugh of
Ross, the lands of ' Tutumtarvok, Turnok, Amot
arid Langvale in Strathokel.' His pedigree, as
given by Skene, connects him closely with the

14 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Rosses or Clan Anrias, for it makes him fourth in
descent from Gilleanris (modern Gillanders). He
was therefore highly connected, and held a
respectable position, and his descendants, the
Poisons, have no reason to feel ashamed of him.

Creag Illie— G. Creag-illidh. ; Illie ' has exactly the
same sound as in Bun-illigh, Helmsdale, where it
represents Ila, the Ptolemaic name of the Helms-
dale river. Creag Illie stands just about the west
end of Glendibidale, not far from the source of the
stream, now nameless, which runs through the
glen, and though, of course, the case does not
admit of certainty, 'Illie' may here also be the old
river name ; cf. the rivers Isla, and for root
German * eilen,' to hurry. Cf. also G. ' ealadh '
(Macbain's Diet.).

Creag Ruadh — The red rock ; near Creag Illie.

Dunach liath — The grey place of dims ; Leac Gorai,
the green hillside ; and the Dimaii liath, grey
little dun, are beyond Coire Mhalagan.

Cam Speireig — The sparrow-hawk's cairn.

Leab' a' Bhruic — The badger's lair.

Beinn Tarsuinn — ' The cross hill,' which bars the
head of Dibidale and of Coire Mhalagan.

Feur mor — The big grass.

Crom Loch — The bent loch — descriptive of its semi-
circular shape.

Lochan Sgeireach — The little rocky loch.

Meall na Raineich — Hill of bracken.

An Socach — The snouted hill.

Sr6n gun aran — Bread-less point — a quaint name.

KINCARDINE. 15

Allt a mheirbh ghiuthais— (O.S.M., allt a mhor
ghiuthais). T. Pont, phonetically but accurately,
has it ' alt very gewish,' ' burn of the slender
pine- wood.' Mearbh is a variant of meaiibh.

Loch Sruban — G. Loch Struaban. ' Lochen Strom-
aniiach so cald from great golden beared trowts '
(Pont). What 'beared' means I cannot conjecture;
the letter rendered h is doubtful, otherwise the
MS. is perfectly clear. It is interesting, however,
to know that * struabanach math brie ' is still
locally used to denote a good-sized trout, such as
are the trout of Loch Struaban. The root may be
sruab, to make a paddling noise in water (H.S.
Diet. ) ; a ' sruabanach ' would thus mean a fish
that lashes the water.

Coire mor — The great corry.

Meall am madadh: prop. Meall a' Mhadaidh—
Dog's, or perhaps wolf's, hill.

Bodach mor and Bodach beag — The big and the

little old man.

Meall nam fuaran— Hill of springs.

Allt a* chlaiginn — Skull burn. A ' claigionn ' is

usually a skull-shaped hill ; but sometimes it

means the best field of a farm.
An Sgaothach — ' Sgaoth,' swarm ; place of swarms ;

cf. ' sguabach,' place of ' sweeps ' (of wind).
Allt a' ghuail — Coal burn ; what the coal is, I have

not learned ; but cf. meall a' ghuail.

Creagloisgte — Burnt rock.

Carn a' choin deirg — Cairn of the red dog.

16 PLACE-XAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Sithean ruarach — Sithean, a round hill, diminutive
of sith, a fairy .seat ; ruarach, an extension ofruadh,
red ; cf. Ruarach in Kintail.

Coir' an t-seilich — Willow cony.

Gnoc an tubaist — Hill of the mischance.

Corriemulzie — G. coire muillidh, mill-corry ; cf.
Corriemulzie in Contin and in W. Aberdeenshire,
Mulzie in Kiltarlity. Mr J. Macdonald suggests
' maoile,' corry of the hill brow, but the Gaelic
pronunciation at once negatives this. In Corrie-
mulzie, it appears from local information, there
were at one time or other no fewer than seven
mills, the sites of five of which can still be pointed
out. The Garve Corriemulzie is also a place of
old habitation, where there were, doubtless, mills.
Muileann, a mill, has a genitive muilne, which
readily becomes muille.

Abhainn dubhach — Sad river.

Mullach a' chadha bhuidhe — Stop of the steep

yellow path.

Allt rappach — Noisy or dirty burn.
Creag Eabhain — Gladsome rock ; cf. Beinn Eibhimi

in Badenoch, which is a hill with good outlook.
Allt Tarsumn — Cross burn, from loch na bithe,

pitch loch (from pine wood) ; cf. Blarnabee in

Strathconon.
Allt COIF an ruchain — Probably from ruchan, throat,

Bullet ; corry of the throat, a narrow opening.
Strath Seasgaich — Probably a derivative of ' seise,'

reed, seasgach, loc. seasgaich, reedy place. There

is also seasgach, a yeld cow, but this ought to

give srath na(n) seasgach.

KINCARDINE. 17

Allt Ealag — Ealag, properly eileag, is puzzling ; it
looks like a diminutive of the feminine proper
name Eilidh, only in point of fact this diminutive
does not seem to be found. It may well be from
ail, stone, meaning ' the little stony burn.' There
is also Mointeach Eileag, a" dreary stretch of
moor on the Lairg and Lochinver road.

SgOiman m6r — The great lumps ; sgonn, block,
lump.

Loch COir' na meidhe — There is meidh, a balance,
arid meidhe, a stem, stock, trunk, the latter of
which is more likely to be in point here.

Coir* a' Chonachair— Conachar means uproar ; also,
a sick person who gets neither better or worse.
It may be the proper name Conachar ; there is
really no means of determining ; cf. Badach-
onachair in Kilmuir Easter.

Lubcroy — G. an lub-chruaidh, the hard bend ;
cruaidh is applied to hard, stony ground, or to
firm ground as opposed to bog.

Oykell has been happily identified with Ptolemy's
Ripa Alta, High Bank, the exact location of which
has long been matter of dispute. It must also be
identified with the Norse Ekkjals-bakki, i.e.,
Oykell Bank, which Skene strangely makes out to
be the Grampians. Oykell represents the Gaulish
uxellos, high, seen in Uxello-duiium, high fort.
The word appears in Celtic in two forms — (l)
Welsh uchel, high, which gives the Ochil Hills
and Ochil-tree, high town ; (2) Gaelic uasal, high,
and, without the -llo- suffix, uaise, height, majesty,

2

18 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

whence Beinn Uaise, Wyvis. Oykell follows the
Welsh form. It will thus be seen that Ptolemy's
Kipa Alta is a part translation of Oykel, which is
echoed by the Norse Ekkjalsbakki. The word for
bank is gone, but it evidently existed in Ptolemy's
time, and it looks as if it survived to the time of
the Norse occupation, and was translated by the
Norsemen into bakki. It is worth noting that the
high ground on the Sutherland side of the Oykell
estuary is Altas, G. Allt-ais, an extension of alt,
eminence ; cf. Welsh allt, wooded cliff, hillside ;
also O. Ir. alltar, heights.

luveroykell is the confluence of the rivers Oykell
and Casley.

Einig— A tributary of the Oykell ; G. Eunag. Pont
makes Avon Ayneck flow into the Carron at Amat.
Dr Joyce gives ean, water, as the basis of eanach,
a marsh. The streams falling into the Eunag
are — Allt Eappach, noisy or ' dirty ' bum ;
Abhainn Poiblidh, river of the booth, pubull ;
Abhainn Coire Muillidh, the Corriemulzie river ;
Abhainn Dubhach, the sad or gloomy river.

Amat — At the junction of Eunag and Oykell ; cf.
Amat in Strathcarron above. The Oykell Amat
was distinguished as Amat na gullan, i.e., na
iicuilean, of the whelps.

Lochan Phoil — Paul's lochlet, is probably a remini-
scence of Paul Mactyre, who held these lands, as
above stated.

Langwell — Cf. Langwell, Strathcarron.

Beinn Ulamhie — Cf. ulbh (Sutherland), a term of
reproach, from Norse ulfr, wolf.

KINCARDINE.

19

Meoir Langwell — The 'branches' of Langwell; i.e.,
hill streams that converge there.

Loch Mhic Mharsaill probably contains the name
of a son of ' William Mareschal, armiger to Hugh
of Ross,' who was granted by the said Hugh,
between 1350 and 1372, the lands of ' Dachynbeg
in Westray' (Edderton) for good and faithful
services. He received also lands in Tarbat and
elsewhere ; but he could hardly have held lands in
the Oykell district, for it was held by Paul Mac-
tyre. This, however, does not necessarily affect
the argument.

Brae— G. a bhraigh.

Doune — Downe, 1657 ; a township on the Oykell ;
dun, fort.

Oape — 6b, creek ; Norse hop ; it is near a bend in
the river ; cf. Oban.

Innis nan damh — Ox, or stag, meadow ; cf the
other well-known Inshindamff.

OchtOW — G. an t-ochdamh, the eighth-part, to wit,
of Davach-carbisdale (1623), which included most
of this district.

Birchfield — Formerly Ach na h-uamhach, field of
the cave, probably from the chambers of the broch,
now much broken down, a little to the west of the
farm-house.

Kilmachalmag — Sic 1548, Colman's cell ; v. Church
names. Within a short distance of it, 011 the edge
of the wood, is the foundation of what seems to
have been a broch of rather small diameter.

Achnahannet — G. achadh na h-annait, field of the
' mother church,' v. Church names.

20 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

An ruigh cruaidh — The hard slope.
Meall Deargaidh— G. Meall dheirgidh, from dear-
gadh, redness ; Hill of redness.

Badandaraich — Oak copse.

Achnagart — Field" of the corn enclosure ; cf. Garty,
Goirtean.

Creag 'Chait — Cat's rock.

Lamentation Hill (O.S.M.) — G. creag a' ehoh in-
each an, rock of the mossy place. Cf the continu-
ation of the "History of the Earldom of Suther-
land " with reference to the defeat of Montrose,
which took place here in 1650 : — 'This miraculous
victorie hapned the twentie seaventh of Aprill
one thousand six hundreth fiftie years at Craig-
choynechan, besides Carbesdell.' As this is a
contemporary account, it effectually disposes of
the popular notion, officially adopted 011 the O.S.
Map as above, fthat the place meant Rock of
Lamentation (Coineadh). The name was given
long before the battle took place.

Poll cas gaibhre, Goat's foot pool, is a deep rounded
hollow situated near the Kyle between Stamag
and Riantyre (ruigh an t-saoir, the carpenter's
slope). There is another of the same kind near
the Church of Dunlichity, Inverness. These
curious cup-like depressions are explained as the
result of swallow-holes in glaciers.

Culrain— Of old Carbisdale; Carbustell, 1548. The
modern name 'is said to have been imposed from
Coleraine in Ireland. Carbisdale is Norse kjarr-
bolsta<5r, copse-stead, with the suffix dalr, dale.

KINCARDINE. 21

Rhilonie— G. ruigh an loin, slope of the wet meadow.

Balnallinsh — Town of the meadow ; near it is the
site of Carn nan Conach (O S.M. Carn nan
Conacht).

Achagllliosa — Gillies' field ; Sithean an Radhairc,
Prospect Hill.

From a retour of 1623 it appears that at that
date Strathkyle (Slios a' Chaolais) as far west as
Ochtow was included under the term Davocb-
carbistell. We have * the lands of Achnagart,
belonging to Davoch-carbistell,' also 'the western
bovate of Davoch-carbistell, called Ochtow, with
the croft and arable land lying near the Meikill
Cairne, called Cairne Croft, above the east
side of the burn called Auldualeckach under
the Barony of Kilmachalmag.' The names of
burn and croft have now disappeared. The
Meikill Cairne perhaps refers to the Birchneld
broch. In 1657 we have 'the lands of Dal-
vanachtan [i.e., Davach-nachtan] and Downe,
extending to six davach lands, whereof four
davach lands lye benorthe the water of Oichill
and two davach lands on the south side.' Davach-
nachtan is also gone. Nachtan is, of course, the
personal name Nectan, so common among the
Picts, still surviving in the surname Macnaughton.
In 1619 (Reg. Mag. Sic.) we have the lands of
Auchnagullane, Glaischaill, and Tormichaell ; the
forest of Frawatter, adjacent to them ; the lands
of Glenmoir, Glenbeg, Drumvaiche, Brynletter,
Correvulzie, Knokdaill, Dovaik ; the lands called

22 PLACE-XAMES OP BOSS AND CKOMARTY.

' the thrie Letteris,' viz., Letterinay, Letternaiche,
Letterneteane, and Corremoir under the said
forest of Frewatter; the scheillings of Mullach,
Craigpolskavane, Gyrissmissachie, Tokach, Laik-
garny, Alladul moir, Straithfairne, Alladill na
nathrach, and Cairnehondrig. Pont marks Acha-
nagullann on Avon Ayneck, near Esbulg, above
noted. Tormichaell is somewhere in Strathcarron.
The three Letters may, perhaps, be Letters noted
above ; they appear to stand for Leitir an fheiclh,
Leitir 'n eich, and Leitir na teine. Mullach is
Meaghlaich noted above. Craigpolskavane seems
to be the present Craigs. Gyrissmissachie is An
giuthais mosach above noted. Alladul moir and
Alladul na nathrach are clear. Cairnehondrig is
Cam Sonraichte. Brynletter, Tokach, Laikgarny,
Drumvaiche I do not know. The fishing of
Acheferne and Stogok 1341 ; Achnafearne and
Sloggake 1657. Downlairne 1604 appears on
Font's map as Downilaern, a little west of Layd
Clamag (Gledfield).

EDDEKTON. 23

EDDERTON.

Edderton — Ederthayn 1275 ; Eddirtane 1532 ;
Eddirthane 1561 ; G. Eadardan, with accent on
eadar. The traditional explanation is eadar-dun,
between forts. In confirmation of this view may
be adduced the various brochs referred to below
and the hill fort of Strathrory. The name
applies especially to the part near the old church,
now the U.F. Church, which stands on the left
bank of Edderton Burn, and it would seem that
the old name for the district as a whole was
Westray ; cf. below ' Dachynbeg in Westray ' and
Blaeu's Dunivastra.

An luachar mhor — ' The big rashes ' (rushes), a
large swampy tract of moor.

CHOC an t-sabhail — Barn-hill ; in the face of it,
above Raanieh, is clack meadhon latha, mid-day
stone. There are two stones, some distance apart,
and which of the two is the real mid-day stone is
hard to say. The position is such that the sun
shines on them about noon.

Raanich — G. an rathanaich ; the root is rath, a
circular enclosure or fort, the rest being exten-
sions (-n-ach), meaning ' place of raths.' South
of Raanich is baile namfuaran, well- town.

Ramore — G. an rath mor, the great rath. These
raths were, probably, simply farm-houses fortified

24 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMARTY.

for security in troublous times. Behind Ramore
is an linne bhreac, the dappled pool. Near it is

Galanaich, from gallan, a standing-stone. There is
a striking perched block not far off ; cf. Gallanaich,
Argyll ; Achagallbn in Arran.

An t-uisge dubh — Black water.

Gadha nan damh (O.S.M. Casandamff) — Stags'
pass.

Gluich (Meikle and Little) — G. an glaodhaich ;
Glaodhaich ard agus Glaodhaich iosal ; from
glaodh, glue, E. Ir. glaed, with -ach suffix ; hence
the soft, sticky, miry place, which applies well to
the lower Gluich. There is another Gluich in
Altas, Sutherland, also wet, and a third in Glen-
convinth. Local tradition ascribes the name to
the ' glaodhaich ' or lamentation of the Edderton
women on occasion of a battle with the Danes,
and a similar origin is assigned to Itaanich (bha
iad a' ranail an sin).

Bailecharn — G. beul-atha chain, ford-mouth of the
cairns, a ford on the Edderton Burn, above Eas
an tairbh, the bull's waterfall, which latter is
reputed to be the haunt of a tarbh-uisge, water-
bull.

Inchintaury — The Gaelic hesitates between innis
an t-samhraidh and innis an t-sea'raigh, but the
latter seems to be the common local form, pro-
bably for seanii ruigh, old shieling. Innis an.
t-samhraidh means summer-mead, i.e., a grassy
meadow on which cows grazed in summer.

Rhibreac — G. an ruigh breac, the dappled slope.

EDDEETON. 25

Bogrow — G. am bogaradh, a derivative of bog, soft,
wet — wet place ; it is a soft place by the water
side. Also leathad a bhogaraidk, broad slope of
the soft place. In 1634 appears on record (Reg.
Mag. Sig.) ' magnus limes lapideus vocatus
Clachnabogarie,' the great march stone called,
etc., to the east of Edderton Burn. The stone
is still there, and known by the same name, but
it is 110 longer a march stone, the burn being now
the march.

CambuSCUrrie — G. camus-curaidh, bay of the
curach, coracle ; possibly currach, marsh. The
Gaelic has certainly been affected by the modern
English form. Locally said to have been the
landing place of Curry or Carius (v. N. Stat.
Ace.), the Danish prince whose prowess caused
the ' glaodhaich ' and ' ranail J above referred to.
Cf. Cambuschurrich on Lochtayside.

Carrieblair — G. blar a' charaidh ; the farm-stead is
bail' a charaidh ; caraidh means ' grave-plot.'
Cf. clach 'charaidh, the name of the fine sculptured
stone at Shandwick, Nigg (see Nigg). There is a
sculptured stone on Carrieblair also, still standing
and depicted in Dr Stuart's ' Sculptured Stones of
Scotland,' near which ancient graves have been
excavated. According to local tradition, this
stone marks the grave of Carius referred to above.

Edderton Farm — G. baile na fbitheachan (final "' a '
open). The formation of ' foitheachan ' seems
parallel with that of Guisachan, etc., and suggests
as the base ' faidh,' a beech, which in Scottish

26 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Gaelic is ' faidhbhile,' beech-tree. The name
would thus mean Place of beeches.

BaUeigh - - Ballinleich 1550, Ballinleich, alia*
Litchstoune 1666 ; G. bail' an lighe (also lighich),
Leech's or physician's town. Locally said to have
been the place where the wounded were treated
after the battle of Carrieblair.

Ardmore — G. an t-ard mor, great promontory.

Rudha nan Sgarbh — Cormorants' point ; here is a
large round cairn, ' earn mathaidh,' where
mathaidh is perhaps a proper name, near loch
nan tunnag, duck loch.

Requill — G. ruigh Dhughaill, Dugald's slope.

Pollagharry — G. poll a' ghearraidh, pool of the
' gearraidh.' There is no pool here now, but there
was once, according to local evidence, a small loch.
Gearraidh is Norse ger^i, a fenced field, borrowed,
very common in Lewis, and meaning the strip of
land between machair and monadh, plain and
upland moor.

Garbad — G. an garbh-bad, the rough chump ; also,
coille a' gharbh-bhaid, Garbad wood.

Meikle and Little Daan — G. Dathan mhor and

Dathan bhig ; ' Dachynbeg in Vestray ' was
granted circ. 1350 by Hugh of Ross to his
armiger, William Marescal ; Daane 1429 ; Little
Dovaiie 1578. These forms may possibly point
to its being a diminutive of ' dabhach,' the old
Celtic measure of land, and at the Reformation
Dathan Meikle was three-fourths of a davach,
and Dathan Lytle one-fourth — a davach in

EDDERTON. 27

all. The place, however, stands at the con-
fluence of two streams, and as there is an
O. Ir. word ' an,' water, the name may really be
da-an, two waters. The joint stream is called the
Daan burn, and the traditional explanation of
Daan is da-athaii, two fords, which is quite
possibly right. Near Daan is Torr a bhil, edge-
hill. Also, ' an dtibhran,' which seems to be a
derivative of O.G. dobur, water, meaning ' the
wet place.'

Balblair — G. bail' a' bhlair, plain-towTn ; near it is
1 an ruigh bhreac,' spotted slope ; and east of it,
' leac an duinej man's flat stone ; and ' ard
mlianaidhj monk's point.

Little and Meikle Dallas— Doles 1560; G. Dalais

mhor and Dalais bhig. It is never used with the
article. The old form, as compared with the
modern Gaelic, shows the common transition from
• o ' to ' a '; cf. Culboky, G. cul-bhaicidh ; -ais is
the Pictish ending seen in Allt-ais, etc. (v. Introd.),
and the first syllable is to be equated with ' dol '
in dolmen, used in place-names in the sense
of ' plateau.' Dallas is thus a Pictish word,
meaning ' place of the plateau,' which describes its
situation ; cf. Dallas, Elgin ; perhaps also Dal-
keith.

Dounie — from dun, fort.

Hilton — G. Bail' a' chnuic.

Craigroy — a chreag ruadh, red rock.

Cartomie — G. cathar-tomaidh ; cathar, a moss or
bog, and torn, hillock ; compounded on the same
principle as Balaldie, etc. (v. Introd.)

28 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMARTY.

Polinturk — G. poll an tuirc, boar's pool.

Cnocan na goibhnidh — (O.S.M. Cnoc al na

gamhainn), smithy-hillock, near Polinturk.

Muieblairie - - Moyzeblary 1429. G. muigh-
bhlaraidh, spotted plain ; locative of magh, com-
pounded with blar, spotted, with the -idh ending
so common in Easter Ross. Blar is not nearly so
frequent in place-names as its synonyms riabhach.
breac, ballach.

Alltnamain — G. allt na meinu, burn of ore, with
reference to its irony water. There are strong-
traces of iron in most of the Edderton burns and
wells, and there are even said to have been iron-
workings in Edderton burn.

Struie — G. an t-sruidh ; rathad iia Struidh, the
road from Alness to Bonar, which attains its
highest point at Cnoc na Struidh. Before rail-
ways this was the usual route from the south, so
John Munro of Creich in his ' Oran Ducha,' on
leaving Glasgow to visit his native place, says —

0 theid sinu, theid sinn le suigeart agus aoidh,
0 theid sinu, theid sinn gu deonach,
0 theid sinn, theid yinii thairis air an t-Sriiidli
Gu muinntir ar daimh, is ar n-eolais.

Struidh appears to be best regarded as a con-
tracted form of sruth-aidh, an extension of the
root of sruth, stream ('t' euphonic). From the
base of Cnoc na Struidh streams flow in all
directions ; cf. Struy in Strathglass, which is also
a place of streams. At Lbn na Struidh, moist flat
of Struie, isfaaran an oir, a well strongly impreg-

EDDERTON. 29

nated with iron, and reckoned to possess healing
properties, but it has been insulted (chaidh tamailt
a chur air), and is not what it once was ; so called
from a gold ring having been lost in it in course
of cleaning.

Lechanich — G. an leachanaich (Leachanaich ard and
L. iosal) ; locally interpreted as leth Choinnich,
Kenneth's half, but the presence of the article
does not countenance this. The place is a sloping
hill-side, and the name is, most likely, Leacanaich
(with V aspirated), from leac, a sloping hill-face ;
v. Macbain's Diet., s.v. lethcheann.

Cnoclady — G. cnoc leathadaidh, hill of the 'leathad7
or slope ; formed like Bal-aldie. Near it is badan
binn ('n) eoin, where * eoin,' as in other cases
where it occurs, seems to be the genitive singular
of eun, bird.

Craggan — G. an creagan, the little rock ; behind it
is edit na corrach, burn of the places of corries ;
there are three small corries drained by it.
Beyond this again, leading towards Fearn, is ' an
cadha iosal? the low pass, over Struie.

Gnoc an liath bhaid— Hill of the grey clump.

Beinn clach an fheadain— Hill of the whistle

stone or of the spout (of water).

Carr Dubh— G. an cathar dubh, a hill ; cathar,
usually a moss or bog, is here used to mean ' a
rough, broken surface.'

Cnoc Bad a' bhacaidh — Hill of the moss-clump.
CDOC an Ruigh ruaidh— Hill of the red slope.
Chulash — A' chulais, the recess.

30 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMABTY.

CnOC Thorcaill— Torquil's hill.

Cnoc 'Chlachain— Hill of the clachan, with reference

to the Monastery of Fearn, the original site of

which was not far off.

Meall na siorramachd — (O.S.M. Cnoc Leathado

na siorramachd) ? Shire-hill, on the Kincardine
boundary.

Beinn nan oighreagan — Hill of the cloud-berries ;

the usual plural is oighrean, implying a singular
oighre, oi which oighreag is diminutive.

Easter, Western, and Mid Fearn — Fearn' ard,

Fearn' iochdarach, literally High Fearn and Lower
Fearn, and Fearna meadhonach. Blaeu's Atlas
has Faern lera, Faern Meanach, Faern Ocra ;
from Fearria, alder. The Monastery of Fearn
was originally founded ' near Kintarue, in Stiath-
charron' (Chron. of Earls of Ross), probably,
therefore, at Wester Fearn, about 1225, and
about twenty years later, in the founder's life-
time, ' for the more tranquillitie, peace and
quietnes thereof translated ' to the spot it still
occupies, where it was called at first Nova Farina,
New Fearn, then simply Fearn.

Allt Grugaig — The little surly one, the burn of
Wester Fearn.

According to the New Stat. Ace. (1840),
" there is a complete chain of those round towers
called Dunes surrounding this parish ; none
of them, however, in a state of even tolerable
preservation. One of these, situated at Easter
Fearn, and known by the name of Dune-Alliscaig

EDDEKTON. 31

(from Dun-fair-loisgeadh, or the beacon watcli-
tower), was about fourteen feet in height within
the last thirty years, and had vaults and a spiral
staircase within the wall." It was destroyed for
dykes, etc., about 1818. The site is still to be
seen, and the name is still current in Gaelic as
Dun Alaisgaig. Falaisg, moor-burning, which
seems hinted at in the derivation oifered above,
suits the phonetics exactly, but the word is
probably Norse. Blaeu has it Dun Alliscaig.
East .of it he marks Dunivastra, i.e., Dounie of
Westray, now Dounie, where there are also the
ruins of a broch still known as the * c&rn liath.'
There is a third, nameless, at Lechanich, said to
have been six or seven feet high, with chambers,
within living memory. Carn mathaidh, on Rudha
nan sgarbh, may have been another.

There are no Norse names in Edderton, except
the obsolete Westray, and possibly Dim Alaisgaig.

32 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

TAIN.

Tain— Tene 1227; Thane 1483. The Gaelic form
is not available, as Baile Dhubhaich, St Duthac's
town, has in Gaelic displaced Tain. The existence
of another Tain, near the head of Dunnet Bay in
Caithness, suggests the name to be Norse, but it
is difficult to offer a satisfactory etymology. The
guesses of Rev. W. Taylor and others need not be
repeated, nor have I arrived at anything certain.
In Reg. Mag. Sig., under date 1612, the annual
markets of Tain are given as follows : — Midsomer
or St John's, 26 June ; S. Barquhani, 4 August ;
[St Berchan] S. Duthosi, 30 December, 6 March ;
S. Makharboch, 20 November. The Calendar of
Fearn gives only three fairs, on 18 March, 9
August, and 20 December, the last being ' Mak-
carmochis day.' (St Cormac ; cf. Tobar Cormaic
in Nigg).

The girth of Tain, marked out by four crosses
(Charter of James II., 1457), appears to have
been roughly co-extensive with the bounds of
the parish. In 1616 (Reg. Mag. Sig.) appears
4 the girth croce dividing the common lands of
the Burgh of Tayne from Ulladil,' and Rev.
W. Taylor notes dais na comraich,1 hollow of the
girth or sanctuary, on the southern boundary of

1 It is at " The Canary."

TAIN. 33

the parish, towards Scotsburn (of old Ulladale).
Crois Caitrion, Catherine's Cross, to the north of
Loch Eye, may have been another girth cross.
The revenues of the Collegiate Church of Tain,
which dates from 1487, were derived from the
lands of Tain, Innerathy, Newmore, Dunskaith,
Morynchy, Tallirky, and Cambuscurry. Of these
places, the last five were chaplainries, and the
last three were within the girth of Tain.

Meikle Ferry — G. am port mor, of old Portin-
coulter. The Little Ferry is at the mouth of
Loch Fleet, between the parishes of Dornoch and
Golspie.

Ardjachie — G. aird-achaidh, promontory of the
cultivated field.

Tarlogie— Tallirky 1487 ; Tarlogy 1529; Tallarky
1559 ; Talreky 1580 ; G. Tarlogaidh. Talorg,
diminutive Talorgan, was a Pictish proper name,
from tal, brow, and the root arg, white, seen in
argentum, airgiod, Argos. The Gaulish proper
name Argiotalus shews the same elements. The
name of a Pictish saint Talorgan survives in Kil-
tarlity, G. Cill-Taraghlain. As a place-name,
white brow is, of course, quite appropriate.

PitnelJies — Petnely 1512; G. Bail' an ianlaith,
Birds' town. The plural form has arisen from the
division of Pitnely into two — north and south.
The English form is an instructive corruption.

Balcherry — G. Bail' a' cheathraimh, town of the
quarter (davach), cf. Balcherry, near Invergordon,
also Ochto.

3

34 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMAE-TY.

Pithogarty— Petogarthe 1548 ; Pettogarty 1560 ;
Betagartie 1574 ; G. Bail' shogartaidh, Priest's
town. The true Gaelic form Avould be Bail' an
t-sagairt or Baile nan sagart ; cf. Pitentagart and
Balhaggarty in Aberdeenshire.

The Fendom — G. na f ana (fanoo), from fan, a gentle
slope, or, usually in Scottish topography, a flat,
low-lying place, the Scots ' Laigh.' Fan is seen
as an adjective in Rob Donn, ' an rum a's fhaine
fo 'n uir,' the lowest room beneath the earth, i.e.,
the grave. The English form is a curious cor-
ruption.

Balkeith or Balkil— Ballecuth 1548; G. Baile na
coille, town of the wood ; keith looks like Welsh
gwydd, wood, which would make the modern
Gaelic Baile na coille a direct translation of an
original Pictish Pit-keith. Similarly Dal-keith,
which is on a flat-backed ridge, may mean
' plateau of the wood.'

Plaids— Plaiddes 1560; G. a Phlaicl, from Norse
flatr, the flat or low land. The plural form is
English; cf. Pladday, Flat Isle. Fladay, off
Barra, retains the Norse form. Near Plaids is
said to have been a court-hill of Paul Mactyre.

Morangie — Morinchy 1487, Morinch 1507, Morin-
schie 1618; G. M6r(a)istidh. The 't' of the
modern Gaelic form is, doubtless, developed after
4 s ' (cf. an drasd for an trath sa ; culaist for
culaix), and from the old forms it may be inferred
to be of fairly recent origin. This leaves us with
M6r(a)isidh, where ' is ' is the reduced form of

TAIN.

35

' iniiis,' haugh, and the rest is termination, the
whole meaning Big-haugh.

Kirksheaf— Kerskeithl560,Kirkskeith 1607; Cros-
kyth, Pont ; now in G. a chroit mhor, the big
croft. The old forms suggest cathair, seat or fort,
and either sgath, dread (cf. Dunskaith in Nigg),
or sgeith, hawthorn. The place is close to the
ancient Chapel of St Duthus.

Cnoc nan aingeal, or Angels' Hill — The small hill,
now cut through by the railway, north-east of the
old chapel. The road to Inver crosses the cutting
by a bridge. Cf. Cnoc nan aingeal at Kirkton of
Lochalsh. The name may equally well mean
knoll of fires, from G. aingeal, light, fire.

Knockbreck — G. an cnoc breac, the spotted hill.

Cnocanmealbhain — Knoll of the white lump.

Aldie — G. Alltaidh, burn place, from allt, with
extension.

Garrick Burn— Muirs and Moss of Garrack, 1690 ;
also Ben Garrick, Beindyarrok 1632, and drochaid
Gharaig, Garrick Bridge.

Knocknacean — G. cnoc nan ceann, hill of heads,
with probable reference to a battle.

Glastullich — Green hillock ; locative of tulach.

Blarleath — G. am blar liath, the gray plain.

Ardival — Height of the home-stead.

Loch Lapagial — A tiny lochlet in the heights, the
Gaelic form of which I have failed to verify.

Loch Uanaidh— (O.S.M. Lochan Uaine); Loch
Owany, Pont ; perhaps from uan, lamb, but
there is also O. Ir. uan, foam.

36 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

An t-allt clachach — The stony burn.

Beinn na gearran — of O.S.M. should be Bimi

Garaig, the hill of Tain.

Lairg — ' The Lairgs of Tain ' ; G. lairig, a sloping
hill, moor.

KingSCauseway — G. cabhsair an righ ; but, accord-
ing to Rev. W. Taylor, rathad an righ ; probably
the road by which James IV. so often rode to
St Duthac's shrine.

Balnagall — Balnagaw 1560, town of the strangers ;
scarcely likely to be a reminiscence of the Norse-
man.

Bogbain — G. am bac ban, white moss.

Hunting Hill— G. druim na sealg.

Morrich more — G. a mhoraich mhor, a large, low-
lying sandy flat by the sea shore. Moraich,
better mor(mh)oich or mor'oich, is from Ir. mur-
magh, sea plain ; cf. a mhor'oich, the Gaelic of
Lovat ; Morvich, Kintail, &c. It is usually applied
to a plain by the sea shore, yet we have a moor
so called in Badenoch. A sand bank off the coast,
accessible only at low tides, is called ' an aideal'
from Norse va^ill, ford.

Loch Preas an uisge, Loch na Muic, Loch nan
Tun nag, Loch of the Water- bush, Sow Loch,
and Duck Loch are small lochs in the Morrich
More.

An innis mhor, big isle, and an innis bheag, small
isle, off the coast.

Whiteness — Apparently Norse, white point.

TAIN. 37

The Gizzen BriggS1 — A dangerous sandy bar guard-
ing the entrance to the Dornoch Firth. G,
drochaid an obh (ow). Taylor, however, gives
drochaid an aobh, and says he had also heard
drochaid an naomh, with a nasal sound. The
local explanation connects with baobh, or baogh,
hag, in Easter Ross called ' a vow,' and specialised
into the meaning of water-sprite, or possibly
mermaid ; in any case, a malicious spirit. Gizzen
Briggs is connected by Taylor with Norse Geyser,
a boiling spring, which suits neither the sense nor-
th e phonetics. Brig, for bridge, is so utterly
foreign to the English of Ross that it is most
reasonable to regard it as a Norse survival, as also
the ' meikle,' so common in. Easter Ross farm
names. The name is, doubtless, the Norse
' gisnar bryggja,' leaky bridge. In Easter Ross
the term ' gizzened,' leaky, is still commonly
applied to tubs or barrels that have shrunk in the
sun.

Inveraithie — Now practically obsolete ; in a Retour
of 1652 appears as 'within the liberty of Tain,
and having salmon fishings and stells.' ' The
tradition is that the town of Tain was once built
much nearer than it is at present to the mouth of
the river, on land that has been in great part
swept away by the sea, but that was called in old
charters and is sometimes remembered still as

1 " Most of the Norwegian fiords are partially obstructed at their entrance
by the remains of old moraines, which in the north are called havbroen, sea
bridges" (Redus, Univ. Gcog.).

38 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Inver-Eathie, or in Gaelic Inbhir-athai ' (Taylor).
The Gaelic form here given, though it cannot now
be verified, is doubtless right, for Eathie Burn
in the Black Isle is Allt athaidh. Evidently
athaidh was also the old name of the Tain river.
The word is probably based on ath, a ford.

Inver — G. an in'ir (inbhir), the confluence, or mouth
of a stream. Rev. W. Taylor says that it appears
in old documents as Inverlochslin, which would
imply that Lochslin, now drained, sent its waters
in this direction.

Na h-oitrichean — The mussel scalps, from G. oitir,
sea bank.

Culpleasant — A hybrid of comparatively recent
origin ; cuil, nook. Near it is Fuaran Dhaidh,
St David's well, the principal source of the Tain
water supply.

The Canary— So called, it is said, from a drinking
place which once existed here.

Queebec — Bridge and Brae, on the Scotsburn road
about two miles from Tain ; the name arose from
the fact that a gentleman who had made money
in Quebec settled near. The Gaelic name is
Muileann Luaidh, Fulling Mill, and the burn
is Allt Luaidh.

Commonty— Once the common lands of the burgh
of Tain.

The following names appear to be obsolete :—
The two Thesklaris (on west side of Tain),
Enycht, Croftmatak, Poltak, Neclacanalych, Bal-
natouch, Petgerello, Skardy with its mill, Auley

TAIN.

39

{? Aldie), the Buttis, Gorlinges, Clerk Island, and
Priest Island, the last three ' belonging to the
Burgh from time immemorial (confirmation of
1612 by King James VI)

40 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

FEAKN.

Fearn was until 1628 included in the parish of
Tarbat. The name was transferred with the mon-
astery from Fearn, Edderton. The monastery, on
its new site, was styled Nova Farina, New Fearn,
but in Gaelic the parish is Sgir na Manachainn,
Parish of the Monastery, also simply A' Mhan-
achainn. As distinguished from Beauly (Manach-
ainn 'Ic Shimidh), it is called Manachainn Hois, the
Monastery of Koss.

Cadboll— Cathabul 1529 ; Norse kattar-bol, cat-
stead ; from this and similar names in Tarbat
it appears that the rocks facing the Moray Firth
were of old a haunt of wild cats. Cf. Cattadale,
Islay. Below Cadboll are Tobar ct bliaile duiWi,
Well of the black town, and Tobar Suardalain,
Well of Suardalan ; also Creag na fiaintighearna,
the Lady's rock.

Cadboll Mount — The curious story of Cadboll
Mount is told by Bishop Forbes. The Laird of
Cadboll was on bad terms with his cousin,
Macleod of Geanies, and built the ' mount' to
look down on his lands. Geanies replied by
planting a belt of trees which in time shut out
the view. The mound, which still exists, was
made quadrangular, built in steps like a pyramid,
and about 60 feet high.

FEAKN. 41

Hilton — Balnaknok 1610 ; G. bail' a' chnuic.

Balintore — G. bail' an todhair, bleaching-town ; cf.
Balintore in Abriachan and in Kirkhill. The
name goes back to the tiine when flax was culti-
vated in the north. The old name of Balintore
is given locally as Port an Ab, Abbot's Port, and
Blaeu shows Abbotshaven here.

Tullich— Tulloch 1606; G. an tulaich (locative),
at the hillock.

Clasnamuiack — Grlasnamoyache 1647; G. Clais na
maigheach, Hares' hollow.

Balmuchy— Balmochi 1529 ; Balmoch 1561 ; G.
Baile mhuchaidh. The meaning is uncertain ;
muc, pig, is out of the question ; perhaps Ir.
much, mist, or mucha, owl. Pendicles of
Balmuchy were Bellewallie (Broomtown), Ballin-
reich (Bail' an f/iraoich, Heather-stead, between
Fearn U.F. Church and Manse, north of the road),
and Glasnamoyache above.

Pitkerrie — Pitkeri 1529 ; G. Baile-cheiridh ; not
the same as Balcherry, Tain, which has short e.
The local derivation is ceir, wax : the place was
covered with whins, from which the bees made
only wax. This is quite possible, though it looks
somewhat fanciful. But at least equally possible
is a derivation from ciar, dark, whence ceiread,
duskiness, hoariness. Behind it is Waterton, G.
Baile nam fuaran, Well-town.

Rhynie— Eathne 1529 ; G. rathan (mhor andbheag,
meikle and little) ; a derivative from rath, circular
enclosure or fort. Rhynie in Aberdeenshire is-

42 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

of different origin — Ryny 1224, Rynyn 1226 ;
from roinnean, diminutive of roinn, headland, as
Mr James Macdonald thinks (Place-names of
West Abercleenshire).

Poulfock — G. poll a' phoca, pool of the bag.

IiOCheye — G. loch na h-uidhe ; uidh, from Norse
eith, isthmus, is common in place-names, where it
may mean (i.) isthmus, cf. the Eye peninsula at
Stornoway, or (ii.) according to some, slow running
water between two lochs. Here, from the fact
that we have ' an uidh ' (see below) near the
outlet of the loch, uidh seems to be used with the
second meaning.

Mounteagle — G. cnoc iia h-iolaire, also, an uidh, as
above, but the ' uidh ' is strictly the western part
of Mounteagle, near the outlet of Loch Eye.

Lochslin — G. Loch-slinn, from slinii, a weaver's
sleye. Lochslin, as a loch, has disappeared, and
survives only in ihe names Lochslin Farm and
the ancient ruin of Lochslin Castle. It must
have been a small loch, at the eastern end of Loch
Eye, v. Inver.

Knocknahar — G. cnoc na h-aire, watch-hill.

Loandhll — G. an Ion dubh, black ' loan ' or wet
meadow.

Balnagore, probably baile nan gobhar, Goats' town,
which is confirmed by a well, Tobar nan gobhar,
Goats' well, noted by Rev. Mr Taylor, and
appearing on record as Tobarnayngor. Formerly
a number of small crofts.

The Talich — Dallachie, in the barony of Geanies,
1676 ; G. loch an dailich, ?loch of the meeting.

FEARN. 43

Allan — Allan Meikle 1479 ; G. Alan mhor (broad
' 1 '). In the parish of Knockbain there are three
Allans, Allan-grange, Allan nan clach, and Allan
fhraoich ; there is also Alan-ais, the Gaelic of
Alness, all pronounced alike in Gaelic, v. Alness.

Ballinroich— Munro's town. William Munro, son
of Andrew Munro of Milntown, obtained the lands
of Meikle Allan about 1570.

Balblair — G. bail' a' bhlair, town of the plain.

Balindrum — G. bail an druim, town of the ridge.

Mttldearg — G. a' mhuil dearg (locative), the red
rounded eminence.

Midoxgate — G. an (t-)uchd meadhonach, the mid
hillock or terrace. In view of the Gaelic it would
be unsafe to regard this interesting name as a
genuine survival of the bovate or oxgate, the old
land measure. The place is on the 100 foot ridge
between Hill of Fearn and Loch Eye, and ' uchd
meadhonach' is therefore quite applicable. In
the absence of old forms, it seems more reasonable
to suppose Midoxgate to be an ingenious mis-
translation of the Gaelic by some one of anti-
quarian tastes, than to regard ' uchd ' as a Gaelic
attempt at ' ox.'

At Hilton of Cadboll stood a chapel, dedicated to
the Virgin 'Our Ladyis Chapell ' 1610, in con-
nection with which appears in 1610 (Reg. Mag.
Sig.) Litill Kilmure, Toir of Kilmuir, a well called
Oure-Lady-well, situated near the angle of the
kailyard dyke occupied by And. Denune of Bal-
naknok ; also the heavin called Our-Lady-heavin

44 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

of Kilmure. Some of these names survive :
Creag na baintighearna, Lady's Bock, is under
Cadboll ; Tobar na baintighearna, Lady's Well, is
(or was) near a small graveyard east of Hilton
used for unbaptized children ; Port na bain-
tighearna, Lady's haven. The name Kilmuir,
curiously enough, seems to have gone, but there
is Bard Mhoire, Mary's meadow or enclosure. I
have met with no other clear instance of ban-
tighearna in the above sense of ' Our Lady.'

TARE AT. 45

TAEBAT.

Tarbat — Arterbert 1227 ; Terbert 1529 ; Tarbat
1561-66 ; G Tairbeart, a crossing, portage,
isthmus. The land of Estirterbate stands first in
the list of lands given in the Exchequer Holls as
belonging to John, last Earl of Ross, which passed
to the Crown on his resignation in 1479.

Tarbat Ness — G. rudha Thairbeirt, cf. Arterbert
above, where Ar(t) is for airde, promontory.
Cairns near the lighthouse are named Bodach an
rudha, the old man of the point ; an Cailleach,
the old wife ; a' Bhean-mhuinntir, the servant
lass. A rock in the sea is called Steollaidh,
Norse stagl-ey, rock-island.

Port a' chait— Cat's port ; cf. Oadboll. There is
also Got nan cat, hole or cavern of the cats,
from Norse gat, hole ; English gate. Near it is
Got nan caiman, hole of the pigeons.

Port Buckie — G. Port nam faochag.

Wilkhaven — A translation of Port nam faochag.
Near it is n a h-athan salach, the nasty fords, a
small burn, which appears on record as Allan -
sallaeh, with a chapel dedicated to St Bride.

Blar a' chath— The battlefield.

Brucefield — G. crioc an tighearna, the laird's hill,
probably from Robert Bruce Macleod, a former
proprietor. North Brucefield is in Gaelic Loch

46 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Sirr\ Near it was Loch nan cuigeal ; cuigeal, a
distaff, is also the name of a water plant.

Port Uilleam — William's port.

Hilton — G. Bail' a' chnuic ; near it is Cnoc beall-
aidh, broom-hill.

Bindal — G. Biricleil ; Norse bind-clalr? sheaf-dale,
The name occurs in Norway. Near it is Stiana
Bleadar or stoney -blather, Norse stein-blettr,
stone-spot.

Portmahomack — Portmaholmag N.S.A. ; G. Port
ma Cholmag, Colman's port. Tobar ma Chalmag,
Colman's well, is near the Library. Behind it is
Pitfaed) G. Baile Phaididh, of doubtful meaning.

Gaza — So called (i.) because it is desert, being
mostly sand-hills (cf. Acts viii. 26), or (ii.) because
a minister of Tar bat once referred to its people as
" muinntir Ghaza," men of Gaza, i.e., Philistines,
because of their irregular attendance at church.
Such are the local explanations.

Balnabruach — Town of the banks.

Rockfield — G. a' Chreag, or Creag Tarail beag.

Castle Corbet — G. an Caisteal dearg, Red-castle.
In 1534 James Dunbar of Tarbat sold one-third
of the lands of Arboll to John Corbet of Estir
Ard, and the Corbets appear on record thereafter
as proprietors in Tarbet.

Balachladich — Shore town ; further inland is
Scafield.

Drumancroy — G. an druim(a) cruaidh (locative),,
the hard ridge.

TARBAT. 47

Petley— So called in the first decade of last century
by Sheriff Macleod of Geariies, who married Miss
Jane Petley. The old name was Mulbuie, yellow
height; Mulboyeid 1535.

Tarrel— John of Tarale 1373, Tamil 1561 ; G.
Tarail. Probably ' tar,' across, over, and ' ail,'
rock — Over-cliff. There are high cliffs at Tarrel
and at Rocktown (Little Tarrel), as there are at
Geanies. Gaelic has ' Tarail mhor, is Tarail
bheag, is Tarail fo na chreag.'

Meikle Tarrel included in 1529 Royeindavoir,
Renmasrycshe, Creitnacloyithegeill, Creitmantae,
Kilpottis, Rownakarne, Rownaknoksenidis, and
near it were Callechumetulle, Kandig, KilstaRe.

Geanies — Gathenn 1529 ; Eistir Gany, Wastir
Gaiiy, Midilgany 1561-1566 ; G. Gaan. The
modern form is thus an English plural. Gaan is
most probably a Gaelic plural of Norse ' gja,' a
chasm, from the precipitous rocks on the coast^
From the same root we have also ' gaw,' a furrow
or small trench ; cf. ' yawn,' Ger. ' gahnen,' Scot-
tish ' gant.'

Balaldie — ' Baile,' town ; ' alt,' burn, with -ie
ending — Burn-town.

Balnuig — G. bail' an aoig, town of death ; Baile na
h-atha, Kiln-town, is part of it.

Toulvaddie — G. toll a' mhadaidh, dog-hole.

Loch Clais na ere — Loch of the clay hollow.

Arboll — Arkboll 1463 and 1535 ; Norse ork-bol,
ark-stead, but possibly from orkn, seal, which in
Skye gives Or-bost. Near Arboll were Knokan-

48 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

girrach, on the coast, 1633 ; also Lochanteny and
Loanteanaquhatt, i.e., L6n tigh nan cat, Cats' -
house mead.

Gallow Hill — G. cnoc na croiche, about a mile from
Balloan Castle.

Skinnertown — G. baile nan Scinnearach. Skinner
is a surname very common in the coast villages of
Easter Ross.

Innis Bheag — Small Isle — off the north coast.

A' Chreag Mhaol — Bare or blunt rock, below
Tarrel.

Teampall Earach — Easter Temple, a cave on the
south coast, east of Bindal, opposite a moor now
cultivated between Bindal and Wilkhaven, called
Blar-Earach ; there is also Cruit Earach, easter
croft ; cf. cuil earach, easter recess, in Islay.
There is a tradition that the cave, which is but
small, was once used for purposes of worship.
Hev. Mr Taylor quotes a description, which
applies not to it but to a much more imposing
cave near it.

Balloan Castle — Two causeways lead to it, Cabh-
sair an righ, King's causeway, and an cabhsar
mbr, the big causeway. Near it is Cnoc Dubh,
Black Hill, where stone coffins have been found,
also Cnoc druim(a) langaidh.

Port a* Chaisteil — Castle-haven, whence the title
in the Cromarty family of Viscount Castlehaven.
In a rock to the west of it is Got a choice, hole of
the cauldron.

TAEBAT. 49

Toll Raoiridh is a cave on the north-east side of
Tar bat Ness. Its mouth is now blocked, but some
cattle which entered it long ago came out in
Caithness ! Cf. Creag Eaoiridh in Kincardine
and Leac Eaoiridh below Achtercairn, Gairloch.

Kilpots, which appears as Kilpotis, is a sea-mark ;
there is also oir na poit, edge of the pot.

Cillean Ilelpak is a fishing bank in the Moray
Firth, called in Cromarty Geelyum Melpak.
There is another ' Geelyum ' nearer Cromarty.
Helpak is said to have been a witch.

The following names, probably belonging to
Fearn or Tarbat appear to be obsolete : — Hard-
nanen and Ardnadoler, Port na cloiche, Port
nagrigack, Portnawest1 alias St John's port — all
described as small ports, and the last three near
Arboll ; Innerladour, Eochani, Knokydaff, Arth-
reis, Coillen, Kandig, Eownaknoksenidis, Elvie
more, Ballinsirach, and, near Arboll, a port called
Camray.

1 This is probably Port cC Lhaist, still known.

50 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

NIGG.

Nig — Nig 1227 ; G. 'n eig, the notch (locative of
eag). The notch in question may be that cut by
the bay of Nigg ; but it is noteworthy that the
parish church, which has always apparently occu-
pied the same site, stands on the edge of a
Y-shaped gully, and on the analogy of other
parish names it is perhaps safer to regard this
gully as the notch which gave its name first to
the church and then to the parish ; cf. Eigg, and
Nigg near Aberdeen.

Broomtown — Ballewallie ; G. bail' a' bhealaidtu
Between it and Balintore is Dorus na(m) ba,
door, or pass, of the kine.

Shandwick — G. seannduaig, from Norse sand-viky
sand-bay. In Islay the same combination gives
Sanaig. A plan of the land about Shandwick,
dated 1786, shews the following : — Tobar no,
slainte, well of health ; Stronmore, the big point ;
Walter's Seat ; Craggan, the little rock ; Cull
lisk, back or nook of the enclosure ; Crot kerk,
Hens' Croft ; Crot Ganich, Sandy Croft ; Crot
Oich ; Fisher Crofts ; Eallnamorich, Fisher- town ;
Cromlet, the bent slope ; Leatcaum, the bent hill-
side ; Clasinore, ? Claisean mora, the big furrows ;
Riliindow, black slopes ; Cocli kinich (i.e., Cach-
aileith Coinnich), Kenneth's gate.

NIGG. 51

Rarichie (Easter and Wester) — Rarechys 1333,
Raricheis 1368 ; G. Rath-riachaidh shios agus R.
shuas. Fort of scratching (as by brambles), satis-
fies the phonetics. The foundations of a circular
fort still exist on a hillock, with well-marked fosse
at foot, near the farmhouse of Easter Rarichie.
The former existence of wood is proved by its
name, Cnoc coille no, tobarach, Well-wood Hill.
Of. Dunriachie, a hill fort in the parish of Dores,
Inverness. The latter part of the compound may,
however, be riabhach, dappled, with -idh exten-
sion. The local derivation is as follows : — The
Picts lived at Cadha 'n ruigh, and in spring-time
they would say, ' tiugamaid 'bhan 'dheanamh
rotha riachagan,' ' let us go down to make rows
of scratches ' (to sow seed in).

Easter Rarichie includes Cnoc Coinnich, Ken-
neth's Hill ; an Torran shuas and an Torran shios,
the wester and the easter hillock.

Lower Rarichie — G. Bail' a' phuill, Pool-town.

Drumdil — G. Druim(a) daol, Beetle-ridge, west of
Wester Rarichie. Below it is Croit Bhreunan,
the little rotten croft.

Pitcalnie— Pitcahan 1662; G. Baile-chailnidh ; T
silent in English ; an obscure name.

Pitculzean — Revived as the name of Westfield,
which was of old Meikle Pitcalzean ; Pitcalzeane
1581, Pitcalzean 1598 ; G. Bail' a' choillean, town
of the little wood, as is proved by Tobar na coille,
well of the wood, on the place.

Culnaha— Oulnahaw 1611 ; G. Cul-na-h-atha, Kiln-
nook or Kiln-back, for it is practically impossible

52 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

in such cases to distinguish cuil, recess, from cul,
back. With it goes CadJi a bhreacaich, path of
the spotted place.

Culinald — Culnald cum ustrina lie kill die Nig,
1634 (Culnald with the kiln, called the kiln of
Nigg) ; Burn-nook, now part of Nigg Farm. The
streamlet in question flows through the gully at
Nigg Church.

Strath of Pitcalnie— Culderare 1611 ; G. Srath
chuilt-eararaidh ; eararadh is the process of
parching corn ; cuilt occurs passim in Perthshire
and elsewhere, e.g., a chuilt rainich, the ferny
' cuilt ' ; doubtless the Aberdeenshire Cult-s. The
meaning of this obsolete word seems to be some-
thing like ' nook ' ; it may be cuil, O. Ir. cuil, with
excrescent ' t.' Cuilt-eararaidh would thus mean
the nook of parching. In this Strath is Cnoc
Ghaisgeach. From a loch in the hill above it
flows Allt an damhain (O.S.M. Aultandown),
burn of the little ox.

Balnabruach — Kindeis Wester, within the barony
of Ballinbreich, 1650 Ret. ; Bank-town. Near it
is Cnoc na h-iolaire, Eagle-hill.

Balnapaliag — A hybrid, Paling-town ; there were
a number of small plots of land separated by
' palings.'

Castlecraig — G. Oaisteal Chrag (sic); now the
name of a farm, on which may yet be traced the
lines of the castle built by William the Lion in
1179. Its name was Dun Sgath, fort of dread,
now English Dunskaith. The farm of Castlecraig
includes several holdings formerly distinct : an

NIGG. 53

Annaid,the 4nnat (Annot 1611 ; Rhidorach, the
dark slope ; Culbinn, back (or nook) of the hill,
and Dunsgath, Dunskaith.

Bayfield — Formerly Meikle Kindeace ; G. Cinndeis
mh5r, or Cinndeis Rob'son shuas, Wester Kin-
deace of Robertson, from William Robertson, a
burgess of Inverness, who bought it and the fol-
lowing in 1629. The name was changed to
Bayfield by John Mackenzie, commander of the
' Prince Kaunitz,' who bought the estate about
1788 (v. Nevile Reid's 'Earls of Ross.").

Ankerville— G. Cinn-deis bhig, Little Kindeace ;
also Easter Kindeace; bought in 1721 by Alex-
ander Ross (locally known as Polander Ross), late
merchant at Cracow, who changed the name (v.
'Earls of Ross' and N.S.A.) — v. Kindeace in
Kilmuir Easter.

Carse of Bayfield — G. Mor'oich Cinndeis, Carse of
Kindeace, or simply, a Mhor'oich.

Gulliss— Culisse 1296 ; Culuys 1351 ; Culliss alias
Cullenderie, 1642 ; G. Cul an lios, back of the
' lios ;' lios, now garden, formerly meant an
enclosure or fort with an earthen wall ; cf. Lis-
more. Rare in northern place-names. Near
Culliss was Muileann Ach-railean, Achrailean
Mill, cf. Badrallich in Lochbroom.

Blackhili — G. an cnoc dubh.

Hill Of Nigg— -G. Binn Nig ; of old ' the Bishop's
Forest.'

Big Audle — A channel in the bay, from Norse
va<5ill, a ford. There is also an oitir, the sea-
bank.

54 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The Three Kings— G. Creag Harail, Harold's Rock.
This skerry off the Nigg coast is called in the
N.S.A. The King's Sons. The story goes that
three sons of a Danish prince, sailing to avenge
their sister's wrongs, were wrecked here. Their
graves were marked by the sculptured stones of
Hilton, Shandwick, and Nigg. Another legend
of their burial is given below.

Of all Ross-shire parishes, Nigg is, in proportion
to its size, the richest in wells. Most have
names, but some that appear in the following list
no longer rise to the surface at their proper
place : —

Tobar Cormaig — Cormac's well, at Shandwick farm-
house.

Tobar Cnoc Coinnich— Well of Kenneth's hill, i.e.,
the hill above Easter Rarichie.

Glagaig — Now closed, to the south of the road at
Torran shuas, ' the little noisy one ;' cf. glagan,
the clapper of a mill ; glagar, a prating fellow.

Sul bi — Cows' eye, i.e., well-eye at which cattle
came to drink ; in front of the old curate's house
at Easter Rarichie.

Tobar na h-iu — At the wester side of Cnoc
coille na tobarach, Well-wood hill, which is the
Gaelic name of the so-called Fairy hill or Danish
fort, really a Celtic hill fort, at Easter Rarichie.
Hard by this well once stood a tree whose
branches bent over the water, and while the tree
stood, the well cured ' white swelling.' The tree
was cut, and the well struck. The following

NIGG. 55

rhyme in connection with this tale shows the sort
of feeling with which such wells were regarded : —

Tobar na h-iu, Tobar na h-iu,

's aim duit bu chumha bhi uasal ;

tha leabaidh deis ann an iuthairnn

do 'n fhear a ghearr a' chraobh mu d' chluasan.1

Well of the yew, Well of the yew ! 2
to thee it is that honour is due ;
a bed in hell is prepared for him
who cut the tree about thine ears.

Tobar nam puill linn— Well of the lint pools,

above Wester Rarichie.
Tobar nan geala (or deala) mdra— Well of the big

leeches, between Wester Rarichie and Culliss.

This well was insulted and is not what it was.
Tobar Sein Sutharlain — Jane Sutherland's well, at

Drumdil.
Tobar a' bhaistidh — Baptismal well, at Ankerville,

just above the old U.P. Church. Otherwise,

tobair Eapaig Ghearr, Eppy Gair's well.
Tobar Eadhain Bhaist— John Baptist's well, beside

Chapelhill Church.

Tobar a* Oh6irneil— The Colonel's well (Colonel
Ross), at Nigg Farm.

Tobar na coille— At Pitcalzean ; G. Bail' a
choillean.

Tobar Alaidh Bhodhsa— Sandy Vass's well, sup-
plies Westfield house.

1 The two last lines would be rendered less rugged by reading
tha leabaidh deis an iuthairnn do'n fhear
a ghear a' chraobh mu d' chluasan.

aThis translation supposes " iu" to represent Ir. e6, a yew tree.

56 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Tobar Dun-Sgath— Dunskaith well.

Tobar na h-6iteachan — On the top of Nigg hill,.

famous water, used by the Nigg smugglers.
Tobar cadha 'n ruigh— Ca'an ruigh well.

Tobar na slainte — Well of health, near Shand-
wick Village, and noted for its healing powers.

Tobar na' muc— Pigs' well, by the shore, west of
Shandwick.

Leisgeig — The little lazy one, near Shandwick ;
its water comes in very small quantity.

