UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
1"
Landmarks
of
Scottish Life and Language.
EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY J. T. PEDDIE
FOR
J. MOODIE MILLER.
LONDON, HAMILTON, ADAMS & Co.
CAMBRIDGE MACMILLAN & Co.
DUBLIN, M'GLASHAN & GILL.
GLASGOW, JAMES MACLKHOSE.
LANDMARKS
., tyeer-na-Mea-
CUMBRAE HEIRLOOMS. 47
chach, or land of the Meatae. The Gewicts or Yeats
were also shown to be a people closely akin to the
Picts, and several instances of the use of these tribal
or national denominations in names of places were
given. The lecturer next noticed a number of old
Scots or Norse terms, which were of old in use to
designate heroes, warriors, and brave men. One of
these was found in Assynt-shire, that is, the shire of
the mighty heroes; Hassywells, mighty heroes' camp.
Others were found in such place-names as Risapol, the
giant-heroes' dwelling ; Edinburgh, the fortress of the
giant-heroes ; Forfar, warriors' town ; Heathery-grip,
giant or champions' grave-cairn ; Goudenbery, the
heroes' camp.
Attention was next directed to the most ancient
names of places of Christian worship in Scotland.
Kelso, Glasgow, and Kilsyth were adduced as examples,
and explained to mean, or literally signify, house of
prayer. These were Celtic names ; but the old Scots .
used we (way) to denote a temple, a sanctuary, a holy
place. " Kovin" had the same meaning a term which
the Gaels adopted from the Norsemen, and which they
wrote conihan. The old Celtic clergy sometimes adopted
words from the Greek tongue, and used them as names
of churches. Of these, eccles, was one ; baislcac, a
basilica, was another. The latter term is represented
in " Paisley " that is, the palace-kirk. Sometimes
places of Christian worship took their names from the
house or cell of ' the man of prayer.' Instances of
this were found in such names as Keilreivin, Kilrecan,
Kileirvan, all of which literally signify the house of
the man of prayer. Among "Fyvie Landmarks" were
48 CUMBRAE HEIRLOOMS.
noticed carn-na-feinne, the heroes' cairn ; Cairnchedly,
the Gaels' cairn ; Lethenty, the grave-monument of
the hero or champion ; Staneminhill, the stone memo-
rial-cairn hill ; Makkishillock, the champions' barrow
or grave-mound ; Ardlogie, the hill of the house of
prayer ; Lewes, the psalm or holy-song house ; Towie,
the palace ; Dennyleir, Danes' camp ; Doulybrig,
fiends' brig ; Blair-fuil, the field of carnage ; Fordown,
warriors' hill or hill-camp ; Darnabo, the abbot's or
lord's oakwood ; Crichnalead, the locality of the cairn-
grave ; Gwav-an-ailly, the gorge of the precipice ;
Peath o' Minnonie, the path of the cairn-memorials ;
Cairnhill of Pettie, the cairn-hill of the Picts. At the
close of the lecture, the Rev. Dr Milne proposed a
hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was cor-
dially given. Aberdeen Free Press, January 22, 1876.
For the Picts and Yeats or Gewictis, see Gouklan-
park, Magga-clagh, and other articles. For churches,
hospices, oratories, and hermits' cells, see Trahoun,
Cnoc-cill-Rainne, Balakeleid, Cullough, Balacewn,
Cullyleyne, Gairannies, Keill Mawris, Keillachreasain,
Macillhenish, Portgelsie, Penance-Hill, Belstane, Pea-
par-holls, Ballach-Martin, Cravies-heol, Creang-gowar,
Creang-hahk, and passim. There are strong reasons
for believing that the ancient church of Santa Vey, in
Wey or Little Cumbrae, is the Ailen-na-ingen* church
of Tighernac, who states that it was built in the year
714, and his testimony is confirmed by the Annals of
Ulster.
* That is, the Island of the Virgins. W. F. Skene, Cps. 428.
Beya and Maura are the two famous Cumbrae Saints.
CHAPTER II.
THE ALPHABET OF CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
AlRACK FAULD: Gael. Fal-an-airick, the shepherd or
grazier's fold.
AIRD HILL : Gael, aird, height, headland ; compare
an t-ard, the hill.
ALLINAGREACH : Gael, ailiun na gcreach, the islet of
the clauba-dows. " Clauba" is the Gaelic claidh-
eamh, a sword, a glaive ; Lat. gladius. It is evident
that the root is clad or glad, and is probably akin
to Swed. glat, shining ; O. Norse glad, brightness.
Is not a sword, therefore, the shiner, the shining
brand ? " Clauba," or clobby, takes also the form
of clam on account of the Irish method of writing
" mh " a method which dispenses with the " h " as
a character, but which it indicates by a dot or point
placed above the preceding letter. There is still
another form of clauba or clobby, or clab. This is
scollop, a word which is formed by prefixing " s " to
clab, or clob. Hence scollop-shell, slige-chreach ;
but it must be observed that the " clauba-dows " of
allinagreach are the horse-mussels of the South, and
not the scollop-shell of the palmer.
ALLINS, The, or The Eillans, old Gaelic ailiun, oilean,
modern, eilean, island ; na-h-Eileana, the Islands
"The Allins."
ALLIN-TUIRAIL, Gael, ailiun tuir fhail, the islet of
$0 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
the noble's tower, the islet of the lord's tower. On
east side of Wee or Wey Cumbrae.
ALLT-GOUTE, or Auld Goute Gaelic Allt-guidhe, the
dell of devotion ; the glen of prayer or of supplica-
tion ; old Norse bcena-gilit, the glen or ghyll of
prayers. At " Billikellet." See Sir John Sinclair's
stat. acct, xi. 391-397. Compare Bullul or Bonhill,
that is, bcena-holl) bcenahulle, the hillock of devotions.
Beaina Sunday (Edmondston's Glossary) is Sunday
before Christmas, and is observed as a very sacred
festival (Principal Barclay). " Beaina " is bcena,
buina. Hence Bomby, i.e. bouneby, house of prayer.
ARRIN KUIBIL, or Arthin Cuibil, the Gaelic form of
Heatherene Keipel, which see.
AULD CASTLE, see Allin-Tuirail.
AULD CREANG-GOWAR BUTT ; " butt " is a croft, a
small piece of land. See Correy Hill and Coir-an-
tobrich.
AULD GHOUTE. See Allt-Goute.
AULD HA' (Hall), at Portanaugh. It is the "Sheriff's
auld Ha' or House." It was a castle or fort, and
occupied a strong site on a crag. Portanaugh
appears to be the Gaelic Port-an-adJibJiaidh, the
port of the Residence. The site of this Auld Ha'
is close behind No. 9 Clyde Street, near the Miln-
port.
AYRIE PORT, Gaelic airidJt, a shealing ; old Norse
skali, the house of a peasant, shepherd, dairyman, or
fisherman. The remains of the shealing still exist
at Ayrie Port. Compare Port-an-aire, the chieftain's
port, and Norse eyri y a shingly beach, a gravelly
shore.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 51
BACK CRAFT, at " Port Key" (Pont and Blaeu), or
Portrye.
BALACEWN [bally-kewan], Balekewn, Ballakewn (Reg.
Mag. Sig., A.D. 1536), Balakewin (Pont, circa A.D.
1600), Belikewn (James Boyle, laird, A.D. 1704),
Ballycown (Eaton Reid, map, " Buteshire"), Bally-
cowan, or Ballychowan; Gaelic Bail' -a-cJwmhain t
the hall or town of the shrine, Shrine-Hall. It is
evident that a primitive cell or lodge of devotion
stood at Ballycown. The field beside the glen of
Ballycown bears the name of Keill-Fauld, that is,
Kirk-Field. A short distance up the hill there are
the remains of a moated hillock, or camp, which
bears the name of Fourta-Aykkar, Norse frodha
ceckar, that is, the learned-men's monticle or moated
camp, the Sages' moated-grange, the wise-men's
fenced-hillock. The Norsemen or Northmen called
the Venerable Bede " Froude " (frodhr in their
own tongue, a term which signifies " knowing,
learned, well-instructed, wise"). " Froude," like
many adjectives, evidently came to be used as a
"noun." With Fourta Aykkar, or Frouta ALckar,
compare Bon Accord, that is, Boena ceckar (Norse),
a final " d," as often, being added. Now Bon Ac-
cord is, accordingly, the hillock of devotion, and
evidently is the name of a knoll on which stood an
ancient church, or which was raised over a saint's
grave. See Trahoun, Allt Goute, Cullough Craft,
and Sandy Fauld, all of which serve to illustrate the
subject. " Cullough" is probably formed from cill-
ghuidlie, lodge of devotion, house of prayer. "San-
dy" is the -Welsh or Kymric san-dy, holy-house.
52 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
Compare Wedale (the Vale of Gala- Water), that is,
We-dale, or holy-house dale, (Norse ve t a temple, a
church). The term " shrine" is often applied to a
saint's grave. It has also other applications, e.g.,
" Thou who hast deign'd the Christian's heart to call
Thy church and shrine." The Christian Year, I7th
Sunday after Trinity.
Note Baile-dJiion, the place of refuge, the fenced resi-
dence. The Gaelic baile is a 'Place,' a hall, residence
or military station, a fort or fenced-house, a rath
(which is glossed by baile. Joyce, Irish Names, p.
335.) Earls, nobles, and kings resided in bailies
and halls, but the bander (yeomen, carls, peasants,
husbandmen) dwelt in shealings, Norse skali, def.
skalinn. The bcender were often, or usually, free-
holders, udallers or " bonnit-lairds."
The Welsh word beili must be akin to the Gaelic
baile. Hence, beili-cun, the captain's court (*>. a
hall), the chieftain's residence. Compare the Welsh
glud, a leader, a captain, a chief or chieftain. Hence
the Pictish Gaelic Alcluid, that is, the hall of the
chief, the residence or court of the nobleman, pro-
bably a king or kinglet.