Tobar a* chlaidheimh duibh an Eirinn, 's i air

aghaidh na greine an port an Druidh (al. a
dh-eirich an Port an Druidh) — Well of the black
sword in Erin, facing the sun in the Druid's port
(or, that rose in the Druid's port). It does not
rise, but gushes out of the rock, and is excellent
water. Port an Druidh is west of Shandwick.

Besides the old churchyard at the Church of
Nigg, there are, or were, four other places of
burial in the parish.

At Nigg Rocks, below Cadha Neachdain, there is
a graveyard, now covered with shingle. Here
the Danish princes were buried. Their grave-
stones came from Denmark, and had iron rings
fastened in them to facilitate their landing. So
local tradition. This most unlikely spot for a
graveyard was not selected without some good
reason, the most probable being that hermits
once lived in the caves, whence the place was
reckoned holy ground.

At Clach' charaidh, the sculptured stone near
Shandwick, all unbaptized infants of the parish

NIGG. 57

were buried up till fairly recent times. It is now
cultivated.

At Easter Rarichie — Here the curate of Nigg lived,
and the field behind his house is called ' raon a
chlaidh,' the graveyard field. The plough goes
over it now, and formerly used to strike the
gravestones, but these are now removed.

Near Shandwiek Farm-house, to the south-west,

between the sea and the rock was a graveyard,
the name of which I failed to find. Some of the
stones are still visible.

The following are the paths (cadha) leading to
the shore beneath the rocks :— Cadha nan
caorach, sheeps' path ; Cadha sgriodaidh, shingly
path ; Cadha nan suibhean, path of rasp-berries ;
Cadh a' bhodaich, the old man's path ; Cadha a!
bhreacaich, pass of the speckled place ; Cadha
Neachdain, Nectan's path ; Cadha 'n ruigh, path
of the slope ; Cadha cul losaidh ; Cadha togail
toinn, a path with one difficult part where a
push from behind is requisite ; Cadha port an
druidh, west of Shandwiek, path of the Druid's
port ; Spardan nan gobhar, goats' roost.

58 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

LOGIE EASTER

Logic — Logy 1270; G. Lagaidh ; 'lag,' a hollow,
with -aidh ending. The O.S.A. correctly says that
the name is derived from the little hollow in
which the old church at Marybank stands.
That church is probably pre-Eeformation, but
there must have been a still older church or
churches on the same site. The old grave-yard
around it was used within living memory, and has
some fine stones, but is unenclosed and disgrace-
fully neglected. On the Kilmuir side of the river
is Cadha an t-sagairt, the priest's path.

Calrossie (accented on first syllable) — Glossery 1476,
Calrosse 1479, Calrossie 1586. The 1476 record
(Reg. Mag. Sig.) runs : — ' The lands of Mekle
Meithaute, Drumgill, Glossery, Mekle Alane,' &c.
The 1479 record (Ex. Bolls) is— * Alane Mekle,
Calrosse, Drummethat,' &c., so that there need be
no doubt that Glossery and Calrossie are one and
the same. Glossery has the advantage of being
intelligible — ' glasaraidh/ green place, or, possibly,
green shieling ; but, if we assume this to be the
true original form, the change to Calrossie involves
a, double metathesis, explicable perhaps in itself
(cf. Kiltarlity from Cilltalorgain), but startling as
involving a change from a well-known and signifi-
cant combination to an obscure one. Of course,

LOGTE EASTER. 59

Glossery may be an error of the scribe. Calrossie,
as it stands, is extremely difficult, especially in
view of its accent on the first syllable, which
debars any explanation such as ' Coille Hois,'
Wood of Eoss, or ' Coille Ehois,' Wood of the
Moor.

Arabella — Formerly ' the Bog.' It was reclaimed
in the earlier half of the nineteenth century by
Hugh Eose of Calrossie, &c., who named it after
his wife, Arabella Phips. Hence also Phipsfield,
near it.

Glastullich — Glastollich 1479; ' glas,' green, ' tul-
aich,' hillock. It is west of Calrossie, and the
' glas ' may be an argument in favour of Glossery.

Pitmaduthy— Pitmadwy 1370, Pettecowy 1578 ;
G. Pit 'ic Dhuibh, also Baile 'ic Dhuibh, Mac-
duff's stead. Here, and also in the case of the
Black Isle Belmaduthy, the modern Gaelic form
is decisive against the common, and, at first sight,
plausible, connection with St Duthac ; cf. Pett
mal-duib (Book of Deer). Near it is Baile na toin,
Auchownatone 1623, "the part of Pitmaduthy
commonly called Auchnaton," 1691. Next Auch-
naton was Drumgill, now obsolete.

Lochan nan tunnag — Duck-loch.

Brenachie— G. Breanagaich (long <n'); cf. Brink-
nach 1610. The 1610 reference (Eeg. Mag. Sig.)
runs : — " The house and lands of Logie, with the
fields called Eiharrald, Auldmuiramoir, Achim-
moir, and the Bus of Preischachleif, and the
mosses of Brinknach and Derrileane with the

60 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

shielings and grassums bounded by tbe cairn of
stones called cairnne na marrow alias Deidmannis-
cairne, and the burn (torrente) called Aldainal-
banache alias Scottismeriisburne, in the barony of
Nig." Riharrald is ' ruighe-Harrald,' Harold's
slope, evidently from Norse times. It is a strip
of land near the river, towards the western
extremity of Marybank Farm, under the Heather
Park, still known as Ri-horral. There is ako
Bi-horral Well, and, in the river, Ri-horral Pool.
The two following places may also have been part
of Marybank. The ' Bus ' in its G. form means
' the bush of the gate ' — ' preas 'chachaileith,' a
word intelligible to few Easter Hoss people now.
Derrileane is modern Torelean, G. Torr leathan,
broad eminence. The cairn must be that in the
wood north of Torelean. The burn, ' Scotsburn,'
is to the west of Marybank Farm, and is now
practically dried up. There are local traditions of
a battle fought here by the ' Scots,' supported by
cairns in Scotsburn Wood and by the names
Lochan a' Chlaidheimh, Sword Loch, and Bewrns
a' Chlaidheimh, Sword Cleft (bearnas).

Marybank— G. Lagaidh (no article), from the ' lag,'
or hollow, which gives its name to the parish.
The modern name is from Lady Mary Ross of
Balnagown.

Ballachraggan — Rock-town ; otherwise L6n nam
ban, the women's mead. In the wood near it is
the Clootie Well, or Fuaran bean Mhuiristean,
much frequented on the first Sabbath of May.

LOGIE EASTER. 61

Creag a' Chait— Cat-rock.

Leinster Wood — So called, it is said, in honour of
a Duchess of Leinster.

Loch Buidhe — Yellow loch.

Badnaguin — G. Bad na' gaoithean, windy copse.
It is near the top of Scotsburn Hill.

An Dun — The Dun, at east end of Strathrory. 01 i
people know it as Dim-gobhal, Fork-fort. They
will have it, however, to mean Fort of Goll, the
Fenian hero ; but ' gobhal ' is distinctly two
syllables, and, besides, there is a typical fork at
the spot, formed by two deep ravines. The name
appears as Dungowill 1616 (v. Scotsburii), Dun-
gald 1674. The dun, or fort, is the second largest
in Scotland (Christison's 'Hill-forts'), and was in
its time an awkward place to tackle. Its forti-
fications are well worth examination (v. Trans,
of Inverness Field Club, Vol. V.).

Coag — G. An Cumhag ; ' cumhang,' narrow — the
narrow place where the river enters Scotsburn
ravine.

Garbil Leitir — The rough slope, just beyond the
' Cumhag.'

Dalrannich — Dale of bracken.

Scotsburn — The name has now shifted from the
burn to the farm of Scotsburn, apparently of old
called in part Cabrach, Cabreithe 1571, and in
part Ulladale. In 1616 appear on record (Heg.
Mag. Sig.) ' the church lands of Ulladill with their
crofts called Hifleuche and Kiddorache alias the
Glen of Ulladill, the wood called Dungowill

62 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

between the Girthcroce dividing the common
lands of the Burgh of Tayne from Ulladiil," &c.
The Glen is now called the Glen of Scotsburn.
" The Commonty " is still well known.

Parkhill — Site of the post-office near Balnagowan
Bridge. The name was transferred along with
the P.O. from the real Parkhill, two miles further
west.

Poll a* Bhathaidh — Drowning pool, near the Free
Church Manse. This was the drowning pool of
the barony of Nigg. The hanging hill is near it,
G. Cnoc na croiche. Further south, near the
railway, is Cnoc a' mhoid, the Moot-hill.

Meddat — Drummethat and Mekle Methat 1479 ;
(Kilmure) Madath 1541, (Kilmure) Meddett 1575.
Local pronunciation has a tendency to Merret ;
G. Meitheid. For the terminal suffix cf. Rat from
rkth-d, Bialaid from beul, Caolaid from caol,
Croaghat from cruach. This leaves a root 'meith/
which is probably connected with maoth, soft ;
meith, sappy ; meath, fail,1 giving the meaning,
which is appropriate, of soft or spongy place ;
cf. MuthiL

Shandwick — Transferred from Shandwick, Nigg.

1 ' Na h-alltaichean a' fas, agus na h-aibhnichean a' meath,' ' the burns
growing and the rivers failing,' is a proverb applied to the growth of new
families and the decay of old ones.

KILMUIR EASTER. 63

KILMUIR EASTER.

Kilmor 1296, Kilmure Madath 1541, Kilmure
Meddett 1575— G. Cill-Mhoir, Mary's Church.

Milntown — ' Myltoun of Methat with its two mills '
1479; G. Baile-mhuilin or Baile-mhuilin Anndra,
from Andrew Munro, who built Milntown Castle,
c. 1500, or his son, Black Andrew Munro. Now
officially known as Milntown of New Tarbat.

New Tarbat — So called by the Cromartie family,
from Tarbat, where their former seat was (v.
Castlehaven).

Kildary — G. Caoldaraidh, based on caol, narrow,
and analysed caol-d-ar-aidh, " d " being euphonic.
The 'narrow place' in question is doubtless the
river gorge between Kildary Farm and the parish
of Logie.

Apitauld (pron. Abijald) — G. Ath-pit-allt ; ' ath,'
ford, ' pet,' baile, ' allt,' burn. The place is close
to Balnagown Bridge. ' Pit ' has survived here
owing to the prefixing of ' ath,' ford, which caused
the sense of ' pit ' to be obscured. Were it not
for this, the name would no doubt have become
Balnault.

Balnagown — Balnegovne 1375, Smith's town; the
modern Gaelic is as the English form. Near the
castle is a steep old bridge over the river, still in
good order, known as ' the King's Bridge,' and

64 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMARTY.

traditionally associated with James IV. It leads
to the King's Causeway — the old road to Tain.

Polnicol — Poll Neacail, Nicol's pool. Between the
farms of Polnicol and Garty, on the north side of
the road is a narrow strip called the Lint-pools.

Garty — Gorty 1368 ; ' gart,' standing corn ;
' goirtean,' small field of corn, W. * garth.' Also
Knockgarty.

Shives — G. Na Ruigheannan ; le Roy is 1479, le
Ruvis 1487, later Huffis ; ' ruigh,' land sloping up
to a hill in ridges. The G. form is peculiar, and
looks like the pi. of a diminutive ' ruighean,' but
the pronunciation does not countenance this. It
is probably to be compared with such plurals as
ainmeannan, l&umannan, etc. Cf. Kin-rive. The
present farm of Hhives contains, in addition to the
ancient le E/oyis, three other tracts whose names
appear in record and are not yet wholly lost :—
Auchoyle, the northern part of the farm, partly a
slope once heavily wooded, now rough pasture.
Achawyle 1351, Achenwyl 1368, Achagyle 1619 ;
* achadh,' field, and ' gall,' stranger. Near it was
Badferne, now obsolete. Knoknapark 1527 and
passim in E.R. This -was the hillocky part to the
N.E. of Delny Station, where the P.O., ' Parkhill,'
formerly stood. The P.O. and the name have
now been shifted two miles east, just beyond
Balnagown Bridge. Badebaa 1587, etc.; also
Badebay. This is the part of Ehives lying south
of the railway, still known locally as ' the Batty-
bay.' Before being reclaimed, it was dotted with
birch clumps ; hence ' bad a' bheith,' birch copse.

KILMUIE, EASTER. 65

Delny — Dalgeny 1356 ; G. Deilgnidh, based on
clealg, prickle, whence deilgne, thorns ; deilgneach,
prickly ; * place of prickles.' Here stood a castle
of the Earls of Ross.

Tomabrock — G. Torr na' broc, Mound of the
badgers.

Balvack — Bail a' bhac, Moss-town ; between Delny
Station and the U.F.C. Manse.

Barbaraville — G. an cladach, the shore ; its east
end is Portlich, G. port fhlich (loc.), the wet port
—there being no proper place for landing.

Polio— G. Am Pollan; Estir Polga and Westir
Polga 1479 ; diminutive of ' poll/ pool, or hole.

Balintraid — Balandrade 1479, Balnatraid 1507;
' baile ' and ' traigh,' sea-shore, genitive, traghad.

Priesthill — Cnoc an t-sagairt ; the pre-Reformation
manse and glebe were here. Somewhere to the
west of it is said to have been a drowning pool,
Poll a' bhathaidh, but its site can hardly be
identified. John the Baptist's Well is, or was,
west of Priesthill, near the burn.

Broomhill — Bromehill 1634 appears to represent
Ardunagage 1479, Ardnagag 1487, Ardnagaag
1586; 'gag,' cleft, chink; hence, Height of the
cleft. Of. Gaick.

Inchfuir— Inchfure 1463,Petfure 1479,Inchfurealias
Pitfure 1539, G. I's-fiur (i's = innis) ; interesting as
showing the unique, or at least very rare, change
of ' pit ' to ' inch ' (innis) ; cf. Pitfure in Black
Isle and in Rogart, Porin in Strathconan,
Dochfour, Balfour, etc. In the " Book of Deer "

5

66 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

".here occurs " nice furene/' unto Furene, which
appears to be an aspirated Porin ; '-fure ' is from
the root seen in Welsh ' pori,' to pasture, and
4 poriant/ pasture. Thus ' Inchfuir ' means
pasture meadow.

Kiildeace, G. Cinn-deis, has been transferred from
Nigg. William Robertson, of Inverness, acquired
the estate of Kindeace, in Nigg, in 1629. The
Nigg estate was subsequently disposed of, and the
family acquired the estate now known as Kindeace,
in Kilmuir, of old Inchfure, retaining the style
" of Kindeace." ' Cinn,' locative of ' ceann ;'
' deis/ perhaps loc. of ' dias,' an ear of corn ;
1 corn-head / suitable, but doubtful.

Lonevlne — G. Lon a' bhinn ; ' Ion/ marsh, or low
damp ground ; ' binn/ gen. of ' beann,' hill.

Tullich— G. An Tulaich, locative of ' tulach,' hillock.

Burracks — G. Na buraich ; ' burach/ digging ;
' the diggings ' — for peat and turf. The place is
a rough peat-moss.

Dorachan — Extension of ' doire/ copse. Cf. for
formation Giuthsachan, place of fir.

Dnminault — Druim (n) an allt, ' ridge of the burns/
one of \vhich flows into the Balnagown Water.

Claisdhll — ' Clais/ furrow, narrow and shallow
valley ; ' dubh/ bkck.

Torran — G. An Torran, diminutive of ' torr/ heap ;
of old Torran Hath, grey hillock.

Badachonachar — Baddiequhoncar,Baddiequhonchar
1571 ; * bad/ copse ; ' conachair, (l) uproar, (2) a
sick person who neither gels worse nor better

KILMUIR EASTER. 67

(Macbain's G. Diet.); a large peat-moss in the
upper part of the parish. In this case it may be
from the proper name Conachar. Cf. Coir' a'
Chonacbair ( Kincardine).

Dalnaclerach — ' Dail/ dale, meadow ; ' clerach/
cleric ; clerics' dale. It appears to have formed
part of the church lands of Kilrnuir, and is pro-
bably included in the grant made in 1541 by
" Master David Dunbar, chaplain of the chaplainry
of the Virgin Mary in the parish of Kilmure
Madath to Thomas Ross of Balintrait, etc., of the
church-lands called Priestishill and Ulladule,
reserving to himself and his successors on« acre
of the lands of Priestishill, lying near the manse
on the south side for a manse and garden to be
there constructed." Ulladule (v. Logie Easter)
was the old name of Scotsburn, which is adjacent
to Dalnaclerach.

Kinrive — G. Ceann-ruigh, Kennachrowe 1362,
Candenrew 1547, Canderwiff' 1549, Kenroy 1556 ;
' ceann,' head, ' ruigh,' ridgy slope. Kenrive is
the hill to which the land slopes up from the sea
in a succession of terraces. The various spellings
are suggestive of the way in which the G. ' ruigh '
became Anglicised — ' rive ' (pron. riv). Rhives, in
the low part of the parish, shows the plural form
in Gaelic and in English.

GnoC-Still (west of Inchfure) — Hill of the strip, i.e.,
strip of grass. ' Still ' is genitive of ' steall/
which in 0. Ir. is £ stiall/ and means a belt,
girdle, strip, piece of anything. Cf. Loch Still ;
Caisteal Still (now Castlehill), Inverness.

68 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Cam Totaig (north of Cnoc-still) — Diminutive of
' tobhta,' knoll. The cairn has disappeared, but
the place is still counted uncanny.

Heathfleld— G. Cal-fhraochaidh ; Kalruquhy 1479,
Calrechy 1586, Calrichie 1616, from cala, a wet
meadow (which exactly describes it), and fraoch,
heather. Cf. Calatruim, hollow of the elder
(Joyce) ; Freuchie, now Castle-Grant.

Strathrory — G. Srath-uaraidh ; Strathury 1362,
Straithworie 1563, Strathworie 1628, but Strath-
rowrie 1571. The modern English form is due to
the false analogy of the personal name ' Ruaraidh,'
Rory, which sometimes affects even the Gaelic.
The Old Stat. Ace. of Logie states (referring to
the Rory or Balnagown Water) ; " The only river
in the parish goes generally by the name of Abhor
or river," and in accordance with a custom so
general as to be almost a rule, the Strath should
take its name from the river. ' Srath-abharaidh '
might yield Srath-uaraidh ; cf. the dialectic change
of farnhair, giant, into fua'r, e.g. Tigh 'n fhua'r,
Novar. The New Stat. Ace. suggests uar, water-
spout, which is worth considering. The river is
liable to sudden spates.

Drilim na gaoith — Windy ridge ; a hill in the
extreme north-west of the parish.

Craskag— The name, now obsolete, of the burn
issuing from Achnacloich loch, and running at the
foot of Kinrive hill — the little cross (burn) ; cf.
Allt Tarsuinn (Kincardine).

Allt Eapaidh — Noisy burn ; north side of Strath-
rory; boundary between Balnagown and Kindeace.

BOSSKEEN. 69

ROSSKEEN.

Rosskeen — Kosken 1270, Roscuyn 1640; G. Bos-
cuithnidh ; ' ros,' headland, referring most pro-
bably to the promontory on which Invergordon
stands, now called ' An Rudha.' The latter part
is rather difficult. Dr Joyce notes in Ireland
such names as Quinhie and Feaghquinny, from
Ir. cuinche, pronounced nearly queenha, the
arbutus tree. This suits the phonetics of Ros-
cuithnidh, which would thus mean arbutus head.
In a field by the roadside, near the Parish Church,
is Clach d Mheirlich, the thief's stone,

Saltburn — G. Alltan an t-saluinn. Explained from
the tradition that cargoes of salt were hid here in
the times when there was a duty payable on that
article.

Ord — ' Ord,' hammer, in root connected with ' ard,'
high ; secondary meaning, ' rounded hill ' ; but
the eminence in this case is very slight.

Inverbrekie— Inchbreky 1475, Innachbreky 1511,
Uvachbrekie 1608, Innerbreky, 1512, Innerbreke,
1533. The name is now applied to the farm lying
north of Invergordon, but formerly included the
site of the town. The ' inver ' implies a stream,
which must have been called the ' Breakie,' from
' breac,' dappled, and is probably that which enters
the firth near Rosskeen church. The surface has

70 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CBOMARTY.

been much changed by cultivation and draining.

Inchbreky is 'the meadow of the Breaky.'
Invergordon appears in Pocock's Tour in 1760. So

called by a former proprietor, Sir Alexander

Gordon.
The Cromlet — The slope behind Invergordon ;

* orom-leathad,' sloping hill-side.
Kincraig — Kynnacrege 1479 ; G. Ceann na creige,

Rock-end.

Achintoul — G. Ach an t-sabhail, Barn-field.
Achnagarron — Probably 'ach,' field, and ' carran,'

spurrey ; Ir. ' carran,' scurvy grass. Locally from

' gearran/ a gelding, but the phonetics do not suit.
Kosebank — A modern name ; ancient Culquhnze

1477, Culkenzie 1586; ' cuil,' nook, ' Coinneach,'

Kenneth ?
Newmore — G. An ne' nahor, the great glebe (v.

Church names).
Stoneyfield probably represents Feauchlath 1479,

Feachclathy 1487, Feauchclachy 1507 — Faich

nan clach, or, Feith nan clach.
Ooillyoiore — Kellymmoir 1571 ; G. A' Choille mhor,

Big wood.
Rhidlllen — ' E-uigh/ land sloping up to a hill, and

' cuileann/ holly. There is a remarkably fine holly

bush, which must be of great age.
Riaskmore — ' Riasg,' morass with sedge or dirk-

grass ; ' mor,' big.
Tomich — ' Tom/ conical hillock, with collective

suffix ' ach,' in locative — Place of hillocks.
Inchindown — Inchedown 1571 ; G. I's an duin,

Meadow of the Dun, innis, as often, being reduced

ROSSKEEN. 7 1

to is. There is no trace of a fort, but Kinrive
hill in the part immediately behind the farm is
precipitous, and covered with stones. Many
large cairns were removed when the farm was
extended about forty years ago.
Achnacloich and Dalnacloich — Fie'd and dale of
stones ; from the large cairn on the hillside, north-
east of the loch.

Dalnavie, Cnocnavie, Nonakiln, Inehnavie — (See

Church-names).
Millcraig — Craigemylne 1479, Cragmyln 1507;

also molendinum de Crag ; G. Muileann na creige

— Rock-mill.
Badcall — Badkall 1571 and passim; G. Bad-call,

hazel- clump ; to the east of Millcraig, and fast

becoming obsolete.

Mulnafaa — ' Fuath,' spectre — Goblin-mill.
Caplich — ' Capull,' horse, mare — Place of horses.

The name is fairly common.
Obsdale — Obstuill 1548 ; Norse hops-dalr, bay dale ;

from the small bay near it.
Culcairn — G. Cul-chairn ; Culcarne 1571 ; 'back of

the cairn/ i.e., Carn na Croiche, the hanging

cairn, on the hill behind it.
Crossbills — Perhaps, in view of the nearness of

Nonakiln, the name may be ecclesiastical.
Balnaguisich — Fir-wood stead.
Ardross — ' Ard-rois,' height of Ross. Blaeu's Ard-

ross is the water-shed between Easter and Wester

Ross, which may have been correct in his day.

In any case, Fear Ard-rois was in use to denote

72 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Laird of Ardross (in Rosskeen) before Sir A.
Matheson's time.

Ollillich — Culyeoth Mekle and Culyeoch Manach
(Mid) 1479, Chwleauchmeanach and Chwyulaich-
mor 1571, Cunlich (Retours and Reg. Mag. Sig.
passim), ' Cumhang-lach,' the place of the * cumh-
ang' or narrow passage, with reference to the
gorge of the river on which it is situated. Cf.
Coy-lum, Badenoch ; Cuag, in Kilmuir ; ' cunglach'
still means a narrow defile in modern Gaelic.

Dalneich — Horse-dale. Cf. Caplich.

Glaick — Locative of * glac,' grip ; it is, as it were,
in the grip of the hills. Very common.

Loanreoch — ' L6n/ low meadow ; ; riabhach/
brindled — from copse alternating with grass and
heather.

Balanrishallaich — Eraser's town.

Stittenham seems modern, as it does not occur on
record. Gaelic accents the last syllable.

Strathy — G. an t-srathaidh — with -aidh ending.

Cranilich — Locative of Crannach, place of trees, or
abounding in trees ; G. a' Chrannaich.

Srath-na-Frangach — ? Tansy Strath, from Franga-
lus or lus na frang. It was the abode of the
noted cattle-thief, " Seileachan," the site of whose
house is said to be still distinguishable. Near it
is Allt na fuaralaich, burn of the cold place ;
Aldnaquhorolache 1571.

Coire-ghoibhnidh— Corryzewynie 1571, ?corry of
the smithy ; at the west end of Kinrive Hill ; cf.
Ard na goibhne in Tanera. But possibly, Corry
of the wintry stream, 0. Ir. gam, winter ; cf. the
Goineag, Badenoch.

ROSSKEEN. 73

Tolly — G. Tollaidh, probably here from ' toll/ hole ;
'place of holes.' Tollie-mylne, alias mylne-
chaggane appears on record. The lands of Tolly
were part of the patrimony of the Chapel of
Kildermorie. Above Tolly are Coire Thollaidh
and Braigh Thollaidh.

Baldoon — G. Bail' an duin, town of the dun. There
is a hill fort in the wood near.

Inchlumpie — G. I's-lombaidh ; ' innis/ meadow,
'lorn/ bare, with -aidh ending. The 'V is
euphonic. The place is a narrow level strip by
the river-side. Above it is am Breac'radh, the
spotted place ; cf. am bog'radh. The ground rises
up to Cnoc an t-seilich, Willow-hill.

Strathrusdale— Strathrustell 1691 ; G. Srath-
rusdail ; Norse ' hruts-dalr,' ram's dale, with G.
srath prefixed. This name is interesting, and
suggestive as to the extent and the character of
the Norse occupation of Easter Ross.

Aultanfearn — Alder-brooklet. This and the four
following are in Strathrusdale.

Balnacraig— Rock-town.

Dalreoich — Spotted dale ; cf. Dalbreak

Balanlochan— Loch-town.

Braeantra — Braighe an t-sraith, Head of the strath.

Cnoc an t-sithean beag and Cnoc an t-sithean

mdr are hills north of Strathrusdale. ' Slth/
• slthean,' hill, usually grassy ; especially a green
fairy hill ; but often (as here) applied to high
hills with rounded tops. Cf. Schiehallion.

Slthean a* choin bhain — Hill of the white dog.

Doire leathan — Broad copse.

74 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Beinn Tarsuinn— Cross hill. Very common.

Garraran — G. an gar(bh)aran, the rough place ;
from garbh, with double suffix ; cf. Cloch-ar-an,
Giuths-ar-an, &c

Cam Cuinneag — ' Cuinneag/ a milking pail. The
Cairn (3000 ft.) is double peaked, and I am
informed that the ' Cuinneag ' proper is the
western and higher peak, the other being called
Carn Mairi, from the name of a girl who perished
there while crossing from Strathcarron to Kilder-
morie. In a rock on the Cuinneag there are
several clean-cut hollows, one or more of which
is tub or pail-shaped. They are really pot-holes
caused by wind action. From these the hill is
said to have got its name ; but it may be from
the fact that, when viewed from a distance, the
peaks may be considered, with the help of a little
goodwill, to represent a gigantic cuinneag with its
' lug.' This is the explanation of the Sutherland
Cuinneag.

The following names, belonging either to Kil-
muir or to the border of Rosskeen, are obsolete : —
Rawsnye or Risaurie, Knokderruthoiil, Ardachath
(a cultivated field on Newmore), Glascarne (a
cairn), Knocknasteraa, Abianemoir (a wood),
Kirkchaistuil or Pollograyscheak (a hill), Alda-
naherar (burn), Tobirinteir (well in Kinrive),
Brakach, Rawcharrache, Rewchlaschenabaa, Chan-
deraig, Binebreychst, Correbruoch, Alrnaddow.
All these are taken from the marches of Newmore
as given in the " Origines Parochiales' for 1571.

ALNESS. 75

ALNESS.

Alness — Alenes 1227 ; G. Alanais. Local tradition
has it that the name Alness applies primarily to
the spot where the Parish Church stands, which is
at once probable from analogy, and confirmed by
old maps and by the fact that south of the church
is Pairc Alanais, Alness Park.1 The name, there-
fore, has nothing to do with Norse ness, a point.
Its ending -ais is that seen in Dallas, etc. , and the
first part is identical with Allan in E. Ross and
the Black Isle Allans. There are at least three
Scottish rivers called Allan, and this is supposed
to be the modern form of the Alaunos of Ptolemy,
who also mentions Alauna as a town of the
Damnonii. Two roots seem possible ; ail, a rock,
and that seen in Latin pal-us, a marsh, which in
Celtic would drop initial p. Culcr aggie and
Balachraggan (below), which adjoin the Church
of Alness, favour ail ; one of the other Allans is
Allan nan clach. But another is Bog Allan.
Further, Allan in E. Ross, while far from stony,
lies low, and was once, doubtless, marshy, while
close by Alness Church is a burn and a low damp
meadow. Local evidence therefore suggests the
meaning of Allan to be ' the bog,' and of Alness,

1 Seawards of this park is a marshy place called An Inbhir, the estuary,
•where the burn which flows by Alne?s Church enters the Cromarty Firth. 1 1
is quite possible that this burn was once an " Allan Water."

76 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

' place of the Allan, or wet place.' Of. the Welsh
and Cornish rivers Alun.

Ardroy — * Aird,' promontory ; ' ruadh/ red ; a point
west of Alness point. The ' stell,' or fishing
station of Ardroy is mentioned in 1479 ; also
" the Flukaris croft."

Teaninich — G. Tigh 'n aonaich, Moor-house, or
Market-house. The name appears in the Retours,
but not in the Ex. R., where the modern
Teaninich appears as " the two Culmelathquhyis "
(th = ch), 1479 and passim; Culmelloquhy 1526,
Culmalochie 1586, Ovir-culmalochie 1526. The
two Culmalochies were thus Over- and Nether-
Culmalochy.

Goulhill — G. Cnoc na cuil ; the higher part of the
village, in rear of the main street. Balnacoule
1583.

Clllcraggie — Culcragy 1479 ; G. Cuil-chreagaidh,
Rocky-nook, creagaidh being the old locative of
creagach. The banks of the burn which adjoins
the farm are steep, but not rocky. The reference
is rather to large boulders with which part of the
farm near the present house was once strewn.

Ballachraggan — Town of the little rock.
Balnacraig — G. Bail' na creige. Rocktown, so called

from the precipitous banks of the Alness River

close by.
Contullich — G. Gunntulaich ; ' con,' together ;

1 tulach,' hillock ; * congeries of hillocks,' accurately

descriptive. Cf. Conachreig, Coneas, Contin, etc.

A park at the east side of the Boath road, near

ALNESS. 77

the Contullich farm-servants' cottages, is called
An Triubhais, the Trews, probably because of a
resemblance to that article of dress at a time
when the field was only partly reclaimed.

Clashnabulae — Cleft of the yellow flowers.

TallySOW (always with the article both in English
and Gaelic, which latter is sounded as the Eng.),
referred to in the New Stat. Ace. as Novar Inn.
The name appears in Jamieson's Scottish Diet, as
Tilliesoul, " a place at some distance from a gentle-
man's mansion-house, where the servants and
horses of his guests are sent when he does not
choose to entertain the former at his own
expense." He gives also the form ' tilliesow.'
Derived by Jamieson from French ' tous les souls,'
the place where all the drunkards congregate, or
' tillet les soulds,' soldiers' billet, a place where
soldiers are quartered out with money to pay for
lodging ; or, G. ' tulach an t-sabhail,' barn-
hillock. The last is out of the question. The
Tally sow is by the roadside, near Novar House,
and there is another Tallysow near Maryburgh.

llovar — Tenuer, Blaeu. G. Tigh 'n fhuamhair,
Giant's house.

Fyrish (farm and hill) — G. Foireis ; Fyrehisch 1479,
Feris 1539; the spelling varies almost with
each appearance, and sometimes becomes even
Fischerie ; probably from Norse ' fura ' or 'fyri,'
pine-tree. Fyrish is and was noted for its wood.
To the back of Fyrish hill, towards Ardoch, is
Poll a Mhucainn, Poll of the place of swine.

78 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Here, according to local tradition, was concluded
the Communion service held at Obsdale in 1675,
which was broken up on the approach of a party
of soldiers sent to apprehend the minister.

Ballavoulin — Bail' a' mhuilinri, Mill-town.

Assynt — G. Asaint ; Norse ' ass,' rocky ridge ;
6 endi,' end. Of. Assynt in Sutherland.

Allltgrande — G. an t-allt-grannda, the ' ugly burn '
which flows through the famous Black Rock.

O

Cladh Churadain (see Church names).
Druim nan Damh — Stag ridge.

Redburn — G. an t-allt dearg.

IJig — G. an uig, ' vik,' bay, but it is well inland, and
so is an extension of the primary meaning.

Sockach — G. an t-socaich, a locative from ' soc.'
snout, fore part of anything, with the suffix -ach.
Common as a name for places that project.

An Lainn — LOG. of lann, enclosure ; very rare in
Scottish names, but cf. Lhanbryde ; an Garbhlainn
(Anglicised Caroline) on the farm of Tullich,
Strathnairn. Part of Lainn is am blar borraich ;
borrach is a species of rough grass. Near Glen-
glass School.

Lorgbuie — G. an lorg bhuidhe, the yellow track.

AchnagOU'— ' Gobhal,' fork ; ' field of the fork.'

Balnurd — Town of the height.

Eilean na Cabhaig — (In Yal. Roll Ellancavie),
Island of the hurry. With it goes Bruach dian,
steep bank.

Locll a* Chapuill — ' Capull/ horse ; Horse Loch.

Meall an Tuirc— * Tore,' boar ; Boar's Hill.

ALNESS. 79

Bendeallt (Bennjullt), on O.S.M. Beinne na
diollaide ; an un-Gaelic-looking name ; possibly
corrupt.

CROC L6ith Bhaid or, Cnoc an liath bhaid, hill of
the grey clump. (O.S.M. Cnoc Liath Fad).

Cnoc Coille Bhrianain— (O.S.M. Cnoc a' Ghille
Bhronaich), now often simply ' Brianan ;' Hill of
Brendan's wood ; but ' coille ' is almost certainly
a recent corruption of ' gille,' servant, follower.

Loch a* Mhagraidh — From mag, pawing, paw ;
also toai, Loch of the place of toads (possibly of
pawing) ; cf. Mucarach, from muc, pig.

Sgor a* Chaoruinn — Rowan-tree rock.

Meall nam bo— Cow-hill.

Kildermorie (see Church names). Above the old
chapel is Creag na Cille, Church-rock, below
which is Glaic nan Clerach, where the parson of
Kilmuir was killed by the parson of Kildermorie
(or vice versa) ; near the chapel is Tobar Mhoire,
Mary's Well. A market, Feill Mhoire, was once
held here. The waters of Loch Moir, G. Loch
Mhoire, are locally reputed to have an under-
ground outlet to Loch Glass, a tradition noted by
Macfarlane (c. 1750), who says that its waters
sanctify those of L. Glass. Between Kilder-
morie and Teaninich, on the north side of Loch
Moir, is Allt na Fuirrid, Ir. furbaide, a cutting
out?

Leathad Riabhach —The ' brindled hill-side,' north
of Loch Moir — a precipitous rocky face.

Am Mam — ' Mam,' large round hill ; M.Ir. ' rnamm,'
breast. Cf. ' Cioch ' as a hill name

80 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Kinloch — Loch-end ; at the end of Loch Moir.

Boath — Bothmore 1583 ; G. na Bothachan, the
places of booths or huts. The name applies to
the spacious strath, or rather half-strath, from
Cnoc a' Bhoth, Hill of the booth, which runs
north and south at its western end, to Cnoc
'Chroisg, Hill of the crossing. In Cnoc a' Bhoth
is Creag d Bhoth, Rock of the Booth, and under
it, Both-Wiig, with a field, am Blaran Odhar, the
dun field, at the top of which is a sloping piece of
grass called am Bard, the meadow, a name
common in the district ; not yet obsolete in
Badenoch speech. Both-mlibr is next to Glaick.
The great cairns of Boath are noted below.
There are hut circles and numerous tumuli 011
Cnoc Alasdair, and on the highest of the hillocks
to the east of Strone are the ruins of a hill-fort or
broch with many tumuli on its south-east side,
and a hut circle to the west.

Poll na Cllilc — Reedy pool, in the river east of
Kinloch.

StFOne — Nose ; Cnoc na Srbin, the hill running to
a point which separates Boath from Strathrusdale.
West of the Strone peat road is Druim na
Ceardaich, Smithy Ridge, with a curious circular
ruin, said to have been a smithy. East of it An
Ruigh Dreighean, Thorn-slope, with a small cairn.

Glaick — G. a' ghlaic, the hollow ; part of the farm
so called is the highest cultivated land in Boath.
Near it is an t-Uchdan, the terrace, breast-let.

DuchaH — Probably based on dubh, black ; the little
black place.

ALNESS. 8 1

.Ballone — Bail' an loin, town of the loan, or wet
meadow. Above the farm-house is Am Bard, the
meadow.

Allt na' Cnuimheag — Burn of worms ; explained
locally by reference to a skirmish with cattle-
lifters which took place near it, after which the
dead were left unburied.

MilltOWn — G. Baile-mhuilinn.

Cnoclea — G. An Cnoc-liath, grey hill, from the grey
appearance given by the two great cairns on the
moor. One of these has an oval megalithic
chamber, once vaulted, and still over eight feet
deep. The other is much destroyed.

Acharn — ' Ach,' field ; ' earn,' cairn. It is adjacent
to the cairns ; ' field of the cairns.'

Clais na' mial — A small winding glen opposite the
road leading to Acharn ; ' saltus pediculorum,'
locally explained (l) from its convenient privacy,
(2) from the poverty of its grass and consequent
effect on cattle. But ' mial ' is used here in its
old general sense of ' animal ' ; ' beasts' hollow.'

Balnagrotchen — Bail' nan croitean, croft-township ;
the hill to the south west is Cnoc na Leacachan,
Flag-stone hill ; corruptly, Cnoc ar Leacachan.
(O.S.M. Cnoc Hath na h-Acain).

Balmainach — G. Bail' meadhonach, Middle-town ;
between Acharn and Loariroidge.

Loanroidge — G. An L5rt-roid, wet meadow of bog-
myrtle, which is very plentiful here. East of the
farm-house is a pretty meadow by the river-side,
called Bard nan Laogh, calves' meadow. Further

6

82 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMABTY.

along is The Assarow, G. an asaradh, a stretch of
pasture sloping up from the river, based on fasair
or asair, pasturage. It has no connection with Ir.
Assaroe. Below the Assarow is Am Poll Ruadh,
the red pool, the deepest in the Boath part of the
river.

Pollag Aitionn — Juniper pool ; in the river below
Loanroidge Farm. Known also as Poll nam
morbh, Pool of the fish spears. It is a good pool
for salmon and sea-trout. East of it is

Poll na* Clar — As this is a good place for crossing
by leaping from stone to stone, the meaning may
well be that seen in many similar Irish names,
Pool of the Boards, i.e., planks to facilitate
crossing.

CHOC 'Ohroisg — ' Crasg,' a crossing ; the hill over
which the road crosses into Boath. The old road
crossed rather to the west of the present road.

Lealty— Lealdy 1622 ; G. Lethalltaidh ; ' leth-allt,'
half- burn, i.e., the sloping land on one side of the
burn, common as Leault, but here it shews the
-ie termination. A ' Leault ' is usually a ' one-
sided ' burn, and is so here. East of Lealty
and north of Ardoch is a wooded hill, Cnoc
Churadair, a name which looks like " hill of
the sower," but it really stands for Cnoc
Churadain, St Curitan's hill.

AtL Corran — Dimin. of ' coire,' corry.

Ardoch — G. An ardach, the high place. Below it,
north of the present road, is An Cablisair flinch,
the wet causeway, part of the old road.

ALNESS. 83

BaddailS — G. Na Badanan, the little copses. A
little south of the farm-house and east of the road
is Am Bard, a nice flat field.

Clais druim bhathaich — Cleft of the byre-ridge.
Auchvaich and Ardache appear in 1608 as pen-
dicles of Contullich.

Multovy -- Multovvy 1490 ; G. Multabhaidh, an
extension of* mult,' wedder ; place of wedders. Cf!
Muckovie, place of swine. The termination repre-
sents an early -ab-, -ob-, -ub-. Cf. Cen-abum,
Or-obis, Es-ubii.

Cnoc Duchary — Probably ' dubh-chathraidh,' the
black-moss-place. A great cairn containing cists
stood on its easter slope.

Cnoc Ceislein — Hill at back of Fyrish ; a derivative
of Ir. ' ceis,' sow. It is a broad-backed hill, and
faces Meall an Tuirc (Boar's Hill) on the west.
Cf. the Boar of Badenoch and the Sow of Atholl.
East of it is Poll a' Mhiicainn, noted above.

Averon — The local name of the Alness Biver. The
local derivation is worth recording. Once on a
time there lived at Kinloch a widow with two
sons. One died suddenly, and not long there-
after the second was drowned in crossing the ford
above Poll na Cuilc. When the sad news was
brought to the mother, she exclaimed, " M' ath
bhron ! " (My second sorrow !), whence the river
is called Averon to this day. A similar derivation
is locally given for Carn-averon in Aberdeenshire.
The name is best regarded as an extension of
O. Ir. ab, river, with diminutive termination —

84 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Abh-ar-an. Strictly it is said to apply only to
the part from L. Moir to the junction at Strath-
rusdale. An equation with the Gaulish Avara,
though tempting, would be rash. Cf. Strathrory,
Avoch.

Ceann-uachdarach : " lands of Candwachterach
with its brewhouse (cum brasina)," 1642 — upper-
head ; beyond Kildermorie, but of old evidently a
less lonely place than it is now. It was near the
drove road from the north to Dingwall.

Cam Sonraichte — Cairnehondrig 1619; * notable
cairn,' north of Kildermorie.

Loch Bad-a-bhathaich — Loch of the byre-clump.
About a mile to the east of it is Clach airigh a'
Mhinistir, Stone of the Minister's shieling.

Creachainn nan Sgadan — Bare hill-top of the
herring. There is a local tradition of a shower of
herring, which may be founded on fact : for inland
places in Ireland similarly named, see Joyce
II, 312.

Bad-Sgalaidh — (Also Bothan Bad-sgalaidh), about
five miles beyond Kildermorie, and noted for
ghosts ; Ir. seal, spectre ; " Spectre-clump." In
this direction, near the river, is Braonan, the
little wet place ; v. Fairburn.

KILTEARN. 85

KILTEARN.

Kilteam— Kiltierny 1227, Keltyern 1296 ; G. Cill-
tighearn. Usually explained as ' Lord's Kirk,
either in the sense of ' Church dedicated to the
Lord,' or from some early chief of the Munros
having been buried there. As for the first of these
explanations, there seems to be no parallel for
such a dedication, though we find indeed Gill
Chriosd. As to the second, the burying-place of
the family of Fowlis, from the earliest times of
which we have any record, was in the Chanonry
of Ross, and it is in any case extremely improb-
able that the church should receive its designation
from the burial of a chief. A third theory is a
dedication to St Ternan, who is supposed to have
been a contemporary and pupil of Palladius.
This also is unsatisfactory, for though Ternan's
name is preserved in Banchory-Ternan, dedica-
tions to him are extremely rare, and, moreover, it
is difficult to see how Ternan would suit the
phonetics, for the last syllable, ' -an,' could hardly
have been dropped. The most feasible explan-
ation is a dedication to Tighernach. Cf. Kiltierny
in Ireland with Kiltierny 1227.

The parish includes in its western part the old
parish of Lumlair ; Lemnelar 1227, Lymnolar and

86 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CKOMARTY.

Lumlar 1548 ; G. Luim na lar ; luim, locative of
lorn, a bare surface ; lar is most probably genitive
plural of lair, mare ; lar, the ground, not being
suitable in respect of meaning and gender.
Names from the various words for ' horse ' — each,
capull, marc — are very common, arising from the
old practice of keeping the horses on a pasture by
themselves ; cf. Glenmark, Glenmarkie, Ardin-
caple, Kincaple, Caplich, Dalneich. The church
of Lumlair, according to the Old Statistical
Account dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and in
modern times known as St Mary's Chapel, stood
at Lumlair near the sea-shore. The site referred
to is close by the roadside, about two and a-half
miles east of Dingwall. The foundations of the
chapel are still visible, with an ancient and now
disused burying-ground, called Cladh ma-Bhri
(Kilmabryd, Blaeu). This burying-ground is
doubtless called after the saint to whom the
chapel was dedicated, and who, moreover, from
the above well-known modern Gaelic form of the
name, could not have been Mary. Blaeu's Kil-
mabryd suggests Bridget, but her name in
Gaelic is always Brid, never Bri. The only
name that satisfies the phonetics is Brig, later
Brigh. There were at least two Irish female
saints so called.

Fowlis — G. Folais (narrow o) ; cf. Allt Folais in
Gairloch (Loch Maree), Foulis in Aberdeen (G.
Folais), Fowlis in Perth, Fowlis in Forfar. The
oldest forms of all are similar to the modern.

KILTEARN. 87

The phonetics indicate a lost ' g ' or ' d ' before
*!,' which suggests fo-glais, foghlais, from fo,
under, and O.G. glas, water, ' Sub-water/ or
' Streamlet ' ; cf. for meaning Welsh c goffrwd,'
streamlet, the philological G. equivalent of which
is ' fo-sruth.' (For the phonetic process involved,
cf. 'foghnadh,' sufficiency, from O. Ir. fognam).
A small burn, Allt Folais, runs through the Glen
of Fowlis, and there are burns near all the other
places of the same name.

DruniHlond — G. Druimein, locative of drum, ridge ;
cf. Drymen, in Stirling.

Balconie— Balkenny 1333 and 1341 ;x G. Bailcnidh,
based on bailc, strong ; Welsh balch, proud ; for
the extensions of the root cf. Delny. The Gaelic
form is decisive against baile, a town or stead, and
compels me regretfully to give up a former
identification (by myself) of Balkenny of 1333
with Petkenny of 128 1.2 The traditional explan-
ation is Baile Comhiiuidh, dwelling place, to wit,
of the Earls of Ross ; but the meaning cannot be
other than ' the strong place.'

Teanord — G. Tigh 'n uird, Ord-house.

Katewell— Catoll 1479 ; Keatoll 1608 ; G. Ciadail;
Norse kvi, fold ; dalr, dale ; cf. kvia-bolr, milking
place ; kvia-bekkr, fold-beck.

Swordale— Sweredull 1479 ; G. Suardal ; Norse
svonSr, sward ; dalr, dale.

1 Charters granted at Balkenny by Hugh, Earl of Ross, and by William,
Earl of Ross.

2 In 1281 William, Earl of Ross, granted a quarter of laud, which was
called Petkenny, to the Bishop of Moray. Petkenny cannot be located.

88 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Balachladich— Shore-to wii.

Ardllllie — G. Aird-ilidh ; the latter part may repre-
sent ' ileach,' variegated, in which sense may be
compared the uses of breac, riabhach, ballach,
blar ; ' speckled height.' Dilinn, as in leac
dhilinn, natural rock, will not suit, as the i of
Aird-ilidh is short.

Pelaig— Pellock 1583 ; G. Peallaig. Eob Dorm
uses ' peallag ' in the sense of ' rough garment ' —
dimin. of ' peall,' hairy skin, borrowed from Latin
pellis, hide. But the meaning is not satisfactory
as a place-name, and the word may be non-
Gaelic — as is indeed suggested by the initial ' p.'
' Peallaidh ' is a Pictish river-name, seen in Obair-
pheallaidh, Aberfeldy. Peallaidh is used in Lewis
as the name of a water-sprite. (Of. German quell,,
a spring).

Clachan Biorach — ' Pointed' or ' standing stones
they consist of two equal ovals joined to each
other, and are described minutely by the late Mr
Roderick Maclean in his " Notes on the Parish of
Kiltearn" (Gaelic Society Transactions XV.)
North of the Clachan Biorach is Cnoc an
Teampuill, Temple Hill. There are also Clachan
Biorach at the head of Clare.

Fluchlady — Fliuch leathad, wet hillside, with -aidh
ending.

Bogandllrie — Bogginduiry 1696 ; G. Bog an dubh-
raidh, gloomy bog.

Culbin— Back of the hill.

KILTEARN. 89

Octobeg — G. An t-ochdamh beag, the small octave,
i.e., eighth part of a davach ; cf. Ochto, Kin-
cardine.

Cnoc Vabin — G. Cnoc Mhabairn, a name showing
the good Celtic termination -ernos, but other-
wise obscure ; perhaps a personal name.

Fuaranbuy — Yellow-well.

Strongarve— Rough nose or point.

Skiach (water) — Scraiskeith 1479 ; G. Allt na

sgitheach ; O. Ir. see, G. sgeach, hawthorn ; a

common element in names ; cf. Altnaskiach, near

Inverness.
Culnaskiach — Culnaskeath 1546 ; nook of the

Skiach, or, of the hawthorn.
Teachatt (so, 1608)— G. Tigh-chait, Cat-house ; cf.

Cadboll.
Knockancuim — Cnocan, dimin. of cnoc ; caorunn,

rowan.
Rhidorach — Ruigh, slope ; dorach, dark ; dark

slope.
Clare — Clearmoir 1608 ; G. An Clar ; but also, anns

na Clar ; clar, board, hence a flat place. But cf.

Poll na' Clar in Alness.
Gortan — G. Goirtean, small field of corn.
Knoekantoul — Barn-hill.
Druim— Ridge.
Achleach— Achlich 1608; Achleich 1633; G. Ach-

leitheich, locative of " ach-leitheach," half-field, i.e.,.

field on a hill side. A cold sunless place.
Sgorr a* Chl6i' — Creel peak ; an exceedingly steep
piece of land, where, according to tradition,
manure, etc., had to be carried in creels.

90 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Gleann and Meall na Speireig— Glen and Hill of

the Sparrow-hawk — ( speireag.'

An Socach — The Snouted Hill ; a spur of Wyvis.

Cabar Fuais — The Antler of Wyvis.

Allt nan Caorach — Altnagerrack 1608 ; sheep-
burn ; its precipitous sides are dangerous for
sheep.

Loch Glass and Glen Glass — O.G. glas, water ; cf.
R Glass in Strathglass; Douglas Water, where
Eng. ' water ' is a translation of ' glas ;' Glenfin-
glas (fionn-glas, white-water). Findglais and
Dubglas appear in a list of ' healing waters ' in
Ireland (O'Curry, M. and C. III. 97). Dubglas
(Blackwater) is somew^hat disguised in Inver-
uglas (L. Lomond). The river flowing through
Glenglass is called in its lower reaches, where it
passes through the famous chasm of the Black
Rock, the Allt-grannda, Ugly Burn. The old
name, at least of the upper part, must have been
Glass. The river flowing into Loch Glass is now
known as Abhairm nan eun, Bird-river (O.S.M.)

Corrievachie — G. Coire-bhacaidh, an old locative
of Coire-bhacach, bent corry.

Cuilishie — G. Caolaisidh, the narrows. "The
narrow passage at the lower end of Loch Glass.
Here is the ford of the old drove road that passed
that way." — Mr H. Maclean. Cf. Lienassie.

Kinloch — At the eastern end of Loch Glass.

Eileanach — Place of islands ; it lies low by the
river side, and is liable to be flooded.

KILTEARN. 91

Allt na Cailce — Chalk Burn ; on its right bank is
considerable deposit of lime, which is constantly
. added to by a tiny rivulet.

Cnoc a' Mhargadaidh— Market Hill. There is a
tradition of a market, which is probably correct,
in view of the nearness of the old drove road from
Sutherland. Certain enclosures near the foot of

. the hill may be explained as connected with this
market, or they may be very much older. There
are numerous small cairns and some fine hut
circles. There are traces of a road leading to the
top, and on the top is black earth with charcoal
fragments. At least one flint has been found on
the top.

Coneas — The remarkable double waterfall below
Eileanach. Con, together ; eas, waterfall : 'com-
bination of falls' ; cf. Conachreig, Contullich,
Contin, Conval, Conchra, Conglas, Conaglen.

Clyne— Clon 1231, Clonys, 1264, Clyne 1350-1372;
G. an Claon, the slope ; now Mountgerald.
' Amadan a' Chlaoin ' (the Fool of Clyne) was a
well-known character in the earlier half of the
19th century.

Kilchoan — Church of St. Congan, now Mountrich.

Loch nan Amhaichean — Loch of the Necks ; Loch
Gobhlach (O.S.M. Loch nan Gobhlag), Forked
Loch ; Loch Coire Feuchain (?) ; Feur Lochan,
Grassy Lochlet ; Loch Bealach nan Cuilean ;
Loch na' Druidean (O.S.M. Lochan Driogan),
Loch of the Starlings ; Loch Mhiosaraidh (O.S.M.
Loch Measach), Loch of dairy produce, are all in
the uplands of the parish.

92 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Allt Dubhag — The small black burn.

Ath a' bhealaich eidheannaich — Ford of the ivy-
pass.

Balnacrae — G. baile na ere, clay-town.
Culcairn — G. Cul-chairn, behind the cairn ; the cairn
exists no longer.

Dun-ruadh — Red fort.

Teandallan — Explained by Mr Maclean as " house
of swingle-trees or plough-yokes." "A carpenter
lived here, who made a trade of them." Dalian
also means a winnowing-fan.

Altnalait — G. allt na lathaid, burn of the miry
place ; near Tulloch, and at the western boundary
of Kiltearn. Based on root of lathach, mire, with
ending seen in Bialid, &c.
Modern names are : —

Evanton — G. Bail' Eoghainn, or am bail' ur, New-
town, as opposed to the old village of Drummond
on the west side of the river. Evanton dates
from about 1800.

Fannyfleld — Part of Swordale ; formerly am Bog-
riabhach, brindled bog.

Mountgerald, formerly Clyne, so called, says Mr
Maclean, by a Mackenzie who owned the place
about the middle of the 18th century, in honour
of the supposed Fitzgerald descent of the Mac-
kenzies.

Obsolete are : — Arbisak, 1608, and Badnagarne,
a pertinent of Keatoll.

DINGWALL. 93

DING WALL.

Dingwall — Dingwell in Ross 1227, Dignewall 1263,
Dingwal 1308, Dingwall 1382. Norse, Thing-
vollr, Field of the Thing, the Norse general court
of justice. Dingwall was therefore the centre of the
Norse administration in Ross. The most southerly
Norse place-name in this direction is Eskadale
(Beauly), but Norse influence doubtless extended
further. A mound, supposed to have been the
actual meeting place of the Thing, is referred to
about 1503, when James, Duke of Ross, resigned
the earldom, and reserved to himself for life the
moot-hill (montem) of Dingwall beside the town,
in order to preserve his title as Duke. Dingwall
is in Gaelic In'ir-pheofharan, Inver-peffray, and
Inverferan appears in a Bull of Pope Alexander
IV., 1256 (Theiner Vet. Mon.).

Another term applied in a more or less familiar
way to the ancient town is Bail' a' chail, Kail-
town, but of the antiquity or origin of this term
we cannot speak with confidence. Under date
1526 appear the following names connected with
the burgh of Dingwall : — Blakcaris-land, Gray
Stane, Mill of Brigend, Acris Scotte, Schortaker,
march of Fesallich (dirty bog channel), Thombane
(white-hillock). In 1655 we have the Boig of

94 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Dingwall within the Burgh thereof, called Boig-
moir, including Boigmoir or Westerboig, the Mid-
boig and the Eister Boig, within the parish of
Dingwall.

Tulloch 1507, Tulch 1563; G. tulach, hillock;
common also in locative case as Tullich.

Kildun— Thomas Dingwell of Kildon 1506, Kildun
1527 ; G. Cill-duinn, locative of Ceall-donn,
brown church. Cf. Kill in, from Cill-fhmn, white
church ; Seipeil Odhar, dun chapel ; An Eaglais
Bhreac, the spotted church (Falkirk).

Humberston - - Formerly Upper Kildun. Major
William Mackenzie, of the family of Seaforth,
married Mary Humberston.1

Pitglassie — Petglasse 1526 ; G. Bad a' ghlasaich,
Lea- town ; the change from 'pit' into 'bad' is
very rare ; but cf. Pitenglassie, G. Bad an glais
tir.

Kinnairdie — Kynnardy 1479 ; G. Cinn-ardaidh,
head of the high ground ; " the four Glakkis
quhilkis are the ferd quarter of Kynnarde," 1539 ;
" the demesne lands commonly called Kynnairdie,
and the lands of Glakkis, a fourth part of the said
demesne lands," 1584.

Drynie — Wester Drynee 1479 ; G. Droighnidh (no
article) ; droigheann, thorns, with -aidh ending.

Other names in the lower part of the parish
explain themselves : — Bakerhill, Blackwells,
Knockbain, Allanfield, Croftandrum, Baddamh-
roy (copse of the red stag or ox).

1 V. A. Mackenzie's " History of the Mackenzies," p. 331.

DINGWALL. 95

In the uplands are Cnoc a' Bhreacaich (O.S.M.
Cnoc a Bhreacachaidh), hi]l of the spotted place ;
Leathad a' chruthaich (O.S.M. Leidchruich), hill-
side of the quaking bog ; cf. suil- chruthaich ;
Meall a' ghuail, Coal Hill, noted for excellent
peats used for smithy charcoal, as was the regular
custom before coals became available. Meall na
speireig (hill of the sparrow-hawk, at the junction
of Dingwall, Fodderty, and Kiltearn).

96 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

FODDEBTY.

Fodderty — Ecclesia de Fotherdino 1238, Fotherdyn
1275, Fothirdy 1350, Fothartye 1548, Fedderdy
1561 ; G. Fodhraitidh (close ' o '). The spellings
of 1350 and 1548 still represent the common
English pronunciation. Fodder or fother, as a
prefix, is well known on Pictish ground. Fod-
derty itself is the most northerly instance ; in
Inverness -shire is Fodderletter (Tomintoul) ; in
Aberdeenshire, Fetterangus, Fetternear, and
Fedderat (Fedreth 1205, Feddereth 1265) ; in
Kincardine, Fetteresso (Fodresach, Pict. Chron.),
and Fordun, which in St Berchan's Prophecy is
Fothardun ; also Fettercairn (Fotherkern, Pict.
Chron.) ; and in Perthshire, Forte viot, the Foth-
uirtabaicht of the Pictish Chronicle. As a suffix
it appears in the Annals of Ulster, under date
680 A.D., " obsessio Duin Foithir," and again, 694,
" obsessio Duin Foter" — siege of Dunottar. The
change to ' Fetter,' seen in the Aberdeen and
Kincardine names, is curious, but mostly late,
and perhaps a matter of umlaut in Scots dialect.

Fodder, early Foter and Fother (in modern
Gaelic ' for ' with close ' o '), is best regarded
as a comparative of ' fo,' under, and may be com-
pared with ' uachdar,' upper, from the root seen

FODDERTY. 97

in ' uasal,' high. The strong accent on Fodder,
G. For, may have helped to obscure the second
part of the compound. The ending -ty(n) is not
uncommon on Pictish ground, and is always
troublesome ; cf. Cromarty, Navity, Auchter-
muchty, Buchanty. It is, however, probably safe
to say that the meaning of Fodderty must be
something like ' Lower place/ in contrast to
Achterneed.

The modern parish of Fodderty includes the
ancient parish of Kinnettes — Kenneythes 1256,
Kennetis 1561, Kynattas 1574; Gael. Cinn-it'ais,
' t7 soft. The name is now applied to the farm
on the high ground to the west of the Spa.
' Cinn ' is the locative case of ' ceann/ head. The
ending, ' ais,' is seen in Allt-ais (Altas), Fearn-ais
(Farness), Forres, Durrais (Dores), Dallas, Geddes,
being practically a local suffix. The middle part
-it- is obscure, but may possibly be referred to
Welsh ' yd,' corn ; 0. I. ith ; giving a meaning
' place of corn ; ' Kinnettes, head of the corn-land.
Achterneed — Wethirnyde 1476, Ouctirnede 1479 ;
G. Uachdar-niad, the high ground rising up from
the plain of Fodderty, Uachdar means ' upland' ;
niad can hardly be explained from any Gaelic or
Irish source, but it would very well represent
Welsh ' nant,' valley ; cf. Welsh cant, Gael, ceud,
W. dant, G. deud. Achterneed would thus
mean, ' The land above the valley/ Above
Achterneed is a cup-marked stone called a' chlach
phollach, the stone full of holes.

7

98 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Strathpeffer— G. Srath-pheofhair, 'Strath of the
Peffer.' Peffer occurs as a burn name in Inver-
peffray (Crieff), and there are two Peffer burns in
Athelstaneford (Haddington), also a Peffer Mill
at Duddingston. The initial ' p ' indicates a non-
Gaelic origin. Dr Skene, misled by the resem-
blance of Inchaffray (Insula Missarum, Mass Isle),
has referred Inverpeffray and Strath-peffer to Ir.
' aifrend,' a mass, which is quite out of the
question. The various Peffer streams are more
likely to be connected with the root seen in
Welsh ' pefr,' beautiful, fair ; ' pefr in,' radiant ;
' pefru,' to radiate.

Knockfarrel — G. Cnoc-farralaidh ; ' far ' in com-
position denotes 'projecting' or 'high'; e.g.,
' far-bhonn,' fore-sole ; Ir. ' for-dorus/ porch ;
G. 'far-dorus,' lintel; 'for-all,' high cliff. In
farralaidh, a of ' farr ' is indefinite in quality,
indicating that it has been affected by a succeed-
ing slender vowel, which has become broadened
in its turn. This gives an original far-eileach, in
locative far-eiligh, ' high ' or ' projecting stone-
house/ or ' stone-place,' with reference to the
important vitrified fort which crowns the hill.
For ' eileach ' in this sense, cf. na h-Eileachan
Naomha or Garvelloch Isles, Jura ; also the great
Irish Ailech. Cf. also Farrlaraidh, Rogart, from
far-laraigh, old locative of larach ; ' projecting
site.'

Castle Leod — Contaneloid 1507, Kandinloid 1534,
Cultenloid 1547, Cwltelloid and Cultaloid 1556,

FODDERTY. 99

Cultalode 1575, Cultelloud, 1609, Culterloud
1618. From these old forms it appears that
Castle Leod is a corruption, facilitated doubtless
by the presence of the ' castle,' which bears date
1616. Contaneloid and Kandinloid represent
' Ceann an leothaid,' Head of the sloping hill-
side ; the other forms point to ' Cul da leothad,'
At the back of two slopes, to wit, the slope of
Achterneed and that immediately to the west of
the castle.

Ardival — Ardovale 1479, Le Tympane de Ardovale
1487, Ardwaill with its mill called Tympane
Myln1 1586, half davach of Ardauell 1655; G.
Aird a' bhail', Height of the town or farm-stead.

Kinnellatl — Kynellane 1479; G. Cinn-eilein, Island-
head, from the small artificial island in Loch
Kinnellan, " resting upon logs of oak, on which
the family of Seaforth had at one period a house
of strength" — New Stat. Ace.

1 The site of the old mill is still well known, a little to the west of the
present railway station, and just behind the stables. In 1681 it is mentioned
as " Tympane mill, near Clach an Tiompan," the stone in the grounds of
Nutwood near the public road, inscribed with an eagle and " horse-shoe"
ornament. There seems now to be a tendency to the absurd corruption
' Muileann tiunndain ' and ' Clach an tiunndain ' — ' turning mill ' and ' stone
of the turning,' a corruption arising from ' tiompan ' not being understood in
this connection. ' Tiompan ' has two quite distinct meanings — (1) a musical
instrument ; (2) a rounded, one-sided knoll. In this sense it is common in
place-names, and may be compared in point of derivation with English ' tump,'
Greek ' tumbos,' Lat. ' tumeo,' Gael. ' tulach,' Welsh ' twmp,' a mound. In
this particular case the ' tiompan ' is the knoll on which the house of Nutwood
stands, and which is exactly all that an orthodox ' tiompan ' should be. I
have been told that ' tiompan ' is used in a third sense — viz., a narrow gully,
or even the nozzle of a bellows ; and in support of this was quoted the
proverb : " Tha a' ghaoth cho fuar 's ged a bhiodh i tighinn a tiompan " — The
wind is as cold as if it were blowing out of a bellows' mouth.

100 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CBOMARTY.

Ulladale— Elodil 1476, Ulladall 1479 ; G. Ulladal
is Norse, and probably means Ulli's dale. Cnoc
Ulladail is the hill above Castle Leod. Of. Ulla-
dale in Logie Easter, Ullapool, etc.

Park— Park 1476, le Park 1479; G. a' Phairc.
The battle of Park, Blar na Pairce, between the
Mackenzies and the Macdonalds, took place about
1490.

Dochcarty — Dalcarty and Davachcarty 1541 ; G.
Do'ach-gartaidh : dabhach of the corn-enclosure.

Davochcarn — Dalfcarne 1479 ; G. Do'ach a' chairn,
davach of the cairn.

Da VOChpollo — Dalfpoldach 1479, Dauchauchpollo
1526 ; G. Do'ach a' phollain, Davach of the pool.

Davochmaluag — Dalfmalawage 1497, Dalmalook
1584 ; G. Do'ach Mo-luaig, St Moluag's davoch.

These three were included in the farm of Brae,
1777. On the moor to the west of the Heights
of Dochcarty, G. Breigh Doch-gartaidh, are five
stone slabs, heavy, broad, and pointed, marking
an oval of about ten to twelve feet axis. They
are called Na Clachan Gorach, the silly stones,
and are evidently part of what was once the
central chamber of a large round cairn, now
almost quite removed. They may be compared
with the chambered cairn near Acharn, Alness.

Inchvannie — Inchevaynel, Enchewany 1554, Inch-
vandie 1584; G. I's-mheannaidh. probably from
meann, a kid. These inshes were places frequented
by cattle.

FODDERTY. 101

jBlarninich — G. Blar an aonaich, Plain of the meet-
ing, or, of the moor. It is near the church of
Fodderty.

Inclirory — Chapel of the Virgin Mary of Inchrory
1349, Inchrory 1583, Inchrorie 1609. G. I's
Ruaraidh. On the right bank of the Peffery,
immediately opposite the old bury ing-ground of
Fodderty. Here stood the chapel of Inchrory.
To the north of the bury ing-ground was ' Croit
an Teampuil,' Temple Croft, where stone coffins
have been found (O.S.A.). " Rory's Mead."

Dochnaclear — Dauachnacleir with the mill 1533,
Davachnacleir 1533 ; G. Do'ach nan cliar,
davach of the "cliar" ; cliar here has probably
its old meaning of clergy ; in modern Gaelic it
means poet or hero. The place is above the farm
of Fodderty.

Keppoch — G. a' cheapaich, the tillage plot. Com-
mon.

Bottacks — G. na botagan (close ' o ') ; botag in
place-names means a sun-dried crack, or narrow
channel.

Creag an Fhithich — Raven's Rock.

Rogie — le Rew 1476, Rewgy cum le Ess (with the

waterfall) 1472, Rewy 1527, Rowe, Rowy 1575,

Row^ 1614 ; G. Roagaidh, name of burn and

district ; ? Norse rok-a, splashing, foaming river ;

cf. Loch Roag, Lewis. Doubtful ; cf. Errogie,

Inverness.
Strathrannoch — Foreste de Rannach 1479, Strath-

rannoch 1542; strath of bracken. Cf. Rannoch

and Loch Rannoch in Perthshire.

102 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Allt a* choire ranaich — Burn of the bracken corryr

in Strathrannoch.
Lilb a' chlaiginn — Skull bend ; ' claigeann ' is

common in place-names, and is usually applied to

a bare rounded knoll. When applied to a farm

or field, it is said to mean the best arable land

(New Guide to Islay, p. 42).
Allt COir a* Chundrain— I have failed to verify this

name.

Meall a' ghrianain— Hill of the sunny knoll.
Beinn a' Chaisteil— Casde Hill; cf. Beinn ar

Chaisteil, at the head of Glen Rosa, Arran.

Carn nan aighean — Hinds' cairn.

An leatbad cartach — ' Carfcach ' may come from
' cairt,' bark of a tree, but in this particular con-
nection it is, I think, more likely to come from
' cairt,' cleanse or scour ; whence ' cairteadh,'
muck. Thus the ' leathad cartach ' would mean
the ' scoury ' hillside, i.e., liable to be scoured by
water. ' Cairt ' scour, is seen also in Glen Do-
charty, and Glendochart ; cf. the rivers Cart.

Allt an eilein ghuirm — Burn of the green island ;
Meall nan sac, hill of burdens or loads.

Inchbae — G. I's-beith, Birch-haugh

Allt na Bana-Mhorair— Lady's burn.

Gleann Sgathaich — Doubtful ; ' sgathach ' means
lopped branches, brushwood, from 'sgath/ lop.
The c a ' is short, otherwise we may think of a
derivative from ' sgath,' fear — ' uncanny place,'

Ben Wyvis — G. Beinn Uais (but prosthetic ' f ' seen
in Cabar Fuais) ; High Hill ; ' uais/ from the

FODDEBTY. 103

root seen in ' uas-al,' high, noble ; Gaulish
ux-ellos ; Gaulish cx' becomes ' s' in Gaelic, but
in Welsh it becomes ' ch.' Thus ' ux-ellos '
gives in Welsh ' uch-el,' high, whence Ochil,
Oykel, Achilty. The height of Wyvis is perhaps
best appreciated from the higher parts of Inver-
ness and neighbourhood.

Bealach Collaidh — An ancient drove road to the
west of Wyvis ; hazel-gap or pass ; an extension
of ' coll,' the old form of ' call/ hazel, representing
a primitive Coslacum. The forest of Colly, in
Kincardine, appears in 1375, modern Cowie ; cf.
Kilcoy, and Duncow in Dumfriesshire.

104 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

UBRAY.

TIrray — Owra 1476, Urra 1479, Kingis Urray c.
1560 ; G. Urrath. The New Stat. Ace. suggests
ur-ath, new ford, from the tendency of the rapid
Orrin, near which the church and churchyard are
situated, to shifb its fords. This, however, does
not satisfy the phonetics either in respect of the
quantity of the 'u' or the quality of the 'r.'
The first syllable is rather the preposition ' air,'
O. Ir. ar, air, Gaulish are-, meaning ' before,' and
cognate with the English 'fore.' In Gael, com-
pounds it appears as ' ur- ' in ' ur-chair/ a shot
(i.e., something cast forward), ' ur-sainn/ a door-
post (i.e., something standing forward), 'ear-ball'
or ' ur-ball,' a tail. It is seen in such Gaulish
names as Are-brignus (' brig,' hill) and Are-morica
(' mor,' sea). The second part may possibly be
' ath/ a ford, which would give the not very satis-
factory sense of ' projecting ford ' ; more probably
it is ' rath/ a circular enclosure or fort, ' fore-fort,'
or, ' fort on a projecting place.' For phonetics cf.
urradh, person, security, = air + rath (Macbain).

Brahan — Browen 1479, Bron 1487, Branmore 1526,
Brain 1561 ; G. Brathainn, as if loc. of brath, a
quern. W. brenan, handmill) ; "place of the
quern " is the local tradition, which may be
correct.

URRAY. 105

Tollie— G. Tollaidh, from ' toll/ hole. There was a
chapel and also a burying-ground at Tollie.
Of. Tollie, Ardross, and Tollie, Gairloch.

Jamestown — G. Baile Shiamais.

Bealach nan Corr — Cranes' pass.

Moy— Half davach of Moy 1370, le Moye 1479,
Moymore 1542; G. a' mhuaigh, locative case of
magh, a plain. Moy Bridge is Drocliaid Mhuaigh,
and the ferry which existed before the bridge was
Port Mhuaigh. (Moy, Inverness, is a' Mhoigh).

Ussie (loch and district) — Usuy 1463, Ouse 1476,
Housy 1527, Lytill Usui and Mekill Usui 1583 ;
G. usaidh ; an obscure name, Pictish or pre-
Pictish.

Balnain — G. Baile 'n fhain, from ' fan,' a low-lying
place or gentle slope, not uncommon in place-
names ; cf. na fana, the Fendom (Tain) ; am fain
Braonach (Aultbea), Forsinain (Sutherland).

Fairburn1 — The two Ferburnys 1476, Fairburneglis
1527, Eistir Farbrawne 1538, Kirkferbrune 1542,
Farabren 1555, Avon Forbarin (Orrin River),
Blaeu ; G. Farabraoin, or simply Braoin ; from
' far,' over, as in Cnoc Farrail, and braon, water,
which in place-names is used to denote a wet
spot, e.g. Brin, Daviot, G. Braoin ; cf. Lochbroom.

1 Local tradition connects the burning of the women of the Finn by
Garry with the fort on Cnoc Farrail, and it is curious to find several old
Gaelic poems on that subject, entitled " Losgadh Brugh Farbruin," the
Burning of Fairburn Fort. A fragment of one is printed in " Reliquiaa
Celtiquae," I. 226. Another version with same title is printed in Campbell's
" Leabhar na Feinne," p. 176.

106 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CEOMARTY.

Arcan — Arcoyn 1479, Arckyne 1561, Arcan 1584 ;
from Old Gael. ' arc/ black ; Welsh ' erch,' dusky.
In a West Highland Fingalian tale, one of the
characters is Arc dubh, where ' dubh ' is a trans-
lation of ' arc.' Cf. Loch Arklet, in Stirling ;
Loch Arkaig, in Inverness-shire ; and Arkendeith,
in Black Isle.

Clachandhu — Black stones.

Achtabannock — G. Ach-da-bhannag, field of two
cakes.

AultgOWrie — G. Allt-gobhraidh, Goat-burn. The
regular Gaelic form would of course be Allt nan
gobhar ; but the formation seen here is not
uncommon in Easter Ross ; cf. Invergowrie, identi-
fied by Dr Reeves with " flumen Gobriat in
Pictavia," Acta SS. Mart. II., p. 449.

Balloan — G. Bail' an loin, town of the low damp
place.

Teanafruich — Tigh 'n fhraoich, Heather-house.

Achnasoull — Auchansowle 1479, Auchnasoill 1538,
Auchnasowle 1542 — Barnfield.

Blackdyke — G. An Garadh dubh, of which the
English is a translation.

Clachuil — G. Clach-thuill, Hollowed stone. The
name comes from a stone hollowed out as if for
' crocking ' barley — i clach an eorna,' the barley
stone — which may still be seen at the Inn of
Clachuil. Cf. Clach-toll in Assynt.

Cornhill — G. Cnoc an airbh ; cf. Cornhill in Strath-
carron (Ardgay), formerly Knockinarrow.

Auchederson — G. Achd-eadarsan ; it lies between
the Gowrie burn and the Orrin, not far from their

URRAY. 107

junction. The meaning is obviously ' the field
between ' (eadar), but the last syllable is puzzling.
Perhaps with the extension of ' eadar ' shown
in Auchederson, we may compare ' tarsuinn,'
from ' tar/ across, and ' ur-sainn,' from ' air,'
before, in both of which the ending represents
a primitive ' -stan,' from root ' sta,' to stand.

StrOiiachro — Point of the fold or enclosure ; on the
opposite side of the Orrin is

Cnoc an oir — Gold hill.

Auchonachie — Ach Dhonnachaidh, Duncan's field.
In the birch wood south east of it is Cnocan nam
Brat, hillock of the mort-cloths. near a very small
bury ing-ground, now disused and nameless.

Cabaan — Cadha ban, white steep path.

Rheindown — Ruigh an duin : Slope or stretch of
Dun ; adjacent to Dunmore.

Teandalloch— G. Tigh an dalach, House of the
dale ; cf. Ballindalloch.

Aultvaich — Byre-burn.

Aradie (in Glenorrin) — G. Aradaidh. It is at the
junction with the Orrin of a stream flowing from
a loch marked on the O.S.M. Loch Annraidh, but
which is locally called Loch Aradaidh, The
stream is also Allt Aradaidh. Aradie is thus a
stream name, and we are safe in comparing it
with Inverarity (Inuerarethin 1250), in Forfar,
now the name of a parish, but primarily the
junction of the Arity streamlet with a small burn.
There is also Arity Den, in Fife. The various
streams Arity are piobably to be connected with
the Gaulish river Arar, of which Csesar says that

108 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

its current is so extremely slow that the eye can
hardly distinguish in which direction it flows.
This again points to the root seen in the Welsh
'araf,' slow, still. Another Gaulish stream,
apparently from same root, is the Arabo, and
there is a personal name Arabus. The ending -ty
is not uncommon on Pictish ground.

Dunmore — Great fort; there is a hill fort, of the
usual type.

Tarradale — Taruedal 1240, 1278 ; Constable of
Taruedale 1278 ; Ouchterwaddale and Onachter-
vadale 1275-94 ; Taruedelle 1309, Tarridil 1372,
Tarredill 1479 ; Norse ' tarfr-dalr,' bull-dale.

Balvatie — Bail' a' mhadaidh, Dog's or Wolfs town.

Hughstown — from Hugh Baillie, son of a former
proprietor; formerly ' Cnocan cruaidh.'

Hilton — Hiltoun 1456, Balnoknok and Hiltoun of
Tarradaill 1586 ; G. Baile-'chnuic.

Gilchrist— Kylchristan 1569 : ' Christ's Kirk.'

Balnagown — Ballingovnie 1476, Balngoun. 1479 ;
Smith's town.

Blair— Balliblare 1475, Belblare 1479 ; G. Bail' a'
bhlair, town on the plain.

Carnaclasser— Of, Kinkell Clairsair 1527 ; G. Cam
a' Chlarsair, the Harper's cairn.1

1 The cairn is now gone, and its site matter of some uncertainty, but the
oldest tradition available to me places it in the garden of the present school-
house of Tarradale. The clarsair, according to the story, was slain by Iain
Dubh Ghiuthais to prevent disclosure of a theft of mill-stones, of which he
was unfortunate enough to be the spectator. But as this gentleman's father
died about 1619 (Hist, of the Mackenzies), and we hare seen the term
' clarsair ' attached to Kinkell in 1527, it follows that, whoever killed the
clarsair, if indeed he was killed, Black Fir John must be held innocent.
Perhaps the origin of the name is, like the cairn, gone beyond recovery.

URRAY. 109

Fiddlefield — Recent and English.

Ardnagrask — Height of the crossings. ' Crasg ' is
usually applied to a crossing place in the hills ;
cf. Cnoc chroisg, Boath, Alness. Here, however,
it is locally explained as from the old system,
practised in Ardnagrask up to comparatively
recent times, of cross rigs. On this system the
arable land of the township was held in common,
and allotments of rigs made at fixed periods in
such a way that no two adjacent rigs fell to the
same man. the idea being that so every man got
his fair share of good and bad land. This is likely
to be correct, and is favoured by the fact that in
Ardnagrask ' crasg' is genitive plural, not singular
as is usual elsewhere.

Broomhill — G. Cnoc a' bhealaidh, or An cnoc
bealaidh.

Caplich — G, Caiplich ; from ' capull,' horse, or
mare — ' place of the horses ' ; a name of frequent
occurrence.

Croftnallan — G. Croit an ail em, croft of the green
flat.

Balavullich — Bail' a' mhullaich, town of the sum-
mit.

Torris Trean — A pathetic attempt at G. torr a'
phris draigheann, hillock of the thorn-bush.

Clllach — The back place.

Highfield — G. Ciarnaig ; a word of doubtful mean-
ing, which may perhaps be compared with
Acbiarnaig (Aviemore),

110 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Glaickerduack— G. Glaic an dubhaig, hollow of
the simll black burn ; ' dubhag ' is a fairly
common burn name.

Cbapeltown— G. Bail' an t-seipeil.

Dreim — The farm of Dreim (ridge) has swallowed
up some small holdings such as Culblair, where
some friends of Ewen Maclachlan's once lived,
while modestly curtailing its own ancient name to
a monosyllable. A reference to Blaeu's and
Font's maps shows it to be identical with Hil-
culdrum 1476, Kynculadrum 1479, Kilquhill-
adrum 1707. With the old forms may be
compared Kincaldrum, in Inverarity, Forfar ;
Kingoldrum, Forfar.

Balvraid — Ballibrahede 1476, Belbrade 1479, Esche
(waterfall) of Balbrait 1527, Ballivraid 1648 ; G.
Bail' a' bhraghaid, town of the upper part.

Tormuick— Swine's hill.

Febait — G. an fheith bhaite, drowned, or wet bog.

Balno — Am baile nodha, new-town.

Ord— Le Ord 1479 ; G. An t-Ord ; Muir of Ord is
Am Blar Dubli. Near it are standing stones called
' na clachan seasaidh.'

Milton— G. Bail' a' mhuilinn.

Teanacriech — G. Tigh na criche, march-house.

Corriehallie — G. Coire shaillidh, fat corry ; noted
for its grass ; cf. Coire feoil, Contin. In Corrie-
hallie Forest is Creag a' Bhainne, Milking-rock.

Droitham — Anglicised form of Drochaid riabhan, or
Drochaid cheann a' riabhain, connected with

UREAY. Ill

Canreayan — G. Ceann a' riabhain ; ' riabhain ' is a
derivative from root of 'riabhach,' meaning
' dappled, speckled place.'

Lettoch — G. an Leithdach, i.e., leith dabhach, half
davach. There are several Lettochs. Cf. Haddo,
in Aberdeen, from Half-davach ; Lettoch, Knock-
bain.

Teanalick — G. Tigh an t-sluic, bog-house ; also
given as Tigh-an-luig, house of the ' lag ' or
hollow.

Claisdarran — G. Clais an terrain, hollow of the
hillock.

Tenafield— G. Tigh na fidhle, Fiddle-house.

Dorrivorellie — G. Doire Mhurchaidh, Murdoch's
copse.

Sron na saobhaidh — Point of the den.

Cnoc-udais — A hill at the entrance to Glen Orrin,
with a large cairn on top, locally asserted to mark
the grave of Judas ! The ending -ais (open ' a ')
is that noted above in Kinnettes, and means
' place of.' The meaning of the root ud- must be
conjectural ; but cf. Welsh ' ud,' howl, blast,
which suggests ' place of blasts ' — appropriate in
point of sense.

Cuthaill Bheag and Cuthaill Mhor. ? N. kiia-
fjall, cow-fell. Hills near Cnoc-udais.

Orrin River — G. Abhainn Orthainn, which would
point to a primitive Orotonna or perhaps Orsonna.
We may perhaps compare the Orrin with such
names as the Fifeshire Ore, with which has been
connected Ptolemy's Orrea, a town of the Verm-
cones ; and with Or-obis, a river of Gallia

112 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Narbonensis ; there was also a Gaulish highland
tribe called the Orobii. The root syllable in all
seems to be 'or/ which may or may not^be the
same as Latin ' or-ior,' start. The Orrin is
notorious for shifting its channel during the
sudden spates to which it is liable. The junction
of the Orrin and the Conon is Poll a' choire.
kettle-pool. Cf. Joyce II. , 432.

URQUHART. 113

URQUHART.

Urquhart -- Utherchain 1275, Urquhard 1498,
Wrchart (Blaeu) ; G. Urchadain, from the pre-
position ' air/ on, in front of, which in composition
frequently becomes ' ur-'; and ' cardden,' a wood,
brake ; a word not found in Gaelic or Irish, but
preserved in Welsh as above — Urquhart thus
meaning ' wood-side.' The Pictish name Urquhart
is closely paralleled by the Gaelic Kinkell (wood-
head), which appears below as occurring in this
parish. ' Cardden ' is a frequent element in names
of places on Pictish ground, especially in the com-
pounds Kincardine passim (wood-head), and in
Urquhart ; cf. Glen-Urquhart, Inverness, Adam-
nan's Airchartdan ; Glen-Urquhart in the parish
of Cromarty (though this has been connected
with the Urquharts of Cromarty), and the parish
of Urquhart in Elgin. We have also Pluscarden
in Elgin, and Carden-den in Fife.

The modern parish of Urquhart includes the
old parish of Logie Wester (united about 1669) ;
Logy 1498, Logy Westir 1569, Logwreid 1600.
In 1238 it seems to appear as Longibride
(Theiner's Yet. Mon.) and again in Baiamund's
Roll we have Dunthard and Logynbrid, 1275.
Logy, G. lagaidh, is from ' lag,' a hollow, with

114 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

the ' -aidh ' ending. It forms the south-west
portion of the united parish, and the name still
appears in Logieside, half-a-mile or so north-east
of Highfield Home Farm.

In 1430 the King confirmed to Donald, Thane
of Caldore (Cawdor in Nairnshire), the lands of
Estirkynkelle and the mill of Alcok in the
county of Ross. In 1476 the King united and
incorporated into the one complete thanage of
Caldor (unum et integrum thanagium de Caldor),
having the liberties and privileges of a barony,
certain lands in Nairn and Forres, as also the two
Kinkells, Kindeis. Invermarky, Mulquhaich, and
Drumvoourny in the county of Boss, all which he
granted to his faithful William, Thane of Caldor.
This explains the origin of Ferintosh, G. An
Toisigbeachd, or an Tois'eachd, ' The Thaneship/
from ' toiseach,' the ancient Celtic dignitary
ranking next to the ' mormaer,' who, in the
language of feudalism, was translated into thane,
while the mormaer became ' Comes,' or Earl.
Ferintosh, ' land of the Toiseach,' is still the
popular designation of the parish in English, as
* An Toisigheachd ' is in Gaelic. Of the places
mentioned in the grant of 1476, the two Kinkells,
Mulcaich, and Dunvorny are in Urquhart ; Inver-
marky, now obsolete, was near Rosemarky. If
there was a Kindeis in the Black Isle, I have
failed to identify it, the only Kindeis known to
me having been in Nigg, where it has now become
obsolete, and whence it has been transferred to
Kindeace in Kilmuir Easter.

URQUHART. 115

Kinkell — Kynkell 1479, Kinkell Clarsair 1527,
Kinkell Clarshac 1542, Kinkell Clairsheoch 1556 ;
G. ceann na coille, wood-head. The similarity in
meaning to the name Urquhart is worth noting.
There are two Kinkells — Easter Kinkell and
Wester or Bishop's Kinkell ; and Kinkell Clarsair
of the records is doubtless the wester one, which
is nearer Muir of Ord, or Carn a' Chlarsair.

Mulchaich — Mulcach 1456, Mulquhaich 1476, Mul-
quhaisch 1507 ; G. Mul-caich; from ' mul,' rounded
eminence ; the ' -caich,' or ' cathaich/ is doubtful.

Alcaig— Mill of Alcok 1430 ; " the Alcaikis with
their pendicles, viz., Crostnahauin, and Bogboy,
with the mil) of Alcaik and the yare of Alcaik
called Corrinagale," 1611 ; G. Alcaig; from Norse
Alka-vik, auk's bay.

Bogboy is modern Bogbuie, yellow bog, two
miles from Alcaig, beyond Easter Kinkell.

Crostnahauin, Eiver-croft, is probably repre-
sented by the modern Teanahaun, a farm at the
mouth of the Conon.

Corrinagale, from its description as a ' yare,'
appears to be from Ir. ' cora,' or ' coradh,' a weir
across a river ; cf. the Irish Kincora and Tikincor,
and, in Scotland, Achnacarry ; Norsemens' Weir ?

Dunvomie — Drum war ny 1456, Drumwerny 1458 ;
Drumworny 1507; G. Dun-bhoirinidh ; 'drum'
and ' dun ' frequently interchange, in some cases
at least because there was both a drum or ridge,
and a dun or fort, and this is the case with Dun-
vornie. The name seems to be from Ir. ' boireann,'

116 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

a rock, or a stony, rocky district — ' Stony Ridge,'
which would suit a locality where, as here, the

' rock frequently appears above the surface. In
Ireland we have Rathborney, Knockanemorney,
and many other names of the same origin.

Findon — Fyndoun 1456, Mekle Findon 1574, Little
Findon 1587; G. Fionndun, white fort. We
have in 1608 " Baddrean and Teazet, pertinents
of Mekle Findon." Baddrean, now Baclrain,
thorny copse ; Teazet is a phonetic spelling of
Tigh 'gheata, Gatehouse ; it is now obsolete, but
Knockgate is still part of Findon farm. Another
pertinent of Findon, 1608, is Ballegyle, now
Balgoil, Stranger's town.

The Querrel, near the shore, appears 1503;
obviously G. An Coireall, the quarry.

Culbokie— Culboky 1456 and 1542; Eistir and
Westir Culboky 1563; G. Cuil-bhaicidh. The
old form, retained in English, goes to prove that
the original Gaelic was Cuil-bhbcaidh, the modern
Gaelic showing the common change of ' o ' to ' a.'
This is confirmed by comparison with the less
know Cuil-bhocaidh in Strathcarron, parish of
Kincardine. The second part of the compound
appears to be from ' bocan,' hobgoblin, Scottish
bogie, the meaning being * the haunted nook.'
The name would, on this supposition, have been
originally applied to the hollow near the ancient
ruin, near the village, which is noted below, and
which could hardly fail to have had uncanny
associations.

URQUHART. 117

Balgalkin — G. Bail' galcainn, from l gale,' tor
thicken cloth, by a process akin to fulling—
' Fuller-town.'

Leanaig — G. Lianaig, diminutive of ' liana,' a
meadow, swampy plain. This is a case of a
feminine diminutive being formed from a mascu-
line noun.

Cornton — G. Bail' an loch, Loch-town. West of
it is

Cononbrae — G. Bog domhain, deep bog.

Ryefleld — G. Ach an t-seagaiL

Drummonreach — Speckled ridge.

Teandore — House of the grove ; it was once a
drinking place, but the name has no sinister
implication.

Balnabeen — G. Bail' na binn ; locally explained as
Town of judgment, which is doubtless correct,
seeing that near it is

Gallows Hill — G. Cnoc a' chrochaidh. Also

Crochair — G. Crochar, place of hanging ; from
' croch/ gallows, modern ' croich.'

Teanagairn, House of the cairn, and Glascairn,
G. Clais 'chairn, are so called from the remarkable
ruin in the wood about a quarter of a mile south
of the west end of Culbokie. In Gaelic it is
called Caisteal Cuil-bhaicidh, and also Caisteal
Bhaicidh. It is circular, with two concentric
walls, the inner of stone, and is surrounded by a
ditch, now partly filled up. Some bones were
found there about forty years ago, in the course

118 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

of removing stones for dykes, since when it has

remained untouched. Close by it is a small loch.

Duncanston — A quite modern name — its eponymus

is still with us — the Gaelic of which is Boer a'

o

mhiodair. Local tradition says that the place
was so named from the loss of a mitre there by
the Bishop of Ross as he was going from his
residence of Castle Craig to Chanonry. But it is
much more likely to come from ' miodar,' pasture
ground, or, possibly, ' miodar,' a round vessel of
wood.

Greenleonaehs— G. Lianagan a' Chuil-bhaicidh, wet
meadows of Culbokie.

Baluachrach— G. Bail' uachdarach, Upper town.

Balmenach — G. Bail' meadhonach, Mid-town.

Baliachrach — G. Bail' iochdarach, Lower town.

Balachladaich — Shore town.
Badenerb — Eoe-clump.

Tore— G. Torr, rounded hill.

Crask of Findon — Crasg, a crossing place. It

includes Boggiewell, G. Bog an fhuail, palus

urinae.
Balreillan — ' Reidhlean,' a green, or level plain ; a

derivative of ' reidh,' level. Some graves were

found in the neighbourhood.
Loch Sheriff— G. Loch an t-Siorra.
Bracklach — G. Breaciach, spotted place ; cf. ' garbh-

lach,' rough place.

Knoekandultaig — G. Cnoc an dialtaig, bat's

hillock.
Balloan — G. Bail' an loin ; town of the low, damp

meadow.

URQUHABT. 119

Coulnagour — Goats' nook.

Balavil — G. Bail' a' bhile, town on the brae-edge.

Cocked-Hat Wood — A small plantation, so named

by the late Sir James Mackenzie.
Mossend — G. Ceann a' mhonaidh.
Sunny Brae — A euphemistic rendering of G. * am

braighead mosach,' nasty upland.
Cnoe na fanaig — G. Cnoc na' feannag ; probably

from ' feannag,' a ' lazy -bed,' but of course

' feannag/ a hoodie-crow, is quite possible.
Cnoc an araid, a mile or more west of Culbokie,

most likely from ' anart,' linen, which in E. Ross

becomes ' arad.'
Logieside, at the west end of the parish, preserves

the old name of Logy.
Dugaraidh, on Ord. Sur. map Dungary, near the

border of Urray — Dubh-garaidh, black den or

thicket ; the lengthening of ' dubh ' is owing to

the stress of the accent ; cf. Duloch and dulan,

also, Dougrie in Arran.
Balvaird— Bail' a bhaird, Bard's town. Or it may

be from ' bard,' a meadow, paddock ; in Badenoch

e still used in the sense of ' meadow ' in common

speech.
Tigh na h-innse — Meadow-house — near Alcaig

Ferry.
Cnoc 'chois— Hill of the recess.

120 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

RESOLIS.

Resells — G. Ruigh-sholuis, slope of light, or bright
slope. In 1662 the Commissioners for the
plantation of Kirks united the parishes of
Cullicudden and Kirkmichaell into one parish
church, to be called the Parish Church of Kirk-
michael, and to be built at Reisolace. As the
site of the parish church has not been shifted
since, it is clear that the name Resolis originally
applied only to that slope on which the church
now stands, a spot with a bright south-easterly
exposure. The New Stat. Ace., written by Rev.
Donald Sage in 1836, records that .Resolis rather
than Kirkmichael was then the name in popular
usage. It has now practically become the official
designation also.

Cullicudden included the western portion of
the united parish. In addition to the early
mention of it noted below, it appears as Cultudyn
in 1275 among the churches taxed by the Holy
See for relief of the Holy Land. The church was
dedicated to St Martin of Tours, and the name
of the parish in Gaelic was regularly Sgire
Mhartuinn. Hence such names as Kilmartin
(where the old church of Cullicudden stood, with
its bury ing-ground), Ach martin, St Martins. In

KESOLIS. 121

1641 Charles I. granted to Inverness the fair of
10th November, " quhilk was haldin of auld at
Sanct Martenis Kirk in Ardmannoche now lyand
waist."

Kirkmichael is the eastern portion of the united
parish. The church was known in Gaelic as Gill
Mhicheil, and the parish itself as Sgire Mhicheil.
The site of the church was at the east end of the
parish, close to the firth ; and Hugh Miller, in his
" Scenes and Legends," gives a wild legend
bearing on its churchyard. The same legend is
current with regard to the churchyards of Dala-
rossie and of Petty, in Inverness-shire.

Culbo — Eistir Culbo 1557, Eistir and Wastir
Cuiboll 1560; G. Curabol ; from Norse ' kiila,'
a ball or knob, and ' bol,' a farm-stead. Kula is
applied in place-names to a rounded hill ; cf.
de Kool o' Fladabister in Shetland (Jacobsen).
Gaelic ' r ' is due to dissimilation.

Balblair— Belblair 1551, Eistir Belblair 1557 ; G.
Bail' a bhlair, town of the plain.

Kinbeachy — Kynbarch 1561-66, Kinbeachie 1565-
71 ; G. Cinn a' bheathchaidh, head of the birch
wood (beitheach). Cf. Kinveachy, Aviemore. It
is to be taken in connection with

Birkis 1551 ; G. a Bheithearnaich, still known as
' The Birks ' ; beith-ar-n-aich ; for the formation
cf. Muc-ar-n-aich, from ' muc,' pig ; preas-ar-ii-achr
from ' preas,' bush ; etc.

Dmmcudden— Drumcudyn 1528 and 1546; Drum-
cudden 1458 ; G. Druimchudainn, also

122 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Cullicudden — Culicuden 1227 ; G. Cuila' chudainn,
or, as a variant, according to the New. Stat. Ace.,
' Coull a Chuddegin.' The N.S.A. makes it " the
Cuddie Creek — that species of fish being formerly,
though not now, caught in great abundance in a
small creek on the shore of Cullicudden, and a
little to the west of the old church." G.
' cudainn,' or ' cudaig,' a cuddy.

Braelangwell — Braelangwell 1577 ; a hybrid ; G.
1 braigh,' an up-land, and Norse ' langvollr,' long-
field. There is Langwell in Strathcarron ; also
Lang well, Oykell..

Balliskilly— Bowskaly 1551, Ballaiskaillie 1580;
G. Baile sgeulaidh, story- town, or town of the
story-teller.

Brae— Brey 1533 ; town of Braire c. 1560 ; ' braigh,'
up-land.

Woodhead — The Wodheid c. 1560 ; near it is am
Bard Gobhlach, the forked meadow.

Castle Craig — Craighouse c. 1560; G. Tigh na
creige.

Tighninnich — Tawninich (Blaeu), east of Balblair ;
G. Tigh 'n aonaich, town of the market ; there
was a market at Jemimaville until recent times.

BadgriDan — Copse of the sunny hillock.

Chapelton— G. Bail' an t-seipeil.

Kirkton :

Drumdyre — G. Druim(a)doighr ; doubtful ; Daighre
was an Irish personal name ; Maclruanaidh ua
Daighre occurs in the Four Masters ; but it does
not seem to occur in Scotland.

RESOLIS. 123

Bruichglass — Green brae.

Poyntzfield of old Ardoch, the high place.

BalUcherry — G. Bail' a' cheathraimh, town of the

quarter (davach).
Gavin — Smooth pass.
Toberchurn — Well of the cairn.
Capernich — G. Ceaparnaich, or 'a' Cheaparnaich,'

an extension of ' ceap,' a block, whence ' ceapach,'

tillage plot ; cf. for formation ' a' Bheithearnaich '

above.
Pleucherries — G. Fliuchairidh, the wet place ; a

locative of ' fliuch-ar-adh/ from ' fliuch,' wet. The

' 's ' is the English plural, as in Geanies, Pitnel-

lies, &c.

Jamimaville : a modern name.
Am Bard Loisgte — The burnt meadow, near St

Martins.

Burnslde — G. Tigh an daimh, ox-house.
Camperdown— G. form not found ; named after the

battle of 1797.

Obsolete are : —
Rostabrichty, situated, according to Blaeu's map, a

little to the north-west of Braelangwell ; later

Eosabrighty, 1740.

Auchnintyne 1580, a pendicle of ' Ballaskaillie.'
Wester Ballano 1580, mentioned in connection with

the same.

Milltoim (Blaeu), on the ' burn of Milltoun,' appar-
ently now Allt Dubhach (O.S,M.)

124 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

CEOMAETY.

Cromarty-— Crumbathyn 1263, Crumbauchtyn 1264,
Crumbhartyn 1296, Crombathie 1349, Cromady
and Crombathie 1349-1370, Cromardy 1398,
Cromatyand Crumbaty 1479.1 G. Cromba'. From
an inspection of the old forms two things are clear
— first, that the modern English form, Cromarty,
is the descendant and representative of the ancient
Crumbauchtyii (with accent on first syllable) ; and,
secondly, that the second ' r ' of Cromarty is not
radical, but was developed at an early stage
through sympathy with the V of the first syllable ;
cf. Eng. bride-groom, from A.S. brid-guma, literally
' bride-man.' Further, these forms, as well as
other considerations, negative the derivation
Crom-bagh, bent bay. The base is doubtless
crom, bent ; the question is whether we are to
regard the b of Cromba' as radical or as developed.
Developed b after m is seen in lombar, from lorn ;
Ir. crompan, a sea inlet, from crom ; and in the
common Crombie applied to bent streams and to
places at a bend, e.g., Crombie in Fife ; also Dal-
crombie, G. Dul-chrombaidh, a place on a bend of

1Hugh Miller (Scenes and Legends," p. 49), mentions an ancient custom
seal or cocket, supposed to belong to the reign of Robert II., and then iu the
Inverness Museum, bearing the legend ' Crombhte.'

OROMARTY. 125

L. Ruthven, Inverness. On this theory we have
(1) crom as base, (2) developed 1), (3) termin-
ations -ach, place of, and -dan or -tan, diminutive,
all meaning Little place of the bend ; cf. Loch
Saileach in Ireland, called by the Four Masters
Loch Sailcheadain,1 also Ardochdainn, Lochcarron.
On the other theory it would be possible to
suggest crom-bath, with extension, bath being
an O. Ir. word glossed saile a»d muir, sea.

Cromarty Firth — G. Caolas Chromba'.

Navity— Navitie 1578 ; G. Neamhaididh. The
lands of Navity formed the endowment of a
chapel in the Cathedral of Fortrose. Hence from
' neimhidh,' church-land ; Gaul. ' nemeton.' There
is another Nevity in Fife ; Nevody 1477, Navety
1531, which was also church-land.

Davidston — Dauidstoun 1529 and 1578 ; G. Baile
Dha' idh.

Williamstoun appears on Font's map east and north
of Davidston.

Peddieston — Peddistoun 1578 ; the proper name
Peddie occurs frequently in the session records.

Farness — Fames 1576, Eistir Fames and Litill
Farness 1578 ; G. Fearnais, place of alders ; from
' fearn,' with termination '-ais,' for which see Kin-
nettes in Fodderty. For the meaning cf. Allerton.
Cf. Glenferness, near Forres.

Udale— Vddall 1578 ; G. Uadal, from Norse ' y-dalr,
yew-dale.

1 Joyce, Irish Names of Places II., 36.

126 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The Souters — " Craiges callit the Sowteris" appears
in an Act of Par., 1593; G. na Sudraichean.
Various theories have been offered in explanation
of the name, the favourite being ' sutor,' a shoe-
maker. The Gaelic form favours a derivation
from sudaire, a tanner, which gives rise to many
names in Ireland. Na Sudraichean would thus
mean the place of tanners, or the tanneries.
" The Souter" is a hill in Strathglass, G. an
t-utar, Mullach an utair, and there is Souter
Head between Aberdeen and Cove.

Banans — The Gaelic is not forthcoming, but it is
probably an English plural of ' beannan,' a hillock.

Ardevall — Height of the township.

" Castlehill of Cromarty, called the Mothill of the

same," 1599.

Glen Urquhart is supposed to have been so named
by or from the Urquharts of Cromarty ; but of.
the parish of Urquhart.

Rosefarm, originally Greenhill ; so called after Mr
Rose of Tarlogie.

Easter Ardmeanach, on the summit of the ridge,
retains the old official name of the Black Isle—
Mid-height.

English names for which no Gaelic has been
found are : — Newton, Neilston, Allerton. Wood-
side, Muirtown, Whitebog, Lambton, Blackstand,
Colony, Gallow hill.
Obsolete is

Arnoche 1644, ' place of sloes.'

CROMARTY. 127

Chaplainry of St Regule 1561 is located by Hugh

Miller, as also the Chapel of St Bennet and St
Duthus Well. He also mentions a curious spring
called Sludach.

128 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CBOMARTY.

EOSEMAEKIE.

Rosemarkie — Eosmarkensis Episcopus c. 1228;
Eosmarky 1510. G. Eos-maircnidh or Eos-
marcanaidh ; also Eos-mharcanaidh ; in Book of
Clanranald Eos-mhaircni. Invermarky 1476 Eeg.
Mag. Sig. proves that we are dealing with a stream
name ; of. Marknie Burn flowing into L. Killin,
Whitebridge. Marcnaidh, or by regressive
assimilation Maircnidh, is based on marc, horse,
and might well be the old genitive of marcnach,
place of horses ; for formation cf. Muc-an-ach,
place of swine ; Clach-an-ach, place of stones.
Here, however, it is better regarded as showing
the -ie ending so common in stream names, e.g.,
Feshie, Mashie, Tromie, representing an old -ios.
Eos may mean (1) cape, point ; (2) wood, but as
Eosemarkie is situated at the base of Fortrose
point, the whole name means Point of the horse-
burn rather than wood of the same.1
Fortrose — Forterose 1455. G. a' Chananaich, the
Chanonry, lit. Place of Canons, which has eclipsed
the true Gaelic form of Fortrose just as that of
Tain is eclipsed by Baile Dhubhthaich. The

1 Dr Reeves (Culdees p. 45) quotes the Martyrology of Tamlacht —
" 16 March : Curitan epscoip ocus abb Ruis mic bairend," and amends to
Rosmbaircend, yielding " Curitan bishop and abbot of Rosmarky." The
Martyrology of Donegal has Curitan of Ros-meinn.

ROSEMARKIE. 129

strong accent on the first syllable of Fortrose
shows Fort to be prepositional or adjectival ; pro-
bably it is foter, a "comparative of fo, under. The
second part may be ros, promontory ; and the
name may have been given to a part of the pro-
montory in contradistinction to Rosemarky.

Balmungie — " The lands of Balmongie with the
mill of Bosmarky" 1567. G. Baile-Mhungaidh,
possibly Mungo's stead, but more probably from
rnong, mongach, a plant name ; mongach measca
glosses " simprionica," and is rendered mugwort
by O'Reilly ; mong mhear is explained as
hemlock.1

PlatCOck — " Platcok within the bounds of the
college of the Chanonry " 1615 ; an obscure name
of which the Gaelic form cannot be recovered.
Plotcok appears in Kyle, and near Beauly is
Platchaig, G. Plat-chathaig, Jackdaw Flat. On
the West Coast Platach is fairly common.

Eathie— Ethie 1593; G. athaidh; a stream name,
applying here primarily to the Eathie Burn ; cf.
Inveraithie, Tain ; athaidh represents a primitive
Celtic atia or atios, in root identical with ath, a
ford. The name, like other stream names in -ie,
is doubtless Pictish.

Learnie — Larny 1576 ; G. Leatharnaidh, locative
of leatharnach, from lethoir, side, meaning ' place
011 the side of the slope.' Lernock, Stirling, may
be regarded as an accusative, Leatharnach, cf.
Dornie as against Dornoch and Dornock. Near

i Arch f. Celt. Lex. T. 3, pp. 336, 344.

130 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Inverness is a farm Castle Heather, formerly
Castle Leather, i.e., lethoir, Lordship of Leffare,
1460.

Kincurdy — Kincowrdrie 1591 ; chapel of Kincurdie
1615 and 1641 ; G. Cinn-churdaidh. With it
goes Cnoc-gille-churdaidh, Avoch, Englished
Hurdyhill, and probably Kincurdy on Speyside,
G. Cinn-chaordaidh, where the difference in vowel
sound may be dialectic. This very difficult word
might be compared with Curr in Duthil, G. curr,
corner or pit, Welsh cwr, corner, but for the fact
that the formation Cnoc-gille-churdaidh strongly
suggests some proper name.

Raddery — Eatherie and Wester Eatherie 1576 ;
G. Eadharaidh from radhar ' an arable field not in
tillage' (H.S.D.), pasture ground, with -ach
suffix, giving radharach, place of pasture, old
locative radharaigh. In Perthshire we have " na
radharaichean,' the places of pasture. * Daimh
mhor Eadharaidh,' the big oxen of Eaddery, is
part of a local saw, which may, however, be really
aimed at the people of Eaddery.

Broomhill — 'The Inche and Bromehill,' 1576.

Ardmeanach — Mid-height, i.e., between the Crom-
arty and Moray Firths ; interesting as retaining
the old official designation of the Black Isle.

Boggiewell — G. Bog an fhuarain; there is a fine
spring just below the farmhouse.

Corslet — Probably Crois-leathad, cross-slope; it is
by the road just above Eosemarkie, and may
commemorate the site of one of the sculptured
crosses.

KOSEMARKIE. 131

Plowerburn — No Gaelic has been found for this
modern name, but Kinnock of Blaeu and records
appears to be now Flowerburn Mains.

No Gaelic has been found for Hillock,
Feddenhill, The Gamrock, Berryhill, Ryenat,
Muiryden, Weston, Claypots ; while Pettyslaiiis
or Petslaw of the records is obsolete ; its latest
form is Piddslaw, and it seems to have been near
Petconnoquhy, now Rosehaugh.

132 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

AVOCH.

Avoch— Baronia de Auach 1328 ; Auauch 1338
(Keg. Mor.) ; Alvach 1493 ; Awoch 1558 ; G.
Obh'ch (for Abhach with change of a to o), from
O. Ir. ab, later abh, a river, with -ach suffix :
River-place. Cf. Loch Awe, Gael. Loch Obha,
described by Adamnan as " stagnum fluminis
Abae," the loch of the river Aba. The stream on
which Avoch stands is called in its upper reaches
the Gooseburn, G. Allt nan geadh, and appears in
1676 as "the Goossburn" in connection with
" the Goosswell of Killeane."

Rosehaugh — A name imposed by Sir George Mac-
kenzie towards the end of the 17th century. The
old name was Petconachy 1456, Petquhonochty
1458 ; Pettenochy 1526 ; Petconnoquhy 1527
(with a mill), i.e., Pit Dhonnachaidh, Duncan's
stead. The spot where the gardens of Rosehaugh
house now stand is still known as Pairc an
Leothaid, Hill-side Park.

Castleton— Castletoun 1456 ; G. Bail' a' Chaisteil,
from Ormond Castle hard by. The ruins of this
once great and important seat may still be seen
on Ormond Hill, also known as Lady hill, from the
fact that there was a chapel on or near it dedi-
cated to the Virgin Mary (Reg. Sec. Sig. 1528).

AVOCH. 133

The Castle of Ormond appears to have belonged
to the De Moravia or Moray family from
thirteenth century times, but there is little
mention of it in records subsequent to the middle
of the fourteenth. Frequent mention, however,
is found of the Moot-hill (mons) of Ormond, in
connection with the titles of Earl, Marquis, and
Duke of Ormond.

Muiralehouse — Muirailhouse 1611 explains itself.

Halloch— G. ? (S)halach ; doubtful.

Lochala — G. Loch-ala, an obscure name, but cf.
Welsh ' alaw,' water-lily.

Bennetsfield -- Bennatfeld 1456 ; Bennatisfelde
1458; Bannathfield 1527; Bannagefield 1541;
Bennetisfield 1548; G. Baile Bhenneit, Town of
Bennet, i.e., St Benedict. Near it is Clack
Bhenneit, Bennet's stone, immediately below
which is the holy well called Tobar Cliragag, well
of the little rock, still frequented on the first
Sabbath of May.

Ballon 8 — G. Bail an loin, town of the wet meadow.

Corrachie — G. Corrachaidh, from corrach, steep.

Arcandeith — Arky ndwy cht 1586; Auchindeuch
1611 ; Arcanduth 1641 ; G. Arcan-duibh, Black
Arcan ; cf. Arcan, Urray. Here ' duibh ' is
obviously a translation of Arcan, the black place.
On the place are the ruins of a small fortalice,
whence the local explanation, airc-Eoin-dhuibh,
Black John's ark, or fortress. A Highland reaver,
Black John has been evolved to lend colour to
this piece of popular etymology, but the phonetics
do not suit.

134 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Newton — ? Newton 1456 ; G. am baile nodha.

Insch — The Inch 1576 ; G. an i's, the meadow
(imiis).

Rhives — G. given as (l) na Ruighean, the slopes ;
(2) (ann an) Ruigheas. The latter may be a
Gaelic pronunciation of the English form. Rhives
in Kilmuir is ' na Ruigheannan ;' Rhives, Golspie,
na Ruigheach.

Coulnagour — G. Cuil nan gobhar, goats' nook.

Killen— Kyllayn circ. 1338, Killan 1456 ; Killane
1524 ; G. Cill-Annaidh or Cill-Fhannaidh. The
Gaelic form puts Cill-fhinn, White-church, or
Church of St Fionn out of the question, and there
seems to be no saint whose name will suit the
dedication. St Anue, which would suit the
phonetics, is hardly to be thought of on Celtic
ground.
Near Killen is Cnoc-an-teampuill, Temple-hill.

Auchterflow — Ochtercloy 1456, Achtirflo 1560,
Ochtercloy 1568 ; G. Uachdar-chlo. Clo is
glossed by O'Mulconry ' gaoth,' wind. In the
Psalms we have ' clo codail,' ' vapour ' of sleep.
The word appears to be obsolete in spoken Gaelic,
but ' windy upland ' gives good sense.

Buntata proinnt' is bainne leo
Biadh bodaich Uachdar-chlo !

Pookandraw — G. bog an t-strath, Strath-bog, in

the Strath of Auchterflow.
Blairfoid (really pron. Blairwhyte) — Blairfoyde

1627; G. Blar-choighde, Moor of Coit, with

AVOCH. 135

which may be compared Erchite, Dores, G.

Airchoighd.' This spelling represents the Gaelic

pronunciation of this doubtless Pictish name,

which may, perhaps, be compared with Teutonic

hag, hedge.

Shawpark — G. Pairc an t-seadh ; doubtful.
Ordhill — G. Cnoc an uird.
Templand — Tempilland 1586 ; no Gaelic found.
Geddeston — G. Baile na' geadas ; ? Town of the

tufty heads.
Pitfuir— Pethfouyr circ. 1338, Petfure 1456; Pet-

fuyr, with its mill called Denemylne, 1526 ; G.

Pit-fhuir, Pasture-stead, a Pictish name ; cf.

Dochfour, Balfour, Pitfure (Rogart), Inchfuir,

and Porin. The mill is now called the Mill of

Den.
Lochlaichley — G. Loch Ligh, spate-loch ; cf. Loch

Ligh in Contin. Achalee appears in 1458.
Bog of Shannon — Boigschangie 1586 ; G. Bog na'

seannan, ? seann athan, bog of the old fords.
No Gaelic has been found for the following :—

Crosshill, Tourie-lum, Gracefield, Knockmuir,

Coldhome, Limekilns.

136 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

KNOCKBAIN.

Knockbain — G. An Cnoc-ban, white-hill, is now
the name of the joint parishes of Kilmuir Wester
and Suddy (united 1756).

Kilmuir — Kilmowir 1561 ; G. Gill Mhoire, Mary's
Church. The old church stands near the sea-
shore. The graveyard contains many stones of
considerable antiquity, with late Celtic carving
similar to that seen on the stones in Killianan at
Abriachan and at Glenconvinth Chapel.

Suddy— Sudy 1227; Suthy 1476. G. Suidhe
(bheag is Suidhe mhor), Seat ; the absence of the
article in Gaelic is noteworthy.

Kessock Ferry — Land and ferry of Estir Kessok
1437. G. Aiseig Cheiseig, generally connected
with St Kessock ; the Gaelic use, however, shows
no sign of Kessock being regarded here as a per-
sonal name.

Bellfield includes what is known in Gaelic as
Ceiseig uachdarach, Upper Kessock ; also partly
covers the old Do'ach Cheiseig, Davach of
Kessock. Near the firth is Tiyh a' mhuilinn,
Mill-house.

Redfield — G. an raon dearg. Broomliill, G. an
cnoc bealaidh, is now part of it.

Arpafeelie — G. Arpa-philidh, also Arpa-philich, an
obscure name. The first part may be ' alp,' an

KNOCKBAIN. 137

eminence. In it is included Glaickmore, G. a'
ghlaic mhor, the big hollow.

CottertOH — G. Achadh nan coitear.

Allanbank — G. an Reim, ' the course ' ; O. Ir. reim
Near it is Quarryfield, G. Tigh an rothaid,
Road-house.

Teablair — G. Tigh a' bhlair, House of the moor.
Near it is Teaivig, G. Tigh a' bhuic, Buck-
house.

Teandore — G. Tigh an todhair, Bleaching-house.
There is another near Drynie.

Allangrange — Allangrange 1574. G. Alan (no
article) ; a Pictish name for which v. Alness.
Part of it is Bog Alain, the Bog of Allan.

Allanglack — G. Alan nan clach, Stony Allan.

Allanrich — G. Alan an fhraoich, Heathery Allan.

Whitegate — G. An geat ban — modern name.

Belmaduthy — Balmaduthy 1456, Bo wmaldut hy
1538 ; G. Baile mac Duibh, Stead of Duffs sons ;
cf. Pitmaduthy. This disposes of the idea that
the old Church of Suddy was dedicated to
St Duthac of Tain, if, as the Editor of the Grig.
Paroch. states, " the sole ground for conjecturing
this is the local name Belmaduthy, interchanged
in old writs of Tain with Balleguith1 or Baile-
dhuich."

Balnakyle — G. Baile na coille, Wood-town.

Balnaguie — G. Baile na gaoith, Windy town ; cf.
Ardgay, without the article — an older formation.

1 Balleguith stands rather for Balkeith, q.v.

138 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Muirends or Muirtown— ? Merane 1456; Muren
1458 ; Meran 1478 ; G. Mordun, Great Fort ; the
strong accent on mor has shortened dun to dun ;
cf. Findon, G. Fionndun. There is a stone circle
in a wood in this place.

Roskhill — G. An Boisgeil.

Belton — G. not known.

Shantullich — G. An t-seann tulaich, Old-hillock.

Braevil— G. Breigh a' bhaile, Upland of the stead.

Drumderfit — Drumdafurde 1456 ; Drumdervate
1539 ; Drumdarwecht 1564 ; G. Druim(a)diar.
Locally explained as " ridge of tears." Its former
name was Druim dubh, but it became the scene of
a battle so sanguinary that of the beaten party
only one survived. Hence it was said " Bu druim
dubh an de thu, ach 's druima diar an diugh."
Black ridge wert thou yesterday, but ridge of
tears to-day.1 The legend as to the change of
name is significant in view of the double form in
Gaelic and English. The probability is that we
are dealing with a word of Pictish origin, of which
the Gaelic speakers took the part that seemed to
them intelligible, dropping the rest which appears
in English as -fit, and in the records as -vate, etc.

Drynie — Dryne 1586 ; G. Droighnidh (no article),
place of thorns. Above it is Creagaidli thorn,
little rock of hillocks or humps. Drynie includes

1 With this may be compared the legend given in the Book of Deer as to
the origin of the name Deer : " tangator deara drosta"n arscarthdin fri collum-
cille ; rolaboir columcille, bedear dnim ohunn imaic " ; Drostan's tears came
on parting with Columcille ; Columcille said : " Be Dear its name from
hence forth."

KNOCKS AIN. 139

Ceann an achaidh, head of the cultivated field ;

Bail' a' bhlair, Muirtown ; Srath fhliuchaidh,

strath of wetness ; Tigh an t-sluic, house of the

pit ; An Lainnsear, Englished Lancer, a doubtful

word perhaps, based on lainn, an enclosure.
Yairhead — G. a' cheir-eud, on Munlochy bay ; the

G. form, if it is not the English form taken over,

is beyond me.
Slagaharn — G. Slac a' charn, Hollow or Slack of the

cairn. Near it is Muilednn an t-sail, Salt-water

mill, once a tidal mill.
Drumsmittal — G. Druima-smiotail, probably by

dissimilation for Druim-spiteil, ridge of the Spital,

or hostelry. The Spittal wood is well to the west.
On the ridge are : — An Cam Glas, the grey

cairn ; also Am Blar Liath, the hoary moor, with

many tumuli.
Isteane — G. I's-dian; ' i V is the reduced form of

innis, haugh ; ' dian ' from the lie of the land

cannot mean ' steep ' ; it must, therefore, mean

' sheltered.'