With Ballycown compare the Gaelic dion-aite, a refuge,
a sanctuary, and ballacha-dionaidh, hedges, fences.
See Psalm Ixxx. 12, Gaelic and English versions.
" Haye," Hague, is a fenced place, a place with a
bulwark. Compare Norse Iiagi, a fenced field. A
" girth," or girth-stead, is a place of refuge, a sanctu-
ary. It is the Scots form of the Norse grida-stadr, a
place of security, a sanctuary. We find stad used in
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 53
Muk-stat or "Mug-stot," Isle of Skye, that is, Monk-
Stead, Monk-Toun. "Muk" [mook] is Norse, and
signifies monk. At Fame Island there is Megston
Rock, z.e., Monks-Toun Islet: see Hill Burton, i. 171.
Ballychown may be compared with Bail'-athchuinge,
the place of supplication, and with Bail'-achain, the
place of prayer.
The Gaelic Bail' -aoigJi-cJiumJiainn signifies the hall
of the doughty hero, or hero-chief. The earthworks
or ramparts of the old site of Ballycown remain to
this day.
Baile-Chuinn is Conn's Hall, or Conn's fenced resi-
dence. Conn is Cuthon. Sean Dana, 265, cited
High. Soc. Diet., sub voce Gointe.
Ballycown was probably a shrine or haly-kirk up to
the ninth century the Viking Age and afterwards
a chief or chieftain's hall. Nairaghan (Lochranza,
Arran) is the Gaelic naomh-dhion, a sanctuary. See
Glen Aock, Hawars-ward, Clochuin Heann, Gairan-
nies, Creang-Gowar and Cullyleyne.
BALAKELEID. Pont and Blaeu. This name is variously
spelt, e.g., Ballikellat Reg. Mag. Sig., Balakeleid
Pont, circa A.D. 1600, Belliskelliat Testament,
A.D. 1612, Balliekellit Inquis. Spec., 1654, Bal-
likelliat do., 1658, Bellikelliot do., 1685, Belli-
killiot do., 1696, Billikellet Old Stat. Acct, xi.
391-397, Ballykellet New Stat. Acct, v. Bala-
keleid or Ballykellet may be the Welsh or Kymric
beili-culiad, the knoll of austerity, the knoll of ema-
ciation. In front of the homestead there is the
Maiden Knowe knoll. See Macillhenish, the field
of the cell of austerity, and Cullyleyne. Compare
54 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
also Lann-leire, the church of austerity, Joyce, p.
311. The Welsh beili-ciliad is the yard or mound
of the retreat ; query " comrich, a safe retreat,"
Old Stat. Acct. ? Comrich is comaraich, protection,
mercy, favour, grace ; also a sanctuary or place
of refuge. Compare Armstrong, and Black's Pict.
Tourist's Guide, p. 549, 2Oth edition. A " retreat"
is a refuge, a sanctuary. The Welsh beili-celydd
is the knoll or yard court of the retreat, and
beili-golaeth is the knoll or yard of worship. The
Welsh beili-gwellad signifies the knoll of amend-
ment, and which "amendment," as many facts show,
was sought for in prayers, worship, penance, and
austerities. For this, see particularly Port Gelsie,
Keillachreasain, and Macillhenish.* The Welsh or
Pictish Gaelic beili-glud, baile-gliluid, signifies the
chief's yard or court, and bail* -d -chleith> the chief-
tain's hall.
But what I deem the true origin of Balakeleid or
Bellikilliot is the Gaelic Baile-cJiill-ghuidhe, the
house, hall, or town of the cell of prayer. Compare
" Rathwhillet," the modern Rathillet, Rath-chill-
g/mid/ie, the fort of the cell of prayer. Vast support
can be given to these last two renderings. Indeed,
so far as such a subject is capable of demonstration,
they have been demonstrated. Kelso, Glasgow, and
Kilsyth " Kilvesyth" have all the same significa-
tion viz., the cell or house of prayer. The original
form of these names is now written ceall-ghuidJte or
* Compare baile-dhiolaidh, the place or town of penance, or of resti-
tution.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 55
clll-ghuidtie. Dunkeld or Dun-caillenn must signify
the mount or fort of the house of prayer. In Kin-
tyre we find a place called Dounavvachallow i.e.y
Dun-adJibhadh-cheallghuidhe, the crag-mount of the
house-of-prayer building, the rock of the church
stronghold. For " cell of prayer " we may variously
and correctly say, house of prayer, lodge or cabin of
devotion, oratory, chapel, church. The Welsh latin,
Ian, or land, signifies enclosure, area, yard, court;
and it came to be a favourite term for an oratory,
chapel, or church. So belli, a yard, a court, a knoll,
may have been applied to the small enclosed areas
or yards which early Christians dedicated to prayer,
and anchorets to austerities.
In old Scots the word bull signifies a feast, a festival,
play; and kel or keld means a well. It may be worth
noting whether we may not have here a bllly-keld,
that is, a buil or buily-keld, and signifying the festi-
val well. In Wey Cumbrae we have a Bel-stane, or
Buil-stane, that is, the festival stone. In Cunyngham
there is a well called the Play-well or Billies-well
(from bull), and in Bute there is a name which con-
tains the same word. See Bidder Well, the name of
a fountain near Balakeleid. See Allt Goute for
bcena-gilit, and notice that "n" is sometimes changed
into "1," as in Bononia, now Bologna, Bonhill or
Bullul, struan or struell. Bcena-gilit might thus
readily become Billy-killet, and it is curious to note
that the former translates Allt Goute.
BALLACHILLAYVE, Bealach-CJdll-gJuddhe, the vale of
the Oratory. It is in Wey Cumra, and so are the
two following :
56 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
BALLACHANTOUM, Bealach-an-tuim, the pass or vale of
the peaked knoll.
BALLACHANTOYE, BealacJi-an-tsuidJie, the pass of the
resting-place.
BALLACH MARTIN. Pont and Blaeu. In the Great
Seal Register this name is written, according to
Eaton Reid, Ballochmertin, and in the Retours it is
similarly spelled. Its original seems to be the
Gaelic Baif-aoidh-Martin, the residence or town of
the learned-man Martin. Probably there was a
church here called Ceall-aoidJi-Martin, the church
of the learned-man Martin, and, after this church
ceased to exist, the town which had gathered
around it acquired its present name by the substitu-
tion of baile for ceall, cill, or Ian. About a thousand
paces to the south-south-east of Balloch Martin
there had evidently been a church inscribed to
Ringan or S. Ninian. See Cnoc-cill-Rainne. The
Gaelic aoidh signifies homo peritus, a learned man,
an accomplished man. It is used very much in
the sense of " froude" z>., knowing, learned, well-
instructed ; wise, sage. See Fourta Aykkar, and
Balacewn. Accordingly we may take Balloch
Martin as signifying Sage Martin's Town ; and
when it is remembered that S. Ninian was honoured
in the neighbourhood, it occurs to me that Bally-
killit may really be Baile-cill Jot, the town of Saint
Ita's Church. This seems all the more likely,
because we know that S. Ita was much associated
with Senoc, and that the name of the latter is pro-
bably contained in the names of Sannoc's field and
Sannoc's hill (near Kirktoun o' Cumbrae). Senoc
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 57
is remembered in the names of several churches in
the west, and sometimes his name appears with the
honorary prefix mo. It then becomes Moshenoc,
and is pronounced mohennoc and mahannoc. This
early ecclesiastic has a church in Kintyre, and
another apparently in Glen Sannocs, Arran. At
the latter place there is an ancient sculptured stone,
showing a man's head of noble aspect and of
magnificent features. It is not unlikely to be a
remembrance of S. Senoc, or of some other early
"father" in the church of Gleann-cill- Senoc. We
shall see that the Isle of Cumbrae had churches
inscribed to the memory of Mary (Muire) or. Maura,
Callumkeill, and apparently Saint Fillan. Besides
these, there are places in Cumbrae with ancient
names which signify respectively the Nun's Ora-
tory, the Penitent's Cell, the Cell of Austerity, the
Oratory, the Abbot's Meadow, the Residence of the
chiefs of the clergy, and the Preceptors' Borg or
stronghold. Even these do not complete the list of
Cumbrae names which indicate ecclesiastical sites
and institutions. The conclusion is obvious that
the Isle of Cumbrae must have been, in many
respects, the rival of Hy or lona in the early ages.*
BALLACHOWAN, Ballycowan, see Balacewn [Balla-
kewn.]
BANCLAN TOYE, Gaelic Ban-ghlan or Bean-ghlan, holy
woman. Toye, or Toey is the Scotch form of the
Danish tue, a hillock, a mount, a mound. Hence
* Martin, as a surname, is often used for Mac-taggart /.<., the
priest's son.
58 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
the above compound signifies Holy-woman Hillock.
It is in Wey Cumbrae, and has no doubt a refer-
ence to Bey or Saint Vey ("Wey"). Compare
Fauld Tie.
BARBAY HILL, Gaelic barr-bnidhe, the yellow hill, the
hill bright with the bloom of the golden furze.
Properly written Barrbuy. With " buy " compare
the sound of the English words " buy," " Guy," &c.
BARON MACFEE'S HALL. At Breaghogh.
BARONY OF THE HILL. Formerly a freehold of the
Hunters, and sometimes called the barony of Kames.
The baron would be a yeoman, udaller, or holdar.
For the other Cumbrae baronies, see New Stat.
Acct., vol. v. In Bute sonn &s\&flatJi are applied to
barons.
BARR-END, that is, hill-end.
BARR-HEADS, the hill-head.
BARR-HOWE, or barr-hoy, that is hill-hill, from Gaelic
barr, a hill-top, and Danish hcei, a hill.
BAYE'S CHURCH ; see Santa Vey.
BEARDIES PLUM ; at Balakeleid.
BEARRINS ; Norse barin, the grange, the hamlet. A.S.
beorhin, the rampart, the grave-mound.
BEGAR WiLLY, or Begar Wally ; Bey's pillar-stone,
from gal y a pillar-stone. " Begar" is in the genitive
case.