Coldwells — G. am Bealaidh, the broom.
Charleston — G. baile Thearlaich, after Sir Charles

Mackenzie of Kilcoy. The first house here was

built 1812.

Craigbreck — G. a' chreag bhreac, the dappled rock.
Grlaickarduich— G. a' ghlaic, the hollow ; also Glaic

ar dubhaig, hollow of the little black stream or

place, ar being a corruption of an, the article.

Of. Glaic an dubhaig in Urray.

140 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Croftnacreich — G. Creit nan Crioch, boundary croft.

Pitlundie— Petlundy 1456; G. Pit-lunndaidh, the
stead of Lundy. Lundy, G. Lunndaidh, adjoins,
and is very marshy. Also Loch Lundy, an ugly,
dark loch, reputed of great depth, and the haunt
of a ' tairbh uisge,' water bull, whose herd may be
heard in winter bellowing beneath the ice. For
meaning v. Maoil Lunndaidh, Contin.

SligO — Slego 1579. G. Sligeach, (the) shelly place.
It is on the south shore of Munlochy Bay.

Bayfield, formerly Creit Seocaidh, Jockey's croft.

Craigiehow — G. creag a' chobh, rock of the cave.
Cobh is doubtless to be compared with the Ir.
diminutive cabhan, a hollow, Welsh cau, Lat. cavea.
In this cave lie the Feinn, awaiting the blowing of
the horn which is to rouse them from their sleep.
It is, or was, believed to extend to Loch Lundy.
A dropping well at the mouth of the cave was
resorted to until quite recently to cure deafness.
" Ged is mor Creag a' Chobh, is beag a feum " ;
though big is Craigiehow, small is its use.

Arrie — G. an airigh, the shieling, on the top of
Craigiehow.

Tigh na h-irich, locally connected with ' fir each,'
a hill, or steep declivity, which suits the place ;
but this would require tigh an fhirich,

Teandore — G. Tigh an todhair, Bleaching-house.
Near it is an Raoid'as, an obscure name. Also
Creit a chlobha, Tongs- croft ; but perhaps clobha
(N. klofi) is here used in its primary meaning of
1 fork,'

KNOCKBAIN. 141

Paulfield — G. am Bard, the meadow.

Tullich— G. An Tulaich, the hillock.

Munlochy— Munlochy 1328, Mullochie 1605 ; G.
Poll-lochaidh. Both the English and the Gaelic
forms are corruptions of Bun-lochaidh, root or
inner end of the loch, i.e., Munlochy Bay, which
in Gaelic is Ob Poll-lochaidh.

Hurdyhill — G. Cnoc-gille-churdaidh, cf. Kincurdy.
This hillock is famous for fairies, and possesses a
holy well once in great vogue and still visited.

James Temple — G. Cnoc-Seumas-Chaisteil, as if
' Hill of James of the Castle.' There is on it what
may be the remains of a prehistoric fort.

Ord Hill — G. Cnoc an Uird, with remains of a
large fort, with extensive vitrifaction.

Blar na C6i — G. Blar na Cuinge, Field of the yoke,
with tradition of a battle in which, as at Lun-
carty, the event was decided by a plough-yoke.

142 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

KILLEAENAN.

Killearnan — Kilernane 1561 ; G. Cill-iurnain ; there
is also Carn-iurnain in this parish. In Kildonan,
Sutherland, is another Killearnan, the Gaelic form
of which is exactly the same. lurnan is, of course,
the name of the saint who founded the ' cill,' or to
whom it was dedicated. Ernan, St Columba's
nephew, does not suit the Gaelic phonetics, but
we find exactly what we want in Iturnan, of whom
the Chronicle of the Scots records, under date
665, ' Iturnan et Corinda apud Pictones defunct!
sunt.' A fragment of Tighernac's Annals reads—
'668 Itharnan et Corindu apud Pictores defuincti
sunt.' The name of Iturnan, who died among the
Picts circ. 665, will, with the regular aspiration of
intervocalic t, become I(th)urnan.

Carn-iurnain, lurnan's cairn, suggests the possi-
bility of the saint having been buried there. Local
tradition, as recorded in the new Stat. Ace., con-
nects the name with Irenan, a supposed ' Danish
prince.'

Redcastle — G. an Caisteal ruadh. It is now agreed
that the modern Kedcastle represents the ancient
castle of Edirdovar, founded by William the Lion
in 1179.1 Edirdovar is from eadar, between,
and O.G. dobur, water, between the waters, from

1 Or. Par. Scot. II. 2, Killearnan.

KILLEAENAN. 143

its position between the Beauly and Cromarty
Firths.

Kilcoy— Culcolly 1294 and 1456, Culcowy 1479
and 1511 ; G. Cul-challaidh. Cul is perhaps cuil,
nook, rather than cul, back ; callaidh is to be
compared with Bealach Collaidh, between Wyvis
and Inchbae, both being based on coll, Welsh and
O.I. for hazel, with -ach suffix, representing a
primitive Coslacon. Kilcoy thus means nook
(possibly back) of the hazel wood. ' The wood
(bosco) of Culcolly' appears in record in 1294.

Drynie Park — Drynys 1579 ; G. Pairce Dhroigh-
nidh, park of the thorn-place.

Muckernich — G. a' Mhucarnaich, the swine-place,
common.

Tore — G. an Todhar, the bleaching spot ; cf. Balin-
tore; at Tore is Cnoc-an-acrais, Hunger-hill, where a
market used to be held called Feill Cnoc-an-acrais.

Croftcrunie — G. Creit a' Chrimaidh ; can hardly
mean Crowner's croft, though such appears on
record somewhere between this and Avoch ; per-
haps a Pictish word based on root seen in W.
crwn, round, Ir. cron, a circular hollow. What
appears to be the article a' may be only the com-
mon ' sporadic vowel,' as in Cill(e)- Mhoire.

Drumnamarg — Drumnamarg 1456, Drumnamergy
1458, Drumnamarge 1511 ; G. Druim-nam-marg,
merk-ridge, or ridge of the merk-lands.

Teanahuig— G. Tigh na h-uige, House of the nook,
a term often applied on the West Coast to a small
inn or shebeen.

144 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Ryefleld — G. Ach an t-seagail.

Colington — G. Baile Chailein, after Sir Colin Mac-
kenzie.

Whitewells — G. am Fuaran ban. includes the small
farm of Allt-an-digeadair, Dyker's burn.

Spittal — G. Spiteil, from hospital, a place of enter-
tainment.

GargUSton — Gargastoun 1456 ; G. Baile-ghargaidh.
The form Gargastoun points to a personal name,
or rather nickname, garg, fierce ; garg, however,
seems to occur in genuine place-names ; cf. Lub ar
ghargain in Contin.

Blairdow — G. am Blar dubh, the black moor.

Milton — G. Bail a' mhuilinn.

Fettes — Called after Sir William Fettes ; includes
An Claran, the little flat ; Am Baile Nodha,
Newtown ; A Cheapaich, the tillage plot ; Burn-
town, Bunchaim, Barntoivn, and Drumore, most
of them holdings of fair size. Near it is na
Peit'chan, an interesting formation from the Pictish
pett, a stead, formed on the same principle as na
Bothachan, Boath. The formation shows how
thoroughly the Pictish pett became a Gaelic word.

Chapelton — G. Bail' an t-seipeil, now part of Fettes.

ParktOWn — G. Baile na pairce.

Coulmore — Culmor 1394 ; G. A' Chuil-mhor, the
big nook, which describes it.

Balglineirie — G. Baile gun iarraidh, town without
asking ; perhaps to be compared with the English
Unthank, the name of three places in Cumberland
and two in Northumberland, which, Canon Taylor

KILLEABNAN. 145

says, denotes a piece of ground on which some
squatter had settled ' without leave ' of the lord.

Balgunloune — G. Baile gun lionn, town without
beer ; perhaps modelled humorously on the pre-
ceding. There are local tales, too pointless to
relate, as to the origin of both names.

Ploverfield — G. Blar nam feadag.

Lettoch— Westir and Estir Haldach 1527, half the
lands of Dawaucht 1530, lands of Haldacht with
the kiln of the same called Toldegormok 1580,
Wester Half Daokis 1586 ; Haddoch and Torgar-
noche 1611, Leadanach and Torgormack 1639 ;
G. An Leithda'ch, the half-davach. The record
forms quoted show clearly the transition from
the Gaelic Leith-dabhach to the hybrid Haddo.
Part of Lettoch is Bog na h-eileig and Loch na
h-eileig ; eileag is doubtful, but may, perhaps, be
a formation from ail, rock, used in the sense of
eileach, a contrivance for catching fish ; cf Allt
Eileag. Seawards of this loch is Torgorm, green
knoll, referred to in the record as Toldegormok,
Torgarnoche, and Torgormack.

Corgraiu — G. Coir' a' ghrain.

Wellhouse— G. Tigh an fhuarain.

Linnie — G. An linne, the pool ; also Linn' a' bhuic
bhain, pool of the white buck. Linne Mac Vain
in old rental.

Gallowhill — G. Cnoc na croiche.

Cnoc-an-eireach — Hill of the assemblies or meet-
ings (eireachd).

10

146 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Artafaillie— Ardirfalie 1526, Arthirfairthlie 1584;
G. Airt-a-fkillidh. From the old spellings and
the t of Airt in Gaelic it appears that a word
ending in r and beginning with d, or better t, has
been curtailed to a in the middle of the name,
thus giving Ard-tir-faillidh or Ard-dor-faillidh.
Faillidh is probably genitive of falach, place of
sods, falaigh, with regressive assimilation. The
whole word would thus mean ' High land of
the place of sods'; 'High water of,' &c., does
not suit the place. With Faillidh of Drochaid
Faillidh, Faillie Bridge and farm of Faillie in
Daviot, and for meaning Fadoch in KintaiL

In 1456 appear on record the Smithy croft, the
Forestercroft, the Portarecroft, the Marecroft,
the Sergandcrofft, the Crownarecrofb ; and in
1479 the Currourecroft — probably connected with
Kedcastle.

CONTIN. 147

OONTIN.

Contin — Conten 1227, Contan 1510 ; G. Cunndainn.
Contin is primarily the district at the con-
fluence of the rivers Conon and Blackwater ;
from this the name has been extended to
cover the extensive Highland parish which
stretches from Contin proper to the neighbour-
hood of Kinlochewe. The Old Stat. Ace. sug-
gests as a derivation ' con-tuinn,' from ' con/
together, and ' tonn,' wave, meaning ' meeting
of the waves,' an explanation which satisfies the
phonetics ; cf. Contullich, from ' con ' and ' tulach.'
The question, however, is whether ' tonn ' would
be naturally applied to the water of a river, and
it will, I think, be agreed that such a usage would
be very difficult to parallel, ' tonn ' being, except
in the language of poetic metaphor, confined to
the waves of the sea. The first syllable is cer-
tainly ' con,' together, and the meaning is
doubtless something like ' confluence.' If we
turn to Gaul, we find that the stock name for a
confluence is Condate, represented in modern
French by Conde. This name appears often on
the map of ancient Gaul at the junction of streams,
and we find also Condatomagus, plain of the
confluence, as well as Condatisco. In ancient
Britain, Condate appears once, at the junction of

148 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

the ? Weaver (Cheshire) with a small stream.
The word is analysed into ' con/ and the root
' dhe,' set, a root familiar in Latin and Greek, the
etymological equivalent of Condate being in Greek
' syn-thesis,' and in late Latin ' con-ditio,' from
4 condo,' a setting together. It is tolerably certain
that in Contin we have the representative of some
such word as ' Condationn-,' an extension of Con-
date. As a Scottish place-name, Contin, though
rare, is not unique. Dr Macbain, in his Badenoch
Place-names, notes that Killiehuntly in Badenoch
is in Gaelic ' Coille Chunndainn,' the Wood of
Contin, and refers also to Contuimi in Ireland, on
the borders of Meath and Cavan. There is also
Bohuntin in Glenroy, Gaelic Both-chunndainn.
Both these Scottish names apply to confluences.
Cf. also Confluentes, now Coblenz.

Achilty — Auchquhilye 1479, Hechely (Easter and
Wester) 1528, the two Achelies 1529, Auchelle
1539, Achillie 1681; G. Achillidh. The 't' of
the English form is late and euphonic, and appears
also in Achiltybuy, in Coigach. Achilty is a
Pictish name, of the same origin as Welsh ' uchel,'
high, seen in the Ochil Hills and in Oykel,
Ptolemy's High Bank. The variation between
' o ' and ' a ' is common ; cf. Scone, old Gaelic
Scoan, genitive Scoine ; modern Gaelic Sgain.

Coul— Cwyl 1476, alehouse of Coul 1576 ; Easy
Coull and the mill of the same 1586; Escoule
(Waterfall of Coull) 1669 ; G. a Chuil, the corner,
recess.

CONTIN. 149

Comrie — Cumre 1479, Cumerley 1528, Cumry 1529 ;
G. Comraidh, from ' comar,' confluence, meaning
Place of the confluence. The confluence is that
of the Conon from Lochluichart, and the Meig
from Strathconan. Of. Comar in Strathglass,
Comrie in Perthshire, and elsewhere. It appears
also in Cumbernauld, i.e., ' comar-nan-allt/ where
it has developed a * b,' just like the English
'number' from Latin ' numerus.' There is a
Combaristum in Gaul, on a tributary of the
Liger.

Scatwell— Litill Scathole, Scathole Mekle 1479;
the two Scatellis 1529 ; G. Scatail beag and
Scatail m6r ; from Norse scat-vollr, i.e., common
grazing land, the holders of which paid scat or
tax for the grazing privileges.

Strathconon — ? Strathconon 1309, Strquhonane
1479, Strachonane 1538 ; G. Srath-chonuinn.
The initial difficulty about Strathconon is that its
river, which by all analogy ought to be the
Conon, is the Meig. There is a local saying —

Abhainn Mig tre Srath-chonuinn,
Abhainn Conuinn tre Srath-bhrainn,
Abhainn Dubh-chuileagach tre Srath-ghairbh ;
Tri abhnaichean gun tairbh iad sin.

The River Meig through Strathconan,

The River Conon through Strathbran,

The River of black nooks1 through Strathgarve ;

Three rivers without profit these.

1 Possibly ' River of black flies.'

150 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The omission of the two last words of the fourth
line would be an improvement ; but I give it as I
got it, and it is a hard saying at best. In the
first place, Strathbran has a river of its own, the
Bran, which, as is proper, gives its name to its
strath. The head waters of the Bran come from
the watershed west of Loch Chroisg (Loch
Kosque), and the river is called Bran the moment
it leaves that loch. Thence it flows through
Strathbran, widening out to form Loch Achanalt,
Loch a' Chuilinn, and finally Loch Luichart.
Issuing from Loch Luichart, it has a course of a
little over a mile before it joins the Meig above
Cornrie, and it is in this last short stretch that it
is called the Conon. Thenceforward the Conon
is the name of the joint stream. The solution of
the difficulty that occurs to me is that the name
Conon applies properly only to the stream below
the junction with the Meig. On this supposition
Strathconon would originally have been restricted
to the valley of the joint stream, but in time
extended to the valley of the Meig, of which it is
a continuation. This would be natural enough,
and it would also be natural to extend the name
of Conon to the short stretch of river from Loch-
luichart, though, as this latter valley is a
continuation of Strathbran, the original name of
its stream most probably was the Bran, and the
name Strathbran would have covered the whole
valley down to the junction. Such a change of
name would be helped by the size of Loch

CONTIN. 151

Luichart, and the increased volume of water
issuing from it.

A somewhat similar difficulty is presented by
Stratherrick (Inverness) arid the river Faragaig.
The Faragaig ought to be in Stratherrick, G.
Srath-fharagaig, but in point of fact it flows
through a neighbouring glen.

As to derivation, it is natural to connect Strath-
conon with the personal name Conan. Conan
was the name of a Fenian hero ; also of a Celtic
missionary, whose name appears in Killachonan,
Fortingall, Perth, and perhaps in the K Conon,
Uig, Skye, G. Abhainn Chonnain, where Con-
nan is a diminutive of Conn, a proper name.
There is, however, no authority for the connection
of either hero or saint with Strathconon, nor will
either Conan or Connan suit the phonetics of
Srath-chonuinn. I should suggest that Conon
represents a primitive Conona ; -ona is a good
Gaulish river termination, and Endlicher's glossary
(in a 9th century MS.) actually explains onno as
Jlumen, river. For con we have three choices —
con, together ; con from Gaulish kunos, high ;
con, stem of cu, dog, giving respectively joint-
stream, high-stream, dog-stream. If we could be
certain that onno was a genuine Gaulish name,
and not merely a termination raised to the
standing of an independent word, it would be
natural to render Conon as ' Joint-stream." This,
however, is uncertain ; ' Dog-stream ' is unob-
jectionable ; ' High-stream ' does not suit the

152 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

physical requirements. The tidal part of the
Conon appears in the Dingwall charters as
Stavek, which may be N. staf-vik, staff-bay ; cf.
Stafa, Staff-river ; and Stafa-holt, Staffwood, in
Iceland ; Staffa, the isle, is N. Staf-ey, Staff-isle,
from the columnar formation of its rocks.
Loch Beannacharan — Kenlochbenquharene 1479,
Kinlochbanquhare 1538, Kinlochbeancharan 1571;
G. Loch Beannacharan ; 'beann,' a top, horn, peak,
gives adjective ' beannach,' peaked, pinnacled ;
whence 4 beannachar,' place of peaks, of which
c beannacharan ' is a collective form. The classical
representative of ' beannach ' is probably seen in
Lake Benacus, the * horned lake,' in Cisalpine
Gaul, now Lago di Garda. Loch Beannach,
horned loch (from the shape), is a common High-
land name. The best known Beannachar is
Bangot* in Ireland, whence the Welsh Bangor.
Another well-known Irish form is Banagher. A
locative formation from 'beannachar' is seen in
Banchory Devenick and Banchory Ternan. Loch
Beannacharan, then (for which the Ord. Survey
Beannachan is a mistake) means ' the loch of the
place of the peaks,' a name appropriate and
descriptive. On the north side is Allt an
Fhasaidh, Burn of the dwelling, O.G. fasadh, at
a green place with signs of old habitation. On
the south side is Allt na Faic\ Burn of the lair or
hiding-place, half-way up the hillside from which
is Bac an Airigh, doubtful ; ? shieling. At the
west side is Cnoc a' Mhinistir, Parson's Hill, and

CONTIN.

near it a small graveyard. A large rock on the
loch side is called na Caidhean, perhaps from
caid, a rock, summit (O'Reilly). At the outlet
of the loch is

Camoch — G. a' Charnaich, from ' earn,' a cairn,
place of cairns ; to be taken in connection with
Beannachar as far as meaning is concerned.

Invercoran — Innerquhonray 1479 and 1538, Inner-
chonray 1571, Inverchonran 1633 ; G. Inbhir
chorainn (o nasal). The ' inver ' is the confluence
of the stream flowing through Glencoran with
another small burn just before it reaches the
Meig. The old form shows cn/ which has disap-
peared, but has left its influence on the nasal ' o/
Goran is a stream name, and its old form, Quhon-
ray, or rather Conray, is paralleled by the stream
Conrie, flowing through Glenconrie in Strathdon,
Aberdeenshire, into the Don. Both are high-lying
streams, which suggests the first syllable to be
the Gaulish ' kunos,' high ; it can hardly be ' con/
together. The second part may be the root seen
in 'drudhadh/ oozing; cf. the stream Druie in
Strathspey ; Gaulish Druentia. This would give
' con-druent-/ which, with assimilation of 'd' to
' n/ would become ' connruent-/ resulting in ' cor-
rainn/ high oozing stream. Opposite Invercoran,
on the river, is Creag lucliaraidh, probably based
on iuchair, fish spawn, whence iucharach, place of
spawn.

Main and Glenmeanie — Meyn in Strquhonane
1479, Innermany 1479 and 1539, Meyn in

154 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Strachonane 1538, Maneye 1543, Mainzie 1633 ;
Gaelic Gleann meinnidh ; Leithdach Meinn (half
davach of Main) ; from * meinn,' ore ; cf. Allt na
meinn in Edderton, Lub na meinn in Kincardine.
The term is applied usually where the water is
marked by the rust of oxidized iron. Innermany
is the junction of the stream Meinnidh flowing
through Glenmeanie with the Meig. Opposite it>
and west of Baile na Creige, Rocktown, is an
Annaid, The Annat, or early church, a triangular
piece of ground.

Teanacallich — Old woman's house.

CraigdaiTOCh — Oak rock ; there are still oaks.

Drumandarroch — Oak ridge.

Cam na buaile — Cairn of the cattle fold.

Glascharn — Grey cairn ; common name.

Cam Sgolbaidh and Loch Sgolbaidh— Cairn and

loch of splinters ; showing old locative of sgolbach.
Curin — G. Caoruinn, place of rowans ; in Old Irish
we have Caerthend, dative Caerthiund, from
which latter comes our name Caoruinn.

Loch a* mhuilinn — Loch of the mill.

Allt na Fainich — Burn of the flat place, from fan ;

also Poll na Fainich, in the river. O.S.M. Allt

tuill an fhaire coise !

Carn na cloiche mor — Cairn of the big stone.
Loch na larach blaire — Loch of the white-faced

mare.

Loch an uillt ghiuthais— Loch of the fir burn.
Balnault — G. Bail' 'n uillt, Burn-town.

CONTIN. 155

Cam na h-Annaid — Cairn of the Annat. Ammt
has been already explained. We have here also
Allt iia h-Annaid, Cladh na h-Annaid, Clach na
h-Annaid, so that there is strong place-name
evidence of an early Celtic religious settlement.

GlacOlir — G. a' Ghlaic odhar, dun hollow (among
hills). There is another Glacour in Kilmuir- Easter.

Achlorachan — From the root seen in ' loirean,' a
bedraggled or bemired person ; ' loireachan ' thus
means a boggy or wet place, which applies
exactly. Loireag means a water-sprite.

Drumanriach— Druimeinn riabhach, brindled Drum-
mond, 'druimeinn' being the locative of 'drum,'
ridge.

Cnaigean na leathrach — Leather knoll ; a knoll
east of the bridge over the Meig, not far from the
U.F. Church of Strathconon. When the river is
high, this knoll is surrounded by water, and it
was used of old in connection with the process of
tanning leather.

Dalnacroich — Hanging or gallows plain. There is
also a hillock called Cnoc na croiche, where male-
factors are supposed to have been buried.

Cnoc na h-uige — Hill of the recess, or retired
place.

Cnoc na carrachan — Hill of wild liquorice.

Porin — G. Porainn. This is one of the best pre-
served examples in Scotland of the Pictish word
so common in the aspirated form — 'four,' e.g.,
Pit-four, Doch-four. The root is that seen in the
Welsh ' pori,' to graze, eat ; and ' poriant,'

156 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

pasture. The Strath conon Porin is a flat piece of
land by the river side. Cladh Phorainn, Porin
graveyard, was formerly Cladh Meinn, Main
graveyard, and one good authority says that
he has heard it called Cladh Ceann-loch-
Beannacharan, but this is probably a contusion
with the graveyard at the west end of that loch,
noted above.

Milltown — G. Bail' a' mhuilinn ; close by is Allt a'
mhuilinn, Mill-burn.

Dalbreac— Speckled dale.

Crannich — G. a' Chrannaich, place of trees ;.
common.

Blarnabee — G. Blar na bith ; ' bith ' means resin,
pitch ; the name having doubtless arisen from the
presence of fat fir-wood in olden times, either as
growing trees, or more probably as ' stocks ' in the
moss.

Allt a* choir' aluinn — Burn of the beautiful corry.

Cam Uilleim — William's cairn ; Loch Gruamach,
gloomy loch ; Creag ghaineamhach, sandy rock ;
Loch an spardain, from ' spardan,' a roost, but
also, metaphorically, a level shelf or resting-place
in a hill-side ; cf. suidhe in this sense ; Meall
Giuthais, Fir-hill ; Corry sleuch and Allt coire na
sleaghaich, cf. Slioch, Gairloch.

Scardroy — G. Sgard-ruaidh. ' Sgard/ a scree, is
in common use, as is also its diminutive
sgardan. Scardroy means ' red scree/ Popular
etymology has explained it from a circumstance
connected with the over-driving of cattle by

CONTIN. 157

Lochaber raiders, who had lifted a ' creach ' from
the Strathconon direction, and were being hotly
pursued. The tale appears in Mr Dixon's
" Gairloch."
Corriewick— G. Coir' a' bhuic, buck's corry.

Glenuag, Gleniak, or Glenevaig — Gleneak (in

Kintail) 1542 ; G. Gleann fhiodhaig, glen of
the bird cherry tree. Cf. Loch fhiodhaig in
Lairg.

Meig — The Meig is the river of Strathconon. Its
source is at the head of Gleniak, and, after a
course of about ten miles, it widens out into
Loch Beannacharan. After the junction with
the stream from Loch Luichart, it is merged in
the Conon. The Gaelic is Mig (i long and nasal).
The long vowel before ' g ' points to compensatory
lengthening from the dropping of an original ' n,'
while the 'g' itself is reduced from an original *c.'
This gives a primitive ' mine,' with which we may
compare the Mincius, the stream of Cisalpine Gaul
which flows by Virgil's birth-place, Mantus. It is
a curious coincidence that our Meig flows through
Loch Beannacharan, while the Mincius comes from
the lake Benacus. The root I take to be that seen
in Latin mingo, mic-turio ; Old English migan ;
Lithuanian migla, mist ; Welsh, migen, a bog ;
the root in all cases being ' mic-,' and the notion
involved, that of 'pouring forth.' Cf. the Fife
Strathmiglo, with its river, the Miglo, knoAvn also
as the Eden ; perhaps also Loch Meiklie in Glen-
Urquhart, G. Loch Miachdlaidh ; Meigle in

158 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMAETY.

Perthshire, which appears in the legend of St
Andrew as Migdele ; and Maikle.

Sron na Frianaich — Frianach occurs in Loch na

Frianaich, far up the B. Orrin, and in several

other places ; meaning doubtful, but it may

possibly be friamhnach, place of roots. (In Ross

freumh is, of course, pronounced friamh).

Maoil Lunndaidh (3294) — ' Maoil ' as a hill name
is common, and is to be compared with G.
maol, bald, and Welsh moel, a conical hill. It
is applied to bare, rounded hills. Lunndaidh is
Englished Lundy, a name of very frequent occur-
rence, always in connection with lochs or bogs.
We have lochs of this name in Lochalsh, Apple-
cross, Knockbain, Golspie, near Invergarry, and
in Forfarshire. There is also Luiidin in the
parish of Largo, Fife, but these are sufficient to
show the frequency and area of its occurrence.
In certain parts there may still be heard in
common speech the word ' lunndan,' meaning
a green spot, but apparently primarily a
green wet place.1 From all this it is clear
that Lunndaidh or Lundy means a wet place,
a boggy loch or stream. As to derivation,
it may be regarded as a nasalised form of ' lod,' a
puddle, the root of which is seen in Latin lutum,
mud. Hence, most probably, London, Latin
Londinium ; and we may compare Lutetia
Parisiorum, the muddy town of the Parisii, now

1 For this, as for much more information, I am indebted to the Rev.
Charles M. Robertson.

CONTIN.

Paris, if, indeed, the reading Lutetia can be
accepted as correct. South of Maoil Lunndaidh is

Maoil ChoinnPmas — Candlemas Bare-hill, a very
curious term.

Sgurr nan Conbhair — Conbhair (1) dog-kennel
(H.S. Diet.); (2) greedy person (E. Eoss) ;
(3) clog-man, attendant on dogs (W. Eoss). ' Peak
of the dog-men ' is most likely to be the meaning
here. There are legends of Fingalian hunters
attached.

Sgurr a' Chaoruinn (3452 ft.)—' Sgurr ' is locative

of ' sgor,' a sharp rock, and is applied to sharp-
pointed rocky hills. ' Rowan Peak,'

Sgurr nan ceannaichean — Merchants' Peak. I do

not know the legend annexed, if there is one.
Cam Eiteige — Quartz Cairn.

An Crom-allt— The bent burn at head of Gleniak.
Loch Coireag na' mang— Loch of the little corry of

the fawns.

Cnoc an t-Sithein — Hill of the sithean, or small
fairy mound.

Cam Mhartuinn, Loch Carn Mhartuinn, and
Allt Carn Mhartuinn — Cairn, loch, burn of

Martin.
Leanaidh — Locative of leanach, based on lean, a

swampy plain.
Cam Chaoruinn— RoAvan cairn ; Allt na criche,

Boundary burn.
Camasie — G. Camaisidh, a stream name, also

applied to the sheep farm ; from ' cam/ bent.

160 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The stream is very winding. Cf. for ending

Lienassie, and for meaning Crombie.
Caiseachan — Apparently a collective from 'caiseach,'

abounding in cheese, a reminiscence of shieling

times.
Carn na Feith-rabhain — Rabhan is said to mean

refuse left by the tide or by a stream in flood ; cf.

Bad-a-rabhain, Dunrobin Glen.
Badanluchie — G. Bad-a-fhliuchaidh, clump of

wetness.
Achanalt— Auchnanald 1682 ; G. Ach'-an-allt, Field

of the burns.

Sgurr a' ghlas-ieathaid — Peak of the grey hill-side.
Sgiirr a* mhuiliim— Mill-peak.

Sgurr ronnaich — 'Ronnach,' of which 'ronnaich'
is locative, means ' abounding in saliva.' There is
a cliff over which there is a continual drip of
water.

Loch Rosque — G. Loch 'Chroisg, loch of the
crossing ; from ' crasg/ a crossing. The crossing
referred to is that from Kiiilochewe through Glen
Docharty, and so on to the low lands. Around
Loch Rosque are the three following : —

Bad a' mhanaich— Monk's clump ; not so strange a
situation for a church-name when it is considered
that it lay in the regular track from Kinlochewe
to the east.

— Locative of lub, a bend, ' loop '; distinguished
also as Lub a' Ghargain, bend of the rough place.
The old inn of Luib was once a welcome stage

CONTIN. 161

between Achnasheen and Kinlochewe, and thus
appears in song :—

'S e tigh-osda Chailein
Dh' fhag mo phocaid falamh ;
'S ioma stop is glainne
'Chuir ini 'n tarruing awn.

Leanach — Place of swamp meadows, on the south

side of the loch.
Loch Crann, tree loch ; Lochan Sgeireach, skerry

lochlet.
Allt Ducharaidh — Cf. Cnoc Ducharaidh, Alness,

locative of dubh-chath'rach, a place of black

broken ground.

An Cabar — The antler.

LedgOWan — Leathad 'ghobhainn, hillside of the

smith ; also Loch Gowan.
Dosmuckaran — G. Dos-mhucarain, clump of the

place of swine : mucaran is from mucar, place of

swine ; cf. Crochar, Beannachar.
Achnasheen — Auchownosein 1633 ; G. Ach-iia-sin',

field of storm ; sian, stormy weather, gen. sine.
Garve — G. Gairbh, rough (place); cf. E. Garry;

probably here also a river name, since we have

Strathgarve. The river is now the Black water.

The N. Stat. Ace. says it was known as the Rasay,

but if that was so, the name has completely gone.

Yet the Life of St Cadroe mentions tbe river

Rosis in these parts, and it might well be Norse

hross-a, horse-river.

11

162 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Garbat — Garrowbat 1633; rough clump — garbh
bad.

Gorstan of Garve — G. Goirtean Gairbh, or simply
' an Goirtean,' the small corn-enclosure, from
' gort,' cognate with ' garth,' garden, hortus.
The old ' in-town ' of Garve.

Loch Garve — In G. Loch Maol-Fhinn, Loch of the
shaveling or follower of St Fionn, to be connected
with Killin, G. Cill-Fhinn, at the west end of the
loch. Taken together these names are conclusive
as to the existence of a saint named Fionn, to
whom the Garve Killin, and probably other places
of the same name, were dedicated. " Cill-Fhinn
's Cill-duinn, 's Cill-Donnain, na tri cilltean is sine
an Albainn"; Killin, Kildun, and Kildonan, the
three oldest churches in Alba.

Dirriemore — G. An Diridh mbr, ' the great ascent' ;
the highest part of the road between Garve and
Ullapool. Strath Terry, Straintirie 1635 ; G.
Srath an Diridh, Strath of the ascent.

Tarvie— G. Tairbhidh, from ' tarbh,' bull ; ' place of
bulls.' Of. Tarvie and Tarvie Burn in Glen
Brerachan ; Tarvie Burn in Banff ; Tarves, Aber-
deenshire. Here may be noted the local saw :
daoine beaga Roagaidh, 's crogaicheaii Thairbh-
idh, buic Srath-Ghairbh, meanbhlach Srath-
bhrainn, fithich dhubh Loch-Carrainn, 's
clarnhanan Loch Bhraoin ; the little men of
Eogie, the crogs (i.e., worn-out sheep) of Tarvie ;
the bucks of Strathgarve ; the slender folk of
Strathbran ; the black ravens of Lochcarron, and

CONTIN.

the kites of Lochbroom : names descriptive of the
people of these districts.

Loch na crdic — Antler loch ; it is shaped like the
tine of an antler.

Achnaclerach. on the road from Garve to Ullapool,
Clerics' field, probably identical with Auchina-
glerach 1479 ; to be connected with Killin.

Loch an Droma — Ridge-loch, between Loch Garve
and Loch Achilty.

Am Fireach — ' Fireach ' is a mountain acclivity or
hill ground ; ' fireach an f heidh,' hill of the deer.
This is the mountain-side along the left bank of
the stream from Loch Luichart.

Glenmarksie — G. Gleann-marcasaidh ; there are
also Sgurr Marcasaidh and Sail Marcasaidh, Peak
of Marxie and Heel of Marxie. Marcasaidh is
based on marc, horse ; cf. Rosemarky ; -asaidh is
difficult. It may be regarded as a double exten-
sion of the root, and compared with Lienassie,
G. Lianisidh, and Livisie, G. Libhisidh, Glen-
Urquhart, but might here be the locative of fasadh,
dwelling ; marc-fhasaidh, horse-stead. As coupled
with glen, we should expect it to be a stream
name, but Sail Marcasaidh and Sgurr Marcasaidh
rather point to its being primarily here the name
of a place.

Some easy names follow : — Strone, near Loch
Achilty ; Altnabreac, trout-burn ; Loch an eich
bhain, Grey-horse loch ; Loch a' chlarain, Loch of
the small flat place ; Loch ruigh a' phuill, Loch of
the marshy stretch ; Creag a' chaoruinn, Rowan

164 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

rock ; Cadha fliuch, wet pass ; Loch nan eilid,
hinds' loch ; Loch na' sgarbh, cormorant loch ;
Loch a' chairn dhuibh, black-cairn loch ; Loch a'
bhealaich (thrice), Loch of the gap ; Loch nan
dearcag, berry loch ; Loch a' choire le*ith, grey
corry loch ; Loch Bhaid ghaineamhaich, sandy-
clump loch ; Loch a' Chuilinn, Holly loch ;
Dubhchlais, black hollow ; Loch an alltain
bheithe, Loch of the birch burnlet ; Carn iia Ore,
Clay cairn.

Lochluichart — Locative case of 'longphort,' an
encampment, or simply shieling, in which sense
it is used here. Longphort is primarily a harbour,
from ' long,' ship, and ' port,' harbour, but passes
into other derivative meanings. From it come
'luchairt,' palace; and the place-names, Camus-
loncart on Loch Long, bay of the encampment ;
Lungard and Loch Lungard in Kintail ; Luncarty.

Ardachulish — G. Aird' a' chaolais, Height of the
Kyles, or narrows, where Loch Luichart contracts
at its lower end.

CnOC na h-iolaire — Eagle hill, on north-east side of
Loch Luichart.

Corriemuillie — Mill-corry ; G. Coire mhuillidh, v.
Corriemulzie in Kincardine.

Dorrygorrie — Doire Goraidh, Godfrey's grove ;
Gorry, from God frid, God's peace, was a
favourite name among the Macdonalds (Mac-
bairi).

Strathvaich— Strathwaith 1635; from ' bathach/
cow-house, a frequent element in place-names.

CONTEST. 165

Lubfearn — Alder bend, or angle.

Druimbuidhe — Yellow ridge ; Lubriach, brindled
bend ; Sr6n gorm, green point ; Meall an torcain,
hill of the young boar ; Drumanguish, fir-ridge ;
Tomban, white hillock ; Coire nan laogh, Calves'
corry ; Meallan donn, brown hillock ; Coir' a
ghrianain, corry of the sunny hillock ; Allt coir
a' chliabhain, Corry of the little creel ; Meall na
glaic baine, hill of the pale hollow ; Allt beithe,
birch burn ; Allt a' ghlastuill mh6ir, burn of the
great green hollow ; Creag Rainich, bracken rock ;
Creag mholach, shaggy rock ; Cam gormloch,
green-loch cairn ; Creag chlachach, stony rock ;
Toll-milic, sow hollow ; Clach sgoilte, split stone
(at the meeting point of three estates) ; Glenbeg,
small glen.

Kirkan — G. na Cearcan, the hens ; there are
numerous boulders, whence apparently the name.

Glascarnoch — G. Clais-chkroaich, cleft of the
Carnach, or stony place.

Aultguish — G. an t-Allt giuthais, Fir burn.

Meall Mhic lomhair — Maciver's Hill.

Sbrathbran and Eiver Bran — 'Bran' is an obsolete
word meaning raven. As applied to a river, the
reference is not very clear, but it may have been
given simply from ravens having haunted some
parts of it. It is possible to suppose the name
to have been given from the black colour of the
water ; most probably, however, there is a
mythological reference. The Hoss-shire Bran
must be carefully distinguished from the Perth-
shire Bran, the Gaelic of which is Breamhainn.

166 PLACE-NAMES OF KOSS AND CROMARTY.

Loch Fannich — G. Loch Fainich. In spite of its
Gaelic ring, Fanaich is rather an obscure and
difficult word. Assuming that the 'f is radical
and does not represent an aspirated ' p,' we may
compare with Welsh ' gwaneg,' a surge, ' gwan-
egu,' to rise in waves, Welsh * gw ' corresponding
to Gaelic ' f,' as in W. gwern, G. fearn, alder.
Another step backward would lead us to an early
Celtic 'van-' or 'ven-,' which suggests a com-
parison with the Gaulish Lacus Ven-etus, now
Lake of Constance, and the two Gaulish tribes of
Veneti, both maritime. But the name is one on
which it is unsafe to be positive. In point of fact,
when stormy winds from Strathcromble and from
Cabuie meet at the nose of Beinn Hamh, the
effect on the loch is said to be tremendous.

Grudie, G. Gruididh, is the river from Loch Fannich
falling into the Bran half-way between Loch-a-
Chuilinn and Loch Luichart. There is an Allt
Gruididh on the south side of Loch Maree, and an
Abhainn Gruididh in Durness, Sutherland, also
Gruids, near Lairg, so named from Allt Gruididh
from Loch na Caillich and Lochan na fuaralaich
which flows at the back of it. I am not aware of
any to be found further south, but the examples
given above go to show that we are dealing with
a river-name. The root is most likely ' ghru,'
gritty, which is at the bottom of such words as
* grothlach,' a gravel pit ; ' grudair,' a brewer ;
' gruid,' lees ; ' gruthan/ the liver ; allied with
Eng. grit, Welsh grut, grit or fossil. The notion

CONTIN. 167

involved may be either ' gravelly,' or ' full of
sediment.' Near the end of the wood on the
Fannich road is Leum Ruaraidh, Rorie's leap,
close to a fine fall on the river. Further up is
an t-Eilean Critkinn, aspen isle, in the river, with
many aspen trees.

Eiginn — The Hill Difficulty, a hill with bare ribs of
rock at the north-east end of Loch Fannich.
Near its west end is Beinn Ramh, hill of oars or
of rowing ; it is at a very stormy part of the loch.

An t-Alltan Mailis — The sweet burn, at Eiginn ;
its water is good ; mailis is a variant of meilis, the
usual Ross form of milis, sweet.

Aultdearg— G. an t-Allt Dearg, Eedburn ; on the
way to Fannich.

Aultchonier— G. Allt a' Choin uidhir, burn of the
dun dog, i.e., the otter ; Otterburn.

Nedd— G. an Nead, the nest; the finest of the
magnificent corries of Fannich forest.1 In it is
Comunn nan Caochan, meeting of the streamlets,
a point where five small burns meet. Other cor-
ries are an Coire MOT, the big corry, with Cadti
a' Bhoicionn, Path of the goat-skin, at its upper
end at the west ; an Coire Riabhach, the brindled
corry ; an Coire Beag, the little corry, with, at
its top, Coire nam Hang, Fawns' Corry. At the
east side of Coire Beag is Gob a' Chiiirn, Beak

1 In 1542 appear "the waste lands of lie Ned, between Lochboyne on the
north. Lochtresk on the south, lie Ballach on the west an 1 Dawelach on the
east." Lochboyne is either Lochivraoin (Lochaidh Bhraoin) or Loch Broom ;
Lochtresk (1 Loch-cresk) is Loch Chroisg ; which Bealacli or Gap is referred to
as the western boundary, is hard to say. Dawelach I c.nn ;t identify.

168 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

of the Cairn, a remarkable projecting mass, with
broad top almost perfectly flat and grassy.

Meall nam Peithirean — Lump (i.e. shapeless hill)
of the foresters ; origin unknown ; also Cadti a
Bhaillidli, the bailiff's path ; both behind Fannich
Lodge.

Sghrr nan Clach — Stony skerry ; on its side, very
high up, is eigintoll, difficulty hole, a small corry
dangerous and difficult of access.

SgUIT M6r 3637 — Great skerry ; a peak from which
on a clear day may be seen practically all Scotland
north of the Grampians.

Fuartholl Mor and Fuartholl Beag — Little and big
cold-hole ; wild corries adjacent to each other.

Loch Ligh — Spate loch ; above it is Toll Ligh,
spate-hole, a deep and narrow corry ; from it
goes Allt Gus-ligh, probably for Giuthais, fir- wood
of Li.

A' Bhiacaich — The place of bellowing ; also Cadka
na Biacaich, path of the same ; a place where
stags roar.

An Coileachan 3015 — 'The cockerel'; the applica-
tion is difficult, but we say ' tha an coileachan air
siubhal an diugh ' of a fall when spray is seen
rising off it ; ' tha coileachan math air a' ghaoith '
of a gale ; ' tha coileachan air an loch ' of waves.
On the other hand the name may mean literally
' Place of grouse cocks,' which is the accepted
meaning of Kyllachy, G. Coileachai(bh).

Meallan Rairigidh— (O.S.M.) Is not known in
Fannich.

CONTTN.

Cabuie— G. an Cadha Buidhe, the yellow path.
Behind Cabuie Lodge is an Sgaoman, the stack,
from its sharp conical shape.

Strathcromble — G. Srath chrombail, ' winding
strath/ ' Crorn,' bent, here develops a ' b' before
the suffix, as it does in Aber-crombie, Dalcrombie.
Similarly from ' lorn ' we get Innis-lombaidh
(Bosskeen), and ' lombar,' a bare place. The last
example suggests that the form ' crombail' may
have arisen by dissimilation from ' crombair/
parallel to ' lombar/ The Gaelic for Grantown-
on-Spey is the same.

Loch Droma — Ridge Loch ; the ridge on which it
lies is the great ridge of Drumalban, which forms
the natural division between the east and west of
Scotland, running from Argyllshire northwards.

Loch a' Gharbharain— Loch of the rough place, is
the first of a series of five lochlets, connected by
a stream running almost due south. Into this,
the largest of the five, flows also Allt Mhucarnaich,
Burn of the place of swine.

Loch Coire Lair, north of the last mentioned loch.
Into it flows Allt Lair. Here lar is used in the
sense of * low place,' or ' place at the foot" ; e.g., lar
a' ghlinn, lower part of the glen ; cf. Lair, Loch-
carron.

Loch na Still— Loch of the Spout ; from ' steall,' a
spout of water, or long narrow strip of anything,
e.g., grass, ribbons.

Loch Prille, a curious word, suggesting comparison
with Welsh prill, a little brook or rill ; cf. Lacus
Prilius in Etruria.

170 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Loch Tuath — North Loch ; the most northerly of
five small lochs.

Seann Bhraigh* — Old upland.

Fionn Bheinn (3060)— White Hill, south-west of
Loch Fannich.

Airiecheirie and Allt Airiecheiridh— G. Airigh-
cheiridh, waxen shieling, from ceireach, waxen.
The local explanation, which seems sensible
enough, is that in summer, in walking through
the grass, one's boots get a yellow waxen coating,
testifying, as was thought, to the excellence of
the pasture.

GLENSHIEL. 171

GLENSHIEL.

Glenshiel— Glenselle 1509, Innerselle 1571, Glen-
schall 1574 ; G. Gleann-seile, named, as usual,
after its river, Abhainn Seile. The Moidart Shiel,
which is the same word, appears in Adamnan's Life
of Columba as Sale, and again in the Dean of
Lismore's Book as ' selli.' The root is ' sal-,'
flow ; cf. ' seile,' saliva ; ' sil,' to drop ; ' seileach,'
willow ; and the Continental rivers Sala. Shiel
is doubtless a Pictish word.

Morvich — G. A mhor'oich (mormhoich), the sea
plain (Ir. ' mur-magh ') ; a very common name.
Cf. a Mhor'oich, the Gaelic of Lovat ; the Mor-
richmore at Tain ; Mor'oich Cinn-deis, the Carse
of Bayfield. In Badenoch there is a moor called
' a Mhor'oich,' an instance of its use away from
the sea.

Eilean nan Gall — Lowlanders' isle.

Uchd an t-sabliail— Barn-knoll.

Achadh-ghiiirain — Auchewrane 1543, field of
giuran. The ' giiiran ' is a tall umbelliferous
plant closely resembling the wild hemlock, and
of the same family. It grows plentifully here,
and in E. Ross. O.S.M., Achadhinrain.

Torrluinnsich— Torlouisichtl543,Torloiford(Blaeu),
lounging knoll, from 'luinnse,' a loafer, which comes
from the obsolete English word ' lungis,' lounger.

172 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

The natives say that it is a knoll where lazy people
used to lie to the sun ; and it is very suitable for
the purpose. O.S.M., Torrlaoighseach.

Ach-nan-gart — Achnangart, Auchnagart 1543,
Achengart (Blaeu), field of the corn enclosures.

Rktagan and Bealach Ratagain— The Rateganis
1543. A diminutive of Ratag, which again is
diminutive of Rat, i.e., ' rath/ with excrescent
or strengthening ' t.J In Badenoch we have
Raitts, G. Rat. The Irish ' rath ' was a fortified
enclosure, usually circular ; of Maileagan, below.
Along the south side of Loch Duich we have

Cill-Chaointeort — To be identified with Kil-
kinterne 1543, Kentigerna's cell. Kentigerna is
in Irish ' Caintigerna/ kind lady (Cain, G. caoin),
and the slight corruption at the end of the
Gaelic form, Cill-chaointeort, is due to the strong
accent on ' chaoin,' which caused the final part of
the compound to be pronounced indistinctly.
There is an old burying-ground here, now disused.
The last burial took place some thirty years ago.

Eaglais Riabhachain — Church of the brindled
place, is the parish church of Glenshiel, just west
of the last-named.

Saraig — Norse Saur-vik, muddy bay.

Leacachan — Lakachane 1543, place of flagstones.

Letterfearn — Alder slope.

Ach na Taghart — Achniterd in rental of 1727 ;
diificult ; taghart may be for ' taobh-ghart,' side-
corn field, which suits the place ; ' Field of the
side-cornfields.'

GLENSHIEL. 173

Druideig — The little shut-in place ; G. druid, to

close.
Totaig — G. an Tobhtaig ; also Coille na tobhtaig ;

tobhta means the remains of a ruined house.
Aoinidh — Eunich (Blaeu), the steep place ; also

Aoineadh, which is nom. or ace. case.
Ard an t-sabhail — Barn promontory.
Camus nan gall — Lowlanders' bay.
An Garbhan Cosach — The little rough place of

caves or fissures.

The " five sisters " at the head of Loch Duich

are given on the ground as—
Sgurr na mor'oich (2870) (O.S.M., Sgurr na

moraich) — Peak of Morvich.
Sgurr nan saighead (2750) — Arrow peak.
Sgurr U(dh)ran (3505)—? Oran's peak ; Gran, G.

Odhran, from ' odhar, dun, is in the Dean of

Lismore's Book written phonetically ' ooran.3

Equally possible, however, is odharan, the plant

cow-parsnip. The G.S.M. has Sgurr Fhuaran, as

if Well-peak, but the local pronunciation is quite

against this.
Sgurr nan carnach— Peak of the stony places, or

place of cairns ; not on O.S.M.
Sgurr nan cisteachan dubh (3370)— Peak of the

black kists. Under it, but not marked in G.S.M.,

is
Sgurr na' Spairmteach — Peak of the Spaniards,

just above the site of the battle of Glenshiel,
1719.

174 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Beinn Fhada (3383), best known as Ben Attow,
the long hill.

Sgiirr a' bhealaich dheirg (3378)— Peak of the red

gap.

Cam na Fuaralaich (3378)— Cairn of the cold
place ; cf. Lochan na fuaralaich, Rosehall, Suther-
land.

A* Chraileag (3673) (O.S.M., Garbh-leac), appears
to be a variant of ' cr6ileag,' a circular place.

Sgiirr nan conbhairean (3634) — Peak of the dog-
men ; i.e., attendants of hunters ; this is the local
explanation, which seems right. It may, how-
ever, mean : Peak of the dog-kennels,' in allusion
to some feature known to hunters.

Cam Ghluasaid (3000) — Cairri of moving — from
its screes.

Druim nan cnaimh — Hill of bones.

Na Paiteachan — The humps, on Loch Loyne.

Creag a* mhaim (3103) — Breast rock.

Aonadh air Chrith (3342) — Shaking precipice ;
'airson gu bheil e cho biorach,' because it is so
sharp-pointed and dangerous a ridge.

Maol cheann-dearg (3214) --Red-headed brow
(accent on 'cheann').

Sgurr COire na F6inne — Peak of the Fenians' corry.

Sgiirr an lochain (3282) — Peak of the lochlet.

Sgurr beag (2750) — Small peak ; Creag nan damh
(3012), stag rock ; Sgurr a Bhac Caolas, not
known in Glenshiel ; Sgurr na sgine (3098),
knife peak, from its sharpness ; An Diollaid
(3317), the saddle ; Sgurr na creige (3082), rock

GLENSHIEL. 175

peak ; Sgurr leac nan each (3013), peak of the
flat rock of horses ; Sgurr a' ghairg gharaidh,
peak of the rough den.

Sgurr 'ic Mharrais (O.S.M., Sgurr Mhic Bharraich),
appears to mean peak of the son of Maurice. It is
near Shiel Inn.

Allt Undalain — Near Shiel; probably a Norse
compound involving dalr, ? with suffixed article.
The burn flows into the river Shiel through a
small flat. Opposite Shiel Schoolhouse is a
disused burying-ground, called Cill Fhearcliair,
Farquhar's Cell or Church. St Ferchar does not
seem to be otherwise known.

Allt Coire Mhaileagain— Malegane 1543. We

have Coire Mhaileagan in the parish of Kin-
cardine ; Loch and Allt Valican in Glen Girnag,
Perth ; Cnoc Malagan, Sleat. These again cannot
be separated from such names as the River Maillie
and Invermaillie, Kilmaillie in Inverness, Cul-
maillie in Sutherland, arid Dalmally, Oban, all
of which have the ' -maillie ' alike ' maili ' in
Gaelic. The root is ' mal,' probably identical with
Ir. ' mal,' noble (from a primitive ' mag-lo-s '), of
which Lhuyd has a feminine ' an mhal/ the queen.
This latter agrees well with the form ' rnal-ag-an,'
meaning ' little queenly one ' ; cf. for meaning
Glen-elg, noble glen. Phonetically 'mal' could
come equally well from ' mad-lo,' wet, Latin
'mad-eo/ but though the root 'mad-' is found
in Celtic, we have no instance of it with this
particular suffix.

176 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Allt Coire Lair into Loch Cluanie— Burn of the

low corry ; possibly Mares' Corry, or Mid Corry.
Near it, but in Inverness, is Loch Lundie.

Gleann Lie — Glenlik 1509; Glenlic 1633; from
' leac,' a flag-stone, not leac, a cheek ; the glen is
narrow, with steep sides reaching a height of about
3000 feet. At its head is Coir,e dhomhain, deep
corry. In Glenlik, at the foot of Ben Attow, is
Acli-a-dhaclid, where, according to local legend,
Diarmid died. At his dying wish for water a
well burst forth, Avhich is still well known as Tobar
an Tuirc, the Boar's Well. Diarmid was buried
at Dunan Diarmaid, near the manse of Kintail.

The stream through Glenlik is called Abhainn
a' Chrb, from the Cro of Kintail at its mouth.
The first deep pool is called Fianntag, heath-
berry. There is also Innis a' chro, meadow of the
Cro. The famous Cro of Kintail is a fine hill-
girt circular flat.

Abhainn Conag — The river Conag joins the Cro
river. The local account is that a man was
drowned therein in presence of his wife, whence
the river was called Conag — ' airson gun do ghori
bas a fir i.' With this may be compared the
derivation of Averon from ' ath bhron.' The name
is probably connected with ' con,' from ' cu,' dog.
Just beyond the head of this glen is Loch a'
Bhealaich, loch of the gap or pass, to wit, the
well-known pass leading into Glen Aflric, appear-
ing in 1542 as ' lie ballach.' It is interesting to
know that it is also known as Cadha Dhubhthaich,

GLENSHIEL. 177

St Duthac's pass, a name which implies that it
was by the Bealach the saint travelled from
Easter Ross to Loch Duich.

Domsduan, at the junction of Connag and a burn
called Alltan leothaid ghaineamhaich, burn of the
sandy hillside. The Gaelic is Dorus-dubhain.
Dubhain is very distinctly two syllables, and
therefore may be regarded as from ' dubh-an,'
black-water ; ' an/ genitive ' aine,' being an 0. Ir.
word for water. Dorusduan thus means Black-
water door. There is here a ford over the Connag,
in crossing which Donnachadh nam Pios was
drowned on a Friday.

Loch Loyne — G. Loch Loinn, Loch of shimmer or
glitter ; this seems better than to take loinn as
genitive of lann, an enclosure. Cf. Loch Neimhe
in Applecross.

12

178 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

KINTAIL.

Kintail— Kyntale 1342, Kyntaill 1535; G. Cinn<
t-saile, l head of the salt water.' The parish of
Tongue in Sutherland is Cinn t-saile 'ic Aoidh.
Cinn t-saile nani bodach 's nam bo ; Kintail of
carles and cows. Cf. Ir. Kinsale.

Lienassie — G. Lianisidh ; based on lean, a
moist meadow ; for terminations cf. Caoilisidh,
Camaisidh.

Diman Diarmaid — Diarmid's little fort ; " Dounan
Diarmod, a circular stone building, 20 feet high
and 20 feet wide, near the manse of Kintail "
(O.S.A. 1790).

Ruarach — Roroch 1571 ; G. an Ruadhrach, the red
place, from the screes immediately behind the
farm house. In 1727 divided into Mickle Oxgate,
Middle Oxgate and Culmuiln.

Tigh a' mholain — House of the little sea-beach (of
shingle), mol.

Loch nan Coir — Loch of the cranes.

Achadh an droighean — Achadrein 1543, Achidren
1727, field of thorns ; where the manse is. Behind
it is Sgurr an Airgid, silver peak, otherwise
Tulach ard or Ard-tulach, Artullich 1727, high
hillock. " Tulach-ard " was the rallying cry of
the Mackenzies.

KINTAIL. 179

Clachan Dubhthaich — St Duthac's Kirktown ; the
old chapel and burying-ground.

Torr Chuilinn — Hazel Tore, above Kintail Church.

Inveiinate -- Innerenede 1571; G. In'ir-ionaid,
applied now to the district from west of Clachan
Dubhthaich to the burn from Coire Dhuinnid,
called in G. Leitir Choill, Hazel slope ; Letterchall
1509, Lettirchoull 1586, 1633. The only " inver "
is that formed by the burn referred to, where it
enters Loch Duich, and though the phonetics are
not all that could be wished, In'ir-ionaid can
hardly be dissociated from Coire Dhuinnid, Corry
of the '' Duinnid.' Duinnid might be the genitive
of an abstract noun meaning ' brownness,' but it is
better regarded as a river-name formed from donn,
brown, after the model of the Irish river-names
Dianaid,1 dian, swift ; Buanid, buan, lasting. Part
of the corry is an Lethallt, Half-burn ; cf. Lealty.

Keppoch— Water of Keppach 1509, Keppach 1571 ;
G. a' Cheapaich, the tillage plot.

Carr — Creag Charr, Carr rock ; carr means a rocky
shelf, or projecting part of a rock ; from the root
l-ars, rough, seen in carraig, carrach. Near it is
Creag a' Ckriabaill (a nasal), Rock of the Garter.

Claonaboth— Climbo 1571, Clunabol, Blaeu ; Clin-
bow 1727, claon-both, awry or inclining booth ;
the intervening a is the 'sporadic' vowel. Claon-
abol is also heard with / developed through
sympathy.

1 There is a stream Deinaid in Strathardle.

180 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Dornie — G. an D6irnidh, the pebbly place, an old
locative of Dc-rnach, pebbly, from d6rn, fist.
This will be found descriptive of all the places
of the name Dornie, Dornoch or Dornock, Durno.
Mr J. Macdonald (Place-names in Strathbogie,
p. 112), mentions Craigdornie, and near it
Beldornie ; Drumdurno, formerly Drumdornach ;
Mindurno, formerly Mondornach ; and Edindur-
nach, in all which d6rnach is adjectival, pebbly.
He thinks it is doirionnach, stormy. As applied
to the village, Dornie is modern. The old name
was Bun d& loch, foot of two lochs, to wit, Loch
Long and Loch Duich, but this is applied now
to the * east end ' of the village only. The original
Dornie was at Castle Donan, and applied primarily
to the passage from the shore to the castle, easily
fordable at low water, and strewn with rounded
stones. Between Dornie and Bundalloch is Cam
dubh, black cairn, a part of the village. Beyond
Bundalloch is Tollaidh, place of the holes, at the
narrowest part of Loch Long.

Ellandonan — Alanedonane 1503 ; G. Eilean
Donnain, (? St) Donan's Isle. It is an island
only at high water. Ellandonan was a place of
strength from 13th century times, until its castle
was battered by cannon in 1719. But there are
clear indications that even before the days of
castles it was the site of a vitrified fort.

CnOC an Tuairneil — Near Dornie, ?hill of dizzinees.
Perhaps rather a variant of tuairnean, a mallet,
beetle ; mallet-hill. Of. Ord.

KINTAIL. 181

Creag a' Chaisil — Rock of the bulwark or wall ; cf
Coiir a' mhuiridh in Applecross.

Oamuslinnie — G. Camas luinge, Bight of L. Long.