BEL BAY, on Figatach.
BEL CRAIG, see Figatach.
BEL-STANE. As this is a pure Scots compound, it is
properly written buil-stane ; bnil, a festival, feast,
play, amusement ; and sometimes pronounced buily
in Kyle, Bute, and Orkney. Compare " buily " in
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 59
Edmondston's Glossary. The Welsh is careg y wyl,
or maen y wyl i.e., the Stone of the festival or play.
On saints' days it was customary to hold such a
festival. This stone is in Wee or Wey Cumbrae,
and close by it there is a sculptured stone of a very
interesting character. There is a Bel-stane at
Cransha, Dairy, Cunningham ; and there is a Billy-
well, alias Play-well, between Dreghorn and Kil-
maurs : see Play-hill.
BENNITS, or bennids, Gaelic beinn-nan-nid, the hill of
the nests (of sea-maws). It is at Cnoc-Nid-Aylan,
which see.
BESSYS PORT (two of them). Gaelic port-na-bJifeise,
the port of the festivals, assemblies, or gatherings.
But King Hakon sent Thorlaug Bosi from the
Cumbrae shore to Largs with troops, and there is a
Bessy's Port at Balloch Martin Bay. Sea-rocks are
called does, Norse bodha-skeri, the rock of " boding"
or warning breakers. The other Bessy Port is near
Port Knox, and is marked by a ledge of rocks.
BEUGHA'S CHURCH. The Gaelic Beugh probably re-
presents the Latin Baya or Beya, since we have
Kil-Bucho in Peebleshire (Chalmers' Caledonia, ii.
958). See Santa Vey.
BEYE'S CHURCH, see Santa Vey.
BEYE'S GRAVE, see Santa Vey.
BIDDER WELL, OR BUTTAR WELL, that is, the peti-
tioners' well, the wishing well. Old Eng. bidder, in
" Piers the Plowman," &c. There is a Buttar Well
in Dairy parish, Ayrshire, and there are several
places called Buttar Burn, as at Dundee, and in
Cumberland. The Bidder or Buttar Well is at
60 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
Allt Gout, which see. Glens or ravines appear to
have been much resorted to for prayer. See various
edicts of Councils, Kings, and Popes, in Fergusson's
" Rude Stone Monuments." See also the article,
Well.
BIG BANK, or Meikle Bank.
BIG BRAE, near the Lome.
BIG CRAFT, or B. croft.
BIG CUMBRAE, that is, Isle of Cumbrae.
BIG HEAD, near Nouyorrach.
BlL-DEEP, that is Blae-deep, the blue-deep. Compare
Blamyre, dark mere or lakelet.
BLACK ROCK, a skerry off Ringan's Port.
BOLLS-ROCK, that is Boes-rock, from the Norse bodha-
skeri) a skerry or rock of "boding" breakers; Shet-
landic baa (Principal Barclay), Norse and Hebridean
boe. The boding breakers warn the sea-farers. See
Bullers Bouies.
BOULDER, the "split :" on Allin-Turail.
BOULE FAULD, Gaelic buaile, a dairyman's shealing.
BOURTREES CRAIG.
BOYDS-PORT is probably Abbot's port, Gaelic port-
abaid. Compare ' black-boyds ' i.e., black abbots.
BRACKEN bight.
BRAID ALLINS.
BRAIDWICK, The ; breideag, a patch of land.
BRAIGHOGH, OR BREAGHOGH. Probably the Gaelic
bruigheog, a hall, a mansion. Baron Macfee's Hall
stood here in Tree-field. Timothy Pont writes this
name Brecach Wodrow, Breckoth while in the
Retours we find it spelled Braikothe. Brodick, in
Arran, is " Braizay " (Archd. Monro, A.D. 1 594),
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 6l
that is, Braigay, a name which Arranmen still pro-
nounce Breaghogh. The same name occurs twice
in Bute. Compare the Gaelic brugh-an-aoigh, the
hero's hall, the chieftain's hall or fort. Braigha-
neogh, in Dunlop, is probably Brugh-nan-aoigh,
the heroes' fort. It is probably the same as Aikan
Castle i.e., heroes' castle, from Brugh-nan-aoighean.
See "Irish Names," p. 522. Compare Brocket's-
brae, Muirkirk, and Brocket, at Monkton, in Kyle.
The Norse braga-haug signifies warriors' cairn or
grave-mound, and it is remarkable that such cairns
existed till lately at Braizay, in Arran, and at Brug-
hog, in Bute. There was probably a similar cairn
at our Braighogh, for there are still several " Stannin
Stanes" near the homestead. The Norse bragda-
hagi signifies the field of exploits, and it may be
noted that the Norse bragdh is very like the Gaelic
burach, an exploit ("Armstrong's Gael. Dictionary").
It is pretty well known that in old writings a " z "
really represents the letters "g" and "y." The
strong Norse element in the population of the Bute-
shire Islands readily accounts for the change of
Bruigheog into Breaghogh the latter being spelled
in accordance with the Gaelic pronunciation of the
letters " ea." Compare the Lowland-Scotch sound
of -puir> guid, and fnil with the Buchan pronuncia-
tion of the same words -peer or peir, gweed, feel.
BRAYKAN KNOWE, Kirktoun.
BREAGHOGH, the same as Braighogh.
BROT GHELSEY, see Port Gelsie.
BUINNOIGHIES, Gaelic buinne-na-h-oighe, the maiden's
statue or image. There may have been an image
62 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
here, as the place is at Allt Goute (right bank) ; and
for analogies we find that there was an image in the
Church of Hamer (A.D. 1356) near Whitekirk, East
Lothian, and one in Wedale, Gala Water: see Hill
Burton, i. 171, second ed. of History of Scotland.
Wooden images, or statues in wood, of the founders
or patrons of churches of the 6th and /th centuries
were common in Ireland, and no doubt in the
Gaelic portion of Scotland. Some of these are still
preserved in islands on the west coast of Ireland:
Dr Petrie, Sir J. Y. Simpson, Archaeol. Essays, i. 71.
But take rather boone-hagi, the field of prayer, that
is, land given to the church, kirkland, regarding
which the Retours speak as existing in this quarter.
The Norse is bcene-hagi i.e., the field of prayers,
land given to the clerics for prayers. The old
English and Scots boon or beain is prayer, and
afterwards, an answer to prayer, that is, a boon, a
gift: see Allt Goute and Kirk-land.
BULLERS BOUIES, that is, the billow-inhabiting sker-
ries ; Dan. bcelger, O. Norse bylgjur, billows, and
but, a dweller, only in compounds, as haug-bin, a
dweller in cairns. They are at Portachaur.
BURD GHELSEY, burd, Miss, lady, damsel. Ghelsey
or Ghillsuy, house of prayer, hence Lady-kirk ; but
see Prot Ghelsey, and compare Burdsyards, Forres.
BUSHY CRAIG FORSE (a new name) ; Norweg. fors,
old Norse fos or for s, a waterfall, hence " Foyers" in
Fall of Foyers (fors), and Phys-gil.
BUTT, The, at Auld Creang-Gowar. Gael, buta, a
patch of land, a croft. Compare old Norse bygd,
portion of land, district, settlement, colony, county.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 63
The definite form bygdin, or boegdhin, is clearly
" Buchan," that is, the colony, the inhabited district.
Compare Buitland between Calder and Currie, Baid-
land, Dairy, and Isle o' Buit.
BUTT, The (Kilwhinlick's). There is another Butt at
Keillachreasain.
BUTTAR WELL, see Bidder Well. The letter "i" in
Scotch is very often sounded as a short " u."
BUTTER-LUMP, a skerry at Green-Gheot.
BYRRINS, see Bearrins, and compare Byrin, Byron, the
grange, the hamlet.
CAIBEAL BHEIGH (ky-bal vey) : Chalmers' Caledonia,
iii. 561, but there badly written : see Santa Vey.
CAIRNS, at Toumanteinn, Houmbay, Nether Breag-
hogh, Kirktoun, Fintrey Bay, Sheannawally, Hill o'
hills, and probably at Lauts-Birrial.
CALLIN'S LOCH, Lock na cailinn, the Maiden's Loch.
CALLIN'S MEYRE, Norse maere, a mere, a meyre, a
lakelet, hence the Lady's Lakelet. These two last
must refer to St Vey.
CAMBRAY: Old Stat. Acct., xi. 391. The same as
Cimbraes, Cumra, Cumbrae, and Cumbraes.
GAMES, Kaimes, or Kames
CARRGHEOT, carraig a! gheodha, the creek-point.
CATHEDRAL OF THE ISLES, vide Collegiate Ch.
CAVES, see Macfee's cave, Gipsy cave, Monks' cave,
Ryssel cave, and Kings-cave.
CHAPEL-ON-ISLAND OF THE VIRGINS, built A.D. 714:
Annals of Tighernac and Annals of Ulster. This
church or chapel must be Santa Vey, or S. Vey's
Church in Wee or Wey Cumbrae.
64 ' CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
CHAPEL VEY, or Chapel Wey.
ClL-Y-LEIAN, the Nun's Oratory: see Cullyleyne.
CIMBRAES: Old Stat. Acct. xi. 391, and Keith John-
ston's Gazetteer.
CLAGHADOUAN, the hero's grave-mound, cladk an
tsuinn.
CLANYPOTT (Bute MSS.), Abbot's Meadow, obtain
apaidli.
CLEWSHFARLAX POINT, the point of the oratory of
the pilgrims, rudlia cill-gJiuidhe fearfhalbhan : it is
at Port Isaich, and near Ringan's Port.
CLOCHUIN-HEANN, the old house of prayer, cill-gkuid-
kean sheann. The name is preserved in an old
Cumbrae legend, and Ballycowan must have been
the locality. Culyough-hant, in Kilbarchan, has the
same meaning.
CLYDE STREET, on Rock-heads, Gael, deiteadh, Norse,
kleit, a rock, a rugged rocky ridge. On this crag
stood the Sheriff's Auld House or hall.
CNOC-CILL-RAINNE, pronounced knockillranny, and
signifying the hill or hillock of the Church of Ringan,
that is, Saint Ninian. Ninian is Nenn and Monenn,
the varieties being created by the use of the honorary
prefix and suffix. This church must have stood on
the knoll between Ringan's Port and Portighash, for
the latter signifies the port of the ruined house of
worship: see Portighash. The port a little further
south is called Port-isaich, *>., port taesech, Prince's
Port, and Ninian, the famous missionary, was a
prince. My philological studies alone led me to
the discovery of this church, and ample corrobora-
tive testimony in support of the fact turned up
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 65
afterwards. The details cannot be introduced here,
but shall be given elsewhere. It may be said, how-
ever, that traces and relics of the church and its sea-
wall existed till recently, and the marks of these
may still be seen. There are indications that S.
Ninian's Church was visited by many pilgrims and
devout people. Did King Hakon hear mass at this
church or at the Ballycowan Church? See Clochuin-
Heann and Balacewn. The Norsemen called reli-
gious pilgrims " Romferlar," that is, Rome-ferles.
Hence Ferla-vik, pilgrims' creek.
CNOC-NlD-AYLAN, Gaelic cnoc-nid-na-bhfaeilean, the
hill of the sea-maws' nests. Faeilean, a sea-gull
(Joyce, 469).
COIR'-AN-TOBRICH (a name partly new), the vale of
the fountain.
COLLEGIATE CHURCH, The, with provost and canons :
see Bp. Ewing's " lona."*
COLMis KIRK, see Sanct Colmis Kirke.
CONCH-BUCKIE bay.
COREY'S CRAIG.
CORREY HlLL, near Coirantobrich.
CORSBURN, it passes near Trahoun cross and shrine.
CORSS, The, a field beside Corsburn.
COSEY GLEN, near Monks' Cave, and other caves,
Gaelic cuas, a cave, a cove.
'COVANS-BRAE, Covans-fields, and Covans-well, Gaelic
com/tan, a shrine, as in comhan-an-truaghain, the
shrine of the meagre-one (one reduced in body by
* On the third day of May, A.D. 1876, the Collegiate Church of
Cumbrae was consecrated as the Cathedral of the Isles.
66 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
austerities). A "shrine" is often a saint's grave,
and sometimes it signifies a holy place. The
Covans-lands are beside Trahoun lands, and may
have their name from the shrine of Maura or Mary.
Trawhuirrey is at Trahoun [trahoon], and is clearly
the Gaelic Traigh-Mluiire> Mary's Strand : see Tra-
houn, and notice the old Norse kofin [kovin], the
convent cell, the oratory. For " shrine" and " sanc-
tuary," compare Exodus xv. 17, and Psalm Ixxviii.
54-
CRAIGACHAISTEIL, the crag of the castle-like rock
i.e. t towering like a castle.
CRAIGANFEACH, Gaelic creag-nam-fitheach, the ravens'
crag ; Norse hrafna-bjarg.
CRAIG-NA-BHFIOLAIREAN [craignavillaran], the crag
of the eagles. It is affirmed that eagles built their
nests here. It is the same as Faurlan Craig.
CRAIGLEE, the hoary rock. There was an islet-rock
bearing this name at the head of Millport Pier.
CRAIG NABBIN, Norse nabin, the projecting bluff of
high rock. Nab is knoup, knob, neb.
CRA.Vltt-ttv.Q'LiGa.elicgeod/i-nan-craibhthigk, the creek
of the devout folk pilgrims going to Santa Vey.
CREANG-GOWAR, Gaelic ceithreanne-nan-guidheachair,
the Bedesmen's Hospice. The Hospice of S. Ber-
nard is now a monastery. The term guidheachair
literally signifies a bedesman bede, prayer one
who prays, a supplicator, a petitioner, a " bidder. "
" Go war" is goughar, gui 1 chair. The Welsh form is
gweddiwr. Compare Creann-sheanta, in Arran,
that is, the 'old hospice.' The 'hospice,' in the early
age of the Scottish Church, would receive clerks or
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 6/
ecclesiastics, persons coming as to a college or school
for instruction, and palmers or pilgrims both cleric
and laic. In some respects it was very similar to the
Missionary establishments which I have visited in
India. The hospice of the sixth century was scarcely
a cloister. Garengyr in Wales had a hospice, and is
evidently the same name as our Creang-Gowar.
The Norse tongue gives us greina-kofar [kovar], i.e, t
huts of boughs, wattled or wicker-work cabins
query, cells of religious men ? Notice ceithreanna-
coibhre, the hospice of help or of protection, i.e., a
sanctuary, as one may think. But ceal-chobhair is a
sanctuary, an asylum, and so is comaraich: see Gair-
annies.
CREANG-HAHK, or Creang-Haque, pronounced Creang-
hakk, but properly Cayran-Hoigh, Gaelic ceithreanne
na h-oighe, the hospice of the maiden, the Lady-
Hospice. It gives name to the field beside the old
kirk site, and probably refers to one of Maura's es-
tablishments. Penance Hill is close by. Compare
Cayran in Kintyre, Kirn near Dunoon, and Chirne
on Fame Island. Catrine is the same word, and
.the town so-called in Ayrshire once contained a
house or hospice for religious men. This hospice,
at Catrine, was called St. Cuthbert's.
CULLOUGH CRAFT, Gaelic cill-ghuidhe, the cell or
lodge of devotion. It is the old name of a field at
Ballycown.
CULLYLEYNE, Kymric cil-y-lein, the Nun's Oratory.
Some remains of this oratory may still be seen. The
site is near Druimskillin, Ballykilliot. Compare Dol-
y-Lein, the Nun's Meadow (Camb. Guide, p. ill.)
68 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
CUMBRAE, so spelled in Eaton Reid's map of Buteshire.
DAM-DALE i.e., Dame-dale, or Lady Dale. Com-
pare " Dam Margrat Douglas," on Montgomery's
shield over the manse garden-gate.
DAM-HEAD i.e., Dame Head or Lady Eminence, as
in Castle-head and Beinty-head. It names the
upper portion of the Kirktoun lands. There is a
hillock or eminence near the homestead.
DANISH CAMP: Old stat. acct, xi. 391-397. It
must refer either to Torr-mor or Doun-craig.
DAW-GLOUN, Gaelic damk-cJduain, the ox-meadow.
It is on Pammachrey.
DOUCHANN, dubk-ckeann, black head, black point.
DOUGLON, see Daw-gloun. Captain Andrew Craw-
ford's house stood in it.
DOUN-CRAIG, Gaelic Dun-cathair-aoigJie, the rock of
the heroes' castle. It is clear that Douncraig, or
Douncaraig, was also called Lyde-doun [li'doon],
i.e., the Norse lydha-doun, the warriors' hill or hill-
fort. " Lyde " becomes lythe, leyth, leith, ley, leigh,
lyte, and lit. Hence Leith-peel, that is, Warriors'
peel-tower. This hill-fort had a vitrified bulwark.
See Lyde-Doun, Vitrified Fort, and Port rey.
DRUIMSKILLIN, Gaelic Druim-chillinn, the hill-ridge
of the little chijrch. It evidently refers to Cully-
leyne, the Nun's Oratory, close by. The name is
sometimes given in the form of Drimskillogh or
Druimscullough i.e., Dniim-chillghuidhe, the hill-
ridge of the house of prayer, the ridge of the
lodge of devotion. See Cullough Craft. The re-
sults gained here are beautifully clear.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 69
DUNARAILLE, the fort on the cliff a new name, but
marking the distinct foundations of an ancient fort.
DUN-CRAIG, see Doun-craig.
EAGLES' CRAIG.
EERIE PORT ; see Ayrie Port.
ElNYAN BRAE ; see Innean Brae.
EiS-HiLL, i.e., Blaze-Hill : see Haisill Duib ; Norse
eis.
FAIRLAND POINT (Robinson's Chart), Gaelic faire,
a height, a hill, and English land ; also written
Farlan, and Farland, and pronounced Faurlan.
Query, faar-land, sheep land, from Danish faar,
a sheep ? Compare the Norse fallanda forat, a
perilous precipice (Thorpe), and ferlane hill, i.e.,
ferlanna holl, the pilgrims' hill.
FAULD HALBERT, Norse hoi-bard, the verge or edge
of the hill.
FAULD MAKNEANSH, Gaelic magh-an-aenaigh, the
field of the gathering, fair, or assembly. This field
is beside Play-Hill, and both names point to the
games and sports which were held on festival days.
FAULD MoiRE, that is Mary-field. It is beside
Glastirin.
FAULD TIE, the field of the mount, Danish tue.
FAULD ToWR, Gaelic achadh-fliobhair, the field of the
fountain. But see Tarraigh.
FlGATACH, the name of a farm. The homestead is
near Bel-Craig ; hence the Gaelic Baile-nam-feigh-
athaich, the fortress of the sharp slayers, the citadel
of the keen pirates, the bloody warriors' fort, the
70 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
fell giants' burg. Compare the " Sharpeathins "
(sharp or keen giants) of Norfolk county, and see
Borrow's "Wild Wales," i. 348-352. In James Mel-
vill's "Diary," p. 160, we find " Read-eattins," i.e. t
red warriors, red giants. A Cumbrae tradition pre-
serves the memory of this fortress, but the discovery
of the fortress itself was made by me before the
tradition came to my knowledge. The summit of
Bel-Craig still retains the marks of this ancient
stronghold. It is certain that " Bel " is baile a
term often used to signify a residence or military
station, a fortress : Joyce's " Irish Names," p. 335.
With sharp-eathin cf. Sharpit-law, Kelso.
FILL-CAM KNOWE, Gaelic cnocan-feill-Chaluim, the
knoll of the festival of Calum, that is, Callumkeill or
Saint Columba. This knoll is near Sannoc's Hill.
" Cam" is Ca'm, Cal'm, Calum, Colum.
FlNNES BOG, that is maiden's fen, homfinne, a maid.