Eillilan— G. Gill Fhaolain, St Fillan's Church.
Here is the site of a chapel, and a burying-
ground still used, regarding which there is a
tradition current that funerals come to it in
threes. Some seven miles beyond is Maol
Buidhe, yellow rounded hill.

Camaslongart - - Bight of the encampment or
shieling.

Fadoch — Nadoch, Blaeu ; G. an Fhadaich, place of
fad, turf or sod. In Ireland fod, sod, gives rise
to many names. It applies to a smooth grassy
place ; cf. Swordale ; Artafaillie.

Coille-righ — So spelled means King's wood ; but it
is really Coille-ruigh', Wood of the slope.

Glen Elchaig — G. Gleann Eilcheig, so named from
its river Abhainn Eilcheig, a diminutive of
eileach, meaning in modern G. a mill lade, but
based on ail, rock or boulder, and therefore prim-
arily rocky or place of rocks ; cf. Craig-ellachie,
the Irish Ailech, and Alesia, better Alixia, the
Gaulish rock fortress. Thus Eilcheig is ' the
little rocky one.' In its upper reaches it widens
into Loch na Leitreach, loch of the hill slope, with
Carnach, G. a' Charnaich, rough place, or place of
cairns, at its head. It rises in Loch Muireagan.

Gldmach and Allt ca Glomaich, place of the

chasm, from glbm, a gloomy hollow or chasm,
gorge, applied in Lochcarron to the chasm or

182 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

gorge of the river Taodal, which on a smaller scale
resembles the terrific gorge of Glomach ; cf. the
Gloume or Castle Gloom, Dollar ; now Castle
Campbell.
Abhainn Gaorsaig, also Loch Gaorsaig, Sgtirr

Gaorsaig ; doubtful ; ? gaorr, a thrill.

On the river is Loch thuill easaidh, loch of the
waterfall hole ; easaidh being old genitive of
easach ; cf. Essich, G. Easaich, near Inverness.
Gleann Shiaghaidh and Abhainn Siaghaidh—
possibly from O. Ir. segda, stately, handsome.

The river flows east into Loch Lungard, loch of
the encampment or shieling, whose waters go to
Maol-ardaich (Loch Mullardoch).
Carnan Cruithneachd 2386 — The little cairn of

the Cruithne. or Picts ; the meaning of wheat
seems impossible. The article is prefixed, but that
sometimes happens when the sense of the second
part being a proper noun is lost, e.g., an Fheill-
Dubhthaich, St Duthac's Fair.

Riochan — G. Biabhachan, the brindled place ; deer-
forest.

Carn-6ite 3877 — Cf. Carn-eit in Contin ; Allt-
eiteachan in Kincardine parish ; Tobar na
h-diteachan in Nigg ; Loch-eite and Gleann-eite,
Loch Etive and Glen Etive ; Allt Chill-eiteachan
near Ullapool. Whether the base in all these
cases is the same is doubtful. The eite of Gleann-
eite applies no doubt primarily to the stream of
that glen, and the accepted etymology is from
the root seen in Lat. i-re, to go, with extensions,

KINTAIL. 183

with which may perhaps be compared Gael, eite,
eiteadh, stretching, extending. The connection
in Carn-eite is not clear.
Mam Sabhal 3862— Rounded hill of barns ; noted

for grass.

Carn-eite nan gobhar, 's Mam-sabhal an fheoir.
Carn-eite of goats, and Mam-sabhal of grass.

Gleann Choilich and Abhainn Coilich— Glen and

river of the rapid ; coileach is applied to the
crests of broken water.
Coileach is Siaghaidh is Braigh Ghlinne-ghriabhaidh.

Mamag — The little mam, or rounded hill ; beyond
Coille righ, opposite Carnoch.

Cain na Breabaig — Beyond Carnoch ; ' cairn of the
little kick or start ' ; the term ' breabag ' is
applied to a hill in which there i's a cleft such as
might be supposed to have been caused by a
sudden start ; cf. Breabag adjoining Ben More in
Sutherland.

Ach-a-ghargain — Field of the rough place, near
Kilillan ; cf. Gargastoun.

Lochaidh Mhuireagain — (O. S. M. , Loch Muir-
ichinn), Muireagan's Lochlet. The proper name
Muireagan means * mariner/ based on muir, the
sea.

An Creachal Beag 2854; perhaps a variant of
' creachan/ a bare hill top.

River Ling — Abhainn Luinge, Ship's river.

Loch Long — Ship loch.

184 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

LOCHALSH.

Lochalsh — Lochalsche 1464 ; Lochalch 1472 ;
Lochelch 1510 ; Lochalse 1576 ; G. Loch-aillse or
Loch-ai'se (with I dropped before s, as usual) ;
undoubtedly the Volsas or Volas Bay of Ptolemy,
the geographer of the early part of the second
century. The modern Gaelic favours an origin
from Yolsas, and Dr A. Macbain would connect
with a root vol, to roll, as a wave ; Eng. well,
Lat. volvo. Loch Alsh, in Sutherland, is the same
in Gaelic.

Aldnarff — Ardnanarf 1554; Ardenarra 1574;
Ardonarrow 1607 ; G. Ard-an-arbha, Promontory
of the corn.

Inchnairn — Inchenarne 1548, 1554, and 1607 ;
Inchnairnie 1574 ; G. Inriis an fhearna, Alder-
haugh.

Femaig — Fairnmoir and Fayrineagveg (big and
little Fearnaig) 1495 ; Fayrnagmore and Fayrin-
aegveg 1527 ; G. Fearnaig, place of alders.

Achmore — Achmoir 1495, 1527; Auchmoir 1548;
G. Acha-mor, Big Field ; with it went Killochir
1548, 1607, or Cuylohir, 1527 ? cuil odhar, dun
nook ; seemingly obsolete.

Achachonleich — Achechoynleith 1495; Achchon-
elyth 1527 ; Auchachondlig 1633 ; G. Ach-a-
chonalaich. There is a confluence at the spot, and

LOCHALSH. 185

the name seems to be based on coingeall, a whirl-
pool, ' Field of the place of the Whirlpool ' ; cf.
Connal Ferry.

Braeintra — Brayeintraye 1495 ; Brayeintrahe 1548;
Breaintread 1633 ; G. Braigh' an t-sratha : Upper
part of the strath.

Craig — Cragy et Harsa 1548 ; 1554 lie Craig ; Craig
et Harsa 1607 ; G. a' Chreag, the Eock ; with it
goes Duncraig, the old name of which was am
Fasadh, the dwelling, otherwise am Fasadh
aluinn, the lovely dwelling. Harsa seems obsolete.

Achandarach — Achenadariache 1495 ; Achendar-
iach 1527 ; Auchnadarrach 1548 ; G. Achadh nan
darach, Field of the oaks.

Achnahinich — Auchnahowgych 1548 ; Auchna-
henych 1554 ; Auchinnahynneych 1574 ; Auchna-
hinginche 1607 ; Auchnahenginche 1633 ; G.
Achadh na h-inich. Duncan Mathesoii, a
Mathesoii historian, spells it Acha na Shinich, and
he says that at Achadh da Tearnaidh (Field of
two descents) here, the Mathesons used to rally
as to a rendezvous when they took the field.
They drank of the sacred stream of Alltan-
rabhraidh (Burn of the murmuring) and started.
Achnahinich is for Achadh na h-iongnaich
(h-inich), Field of the Nail-place, i.e., of the point ;
ionga, a nail, is common in Irish names in this
sense.

Balmacarra — Ballimacroy 1548 ; Ballamaccarra
1554, 1607, and 1653 ; Ballemakcarrane 1574 ;
G. Baile mac Carra, or possibly Baile mac Ara,

186 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Township of the sons of Carra or Ara. MacAra
or MacCarra is a Perthshire name. For the
formation cf. Belmaduthy, G. Baile mac Duibh.

Auchtertyre— -Wochterory 1495 ; Ochtertere 1527 ;
Ochbertirie 1548 ; G. uchd-a-rire, or Uachdar-
thire, Upper part of the land ; cf. lochdar-thire
or lochdar-rire, Englished Eastertyre, in Strath -
tay.

Achtaytoralan — Auchtatorlyne 1548 ; Auchtator-
lane 1554; Auchridtidorillane 1574; Auchtator-
rellan 1607 ; G. Achadh-da-torralan ; a doubtful
word ; perhaps ' Field of two descents/ from
torluimi ; perhaps a derivative of torrau, hillock,
from torr. With Achtaytoralan went Ardach
1548, Ardache 1607, Ardacht 1574, High-field.

Nostie— Nostie 1548, 1574; Noyste 1554; Nostie
1607, 1633; G. Nosdaidh for 'n osd-thigh, the
inn, with the article in the dative or locative
prefixed as in Nonach. There is tradition of an
inn here.

Ardelve— Ardelly 1548 ; Ardelf, 1554 ; Ardillie
1574; Ardelleive 1607; Ardelve 1633; Ardhill
1691 ; G. Ard-eilbh or Aird-iT (locally cf. 1691
spelling) ; Feill na h-airde, Ardelve market ; most
probably for Aird-eilghidh, Height of the fallow
land.

Conchra — Connachry 1548 ; Concry 1554; Conchra
1574 and 1633 ; Conchara 1607 ; G. Conchra,
Place of Cruives, from con, together, and era,
which is a variant of cro, fold, but specialised
in the sense of cruive.

LOCHALSH. 187

Sallachy— Sallach 1548; Salche 1554; Sallachie
1574, 1633; G. Salachaidh, Place of Willows;
O.G. sailech, willow, now seileach ; Scottish saucb
for salch, O.E. salt ; cf. Sauchieburn for older
Salcbie (Stirling), where possibly the word is
Scottish ; also Salachar, Applecross.

Port a' Chuilinn— Holly Port.

Plockton — G. am Ploc, the Lump, applied to the
humpy promontory which ends in Ruemore, Gaelic
Rudha-mor, Big-cape.

Duart — G. Dubh-aird, black point.

Strathy — G. an t-Srathaidh; abhainn an t-Srath-
aidh, Strathy river ; these G. forms prove
Srathaidh to be singular number, and I take it
to be a diminutive, meaning Little Strath. It is
very small for a strath.

Seann-chreag — Old rock.

Port-an-e6rna — Barley Port ; Port-na-cloiche, Port
of the stone.

Badicaul — G. Bada-call, Hazel Clump.

Kyle of Lochalsh — G. an Gaol, the narrow.

€rlen Udalan — Udalan is a derivative of G. udail,
to be unsteady, to rock ; ' the rocker ' ; applied
primarily to the stream. Udalan in common
speech means a swivel or swingle-tree, with same
notion. Cf. Ben Udlamain, east of Loch Ericht,
a different formation from the same word ; and,
for meaning, Aonadh air Chrith in Glenshiel.

Ullava — An islet near Duncraig ; N. ulf-ey, Wolfs
Isle ; probably Ulf was a person's name. On the
mainland is Uaimh Ulabha, Cave of Ulva ; cf.
Ulva near Mull.

188 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Duirinish — Dm-ris 1548, Durness 1554, Dowrnes,
Durinische 1 607 ; N. dyra-nes, Deer's headland ;
cf. Duirinish in Skye and Durness in Sutherland.

Erbusaig— Arbesak 1554, Erbissok 1633; G. Ear-
barsaig, with developed r, for which cf. Cromarty.
It appears to mean Erp's bay, Erp being a personal
name borrowed by the Norse from the Picts. The
Gaelic form of Erp is Ere, e.g. Fergus MacErc, the
first King of Dalriada.

Stromeferry — A hybrid ; ferry is English ; Strome,
N. straumr, current, stream, common in the Ork-
neys and Norse regions generally ; G. Port an
t-Sroim, where the presence of the article with
Sroim shows it to have come to be felt a Gaelic
word. The Castles of Strome and Ellandonan
were of old the chief fortresses of the West Coast.

Pladaig — N. flatr, flat ; aig is either vik, bay, or
possibly a G. diminutive terminative.

Scalpaidh — N. skalp-a, ship-river ; Scalpa, Skye, is
Ship-isle, and in the Orkneys it is for Ship-
isthmus (ei^) ; G. Scalpa 'Chaoil, Scalpa of the
Sound, i.e., Kyleakin.

Reraig — Rowrag 1548, Rerek 1554, Rerag 1607 ;
G. Rearaig, N. reyr-vik, Reed-bay. There is
another Reraig in Lochcarron.

Avemish — Avernis 1495, Awnarnys 1527, Avar-
rynis 1548, Evernische 1607, Averneis 1633 ;
G. Abhairnis ; probably N. afar-nes, Big or Bulky
Ness.

Ceann-an-oba — G. Ceann an oib, head of the bay ;
N. hop, borrowed into Gaelic ; cf. Oban, Obbe in

LOCHALSH. 189

Harris, Ben Hope in Sutherland. Ob an duine,

Man's bay, is in Plockton.
Palascaig — G. Palascaig, but Loch Fealascaig ;

N. fjalla-skiki, Hill-strip ; cf. Pladda from N. flatr.
Strathasgag— G. Srath-asgaig, a hybrid; G. srath,

strath ; N. li-skiki, river-strip ; cf. Arscaig on

Loch Shin.
Lundie — Lunde 1495, Lundy 1527; G. Lunndaidh

v. Maoil Lunndaidh, Con tin. There is also here

Loch Lundy. The name is Pictish. It is a

marshy place.
Kirkton — G. an Clachan Aillseach, the stone

church of Lochalsh ; dedicated to St Congan.

Near the burying-ground is Cnoc nan Ainyeal,

Angels' knoll ; possibly knoll of beacon fires.
Khmamoine — G. Ceann na m6ine, Moss- head.
Eilean Tioram — Dry Island (a common name), at

the entrance to Loch Long. Between it and the

mainland is an t-saothair, where the rising tide

rushes with great speed.
Aultnasou — Auldinseie 1691 ; G. Allt nan siibh,

Raspberry burn.
Nonach — G. 'Nonach ; Loch na h-onaich, not far

off, shows that we have here the article an with

onach ; cf. Oriich, near Ballachulish, from Omh-

anach (locative omhanaich), Place of foam.
Poll-an-tarie — G. Poll an tairbh, Bull's pool, where

a legendary battle between the Mathesons and

Sutherland men took place.
Patt — G. a' Phait Mhonarach, Hump of Monar.

] 90 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMABTY.

Loch Calvie— G. Loch Cailbhidh, Loch of shoots .

there is good grass here ; G. cailbh, shoot, twig ;

cf. Glencalvie.
Coire na SOrna — Corry of the furnace, or furnace -

shaped gully, interesting as giving a fern, genitive

to G. sorn, but the word was both mas. and fern.

in early Irish. We have the correct genitive in

Loch Hourn, G. Loch Shuirn, cf. the Dean of

Lismore's Book —

Leggit derri di worn
eddir selli is sowyrrni

an end of merriment is made
between Shiel and Hourn.

i.e., in the Clan Ranald country.
Loch Monar — Monare 15421 ; G. Loch Mhonair ;
G. ' monar ' means a trifle ; a trifling thing ;
but the place-name is probably quite different. It
applies primarily to the place ; Loch Mhonair is
the Loch of Monar, and Monar may be a Pictish
name based, on root of monadh, viz., men, high,
and meaning 'the High Land/ Near it is
Innis-loicheil : Ir. lochall or lochull is explained
as ' the plant called broomlime ' ; the o in
the place-name is, however, long, and may be
the old adjective loch, black, which would give
loch-choille, Black- wood ; Blackwood-haugh.

1 In 1542 appears : "the waste lands of Monare, between the water of
Gleneak on the north, the ridge ef Laudovir on the south, the burn of
Towmik and Inchelochill on the east, and the water of Bernia running inio
the water of Long on the west." Qleneak is Gleann-fhiodhaig in Contin ;
Laudovir I cannot identify ; burn of Towmik is Allt-Toll-na muioe, east of
Loch Mouar ; the water of Bernis is still called Uisg' a' Bhearnais, water of
the Cleft.

LOCHALSH. 191

Beinn Dronaig — Probably from the root seen in G.

droineach, ragged ; for meaning cf. Beinn Feusaig.
Loch CrUOShie — G. Loch Cru'oisidh ; Loch of

the hard place, based on cruaidh, hard, with

the extensions seen in Caolisidh.
An Ruigh breac — The dappled reach (O.S.M. Cam

an Reidh bhric).
Loch Anna — G. Loch an aim'.
Creag nan Grarrag ( = garradh) — Rock of the dens ;

O.S.M. Creag na Cairge.
An Fhrith-ard — Freeard 1691, the small height;

G. frith, small.

Cam nan Dobhran — Otter-cairn.

Drochaid Cnoc-a-chrochaire - - Hangman's Hill
Bridge.

Apparently obsolete are : — Fadamine 1495,
Fynimain 1527, Fineman 1548, Acheache 1495,
Acheachy 1527, and Auchcroy 1548, 1607,
Auchnacroy 1611, mentioned in connection with
Fernaigbeg. The two merklands of Culthnok,
Achnacloich, Blaregarwe, and Acheae appear in
1495 and 1527. With Achtertyre goes Achich
1548, Achiche 1607. Fuday (a Teiroung) 1627,
Idiu 1691, Innershinak 1691, Auchowlosk 1633,
Auchaiiloisk, Auchinleisk 1669, Auchalloch 1699.

192 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

LOCHCAEEON.

Lochcarron — Loghcarn 1275 (Theiner Yet. Mon.) ;
Lochcarryn 1474 ; G. Loch-carrann, from the
river Carron, which enters the sea loch after a
course through Glen-carron and Strath-carron.
There are in Scotland some half-dozen or more
rivers Carron, all with rough and rocky beds.
The root is * kars-/ rough, seen also in ' carraig/ a
rock, and ' earn,' a heap of stones. Ptolemy's
Carnonacae, on the west coast of Eoss, are the
' men of the cairns ' or of ' the rough bounds.' On
the analogy of such Gaulish river names as
Matrona, the primitive form of Carron, which is
doubtless a Pictish word, would be Oarsona ; cf.
Carseoli in Italy ; and for Gaelic ' rr ' arising from
crs,' cf. Man* and the Italian tribe Marsi. But
cf. also the G. words barr and earr.1 The old
graveyard at the old parish church is Cladh a'
Chlachain.

Kishorn — Kischernis 1464 ; Kissurine 1633 ; G.
Cis-orn, Norse ' keis-horn,' bulky cape. Blaeu's
Atlas put Combrich at the head of Loch Kishorn,
confusing with Applecross.

Tornapreas — G. Treabhar nam preas, bush-stead.
The English form is deceptive.

1 A. Macbaiti's Gaelic Dictionary.

LOCHCARRON. 1 93

Courthill — Cnoc a' mhoid : the moot-hill in question
is close to the north side of the bury ing-ground
below Courthill House. Behind the house again
is Cnoc na croiche, Gallowhill. At the burying-
ground was a chapel called Seipeil Donnain,
St Donan's Chapel.

The Dun: quarter of Domi 1495, Doune 1633, near
Cnoc na croiche, was evidently once a township.
The hill-fort from which it took its name is still
traceable, though much broken. G. Lag an Duin,
Hollow of the Fort.

Ach-a-bhanaidh — Auchvanie 1633 ; probably based
on ban, white, yielding banach, white place, or
untilled field. (Also Achbane 1548, Davach of
Achwanye 1583).

Seafield — G. An rudha, the point ; also Rudha
Nois ; perhaps Rudha 'n 6is, stream-mouth point ;
it is right opposite Russell Burn, on the other
side of the loch.

Sanachan — Tannachtan 1548; Safnachan, 1583;
G. Samhnachan ; G. samh, sorrel, with extensions ;
Little place of Sorrel.

Arddarroch — Oak-promontory ; south-east of it is
Ardochdainn, Little High field.

Achintraid — Auchnatrait 1623, shore-field ; cf.
Balintraid in Kilmuir Easter. The stream which
enters Loch Kishorn at this point is commonly
called the Kishorn river ; O.S.M., Amhainn
Cuag a' Ghlinne.

Goirtean na h-Airde — The small corn enclosure of
the point.

13

194 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Camusdonn — Brown bay ; Meall no, h-airde, hill of
the promontory.

Loch Eeraig — G. Rearaig, Norse ' reyrr-vik,' reed
bay. There is another Eeraig in Lochalsh.
Rerok 1583.

Eilean na beinne — Island of the peak. • Beann is
here used in its primary meaning.

Ardnaniaskin — G. Aird an fhiasgain, mussel pro-
montory.

Strome — Strome Carranache 1495 ; Norse 'straumr/
a stream, current, race. There are Strom mor,
Strom meadhonach, and Strom Carranach.

Bad a' Chreamha — Clump of the wild garlic ;
behind Strome Castle.

Slumbay— Slomba 1495 ; Slumba 1633 ; G. Slumba ;
probably Norse ' slaemr-vagr,' slim or small bay.

Lochcarron Village, or Janetown, formerly Torr
Dan clar, Torr of the staves or boards. Referring
to its change of name and improved houses,
there is a local rhyme, ascribed to the Rev.
LachJan Mackenzie —

Faire faire, Torr-nan-clar !

Baile Seiiv th' ort an drast,

Chan 'eil tigh air an teid fad [air teine],

Nach bi similear air no dha.

Out upon thee, Tornaclar !
Town of Jane thou now art called ;
Not a house on which goes sod,
That has not chimneys one or two.

Behind Janetown is An Teanya Fkiadhaich, the
wild tongue ; a very rugged piece of land.

LOCHCARRON. 195

Achintee — Achintee, 1633 ; Achnanty (Blaeu) ; G.
Achd an t-sithidh, as if from sitheadh, force ;
sith, an onset ; ? ' Field of the blast ' ; cf. Achna-
sheen.

Eas an teampuill— Temple waterfall, a very fine
and wild double fall, fifteen minutes' walk from
Strathcarron Station. The ' temple ' is said to
have stood near it on the right bank of the burn,
where there are some ruins. A further ecclesi-
astical trace is found in Alltan an t-sagairt,
priest's burnlet, a little to the west, near Achintee.
Both are no doubt to be connected with the
Clachan at Lochcarron. Blaeu places Clachan
Mulruy near Achintee, but west of it. The
Temple fall is on the river of

Tao'udal, Englished Tweedle ; the birch and fir
copses fringing its banks are called ' doire Thao-
udail,' copse of Taodail ; ? Norse haga-dalr,
pasture-field, with the usual prefixed t. The dale
is of course on the lower reaches of the stream.

Attadale — ? N. at-dair, fight dale ; the Norsemen
were fond of horse-fights, hesta-at, and this fine
level strath would have been a suitable place for
that purpose ; cf. Attadale in Applecross.

Camallt — Bent burn.

Strathan — Little strath.

limner — G. An t-iomaire, the rig, or ridge of land ;

also Carn an iomair, Cairn of the ridge.
Cnoc nam mult — Wedder hill.
CoulagS — G. Na Cuileagan, the little nooks, or back

places. Sgardan nan Cuileag, Scree of the little

nooks, is a brae on the road near.

196 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Balnacra — G. Beul ath nan era, Ford-mouth of the

cruives.
Arinackaig — Arimachlag 1543 ; G. Airigh-neacaig ;

1 neacaig ' looks like the genitive of Neachdag,

feminine of Neachdan, Nectan.

Loch Dughall — L. Dowill (Blaeu) ; Dougald's loch-
Achnashelloch — Auchinsellach 1584 ; Auchna-

shelloch 1633— Willowfield.

River Lair, Coire Laire, and Farm of Lair : from

Lar in the sense of a low place, bottom.

Gorstan — G. an Goirtean fraoich, the small corn
enclosure among the heather.

Lon Coire Chrubaidh — Moist flat of the bent
corry.

Loch Sgamhain — ' Sgamban' means (1) lungs or
lights, (2) corn or hay built up in a barn. Local
authority connects the name of the loch with the
former : when the water-horse devoured a man,
the victim's lungs or liver usually floated to the
shore. But the more peaceful alternative is
preferable.

Beinn F6usaig — Beard-hill ; it is bare on one side,
and has long heather on the other.

Coulin,1 Loch Coulin, River Coulin — Coullin

1633; G. Culainn ('u' strongly nasal). The
word can hardly be other than a locative of ' con-
lann,' meaning either ' high enclosure ' (' kunoe,'
high), or * collection of enclosures ' (' con,

1 " Coulin (or Connlin) is from Connlach, a Fingalian hero, who was buried
on a promontory in the loch. The site of hi« grave is still pointed out "- -Mr
J. H. Dixon'a Gairloch.

LOCHCARRON. 197

together). ' Lann,' enclosure, is found alone, as
An loinn, the enclosure ; and in composition as
An garbhlainn, near Loch Ruthven (Inverness),
which appears on the O.S. map as Caroline.
The Kinlochewe tenants of old had their shielings
where Coulin Lodge now stands. The old name
of the spot is still remembered, and appears in the
couplet —

Cumain is snathain is im'ideil l
Ceithir thimchioll Liib Theamradail.

Milk pails and threads and coverings
All round the bend of Temradal.

Teamradal, N. Timbr-dalr, timber-dale.

Torran CUilinn — Holly knoll ; at the east end of
Loch Coulin.

Loch Glair — G. Loch Clair, loch of the level place.

Loch a* Bharranaich (O.S.M. Loch Maireannach),
Loch of * barranach,' very long and strong grass
with broad leaves like corn, growing in lochs.
Fionnaltan, Whiteburns, is at its head ; Loch an
an iasgaich, lochlet of (good) fishing ; Lochan
gobhlach, forked lochlet (has a fork at either end).

SgtUT Ruadh (3141)— Eed peak ; Maol cheann
dearg (accented on 'cheann') (3060), red-headed
brow; Ruadh stac (2919), red 'stack,' or steep
hill, are all of the red Torridon rock. Na cinn
liath, the grey heads, are quartzite. Cam breac,
spotted cairn ; Fuar tholl, cold hole ; Cnoc na

1 Im'ideal ; this was a vessel for carrying cream and milk home from the
shielings. Its mouth was covered with a piece of skin (called in the Reay
country iolaman), tied below the brim with thread (snathan). The word is
doubtless imbhuideal. — Rev. C. M. Robertson.

198 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

h-&than, kiln-hill ; Torr na h-iolaire, eagle torr ;
Glas bheinn, green hill.

Blaad— Bleyat, 1548 ; Blaad 1633 ; G. Blathaid ;
O. Ir. bla, glossed faithche. a green ; bla, a
place, glossed baile (both apparently the same
word) ; with the suffix seen in Bial-id, Caol-id, &c.
' Place of the green.' The place is noted for its
pasture.

New Kelso — G. Eadar dha Charrainn, between two
Carrons. The river Carron makes a large bend
round it. Edira-carrain, Blaeu.
Dail Mhartuinn — Delmartyne 1633 ; Martin's dale,

marching with Balnacra.
Dail Charmaig — Cormac's dale.
Sevochan — Where the smithy is, a mile west of
New Kelso. Ruboachane 1546 ; G. Ruigh-
Bhuadhchain ; near it is Abhainn Bhuadhchaig
((XS.M. Abhainn Bhuidheach) ; also Buadhchaig ;
Buadhchain is genitive of Buadhchan, probably
Buadh-ach-an, place of victory, or place of virtue
(i.e., efficacy) ; Buadhchaig is merely a variant
with feminine termination. The ' virtue ' may
have been in the place itself, i.e., in producing
herbs of worth ; or in the water of its river.
Abhainn Bhuadhchaig, however, means ' River of
Buadhchag,' the inference being that Buadhchag
is primarily the name of the place, not of the
river. Cf. however Ir. river name Buaidnech.
Tullich — G. an Tulaich, the hillock ; but of old

an Tulchainn.
Brecklach — G. a' Bhraclach, the dappled place.

LOCHCARRON. 1 99

Coire Fionnarach — May be a formation from
fionnar, cool (Ir. fionn-fhuar, white-cold), or it
may come directly from fionn, white ; cf. ruadh'-
rach, from ruadh, red ; ' Cool Corrv,' or ' Corry of
the white places (or white water).' The river
from Loch Coire Fionnaraich is Fionn Abhainn,
white river, from the clearness of its water.
About midway between the loch and Allt nan
Ceapairean is Clack nan Con Fionn, Stone of the
White Dogs ; a tapering stone about 10 feet bigh,
to which local legend says the hero Fionn used to
fasten his dogs. It is all worn by their chains.
Probably a trysting place for hunters and their
dog-men.

Allt an ruigh' shleaghaich— (O.S M. Allt reidh

sleighich). Cf. Slioch in Gairloch. It rises in
Mbiri a' Chreathair, sieve moss.

Allt Doir-ithigean — West of Cnoc na h-^than ;
• obscure ; perhaps contains a proper name.

Allt a' Chonais — Burn of Coneas ; G. an Conais ;
this was a homestead by the burn. For Coneas
cf. Coneas in Kiltearn, and na Coineasan, in
English ' the Eockies,' a series of pools and falls in
the Gruinard River.

Coire Liridh — Liridh is doubtless connected with
G. Lirean, meaning the green slimy stuff that
forms in quiet water ; cf. the Liris, a river of
Italy ; Liriope, a fountain nymph. Liridh is
probably a Pictish stream name, primitive Lirios ;
root ti, smooth, polished, seen in Lat. limo, polish;
G. liobh ; cf. Glenlyon, G. Ll'un, primitive Livona.

200 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Sgurr nam Feartag — 'Peak of the sea-pinks/
which grow there (O.S.M. Sgurr na Fiantag).
From it comes Coire Bhanaidh, c£ Achvanie.

Eagon (2260) — A hill ; probably a formation from
eag, a notch ; ' Place of the Notch, or, of Notches."

Moruisg (3026)— G. Morusg ; first part is mor,
great, the strong accent on which has reduced the
second part to obscurity.

Poll Druineachain — On the stream that twice
crosses the Dingwall road, near the junction with
it of the road from Strathcarron Station. The
more easterly of the bridges is Drochaid Poll
Druineachain ; the other is Drochaid na h- Uamh-
ach, Cave- Bridge. Between that and the head of
the loch is Cladh nan Druineach, Burial-place of
the ? Druids, where cists are said to have been
found.

Peitneane 1563 — Now obsolete, shows Pictish
influence. There is still Pitalmit in Glenelg, G.
Bail' an Ailm.

APPLECROSS. 201

APPLECROSS.

Applecross — " Malruba fundavit ecclesiam Apor-
crosan 673" (Tighernac's Annals). This is also
the form which occurs in the Aberdeen Breviary ;
but Ablecross 1275 (Theiner Vet. Mon.). The
old forms show the meaning to be ' estuary of the
Crosan/ and the best native authority available
to me gave the name of the Applecross river as
Abhainn Crosan. There is also a field by the
river side known as Crosan, and entered under
that name in the valuation roll. Crosan may
be a genuine old river name, Crosona, with
which cf. the E/iver Crosa, now Creuse, a
tributary of the Vienne, which again is a
tributary of the Loire.1 The parish, how-
ever, in Gaelic, is always spoken of as 'a'
Chomraich,' the girth, from the right of sanctuary,
extending, it is said, for six miles in all directions,
possessed by the monastery founded by Malruba.
' In Applecross ' is idiomatically ' air [not anns] a'
Chomraich." The minister of Applecross is,
however, not * Ministir na Comraich," but, logi-
cally enough, ' Ministir a' Chlachain ' (Minister of
the Clachan), and the hill behind the church and

1 The usual explanation of Crosan is " Place of Crosses." This would, of
course, imply that the name was given subsequent to the arrival of the
Christian settlers, a rather difficult supposition in view of the Pictish ' aber.*
The word is more likely to be Pictish throughout.

202 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

manse is Beinn a' Chlachain, the ' clachan '
denoting primarily the cell or the church of stone
used by the early missionaries. Ecclesiastically
there is no spot in Ross, nor, indeed, with the
exception of lona, in Scotland, more venerable
than the churchyard of Applecross, which con-
tains, according to Dr Reeves, the site of that
monastic settlement which was founded by
Malruba, and from which he laboured as the
Apostle of the North. Malruba's grave is still
pointed out, marked by two low round pillar
stones, and within a yard or two of the spot so
marked there was excavated, in the incumbency
of the late minister, what appears from the
present indications to have been a cist burial.
Nor has the belief, mentioned by Dr Reeves, died
out, that the possession of some earth from the
saint's tomb ensures safety in travelling, and a
return to Applecross. The sculptured stone on
the left as one enters the graveyard, known as
' Clach Ruairidh mhoir Mhic Caoigean,' has been
described by Dr Reeves ; but he did not see the
beautifully carved fragments of a cross shaft
which are built into the wall of the small chapel-
like building at the east side, showing spiral,
fret, and interlaced ornament.

It is said that when the present church was
built several carved stones were buried under the
gravel, path near the south wall.

The Strath of Applecross is ' Srath Maol-
chaluim' — Strath of Malcolm. This, which is

APPLECROSS. 203

the name given by the oldest inhabitants, is
being corrupted into ' Srath Maor-chaluim,' or,
worse still, 'Cul-chaluim.'

The holy well by the roadside, west of Apple-
cross House, is unfortunately nameless. Near it
are the four trees in the form of an oblong, which,
with a (supposed) crab-apple tree in the centre,
were absurdly propounded as the origin of the
name Applecross. This is the supposed site of
Malruba's cell, and is called Lagan na Comraich,
the little hollow of the sanctuary.

Rudha nan Uamhag — Promontory of the hollows,
or the small caves, the most southerly point of
Applecross ; named from

UagS — G. Na h-Uamhagan, the hollows. It is a
tiny township.

Toscaig — Toskag 1662; G. Toghscaig (close o) ;
' t-hauga-skiki/ how-strip ; ' hauga,' a cairn, bar-
row, how. There is also Abhainn Thoghscaig,
the river of Toscaig, and Loch Thoghscaig, the
loch of Toscaig.

Coillegillie— G. Coille-ghillidh, Gilli's wood.

An Airde Bhail — The white promontory ; also Sron
na h-airde bhan, nose of the same.

Culduie— G. Cuil-duibh (locative), the black nook.

Am Poll Creadhaich (O.S.M. Poll creadha)— Clay
pool.

Oamusterach — G. Camas-teirach ; am Macan
earach, north of it, on the shore, is a rock
column. Probably Camas(t)-earach, Easter bay,
with developed t ; cf. an drast for an trath-s'.

204 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Camusteel — G. Carnas-teile ; ? Linden Bay, from
G. teile, borrowed from Latin tilia, a linden
tree.

Milton — G. Bail' a' mhuilinn ; also Loch a'
mhuilinn.

An Fhaoilinn — The beach-field, opposite the manse
of Applecross. Behind it is Cadha na Faoilinn,
pass of the ' faoilinn.'

Applecross Mains — Of old Borrodale, from N.
borgr, a burg or stronghold, and dalr, a dale ;
' Fort-dale ' ; Gaelic curiously accents the second
syllable, which suggests that some third
element, e.g. a, river, has to be reckoned with.
Near this appears to have been Sardale,
muddy dale. A third Norse name in dale is
Coire Sgamadail, Corry of Scamadale, from
N. Skam-dalr, Short-dale. It is west from Coire
nan aradh, Ladder Corry. Langwell, Longfield.

Hartfield — G. Coille-mhuiridh, wood of the bul-
wark ; murach, place of the mur, or rampart,
bulwark, which here would serve to keep the
river to its channel. A local song has ' Coille-
mhuiridh da thaobh na h-aibhn' ' — on both sides
of the river. DrRee ves takes it to be ' Coille
Mhourie,' Malruba's wood, but accent and quantity
combine to make this impossible. Near the
keeper's house is a pool called Poll a' bhior or
a? Bhior-pholl ; bior is an old Ir. word glossed
'water' and 'well'; 'Well-pool.'

An t-allt M6r, big burn, comes down opposite. Its
head branches are Allt a chuirn dheirg, irom Carn

APPLECROSS. 205

Dearg, Red Cairn (2119), and An t-allt granda,

ugly burn.

Maol an llillt mhoir — Bare hill of the big burn.
Ooire Attadale — Corry of Attadale. Attadale

seems to have been the Norse name of what is

now called Srath-Mhaol-Chaluim. It is a very

wild corry, branching off at right angles from the

head of Srath-Maol-Chaluim. G. Coire Atadail ;

cf. Attadale, in Lochcarron.

An Cma'ruigh — Hard slope, west of the manse.
Rudha na guaille — Shoulder-promontory ; also Allt

na guaille.

Allt na mucarachd — Burn of the piggery.
Allt Tausamhaig (O.S.M. Allt sabhsach)— Norse

' t-hausa-vik,' skull bay.
Cruinn-leum, the round leap, is a narrow, rounded

bay ; cf. the common Cuing-leum, narrow leap, in

English Coylum.
Sand — G. * sannd/ Norse ' sand.' Behind it is

Am meall gaineamhach — Sandy hill.

Salachar (final ' a' open), on a small burn ; an
extension of ' sailech,' willow ; with meaning
* place of willows ' ; cf. Croch-ar, place of the
gallows ; also the common Sal] achy. There are,
I am told, no willows now.

Ard na claise moire— Point of the big gully.

Lonban — G. An Lon ban, white damp meadow ;
near it are Rudha na mbine, peat point ; and
Allt na moine, peat burn. Near Lonban is a
cave on the sea shore called an Eiginn (e),
perhaps meaning * the place of resort in danger.7

206 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Calnakil — Culnakle 1662 — Harbour of the cell; an
old church name. G. Cal na cille.

Cuaig — Norse * kua-vik,' cow bay ; the bay is now
6 6b Chuaig.' There are, besides ths bay and
township, rudha Chuaig, abhainn Chuaig (the
latter from Loch gaineamhach). and eileari
Chuaig.

Rudha na fearna— Alder point.

Ob na h-Uamha — Cave bay ; also Creag na
h- Uamha, rock of the cave. The cave in question
is on the east side of the headland, facing the
north-eastern bight of Ob na h-Uamha, and is
called an Uaimh Shiannta, the charmed or
tabooed cave. The most northerly point of Apple-
cross, Sron an larruinn, iron point, wrongly
given on the O.S.M. as Rudha na h-Uamha,
which latter name belongs to the headland that
projects north-westward into Ob na h-Uamha.

Fearnmore and Fearnbeg — "The Famacks Litill
and Meikil" (Ret.): big and little Fearn ; from
' fearna,' alder. The two places are commonly
called na Fearnan.

Faingmore, and Eoinn an fhaing mhoir— Big

farik and big fank point.

Rudh' a* chamais ruaidh — Red bay point.

Sgeir an coin (O.S.M., Sgeir neonach) — Bird skerry.

Airigh nan Cruineachd (O.S.M., Arrin-a-chruin-

ach) — ' Cruineachd,' wheat, as the writer of the
Old. Stat. Ace. saw, is out of the question ; and
we can hardly escape the conclusion that here we
have to do with the Cruithne, the Gaelic name of

APPLECROSS. 207

the Picts. Cf. An Carnan Cruineachd, in Kintail.
The Old Stat. Ace. says " Arenacrionuic, literally,
sheiling of wheat, is clearly a corruption of
' arenan Drumich,' of the Druids," which is still
the popular notion. There is another place of
this name near Scourie.

Camas an eilein — Island bay ; the island is An
garbh eilean, the rough island, called in O.S.M.
Eilean mor. Further on is Glas sgeir, grey
skerry.

Kenmore — G. a' Cheannmhor ; ceannmhor (Ir.
cend-mor or cendmar) means ' big-headed ' ; cf.
ceanndearg, red-headed. This adjective seems to
be here used as a noun fern. The G. of Kenmore
in Perthshire is the same, and both are accented
on the first syllable. Sron na Ceannmhoir, Ken-
more Point.

Loch Craiceach,. or Loch a* chraicich (O.S.M.,
Loch Creageach) — ' Craiceach ' or ' croiceach '
means (1) rising into foam ; (2) full of cast sea-
weed (H.S.D.) ; and the latter meaning suits
very well here. At the head of the loch is an
Craiceach , the place where the sea- weed collects.

Ardheslaig— ? Ardestag 1662 ; G. Ard-heisleag ;
Norse ' hesla-vik/ hazel bay ; thus, with Gaelic
' ard ' prefixed, meaning point of the hazel bay.

Sron a' mhais— Point of the buttock ; mas Aird-
heisleig and mas Diabaig or mas na h-Araird
opposite it, two great ice-smoothed and rounded
rocky promontories, are known as An da mhas,
the two buttocks.

208 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Ob na h-acairseid — Bay of the anchorage ; a narrow
cleft in the eastern side of Ardheslaig.

Inverbane — G. an In'ir-ban, white estuary ; the
outlet of the Abhairm Dhubh from Loch Lundie.

Rhuroin — Seal point.

Doire-aonar — Lonely copse ; and Ceann locha, loch
head, at head of Loch Sbieldaig.

Shieldaig — G. Sildeag, Norse ' sild-vik,' herring
bay ; the herrings are not now as numerous as
they were. There is another Shieldaig in Gair-
loch. In Shieldaig Bay is Eilean ShUdeig, with
Clach na h-Armaid, Stone of the mother-church,
facing the village, the name of a mass of rock
which fell from the cliff above, and said to be
modern. Behind the village is Gascan, G. an

O '

Gasgan, the little tail, extremity ; applied to a
place where a plateau ends in an acute angle and
narrows down to the vanishing point ; cf. Gask.
On the north side of Ben Shieldaig is Crvag
Challdris, or rather Challdarais, rock of the
gloomy hazel wood ; G. call, hazel, and dubhras,
a dark wood. An Corran, the Point.

Bail' a* Mhinistir — Minister's town ; Camas an
leum, Bay of the leap ; Camas ruadh, Red bay ;
all on east side of Loch Shieldaig.

Badcall — Hazel-chump ; inside the narrows (O.S.M.,
Badcallda).

Casaig — On east side of Loch Shieldaig, is a per-
pendicular rock ; from cas, steep, ' the little
steep one.'

Eilean a7 chaoil— Strait isle, at entrance to Loch
Torrid on.

APPLECROSS. 209

Doir' a' chlaiginn — Skull copse ; the ' claigionn '
is an ice-rounded hill.

Ob 'mheallaidh — Deceitful bay ; it is dangerous
owing to large boulders. Its south-west angle
is Camas da Phaidein, Bay of two Patons or
Patricks.

Camas a' chlarsair— Harper's bay.

Balgy — Balgy 1624 ; G. Balgaidh ; a township near
the mouth of the river Balgy, from Loch Damh ;
'bubbly stream.' Of. Strathbogy, G. Srath-
bhalgaidh. Balgy is a fairly common stream
name.

Badan Vugie (Mhugaidh) — As the article is not
prefixed, the second part is probably a proper
name ; perhaps Mungo's little clump.

Ob gorm beag and Ob gorm mor — Little and big
green bay ; two pretty inlets, near Dubh-airde
(Duart), black point.

Camas Drol — Rather Camas Trol ; the burn falling
into it rises in Coire Rol, and is called Allt Coire
Rol ; G. rol, a roaring noise ; the burn runs a very
steep course over numerous boulders. The name
of the bay, Camas Trol, probably contains the
same word with t developed between 5 and r.

Annat — G. an Annaid, ' the mother church,' with
an ancient grave-yard and chapel ; dedication
unknown. Behind it is Beinn na h-Eaglaise,
Church-hill.

An t-Ath Darach — The oak ford; below Annat
Bridge.

14

210 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CKOMARTY.

Loch Neimhe — (O.S.M. Loch nam Fiadh) ; from its
situation can hardly be connected with neimhidh,
seen in Dalnavie, &c. Lhuyd gives neimh,
brightness (dealradh), which would give good
sense : ' Gleaming Loch ' ; cf. Loch Loyne. From
it comes

Abhainn Traill— Cf. Poll Traill, Monar ; this rather
obscure name may be from traill, a trough
(Lhuyd), a loan from Lat. trulla. l Trough pool r
is good sense, nor is ( Trough river ' inappropriate.

Torridon — Torvirtayne 1464 ; Torrerdorie 1584 ;
G. Toir(bh)eartan ; cf. Ir. tairbhert, to transfer,
carry over, the infinitive of tairbrim ; this would
give the meaning of ' Place of transference/ with
reference to the portage from the head of Loch
Torridon through Glen Torridon to Loch Maree.
It can hardly come direct from G. tairbeart, a
portage, as the l> of ' tairbeart ' never aspirates.
The name applies specially to the strip of land at
the head of the loch.

Liathach (3456), pronounced Liathghach, the gh
developing naturally; 'the hoary place.' The
name is more appropriate to Beinn Eighe, which,
except for the deep gash separating the two, is a
continuation of Liathach towards Kinlochewe,
and, enveloped in hoary gray screes, forms a
striking contrast to the ruddy tiers and buttresses
of its neighbour. A common derivation is
Liaghach, place of the ladle or ladles, but this
seems merely absurd. An Rathan, l the pulley/
designates two jagged stumps of rock near the

APPLECROSS. 211

top of the mountain, and seen from the sky -line
from the head of Loch Torridon. ' Hathaii ' is
the local name for the grooved pulley at the end
of the spindle of a spinning wheel which receives
the driving cord. Another place-name at Torridon
contains the word. The ridge falling eastwards
from the highest point of Ben Alligin is deeply
notched three times, so that it presents a serrated
outline of three peaks and notches, and these are
named na Rathanan, ' the pulleys.'

Liathach 's a mac air a muin.

Liathach with her son on her back.

Spidean a' Choire L6ith, Pinnacle of the gray
corry, is the highest peak of Liathach.

Sgorr a' Chadail — Sleep scaur.

Fasag — G. Am fasag, a hardened form of the
O. Gael. ' fasadh/ a dwelling ; cf. An Crom-
fhasag (Cromasag), near Kinlochewe ; Fasnakyle,
Fassiefern, Dochanassie, the Perthshire Foss,
Teanassie, etc.

Am ploc, or Ploc an Doire — The lump, or lump of

the grove, a small rounded projection with narrow
neck extending into the loch. It has an arrange-
ment of stone seats, once used for open air
services. Cf. Plockton.
Ooire mbic Cromuil, also Coire mhic N6buill.

Corrivicromble 1793; Corrivicknobill 1633, 1672,
Corrivicknoble 1668, 1672, 1741 ; these forms go
to prove Coire mhic Nobuill to be the older form
of the name. MacNoble was a common surname,
though now only Noble.

212 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Beinn Dearg (2995) — Bed Hill; west of which is
Beinn Ailiginn (3232) — Ben of Alligin ; there is

also the township of Alligin and
Inveralligin — G. Inbhir-ailiginn, which proves
Alligin to be a stream name. It is usually
connected with ailleag, a jewel, a pretty woman,
which may possibly be correct ; but the single I in
ailiginn is a serious difficulty.

An t-Alltan Labhar — The loud little burn, from
Loch na Beiste, the Monster's Loch. O.S.M. Allt
Lair.

An Lagaidh dhubh (O.S.M. , Lagan dubh)— The
. black hollow, a patch of land among the rocks,
facing seawards. North of it is

Port Laire — Port of Lair ; Lair is the name of the
place, meaning probably here ' low place.'

An Araird — The Fore-headland ; G. air, aird ; cf.
Urard at Killiecrankie, at the junction of Tummel
and Garry.

Creag nan caolan — Gut-rock, between Araird and
Port Lair, so called from pegmatite veins in it.

Diabaig — Norse ' djup-vik,' deep bay ; cf. the
numerous Dibidales. The bay itself is deep, and
is surrounded by hills. Its remoteness and
security are indicated by the saying — " 'S fhada
bho 'n lagh Diabaig, 's fhaide na sin sios
Mealabhaig" — Far from the law is Diabaig, yet
farther is Melvaig. " A far cry to Lochow."

We shall now take the principal names of the
interior of Applecross, which have not yet been
mentioned.

APPLECROSS. 213

A' Bhinn Bhan (2936)— The white hill ; the highest
in Applecross proper.

The corries on the north side of A' Bhinn Bhan
are — Coire Each, Horse corry ; Coire na Fedla,
Flesh corry ; Coire na Poite, Caldron corry ;
Coire an Fhamhair, Giant's corry ; all magnificent
corries.

Sgurr a' Chaorachain (2539)— (O.S.M., Sgorr na
Caorach). Based on ' caoir,' a blaze of fire, with
the secondary meaning of torrent. The mountain
is extremely steep on the Kishorn side.

Meall Aoghaireachaidh (O.S.M., Meall an fhir-
eachari) — ' Hill of shepherding.' It is N.E. of
Beinn a' Chlachain, and marks the spot where
the green plain of Srath Maol-chaluim changes
into the bleak uplands of Applecross. Near it is
Meall nan doireachan, hill of the copses.

Eas nan Cllinneag — Waterfall of the buckets, in a
dangerous gorge beside the path at the head of
Applecross Glen. The buckets are pot-holes.
Cf. Carn Cuinneag, in Rosskeen.

Fuaid, or an Fhuaid (O.S.M. Meall na h-uaidne)—
'Fuat' appears in the Lecan glossary as 'bier.'
There is a Sliabh Fuait in Ireland.

At its foot, not far from the path, is Uamh an
righ, the king's cave,

Crdic bheinn— Antler-hill.

Staonag— The bent or crooked hill, E. of Loch
Lundie ; a fern, diminutive from staon, bent.

Loch Lundie — G. Loch Lunndaidh, a Pictish name ;
v. Maoil Lunndaidh, Contin.

214 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Loch Gobach (O.S.M. Loch Ceopach)-— Snouted

loch.
Loch na maola fraochaich (O.S.M. Loch Meall

an fhraoich) — Loch of the heathery brow.

Loch na h-oidhche (O.S.M. Loch na h-eangaich)—
Night loch. The name is common, and is applied
to lochs that fish best at night. It is near the
bigger of the two lochs Gaineamheach.

Coire nan aradh (' dh' hardened to 'g')— O.S.M.

Coire nam faradh ; ladder cony. Through it there
was once, before the Bealach road was formed, a
ladder-like path ascending by tiers of steps in the
rocky face.

Bealach an t-SUidhe — Pass of sitting or resting;
the route of pedestrians between Applecross and
Shieldaig.

Am Bealach — The gap or pass, or Bealach nam Bo,
Pass of Kine, is the name of that remarkable road,
rising among barren rocks and frowning precipices
to a height of 2054 feet, which affords the only
means of entrance to Applecross by land.

Loch an loin — Loch of the damp meadow. It is
really part of the larger

Loch Coultrie — G. Loch Caoltraidh, Loch of the
narrow place, an extension of ' caol,' narrow, with
developed ' t ' ; ' caolt-ar-adh.' Of. ' bog-ar-adh,' ;
Kildary. Caoltraidh is at the south end of the
loch.

Loch Damh and Beinn Damh— Stag loch and hill.
Beinn Damh gives its name to the deer forest.
Also Doire Damh, Stag thicket.

APPLECKOSS. 215

Srath a* Bhathaich — Byre-strath, opening on to
Loch Damh. Cf. Strathvaich, in Contin. Net
Mulcanan, innumerable hillocks filling part of
Strathvaich, exactly resembling the Coire Ceud
Chnoc formation in Glen Torridon. Mulcan is
used in common speech as equivalent to bucaid,
a pustule ; hence na mulcanan means the little
mounds.

Loch Dughall — Dougald's Loch, in Glen Shieldaig.

Sgiirr na bana-mhorair — The Lady's scaur ; the
lady was placed on the top of it by her cruel lord,
and fed with shell-fish. The shells may still be
seen !

Loch Uaill — Proud loch ; above it is Meall Loch
Uaill, in O.S.M. Meall a' Ghuail, Coal or Charcoal
hill — a very natural mistake, which is corrected
with certainty only from the name of the loch.

Na Botagan and Creag nam Botag — There are

three little flats, terraced one above the other, at
the foot of the rock (creag). The natives assert
the meaning to be ' the little flats ' ; but bota
locally means a wet or soft channel in a peat
moss. Cf. Bottacks at Achterneed.

Loch na(m) Frianach — Loch of the place of roots ;
also Cadha na Frianach, Path of the same ; cf.
Sron na Frianaich in Contin.

Airigh nan Druineach— Shieling of the ? Druids ;
cf. Carn nan seachd Druineachan in Glenfintaig,
and Poll Druineachan, etc., in Lochcarron.

Loch an Turaraich — (O.S.M., Loch an Treudaich),
also Creag an Turaraich, Loch and Rock of the
rumbling or rattling noise.

216 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Rassal— Rassor 1583 ; Rassoll 1633 ; G. Rasal ; N.
hross-voflr, Horse-field ; cf. Rossal in Sutherland.

Russel — Ressor 1583; G. Riseail ; N. hryssa-vollr,
Mare -field.

Aridrishaig — G. an airigh dhriseach, thorny
shieling.

Crowlin Islands — G. Cr61aig, but also Crolainn ;
An Linne Chrolaigeach, the pool of Crowlin,
between these islands and Scalpay.

Coire Ceud Chnoc — Corry of a hundred knolls, on
the road between Kinlochewe and Torridon. The
corry is literally packed with small rounded
hillocks, a formation seen often elsewhere in the
Highlands, but nowhere perhaps in such per-
fection. Cf. Na Mulcanan.

Allt nan Corp — A tributary of Abhainn Traill ;
Burn of the Bodies, to wit, bodies of clay, placed
there for evil purposes of magic.

Cadha nan Sgadan— The part of the path leading
to Strathcarron on the slopes of Meall Loch
Uaill. "Path of the herrings"; cf. Creacha.na
nan Sgadan.

Sgeir an t-Salainn — Skerry of the salt. A rock,
uncovered at low water only, where formerly, it
is said, the fat of seals and porpoises used to be
melted down.

Port an t-Saoir — Wright's haven.

ToiT Fhionnlaidh — Finlay's rock, where a Kintail
man, Finlay Macrae, who hanged himself, is
buried.

Greag Raonailt — Rachel's rock ; N. Ragnhildr,

APPLECROSS. 217

Cos Dubh Bean a' Ghranndaich— The black nook
of Grant's wife ; where the original owner of the
famed Annat skull drowned herself.

Cam an t-Suidhe — Cairn of the sitting, about half
a mile west of Ben Damph Lodge, said by local
tradition to have been a resting-place of Malruba's
body on its way to Applecross.

Port 'ic-ghille-Chaluim Rarsaidh— The landing
place of Macgilliecallum of Raasay. This is the
little bay where the Hon. Capt. Lionel F. King-
Noel's boathouse is. There seems to have been a
skirmish here once with the Raasay men. An

J

Annat man, whose son and house had been burnt
by the Raasay band, is said to have performed
some destructive archery practice from Sgeir na
Saighid, killing a whole boat-load by himself!

Am Mol M6r — The great shingle bank, between
Annat and mouth of Torrid on river. Also called
Faoilinn na h-Annaite, sea beach of Annat.

Na Campaichean — The Camps ; two narrow dells
running from Port an t-Seobhaic, Hawk's port,
and Ob na Caillich, Old Woman's Bay (or Nun's
Bay). This bay is also called an t-ob Laghaich,
the muddy bay (for lathaich).

Cadha na Mine, path of the meal, is to be taken
along with Glac dhubh a1 Cliais, the dark hollow
of the cheese, and Bac nan Cisteachan, the ridge
of the chests, all just above Annat. After the
Rebellion of 1745 a Government vessel entered
Loch Torridon, and the people, though they are
said to have been neutral, thought it wise to

218 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

;' remove themselves and their gear from harm's

way. Hence these names.
Airigh nam Bard — Shieling of the Bards, possibly

of the meadows ; but it is high up.
Tunna Beag— The little cask, a small rock on

Sail na Beinne Bige, a spur of Ben Damh, from

which a spring rises, making a noise as of water

working about in a cask.

Garaidh nam Broc— The badgers' den.

Toll nam Biast — Hole of the monsters, also Spidean

and Stiic Toll nam Biast on Ben Damh.
Allt an Turaraich - - This burn makes a great

rumbling noise.

Creag an Dath— The dyeing rock.
Criathrach Buidhe — The yellow marsh, from

criathar, a sieve ; hence a boggy place.
Gob nan Uisgeachan— The point (beak) between

the waters ; a confluence.
Achadh Cul-a-mhill— The flat field at the back of

the hill ; at Loch an Neimhe ; the reputed scene of

a battle between the Macleods and the Mac-

kenzies.
Spuic nighean Thormaid — The peak of Norman's

daughter.
Meall Gorm or Green Dasses — A steep green pass

on Ruadh-stac. The latter name, which is regu-
larly used, was given by Lowland shepherds ; dass

means a hayrick.
Loch na Cabhaig — Loch of the hurry ; it lies in a

hollow where the wind is always unsteady, and

blows the water from side to side.

APPLECROSS. 219

Leathad an aon Bhothain — The slope of the one

bothy.

Meall na Teanga Fhiadhaich— The hill of the

wild point.

The Stirrup Mark — A peculiar mark on the S.E.
slope of Ben Damh below the high top, and a
well-known landmark.

Doire-mhaol-laothaich — Under Liathach by the
roadside ; also called Doirbhe-la(gli)aicJi, popu-
larly said to be for Doire Blieul Bhaothaich. A
curiosity of uncertainty.

Boire nain Fuaran — Derrinafoiran 1668 ; Spring-
copse.

An Doirneag — ' The little pebbly one,' a field con-
taining many rounded pebbles, at the N.W. end
of an Fhaoilinn, the beach-field, wThich latter is
next the shore between Torridon Mains and the
' Ploc.'

Mormhoich a* Choire — Sea plain of the Cony,
west of mouth of Corry River.

220 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

GAIRLOCH.

Gairloch— Gerloth 1275, Garloch 1574 ; G. an
Gearr-loch, the Short Loch ; cf. Gareloch. A
well by the roadside at the mouth of Abhainn
Ghlas, Gray River, is affirmed to have been the
original Gairloch.

Dibaig — Debak 1638 ; G. Diabaig ; N. djup-vik,
deep bay. Oirthir Dhiabaig, Coast of Dibaig.

Craig — G. a' Chreag, or Creag Ruigh Mhorgain ;
the Rock, or the Rock of Morgan's slope. Morgan
is a Pictish name ; Old British, Morcant, ' sea-
bright ;' Gaulish Moricantos. The Craig river
runs through Braigh-Thaithisgil, upper part of
Taisgil. In Taithisgil the latter part is N. gil, a
ravine ; the first part is perhaps genitive of haf,
sea, with prefixed £, giving t-hafs-gil, sea-ravine.

Allt, Meall and Loch na h-Uamhach— Burn, Hill
and Loch of the Cave. Between the burn and
Allt na Crlche, Boundary Burn, is a stone pillar
called An Nighean Liath, the gray girl. Near
the mouth of the little burn is Oirthir an Rudha,
Coast of the point, off which is Sgeir an Trithinn,
Trinity Skerry, a rock in the sea with three
humps.

Allt Saraig — Burn of Saraig; N. saur-vik, mud-bay.

Red Point — G. an Rudha dearg ; but sometimes
called an Rudha lachdunn, the dun or swarthy
point.

GATKLOCH. 221

Port an Fhaithir Mhoir — Harbour of the great

shelving slope. Faithir, a sharp slope with a flat
place at top, is in very common use in Gairloch
and Lochbroom ; ? Ir. fachair, a shelf in a cliff ; cf.
Foyers, Inverness, G. Foithir, the same word.1
On the West Coast faithir is applied typically to
the steep slope between the old raised beach,
about 30 feet high, and the present shore.
The north-west point of this peninsula is a'
Chreag Luathann, Rock of Ashes, with a peculiar
genitive form, seen also in Cnoc na h-athan
(single n) in Lochcarron ; Tom na h-athaimi,
Strathnairn ; Mullach na h-Eagann (eag, a notch),
the highest point of Ben Alligin.