FlNTRAY BAY, the bay of foes or enemies Danish
fiender; Norse fjanda vagr, foes' bay.
FORGUS-BUTTS, or the bedesmen's crofts ; near Keil-
lachreasain, which see.
FOULE-PORT ; there is a port or haven of this name in
Bute, and which is also called port-athaiche, i.e,,
giant-warriors' port. This shows that "foul-port"
is simply a version of Portnafue, that is, the port of
the foes or giant-warriors port nam fuath. The
Foule-causeway, near Ayr, means the causeway of
giants, or rather, of demon-giants, as in Deils-cause-
way; and Thirlwall signifies Titans' rampart, giants'
barrier. Our Fouleport is, therefore, equivalent to
port nan athaiclie, the port of the mighty warriors,
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. /I
and possibly refers to the Northmen. A huge dyke
of great boulders stretched across the bight, but
these have been carried off and used as materials
for the building of the new pier. Several great slabs
of stone apparently grave-stones were found at
the bleach-green near the Tea-well in this quarter.
The Danish val means a battle-field, and v some-
times becomes f. Faill signifies a cliff, but I do
not think either of the two last suggestions can be
entertained : see Russel cave.
FOURTA AYKAR, the name, apparently, of a camp-like
knoll in the hill region of Ballycowan. Old Norse
froda ceckar, the learned-men's monticle, the sages'
moated camp : see Ballycowan. There is a place
called by this name at Kilmarnock, and another at
Templand in its vicinity. The Norse firda-ceckar
is pirates' moot-hill, or warriors' mount; and this, is
very certainly the term used in Fairnlie, now Fairlie,
i.e., firdhanna-leie, the warriors' encampment: these
were, without a doubt, the wikings or Scandinavian
sea-rovers, and who are also called Loch-lings or
loch-fellows, because issuing from the loch now known
as the Baltic.
GAIRANNIES, or Gheiranies, the name of a field on
Creang-Gowar; Gaelic achadh-na-gceithreanna, the
field of the Hospice, the field of the Lodges (of
devout men). With the Gaelic ceithreanna, lodges,
private cells, compare the Kymric cyfrindy, a lodge,
a house or hut of privacy. Cyfrinfa [kivrinva] has
the same meaning. In " gceithreanna," the first
letter eclipses the second, and the letter " t " dis-
?2 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
appears in the aspiration. Hence the phonetic form
geiranna, or gairana, and the more contracted form
greanny or granny. The latter is found in Grannies-
Craft, a name which tells us that a hospice or esta-
blishment for religious men existed at Balloch Martin.
These hospices are likely to have had sanctuary
rights or privileges, for on Camden's map of Con-
naught a place is marked bearing the name of Grany
o Male, or Y e Sanctuary. See Creahg-Gowar.
GANTACKS, The; properly Gvvantacs, Gaelic aite-na-
gcuantaich, the place of the sea-dwellers. These are
rocks in the sea, and their name expresses the same
idea as the one found in Bullers Bouies.
GARBROUGH, properly Gartbrough, Gaelic gart-a'-
bhrogha, the corn-land of the burg or fortress the
reference being to Kennara Brough.
GAWNS-GLEN, the chasm glen; Norse gja-in, gawin,
the chasm, gulf, cleft at the foot of the Glen.
GLASTRAN, properly Glastirin ; Kymric clasdir, y glas-
dir, the glebe-land ; hence the Pictish Gaelic glastir-
ighin, the maiden's glebe-land, the Lady Glebe. It
is near Fauld Moire, which see.
GLEAD STANE, the highest point or peak in Isle of
Cumbrae, height 417 feet. Scotch glead, gleid, a
bright fire, a blaze; Norse glced, hot embers, burn-
ing coals. In the Northern Mythology, " Glad " is
Day's horse, and signifies brightness, radiance ;
hence Glads-steinn, the radiant stone, perhaps be-
cause brightened up by the first rays of the rising
sun. Glatt-steinn in Swedish signifies the shining
stone. The Welsh gallt denotes an ascent, a cliff,
a hill, a height ; hence Glead-stane, the peak-stone,
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 73
the stone of the Peak.* Glut, in Berriedale, is
apparently near a hill-top. A gled or glead is a
kite Falco milvus.
GLEN AOCK [aock], Gaelic gleann-aoigh, the hero's
glen, the glen of the hero-chief. The Gaelic aoigh
is also written aid/i, and the latter term denotes a
chief, a hero-chief. Hence the name of Pollock, i.e.,
Baif-aoigh, the hero-chiefs hall or residence. The
site of Glen Aock cairn is in Hawars-ward, and in
this cairn or grave-mound several kist-vaens were
found in the year 1869. Urns and other relics were
taken out of these slab-kist graves and deposited in
Paisley Museum. -f- See Nouyorrach.
GLEN TOUTHAR, Gaelic gleann-tuatJi-air, the glen of
the chiefs estate, or the glen of the bishop's estate
air, a chief, a chieftain, lay or clerical ; hence, an
abbot, bishop, superior, or principal (as of a college),
a provost. This term was applied to the head-man
or provost of the clergy in lona (Bp. Ewing, lona, p.
32). Perhaps Glen Touthar \s gleann-a' -tsuaidhfhir,
the glen of the learned-man, the sage's glen.
GoUARDS HlLL, or Gourt-hill, that is, the manor-
house hill : Swed. gort, Dan. gaard, O. N. gerdi,
gard, a homestead, a manor-house (Worsaae), the
house on an udal or freehold estate, a baron or
yeoman's house and lands. This name clearly
points to a Norse settlement in Cumbrae, and may
* Compare Gallt-y-Fforest (Wales), i.e., the Height or Hill of the
forest. Ystraclffin, page 149.
t The reader will find further details on the subject of this article by
referring to ' Fomorian's grave ' in the Index.
E
74 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
indicate that the Northmen seized the lands of
Ballykellet.
GOUKLAN PARK and G. Wood ; probably Gouchallan,
i.e., Guech-ghallan, the Pictish pillar-stone. The
Gevvictis are mentioned in an old Chronicle of The
Scots, and seem to be the same people as the Pechts.
See Dr Skene's edition of the ' Chronicles/ p. 380.
There is an ancient pillar-stone (gallan) in Gouklan
wood. Gewict is the same as 'zet' in Zetland.
GOWAN FAULD, at Balloch Martin, and probably
named from a cell of prayer (comhan).
GOWK STANE, properly Gauch stane, from clach-
athaich, giant's stone, and accordingly sometimes
called Deil's Cast, as having been tossed over from
Bute by a demon-giant, or troll.
GRANNIES CRAFT, a croft at Balloch Martin. Gran-
nies, as a name, is the same as Gairannies, which see.
GREEN GHEOT, the green creek ; Gaelic geodh, gaeth,
or gaot, a creek, an inlet. Gheot is written in this
way in order to indicate the hard sound of the^, as
in Stock-ghyl, i.e., the spring or fountain ravine.
Some of the natives of Cumbrae say Green-goke,
but both forms can, with certainty, be referred to
the Gaelic geodh or gaot.
GURAG MEYRE, that is, the lady-lakelet ; Welsh
gwraig, a woman, a lady ; Norse maere, a mere, a
lakelet, as in Thril-mere (the goblin-lake). Like
several other names of places in Wey Cumbrae, this
name must refer to Saint Vey.
HAGUE or Haudge Hills, from Norse hagi t out-lying
pasture : hence hagman, a keeper of cattle.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 75
HAISILL DUIB, from Eis-hill, which see.
HAWARS FAULD, that is, Cairnfield, from hawar, Norse
haugar, cairns raised over the dead. So Hawars
Hill, Hawars Port, and Hawars Ward are respec-
tively cairn hill, cairn port, and cairn field. Old
English worth, i.e., ward. See Taylor, " Words and
Places," p. 80, 4th ed.
HEATH ERENE KEIPEL DYKE, that is, the dyke of the
giants' contest, or giants'-contest-dyke. The Old
Norse shows us that the " Read-eattins" mentioned
by James Melvill in his "Diary," p. 160, are red
giants, and that eateren is the definite plural of
eatter, jaetter, or jaetnar. The letter h is prefixed,
for our name can scarcely be from hetjur, heroes.
HeatterS or HeatherS Greip translates Cam net
feinne (the heroes or giants' cairn) in a Scottish
local name. The term " keipel " signifies contest,
and is a form of quavil, quibble, cavil, scuffle,
squabble; Dan. kiv, kivill, kicevle. Kobold, a gob-
lin, may be noticed here. See Houllon Keipel
Dyke.
The Gaels pronounce this name Eithrein Ceibeil : see
Arran Kuibil.
HIDDOCK CRAIG, hooded crows' crag.
HlLL, The; the same as South Kames, and lies be-
tween Over Kames and Lower Breaghogh. It is
the name of one of the so-called baronies or free-
holds. The Collegiate Church stands on this pro-
perty.
HlLL O* HILLS, perhaps from Torr-na-k-tt/aidh, the
hill of the grave-mound, as there is a cairn here.
HOLM BAY, probably Houen bay, Hounbay, then
76 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
Houmbay i.e., cairn-bay, from hone, a cairn, plural
houen; Norse Jiaug. There are remains of old
cairns here. A Jtolm is a meadow.
HOLM SKERRY; holm, an islet, and skerry, a sea-rock:
at the Allins.
HOULLON KEIPEL DYKE i.e., the dyke of the ogre-
giants' contest. In the legends, the ogre-giants or
fiend-sprites become the dark or swart elves, and
were regarded as malignant demons. They were
also called uvaetter, evil or hurtful wights. Houllpn,
pronounced Jiolin, is very like the Norse Jiolden, gob-
lins; but it may rather be a derivative of the Welsh
gwyllion, goblins, ogres. According to old tales,
this Dyke was reared by ugly, black ogres, and this
suggests the Welsh hyll (hull), gloomy, ugly. It is
also called Deil's Dyke. In the parish of Dunlop
there was a great stone called T' Ogre Stane and
D'ogger-stane, i.e., the ogre-stane. Under Christian
influences the demon-giants came to be summarised
and embodied in one personage Auld Mahoun.
HOUSE, the Sheriff's Auld. It stood at Portanauks,
i.e., the port of the ruined residence or mansion.
INNEAN BRAE [in'yan], Gaelic innean, inneoin, or
aoinean, a steep slope or declivity, an anvil-like crag ;
Norse enni, Swed. cznne or einni, modern panna or
pande, the forehead, brow, and metaphorically a
steep crag, a precipice. The Norse hamarr is a crag
standing out like an anvil : cf. Irish Names, p. 197,
sec. series. This name is often used at the Moyle of
Kintyre and in Antrim.
ISLAND OF CIMBRAES: Old Stat. Acct. xi.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 77
JEEN FAULD, the hillock or rocky-hillock fauld, Gaelic
dionn.
KAMES BARONIES, and K. bay ; camus, a bay ; but
Kempis bay is warriors' bay,
KAMLET, Norse kamblet, the little ridge.
KEILLACHREASAIN, Gaelic cill-ci -chreasain, the peni-
tent's cell or oratory. The place is in the vale of
Lagalein, and near Fintray Bay. Compare Macill-
henish.
KEILL WELL, kirk-well, near the manse gate.
KEILLY-COLM'S KNOWE, the same as Fill-Cam Knowe.
KELL-BAR, Norse Kell-Beyar, Bey's well i.e., S. Vey's
well; even although Beyar-kell may be the more
common idiom. There is a Kelbar in Skye.
Martin's West. Is.
KEILL CROFT i.e., kirk croft.
KEILL FAULD i.e., kirk-field, at Ballycowan.
KEILL-MAWRIS, Kilmauris, and, by many analogies,
Kimauris, Cimauris, Cimbraes all of these being
originally Cill-Moire, Mary or Maura's church. Kil-
maurs, in Cuningham, is usually pronounced Kimaurs
by the older parishioners. Accordingly, Cimbraes or
Cumbraes Isle is likely to be Eilean-cill-Muire, Mary-
kirk Isle ; and Wee, Wey or Little Cumbrae, may
originally have been Eilean-cill-BheigJi, Island Kil-
Wey. Compare Kilbeg in Chalmers' Caledonia, ii.
958, and see the next article.
KEILL-METHE /.., the kirk-mark for a certain fish-
ing bank or station. Along with other facts, it
shows that the term till, keill, or kil was used in
naming the church which stood at Kirktoun.
78 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
KENNARA BROUGH, that is, the Preceptors' burg or
stronghold. A grand old name, and purely Norse
like so many more in the Cumbraes. The precep-
tors were clerics, of course. They were probably
the bishops or abbots who usually resided at Pam-
machrey, but who would be likely to shelter them-
selves here during the Norse invasions of the Qth
century. After the burg or brough had been demo-
lished, the Gaels called the place Larin, that is, the
site of the fortress ; but the Cumbrae Norsemen
retained its old name, and in their own tongue wrote
it Kennara-borg. Relics and traces of this burg
may still be seen on the green hill-end near Porta-
chaur, and these were observed by me long before
I had any knowledge of the meaning of its names.
One of these names is now usually written Lorn,
but properly Laurn.
KlL-FAULD, see Keill Fauld.
KILWHINLICK'S KNTOWES.
KILWHINLICK'S LANDS, called Pammachrey, and
Finmachy (Foulis' Survey, 1758).
KING'S CAVE, properly Keyn cave, from koi, a cave, with
the suffixed article. It is also called Monks' Cave.
KING'S CHAIR, i.e., Keyn-chair, the cave chair.
KING'S LAND of Balekewn ; see Eaton Reid's
" History of Buteshire," p. 230.
KING'S STAIRS, basaltic columns near Cumbrae Light-
house.
KlNNABBTN, Gaelic ceann, head, headland, and Norse
nab, definite nabbin, a bold bluff"; or ceann na
beinne, end of the hill ; or ceann na h-aib/me, the
headland of the stream-tide (at the Swirls).
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 79
KlRKLAND: Inquis. Spec., Ballykellet, A.D. 1654.
KlRKTOUN of Cumbrae.
KNUPKURR, cnap-garbh, the rugged rock-hillock.
KUMBRA BEG, and K. Moir : Pont and Blaeu. Gor-
don of Straloch gives Cumbra mora.
KUMREY, Kumreyar : " Hakonar Saga," iii. 223, 227.
LAGAHAVIN, Gaelic lag-aoibhinn, the beautiful or
delightful hollow ; or lag a' cliomhain, the vale of
the shrine.
LAGALEIN, Gaelic lag an lein, the vale of the meadow.
LAGNAGLASH, lag na gclais, the vale of the pools.
LAURN, The ; Gaelic larin, the site (of the burg or
fort). This name is also written Lorn, and marks
the site of Kennara Brough.
LAUSY HILL, the hill of the blazing fire, from Gaelic
lasadh, or Scotch lowe.
LEAUDY, The ; Gaelic an leacJul, the grave-slab. It
is a long block of stone on the brae at Toumanteinn,
and traditionally reported to mark a grave. It has
nothing to do with a ' lady.'
LEANY BURN, i.e., meadow burn.
LEUACH, The ; Gaelic an laogk, the calf.
LOCH-LEECH, the lake of the ' leech ' or physician.
LOCHLETS o' Monymor.
LONE, the meadow.
LORN, see Laurn.
LOTS-BURIAL : there is a knoll here which is very like
a great barrow or cairn, and possibly it is a place
" Where heroes sleep."
' Lot ' is frequently an anglicised form of IcacJit, a
80 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
grave-monument, as in Lots-wyfe, on the Muir-fit
hills (fit, pasture).
LYDE-DOUNE or phonetically Lie-Doon, Norse lyda-
doun, heroes' fort. See Doun Craig.
MACALLIN'S BOG, i.e., my lady's fen, from cailinn, a
maid, virgin, lady, with the honorary prefix ma, mo.
It is also called Finnes Bog.
MACILLHENISH, Gaelic magh-ckill-tlieannais, the field
of the cell of austerity. The field is in the neigh-
bourhood of Keillachreasain.
MACLELLANS YARDS, perhaps the Gaelic magh-chill-
Fhaoilein, the field of Fillan's church. There is a
well here close by the site of an ancient building.
MAGGA CLAGH, Gaelic cladh - na - mBeachach, the
burying- place of the Pechts or Peachts (Picts).
The term cladh, or claogh, is frequently anglicised
clagh and clough. This is an old name of the
cairns at Sheannawally, and is mostly used in
Magga Clagh Rock, and Magga Clagh Point.
There was a Magga or Meaga Law at Haylie,
Largs ; but little of it now remains except the
gigantic kistvaen, which the " law " a cairn of vast
size protected.
MAIDEN KNOWE ; in front of Ballykellet homestead.
MlDDALTONS YARDS, probably mey-dal- toun, i.e.,
Lady-Dale Town. It is near Santa Vey.
MlLLAR-BURN, abh-na-mbiolair,\he. brook of the water-
cresses.
MILLEIR CRAIG, from Mey-Leir i.e., Maiden Camp,
or Lady-Fort. Vestiges of this bulwark remain on
the hill or craig so called, and near Tammis Loch.
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 8 1
MILNPORT : Old Stat. Acct. xi.
MONEY-HILL ; peats (moine) were dried here.
MONKS' CAVE ; at Stor-hills. It is over one hundred
feet in length, quite dry, and difficult to find. In
evil times the peapar or fathers (clerical) of Santa
Vey must have lodged here.
MONNYMOR, Gaelic monadh-mor, the great hill-heath :
it is written Monymoir in the Retours of year 1658.
MULLANCE, or Mullins, i.e., the little summits, the
gently sloping hills (Joyce, p. 380.)
NINIAN BRAE, properly Innean with a fragment of the
definite article prefixed.
NlNNEAN PARK ; see Speannill Dale.
NORWEGIAN CAMP : New Stat. Acct. v.
NOUYORRACH, Gaelic an-uagh-fhomhoraich, the pirate's
grave. It is in Glen Aock, and may refer to the
cairn which was opened in the year 1 869. The
name may also be rendered the Buccaneer's Grave.
OLD GLEBE, at Damhead.
OVER GAMES or Bellikilliot (Retours.)
PADDOCKWELL CROFT, in Dame-dale.
PAMMACHREY ; also written Penmauchrie, Gaelic baile-
maithe-fliearghuidhe, or baile-na-maithe-fJieargJiuidJie,
the residence of the chiefs of the clergy. These
chiefs may have been abbots see Clanypott, and
Kennara Brough. The name is written Pammathrie
in the Retour of Sir James Stewart, Knight, A. D.
1658. The Gaelic fearghuid/ie is a bedesman, a man
of prayer.
82 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
PARR HOWE, see Barr Howe.
PEAPAR HOLLS, pronounced very like 'pypar hulls,'
and signifying bedesmen's hills ; Norse papa, pro-
vincially pcapa, a bedesman ; literally a father ;
plural papar ; Norse holl, old Scotch hull, a hill.
These hills are south of Santa Vey, and there are
Pools among them. There is a Pypars' Cairn in
Bendochy, Strathmore : Pyperdean is three miles to
the west of Fast Castle, and Pyper Caves are found
in Bute, Arran, and Cantire.
PENANCE HILL, on the north-west side of the Manse
garden and quite near to it. A perforated rock on
the hillock marks the spot where apparently an an-
cient church, cell, or chapel, stood. The Romans,
that is, the Roman Catholics, did penance here
(Laird Auld per George Finnic). Probably an image
was fixed to the perforated rock. Prot Ghelsey seems
to have been the older name of the place.
PLAY HILL, the hill nearest to the Shighan Hills.
The name points to the sports and games which
used to be held on festival days, and corresponds to
Fauld Makneansh, the field of the fair or festival-
assembly. Lausy Hill, adjacent, indicates the place
where the "taunal" fires were lighted: see Bel-
stane.