Bailesios — G. am Baile Shios, the Lower township,
as opposed to am Baile Shuas, the Upper town-
ship.

Allt a' Chaol-doire — Burn of the narrow copse.

An Tarbh — The Bull, primarily the name of a
knoll, but extended to designate the coastland
from Bailesios to Erradale.

South Erradale --Erredell 1638; G. Earradal
Shuas or Earradal a Deas ; N. eyrar-dalr, gravel-
beach dale. Great banks of gravel extend from
here to Bailesios.

Allt Uamh a* Chleibh— Burn of the Creel-cave ;
also Creag Uamh a Chleibh and Achadh Uamh
a' Chleibh, Rock and Field of the same.

An t-Se61aid — A skerry north of the mouth of
Abhainn Ruadh, Red river. There is another

1 Foyers is the name of the place ; the famous fall is in G. Eas na
Smuicl, Fall of Smoke, i.e., spray.

222 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Seblaid near Fearnmore, Applecross. Based on
seol, sail, with extension as in Bial-id ; Place of
sailing, i.e., requiring careful navigation ; or,
Sailing mark. On the shore adjacent are am
Faithir Mor and am Faithir JBeag, the big and
the little shelving declivities,

Openham — G. na h-6bainean, the little bays ; G.
6b, borrowed from N. hop.

Creagan na Mi-chomhairle — Little rock of bad
counsel. Two men quarrelled and fought here.
One wished to stop fighting, but the other would
not, and both were killed.

Cnoc nan Carrachan — Hill of wild liquorice.

Sroin a* Charr — Nose of the projecting rock ;
cf. Carr Rock in Kintail.

Camas nam P10C — Bay of the lumpish promon-
tories.

Uamh Fhreacadain — Cave of the watch.

An Camas Raintich— Fern Bay ; by-form of

raineach.
An SgUHiail — The stack ; the northernmost point

west of Port Henderson.
Port Henderson — Galled by natives Portigil, N.

port-gil, gate-gully ; by others Port an Sgumain,

Haven of the Stack.
A* Chathair Dhubh— The black fairy knoll ;

between the above and Loch nan Eun, Bird Loch.

N.E. of Port Henderson is Cnoc an Sgath, Hill of

the fright.
Sron nam Mult — Nose or point of the wedders ;

Na Muilt, the wedders, are three skerries that

appear at ebb off the coast.

GAIRLOCH. 22 3-

Badantionail — G. Bad an Inneil ; Clump of the

tackle, or instrument.
Badachro— G. Bad a Chrotha, Clump of the Fold.

Also Caolas, Meall, Abhainn, Eas and Loch Bad

a' Chrotha, Sound, Hill, River, Waterfall, and

Loch of the same.
An Uidh — The outlet to the sea of Loch Bad na

h-Achlaise, Loch of the arm-pit ; achlais is very

common in place-names.
An Caochan Fearna — The alder brooklet ; caochan,

from caoch, blind, denotes a stream so small as to

be almost covered by the heather. It is common

in Gairloch.

Loch nam Breac-Athar — Loch of the sky-trout,
i.e., trout that were supposed to have fallen in a
shower ; cf. Creachann nan Sgadan. (O.S.M.,
Loch nam Breac Odhar).

Badaidh nan Ramh— Little clump of the oars.

Badaidh, which must be a diminutive of bad, is
common. Ramh, a root (Arran), long root as of
a tree (Perthshire) ; not so used in Ross.

Loch Clair— Loch of the flat,

Loch Sguata Beag and Loch Sguata Mor; cf.

Sguataig.
Glac na Senshesen, which appears on some maps,

is Glac nan seani(nn)sean, hollow of the old

haughs or inches ; cf. Loch na Shanish, Inverness.
Doir* an Eala — Swan copse ; also L6n Dhoir' an

Eala, Marsh of the same, and Abhainn Dhoir' an

Eala.

224 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

An t-Allt Gillthas — Fir burn ; the formation is the
regular one on the west coast here.

Doireachan nan Gad — The copses of withes.

Braigh Thoiriosdal — Upper part of Horrisdale, i.e.,
N. Thorir's dale. Also Loch and River of the
same.

Beinn Bhric — Dappled hill.

Bus-bheinn — G. Badhais-bhinn (or baoghais-bhinn,
ao short). The phonetics do not admit the popu-
lar explanation * Forehead Hill/ G. bathais. The
name is probably a hybrid of the same type as
Suilven, Blaven, Goatfell, G. Gaota-bheinn, where
Norse fell, a wild hill, has been translated into G.
beinn, the first part being left untranslated. The
G. of Loch Boisdale is Loch Bhaoghasdail, or, Loch
Baoghasdail.

Nead an E6in — Bird's nest ; a safe anchorage.

Camas na h-Eirbhe— Bay of the fence or wall.
Eirbhe is in O. Ir. airbe, meaning (1) ribs (2)
fence. It occurs often in Boss and Sutherland,
e.g., Altnaharra is G. Allt na h-Eirbhe, burn of the
wall. Further examples will occur later. On
examination it will be found that wherever this
name occurs there are traces of an old wall
stretching through the moor ; some of these walls
are of great length.

Leac nan Saighead — Flat rock of the arrows. The
story of the destructive archery practice made
from it is to be found in Mr Dixon's ' Gairloch. '

Camasaidh — The little bay ; cf. badaidh above.

An Cobhan — The little recess ; it is a sea nook ; cf.
Cavan, in Ireland.

GAIKLOCH. 225

Shieldaig— G. Sildeag; N. Sild-vik, herring-bay;
cf. Shieldaig, in Applecross. Also the hybrid
name Aird-shildeig, Promontory of Shieldaig.

Kerry River — River Kerne 1638 ; G. Abhainn
Chearraidh, N. kjarr-a, copse river, still as
descriptive as ever. Also Inverkerry, G. Inbhir-
Chearraidh, and Loch Kerry. But Kerrysdale is
in G. a' Chathair Bheag, the little fairy knoll or
seat.

Loch Bad na' Sgalag — Loch of the clump of the

farm -workers.

Loch na h-Oidhche— Night loch, with large trout

which take only at night.
Beinn an E6in — Bird-hill ; common.
An Uidh Phlubach— The 'plumping channel,'

between Loch Bad na Sgalag and Feur-Loch,

grassy loch.

Loch nam Buaineachan (also Buannachan), Loch

of the Eeapers.
Meall Aundrary — G. Meall Andrairigh ; a Norse

formation ; possibly Andrew's shieling, Andres-

erg (erg borrowed from Gaelic airigh). But this

should give Andrasairigh.
Charlestown— G. Baile Thearlaich.
Ob Cheann an t-Saile— Kintail Bay. This Kintail

is a tiny estuary, and at the bridge there was

formerly a change-house.
Flowerdale— G. am Baile Mor, Big-stead.
Flowerdale House— The old house of Gairloch was

called an Tigh Dige, Moat House, from its having

been surrouoded by a ditch. The present house

15

226 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CKOMARTY.

is called Tigh Dige nan Gorm Leac, Moat House

of the blue flags, i.e., slates. Dialectically Tigh

Glge.
Port na h-6ile ; eile is most probably eibhle,

genitive of eibheal, a live coal ; ' Port of the

Ember ; ' the reference is lost.
An Dun — The Fort ; there are traces of such.
Caisteil na Cloinne — The Children's Castle ; a

rock full of holes in which children play.
An Crasg — The crossing ; a ridge crossed by the

road.
Gairloch Hotel — Its site is in G. Achadh Deu-

thasdal, Field of Deuthasdal, an obscure N. word.
An Cachaileath Dearg— The red gate.
Creagan nan Cudaigean— Cuddies' Eock.
Achtercairn — Auchitcairne 1638; G. Achd-a'-

charn, Field of the Cairn ; with hardening of -adh

to -ag in achadh, and contraction.
Leac Roithridh — Eyrie's flag-stone ; in the bay.

Eoithridh is a personal name still in use, and

stories are told of Coinneach mac-Eoithridh.

Cf. Creag-Eoithridh and Toll-Eoithridh.1 The

MacEyries were a sept of the Macdonalds.
Poll an Doirbh— Pool of the hand line ; a deep

pool at the mouth of the stream here. N. dorg.
Loch Airidh Mhic Criadh — G. Loch Airigh Mac-

Griadh, Loch of the shieling of the sons of Griadh.
Strath — G. an Srath.
Mial— Meall 1566 ; Meoll with the mill 1638 ; G.

Miall (two syllables) ; Norse mjo-vollr, narrow

1 The«e hare bten wrongly explained at p. 12.

GAIRLOCH. 227

field. It is the higher ground of which Strath is

the lower ; cf. Miavaig, Lewis.
Smithstown — G. Bail' a' ghobha.
Lonemore -- G. an Lon Mor, the great damp

meadow.
Big Sand and Little Sand — The two Sandis 1638 ;

G. Sannda Mhor agus Sannda Bheag ; N. Sand ;

cf. the common Shandwick or Sandaig. Near Big

Sand is Cathair a Phuirt, Fairy Knoll of the

harbour.

Longa Island — Lunga (Blaeu) ; N. lung-ey, ship-
isle. The passage between it and the mainland is

An Caol Beag, the little narrow.
North Erradale — G. Earradal Shios or Earradal a

Tuath. For the usage of sios, cf. Bailesios above,

and for meaning, South Erradale.
Na Feannagan Glasa — The Green Rigs. Feannag,

from G. feann, flay, was a ' lazy-bed.' (O.S.M.,

Fannachain glas).

Senabhaile — G. an Sean-bhaile, old-town.
Peterburn — G. Alltan Phadraig.

Camas nan Sanndag— Sand-eel Bay.

A* Chipeanoch — The name of the shore lands from
Peterburn (or perhaps from N. Erradale) to
Altgreshan ; a derivative of G. Ceap, a block, a
piece of ground.

Altgreshan— Auldgressan 1638 ; G. Allt Ghrlsean,
i.e., grisionn, or gris-fhionn ; ' Brindled Burn ;'
cf. Inverbreakie.

Melvaig — Malefage 1566; G. Mealabhaig ; N.
melar-vik ; melr denotes bent grass, or a sandy

228 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

hillock overgrown with bent grass ; vik, bay.
From melr we get the G. Mealbhan, sandy dunes
with bent grass, common 011 the west. In Port-
mahomack ' mealbhan ' means bent grass. Also
G. mealach, full of bent grass ; cf. Lochan
Mealaich between Strathy and Armadale, in
Sutherland.

Port nan Amall — Harbour of the yokes.

An Rudha R6idh — The smooth point ; the north-
westerly point of the peninsula.

An t-Seann Sgeir — Old Skerry, is the north point
of Rudha Reidh. The sound of the sea on this
rock is sometimes heard, it is said, in Glen
Docharty, Kinlochewe.

Camustrolvaig — A hybrid ; N. troll-vik, goblin
bay, with G. Camas, a bay, prefixed. It is still
counted a most uncanny place.

Abhainn nan Leumannan— Eiver of the leaps.

Abhainn, river, is often applied to quite a small
stream if its course is comparatively smooth.
Locha Dring — (O.S.M. Loch an Draing) ; Tobar
Dringaig, at its south end, points to the name
being Gaelic ; perhaps a personal name or nick-
name.

Achadh nan Uirighean — Field of the couches or

beds. There is, I think, a Fingalian tale

attached.

Bac an Leith-choin — Moss of the Lurcher.
Fura Island — G. Eilean Futhara; Fura also

heard ; final -a is Norse ey, island ; first part

obscure.

GAIKLOCH. 229

Sgeir Mhaoil-Mhoire— Myles' skerry.

Am Bodha Ruadh — The red sunken rock, a very
dangerous shoal skerry.

Rudha an t-Sasain — A wild promontory just as
one enters the Minch. Sasan is from sas, a hold
or grip, and means metaphorically ' a place or
thing that grips,' i.e., a point difficult to get
past ; or, where lines get entangled.

Cove — G. an Uaghaidh ; the north part of Cove is
Achadh na h-Uaghach, meaning ' Place of the
Cave ' and Field of the Cave respectively.

Smiuthaig — N. Smuga-vik, Cave bay. Am Faithir
Mor and am Faithir Beag, the big and little
shelving declivity ; also Gaineamhach Smiuthaig,
Sands of Smiuthaig.

An t-Eilean Tioram — Dry Island, off the latter.
Creag Bean an Tighe— Housewife's Rock ; a good

place for fishing.
Sguataig — To be connected with Loch Sguata,

which is inland from it. There are three lochs of

this name in Gairloch, all of which have tail-like

ends or promontories, which suggests N. Skuti,

to project. Sguataig is Sguat-bay.
A' Chathair Ruadh— The red fairy knoll.
Stirkhill— G. Meallan a' ghamhna, the Stirk ; an

Gamhainn is a rock.
Inverasdale — Inveraspidill 1566 ; Inverassedall

1569 ; Inveraspedell 1638 ; Inner-absdill (Blaeu) ;

G. Inbhir-asdal, a hybrid ; G. inbhir, estuary ;

N. aspi-dalr, Aspen-dale, from osp, the aspen tree.

The old forms, together with the independent

230 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

authority of Blaeu, prove that the modern Gaelic
is a contraction with compensatory lengthening of
the vowel a.

Coast — G. an t-Eirthire.

Faithir an Roin — Shelving declivity of the seal.

F6ith Chuilisg — Bog of Cuilisg. Cuilisg was a
witch who ran off with the kettle of the Feinne.
Caoilte caught her here, and the kettle spilled in
the struggle, causing the ' feith.' The Fenian
' coire ' was kept in the Feadan mor, the big
runnel.

Brae — A' Bhruthaich ; behind it is an Leith-chreig,
half-rock ; also Creag Chomhaidh.

Loch a* Bhadaidh Shamhraidh— Loch of the little
summer clump. An Gead Dubh, the black rig, is
near Brae ; also Gead a Chois, Rig of the nook.

Naast— The Nastis 1638 ; G. Nast ; doubtful. We
may compare the Irish Naas, derived from nas, a
fair ; t would easily develop. Norse naust, a
boat-place, would land in G. nost, hardly nast,
unless we could suppose a change from o to a.
Also Platach Nast, the flat place of Naast ; and
Dun Nast, Fort of Naast.

Boor — G. Bura ; N. bur-a, bower-stream. Also
Loch Bhiira, from which comes Allt a Chuingleim,
Burn of the narrow leap (Coylum) ; Sgeir Bhura,
Boor skerry. Torran na Cle, ? Hillock of the
Hurdle ; it is haunted. Above Boor is Torr a
Bhiod, Torr of the Point.

Poolewe — G. Poll-iu ; the village is called by the
natives Abhainn Iu< Ewe River. That Loch

GAIRLOCH. 231

Maree was formerly called Loch Ewe is clear from
the facts that the River Ewe issues from it, that
Kinlochewe stands at its upper end, and Letter-
ewe on its north side. Blaeu's map makes it
Loch Ew, yet Lochmaroy 1638. lu is difficult,
but may be Ir. eo, Welsh yw, a yew tree ; cf.
Tobar na h-iu in Nigg.

Tollie— Tolly 1638 ; G. Tollaidh, Place of the Holes ;
there are the farm, bay, rock, burn, and loch of
Tolly. Common ; this Tolly is a place of knolls
and hollows.

Slattadale— G. Sleiteadal; N. Slettr-dalr, Even-
dale.

Talladale — Alydyll 1494 ; Allawdill 1566 ;
Telbadell 1638; G. Tealladal ; N. hjalli-dalr,
ledge-dale ; hjalli is a shelf or ledge in a
mountain side.

Beinn a' Chearcaill — Hill of the circle, from the

lines of stratification running round it like hoops.

Grudie River — G. Abhainn Gruididh ; cf. Grudie,
in Con tin.

Ru Noa — G. Rudh' 'n Fhomhair, Giant's point.

Tagan— Taag 1633; G. na Tathagan ; Fear nan
Tathag, the goodman of Tagan. The singular
nom. is thus Tathag, as in the 1633 spelling, a
diminutive in form, which I take to be a loan
from N. ta£>i, fern., an in-field, homefield. Tathag
thus means the small in-field ; na Tathagan, the
small in-fields.

Anancaun — G. ath-nan-ceann, ford of the heads.

Cromasag — G. an Cromasag for Crom-fhasadh,
bent or crooked dwelling.

232 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Beinn Eighe — File peak, from its serrated outline
as seen from Kinlochewe. The upstanding rocks
which form the teeth of the file are called
Bodaich Dhubh Binn Eighe, the black Carls of
Ben Eay. The sides of this wild mountain are
one mass of shingly screes, ever slipping, whence
it was said

'S i mo run Beinn Eighe,

Dh'fhalbhadh i learn is dh'fhalbhainn leatha.

My love is Ben Eay,

She with me and I with her would go.

A' Ghairbhe — The Garry ; the river from Loch
Coulin ; G. gairbhe, roughness, which describes
it. The Inverness Garry is in Gaelic Garadh.

An Giuthas mor — The great fir wood; a relic of
the indigenous forest. Also Mam a' Ghiuthais,
Breast or round Hill of the Fir-wood.

Bruachaig — Little bank, locative of bruachag. Also
Abhainn Bruachaig, Bruachaig River. Opposite
Bruachaig is Cruchoille, Horse-shoe wood, where
the stream makes a complete bend like a horse-
shoe. Also Catliair CJiruchoille, Fairy knoll of
the same.

Eilean a' Ghobhainn— The Smith's isle, with a
burying-ground. Adjacent is the farm of Culm-
ellan, Back of the Island.

Am Preas Mor — The big thicket ; here preas, which
usually means ' bush,' must mean ' thicket.' It is
a loan from Pictish, and in Welsh means brush-
wood, covert.

GAIRLOCH. 233

Beinn a' Mhuinidh — So called from a waterfall in
its face, called Steall a' Mhuinidh ; cf. the Con-
tinental Piss- v ache.

Fasag — G. am Fasag for fasadh, the dwelling. Also
Abhainn an Fhasaidli, River of the dwelling.
Site of old ironworks.

Claona — G. an claon-ath, the wry ford ; the vowel
of ath is shortened by the strong accent on the
prefixed adjective.

Beinn Lair — To be taken in connection with Ard-
lair ; there are two rocks near this promontory in
L. Maree called an Lair, the mare, and an
Searrach, the foal. The meaning is thus Mare-
hill, and Mare-promontory.

Slioch — G. an Sleaghach ; the adjective ' sleaghach r
is common, in conjunction with ' coire,' a corry ;
and ' ruigh,' a sloping stretch. Here ' sleaghach '
is a noun. The base can hardly be other than
sleagh, a spear, but the application is far from
clear. Slioch is a truncated cone, almost void of
vegetation, with many water-worn gullies on its
steep slopes.

Smiorasair — So in G., where a final -igh has been
dropped ; Blaeu writes Smirsary, and cf. Smeari-
sary, Moidart. Smior is the N. smjor, butter ;
ary is N. erg, shieling, borrowed from G. airigh
at an early stage. The as after smior is all that
remains of some Norse word, which can only be
guessed at. Norse compounds of this type (with
three parts) are specially liable to " telescoping J>
in Gaelic.

234 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

Rigollachy — G. Ruigh-ghobhlachaidh, sloping reach
of the forked field.

Coppachy — G. Copachaidh ; cop means knob, foam ;
probably ' foam-field/ as it is on the shore of Loch
Maree.

Furness — G. an Fhuirneis, the Furnace. There
were extensive smelting works here. Also
Abhainn na Fuirneis, River of the Furnace.

Folais — For fo-ghlais, sub-stream, small stream ;
also Allt Folais, Burn of Fowlis, a reduplication
or tautology which shows that the name Folais
has long ceased to be significant. Cf. Fowlis.

Inishglass — G. an Innis-ghlas, the green haugh.

Meall Bheithinnidh — Probably based on G. beithe,
birch ; also Bealach Bheithinnidh, Gap of the
Birch-place.

Binn Airigh a' Charr— Pronounced quickly with
accent on first and last syllables, and shortening
of a of airigh ; hill of the shieling of the pro-
jecting rock or rock shelf.

Ardlair — G. Ard-lair v. Beinn Lair above.

Poll Uidhe a' Chro— Pool of the water-isthmus of
the fold ; joined to Loch Kernsary by a narrow
neck.

Kernsary — Kernsery 1548 ; G. Cearnai'sar ; of same
formation as Smiorasair, above. The last part is
N. erg, shieling, borrowed from Gaelic ; the first
part may be kjarrii, kernel, denoting also ' the
best part of the land ;' or it may be kjarr, copse.
In the former case the s has to be explained as in
Smiorasair ; the latter theory leaves nas to be
accounted for.

GAIRLOCH. 235

Innisabhaird — G. Innis a' bhaird, the poet's mead.
The poet in question was the ' Bard Sasunnach,'
a descendant of one of the English-speaking iron-
workers on Loch Maree side.

Loch Ghiuragairtaidh also Achadh-ghiuragair-
tidh — Probably from giuran, a plant resembling
the wild hemlock, and gart, an enclosure ; cf.
Achadh-ghiurain in Glenshiel.

Inveran — G. Inbhirean, the little ' inver,' or
estuary, where the water of Loch Kernsary falls
into the lower end of Loch Maree. It does not
seem to have the article prefixed in Gaelic, and
this is the case also with the Sutherland Inveran,
on R. Shin.

A' Phlucaird — The Lump-promontory, a locative
of ploc-aird. Inverewe House, which stands in
its lee, is called Tigh no, Plucaird.

Loch nan Dailthean — Loch of the Dales.

Coille-6agascaig — Wood of Eagascaig, which is
Norse eikir-skiki or eiki-skiki, oak-strip. A1
Ghlac Dharach, the oak dell, is in it, or at least
very near it.

Tmrnaig— Towrnek 1548; G. Turnaig; a difficult
name ; -aig looks like N. vik, bay ; but Turnaig
in Strath Oykell, far inland, is seriously against
it ; and the first part turn is not readily explained
from N. sources. Perhaps locative of G. tuairneag,
a rounded thing ; boss, hillock ; which would suit
the places. Platach Thuirneig, flat of Tuirnaig, is
the stretch of moor between Suil Mill a' CJirotha,
Bog-eye of the hill of the fold, and Loch a

236 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Bliaid Luacliraich, Loch of the Rush-clump.
There are also Loch, Burn, and Point of Tuirnaig.

Cois Mhic 'Ille Biabhaich — Nook or recess of the
son of the brindled lad. Also, JEileach of the
same. Eileach, which usually means a mill -lade,
is used in the west in the sense of an artificial
narrowing of a stream for the purpose of catching
fish by means of the ' cabhuil,' a sort of creel.
There are legends with regard to the worthy
referred to in these and other Gairloch names
which may be found in Mr Dixon's " Gairloch."

An Slugan Domhain — The little deep pit.

Aultbea — In G. an Fhain, the gentle slope, locative
case of am Fan. The real Aultbea, G. Allt-
Beithe, Birch burn, is some little distance from
the village. The Aultbea Coast is In G. an
t-Eirtliire Donn, the brown coast.

Badfearn — G. am Bad-fearna, the alder clump.

Tighnaflline — G. Tigh na Faoilinn, House of the
Shore-field.

Croc nan Culaidhean— Hill of the Boats (O.S.M.
Cnoc nan Columan).

Culchonich — G. a' Chuil-choinnich, mossy nook.

Ormiscaig — G. Ormascaig ; N. orma-skiki, snake
strip ; possibly Ormr, a proper name meaning
' snake.'

Buailnaluib— Fold of the bend.

Mellon Charles — G. Meallan Thearlaich, Charles's
little hill.

Camas nan Dornag — Bay of the rounded pebbles ;
cf. Dornie.

CAIRLOCH. 237

An Fhaithche — Pronounced an Fhothaigh, almost
one syllable ; the green ; also Allt na Faithche,
burn of the green ; cf. Foy Lodge, Lochbroom.

Slaggan — In G. an Slagan odhar, the dun rounded
hollow. Slaggan is the name for the hollow of a
kiln ; for sense cf. Loch Hourn, G. Loch Shuirn,
Kiln-loch. Slaggan is noted as the residence of
the Big Bari of Slaggan, Bard Mor an t-Slagaiu.

Sian na h-Eileig — Sian for sithean, a fairy hillock.
Eileag, I think, was a V-shaped arrangement,
open at both ends, into the wide end of which
deer were driven and shot with arrows as they
came out at the narrow end.

Greenstone Point— Row na Clach-moin (Blaeu) ;
G. Hudha na Cloiche uaine.

Obbenin — G. na h-Obainean, the little bays ; cf.
Oban. Near it is an Fheodhail, a shallow
estuary, a dialectic form of an Fhaodhail, meaning
' an extensive beach ' ; cf. na Feodhlaichean, in
Lochbroom.

An CaiT M6r — The great rocky shelf; also an Carr
Beag and Camas a' Charr, Bay of the rocky
shelf, or projecting rock.

Feith Rabhain — Pronounced, as usual, Rawain ;
rabhan is a very common element in names, often
coupled with feith, a bog-stream ; also with bad,
a clump, e.g., Allt Bad-a-rabhain in Dunrobin
Glen. It has been explained as wrack left by a
spate or tide. But rabhagach means ' certain
weeds at the bottom of a lake or stream,' also,
* water lily,' and rabhan is doubtless practically
the same word.

238 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Udrigle— ? Udroll 1638 ; G. Udrigill (u) : N. litarr-
gil, outer cleft or gully. Also Meallan Udrigle,
little hill of Udrigle.

Am Fiaclachan— The little place of teeth ; sharp
jagged rocks on the shore ; cf. an Fhiaclaich, Coire
na Fiaclaich.

Laid — An Leathad, the broad slope ; Laid House,
G. Tigh an Leathaid ; cf. Laid in Sutherland.

Allt Ormaidh — N. orm-a, snake stream ; also Bad
Ormaidh, copse of Ormy.

Loch na Cathrach Duibhe — Loch of the Black
Fairy Knoll.

Sand — G. Sannda, N. sand-a, sand-stream, as is
proved by the presence of Inbhir-Shamida, estuary
of Sandburn. The burial place is Cladh Inbhir-
shannda.

Am Pollachar M6r — The big place of pools or holes ;
also am Pollachar Beag, and Cois na Pollach-
arach, foot of the place of pools ; for Pollachar
from poll, cf. Beannacliar from beann. Here is
an t-Saothair, a common term on the west,
applied to a bank between an island and the
shore which is bare at low tide, or to a spit of
land projecting into the sea, covered at high tide
and bare at low tide. Probably for saobh-thir,
false-land, i.e., land that is not real dry land.

First Coast — G. an t-Eirthire or an t-Eirthire shios,

Second Coast — G. an t-Eirthire donn, or an t-
Eirthire bhos.

GAIRLOCH. 239

Loch Maoil na h-Eileig — Loch of the round bare
hill of the 'eileag' (O.S.M. Loch Moine Sheilg).

Strathanmore — G. an Srathan mor, Big Little-
strath ; a curious but not uncommon name.

Am Fionn Loch — The white loch.

An Dubh Loch — The black loch ; vowel of dulh
lengthened by accent. Also am Fuar Loch, the
cold loch.

A* Mhaighdean— The maiden ; a hill.

Loch Maree — Lochmaroy 1638 ; Loch Ew, Blaeu ;
G. Loch-Ma-rui(bh), Loch of St Malruba ; v.
Poolewe. In it is Isle Maree, G. Eilean Ma-rui'
with a holy well and ancient burying-ground,
whence, doubtless, the change of name in the case
of the Loch. On the north side is Acti ruigh 'n
fheadhail, Field of the sloping reach by the
shallow water. An old name for the Loch itself
was Loch Feadhal feas,1 but what feas means is
uncertain.

Loch na Fideil — Loch of the ' Fideal,' a certain
dangerous water monster. Near Loch Maree
Hotel.

Glen Docharty — G. Gleann Dochartaich, from the
negative prefix do and cartach, scoury, or place of
scouring; 'Glen of evil (i.e., excessive) scouring/
which describes it well. Cf. the Bivers Cart.

Loch Doire na h-Eirbhe — Loch of the copse of the
fence. An old wall is stated to run from Loch
Maree to Loch Torridon, but I have not ascer-

1 Heard by 0. H. Mackenzie, Esq. of Inverewe, in hia boyhood from aa
old man.

240 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

tained whether it runs near this loch, which is
near the south-west side of Loch Maree.
Cliff— Olive 1638; G. a' Chliubh ; Cliff House, G
Tigh na Cliubha ; there are also Meall na Cliublia
and Bruthach na Cliubha, all at Poolewe. A
very steep rocky hill rises just behind. N. klif,
a cliff, would answer as to meaning, but it appears
in G. as cliof (H.S.D.), which is exactly parallel
to N. rif, a reef ; G. Biof in Coigach.

LOCHBROOM. 241

LOCHBKOOM.

IiOchbroOHl - - Lochbraon 1227 ; Inverasfran et
Loghbren 1275 (Thein Vet. Mon.); G. Loch-
bhraoin. In the uplands is Lochaidh Bhraoin,
where lochaidh can scarcely be other than a
diminutive of Loch ; cf. Lochaidh Nid. From it
flows the river Broom, Abhainn Bhraoin, through
Glenbroom, famed in William Boss's song,
" Bruthaichean Ghlinn Braoin." The name
Broom, G. Braoin, thus primarily applies to the
river ; G. braon, 0. Ir. broen, a drop, shower,
water. There are also R. Broom and Loch
Broom, G. Loch Braoin, in Perthshire ; cf. Brin,
G. Braoin, Inverness ; Fairburn, G. Farabraoin ;
Braonag, a spot by the river side beyond Kilder-
morie.

At the head of Lochbroorn is Clachan Loch-
Bhraoin, the stone Church of Lochbroom, still
the site of the Parish Church ; dedication
unknown.

Crruinnardgarve — G. Gruinneard garbh, rough
Gruineard.

Beinn a* Ohaisgein— There are two hills so called,
Little and Big. Also Feith Chaisgein.

Inveiiavenie River — Inverivanie 1669; G. Inbhir-
riamhainnidh, also Allt Inbhir-riamhainnidh out

16

242 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

of an Gleanna garbh, the rough glen ; riam-
hainnidh is probably based on the root seen in
G. riamh, riadh, a course, running (in modern G.
' a drill '). The suffixes may be compared with
Ptolemy's Lib-nios. A Pictish name.

Fisherfield — G. Innis an lasgaich, of which the
English is a rough translation.

Gruinard River — Flows into Gruinard Bay; N.
grunna-fjb'rtSr, shallow firth. Dabhaoh Ghruin-
neard, the davoch land of Gruineard, is still
heard. On the river is Na Coineasan, the joint-
falls, from con, together, and eas, a fall, a series of
pools and rapids ; cf. Coneas, Allt a' Chonais.

Lochan Giuthais — Fir lochlet, behind Oreag nam
Bord, Hock of the flats.

Guisachan — G. Gitithsachan, place of fir-wood.
Creag Ghiuthsachan, Rock of Guisachan. Cf.
Guisachan in Inverness-shire.

Lochan na Bearta — Lochlet of the deed. Near it
are said to be uamhagan (little caves, holes), that
would hold twenty persons. This seems like a
description of earth -houses. Unfortunately the
place is remote, and those who knew the
uamhagan in their youth are too aged to guide
one to the spot.

Glenmuick — G. Gleann na Muice, glen of the so\v ;
Abhainn Gleann na Muice, River of Glenmuick.

Larachantivore — G. Larach an Tigh-mhoir, site of
the big house ; once a large farm-house.

Lochan a' Ehiaghad — Lochlet of the upper part,

LOCHBROOM. 243

Suidheachail Fhinn — Finn's Seat ; a place like a
long seat, in the north side of Beinn Tarsuinn,
'Cross-hill.

Beinn a' Chlaidheimh — Hill of the Sword.

Loch na Sealg — Loch of the hunts ; Srath na Sealg,
and Abhainn Srath na Sealg, Strath and River of
the Hunts ; cf. Srath na Sealg, Sutherland.

Lochaidh Nid— Lochlet of the nest ; from its situa-
tion ; cf. the Nest in Fannich. There is a farm of
Ned, situated in a hollow, near St Andrews.

Achnegie — Auchanewy 1574, Auchinevie 1633 ; G.
Achd an fhiodhaiclh, Field of the place of wood ;
G. fiodh, fiodhach. It is, or was within living
memory, full of alder and birch.

Eilean nan Ceap — Island of the blocks or tree

stumps.
Shen avail — G. an Sean-bhaile, the Old-town ;

above it is Bac an Aorigh (ao short) ; cf. Bac

an Airidh, near Loch Benncharan.
An t-Siil Liath (3000)— The Gray Heel.
Sgurra Fiona (3474)— ? Wine peak.
An Teallach (3484) — The Forge ; either from its

smoke-like mists, or from some supposed resem-
blance to a forge. The whole group of Bens is

called an Teallaich, locative.
Sp;dean a* Grhlas-tllill — Pinnacle of the green

hole (O.S.M. Bidein a' Ghlas-Thuill).
An Sgurra Ruadh (2493)— The red skerry ; Lochan

Euadh of O.S.M. is Lochan an Diabhaidh,

Lochlet of Shrinking or drying.
Cam na B&Ste— Cairn of the Monster. By it is

Cam a' Choiridh, Cairn of the little corry.

244 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Loch na C16ire — Loch of the Clergy. It flows into
Loch Badcall.

Lochan na Gaoirilt — Lochleb of the Quarry, or
quarry-like face (O.S.M. Lochan na Cairill).

Loch an Eilich — Loch of the eileach, which usually
means a mill-lade, but here a short, shallow,
narrow channel.

Inchina — G. Innis an ath, Haugh or water meadow
of the ford. Below it is Torra Cadaidh, prob-
ably Knoll of Adie's son, Adie being a diminutive
of Adam. Mac-adaidh is an Easter Ross sur-
name or an alternative surname for Munro in
certain families. Of. Eas Cadaidh in Coirevalagan,
Kincardine.

Am Bad Rabhain — Waterweed clump, or water
lily clump ; Allt a' Bhaid Rabhain enters the
sea N. of Gruinard House ; cf. Feith Rabhain in
Gairloch.

Cladh Phris — Burial-place of the bush or copse ; a
disused burying-ground on Isle Gruinard, at the
landing-place S.E. Comas an Fhiodh, wood-bay,
is also on the Isle.

An Eilid — The Hind, a small hill on Isle Gruinard ;
Na Gamhnaichean, the Stirks, are rocks ; An
t-Seanachreag, the old rock, a common name.

Miotag — G. Meideag ; the terminal part is N. vik,
bay, which describes the place ; meid is difficult,
and as there seems to be no single Norse word
which would yield this in Gaelic, it appears to be
the result of " telescoping " with compensatory
lengthening of e. Cf. Inverasdale.

LOCHBROOM. 245

Mungasdale — Mungasdill 1633 ; G. Mungasdal ;
N. Munks-dalr, Monk's dale. Faitliir Mungas-
dail, the shelving slope of M., and Mealbhan
Mungasdail, the links on the shore at the farm ;
N. melr. Sron an Fhaithir MJioir, Point of the
great shelving slope, is on the coast further north.
Faitliir Mungasdail runs from Stattic nearly to
Rudha na Maine, Moss Point.

Stattic Point — G. JStadaig ; -aig is N. vik, bay r
the only N. word that would result in Gaelic
stad is stdt, prudishness, which gives no sense ; cf .
Miotag, above.

Little Loch Broom — G. an Loch Beag. Blaeu has
it as Loch Carlin ; but this name, if it ever
existed, is quite gone.

Badluachrach — G. am Bad luachrach, the clump of
rushes.

Durnamuck — Derymuk 1548, Derynomwik 1574,
Dirinamuck 1633 ; G. Doire nam muc, Swine
copse.

Badcall — G. am Bad-call, the Hazel Clump. Allt
a' Bhaid choill, Burn of Badcall, flows through
Badcall, but does not rise in Loch Badcall.

Badbea— G. am Bad beithe, the Birch Clump.

Ardessie — G. Aird-easaidh, Promontory of Essie,
which latter is perhaps best regarded as a stream
name, meaning Fall-stream. There is a very fine
waterfall on the Ardessie Burn ; rises in Lochan
an Diabhaidh above.

Camasnagaul — G. Camas nan Gall, Lowlanders'
Bav.

246 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Mac 'US Mathair 2293 -- Son and Mother; a

fanciful name for two adjacent hills.
Strathbeg — G. an Srath beag, the Little Strath,

as distinguished from Strathmore at the head of

Lochbroom proper.
Auchtascailt - - Auchadaskild 1548 ; Achadrach-

skalie 1574; Achtaskeald 1633; G. Acha dk

sgaillt, Field of two bald (places) ; G. sgallta,

bald, bare.
Allt Toll 'an Lochain — Burn of the hollow of the

lochlet ; the upper part of Allt a' Mhuilinn,

Mill-burn.
Corryhallie — Corrinsallie ; G, Coire-shaillidh. Corry

of Fatness, from its good pasture.

Gleann Coire Chaorachain— Glen of the corry of

the place of mountain torrents ; cf. Sgurr nan
Caorachan in Applecross.

Cam a' Bhreabadair — The Weaver's Cairn.

An Cumhag — The narrow ; ravine and waterfall ;

cf. Coag ; G. An Cumhag in Kilmuir Easter.
A* Chathair Dhubh— The Black Fairy Knoll;

where the public road crosses the Strathbeg

River.
Meall an t-Sithidh— O.S.M. Meall an t-Sithe ; cf.

Achintee.
Na Lochan Fraoich — The Heather Lochs ; two

lochs joined by a short, narrow, shallow channel,

of which it is said ' tha eileach eatorra.'
Allt Eiginn — Burn of Difficulty; eiginn is applied

to places very rough and difficult of access ; also

Loch Eiginn.

LOCHBROOM. 247

Fain — G. na Feithean, the bog channels.

Cam a* Bhiorain — Cairn of the little sharp point.

Loch ail Airceil — Probably Ir. aircel, a hiding-
place ; loch of the hiding-place. An Airceal was
the name of a croft ; and there is a spot on Loch-
broom Glebe called An Airceal.

Maoil an Tiompain — The bare round hill of the
' tiompan.' A 'tiompan' is a one-sided hillock.
A Chathair bhan, the white fairy knoll.

Creag na Corcurach — O.S.M. Creag Corcurach ;
based on root of Ir. corcach, a bog ; rock of the
boggy places. Torr na Cathrach, Mound of the
fairy knoll ; Brutliach na Gearr(a)choille, Brae
of the short wood ; cf. a' Ghearrachoille, near
Ardgay.

Dundonnell — Auchnadonill 1548,Auehtadonill 1633,
Auchterdoull 1649 ; G. Acha da Domhnaill, Field
of two Donalds. This is the current G. for Dun-
donnell ; but Dun Domhnaill also exists as the
name of a spot near the farm-house. The spot
where the lodge stands is an t-Eilean Daraich,
the Oak Isle.

Preas nam Bodach — Bush or copse of the spectres ;
it is haunted. Am Preas Mdr, the big clump ;
once an alder clump, now a green island with
fringe of alder trees on north side. Both near
Dundonnell House.

Loch na Lagaidh — Loch of the pace of the
hollow. Lagaidh, when it occurs on the west
coast, is fern., and is used with the article ; the

248 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

E. Ross Lagaidh, Logie, has not got the article
prefixed.

Cladh a' Bhord Bhuidhe — Graveyard of the yellow-
flat ; Pairc a Bhord Bhuidhe, Park of the same.

Keppoch — G. a' Cheapaich, the tillage plct ; com-
mon. Also Raon na Ceapaich and Creacj na
Ceapaich, Field and Rock of Keppoch. Sron na
Ceapaich, Point of Keppoch, also called a' Chlach
Cheannli, for Cheann-liath, gray-headed stone ;
cf. Maoil Cheanndearg.

Kildonan — G. Gill Donnain, St Donan's Church.
Corran Chill Donnain, Kildonan Point. Corran
is very common along the west coast in this sense,
and is usually found at the horn of a small bay.
Clqdh Chill Donnain, Kildonan graveyard.

Na Faithriehean— The shelving slopes.

Badrallach — G. am Bad-railleach, the oak clump ;
Ir. ral, oak. Birch and hazel still grow here. A
poisonous plant used to be found here called
' am boinne mear ;' Ir. benri mer, henbane.
Corran a Bhaid-railleach, Badrallach Point.

Allt an Leth Ghlinne — Burn of the half-glen.

Loch na h-Uidhe— Loch of the water-isthmus.

Loch na Coireig — Loch of the little corry.

A' Bheinn Ghobhlach — The forked hill; Bin
Cowloch, Blaeu.

Allt an Uisge Mhath— Burn of the good water.

Rhireavach — G. Euigh' riabhach, dappled hill-
reach.

An Carnach — The stony place, which describes it.

LOCHBROOM. 249*

Sgoraig — N. sgor-vik, rift-bay, from a narrow gully
at the place.

Sgoraig sgreagach, 's dona beag i,

Aite gun dion gun fhasgadh, gun phreas na coille.

Scraggy Scoraig, bad and little ;

A place without protection or shelter, bush or wood.

Mol Sgoraig, Shingle beach of Scoraig. Cam na

Fir Freig (for bhreug), Cairn of the false men ;

fir-breio- are stones on the sky-line, which might

be taken for men ; behind Scoraig.
Cailleach Head — G. Sr6n na Caillich, nun's point;

in O.S.A. Rudha Shanndraig. A1 Chailleach, the

nun, and Bodach a Chleirich, the parson's carl,

are points facing one another.
Camas nan Ruadhag — Crab Bay.
Meall a' Chaoruinn — Rowan Lump, otherwise Stac

Chaoruinn, Rowan Stack ; an island.
Carnasgeir — Cairn-skerry ; for formation cf. Elgin -

tol and Plucaird. There are a cairn and a skerry,

joined at low water.
An Leac Dhonn — The brown flat rock ; a baskiug-

place of seals.
Annat — G. an Annait, the mother- church. Cladh

na h- Annait, Annat graveyard. Annat Bay is

G. Linne na h-Annait, or am Polla Mor.
Giaic an Righ Ghonanaich— Hollow of the ? Strath-

conon King. This may be Torquil Conanach, son
of Rory Macleod of the Lewis, so called because
he was brought up in Strathconon. This Torquil,
who was rightful heir to the Lewis, flourished in

250 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND OHOMARTY.

the latter half of the 16th century, and might
have been styled ' king ' by the people of the west.

An Talla — The Hall ; a point with site of a tower
occupied by Righ an Talla Dheirg, the king of
the red hall.

Achmore — G. an Acha' Mor, big field.

Badacrain — G. Bad nan Cnaimhean, Clump of the
Bones ; otherwise Badaidh nan Cnaimhean.
Near it is Stall an t-Sagairt, Priest's Rock, about
which there is a tradition that a certain stone is
to fall on a priest passing in a boat.

Camas a' Mhaoraich — Shell-fish bay; Cammez
Murie, Blaeu.

Altnaharrie — G. Allt na h-Airbhe (or Eirbhe),
Burn of the wall or fence ; it comes from Loch na
h-Airbhe, Loch of the Fence. The fence or wall
in question runs along by the north end of the
loch, and so on towards Maoil na h-Eirbhe, Hill
of the Fence. It is a very old wall, composed of
sods and stones. G. Airbhe or eirbhe is O. Ir.
airbe, meaning (l) ribs (2) fence; and is not
uncommon in northern place-names ; cf. Camas
na h-Eirbhe and Loch Doire na h-Eirbhe in Gair-
loch ; Loch Doire na h-Eirbhe in Coigach ;
Altnaharra, G. Allt na h-Eirbhe, in Sutherland.
At all these places similar old walls exist, and
their antiquity may be gauged from their appear-
ance, as well as from the fact that the word eirbhe
is quite obsolete in the north, and that there is
no tradition as to the purpose of them.

LOCHBROOM. 251

Logie — Logy 1548 ; G. an Lagaidh, the place of the
hollow. Here is Dim na Layaidh, Fort of Logie,
a broch in a very ruinous condition. The
current in the narrows here is called Sruth na
Lagaidh.

Blarnalevoch — G. Blar na Leitheoch, Plain or
moor of the half-place, i.e., place between hill and
loch. But I have got also Blar-na-leamhach,
Elmwood plain ; cf. an Leithead Leamhach in
Kincardine.

Eliroy — G. an Ruigh Huadh, the red hill-reach.
Here is Dun an Ruigh Ruaidh, Fort of the red
slope (O.S.M. Dun an Bigh Buaidh), a broch of
about 40 feet internal diameter, with its first
storey gallery in very fair preservation. Very
large stones have been used in it all round. Its
north side is on the very edge of a precipitous
rock, and it stands between two burns, each less
than 100 yards distant from it.

Ardindrean— G. Ard an Dreaghainn, Thorn-point.

Letters — G. an Leitir, the hill-side slope.

Strathmore — G. an Srath mor, the big Strath, at
the head of Lochbroom. This is the Strathmore
of the well-known Gaelic chorus which ends —

Gur b6idhcach an comunn

'Th' aig coinneamh 'n t Srath-mhoir.

The words of this chorus, which are best known
through the famous song beginning ' Gur gile mo
leannan,' were composed by Mrs Mackenzie of
Ballone, now In ver broom ; G. Bail' an Loin,
Stead of the damp meadow.

252 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

CroftOWn— G. Bail' na Oroit.

Achlunachan — Aglonoquhan 1548, Achnaglowna-
chane 1574, Auchlownachan 1633, Auchalunachan
1669. Achaglounachan, Blaeu ; G. Ach-ghluinea-
chairi and Acha-liiinneachain, of which the former
is the better form ; G. gluineach, kneed, jointed,
applied to grasses with jointed stalks ; Field of
the jointed grass.

Gar Van — G. an Garbhan, the rough place.

Achindrean — Auchquhedrane 1543, Auchindrewyne
1574, Auchindrein 1633; Thorn-field.

Meall a' Ghrasgaidh 3062— Hill of the crossing.

A' Chailleach 3276 — The Nun, or the old woman.

Abhainn Dhroma — From Loch Droma, Ridge Loch,
on the watershed. Otherwise Dubhag.

Corryhalloch — G. Coire-shalach, Ugly Corry, the
tremendous chasm near Braemore House. The
fine waterfall at the bridge which spans the
ravine is Easan na Miasaich, the waterfalls of
the place of platters ; the ' platters ' are the great
pot-holes worn by the action of the water. (Falls
of Measach).

Meall Leacachain— Hill of the place of flagstones ;
also Leathad Leacachain, Hillside of Leacachan.
There is a tale attached to it which is too long to-
repeat.1

Dirriemore — G. an Diridh Mor, the great ascent.

Beinn Eunacleit — O.S.M. Benin Aonaclair; N.
Enni-klettr, Brow-cliff; cf. Eriaclete.

Braemore — G. am Braigh' Mor, the big upper part.

1 V. Guide to Ulkpool and Lochbroom.

LOCHBROOM. 253

Fasagrianach — G. an Fhasadh-chrionaich ; na
Fasadh-chrionaich (genitive) ; Eotten-tree Stead ; <
the compound takes the gender of the latter part
crionaich, feminine ; fasadh is masculine. The
formation is common, especially in the West ;
cf. an Lon-roid, an t-Allt-giuthais.

Diollaid a' Mhill Bhric— Saddle of the speckled
hill (meall).

Glackour — G. a' Ghlaic odhar, the dun hollow.

Inverbroom Lodge or Foy Lodge — G. an Fhoth-
aith ; Tigh na Fothai', a weakened form of faithche,
a green, a lawn ; cf. Baile na Foitheachan, Stead
of the green places or lawns (wrongly explained
supra, p. 25).

Inverlael — Innerlauell 1608; Inner laall, Blaeu ;
G. Inbhir Lathail ; N. Lag-hoi, Low hollow, with
G. Inbhir, confluence ; near the place where
B. Lael enters Lochbroom.

Grleann na Sguaib -- Known locally as GJeann
Mhic-an-Aba, Macnab's Glen. The O.S.M. name
I have not been able to verify.

Sgurr Eideadh nan Clach Geala — Garment- of-
white-stones Peak ; sgurr is defined by the
whole following phrase, to which it stands in
apposition.

Ard nan Long — Promontory of the ships ; the
anchorage at the head of Lochbroom.

Ardcharnaich — Ardhernich 1666 ; G. Ard-Cheath-
arnaich, Champion's Promontory. Corran Ard-
cheatharnaich, Ardcharnaich Point.

Haonachroisg — G. Raon a' chroisg, Field of the

254 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Leckmelm — Lachmaline 1548 ; Lochmalyne 1574 ;
Lekmaline 1633 ; Leach Maillinim, Blaeu. G.
Leac Mailm ; leac, a flag-stone, a flat stone over
a grave ; Mailm, the old forms of which all show
n, is probably the name of a man who was buried
here ; cf. "the battle of Liacc Maelain," Ann. of
Ulster, 677 A.D.

Beinn Eildeach — Hill of hinds ; eildeach contracted
for eilideach. Under it is Leac Mhor na Cle.

Corry — G. an Coiridh, the little corry ; it is a little
hollow. Also Corry Point.

Braes of Ullapool — G. Bruthaichean Ullabuil.

Gadcaisceig — G. Gead-caisceig, narrow rig or lazy-
bed of Caisceig.

Ullapool— Ullabill (Bleau) ; G. Ullabul, N. Ulli-
bolsta'Sr, Ulli's stead.

Calascaig — N. Kali-skiki, Kali's strip ; at the foot
of Loch Achall. Maol Chalascaig, Bare hill of
Calascaig, about a mile east of Ullapool. Leathad
Chalascaig, broad hill-side of Calascaig, on south
side of Loch Achall. Blaeu has Avon Cliallas-
caig flowing into the loch.

Loch Achall — G. Loch Ach-challa, also Loch Ach-
a-challa, Loch of the field of hazel, G. call. Also
Gleann Loch-Achalla, Glen of Achall.

Poll-da-ruigh — Hollow of two hill-slopes ; near
Ullapool. One slope rises up to Cnoc na Croiche,
Gallows Hill.

Rhidorroch — G. an Euigh dhorcha, the dark hill-
slope.

LOCHBROOM. 255

Allt Chill-6iteachan, behind Ullapool, in the

Rhidorroch direction. The name implies an

ancient chapel. Cf. Carn-eite, Kintail.
Meall na Mocheirigh— Hill of the early rising;

or perhaps rather of the achievement that comes

of early rising.
Douchary — G. Duchairidh for dubh-chatharaigh,

place of black broken moor ; common. Also Glen

Donchary and River Douchary.
Glastullieh — So Blaeu ; Green hillock.
Morefield — G. a' Mhor-choille, the great wood.

Morefield Cottage is an Ceanna-chruinn, the

round head.
Allt an t-sratliain — Burn of the little strath ;

O.S.M. Allatyrne Burn.
Rudh' Ard a' Chadail — Point of Ardachadail, which

again means Sleep-promontory.
Cull a' Bhodha — Nook of the reef; a good fishing

bank. O.S.M. Cul Bo.
Ard na h-Eigheamh — Promontory of shouting (for

the ferry-boat).
Isle Martin — G. Eilean Mhartainn ; a burial place

in it is Cladh Eilein Mhartainn.
Ardmair — G. Ard Mheara, Finger promontory ;

with fine beaches. The spit of land projecting

into the sea and covered at high tide is called an

Saothair.
Keanchilish — G. Ceann a' Chaolais, Head of the

Narrows or Kyle ; at entrance to Loch Kanaird.

South of it is Glutan, ' throat ' — a gorge.

256 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Loch Kan air d — L. Cannord. Blaeu ; G. Loch
Oaiimeart ; N. kami-fjor'Sr, Can-firth ; the Can
was doubtless the broch, now ruinous, near the
entrance to the loch on its western side, called
still Dun Canna. Its can-like shape struck the
Norsemen,1 as did the can-like peak of the chief
hill in Raasay, also called in Gaelic Dun Canna,
in English Dun Can.

Pollachoire — G. Poll a' Choire, Cauldron pool.

Duasdale — G. Dubh-astail, black dwelling ; also
Burn of Duasdale.

Loch a* Ohroisg— Loch of the crossing.

Rapag — Noisy place ; Allt Rapag, Noisy Burn.

Meall a' Bhuirich— Hill of bellowing (of stags).

Langwell — N. lang-vollr, long-field.

Ach nan Cairidhean — Field of the tidal weirs ;
O.S.M. Achnacarnean.

Drienach — G. an Droighneach, place of thorns.

Achendrean — G. Ach' an Dreaghainn, Field of
thorns.

Blughasary — G. Blaoghasairigh (ao short), or
Bladhasairigh ; to be divided Blaogh (or Bladh)-
as-airigh ; for airigh cf. Kernsary , Smiorasair,
Meall Andraraidh ; as may well stand for N. hus,
a house ; the first syllable is doubtful ; it requires
a N. blag- or bleig-, which is not forthcoming.

Drumrunie — G. Druima Raonaidh, also Abhainn
Raonaidh. Raonaidh is probably the stream
name ; ' River of the upland plain.'

1 This goes to prove, if additional proof were needed, that the brochs are
pre-Norse.

LOCHBROOM. 257

Loch Lurgainn — Shank Loch ; there is a Fingalian
tale attached explanatory of the name. Fiona
and his mother came to blows with some giants in
the Garve direction, and as he was getting the
worst of it he seized his mother by the legs, threw
her over his shoulder, and fled westwards. He
stopped at this loch, and on taking the old lady
down, found he had only the shanks of her, which
he threw into the loch. A more rationalistic
explanation may be found in the fact that the
loch has an outlet at both ends.

Loch a' Chlaiginn — Skull loch ; claigeann is com-
monly applied to a knob-shaped hill.

Loch Eadar da Bheinn — Loch between two hills.

Na Beannanan Beaga— The little hillocks.

Coigeach — Cogeach 1502; Ladocchogith 1508;
Coidgeach, 1538; Coygach, Blaeu ; G. a' Ch6ig-
each, Place of fifths ; for which use of coig cf. the
five Coig's in Strathdearn, Coig na Fearna, &c.
Division of land into fifths is a common and
ancient Gaelic practice, the best known fifths
being the five fifths of Erin — coig coigimh na
h-Eirinn.1 Tradition makes the five-fifths of
Coigach to have been Achnahaird, Achlochan,
Acheninver, Achabhraighe, and Achduart — the
five Ach's, ' na coig achaidhean,' and this is the
local derivation of the name.

1 A Gaelic saying has it, " Tha coig cdigimh an Eirinn, agus tha e<5ig
o<5igimh an Srath-e'irinn ; ach 's fearr aon coigeamh na h-Eirinn ; na cdig
c<5igimh Srath-e"irinn ;" there are five-fifths in Erin and five-fifths in Strath -
erin ; but better is one fifth of Erin than the five fifths of Stratherin (Strath-
dearn).

17

258 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Creag Mhor na Coigich — The great rock of

Coigach ; In it is Allt nan Coisichean, Burn of the
walkers, a resting place on the way to Ullapool

Coulnacraig— G. CM na Creige, Back of the Eock.

Achduart — G. Achadh Dubhard, Black-point Field.
Duart is a common name. Rudha Dubh-ard,
Duart Point.

lolla Bheag — The little fishing rock ; also An lolla
Mhor.

Horse Sound — G. Caolas Eilean nan Each.

Horse Island — G. Eilean nan Each.

Acheninver — G. Achd an Inbhir, Field of the
estuary.

Achabhraigh — G. Achd a' Bhraighe, Field of the
Upper part.

Badenscallie — Badskalbay 1617 ; Badinscally,
Blaeu ; G. Bad-a-Sgalaidh, Clump of the place of
•pectres ; Ir. Seal, spectre. Cf. Bo than Bad-
sgalaidh beyond Kildermorie, a place notoriously
haunted. Local tradition derives the name from
Sgal, one of the three brothers who first settled
Coigach. The second was ' an Gille Buidhe,' the
Yellow Lad5 who settled at Achiltybuie. The
name of the third I failed to learn. They used to
meet at a great stone in the moor about equi-
distant from the three, called Clack na Comhalach,
Try sting- IStone.

Polglass — G. am Poll glas, the green hollow.
Achlochan — G. Achd an Lochain, Field of the little

pool.'
Eudh' an Dunain — Point of the little fort.

LOCHBROOM. 259

Achiltibuie — Badincarbatakilvy 1617 (read t for c) ;
Achamuilbuy, Blaeu. The Gaelic is heard as
Achd-ille-bhuidhe, Aichilidh bhuidhe, Achill
bhuiclhe. Local tradition derives as ' Field of
the yellow lad/ or * Cave (faic) of the yellow
lad," and there are tales of the Gille Buidhe.
But this is probably mere popular etymology,
and it is to be feared that the first of the three
Gaelic forms is a popular corruption to suit the
story. The other two are similar to Achilty
in Contin G. Achillidh, and may show the same
root as Welsh uchel, high ; cf. Oykell, Ochil.

Badentarbet — Badintarbat 1617 ; G. Bad an
Tairbeirt, Clump of the Portage ; the lochs
behind it are separated by a narrow neck, across
which boats would be hauled.

Polbain — G. am Poll ban, the white hollow.

Dorney — Dorny 1617 ; G. an Dbirnidh, the place
of rounded pebbles. The real old Dorney, G. an
t-Seann Doirnidh, is opposite Isle Ristol, to which
it stands in the same relation as the Kintail Dornie
to Ellandonan. There are here also rounded
pebbles, and Meall na Sgriodain, Hill of the
Scree, comes down to the water's edge ; v. Dornie
in Kintail.

Summer Isles — G. na h-Eileanan Samhraidh. The
chief of these follow, the last being Isle Ristol.

Tanera — G. Tannara (Tawnnara) ; N. hnfnar-ey,
with usual prefixed t, Harbour-isle. The anchor-
age, G. an acarsaid, on the eastern side of Tanera,
is well known on the west for its security. There

260 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

is another Tanera on the east of Lewis, near the
Birken Isles.
Ardnagoine — G. Ard nan Gaimhne, Promontory of

the Stirks ; from its good pasture.
Caolas a* Mhuill Ghairbh — Narrow of the rough
Mull or promontory ; N. muli, a jutting crag ; cf.
Mull of Kintyre.

Sgeir Ribhinn — Lady Skerry ; O.S.M. Sgeir Revan.
Sgeir Neo-ghluasadach — Immovable skerry ; Fast-
skerry.

Na Feadh'laichean — The shallow sandy channels
between na Sgeirean glasa, the green skerries,
and Cam Deas, South Cairn, and between the
latter and Cam lar, West Cairn ; pi. of feadhail,
a variant of faodhail, an extensive beach.
Bottle Island — G. Eilean a Bhotuil ; otherwise
Eilean Druim-briste, Broken-backed Isle ; there
is a depression in the middle.
Priest Island — G. an Cle'ireach ; the Cleric (never

Eilean a' Chl&rich).

A' Mhullagraich — ? The place of bumps, or knolls.1
Isle Ristol — G. Eilean Kuisteil ; on the mainland
opposite is Allt Ruisteil, Histol Burn, which
suggests that the original Histol was on the main-
land ; N. hryss-dalr, Mare dale.
Altandow — G. an t-Alltan dubh, the little black

burn ; name of a township.

Reiff— Reiff 1617 ; G. an Rif (as Eng. riff), the
reef; N. rif, a reef. The reef here is called
Bogha a Bhuraich, Eeef of the bellowing.