PORTACHAUR, Gaelic port-dha-cJiar, the port of the
two friends : referring probably to Beya and Maura.
See Breviarium Aberdon., pars estiv. f. CXLVI., and
car in High. Soc. Diet.
PORTANAUKS, see Port Knox.
PORTATHRO, *>., port a* triath, for port-an-treach,
the chiefs port, the nobleman's port the reference
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 83
being to the Stewart or Sheriff of Bute. It is the
old Gaelic name of Shirra's Port, or Sheriff's Port,
and it may be compared with Paltreath, the old
Gaelic name of Hunterston in West Kilbride. Pal-
treath is baile a treith, the hall or mansion of the
chief: as applied to the neighbouring farmstead, it
is corrupted into Palteath and pronounced po'teath.
From triat/i, which is still applied to chiefs like
Lochiel, we have the Scots troch-,throgh-,or thruff-
stane, signifying a chief's grave-stone or sepulchral
monument, and mentioned here as a quite original
discovery. Baranthrow, now Renfrew, signifies the
brugh or castle of the chief or lord brngh-an-trcagh
which shows the broad old way of pronouncing
Gaelic.
PORTAVAUT, Gael, port a' bhait, the port of the boat.
It is near Bullers Bouies.
PORT GELSIE, the name of the field beside Penance
Hill. It is very clear that " Gelsie" [ghellsue] is the
same as Kelso or Calkou, Glasgow or Glascho, Kil-
syth or Kiluesyth ; all of which signify house-of-
prayer. Now, the Scotch term prot must signify
penance, penance for a crime, fault, or wicked deed.
This is clear from a comparison of the Norse bot,
O. Eng. bote, Dan. and Swed. bod, Dan. bade and
brcede. Hence our Port Gelsie must have been cor-
ruptly so written for Prot Gelsie i.e., Penance Kirk.
Compare brunt for burnt, brod for board ; also Bout
Scot-Ian (bout is bdd, penance) near Cumnock, the
Bout Hill o' Scone, and Brod or Breid Sorrow Flush
i.e,, the penance-sorrow kirk at Largs. The
Gaelic breith, penance (Armstrong), is probably a
84 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
loan word from the Danish. Notice Burd, a term
used by the Scots in addressing a maid or young
lady: hence, query, Burd Ghelsey, that is, Lady-
Kirk ? Compare Burdsyards, near Forres, and the
ballad of Burd Helen.
PORTIGHASH, that is, port tigh f/iais, the port of the
ruined house (of worship), and clearly referring to
the larach or desolated remnant of S. Ninian's
Church, which stood it cannot be doubted be-
tween this creek, or port, and Ringan's (S. Ninian's)
Port. The name may, however, be port-tigh-ghuidJie,
the port or haven of the house of prayer : cf. Tagoat,
i.e., house of prayer, Killeush, id., from cill-gJiuidhe,
which also gives us Glaguv or Glasgow, and Ghellsey
in our Port-ghelsey, q. v.
PORT ISAICH, or Port-tiseach, Gaelic port-taesech, i.e.,
Prince's port. Compare " taesec clande Canan"
(Book of Deer), and toiseach or taoiseach, a leader, a
chief, a prince, a primate, a nobleman. S. Ninian
was a prince, a primate ; and this port is near
Ringan's Port.
PORT KNOX must have had a name very like this prior
to the time when Jas. Knox, chemist, caused the
steps to be cut in the rock at this port. The true
original of the name seems to be the Gaelic port an
adJibhaidh fliais (the port of the ruined Residence),
a compound which readily yields Portanaughis, Por-
tanaukis, or Port-nauks. The ruined residence re-
ferred to would be the Sheriff's Auld Ha' or House,
and which formerly stood on an elevated crag at the
head of the port.
PORT LOY, or P. Ley ; Gaelic port-achlaidh, the port
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 8$
of fishing ; but, as the Minister's Rock is adjacen^
it may be port-ollaimh, the port of the learned-man
or minister. Compare Port-lagha, port of the hill
(Joyce, 378).
PORT-KEY. Pont and Blaeu. There cannot be a doubt
that this is the Gaelic port a raith, the port of the
Fort. Compare Joyce's Irish Names, pp. 261, 266.
The fort or citadel referred to is Doun Craig or
Lyde Doune [li'doon]. It had a vitrified wall or
bulwark, and was built on a crag beside the port or
haven which gives name to the farm of Portrey or
Portrye. Its western face is protected by a three-
fold rampart of earth with intervening trenches.
See Vitrified Fort.
PRIEST HOWE, a name sometimes applied by the
rabbit-trappers to the dale or hollow of Santa Vey.
PRIEST HOY, i.e., Priest-hill.
PRIEST'S GRAVE, at Santa Vey, and probably a cleric's
grave.
PROT GHELSEY, or P. Ghelsue : see Port Gelsie.
PYPAR HILLS: see Peapar Holls.
RINGAN'S PORT, at Cnoc-cill-Rainne, Creang-Gowar.
ROUND TOWER (remains of), at Santa Vey, and pro-
bably of the Irish ecclesiastical type.
RUSSEL OR RYSSEL CAVE, a new name, and one sug-
gested by Uamh-Athaich (giant's cave) in- Bute. In
the Old Norse tongue rtst, or rysel, signifies a giant,
a tall strong man ; and the same word is written
vrisul in the Heliand. Hence rysels-hellir, giant's
cave, i.e. y Ryssel cave, by a compromise. Compare
Dolls-hellir, the goblin's cave, the cave of the demon-
86 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
giant (Ork. Saga, p. 77), and our Scotch word doulie
(Norse doll), a goblin, a spectre, a terrifying figure
(such as husbandmen station in fields), a scarecrow.
Rees^-dale in Kintyre and Ryse-dale at Largs sig-
nify giants' dale, the dale of the tall strong fellows,
and these were certainly a race of Northmen. Re-
sipol is risa-bol, giants' dwelling on the top of Ben
Resipol and Rushen Castle, Isle of Man, is Risan-
naL-borg, the giants' burg. Our Russel Cave is the
Waterloo Cave of the Ord. Sur., but this also is a
new name, and the former seems preferable because
the cave shows marks of inhabitation. Dearc-athaich,
or giant-warrior's cave, in Kintyre, was a favourite
residence of the old champions.
SAINT BEYE'S CHURCH, or S. Vey's Church (Caledonia,
iii. 561), or S. Wey's Church; at Santa Vey, Wey
or Little Cumbrae. See Chapel-on-Island of the
Virgins.
SAINT WEY'S GRAVE is, apparently, near Santa Vey,
but the story is too lengthy to introduce here.
SANCT COLMIS KIRKE: Archd. Monro, A.D. 1594.
This may have been Keillmawris (Maura's Kirk) and
also, by "double" dedication, Columkille's Kirk.
Dr Reeves gives several examples of a double dedi-
cation.
SANDY FAULD ; query, Welsh Sandy, holy house ?
SANNAKS-FlELD and S. Hill, or Sanochs F. Gaelic
san-aoidke, a holy learned-man ; or from S. Senoc.
SANTA VEY, in the heart of Wee or Wey Cumbrae.
This is the name used by natives of the Island, and
they apply it to the ruined church near Gurag
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 87
Meyre (lady-lakelet). There is evidence that some
people formerly said Wey as well as Vey ; and
there is a well-known traditional tale which very
clearly shows that the people, in times not long past,
called Wey Cumra (Little Cumbrae) Weyin Ham-
mar, i.e., The Wey Islet, " Hammar" being the
old Scotch pronunciation of the old Norse holmar,
an isle or islet. Now Wey is the Lowland Scotch
form of the Latin Beya (St Bey) and of the Gaelic
Beugh (?), and comes from an oblique form of the
name in such Gaelic constructions as Ceall-Bheigh,
feill Bheigh, etc. See Saint Beye's Church, and
references.
SllEATJNAWALLY i.e., Sheann-ulla, Gaelic scann-uladh,
old cairn (over the dead), old burying-place.
SHEANNAWALLY POINT is the Gaelic Rndha nan
seann-nladh, the Point or Headland of the ancient
cairns. It is the northern point of Wey Cumbrae,
and four, if not five, cairns mark the spot. The
name is pronounced Shennywally or Shannawally
by all the older natives of the Cumbraes, and in
this they come as near to the original as Lowlanders
can. See Magga Clagh.
SHEEGHAN HILLS, or Shighan H., Gaelic Cnocana
nan sichean, the hills of the fairies. Munro gives
the form " sichean," but the word is very variously
spelt. These hills are right north of the parish
Kirk, and old folks have some curious tales to tell
about the elves which were supposed to inhabit
them. A great gap separates the Sheeghan Hills
from Play Hill and Blaze Hill (Lausy or Lausa H.)
Our name is badly given in the Ord. Survey Map.
88 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
SHIGHAN HILLS : see previous article.
SHIRRA'S GLEN and S. Port : see Portathro.
SKAIT POINT, the wing-like point, from Gaelic sgiath,
sgeith ; or Swed. skate, a rocky point projecting into
the sea.
SPEANNILL DALE, or Speinill, Spienill, Spuinill; pro-
bably Bean-, or buin-hill, with "s " prefixed a com-
mon practice and hence from bcena-Jioll (Norse),
the knoll or hillock of prayers, Devotion-knoll ; re-
ferring probably to Maiden Knowe. For illustra-
tions of bcena, Sc. beine, buin, see Allt Goute and
Balacewn. The name may have formerly been ap-
plied to the whole of the dale of Over Kames, but
at present it seems only a synonym for Innean or
Ninnean Park. But the name may be from the
Danish pannill (with "s" prefixed) i.e., the diminu-
tive of panna, a steep bluff crag, such as towers aloft
behind Kames House, and on the edge of Speannill
Dale. This view is favoured by the manifest origi-
nal of Innean or Ninnean Brae and Park ; and
accordingly the name of Speannill or Spannill sig-
nifies the little anvil-headed crag. See Innean Brae.