1 Mullagraeh occurs as an adjective, meaning, apparently, ' full of pro-
tuberances,' in the Poems of Egan O'Rahilly (Irish Texts Society, Vol. III.).

LOCHBROOM. 261

Loch na Totaig — Loch of the ruined homestead.

Faochag — G. an Fhaochag, ' the wilk,' a quaint
name. Camas na Faochaige, Faochag Bay.

Rudha na Coigich — Coigach Point.

Camas Coille — Wood bay.

Achnahaird — Auchnahard 1617; G. AchacTh na
h-Aird, Field of the Aird. The Aird, or pro-
montory, of Coigach, is a large district.

Loch Raa — L. Rha, Blaeu ; G. Loch Ra, Eed Loch ;
N. rau'Sr, red.

Loch Battachan — G. Loch nam Badachan, Loch of
the copses.

Garvie Bay — G. Garbhaidh, seems to be the name
of the stream from Loch Osgaig which enters the
sea here ; Rough River ; cf. Garry. There is also
Loch Garvie, a widening of the stream before it
reaches the sea.

Loch Osgaig (6) — N. oss-skiki, Outlet-strip. O.S.M.
Loch Owskeich.

Loch Bad a' Ghaill — Lowlander's-clump Loch.

Aird of Coigach — Dauachnahard 1617 (Dabhach
na h-Airde) ; G. airde na Coigich, Promontory
of Coigach.

Loch na Sails — Loch of the Heel ; from its shape.

Beinn an Eoin — Hill of the bird.

River Polly — G. Abhainn Phollaidh ; also Srath
Phollaidh, Strathpolly ; Inbhir-Phollaidh, Inver-
polly. Pollaidh is a river name, with the common
river termination : River of Pools, or Holes.

Loch Sianascaig — N. sjonar-skiki, Observation
strip. O.S.M. Loch Skinaskink.

262 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Cuthaill Mhor and Cuthaill Bheag— The latter

part is N. fjall, a hill ; first part obscure. The
names recur in the parish of Urray, where I have
doubtfully suggested kua-fjall, Cow-fell. More
probably kvi-fjall, Pen-fell, Fold-fell ; cf. Cuidha-
shader, p. 270.

Euighgrianach — G. Ruigh-ghrianach, Sunny slope.

Elver Kirkaig — Abhainn Chircaig ; also Loch
Kirkaig and Inverkirkaig ; N. kirku-vik, Church-
bay.

Cuil na Bioraich — (O.S.M. Cuil na Beathrach);
nook of the dog-fish (possibly of the heifer).

Loch Veyatie — L. Meaty (Blaeu) ; G. Loch
Mheathadaidh ; for the first part may be com-
pared the numerous Lewis names in meatha-,
from N. mjo, narrow ; terminal -aidh is probably
N. a, river, d being all that remains of the noun
qualified by mjo ; ' the river of the narrow - - ? '
The loch would naturally be called after the
river.

Loch Doire na h-Airbhe — Loch of the copse of the
wall. An old wall runs near the loch ; cf. Altna-
harrie. O.S.M. Loch na Doire Seirbhe.

Loch an Arbhair — Loch of the Corn ; O.S.M. Loch
na Darubh. This loch and Loch a' Choin, Dog-
loch, have got transposed on the one-inch O.S.M.

Loch Call nan Uidhean — Hazel-loch of the
isthmuses ; there are four isthmuses round it.
O.S.M. Loch Call an Uigean.

LEWIS. 263

LEWIS.

The name of Lewis or Lewg, Gaelic Leodhas, or
popularly Leodh's, appears in the Norse sagas as
Lj6iShus1 and Lj6;Sus2 ; and the contemporary
Gaelic form Le6dus is found in an Irish MS. of
1 1 50. 3 Only another instance of the name occurs,
and this was the name of a town not far from
Gothenburg, in Sweden, latterly known as
Lodose. This fact shows that the name is not
special to either island or town. The attempts to
derive it from Gaelic sources, such as Martin's
(1700) leog, a marsh, have naturally failed. The
latter part of the name is plainly Norse hus, a
house, but — and this is very unusual — there is
quite a plethora of root and stem forms available
to explain the phonetics of the first part. Pro-
fessor Munch favoured " the sounding house "
(hlj(f6, sound) : " people's house " (ljo<$-) is just
possible ; the real meaning seems best found in
Ljo'Sa-hus, " house of songs or lays," in short a
ceilidh house. A farm-house or such devoted to
more or less public entertainment, first must have
given its name to a district and then to the whole
island. Norse- Gaelic phonetics will not suit the
favourite derivation of the Lewis scholars, viz.,

1 Magnus (c. 1100 A.D.) and Orkney Sagas. s Hacon Sag*-
3 Book of Leinster.

264 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Ljot-hus, " Leod's House," because the t of Ljot
regularly becomes hard d. Its " higher parts"
were called Hin Haerri, and later made into the
Gaelic form of Na Hearradh, Englished Harris.

We shall first take in alphabetical order the
chief Norse words that enter into the composition
of names in Lewis.

d, river : the River Creed or Greeta ; G. Gride ;
grjot-a, shingly, gritty river ; Torray, Thor-a,
Thori's water ; Laxay, Lax-a, salmon river ;
Gisla, G. Giosla, gisl-a, ? hostage river, but Gisl
is also a proper name ; Avik, a-vik, river bay, at
the mouth of the Galsori river; Eirera, eyrar-a,
beach river.

boer, stead, town — very rare; JEoropie, G. Eorrabaidh,
beach- town ; Crumby, G. Crumbaidh, Krum's
town.

Bakki, a bank ; G. bac ; hence the district of Back ;
Tabac, G. Tabac, t-ha-bakki, High Bank ; Baca-
vat, N. bakka-vatn, Ridge-loch.

Bekkr, brook — Bee- amir, bekk-hamarr, the rock by
the stream.

Beit, pasture land — Beid-ic, pasture bay ; Beid-ic-
ean, pasture bays, at Cabag, Lochs.

Bolsta^r, a homestead, appears in Bosta, Bernera.
It is very common as -bost, at the end of names.
Garrabost for Geira-bolstacSr, comes most prob-
ably from geiri, a goar or triangular strip of land.
Shawbost, G. Slabost, sja-holsta'Sr, Sea-stead;
Melbost, G. Mealabost ; melr, bent grass, or a
sandhill grown over with bent ; Link-stead ;

LEWIS. 265

Swanibost, G. Suaineabost, Sweyn's stead ; Leur-
bost, G. Liurbost, clayey stead (leir, clay) ; Cross-
bost, Cross-stead, Rood-stead ; Calabost, from
kald, cold, possibly from Kali, a proper name ;
Habost, high stead ; also as Tabost.

Borg, a fort — Borve or Borgh is in Barvas ;
Boranish in Uig, borgar-nes, fort-ness ; Boreray,
borgar-ey, fort-isle ; Dun-bhuirgh ,, a hybrid where
dun is tautological.

Biffi, a booth, genitive bu<5ar — Putharol, bii'Sar-hol,
hill of the booth, at Roineval ; Tom Phutharol at
Gisla ; in the Flannan Isles is Mas Phutharol,
buttock of Puarol ; Gearraidh Phutharol is east
of Eristadh in Uig. Putharam, bu<5ar-holm,
island of the booth, in Loch Roag. (Cleite)
Putharamarr, bucSar-hamarr, the rock of the
bothy. These examples all agree in the change
from b to p.

Dalr, a dale — Dell, G. Dail, the dale, with its
divisions, Dail o' dheas, South Dell, and Dail o'
thuath, North Dell ; Laxdale, G. Lacasdail, lax-
ar-dalr, salmon-river dale ; Dibidale, G. Diobadail,
deep dale ; Raonadail, reyni-dalr, rowan -dale ;
Swordale, G. Suardail, from svorcfr, sward, grassy
dale ; Suaineagadail, from Sveinki, a derivative
of Sveinn, Sweynki's dale ; Bruadale, bru-a-dalr,
bridge-river dale ; Eoradale, G. Eorradal, eyrar-
dalr, beach -dale, cf. Erradale ; Lundale, G. Lun-
dal, hlunn-dalr, roller-dale (hlunnr was a roller
for launching ships ; also, a piece of wood put
under a ship when beached in winter) ; Capadal,

266 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

kappa-dalr, champion's dale ; Ulladale, Ulli's
dale ; Langadale, long dale.

Egg, an edge, ridge — Eig bheag and Eig mhor,
little ridge and big ridge at Bragar moor ; Druim
na h-Eige, back of the ridge (a tautology), at
Galson. Apt to be confused with G. eag, a notch.

Ey, an island — appears terminally as -a, -ay, G.
-aidh. Orasay (a common name) is Orfris-ey,
ebb-isle, an island which is joined to the mainland
at low tides ; the Gaelic equivalent is Eilean
Tioram, Dry Island ; Bernera, Bjorn's isle ;
Vatersay, vatns-ey, water-isle ; Berisay, bergs-ey,
precipice-island ; Captain Thomas' byrgis-ey does
not suit the phonetics. It was on the rock of
Berisay that Neil Macleod made his three years'
stand (1610-1613), before he was ultimately
captured and executed.1 Risay, hris-ey, brush-
wood isle ; Rosaidh, hross-ey, horse-isle ; Eilean
Tkorraidh, Thori's isle ; Pabay, priest's isle ;
Rona, hraun-ey, rough isle ; Stangraidh, stangar-
ey, pole-isle ; Flodday, fljot-ey, float isle ;
Tannray, t-hafhar-ey, haven -isle, cf. Tanera ;
Vuya, G. Eilean Bhuidha, bu-ey, house isle ;
Valasay, ? hvalls-ey, whale isle.

Eyrr, a beach — Eoropie, G. Eorrabaidh, eyrar-boer,
beach-town ; Earshader, beach -settl ement (saetr) ;
JEarrabhig, eyrar-vik, beach bay ; Eirera, beach-
river.

Fit, meadowland by the seaside or by a river —
fidi-gearraidh, Fitja-gerSr, the enclosed meadow
land ; Fidi-geodha, the cove of the pasture land.

1 Gregory, History of the Western HigJdands, p. 336.

LEWIS. 267

Fjara, ebb-tide — Feori-seadar (Fjori-shader), fjoru-
setr, the shieling by the ebb-tide.

Fjdll, a fell, a hill — terminal as -vol. -al, -bhal ;
Hestaval, hesta-fjall, horse or stallion hill ;
Cleitshal, rocky hill, from klettr ; Grinnabal,
green hill ; Mealasbhal, 1 Link-stead fell ; Soval,
saucSa-fjall, sheep-fell ; Cracabhal, kraku-fjall,
crow-fell ; Rdineval, hraun-fjall, rough-ground
fell ; Suainebhal, Sweyn's fell.

FjdySr, a firth — Loch Seaforth, G. Loch Sithphort,
sja-fjor'Sr, sea-firth ; Loch Hamasord, G. Loch
Chainasort, hvamms-fjorSr, firth of the grassy
slope ; Eilean lubliard or Eu-ord, ey-fjor'Sr, isle-
firth (transferred from the firth to the island).

Fors, a waterfall — Abhainn an Fhorsa, Fall river ;
Forsnaval, Fall fell ; Forsnavat, Fall loch, both
with suffixed article.

Gas, goose — Gais'a-murr or Gashamurr, goose rock ;
Gas-cleite, Gasclete, goose-cliif ; Gas-sker, goose-
skerry : Gasaval, goose-fell or hill.

Gjd, a cleft — borrowed into Gaelic as geodha ; from
the genitive plural gjar we get Gidhur-ol, hill of
the rift or chasm.

Gljufr, an abrupt descent in the bed of a river,
becomes Globhur ; Loch a Ghlobhuir (O.S.M.
Loch a' Ghluair), loch of the abrupt descent. It
also appears to take the form gleadhar with a
Gaelic plural from Gleadhairean ; Gleann Ghleadh-
arean, in Carloway twice.

Grof, a pit — Terminally gro, a very common stream
ending ; probably originally applied to streams

268 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

which cut their way through peat, cf. mo-grof, a
peat trench ; Allagro, eels' stream ; Clisgro,
klifs-gro, stream of the cliff ; Hallagro, hallr, a
slope, stream of the slope ; Hundagro, stream of
the dogs ; Molagro, stream of the pebbly beach ;
Fidigro, the stream of the meadow land ; fit
means meadow land by the seaside or by a river ;
Allt Miagro, narrow stream, allt being pleonastic.

Hals, neck, becomes in Gaelic hais, I being dropped
before s ; Gob Hais, point of the neck, at North
Tolsta, where there is a neck between a rock and
the land.

Hla"6a, to load — Lathamur, hla'S-hamarr, loading
rock, a projecting rock where ships could be
loaded. It is also applied to steep rocks on the
moor.

Holl, a hill — Toll, the hill, in Barvas and elsewhere ;
Tollar, a ridge at Laimishader, shows the plural
hollar, the hills.

Holmr, a holm, islet, appears in Gaelic as Tolm,
whence Duntuilm, in Skye ; terminally it shrinks
to (a)m. Craigeam, kraku-holmr, crow-isle ;
Greinam, green isle ; Lingam, heather-isle.

Holt, rough hill ground — Erisolt, Erik's rough
pasture or outrun ; Neidalt, neyt-holt, the rough
cattle outrun ; Sgianailt, skjona-holt, the holt of
the dappled horse.

Hross, a horse — Rossay, hross-ey, horse-island, cf.
Eilean nan Each ; Rosnish, horse point, both at
Marvig ; Rossol, hross-holl, horse-hill, at Gress ;
Rosnavat, loch of the horses, on Laxdale Moor,
with the article suffixed ; Rosmul, hrossa-miili,

LEWIS. 269

the ridge of the horses ; Rosgil, at back of Cross-
host, the gulley of the horse.

Klettr, a rock, cliff — Loch Rahadeit, rau'Sr-klettr,
red-cliff ; Breacleit, from breicSr, broad-cliff ;
Breasclete, brei3-ass-klettr, broad-ridge cliff;
Enaclete, enni-klettr, brow-cliff; Loch Mheatha-
cleit, mjo-klettr, narrow-cliff; Sgiobacleit, skipa-
klettr, ship-cliff; Eacleit, ey-klettr, island cliff;
Haclete and Taclete, ha-klettr, high-cliff.

Kuml, a mound, burial place (Lat. cumulus) —
Traigh Chumtl, beach of the cairn.

Mjo, from mjor, narrow — Miagro, G. Meathagro,
narrow stream ; Meathadal, or Miadal, the narrow
dale ; Meathanish, or Mianish, the narrow ness ;
Meathacleit, the narrow cliff; Miasaid, at Loch
Langavat and Loch Skibacleit, is for mjo-sund,
narrow sound ; also Cnoc a' Mhiasaid at Raanish.

Myrk, dark — Mircavat, dark loch, cf. Gael. Dubh-
loch ; Mircol, dark hill, at Valtos ; Uamha
Mhircol, cave of the dark hill, at Uig.

Nes, a ness, cape — Shilldinish, silda-nes, herring-
point ; Steinish, stone - point ; Roishnish, hross-
nes, horse-point; Aignish, egg-nes, ridge or
edge point ; Stathanis, stodvar-nes, harbour-
point ; Callanish or Callernish, derived by Captain
Thomas from kjalar-nes, keel-ness ; but as there
is no trace of the kj sound in the Gaelic pronoun-
ciation, this must be regarded doubtful ; Aird
Thoranish, Thori's point ; Dun Bhorranish.
from Borgar-nes, fort-promontory ; Breidhnis,
broad ness ; Ranish, roe ness ; Linish, flax ness ;
Phenish, fe-nes, sheep-ness ; Griamanais, Grim's

270 PLACE-NAMES OF BOSS AND CROMARTY.

ness ; Arnish, eagle-ness ; Drobhmish, from drofn,
spotted ness ; Bratanish, from brattr, steep ness ;
Altanish, from alft, swan, swan -ness ; Rudha
Robhanish (the Butt of Lewis), from rof, an
opening, Hole-ness — with reference to the " Eye
of the Butt."

Neyti, from naut, cattle — Neidelan, neyti-land,
cattle land, at Shader, Barvas, and Mealista ;
Neadavat, neyti-vatn, cattle loch ; Naidaval,
cattle hill; Neadaclif, the cattle's cliff; Neidal,
at North Tolsta, cattle dale.
Papi, priest — Pabbay. priest's isle ; Bayble, priest's

town.
Sandr, sand — Sandwich, G. Sandabhaig, sandy bay ;

Sandavat, sandy loch.

Sauftr, a sheep — Soval, sauQa-fjall, sheep-hill, thrice
in Lochs ; (Gearraidh) Shoais, sau'Sa-ass, ridge of
the sheep ; Soray^ one of the Flan nan isles,
sau'Sar-ey, sheep isle.

Setr, a residence, mountain pasture, dairyland—
Shader, G. Siadair ; Sheshader, sja-setr, sea-
stead ; Cuidha-seadar, kvia-setr, fold stead ;
Laimishader, lamb-stead ; Linshader, G. Lisea-
dair (i nasal), flax-stead, cf. Linside, G. Lionasaid,
in Sutherland ; Kershader. kjoir-setr, copse-stead ;
Ungashader, Ung's stead ; Carishader, Kari's
stead ; Grimshader, Grim's-stead ; Hamarshader,
hammer stead ; hamarr means a hammer-shaped
crag, or a crag standing out like an anvil ; fruli-
shader, pillar stead, or solan-geese stead ;
JSarshader, G. lar-seadair, ? beach -stead ; Hor-
shader, Thori's stead.

LEWIS. 271

Sild, a herring — Shildinish, herring point ; Sildam,
sild-holm, herring-isle.

Skdli, a shieling, plural skalar — Scailleir, the
shielings, two hills south of Valtos, Uig.

Sker, a skerry or rock — Vatisker, vatns-sker, water-
skerry, covered at high tide ; Mas-sgeir, sea
mew skerry ; Sgarbh-sgeir, Skarfs-sker, Cormorant
skerry ; Hunisgeir, hiina-sker, young bear skerry ;
but Hiinn may be a proper name ; Cleibisgeir,
?from kleppr, a plummet, lump ; Cobha-sgeir, kofa
sker, young puffin skerry.

Skip, a ship — Sgiobadal, ship dale ; Sgioba-geodha
in Rona, ship cove.

Stcffir, a farm, stead, appears terminally as -sta.
Tolsta, Tollosta (Blaeu), Toll's stead; Mealasta,
Link's stead, from melr ; Scarasta, Skara-sta^r,
from skari, a young sea-mew ; Eirasta, beach-
stead ; Grimersta, Grim's stead ; Sgiogarsta,
Skeggi's stead ; Mangarsta, miinka-staSr, Monks'
stead ; Torastaigh, Thori's stead ; Cabharstaigh,
? kafa-sta^r, diving-stead.

Stoft, a harbour — Stathanis, near the Butt ; Port a'
Stoth, south of it. a tautology.

Sund, a sound — Miasaid, a name recurring several
times, mjo-sund, narrow sound.

Tjorn, a small lake, tarn — (Loch an) Tighearna in
Bernera.

, a heap of stones on the sea beach, or from a
landslip — Urranan, at Barvas Moor, with Gaelic
plural ; Loch Urradhag or Ourahag, urS-vik, the
bay of the heap of stones, near Arnol ; another
place of the same name is at the Carloway shore.

272 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Vdgr, a creek, bay, appears as -way, -ay, ; Gael.
-bhaidh, -aidh. Carloway, Karl's bay ; Storno-
way, G. Steornabhadh. stj6rnar-vagr, steerage
bay or rudder bay ; cf. Loch Steornua in Argyle ;
Loch Thealasbhaigh, hellis-vagr, cave-bay ; Leir-
avay, G. Leurabhaigh, muddy bay ; leir, mud ;
Loch Thamnabhaigh, hafnar-vagr, harbour-bay ;
c£ Hamiiavoe and Hamnadale in Shetland ;
Tarravay, Thara-vagr, seaweed bay.

Vatn, water, a lake, appears terminally as -vat,
Gael. -bhat. Grinnavat, green loch ; Sandavat,
sandy loch ; Ullavat, Ulli's loch ; Langavat, long
loch ; Baccavat, ridge loch ; Tarstavat, t-hjarta-
vatn, stag loch ; Lingavat, heather loch ; Gros-
avat, grassy loch ; Allavat, eels' loch ; Raoinavat,
reyni-vatn, rowan loch ; Scaravat, young sea-mew
loch ; Breivat, broad loch ; Maravat, gull loch ;
Drollavat, from troll, haunted loch ; Laxavat,
salmon river loch ; Tungavat, tongue-shaped loch ;
Seavat, sja-vatn, sea loch ; Strandavat, strand
loch ; Loch Mhileavat (from milli, between),
between (the) lochs ; Stacsavat, stakks-a-vatn,
stack -river loch.

ViJc9 bay, appears terminally as -uig, -bhic ; hence
the parish of Uig. Miavaig, mjo-vik, narrow
bay ; Kiriwick, from kyrr, quiet bay ; Seilibhig,
seal bay ; Breivig, broad bay ; EaravicJc, G. lara-
bhaig, beach bay ; Fivig, G. Fiabhaig, fjar-vik,
sheep bay ; Smiuig, Cave bay ; Brataig, steep
bay ; Maravaig, sea-gull bay ; Nasabhig, nose
bay ; Glumaig, Glumr's bay ; Islivig, is-hli^-vik,
ice-slope bay.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.

KINCARDINE.

Gleann a' G/irdig, between Strathcarron and Cam Bhren.
The large flat rock where tinkers camp by the roadside
between Ardgay and Fearn is Leac a' Ghraig.
Eileag Bada Ckallaidh (also eileag Bad-cailidh), the Eileag
of the Hazel Clump (near Amat). For eileag see Sianna
h-Eileig. With callaidh cf. BeaJack Collaidh. There
used to be a saying in Kincardine that the people of old
could never be starved into submission so long as they
held Eileag Bada Challaidh and Gairidh Ginn-ihardain,
the weir of Kincardine. This famous salmon weir was
near the Parish Church, and its name survives in Eilean
na Cairidh, Isle of the Weir, now a nice field reclaimed
from the sea.
Leac a' C/ilamhain— Flagstone of the Kite, is a flat stone

near the U.F.C. Manse ; cf. Gledficld.
P. 4. Alltan nam Fuath — Burnlet of the Spectres, comes through

the Gearrchoill, Short Wood, not Garbh Choille.
Conachreig — Combination of rocks ; cf. Cona Glen, G.

Conaghleann, etc.
Allt fC Bhramain — the Devil's Burn, flows through Ard-

chronie.

Caoilisidh — the Place of the Narrow.

An Claigionn — the Skull, is a hillock near Caolaig Bridge.
Also, Ach-a-Chlaiginn, Field of the Skull ; An Cragan
Soilleir, the bright little rock ; Poll nan Gobliar, Goats'
Slack ; Creag Ghlas, Gray Rock.
P. 5. Clais a' Bkaid-choill—H.&zel Clump Dell.
P. 6. Crianbhad — Small Clump or Withered Clump, not Grian-
bhad of O.S.M.

18

274 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

P. 7. Coylum, better from cuing-leum ; same meaning.
P. 9. Bard, common in the Heay Country, and derived from
English ward ; not Norse. Asaireadh or asaradh is
elsewhere fasanadh, good hill pasture.

P. 11. Meall na h-ugaig, not Meall na Cuachaige. The latter is
the O.S.M. form, which I was wrongly informed to be
correct. ? cf. Sron 'n ugaidh.
P. 11. Coire Bhenneit — Near Meall Bhenneit.
P. 12. Creag(a) Raoiridh means Ryrie's Rock ; cf. Leac Roithridh.
P. 15. Loch Struaban. The MS. referred to is in the Advocates'

Library, Edinburgh.
P. 15. On last line read dheirg.
P. 16. Abhainn dubhach — Unverified and doubtful.

„ Allt Coire Ruchain, not Allt coir an Ru chain (O.S.M,).
P. 17. Allt Eileag — Doubtless means Burn of Eileag's ; for eileag,

v. p. 237, and cf. Eileag Bada-Challaidh.
„ Oykell, G. Oiceil.
P. 20. Achnagart — read enclosures.

EDDKRTON.

Altnamain — -the Inn is called Tigh a' Mhinaidh, Moor

House ; also often " the Half-way House."
Cnoc a' Chlaiyinn — Skull Hill, a little to the south of

Easter Fearn ; otherwise called

Cnoc Dubh eadar da Allt a' Chlaiginn — Black Hill between
two burns of the Skull. Here tradition locates a Scan-
dinavian treasure.

P. 25. Baile na' Foitheachan means Stead of the places of lawns or
greens ; faitkche. has come to be sounded foi' ; cf. Foy
Lodge.

P. 26. Pollagharry — Pool of the Cutting ; a thunderbolt once fell
here, and made a cutting in the soil. Gearraidh in the
other sense, N. gerfri, is not found on the Mainland.
F. 27. 1. 8, for "seems to be" read "is."

„ Daan, cf. In ti eduction, p. 1.

P. 28. Cnocan na Goibhnidh should probably be Cnocan na
Gaimhne, Hillock of the Stirks.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 275

P. 29. Allt na Con-each read Allt ncC Coireach.

P. 30. Cnoc Thorcaill (O.S.M.), read Cnoc Chorcaill ; also Coire

GhorcaiLL
„ Cnoc a' Chlachain : the clachan in question was rather the

old church of Kincardine.
P. 31. Dun Alaisgaig means the Fort of All's Strip, N. Ali-skiki.

TAIN.

P. 32. Baile-Dhubhthaich boidheach, Dornoch na goirt,
Sciobul nan ubhlan, 's Bil an arain choirc ;
Eiribul nan coileagan, Dim-Robain a' chail,
Goillspidh nan sligean dubh, 's Drum-muigh a' bharr.
This, one of our best known topographical rimes, charac-
terises Tain, Dornoch, Skibo, Bil, Embo, Dunrobin,
Drummuie. Translation spoils it.

P. 35. Cnoc nan Aingeal is the small hill, now cut through by
the railway, north-west of the old chapel ; the road to
the cemetery crosses the cutting by a bridge.
„ Cnocanmealbhain : read Cnocan Mealbhain, Hillock of the

best grass.
P. 36. An aideal cannot come from N. vafrill ; Norse & would

here disappear in Gaelic.
P. 37. 1. 3, drochaid an obh: bh is here sounded long; pronounced

ow, with a lingering emphasis on w.
P. 38. Muileann and Allt Luaidh : better Luathaidh.
P. 40. 1. 14, read dhuibh,

FBARN.

P. 41. Balmuchy : muchaidh may be Pictish, cf. Welsh mochyn, a
pig. If so the old form would have been Pitmuchy,
with which cf. Pitmachie in Strathbogie.

P. 43. Allan : Clay of Allan is in G. Criadhach Alain Mhoir,
Clayey Place of Meikle Allan. The criadhach is a
Gaelic echo of Pictish Allan, meaning apparently " a
swampy place." Cf. the Pictish Lovat, root lovt wash ;
translated into Gaelic as a Mkor'oich, the sea plain.

P. 45. 1. 10, read a' chailleach.

1. 14, read Got ; so also in 1. 16, and p. 48, 1. 29.

P. 47. 1. 8, read Rocktield.

276 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

NlGG.

P. 51. Pitcalnie, G. Baile-chailnidh : tliis difficult name may be
from the root seen in Gaulish, caleto-, hard, representing
a primitive Caletoniacon.

P. 53. Big Audle : derivation possible but doubtful. G. not found.
P. 54. Sul Ba, read Suil Ba.
P. 56. 1. 11, read dhuibh.

„ 11. 12, 13, for an port read am port.
P. 57. 1. 'JO, read toin.

LOGIE.

At Shandwick Farm is a tiny burn called Dourag, the
Little Water, from O.G., dobur ; of. Aldourie, Dores, in
G. Dobhrag.

KlLMUIR.

P. 63. 1. 23, read Smiths'.

Apitauld : the first syllable is aiht a kiln. There was of

old a kiln close to the site of the present smithy, and

the name applies only to that spot. The old ford on the

Balnagown Water was lower down.
High up on the hill above Inchandown Farm is Clack

Seipeil Odhair, Stone of the Dun Chapel ; a large

granite boulder, which is now near the Newmore march,

and of old probably formed part of it.
P 68. Strathrory : uar in the Reay Country means a landslip, as

well as a torrent of rain ; near the Coag there are great

slides of boulder clay on the steep banks of the river.

Cf. Allt Uaraidh, behind Abriachan, Inverness.
Plubag, the little " plumping " place ; from a tiny gurgling

burn ; cf . an Uidh Phlubach.

ROSSKEEN.

P. 70. Invergordon : in G. an fiud/w, the Point ; "I was in
Invergordon," bha mi air an Rudha. I have also heard
Rudha Nach-breacaidh. Port Nach-breacaidh, Invergor-
don Ferry.

P. 71. Achnacloich : G. Ach' na Cloi', Field of the Stone. There
must have been one stone in some way remarkable. In
point of fact, there are some very large travelled
boulders of granite in the place.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 277

P. 72. 'Above Cuillich is BaiV a' Mhuilaich, Summit Stead.
Cuillich itself G., Cuinglich, is better taken as cuing-
laich, from cuinge, narrowness. The meaning is in any
case the same.
„ Coire-ghoibhnidh : better Coire Ghaimhne, Stirk Corry.

P. 73. 1. 2. Mylne-cliaggane of the record is still remembered as
Muikann a' Chlagain, Mill of the Clapper. It was on
the Strathrusdale river (or Black River), about 200
yards from its junction with the Averon. The straight,
steep road, a quarter of a mile west of Tolly Farm,
between the public road and the White Bridge on
Averon was of old, " before it was made," called Cadha
Fionntain, Finntan's Path, obviously an ancient name.
Nearly a mile east of Dalnacloich Farm, in the march
between Newmore and Ardross, and close to the south
side of the public road, is a big granite block called now
Clack Ceann-a-mkeoir, as if Stone of the Finger-tip.
The story goes that here a lad's finger point was cut off
to ensure his recollecting the position of the march. In
1571 it appears in an account of the marches of New-
more as " the marchstone called Clachinnumoir," which
suggests the real name to be Clack an Neo' Mhoir,
Stone of Newmore, of which the modern form is a
corruption.

*• ALNESS.

P. 75. Alness : cf. also Alauna, Alaunos, and Alaunium in Gaul

(Holder : Alt-Celtischer Sprachshatz).
P. 76. Balnacraig : parts of Balnacraig Farm, north of the public

road, are called Caoilisidk, the narrow place or stripe ;

and the Sial ; cf. siaban, a sand drift.
Dalgheal is locally pronounced in G. Dail-ghil, a locative

form meaning " at the white dale." In English it is

pronounced Dal-yil, thus proving its identity with the

common Dalziel.
P. 77 F ' yrisk: the spelling Foireis is inadequate: rather Faoighris.

I fear that the name is Pictish.

278 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

P. 78. A',i Lainn : also called Lainn a* Choirc, the Oat-flat or
enclosure. The Blar Borraich is a somewhat extensive
moor, and covers more than is contained in Lainn. The
narrow spit of land between Allt nan Caorach and the
Allt Granda at their junction is an t-Eilean Dubh, the
Black Isle— a peninsula.

„ Meall an Tuirc : from some points near Glenglass School
this hill is the perfect picture of a colossal boar.

P. 79. Cnoc Coille Bhrianain I have now got as Cnoc Gille Mo-
Bhrianaig, Hill of the follower of St Brendan. This is
doubtless the genuine form. On Cnocan, the Hillock, in
Glenglass, are Blar nan Ceann and Fuaran Blar nan
Ceann, Moor of the Heads and Well of the Moor of the
Heads, with legend of a combat. At Tigh na Creige
moss is Fuaran Bod-muice. Fuaran Dhruim Dhuibh
Ruigh Bhannaich, Well of the Black Ridge of the
Bannock-slope, is behind Cnoc na Mbine, Moss-Hill, in
Glenglass. Fuaran Seachd-goil, Well of seven Boilings,
is at Ruigh 'n Fhuarain, Well-slope, between Boath and
Glenglass. It is said to bubble up through the sand in
seven distinct jets. Torr a' Bholcain is a knoll near the
path between B. and G. as one comes in sight of
Swordale. Torran Dubh Gob na Coille, Black knoll (at
the) Point of the Wood, is near the same path where the
burn bends at right angles near the Boath peat-mosses.
There is not a vestige of wood anywhere near it.
Clack nam Ban, The Women's Stone, is north of Kilder-
morie ; so called from some women having perished
there in a snowstorm while crossing from Strathcarron.
A' Chlach Goil, the Boiling Stone, is on the drove road
between Strathrusdale and Ardgay. Those who used
the road boiled water there.

P. 83. Multovy, better Pictish Moltomagos, wedder plain. The
original Multovy was the level part ; west of it, now part
of the farm, was Baile nan Seobhag, Hawks' Stead. The
long Clais at the back was reclaimed within the last
thirty years or so.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 279

P. 83. Ceislein : there are two, viz., Ceislein a' Choire Dhuibh and
Ceislein a' Choire Bhreac (sic). For meaning cf. Ceis
Coraind, Sow of Corann, the name of a hill in Ireland.
,, Averon : the termination -on, more probably represents
primitive -ona ; Pictish. On the Averon below the
intake to Dalmcre is Poll d Charrachaidh.

KILTEARN.

South of Loch Glass is a rocky place called an Fhiaclaich,
the Place of Teeth (O.S.M. Feachdach) ; also Beul no,
Fiaclaich, Mouth of the Tooth-place,, and Coire Granda
na Fiaclaich, Ugly Corry of, etc. Near this is Afeall a'
Chrimeig (long m). At west end of Caoilisidh, above
the Lodge, is Meall-a-Bheithinnidh (? Mheithinnidh) —
close ei ; cf. Bealach Bheithinnidh. West of it is an
Toman Coinnich, the Mossy Knoll, and between the two
is Creay 'ic Gille Ch&r, Rock of the son of the Swarthy
Lad.

P. 87. Balcony : the narrow flat between the Allt Granda and
Allt-na-Sgiach to the south of the public road is known
in Gaelic as Innis a' Choltair, Coulter Mead. There is
also Sgorr a' Choltair, Point of the Coulter, in Glenglass.
Collar is an early Irish loan from Lat. cutter, and seems
to have been applied to places from their shape, as it was
to the razorbill (coltraich), from the form of his bill. Cf.
Portincoulter, the old name for the Meikle Ferry, where
there is a coulter-shaped point on the Ross side. The
various Culters and Coulters, popularly derived from
citl-t\r, back land — a rather harsh and doubtful formation
— may be compared. They are now pronounced Couter,
in early spelling Cultyr, which phonetically represents
the Scottish pronunciation before / became silent.

P. 91. Glaon Uachdarack, Upper Clyne, is now Woodlands.

P. 92. On Allt na Lathaid is Drochaid na Lathaid, otherwise
Drochaid Chrabart. Feith Dhubh 'ic Gillandrais, Gil-
landers' Black Hag, is said to be on the march between
Tulloch, Kildermorie, and Dianaich.

280 PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

P. 93. Bealach Collaidh is the gap between Inchbae and Coire-
bhacaidh. Near it is Bealach nam Brbg, Gap of the
Brogues, the scene of a famous fight between the
Munros and the Mackenzies.

KlLLEARNAN.

P. 146. 1. 8, read failligh.

1. 12, for "of "read " cf."

CONTIN.

Clack Und(ajrain (possibly Chund(a)rain) is at the head
of Strathconon. *? Cf. Coire Chundrain.

P. 154. Main, G. Meinn, is at the present day understood to
denote the district of which Porin is part. This is about
three miles east of Invermany. In view of its being a
district name it is difficult to connect \vith G. meinn, ore ;
more probably Pictish ; ? root seen in G. meith, sappy ;
Welsh mwydo, soften.
Conon Bridge is in G. Drochaid SguideiL

KINTAIL.

P. 179. Inverinate. For the dropping of dh in Inbhir-dhuinnid,
cf. , Inver-uglas for Inbhir-dhubhghlais ; Aberdeen, G.
Obair-eatham for Obair-dheathaiu. The possibility of
this dropping of dk is always worth considering in cases
where Inver or Aber is immediately followed by a vowel
in Gaelic pronunciation, e.g., Abriachan, G. Ob'r-
itheachan.

LOCHCARKON.

P. 199. Coire Fionnaraich — fionnar, cool is from fionn- or ionn-
to, against, and fuar ; M. Ir. indfhuar.

APPLECROSS.

About a mile west of Airigh-Dhriseack, Bramble Shieling,
is Draoraig, N. dreyr-vik, Blood Bay.

GAIRLOCH.

P. 221. 1. 4, faithir is probably fo-thir, under-land ; it can
hardly be the Irish fachair.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 281

P. 229. Rudha an t-Sasain : the Sasan is a rock on the lee side of
which boats ride by the painter, which affords the most
satisfactory explanation of the name.

P. 239. Loch na Fideil : the Fideal, whose haunt was in this loch,
was at last encountered by a strong man named
Eoghainn. " Bha comhrag eadar Eoghainn agus an
Fhideal. ' Ceum air do cheum, Eoghainn,' ars' an
Fhideal, 's i teannadh air an duine. * Ceum air do
cheum, a Fhideil,' ars' E6ghainn, 's e teannadh air an
Fhideil a rithist. Mharbh Eoghainn an Fhideal, agus
mharbh an Fhideal Eoghainn." There was a combat
between Ewen and the Fideal. " A step on your step,
Ewen," said the Fideal, pressing on the man. " A step
on your step, Fideal," said Ewen, pressing hard in turn.
Ewen killed the Fideal, and the Fideal killed Ewen. (It
is worth noting that the Fideal is feminine.)

LOCHBROOM.
P. 255. Glutan, G. Glotan.

Bad-a-Chrbnaidh and Clais Bad-a-Chrbnaidh are at Bad-
rallach ; cf. Ardchronie.

INDEX.

INDEX.

NOTE. — The stress accent is indicated by a full stop placed before the accented
syllable ; e.y, Ach.duart is accented on the second syllable, .Achilty on the first*
In the case of obsolete names the accent is usually left unmarked.

Abbey of Fearn, xix., 40
Abhainn a' Chro, 176
Abhainn an .Fhasaigh,

233
Abhainn an .Fhorsa, 267

— .Bhuadhchaig, 198

— .Bruachaig, 232

— .Chonnain, 151

— .Coilich, 183

— .Conag, 176

— .Croean, 201

— .Gaorsaig, 182

— .Dhroma, 252

— Ghlas, 220

— Gleann na Muice, 242

— Gruididh, 166

— lii, 230

— na Ftiirneis, 234

— nan Eun, 90

— nan .Leumannan, 228

— .Poibliclh, 18

— .Kaonaidh, 256

— Ruadh, 221

— .Seile, 171

— .Siaghaidh, 182

— Srath na Sealg, 243

— Traill, 210
Abianemoir, 74
.Acairseid .Ghiuthais, 224
Ach-a-bhanaidh, 193
Ach-a-bhraigh, 258
Ach-a-.chonalaich, 184
Ach-a-dhachd, 176
Achadh an Droighean,

178

— Cul-a-Mhill, 218

— da .Tearnaidh, 185

— Ghill-Iosa, 21

— gbitirain, 171

— nan .Uirighean, 228
Ach' a' .Ghargaiu, 185

Achan.ault, 160
Achan.darach, 185
Ach.arn, 81
Ach.duart, 258
Achen.drean, 256
Achen.inver, 258
Ach.iarnaig, 109
Achilti.buie, 259
.Achilty, 148
Achimmoir, 59
Achin.drean, 252
Achin.tee, 195
Achin.toul, 70
Achin.traid, 193
Ach.leach, 89
Ach.lochan, 258
Ach.lorachan, 155
Ach.lunachan, 252
Ach. martin, 120
Ach.more, 184, 250
Ach' nan .Cairidhean, 256
Achna. carry, 115
Achna.clerach. 163
Achna. cloich, 71
Achna.garron, 70
Achna. gart, 20, 172
Achna. goul, 78
Ach' na Fuirneis, 234
Ach' na h-Airde, 261
Achna. hannet, 19
Achna. hinich, 185
Ach na h-Uamhach, 19
Achna. sheen, 161
Achna.shelloch, 196
Achna. soul, 106
Achna.taghart, 172
Ach-negie, 243
Ach-railean, 53
Ach - ruigh-'n - fheadhail,

239
Achta.bannock, 106

Achtay.toralan, 186
Achter.cairn, 226
Achter.need, 97
Aeh.vanie, 200
Aideal, 36
.Aignish, 269
.Airceal, 247
Aird of .Coigach, 261
Aird .Thoranish, 269
Airde Bhan, 203
Airie.cheirie, 170
Airigh Fhliuch, 5

— nam Bard, 217

— nan .Cruineachcl, 206^

xlv.

— nan .Druineach, 215
.Alcaig, 115
Aldain.albanache, 60
Aldanaherar, 74
.Aldie, 35
.Alladale, 8, 22
.Allagro, 272

.Allan, 43, 75
Allan.bank, 137
.Allanfield, 94
Allanglack, 137
Allan. grange, 137
Allan.rich, 137
.Allavat, 272
.Allerton, 126
Allt a' Bhaid-choill, 245

— a' Bhaid.Rabhain, 244

— a' Bhealaich Eidh-

eannaich, 92

— a' .Bhraniain, 273

— a' .Chaoldoire, 221

— a' Chlaiginn, 15

— a' Choir' Aluinn, 156

— a' Choire Rainich, 102

— a' .Chonais, 199

— a' .Chuingleum, 230

286

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CEOMARTY.

Allta' ChuirnDheirg, 204

— a' Ghlais-atha, 11

— a' Ghlastuil Mhoir, 165

— a' Ghuail, 15

— a' Mheirbh - ghiuthais

15

— a' Mhuilinn, 246

— an t-Sagairt, 195

— an Damhain, 52

— an Bilein Ghuirm, 102

— an .Fhasaidh, 152

— an .Leothaid .Ghain-

eamhaich, 177

— an Leth-ghlinne, 248

— an Euigh Shleagh-

aich, 199

— an t-Srathain, 255

— an .Turaraich, 218

— an Uisge Mhath, 248

— Beithe, 165

— Chill .Eiteachan, 255

— .Clachach, 36

— Coir' a' .Chliabhain,

165

— Coir a' Chundrain, 102

— Coire Lair, 176

— .Coire Mhaileagain,

175

— Coire Rol, 209

— Coire .Ruchain, 274

— Doir-.ithigean, 199

— .Domhain, 9

- .Dubhach, 123

— .Dubhag, 92

- .Ducharaidh, 161

— .Ealag, 17

— .Eiginn, 246

— .Eiteachan, 3

- .Folais, 86, 87, 243

— Giuthas, 224

- .Granda, 90, 205

- Grugaig, 30

— Gus-ligh, 168

- Lair, 169

— .Luathaidh, 38

— .Mhucarnaich, 169

— .Miagro, 268

— nan .Albanach, 60

— na Bana-mhorair, 102

— na Cailce, 91

— na Faic, 152

— nan Cnuimheag, 81

— nan Coisichean, 258

— na Fainich, 154

— na .Fuaralaich, 72

— na .Fuirrid, 79

— na Glomaich, 181

Allt na Guaille, 205

Arda.chulish, 164

— na h-Annaid, 155

Ard an t-Sabhail, 173

— na Moine, 205

Ard.charnaich, 253

— na h-Uamhach, 220

Ard.chronie, 3, 281

Alltna.main, 28

Ard.darroch, 193

Allt nam Biast, 218

Ar.delve, 186

— na .Mucarachd, 205

Ard.essie, 245

— nan Caorach, 90

Arde.vall, 126

— nan Corp, 216

Ard. gay, 4

— .Ormaidh, 238

Ard.heslaig, 207

— .Rapach, 16

Ardin.caple, 85, 86.

— .Rapaidh, 68

Ardindrean, 251

— .Ruisteil, 260

Ardi.val, 35, 99

— .Saraig, 220

Ard.jachie, 33

— Tarsuiiin, 16, 68

Ard.lair, 234

— .Tausamhaig, 205
— Toll an .Lochain, 246

Argyle, xv.
Ard.mair, 255

- Uamh' a' Chleibh, 221

Ard.raeaaach, 126, 130,

— .Undalain, 175

xxiii.

Alltan Domhnuil, 5

Ard.mhanaidh, 27

— Labhar, 212

Ard.more, 26

— Mailis, 167

Ard na Claise Moire, 205

— Rabhraidh, 185

Ardnadoler, 49

Almaddow, 74

Ardnagaag, 68

Almond, 1.

Ardna.goine, 260

.Alness, 75

Ardna.grask, 109

Altan.dow, 260

Ard na h-.Eigheamh, 255

.Altanish, 270

Ardnan.iaskin, 194

.Altas, 18

Ard nan Long, 253

Alt.greshan, 227

Ard.narff, 184

Altua.breac, 163

.Ardoch, 82

Altna.harra, 224

.Ardochdainn, 125, 193

Alt-na-.harrie, 250

Ai'd.ross, 71

Altna.lait, 92

Ard.roy, 76

Altna.skiach, 89

Ard-tulach, 178

Alun, 76

Ar.dullie, 88

.Amat, 6, 18

Ari.drishaig, 216

An Airceal, 247

Ari.nackaig, 196

An Da Mhas, 207

.Arity, 107

Anan.caun, 231

.Arkaig, 106

.Ankerville, 53

Arklet, 106

Annat, 53, 154, 155, 209,

.Arnish, 270

249, Ixiv.

Arnoche, 126

Aoineadh air chrith, 174

.Arpa.feelie, 136

Aoinidh, 173

Arrie, 140

Apit.auld, 63, 276

.Arscaig, 189

.Applecross, 201, xiv., Ix.

.Arta.faillie, 146

Applecross Mains, 204

Arthreis, 49

Arabella, 59

.Assarrow, 82

.Aradie, 107

.Assvnt, 78

Araird, 212

Ath Darack, 209

Arar, 107

.Athan .Salach, 45

.Arboll, 47

.Attadale, 195, 205

.Arcan, 108

Auch.ederson, 106

Arcan.deith, 106, 133

Auchna.gullane, 21

.Ardach, 186

Auchnen.tyne, 123

Ardachath, 74 Auch.onachie, 107

INDEX.

287

Auch.oyle, 64

Bad-sgalaidh, 84

Auchta.scailt, 246

Bail' a' Bhlair, 139

Auchter.flow, 134

Bail' a" .Mhinistir, 208

Auchter.tyre, 186

— an Achaidh, 6

Auldmuiramoir, 59

— an .Donnaidh, 6

Auldualeckach, 21

— an Fhraoich, 6, 41

Auley, 38

— an Loin, 6

Aultan.fearn, 73

— a' Phuill, 51

Ault.bea, 236

— Bean an Droidich, 7

Aultchon.ier, 167

Baile Chaluim, 6

Ault.dearg, 167

Baile.charn, 24

Ault.gowrie, 106

Baile .Meadhonach, 6

Ault.granda, 78

— na h-atha, 47

Ault.guish, 165

— na Creige, 154

Aultna.sow, 189

— nam .Foitheachan,

Ault.vaich, 107

25, 274

.Avernish, 188

— nam .Fuaran, 23, 41

.Averon, 83, 1.

— nan .Seobhag, 278

.Avic, 264

— .Nodha, 144

.Avoch, 132

— na Toin, 59

Avon .Chalascaig, 254

Baile.sios, 221

Bail' .Uachdarach, 7

Bac an .Airigh, 152

— iia Coite, 9

Bac an Aorigh, 243

Bakerhill, 94

Bac an Leith-Choin, 228

Bakki, 264

Bac nan .Cisteachan, 217

Bala.chladich, 46, 88, 118

.Bacavat, 262, 272

Bal.aldie, 47

Back, 264

Balan.lochan, 73

Bada.chonachar, 66

Balan.rishallich, 72

Bada.chro, 223

Bala.vil, 119

Bada.crain, 250

Bala.vullich, 109

Bad a' Chreamha, 194

Bal.blair, 27, 43, 121

Badaidh nan Ramh, 223

.Balconie, 87, xxv.

Bad a' Mhanaich, 160

Bal. cherry, 33

Badan.daraich, 20

Bal.doon, 73

Badan.tional, 223

Bal.four, 65

Badan.luchie, 160
Badan Binn-eoin, 29

Bal.galkin, 117
Bal.goil, 116

Badan .Vugie, 209
Bada.voon, 4
Bad.bea, 245
Bad.call, 71, 208, 245
Baddamhroy, 94

Balgun.eirie, 144
Balgun.loune, 145
.Balgy, 209
Bal.iachrach, 118
Balin.drum, 43

• Baddans, 83
• Badebay, 64

Balin.tore, 41, 143
Balin.traid, 65

Baden, erb, 118
Baden.scallie, 258

Bal.keith, 34, xlviii.
Bal.kil, 34

Baden.tarbet, 259
Bad.fearn, 236
Bad.grianan, 122

Wester Ballano, 123
Balla.chraggan, 60, 76
Balla.voulin, 78

Badi.caul, 187
Bad.luachrach, 245
Badna.guin, 61

Bal.leigh, 26
Balli. cherry, 1ZZ
Ballin.dalloch, 107

Bad .Ormaidh, 238

Ballin.roich, 43

Bad Rabhain, 244

Ballinsirach, 49

Bad. rain, 116
Bad.rallach, 248

Balli.skilly, 12^
Ballna.morich, 50

Bal.loau, 48, 81, 118
Bal.lone, 133, 215
Balma.carra, 185
Bal.mainach, 81
Bal.menach, 118
Bal.moral, 41
Bal.muchy, 41, 275
Bal.mungie, 129
Balna.been, 117
Balna.bruach, 46, 52
Balna.curach, 9
Balna.cra, 196
Balna.crae, 92
Balna.craig, 73, 76
Balna.gall, 36
Balna.gore, 42
Balna.gown, 63, 108
Balna.grotchen, 81
Balna.guie, 137
Balna.guisich, 71
Balna.hiush, 21
Bal.nain, 5, 105
Balna.kyle, 137
Bahia. paling, 52
Bal.nard, 78
Balna.touch, 38
Bal.nault, 154
Bal.no, 110
Bal.nuig, 47
Bal.reillan, 118
Bal.uachrach, 118
Bal.vack, 65
Bal.vaird, 119
Bal.vatie, 108
Bal.vraid, 110, xxv.
.Banans, 126
.Banchory, 152
.Bangor, 152
Barbara.ville, 65
.Barutown, 144
Bard, 8, 80, 81, 83

— ail Asairidh, 9

— .Gobhlach, 122

— Loisgte, 123

— Mhoire, 44

— naii Laogh, 81
Bayble, 270
.Bayfield, 53, 140
.Bealach, 214

Bealach an t-Suidhe, 214

— Bheithinnidh, 234

— nan Corr, 105

— .Ratagaiu, 172

Loch .Beaunacharan, 152
.Beannanau .Beaga, <i57
Bearnas a' Chlaidh-
eimh, 60

288

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Beauly, 40
.Becamir, 264
.Beidic, 264
.Beidicean, 264
Beinn a' Chaisgein, 241

— a' Chaisteil, 102

— a' Chearcaill, 231

— a' .Chlachain, 202

— a' Chlaidheimh, 243

— .Ailiginn, 212

— a' Mhi\inidh, 233

— an Eoin, 225, 261

— Bhan, 213

— Bhric, 224

— Clach an Fheadain,

29

— Damh, 214

— Dearg, 212

— .Dronaig, 191

— Eighe, 232

— .Eildeach, 254
_ .Eunacleit, 252

— .Feusaig, 196

— Fhada, 174

— .Garaig, 36

— .Ghobhlach, 248

— Lair, 237

— na h-Eaglaise, 209

— nan .Oighreagan, 30

— Ramh, 167

— Tarsuinn, 14, 74

— Ulamhie, 18
Beit, 264
Bekkr, 264
Bel.dornie, 180
.Bellfield, 136
Belma.duthy, 137
Belton, 138
Benacus, 152
Bennetefield, 9, 133
Ben .Attow, 174

— .Garrick, 35

— Hope, 189

— .Udlamain, 187

— .Wyvis, 102
.Bendeallt, 79
.Bcrisay, 266
.Bernera, 266
Bennetfield, 11
Berry.hill, 131

A' Bhean-mhuinntir, 45
A' .Bhiacaich. 168
.Blughasary, '256
Big Audle, 53
Big Sand, 227
.Bindal, 46
Binebreychst, 74

Binn Airigh a' Charr,

234

.Birchfield, 19
Birkis, 121

Bishop's Kin.kell, 115
Blaad, 198
Black.dyke, 106
Black.hill, 53
Black Isle, xxiii.
Black. stand, 126
Black.wells. 94
Blair, 108
Blair.dow, 144
Blair.foid, 134, xlviii.
Blair.leath, 35, 139
Blar a' Chatb, 43 ,

— Earach, 48

— Liath, 35

— nam .Feadag, 145
Blarna.bee, 156
Blarna.coi, 141
Blarna.levoch, 251
Blar.ninich, 101
.Blaven, 224

Boar of Badenoch, 83

Boath, 80

.Bodaeh a' .Chleirich, 249

— an .Rudha, 45

— Beag, 15

— Mor, 15

Bodaich Dhubh Binn

Eighe, 232

Bodha a' Bhuraich, 260
Am Bodha Ruadh, 228
Bog, The, 59
Bogan.durie, 88
Bog.bain, 36
Bog.buie, 115
Bog na h-.Eileig, 145
Bog of Shannon, 135
Boggie.well, 130
Bog.riabhach, 92
.Bogrow, 25
Bo.huntin, 148
Boisdale, 224
Boor, 230
.Boranish, 265
.Boreray, 265
Borve, 265
.Bosta, 264
Botagan, 215
Both Bhig, 80
Both Mhor, 80
.Bottacks, 101
Bottle Island, 260
.Braclach, 118
Brae, 19, 122, 230

Braeau.tra, 73, 185
Brae.langwell, 9, 122
Brae. more, 252
Brae.vil, 138
Braes of .Ullapool, 254
.Brahan, 104, xxv.
Braigh .Thoiriosdal, 224

— Thollaidh, 73
Brakach, 74
Bran (River), 165
.Braonan, 84, 241
.Brataig, 272
.Bratanish, 270
.Breabag, 183
.Breacleit, 269
.Breac' radh, 73
.Breasclete, 269
.Brecklach, 198
.Breidhnis, 269
.Breivat, 272
.Breivig, 272
.Brenachis, 59
Brin, 105, 241
Broom.hill, 65, 109, 130
.Broomtown, 50
.Bruachaig, 232
.Bruadale, 265
•Brucefield, 45
Bruich. glass, 123
•Bruthach na Cliubha

240

— na .Gearrachoille 247
Brynletter, 22
.Buadhchaig, 198
Buailna.luib, 236

Bun an Fhuarain, 5
Bun.chairn, 144
Bunda.lloch, 180
Burn.side, 123
.Burntown, 144
.Burracks, 66
.Busbheinn, 224
Buttis, 39

Ca.baan, 107
.Cabar, 161
.Cabar Pnais, 90
Cabharstaigh, 271
.Cabhsair an Righ, 48
.Cabhsair Fliuch, 82
.Cabhsair Mor, 48
.Cabrach, 61
Ca.buie, 169
.Cachaileath Dearg, 226
.Cadboll, 40, 89

— Mount, 40
Ca.dearg, 9

INDEX.

289

Cadh' a' Bhaillidh, 168

— a' Bhreacaich, 52

— an Ruigh, 57

— an t-.Sagairt, 58
Cadha a' .Bhodaich, 57

— cuiLlosaidh, 57

— .Dhubhthaich, 176

— .Fionntain, 277

— Pliuch, 164

— .losal, 29

— na .Biacaich, 168

— na Faoilinn, 204
- na Mine, 217

— nan .Caorach, 57

— nan Damh, 24

— nan .Sgadan, 216

— nan .Suibhean, 57

— .Neachdiiin, 56, 57

— Port an Druidh, 57

— .Sgriodaidh, 57

— Togail toin, 57
.Caidhean, 153
.Cailleach, 45, 249, 252
.Cailleach Head, 249
Cairidh Cinn - chardain

273

Cairmie na Marrow, 60
.Caiseachan. 160
Oaisteal Cml-bhaicidh,117
Caisteil «a Cloinne, 2 :}
.Calabost, 265
.Calaseaig, 254
Calatruim, 68
.Callanish, 269
.Calldarais, 208
Callechumetulle, 47
.Callernish, 269
Calna.kil, 206
.Calrossie, 58
.Camalt, 195
Camas a' Charr, 237

— a' .Chlarsair, 209
.Camasaidh, 224
Camas a' .Ivlhaoraich,

250
an .Eilein, 207

— an Fhiodh, 244

— an Leum, 208
Camas .coille, 261

— Drol, 209
.Camasie, 159
Camas .longart, 181

— na .Faochaige, 261

— na .gaul, 245

— na h-Eirbhe, 224

— nam Ploc, 222

— nan .Doriiag, 236

Camas nan Gall, 173

— Ruadh, 208

nan .Sanndag, 227

— nan .Ruadhag, 249

— .Raintich, 222
Cambus.currie, 25, 33
.Caochan .Fearna, 223
Gaol .Arcach, Ixxiii.

— Beag, 227
.Campaichean, 217
Camper, down, 123
Camray, 49
Camus, donn, 194
Camus. teel, 204
Camus. terach, 203
Camus.linnie, 181
Camus.trolvaig, ^>28
Can.ary, 38
Can.reayan, 111
Caolas a' Mhuill.ghairbh

260
-Capadal, 265

• Capernich, 123
•Caplich, 71, 86, 109
•Carbisdale, 20
.Carishader, 270

• Carloway, 272
Carr, 179

Carn a' .Bhiorain, 247

— a' .Bhreabadair, 246

• Carnach, 248
Carna.classar, 108
Carn a' Choin Dheirg, 15

— a' Choiridh, 243
Carnau Cruithneachd

182, xlv.
Cam an .lomair, 195

— an Liath.bhaid, 12

— an t'-Suidha, 217
Carnasgeir, 249

Carn.averon, 83
Cam Beag, 237

— Bhren, 11

— Breac, 197

— Chaoruinn, 159

— .Cuinneag, 74

— Deas, 260

— .Deasgan, 4

— Dubh, 29, 180

— .eite,182

- .Ghluasaid, 174

— Glas, 139

— Gorm-loch, 165

— lar, 260

— lurnain, 142

— Main, 74.

— Mathaidh, 26

Carn Mhartuinn, 159

— na Beiste, 243

— na Breabaig, 183

— na Buaile, 153

— na Cloiche Moire, 154

— na Cre, 164

— na Feith .rabhain, 160

— na Fir Freig, 249

— na .Fuaralaich, 174

— na h-Annaid, 155

— nan Aighean, 102

— nan Dobhran, 191
.Carnoch, 153

— .Sgolbaidh, 153

— Sonraichte, 83

— .Speireig, 14
Carn.totaig, 68
Carn Uilleim, 156

— .Salach, 12
Carr, 179
Carr Mor, 237
Carrie. blair, 25
Carron, 1, 192, xxxi.
Carse of Bayfield, 53
Car.tomie, 27

• Casaig, 208

Castle Campbell, 182
Castle .Corbet, 46

- Craig, 52, 122

— Gloom, 182

— Grant, 68

— Hill, 67

— Hill of Cromarty, 126

— Leod, 98

Castle of .Avoch, xviii

132
~ — • Cromarty, xviii.,

xxiii.
— .Dingwall, xviii.

— — Elian, donan, 180,

xix.

— — Strome, xix.

• Castleton, 132
.Cathair a' Phuirt. 227

— Bhan, 247

— Bheag, 225

— -Chruchoille, 232

- Ruadh, 229
Uathar Dubh, 29
Ca.vin, 123

C-eann an .Achaidh, 139

— .Locha, 208

— an oba, 188

— .Uachdarach, 83
Ceanna.chruinn, 255

Ceapaich, 144
A' Chailleach, 45, 243

19

290

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

A' Chathair Dhubh, 222,

246

Chanderaig, 74
.Chanonry, 12d
.Chapelton, 122, 124
.Chapeltown, 110, 144
Chaplainry of St Reeule,

127 '

.Charleston, 139
-Charleetown, 225
A' Chathair Bhan, 247
A' Chathair Dhubh, 246
A' Chipeanoch, 227
A' Chraileag, 174

• Chulash, 29

Cill .Chaointeort, 172
Cill .Fhearchair, 175
Cillean .Helpak, 49
Cinn Liath, 197
Claeh Airigh a' Mhin-
istir, 84

— a' Mh&rlich, 69

— an .Fheadain, 29

— an .Tiompain, 99

— .Bhenneit, 133

— Ceann-.a-Mheoir, 278

— .Charaidh, 56

— .Cheannli, 248

— Goil, 277

— Meadhon .Latha, 33

— na .bogairie, 25

— na .Comhalach, 258

— na h-Annaid, 155

— nam Ban, 278

— nan Con Fionn, 199

— Ruaraidh Mhoir 'ic

Caoigean, 202

— Seipeil Odhair, 276

— .Sgoilte, 165

— toll, 106
Clach.uil, 106
.Clachan .Biorach, 88

- Dhu, 106

— Dubhthaich, 179

— Loch Bhraoin, 241
Cladh a' Bhord Bhuidhe,

248

— a' Chlachain, 192

— Ceann Loch .Beann-

acharan, 156

— Chill Donnain, 248

— .Churadain, 78

— Eilein Mhartainn, 255

— Ma-Bhrl, 86

— M&nn, 156

— Inbhir-shannda, 238

— na h-Annait, 155, 249

Cladh nan.Druineacb, 200

— Phorainn, 156

— Phris, 244

Clais a' Bhaid Choille, 5
Clais.darran, 111
Clais.dhu, 66
Clais Druim Bhathaich,83
Clais na .Comraich, 32

— nam Mial, 81
.Claona, 233
.Claonaboth, 179
Claran, 144
Clare, 89
Clashna.buiac, 77
Clasin.ore, 50
Clasna.muiach, 41
Clay.pots, 131
.Cleibisgeir, 271
.Cleitshat, 267
Clerk Island, 39
Cliff, 240

Cliff House, 240

.Clisgro, 268

Clootie Well, 60

Clyne, 91

Cnaigean na Leathrach,

155
Cuoc a' Bhoth, 80

— a' Bhreacaich, 95

— .Alasdair, 80

— a' .Mhargadaidh, 91

— a' .Mhinistir, 152

— a' Mhoid, 62

— an .Araid, 119

— an .Eireach, 145

— an .Liathbhaid, 29
Cnocan .Mealbhain, 35
Cnoc an oir, 107

— an Ruigh Ruaidh, 29

— an Sgath, 222

— an Teampuill, 88

— an t-Sabhail, 23

— an t-Seilich, 73

— an t-Sithean, 73, 159

— an .Tuairneil, 180

— an .Tubaist, 16

— Bad a' Bhacaidh, 29

— .Bealaidh, 46

- Ceislein, 83, 279

— Chlachain, 30

— Chois, 119

— Chroisg, 80

— .Chuireadair, 82

— Coille .Bhrianain, 79,

278

— Coille na .Tobarach,

51, 54

Cnoc .Coinnich, 51

— Druima.langnidh, 48

— Dubh, 48

— .Duchary, 83

— .Ghaisgeach, 52

— Gille-.churdaidh, 130

— Lady, 23

— .lea, 81

- Leith Bhaid, 79

— na Croiche, 62, 193,

254, 257

— nan .Carrachan, 155,

222

— na .Fanaig, 119

— ua h-athan, 197

— na h-Iolaire, 164

— na h-uige, 155

— nan Aingeal, 35, 189,

275

— nan .Culaidhean, 236

— nan .Lcacachun, 81

— nam Mult, 195

- na Struidh, 28

— na .Tuppat, 12
Cnoc.navie, 71, liii.
Cnoc Ruigh Griag, 4

— Still, 67

— Thorcaill, 30

— udaia, 111.

— .Vabin, 89
Coag, 61
Coast, 230
Cobhan, 224
.Cobhasgeir, 271
Cocked Hat Wood, 119
Cocklikinich, 50
.Coigach, 257
.Coileachan, 168
Coille .Eagascaig, 235
Coille-gillie, 203
Coille-righ, 181
Coillen, 49
Coilly.more, 70

Na .Coineasan, 242
Coir' a' Chonachair, 17
Coir' an t-Seilich, 16

— a' .Ghrianain, 165
Coire Attadale, 205

— an Fhamhair, 213

— Bhanaidh, 200

— Bheag, 167

— Bog, 11

— Ceud Chnoc, 215, 216

— .Dhomhain, 176

— .Dhuinnid, 179

— Feoil, 110

— .Fionnarach, 199

INDEX.

291

Coire .Ghoibhnidh, 72

— Lair, 196

— .Mhaileagan, 7, 175

- Mhic Cromuill, 211

- Mhic Nobuill, 211

- Mor, 15, 167

— nam Meagh, 8

— na Sorna, 190

— nan .Aradh, 214

— nan Laogh, 165

— Riabhach, 167

— Rol, 209

- Liridh, 199

— .Sgamadail, 204

— .Thollaidh, 73

- na Feola, 213

— na Poite, 213

— nam Mang, 167

— nan Each, 213

Cois Mhic' ille Riabhaich,

236
Cois na .Pollacharach,

238

Cold.home, 135
Cold.wells, 139
.Colington, 144
Colly, Cowie, 103
Colony, 126
.Comar, 149
.Commonty, 38
.Comrie, 149
Comunn nan Caochan,

167

.Conachreig, 91, 76
.Conaglen, 91
.Conaghleann, 91
.Conchra, 91, 186
Condate, 147
.Coneas, 91, 199, 242
-Conglass, 91
Connel Ferry, 185
.Conon, 149, xviii.
Conon.brae, 117
.Contullich, 76, 91
.Contin, 91, 147
.Conval, 91
.Coppachy, 234
Cor. grain, 145
Corn.hill, 9, 106
.Cornton, 117
.Corrachie, 133
An .Corran, 208
Corran, 82

— a' Bhaid.railleach, 248
.Corran Chill .Donnain,

248
Correbruoch, 74

Corrie.haUie, 110
Corrie.muillie, 16, 164
Corrie.vachie, 90
Corrie.wick, 157
Corrina.gale, 115
Cony, 254
Corry.hallie, 246
Corry.halloch, 252, 257
.Corslet, 130
.Corvest, 9
Cos Dubh Bean a' Ghrann-

daich, 217
.Cottcrton, 137
Coul, 148, xxv.
.Coulags, 195
Coul.hill, 76
.Coulin, 196
Coul. more, 144
Coulna.craig, 258
Coulna.gour, 13, 119, 134
Courthill, 193
Cove, 229
.Coylum, 7
.Cracabhal, 267
.Craggan, 29, 50
.Craiceach, 207
Craig, 185, 220
Craig.breck, 139
Craig, darroch, 153
.Craigeam, 268
Craigie.how, 140
Craigpol.skavane, 22
Craig. roy, 27
Craigs, 10
.Crannich, 72, 156
An Crasg, 226
Crask of .Findon, 118
Craskag, 68

An .Creachal Beag, 183
.Creachann nan .Sgadan,

84
Creag a' Bhainne, 110

— a' Bhoth, 80

— a' .Chaisil, 181

— a' Chait, 20, 61

— a' .Chaoruinn, 163

— a' Choinneachan, 30

— a' .Ohriabaill, 179
- a' Mhaim, 174

— an Dath, 218

— an .Fhithich, 101

— nan .Culaidhean, 225

— Bean an Tigh, 229

— .Challdris, 208

— .Chlachach, 165

— Ch6mhaidh, 230

— Eabhain, 16

Creag .Ghiuthsachan, 242

- .Harail, 54

— Illie, 14

— lucharaidh, 153

— Loisgte, 15

— .Luathann, 221

- Mhaol, 48

— .Mholach, 165

— Mhor na Coigicb, 258

— na .Baintighearna, 40

— na Ceapaich, 12, 248

— na Cille, 79

— na .Corcurach, 247

— na h-Uamha, 206

- nam Bord, 242

— nam .Botag, 218

— nan .Caolan, 212

— nan .Garraig, 191

— .Rainich, 165

— .Raoiridh, 12

— .Raonailt, 216

— Ruadh, 14

— Ruigh .Mhorgain, 220
Creagaidh-thom, 138
Creagan na .Michomh-

airle, 222
Creagan nan Cudaigean,

226
.Criadhach .Alain Mhoir,

275

.Criathrach Buidhe, 218
Creed, 264

Creit a' .Chlobha, 140
Creitmantae, 47
Creitnacloyithegeill, 47
Cro of Kintail, 176
.Crochair, 117
Crof tan. drum, 94
Croft.crunie, 143
Croftmatak, 38
Croftna.creich, 140
Croft.nallan, 109
Crof town, 252
Croic Bheinn, 213
Croick, 10
Crois Cat.rion, 33
Croit .Bhreunan, 51

— na .Caillich, 5
.Cromalt, 159
.Cromarty, 124, xxiii.

— Firth, 125
.Cromasag, 231
.Crombie, 125
.Cromlet, 50, 70
Crom Loch, 14
.Crosan, 201
.Crossbost, 265

292

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Cross.hill, 135
Cross.hills, 71
Crostna.hauin, 115
Crownarecroft, 146
Grot Ganich, 50

— Kerk, 50

— Oich, 50
.Crowlin Islands, 216
.Crua'ruigh, 205
.Cruinn-leum, 205
Cruit Earach, 48
.Crumby, 264
Cuaig, 206

Cuan Sgith, Ixxiii.

— .Uidhist, Ixxiii.
Cuidha.seadar, 270
Cuil a' Bhodha, 255
CM1 na .Bioraich, 262
.Cuilishie, 90
.Cuillich, 72
.Gulach, 109
Cul.bin, 88
Cul.binn, 53
.Culbo, 121
Cul.bokie, 116, xxviii.
Cul.caim, 71, 92
Cul.chonich, 236
Cul.craggie, 76
Cul.duie, 203
Cul.eave, 9
Culin.ald, 52
Culin.ellan, 232
Culli.cudden, 122, xxvi
.Cullish, 50

Cul.liss, 53
Cul.muiln, 178
Culna.ha, 51
Culna.skiach, 89
Cul.pleasant, 38
Cul.rain, 20
Cul.vokie, 9
An Cumhag, 246
.Curin, 153
Currourecroft, 146
.Cuthaill Bheag. Ill, 262
— Mh6r, 111, 262
Cuyl.ohir, 184

Daan, 26, 1.

.Dabliaca .Ghruinnearc..,

P.T '

Dal.breac, 15G
Dal.crcrnbio, 124
Dahia.croieh, 155
i/aina.cloich, 71
Dal.iiavie, 71, liii.
Dal.neich, 72, 86

Dal.rannioh, 61
Bail .Charmaig, 198
Bail .Mhartuinn, 198
Dal-.Bhearnaidh, 6
Dal-.Ghiuthais, 7
.Dallas, 27
Dalna.clerach, 67
Dal.reoich, 73
Dal.riada, xiv., xxiv.
Dal.ziel, 277
Davach .Nachtane, 21
.Davach of .Kessock, 136
.Davidston, 125
Davoch .Carbistell, 21
.Davoch .Cam, 100
Davochma.luag, 100
Davoch. polio, 100
.Deanich, 8
Decantae, xii., xxxi.
Deidmanniscairne, 60
Dell, 265
.Delny, 65, xxv.
.Diabaig, 212, 220
.Dibidale, 7, 255
.Dingwall, 93, xx.
.Diollaid a' Mhill Bhric,

253

Dirrie.more, 252
.Diurinish, 188
Dobhran, 27
Doch.carty, 100
Doch.four, 65
Dochna. clear, 101
Doir' a' .Chlaigitm, 209

— an Eala, 223

— .Aonar, 208
Doire Damh, 214
Doire .Leathann, 73
Doire Mhaol.laothaich,

219
Doire nam Fuaran, 219

— .Thao'udail, 195
Doireachan nan Gad,

224

.Doirneag, 219
Don, 1.

.Dorachan, 66
Dores, 135
Doniey, 259
.Dornie, 180, 259
.Dornoch, 180
Dorri.vorchie, 111
Dorry.gorrie. 164
Dorus.duan, 177
Dorus nam Ba, 50
Dos.muckaran, 161
.Douchary, 255

.Douglas Water, 90
Doune, 19
Dounie, 5, 27
.Dourag, 276
Dovaik, 21
Downilaem, 22
.Draoraig, 280
Dreim, 110
.Drienach, 256
Drimin.ault, 66
.Drobhanis, 270
Drochaid Chaolai" 7
- Faillidh, 146

— .Gharaig, 35

— ua h-Uamhach, 200

— Poll .Druineachaia.

200

— Cnoc a' .Chrochaire,

191

.Droitham, 110
•Drollavat, 272
Druentia, 153
.Druideig, 173
Druie, 153
Druim na .Ceardaich. 84

— na Gaoith, 68

— na h-Eige" 266

— nan Damh, 78

— nun Ciiaimi». 174

Druim, 89

Drum.vaiche, 21, 83

Druman.croy, 46

Druman.darroch, 154

Druman.guish, 165

Drumau.riach, 155

Drum.buidhe, 165

Drum.cuddcn, 121

Drum.dil, 51

Drum.derfit, 17,3

Drum.dyre, 122

Drum.gill, 59

•Drummond, 87
Drummon. reach, 117;
Drumna.marg, 143
Drum, ore, 144
Drum.runie, 253
Druni.smittal, 153
.Drymen, 87
.Drynie, 94, 138
Drynie Park, 143
.Duart, 187
.Duasdale, 256

An Dubh Loch, 255
Dubglas, 90
-Dubhag, 252
.Dubhchlais, 184
.Duchan, 80

INDEX.

293

.Dugaraidh, 119

Eilean .Critliinn, 167

Fasag, 211, 233

.Duioh, Loch, 179

— .Daraich, 247

Fasa.grianach, 253

An Dim, 61, 226

— Druim Briste, 260

Feadan Mor, 233

The Dun, 61, 193

— .Euord, 267

..ceadh' laichean, 260

Dun .Alaisgaig, 31, 275

— na Beinne, 194

Fearn, 30, 40

Dun an Ruigh Ruaidh,

— na .Cairidh, 273

.Feannagau-Glasa, 227

251

— nan Ceap, 243

Fearn. beg, 206

Dunach Liath, 14

— nan Gall, 171

Fearn.more, 206

Dun. cow, 103

— .Shildeig, 208

Fe.bait, 110

.Diiuan Diarmid, 178

— .Thoriaidh, 266

Feddeu.hill, 131

- Liath, 14

— Tioram, 189, 229

Fedderat, 96

Dun .Bhorranish, 269

— Tioram, 228

Feith .Rabhain, 237

- .Bhuirgh, 265

Eilid, 244

— .Ch usgein, 241

— Canna, 256

Eiuig, 18

— .Chuilisg, 230

Duii.riachie, 51

.Eirthire Dcnn, 236

.Fendom, 5, 34

Duu.tuilm, 268

.Eirasta, 271

Feodhail, 237

.Duncanston, 118

.Eirera, 264, 266

.Feoriseadar, 267

Dun.donell, 247

Ekkjalsbakki, 18

Ferin.donald, xxiv.

Di\n.gobhal, 61

Ellan.donan, 180

Ferin.tosh, 114, xxiv.

- na Lagaidh, 251

Elviemore, 49

.Feruewyr, Fymewer,

Dun.more, 108

.Enaclete, 269

XXV.

Dun.ruadh, 92

Enycht, 38

.Fernaig, 185

Dun.skaith, 33, 52

.Eoradale, 265

.Feshie, 128

Dun.vornie, 115

.Eoropie, 264, 266

Fetter, angus, 96

Duma. muck, 245

.Erbusaig, 188

.Fettes, 144

.Durness, 188

.Erchite, 135

.Feur-lochan, 91

Ergadia Borealis, xv.,

Feur Mor, 14

.Eacleit, 269

xxiii.

Fiaclaich, 279

.Eaglais .Riabhachain,

.Erisolt, 268

.Fiaclachan, 238, xliv.

172

.Erradale, 227

.Fiddlefield, 109

.Eagon, 200

.Errogie, 101

.Fidegro, 268

.Earavick, 272

.Essich, 182

.Fidigearraidh, 236

.Earrabhig, 266

.Etive, 182

.Fidigeodha, 266

.Earshader, 266, 270

.Evan ton, 92

.Findglas, 89

Eas an Tairbh, 24

Ewe, li.

.Findon, 116

Bas an .Teampuill, 195

.Fivig, 268

Eas uaii .Cuinneag, 213

.Fadoch, 181

Fionn Abhauin, 199

.Easan na .Miasaich, 252

Faillidh, 146

.Fionnaltan, 197

Easter Fearn, 20

Fain, 247

Fionn Bheinn, 170

- Kin.kell, 115

Fain .Braonach, 105

Fionn Loch, 239

Easter, tyre, 186

Faing.more, 206

Fireach, 163

.Eathie, 129

.Fairburn, 105

First Coast, 238

.Edderton, 23

Fairy.hill, 54

Fisher Croft, 50

— Farm, 25

Faithche, 237

Fisherfield, 242

Eddirdail, xxiv.

.Faithir an Roin, 230

.Fleucherries, 123

Eddirdover, 142, xviii.

Faithir Beag, 222, 229

.Flowerburn, 131

Eigg, 50

Faithir Mor, 222, 229

.Flowerdale, 225

.Eiginn, 167, 205

Faithir .Mungasdale, 245

— House, 225

.Eigintol, 168

Na .Faithrichean, 248

.Flodday, 266

Eig.bheag, 266

.Fanaich, 5

.Fluchlady, 88

Eig.mhor, 266

.Fannich (Loch), 166

Fodderletter, 96

Eileag Bada .Cliallaidh,

.Fannyfield, 92

.Fodderty, 96

273

.Faochag, 261

.Folais, 234

.Eileanach, 90

Faoilinn, 204

.Fordon, 96

Eilean na .Cabhaig, 78

.Farness, 125

Foreste de Ramiacli, xxv.

— a' Chaoil, 208

.Farrlaraidh, 98

Forestercroft, 146

- a3 Ghobhainn, 232

.Fasadh, 185

Forsin.ain, 105

294

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

.Forsnavat, 267

Gascleite, 267

Glen .Alladale, 61

For.teviot, 96

Gas-sker, 267

— Beg, 21, 165

.Fortrose, 128

.Gaza, 46

— .Calvie, 7

.Foulis, 86

Gead a' Chois, 230

— .Conrie, 152

.Fowlis, 86

Gead Dubh, 230

— .Docharty, 239

Foy Lodge, 237, 253

.Geanies, 47

— Dubh, 230

.Foyers, 221

.Gearraidh .Phutharol,

— .Elchaig, 181

Fra.watter, 21

265

— .Evaig, 137

Freuchie, 68

.Gearrchoille, 4, 274

— .Finglas, 90

.Frithard, 191

.Geddeston, 135

— Glass, 90

Fri.vater, 12, 21

.Geelyum .Melpak, 49

— .Grivie, 183

Fuaid, 213

a' Ghairbhe, 232

Gleii.iak, 107

Fuaran an oir, 28

Gidhurol, 267

Glen .Lyon, 199

Fuaran Bean .Mhuir-

Gil.christ, 108

— Mark, 86

istean, 60

Girthcroce, 62, Ixvi.

Glen.markie, 86

Fuaran Bocl-muice, 278

.Gisla, 264

— Marxie, 163

Fuaran. buy, 89

,Gii\sachan, 242

Glen.meanie, 153

- Dha' idb, 38

.Giuthais .Mosach, 8

Glen.moir, 21

— Seachd-goil, 278

Giuthas Mor, 232

Glen.more, 8

.Fuar-tholl, 197

Giuthsach, 66

Glen.muick, 242

.Fuartholl Beag, 168

Gizzen Brigs, 37

Glen of Scotsburn, 61, 62

— mor, 168

Glac Dhubh a' Chais, 217

Glen.shiel, 171

.Fura Island, 228

Glac na Senshesen, 223

Glen.uag, 157

Furene, 66

Glack.our, 253

Glen.udalan, 187

.Furness, 234

Glac. our, 155

Glen .Urqu'hart, ".^6.

.Fyrish, 77, 277

.Glagaig, 54

Globhur, 267

Glaic an .Dubhaig, 139

Glomach, 181

Gad.caiscaig, 254

Glaic an Rigli .Chonan-

Gloume, The, 182

Gaineamhach Sniiuthaig,

aich, 249

Gluich, 24

229

— nan Cleireach, 79

.Glumaig, 272

Gairbhe, 232

Glaick, 72, 80, 83

.Ghitan, 255, 281

.Gairloch, 220

Glaickar.duich, 139

Goatfell, 224

— Hotel, 226

Glaicker.duack, 110

Gob-a-Chtiirn, 167

.Galanaich, 24

Glaick.more, 137

Gob Hais, 268

Gallow Hill, 48, 126, 145

.Glaischoille, 21

— nan .Uisgeachan, 218

Gallows Hill, 117

.Glasbheimi, 198

Goirtean na h-Airde, '.93

.Gamhnaichean, 244

.Glascarne, 74

Gooseburn, 132

.Gamrock, 131

Glas.carnoch, 165

Gorlinges, 39

Gar nan Aighean, 7

.Glascharn, 154

.Gorstan, 196

.Garaidh nam Broc, 218

.Glaschoille, 10

— of Garve, 162

Garbat, 26, 162

.Glascairn, 117

Gortan, 89

.Garbhalt, 7

.Glas-sgeir, 217

Got a' choire, 48

.Garbhleitir, 61

Glass River, 90

— nan Colman, 4S

.Garbhan Cosach, 173

.Glastullich, 35, 59, 255

— nan Cat, 45

.Garbhlainn, 197

Gleann 'a Ghraig, 273

Gowrie, li.

Gareloch, 220

— Choilich, 183

Gracefield, 135

.Garguston, 144, 183

— Coire .Chaorachain,

.Greeba, Ivii. Ivix.

.Garrabost, 264

246

Green Dasses. 218

.Garraran, 74

— .Ghleadharan, 267

Green.hill, 123

.Garrick Burn, 35

— Loch Ach.alla, 254

Green.leonachs, 118

.Garty, 64

— Lie, 176

.Greinam, 268

.Garvan, 252

— na Speireig, 90

.Griamanais, 269

.Garvary, 11

— na Sguab, 263

Grianbhad, 6, 274

Garve, 161, 162

— Shiaghaidh, 182

.Grimersta, Zll

.Garvie Bay, 261

— .Sgathaich, 102

.Grimshader, 270

.Gaeaval, 267

.Gleanna Garbh, 242

.Grinnabhal, 267

.Gascan, 208

.Gledfield, 4

.Grinnavat, 272

INDEX.

295

.Grosavat, 272

Inver.alligin, 212

Grudie, 166, 251

.Inveran, 235

Gruids, 166

Inver. arity, 107

.Gruinard, 5

Inver. asdale, 229, Iv.

Inver. bane, 208

.Habost, 265

Inver. breakie, 69

.Haclete, 269

Inver. broom Lodge, 252

.Haddo, 111

Inver.carron, 8

.Hallagro, 268

Inver. coran, 153

.Halloch, 135

Inver. gordon, 70

.Hamarshader, 270

Inver.iavenie River, 241

Hardnaneu, 49

Inver. inate, 179

.Harris, 264

Inver.lael, 253

.Hartfield, 111, 204

Inverlochslin, 38

.Heathfield, 68

Inver.many, 153

.Hebrides, xxvi.

Inver.oykell, 18

.Hestaval, 267

Inver.polly, 261

.Highfield, 103

lochdar-thire, 186

Hill of Nigg, 53

lolla Bheag, 258

.Hillock, 131

lolla Mhor, 258

.Hilton, 9, 27, 41, 46, 108

Isle Ma.ree, 239

Horse Island, 258

Isle Martin, 255

— Sound, 253

Isle .Risiol, 260

.Horshader, 270

.Islivig, 272

.Hughstown, 108

Is.teane, 139

.Humberstou, 94

.Hundagro, 268

.Hunisger, 2/1

James Temple, 141

Hunting Hill, 36

Jamestown, 105

Hurdy Hill, 141

Jamimaville, 123

.Janetown, 194

.Immer, 195

John Baptist's Well, 65

.Inbhir, 75

Inch.bae, 102

Inch.breky, 70

Kandig, 47, 49

Inch. coulter, 279

.Katewell, 87

Inch.fuir, 65

Kean.chilish, 255

Inchin.a, 244

.Kenmore, 207

Inchin.down, 70

.Keppoch, 101, 179, 248

Inchin.taury, 24

.Kernsary, 234

Inch.lumpie, 73

Kerry River, 225

Inch.nairn, 184

.Kerrysdale, 225

Inch.navie, 71

.Kershader, 270

Inch.rory, 101

.Kessock Ferry, 136

luch.vannie, 100

Kil.choan, 91

Inish. glass, 234

Kil.coy, 143

Inner.athy, 33, 37

.Kildary, 63

Innerladour, 49

Kilder.morie, 79, 84

Inner.many, 153

Kil.donan, 248

Innis a' Bhaird, 235

Kil.dun, 94

— a' Chro, 176

Kill.earnan, 142

— Bheag, 48

Kill.en, 134

— Loicheil, 190

Killie.huntly, 148

— Mhor, 36

Kill.ilan, 181

— nan Damh, 19

Kill.in, 94

Insch, 154

Killochir, 184

Inver, 38, 75

Kilma.chalmag, 19

Inver.aithie, 129

Kil.martin, 120

Kil.muir, 136

— Easter, 63
Kilpottis, 47, 49
Kilstane, 47
Kil.tarlity, 58
Kil.tearn, 85
Kin.beachie, 121
Kincaldrum, 100
Kin.caple, 86
Kin.cardine, 1
Kin.cora, 115
Kin.craig, 70
Kin.curdy, 130
Kin.deace, 53, 66
Kin.ellan, 99
King's Bridge, 63

— Causeway, 36
Kin.kell, 115
Kin.loch, 80, 90
Kinn.airdie, 94, xxv.
Kinna.moin, 189
Kinn.eil, xliv.
Kiii.nettes, 97, 111
Kin.rive, 67
Kin.sale, 178

Kiu .tail, 178
Kin.veachy, 121
.Kiriwick, 272
.Kirkan, 165
Kirkchaistull, 74
Kirkin.tilloch, xlix,
Kirk.michael, 121
Kirk, sheaf, 35
.Kirkton, 122, 189
.Kishorn, 192
Knockan.dialtaig, 118
Knockan.toul, 89
Knockan.cuirn, 89
Knock.bain, 94, 138
Knock. breac, 35
Knock.farrel, 98
Knock. muir, 134
Knockna.cean, ?5
Knockna.har, 42
Knokangirrach, 47
Knokdaill, 21
Knokderruthoill, 74
Knoknapark, 64
Knoknasteraa, 74
Kyle of Loch.alsh, 187

Lag an Duin, 193
.Lagaidh Dhubh, 212
.Lagan na .Comraich, 203
Laid, 238
Laikgarny, 22
Lainn, 78
.Lainnsear, 139

296

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

.Laimishader, 270
An Lair, 233
Lair, 196, 212
Lairg, 36
Lambton, 126
Lamentation Hill, 20
.Langadale, 266
.Langavat, 272
.Langwell, 9, 18, 204, 256
Larachanti.vore, 242
.Lathamur, 268
.Laxavat, 272
.Laxay, 264
.Laxdale, 265
Leaba Bhatair, 12
Leab' a' Bhruic, 14
Leac an Duine, 27
Leac Dhonn, 249

— Mhor na Cle, 254

— nan Saighead, 224
- .Roithridh, 226
.Leacachan, 172
.Lealty, 82
.Leanaidh, 159
.Leanaig, 117
.Leanach, 161
.Learnie, 129
Leat.caum, 50
.Leathad a' .Bhogaraidh,

25

— .Cartach, 102
.Leathad a' Chruthaich,

95

— .Chalascaig, 254

— an aon Bhothain, 219

— .Leacachain, 252

— -Riabhach, 79
•Leault, 82
-Lechanich, 29
Leck.melm, 254
Led.gowan, 161
Leinster Wood, 61
•Leiravay, 272
•Leisgeig, 56

Leith Chreig, 230
Leithdach Meinn, 154
.Lernock, 129
-Leth Allt, 179
Letteray, 22
Letter.fearn, 172
Letternaiche, 22
Lietterneteane, 22
Letters, 10, 251
-Lettoch, 111, 145
Leum .Ruaraidh, 167
-Leurbost, 265
Lewis, 263
-Liathach, 210

.Lienassie, 90, 178
Lime.kilns, 135
.Lingam, 268
.Lingavat, 27
.Linish, 269
Linne na h-Annaid, 249

— Rarsach, Ixxiii.

— Sgainne, 2

— Sgitheanach, Ixxiii.
.Linnie, 145
.Linshader, 270

Lint Pools, 64
Little .Daan, 26

— .Dallas, 27

— Loch Broom, 245

— Minch, Ixxiii.
Little Sand, 227

' Loan.dhu, 42
| Loan.reoch, 72
I Loan.roidge, 81

Loanteanaquhatt, 48

Loch Ach.all, 254

— .Achilty, 163

— Airigh 'ic Gnadh, 226

— .Ala, 133

— Alsh, 184

— Anna,

— a' .Bhadaidh .Shamh-

raidh, 230

— a' .Bharranaich, 197

— a' .Bhealaich, 176

— a' Bhraghad, 242

— a' .Chapuill, 78

— a' Chlarain, 163

— a' Chraicich, 207

— a' Chroisg, 256

— a' Chuilinn, 150

— a' .Gharbharain, 169

— a' Mhagraidh, 79

— a' .Mhuilinn, 154, 204

— an .Airceil, 247

— an .Arbhair, 262

— an Droma, 163

— an Eich Bhain, 163

— an Eilich, 244

— an Loin, 214

— an Turaraich, 215
Loch Bad a' Bhathaich, 84

a' Ghaill, 261

na h-Achlaise, 223

na Sgalag, 225

— Battachan, 261

— Bealach nan Cuilean,

91

— .Beannacharan, 152

— Bhura, 230

— Broom, 241

— Buidhe, 61

Loch Call nan Uidhean,
262

— Calvie, 190

— Carron, 192

— Carron Village, 194

— a' .Chlaiginn, 257

— Glair, 197, 223

— Clais na Cre, 47

— Cluaine, 176

— .Coireag nam Mang,

159

— Coire .Feuchain, 91

— Coire Fionnaraich,

199

— Coire Lair, 169

— Coir' na Meidhe, 17

— .Coulin, 196

— .Coultrie, 214

— Craiceach, 207

— Cran, 161

— .Cruoshie, 191

— Damh, 214

— Doire na h-Eirbhe,

239, 262

— Dring, 228

— .Droma, 169

— .Dughall, 196, 215

— Eadar da Bheinn, 257

— .Eiginn, 246

— Eye, 42

— .Fannich, 166

— Feadhal Feas, 239
' — Fyne, xii.

— .Gaorsaig, 182

— Garve, 162

— Ghiuragartaidh, 235

— a' .Ghlobhuir, 267

— Glass, 90

— .Gobach, 214

— .Gobhlach, 91

— .Hamasord, 26?

— .Kanaird, 256

— Laichley, 135

— Lapagial, 35

— Ligh, 135, 168

— Long, 183

— Loyne, 177

— .Luichart, 164

— .Lundie, 213

— .Lungard, 182

— .Lurgainn, 257

— Maoil na h-.Eileig,

239

— Ma.ree, 239
- .Meiklie, 157

— .Mheathacleit, 219

— Mhic .Mharsaill, 19

— .Mhileavat, 272

INDEX.

297

Loch .Mhiosaraidh, 91
— Moir, 84

— .Monar, 190

— na .Cabhaig, 218

— ua .Cathrach Duibhe,

238

— na Cleire, 244

— na .Coireig, 248

— na Croic, 163

— na .Pideil, 239

— ua h-Airbhe, 250

— i;a h-Oidhche, 214, 225

— na h-Uidhe, 42, 248

— na .Lagaidh, 247

— na Larach Blaire, 154

— na .Leitreach, 181

— na .Maola .Fraoch-

aich, 214

— >aSaile, 261

— na Sealg, 2<f5

— na .Shanish, 223

— na Still, 169

— nam Breac Athair,

223

— nam Buaineachan, 225

— nam .Frianach, 215

— nan Amhaichean, 91

— nan Corr, 178

— nan .Cuigeal, 46

— nan Dailthe.an, 235

— nan .Druidean, 91

— nan Eun, 22

— nan .Tunnag, 26

— Neimhe, 210

— .Osgaig, 261

- .Prille, 169

- Raa, 261

- .Ranacleit, 269

- .Seraig, 194

— Rosque, 160

— .Seaforth, 267

— .Sgamhaiu, 196

- .Sgolbaidh, 154

— .Sguata Beag, 223

— -Sheriff, 118

— .Sianascaig, 261

— .Slin, 42

- Still, 67

— .Struaban, 15

- -Thamnabhaigh, 272

— .Thealasbhaigh, 272

— .Totaig, 261

- Tuath, 170

— Uaill, 215

— .Uanaidh, 35

— .Urradhag, 271

— .Veyatie, 262

Lochaidh Bhraoin, 241

— .Mhuireagain, 183

— Nid, 243

Lochan a' Chlaidheimh,
60

— an Diabhaidh, 243

— an. .lasgaich, 197

— Giuthais, 242

— Gobhlach, 197
- .Mealaich, 228

— na Bearta, 242

— na .Caoirilt, 244

— na .Fuaralaich, 174

— nan .Tunnag, 57

— Phoil, 18

— .Sgeireach, 14
.Logie, 58, 251
Logie.side, 119
Lon.ban, 205

Lon Coire ..Chn\baidb,196

— Dialtaig, 5
Lone.more, 227
Lone. vine, 65
Lon nam Ban, 60
Lonteana.quhatt, 48
Longa Island, 227
Lorg.buie, 78
.Luachar Mhor, 23
Ltib a' .Chlaiginn, 102
Lub a' .Ghargainn, 144
Lub .Coinnich, 10
Lub.croy, 17
Lub.fearn, 165
Lub.riach, 165

Lugi, xii.
Luib, 160
Lum.lair, 81, 85
.Lundale, 265
.Lundie, 158, 189
.Lundin, 158

Mac us .Mathair, 246
.Macan .Earach, 203
.Machair Hois, xi.
Maileagan, 172
Main, 153
Mam, 153
Mal.ruba, Ixi.
Mamag, 183
Mam a' .Ghiuthais, 232
.Mulcanan, 215
Mam .Sabhal, 183
.Manachainn Ross, 110

— 'Ic .Shimidh, 40
.Mangarsta, 271
Maoil, Ixxiii.

Maoil .Choinnl'mae, 159

— .Lunndaidh, 158
Maol an Uillt ivlhoir, 205
- Buidhe, 181

— .Chalascaig, 254

— .Cheanndearg, 174, 197
.Maravaig, 272
.Mai-avat, 272
Marecroft, 146
.iviarybank, 60

Mas Aird.hesleig, 207

— .Diabaig, 207

— na h-.Arairi, 207
Mas .Phutharol, 265
Maoil an .Tiompain, 247

— na h-Eirbhe, 250
.Mashie, 128
.Mas-sgeir, 271
.Meaghlaicli, 8
.Mealasbhal, 267
.Mealasta, 271
.Mealbhan .Mungasdail,

245

.Meathacleit, 269
.Meathadal, 269
.Meathanish, 269
Meall na h-Airde, 194

— a' Bhuirich, 256

— a' .Cnaisteil, 102

— a' .Chaoruinn, 249

— a' .Chrasgaidh, 252

— a' .Chrimeig, 279

— a' .Ghrianain, 102

— a' Ghuail, bo

— uam .Madadh, 15

— an t-.Sithidh, 246
— an .Torcain, 165
.Meallan .Udrigle, 238
Meall an Tuirc, 78, 83,

xxxii.

— .Aoghaireachaidh, 213

— .Aundrary, 225

— .Bheithinnidh, 234

— .Bhenneit, 11

— .Dheirgidh, 20

— .Gainmheach, 205

— Gonn, 218

— Leacachain, 252

— Loch Uaill, 215

— Mnic .lomhair, 165

— na .Cliubha, 240

— na Cuachaige, 11, 274

— nan .Doireachan, 213

— nam Bo, 79

— na .Mocheirigh, 255

— nam .Fuaran, 15

— nam .Peit/hirean, 168

— na .Rainich, 14

298

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

Meall na .Sgriodan, 259

Mor'oich Cinn-deis. 53,171

.Nonach, 189

— na .Siorramachd, 30

Morrich.more, 36

North .Erradale, 227

— na .Speireig, 90, 95

.Moruisg, 200

.Nostie, 188

— na .Teanga .Fiadh-

.Morvich, 171

No.var, 77

aich, 219

Moss.end, 119

— nan Laogh, 165

Mount.eagle, 42

Oape, 19

— nan Sac, 102

Mount, gerald, 92

Ob an Duine, 189

.Meddat, 62

Mount.rich, 91

Ob Cheann an t-Saile,

Meig, 156

Moy, 105

2*o

Meikle .Allan, 43

.Muckernich, 143

Ob.gorm beag, 209

— .Daan, 26

.Muckovie, 83

— Laghaich, 217

— .Dallas, 27

Muie.blaire, 28

— mor, 209

— Ferry, 33

Muileann Ach-railein, 53

Ob na h-.acairseid, 208

— .Gluich, 24

— a' .Chlagain, 277

- na .Oaillich, 217

— Kin.deace, 53

— an t-SA.il, 139

— na h-.uamha, 206

— Pit.calzean, 51

.Muileann .Luathaidh, 38

— .mheallaidh, 209

— .Bhynie, 41

Muilt, 222

.Oban, 188

— .Tarrel, 47

Muir. alehouse, 133

Obbe, 188

Mekle .Methat, 62

Muir.ends, 138

.Obbenin, 237

.Melbost, 264

.Muirtown, 115, 126, 138

.Obsdale, 71, 78

.Mellon Charles. 236

Muiry.den, 131

.Ochil, 103, 148

.Melvaig, 227

Mul.buie, 47

Ochto.beg, 89

Meoir 'Langwell, 19

.Mulcanan, 215

.Ochtow, 19, 89

A' .Mhaighdean, 239

Mul.chaich, 115

Oir na Poit, 49

A' .Mhullagraich, 260

Mul.dearg, 43

.Oirthir an .Rudha, 220

.Miagro, 269

.Mullach, 22

— .Dhiabaig, 220

.Mial, 226

.Mullach a' Chadha

.Oitir, 53

.Miasaid, 269, 271

Bhuidhe, 16

.Oitrichean, 38

.Miavaig, 272

Mulna.fua, 71

.Onich, 189

Mickle Oxgate, 178

.Multovy, 83, xlviii.

.Openham, 222

Mid Fearn, 30

.Mungasdale, 245

.Orasay, 266

Mid Ross, xi.

Mun.lochy, 141

Ord, 69, 110

Mid.oxgate, 43

Muren, 138

.Ordan, 5

Mill.craig, 71

Ord.hill, 135, 141

.Milltoun, 123

.Naast, 230

Ore, R., Ill

.Milltown, 81,123,156

.NTaidaval, 270

.Ormiscaig, 236

.Milntown, 63

.Nasabhig, 272

.Orrin River, 111

.Milton, 110, 144, 204

.Navity, 125, Ixiii.

Oure Lady Heavin, 43

Minch, xiv., Ixxiii.

Nead an Eoin, 224

Oure Lady Well, 43

Mincius, 157

.Neadaclif, 270

Our Lady is Chapell, 43

.Miotag, 244

.Neadavat, 270

.Oykell, 17, 103

.Mircavat, 269

Neclacanalych, 38

.Mircol, 269

Nedd, 167

.Pabay, 266

Moin' a' Chr^athair, 199

.Neidalt, 268

.Pabbay, 270

Mointeach Eileag, 17

.Neidelan, 270

Pairc .Alanais, 75

Mol Mor, 217

.Neidal, 270

— a' Bhord Bhuidhe, 248

Mol .Scoraig, 249

.Neilston, 126

— an .Leothaid, 132

.Molagro, 268

Neimhidh, Ixii.

.Paiteachan, 174

Moothill of Ci-omarty, 126

Nemetomarus, Ixiii.

.Palascaig, 189

— .Dingwall, 93

New Tarbat, 63

Parishes, xxvi.

— .Ormond, 133

New.more, 70, Ixiii.

Park, 100

.Morall, 2

.Newton, 126, 134

Park.hill, 62

.Morangie, 34

New Kelso, 198

.Parktown, 144

.Morefield, 255

.Nighean Liath, 220

Patt, 189

.Morel, 2

Nigg, 50, 66

.Paulfield, 141

.Monnhoich a' Choire,

Nigg Rocks, 56, 71

.Peallaidh, 88

219

Nona.kiln, 70 l .Peddieston, 125

.Peiteachan, 144
Peitneane, 200
•Pelaig, 88
Peloponnesus, xxiv.
Pentland Firth, xlvi.
.Peterburn, 227
Petgerello, 38
Petkeuney, 87, xxv.
.Petley, 4-7
Petty, xlvii.
Pettyslanis, Petslaw,

Piddslaw, 131
.Phenish, iid9
.Phips^eld, 59
Picts, xlv.
Pit.almit, 200
Pit.calnie. 51, 276
Pit. conn oquhy, 131
Pit.culzean, 51
Piteng.lassie, 94
Pit.faed, 46
Pit.fuir, 65, 135
Pit.glassie, 94
Pit.hogarty, 34
Pit.kerrie, 41
Pit.lundie, 140
PUma.duthy, 59
Pit.nellies, 33
.Pladaig, 188
.Pladda, 189
Plaids, 34
Platach-Nsist, 230
Platach Thiirneig, 235
Plat.chaig, 129
.Platcock, 129
Ploc, 211

Ploc an Doire, 211
.Plockton, 187
Plotcok, 123
.Ploverfield, 145
.Plubag, 276
.Plucaird, 235
Pol.bain, 259
Pol. glass, 258
Polin.turk. 23
.Pollachar Mor, 238

— Beag, 238

Poll a' .Bhathaidh, 62

— a' Bhior, 204

— a' Chapuill, 2

— a' Choire, 112, 256

— a' .Mhucainn, 77, 83

— an Doirbh, 226

— an .Donnaidh, 2
an-.tarie, 189

— an t^Slugaid, 2

— Bhocaidh, 9

— Cas.gaibhre, 20

INDEX.

Poll .Chreadhaich, 203

— .Druineachen, 200

— Da.ruigh, 254

— na Clar, 82, 89

— na Guile, 80, 83

— na Muic, 2

— nam iv±orbh, 82
.Pollag .Aitionn, 82
Polla. gharry, 26, 274
.Polio, 65

Pollograyscheak, 74
Poll Ptuadh, 82

Poll Uidhe H' Chro, 234
Pol.nicol, 64
Poltak, 38
Pookan.draw, 134
Pool.ewe, 230
.Porin, 155
Port a' .Chaisteil, 48

— a' Bhaist, 49

— a' Chait, 45

— a' Chuilinn, 187

— an Ab, 41

— an Druidh, 57

— an Eorna, 187

— an.FhaithirMhoir,221

— an t-Saoir, 216

— an t-.Seobhaig, 217

— Buckle, 45

— .Henderson, 222

— 'ic Ghille Chaluim

Rarsaidh, 210

— na .Baintighearna, 44
i — Lair, 212

I Portin. coulter, 279

| Port.lich, 65
Portma.homack, 46
Port na Cloiche, 49

— na h-Eile, 226

— Nach.breacaidh, 276
Portna.grigack, 49

— nan Am all, 228
Portarecroft, 146
Portnawest, 49
Port Uilleim, 46
Poul.fock, 42
.Poyntzfield, 123
Preas, liii.

Preas Ma-.Ruibh, Ixi.
Preas Mor, 232, 247

— nam Bodach, 247
Preis.chachleif, 59
Priest.hill, 65
Priest Island, 39, 260

i .Putharam, 265
I .Putharamar, 265
i .Putharol, 265

290

Quarryfield, 139
.Queebec, 38

.Raanich, 23

.Raddery, 130

Raitts, 172

Ra.more, 23

.Ranish, 269

.Kannoch, 101

.Raoideas, 140

Raoinavat, 272

Raon a' Chlaidh, 248

Raona.chroisg, 253

.Raonadail, 265

Raon na .Ceapaich, 248«

.Rapag, 256

Ra.richie, 51

.Rasay, 161

.Rassel, 216

,Ratagan, 172

.Rathan, 210

.Rathanan, 211, xxxiu

Rawcharrache, 74

.Redburu, 78

Red. castle, 142, xviii.

.Redfield, 136

Red Point, 220

Reiff, 260

Renmasrycshe, 47
Re.quill, 26

.Reraig, 188
Re.solis, 120
Re.vochan, 198
Rewchlascheaabad, 74-
Rhi.dorroch, 254
Rhein.down, 107
Rhi.reavach, 248
Rhi.cullen, 70
Rhi.breac, 24
Rhi.dorach, 53, 61, 89
Rhi.lonie, 21
Rhi.roy, 251
Rhives, 64, 134
Rhu.roin, 203
.Rhynie, 41
Riask.more, 70
Ri.fleuche, 61
Righ an .Talla Dheirg,

250

iii.gollachy, 234
Ri.harrald, 59, 60
Rihindow, 50
.Rinavie, xlviii.
.Riochan, 182
Ri.saurie, 74
.Risay, 266
River Bran, 165

300

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY.

River Creed, 264

- Lair, 196

- Ling, 183

— .Kirkaig, 262

— Polly, 261
3J.ocha.ni, 49
.Kockfield, 46
.Regie, 101, 1.
.Roineval, 267

Roinn an Fhaing Mhoir,

206

.Roishnish, 269
.Rona, 266
Ros .Muileach, xx.
Rose. bank, 70
Rose. farm, 126
Rose.haugh, 131
Rose.markie, 128
.Rosgil, 269
Rosie, 161
.Roekill, 138
Ross.keen, 69
Rostabrichty, 123
.Rosaidh, 266
.Rosmul, 268
.Rosnavat, 268
Bos.neath, Ixiii.
.Rosnish, 268
Ross, xxi.
.Rossay, 268
.Rossol, 268
Rowna.karne, 47
Rownaknoksenidis, 47,

49

Royeindavoir, 47
.Ruadh-stac, 197
.Ruarach, 178
Rudh' Ard a' .Chadail,

255

— a' .Chamais Ruaidh,

206

— an Dunain, 258
Rudha an t-Sasain, 229,

280

— .Dubhard, 258

— na Coigich, 261

— na Fearna, 206

— na Guaille, 205

— na Moine, 205, 245

- na Sgarbh, 26

— nan .Uamhag, 203

- Nois

- Reidh, 228

— .Robhanish, 270
Rue. more, 187
Ruigh Breac, 27, 191
Ruigh Cruaidh, 20

luigh .Dreighean, 80

— na Meinn, 5
luigh.grianach, 262
Ru.noa, 231

Russel, 216
Ryefield, 117, 144
Rye.flat, 131

Sail Liath, 243

— .Marcasaidh, 163

— na Beinne Bige, 218
St Duthus' Well, 127
St John's Port, 49

St Martins, 120
.Salachar, 187, 205
Sale, 171
.Sallachy, 8, 187
,Saitburn, 69
.Sanachan, 193
Sand, 205, 238
.S?.ndavat, 272
.Sandwick, 270
.Saothair, 238, 255
.Sardale, 204
.Saraig, 172, 220
Sasan, 229
.Sauchieburn, 8
.Scailleir, 271
.Scalpaidh, 188
.Scaravat, 272

.Scardroy, 156

.Scarista, 271

.Scatwell, 149

Scone, 148

.Scotsburn, 67

.Seafield, 46, 193

.Seanachreag, 187. 244

.Sean-bhaile, 227, 243

Seann Bhraigh, 170

.Seansgeir, 228

.Searrach, 233

.Seavat, 272

Second Coast, 238

.Seilibhig, 272

.Seipeil .Donnain, 193

— .Odhar, 94
Seolaid, 221
Sergandcroft, 146
.Sgaoman, 169
.Sgaothach, 15
.Sgarbh-sgeir, 271
Sgardan nan Cuileag, 195
Sgeir an Eoin, 206

— an t-Salainn, 216

— an .Trithinn, 220

— Bhura, 230

— Mhaoil Mhoire, 228

Sgeir Neo.ghluasadach,
260

— .Ribhinn, 260
Sgianalt, 268
Sgiobacleit, 268
Sgiobadal, 271
Sgioba-geodha, 271
Sgiogarsta, 271

!?gire Mhartuinn, 120
Sguataig, 229
Sgonnan Mor, 17
3gor a' .Chaoruinn, 79
Sgoraig, 249
Sgorr a' .Chadail, 211

- a' Chlei', 89
Sguman, 222

Sgurr a' .Bhealaich

Dheirg, 174,
Sgurr a' .Chaorachain, 213

— a' .Chaoruinn, 159

— a' Ghlas .Leathaid,

160

— a' .Mhuiliun, 160

— an .Airgiod, 178

— an .Lochain, 174

- Beag, 174

nan .Cisteachan
Dubh, 173

— Coire na Feinne, 174

— .Gaorsaig, 182

- 'Ic .Mharrais, 175

— .Marcasaidh, 163

— Mor, 168

— Ruadh, 197

nam .Feartag, 200

— na .Bana-mhorair, 215

— na .Mor'oich, 173

— nan Caruach, 173

— nan .Ceannp.ichean,

159

nan .Cisteachan

Dubh, 173

— nan .Conbhair, 159

— nan .Saighead, 173

— na' Spainnteach, 173

— nan .Conbhairean, 174

— nan Clach, 168

— Ouran, 173

— .Ronnaich, 160

— Udhran, 173
Sgurra .Fiona, 243

— Ruadh, 243
.Shadir, 270
.Shantullich, 138
.Shandwick, 50, 62
Shaw Park, 135
.Shawbost, 264

INDEX.

301

.Shenavall, 243

Sron a' Charr, 222

Stron.garve, 89

.Shetland, Ix.

— a' Mhais, 207

Struie, 28

.Sheshader, 270

— an .larruhm, 206

Suaineagadail, 265

.Shiattt Isles, Ixiv.

gorm, 165

Suainebhal, 267

.Shildinish, 271

— Gun .Aran, 14

Suardal, 265

.Shieldaig, 208, 225

— na .Ceannmhoir, 207

Suddy, 136, xliv.

.Shoais, 270

— na Coite, 9

Suidh Ma-.Ruibh, Ixii.

Sian na h-Eileig, 237

— na .Frianaich, 158

Sulven, Ivi.

.Sildam, 271

— nam Mult, 222

Suidheachan Fhinn, 243

.Sithean .Ruarach, 16

— na .Saobhaidhe, 11,

Suil.Ba, 54

— a' Choin Bhain, 73

111

— Mill a' Chro, 235

Skardy, 38

— 'n .ugaidh, 8

.Sulishader, 270

.Skiach, 89

Sruth na .Lagaidh, 251

Sulven, Ivi.

.Skibberscross, Iv.

Stacsavat, 272

Summer Isles, 259

.Skinnertown, 48

.Stattic Point, 245

Sunny Brae, 119

Skotlandijordr, xiv.

.Stangraidh, 266

.Swanibost, 265

Slaga.harn, 139

Staonag, 213

.Swordale, 87, 268

.Slaggan, 237

.Stathanis, 269, 271

.Syal, 9

.Slattadale, 231

Stavek, xviii.

.Sligo, 140

.Steinish, 269

.Tabac, 264

.Slioch, 233

Steollaidh, 45

.Taboet, 265

Sloggake, 22

Stirk.hill, 229

.Taclete, 269

Sludach, 127

Stirrup Mark, 219

.Tagan, 231, Ivi.

.Slugan .Domhain, 136

.Stittenham, 72

Tain, 32

.Slumbay, 194

Stockford, xx.

.Talich, 42

Smertae, xii.

Stoney. blather, 46

.Talla, 250

.Smithstowu, 227

.Stoneyfield, 70

.Talladale, 231

Smithycroft, 146

.Stornoway, 272

Tally.sow, 77

.Smiuig, 272

Stac .Chaoruinn, 249

.Tanera, 253, 2j'--

.Smiuthaig, 229

Straith.fairne 22

.Tannray, 259, 266

.Smiorsair, 233

.Strandavat, 272

.Tao'udal, 195

.Socach, 14, 78, 90

Strath, 226

.Tarbat, 45

.Soray, 270

— a' .Bhathaioh, 215

— Ness,, 45

.Scmter Head, 126

.Strathan, 195

Tarbh, 221

.Sotiters, 126

Stra than. more, 236

.Tarlogie, 33

South .Erradale, 221

Strath, asgag, 189

.Tarradalc, 103

.Soval, 270

Strath. beg, 246

.Tarravay, 272

.Sovat, 270

Strath. bogie, 209

.Tarrel, 47

Sow of Athole, 83

Strath Bran, 165

.Tarstavat, 272

.Spardan nan Gobhar,

— Conon, 149

.Tarvie, 162

57

— Cromble, 169

Tea.blair, 137

.Spean, 1.

— .miglo, 157

Tea.chatt, 89

Spey, I.

— More, 251

.Teallach, 243

.Spidean a' Choire Leith,

— na Sealg, 243

.Teampall .Earach, 48

211

Strath. peffer, 98

.Teamradal, 197

.Spideau a Ghlais-tuill,

Strath of Pit.ca-lme, 52

Teana.callich, 154

243

— .Rannoch, 101

Teana.criech, 110

.Spittal, 144

Strath.rory, 68, 84

Teana.fruich, 106

Spuic .Nighean .Thor-

Strath.rusdale, 73, 84

Teana.gaim, 117

maid, 218

— .Terry, 162

Teana.huig, 143

Srath-.cuillionach, 11

— .vaich, 164

Teana.lick, 111

— -.fhliuchaidh, 139

.Strathy, 72, 187

Tean.dallan, 92

— Maol-.Chaluim, 202

Strcme, 194, xix.

Tean.dalloch, 107

— r.a .Frangach, 72

Strome.ferry, 188

Tean.dore, 117, 137, 140

— na Sealer, 243

Strona.chro, 107

.Teanga .Fhiadhaich, 194

— .Phollaidh, 261

Strone, 80, 163

Tean.ord, 87

— .Fea^gaich, 16

Strone.more, 50

Tean.inich, 7$

302

PLACE-NAMES OF ROSS AND CBOMARTY

Tea.wig, 137
Tea.zet, 116
Tempi and, 135
Tena.field, 111
Thesklaris, 38
Three Kings, 54
Tigh a' .Mholain, 178

— a' Mhuilinn, 136

— an t-Sluic, 139
.Tighearna, 271
Tighernach, 85
Tigh.mhadaidh, 4
Tighna-filine, 236
Tigh na h-.Irich, 140
Tighn.innich, 122
Ti^h na h-Innse, 119

— na .Plucaird, 235
.Tobar a' Bhaile Dhuibh,

40

— a' Bhaistidh, 55

a' .Chlaidheimh, 56

— a' Choirneil, 55

.Alaidh .Bhodhsa, 55

— an Tuirc, 176

— Cadh' an Ruigh, 56

— .Chragag, 133
_ .Cormaig. 54

Cnoc .Coinnich, 54

— .Dringaig, 228

— Dun Sgath, 56

— .Eathain Bhaist, 55
Mo-.Chalmaig, 46

— Mhoire, 79

— na .Baintighearna, 44

— na Coille, 51, 55

— na h-eiteachan, 56

- na h-Iu, 54

— nan Geala mora, 55

— nan .Gobhar, 42
Tobarnayn.gor, 42
.Tobar na' Muc, 56

— nam Puill Lin, 55

- na Slainte, 50, 56

— Sein .Sotharlain, 55

— .Suardalain, 40
Tober.churn, 123
Toberinteir, 74

Tokach, 22

Toll, 268

.Tollaidh, 73, 105, 180,
231

.Tollar, 268
.Tollie, 73, 105, 180, 231
Toll Ligh, 168
Toll Muic, 165
Toll nam Blast, 218
Toll .Raoiridh, 49
Tollie Mylne, 73
Tolly, 73, 105, 180, 231
.Tolsta, 271
Tom.ban, 165
Tom .Phutharol, 265
.Tomich, 70
.Torastaigh, 271
Tore, 118, 143
Tore.lean, 60
Tor.muick, 111
Torna. brock, 65
Torna.preas, 192
Torr a' Bhil, 27

— a' Bhiod, 230

— na h-.Iolaire, 198

- nan Clar, 194
Torra Cadaidh, 244
.Torran, ob
Torran .Cuilinn, 197

- na 016, 230

— Shios, 51

— Shuas, 51
Torray, 264
.Torridon, 210
Torr.luinnsich, 171
Torr.micliaell, 21
Torr na .Cathrach, 247
- .Fhionnlaidh, 216
Torr .Oigean, 8
Torris .Trean, 109
.Toscaig, 203
.Totaig, 173
Toul.vaddie, 47
.Tourie.lum, 135
Traigh .Chumil, 269
.Triubhais, 77
.Tromie, 128

Tulach .Ard, 178
.Tulchainn, 198
.Tullich, 41, 66, 141, 198
.Tulloch, 94
.Txmna Bheag, 218
.Tungavat, 272
.Turnaig, 235
.Tympane Myln, 99

[ .Uags, 203

Uaimh .Shianta, 206

Uaimn .Ulabha, 187

Uamh .Fhreacadain, 222

Uchdan, 80

Uchdant-.Sab-ail, 171

.Udale, 125

.Udrigle, 238

Uidh, 223

Uidh .Phlubach, 225

Uig, 78

Uisge Dubh, 24

.Ulladale, 61, 67, 100, 266

.Ullapool, 254

.Ullava, 187

.Ullavat, 272

.Ungashader, 270

.TJrard, 212

.Urquhart, 113

.Urranan, 271
i .Urray, 104
i .Ussie, 105

.Valasay, 266
Varar, xii.
.Vatersay, 266
.Vatisker, 271
Vernemetis, lx:i.
.Vuya, 266

Walter's Seat, 50
Wardlaw, xix.
.Wellhouse, 145
Wester Ballano, 123
Wester Fearn, 30
\Vester Ross, x.i.
.Weston, 131
Westray, 23
White. bog, 126
Whitegate, 137
Whiteness, 36
White.wells, 144
Wilk.haven, 45
Williamstown, 125
\vood.head, 122
.Woodlands, 279
Wood.side, 131

Yair.head, 139

f>

DA Watson, William John

880 Place names of Ross

R7W34 and Cromarty

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