In England, " Spene " is found ; from panna, with s
prefixed.
SPOIG, The a rock ; Gaelic eilean na spaig, the islet
of the ham, i.e., the ham-shaped rock.
SPUNKY RABBIE'S COTTAGE stood on the lands of
Keillachreasain.
STEAD-HAUM-BAY i.e., Stead-haun-bay [n becomes
m before fr], from O. N. stadhr, stad, stead, town,
city, as in Muk-stad, Mugstot, i.e., Monk-stead or
monk-town, in Skye. The Norse stadhr or stad
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 89
also signifies a church institution, a religious estab-
lishment. The term haun is O. N. hafn, a port, a
harbour. Hence our stead-haum is stead-haun
town-harbour, or the harbour of the church-esta-
blishment town, and clearly refers to the kirk-town
of Santa Vey. Compare Huney, i.e., harbour island,
in Shetland, (Edmondston) ; also the Norse hvamm,
a grassy slope or vale ; and Saxon staed, a ' stade,'
staith, or landing-place : see also Wey's Key-house,
and compare The Whaum near Peebles.
STINGIN-GHEOT, or Steakkin-gheot (gote), from the
Norse stceck, a rill of water flowing from a spring ;
definite stceckin, the spring-rill, and in Scots pro-
perly written stuikken. Hence our name signifies
the spring-rill creek, or little-syke bay. Compare
Stykken-bay below, and Stock-ghyl-force in the
north of England. Stockers-well occurs in For-
martin, and simply means the spring-well.
STOR-HlLLS, a purely Norse name stor-holl and
signifying great or lofty hills, lofty cliffs. Hill is
hull in old Scots and old English, and the Norse is
holL These hills form the south headland of Wee
Cumbrae.
STRUAN, The ; Gaelic sruthan, a streamlet, a syke.
STYKKEN BAY, the streamlet bay, from the Norse
stceck.
STYKKEN GHEOT, or Stingin G., but the latter cor-
ruptly meaning the streamlet creek.
SWALLA HEUGH, the name of a lofty cliff at Craig-
anfeach ; Gaelic /#*'// (a high cliff), with "s" pre-
fixed. Hence svaill and Swaill, with Scotch IieugJi,
a cliff.
F
90 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
SWIRLS, The; whirlpools at Kinnabbin, called svelgar
by Norsemen.
TAMMIS HILL is the same as Mey-Leir Hill, and
shows remains of a fortress ; Gaelic an-t-adhbJia-
Beigh, Beye's Garrison or fort the name growing
out of tag-bey, tang-bey, tan-bey and tambey.
Tankar Ha', Kilmarnock, comes from adhbha, a
mansion, a strong house. But tamaidh signifies an
indolent person, and may have been applied to
monks ; hence Monks' Hill. The Gaelic daimh
signifies a church, a learned man, and tradition
reports that there was a chapel on Tammis Hill.
TAMMIS LOCH and T. Yards.
TARRAIGH, or Torraigh, or Taragh Hill. Gaelic cnoc
an team/track, the hill of the wide prospect. So
Joyce, Irish Names, p. 284. Fauld Towr is beside
it ; hence towr i.e., tawer, Gaelic teamhair, a hill
commanding an extensive prospect.
THORN-HEAD : perhaps from torn, thorn, a tower, as
in Jocks-Thorn, alias Jock-Torn ; and head, an
eminence ; hence tower-hill.
TONNAL HILL ; Gaelic cnoc a! tionail, the hill of the
assembly, fair, or gathering. Compare the Norse
ting-hull, council hill.
ToRR-MoR ; near the Cathedral. Jamieson saw re-
mains of an earthwork or fort upon its summit.
TOUMANTEINN, Gaelic tuam-an-tsuinn, the cairn or
grave-mound of the hero, or the champion's cairn.
The spelling " Tomont End" is quite wrong; and
our name clearly belongs to the rifled cairn near to
the Leaddy [leddy] on north-east point of Isle Of
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 91
Cumbrae. " The Leaddy" simply means the grave-
slab. Compare Ballantine or Bellenden z>., bail*
an tsuinn, the hero's hall.
TRAHOUN. This very interesting name has been
known to me from my earliest years, and I know
well how the older natives of Cumbrae pronounce
it. The spelling of the name used here is as good
as any that can be devised. Drummond, in the
New Stat. Acct, writes " Troughewan" for Trahoun.
The name is found in several localities e.g. y Tro-
houn or Troughwhen in Redesdale, Northumber-
land ; Torquhan in Wedale (Sanctuary dale : Norse
ve), Gala Water Valley ; Treuchan, Perthshire ;
Troquhain near Balmaclellan, Kirk-Cu'bry ; Troqu-
hain, about two miles east of Kirkmichael in
Carrick ; and Stroquhain on Cluden Water, Dum-
friesshire. The last example shows the name with
the letter " s" corruptly prefixed, and this same cor-
ruption has partly but only partly obtained in
Cumbrae. Some people in Cumbrae have been
heard to say Strahoun, but the great majority of
the older natives of the Island always said Trahoun.
After several years' study of language, and vast
attention paid to this name, I have been led to see
that Trahoun is the Gaelic dear-dhun or deur-dhun,
i.e., a penitential station, an oratory or place of
prayer, a place of devotion. The compound term
deardhun literally signifies tear-hillock, tear-knoll,
and like uladh [ulla] was often applied to the grave-
mounds of early Christian teachers and saints. To
these grave-hillocks many folk resorted for prayer
and penitential devotions. A saint's grave is often
92 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
called a shrine. In the year 1823 a shrine stone-coffin
and cross were found together on the lands of Tra-
houn. The exact spot where these reliques were
discovered is well known to me, and it may be
easily found by any one who will take ten or twelve
ordinary paces southwards from the west window of
No. 14 Guildford Street, Trahoun.
We may now say Trahoun Cross and Shrine. We
may even say Trahoun Girth, and Trahoun Sanctu-
ary. For Torquhan is at Stow in Wedale, and
Wedale (as a local name) certainly signifies Sanctu^
ary-Dale. As certainly the name of Wedale must
refer to Torquhan, and point it out as a Sanctuary.
Now, Torquhan is the same name as Trahoun, and
Hill Burton tells us that " in the pretty pastoral vil-
lage of Stowe there was a ' girth ' or sanctuary "
(Hist, of Scotland, i. 171 second edition). And, to
complete the argument, it should be stated that it
does not appear that the sanctuary in Wedale was
a sanctuary as enjoying the "king's peace," but only
a sanctuary as a popular and sacred oratory or place
of devotion. So with our Trahoun. We can only
call it a sanctuary in the sense of its having been
regarded by the people as a fit and favourite place
for devotion, and for obtaining by prayer the peace
which is above all peace.
But when we speak of Trahoun shrine or sanctuary,
let us bear in mind that the main idea expressed by
the name of Trahoun is that of Tear-hillock a
grave-mound where penitential confessions were
made to God who made the heavens, and where
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 93
petitions were offered up for pardon and for the
grace that bringeth salvation.
It can scarcely be doubted that a church stood near
the Tear-Hillock. The amenity and beauty of the
locality; the analogy of many chosen sites of ancient
churches in Bute, Arran, and Kintyre; the purely
ecclesiastical character of the Trahoun shrine-coffin,
as Burton and other writers demonstrate; an old and
persistent tradition which credits the place or its
immediate neighbourhood with the site of an ancient
church; recent excavations which have brought to
light fragments of bones and of an oaken coffin in
the vicinity of the western gate of The Garrison
all these unite in support of the conclusion which
ascribes to the lands of Trahoun the site of an
ancient church, and associates them with the rel-
iques of a wasted sanctuary.
The devastation of Trahoun may be safely referred to
the ninth century or thereabouts. The sacrilege
may have been perpetrated by the fierce wikings,
but more likely by the Gallgaels (the offspring of
Celtic and Scandinavian alliances), for old chroniclers
tell us that these Gallgaels (gal, foreign) were worse
enemies to the churches and their owners than were
even the fierce slayers of the North (Chron. Picts
and Scots, p. 404).
The subject before us is capable of receiving much
additional illustration from sources which have not
yet been referred to ; but the necessary brevity
studied in these notes forbids further enlargement
here, and it may only be added that the upper por-
tion of Trahoun Cross is now at The Collegiate
94 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
Church of Cumbrae, and that the shrine-coffin of
Trahoun must have been used to raise the walls of
one or other of the two houses which Gilbert
Lennox built. For uladk, see Joyce, 326, and
Pennant's Tour, ii. 341 : see also Covans-brae and
Trawhuirry. Note. The Dragon of Dunning, men-
tioned in the stories told about S. Serf, must be re-
ferred to deardliun, as explained above.
TRAIL ISLE: see Allin-turail.
TRAWHUIRRY. This is as ^\&m\ytraig]i-Mhuire, Mary's
Strand, as anything can be. 'Traigh' is a sea-beach,,
a strand : compare tigh Mhuire or Mary's house
Gniomli xii. 12 and tra for traigJi, as used by Dr
Reeves in the phrase, " Tra mor, great strand "
(Vita Colum.) Trawhuirry is the name of the
sand-and-gravel beach or strand which forms the
western portion of Garrison bay or Breaghogh bay.
It has thus a close connection with Trahoun [trah-
hoon], and may indicate that the name of Mary or
Maura was associated with the latter. The Gaelic
treabJi Mhuire signifies Mary-by, Mary-toun, Mary's
hamlet or village, and this compound may have been
originally used as well as the original of Mary's
strand. The two are so like one another that a
little carelessness in the matter of pronunciation
would, in the course of time, expunge the distinc-
tive difference.
The Welsh traethfair is Mary's strand, and traetJi y
cwrv signifies the strand of the shrine. The latter
of these two might, under Gaelic and other influ-
ences, give us our Trawhuirry. Compare Glen-
whurry, Old Kirkconnel, where a St Connel is said
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 95
to have been buried; also Balweary, Balquharry,
and Pinwhirry. These last, along with many others,
suggest bedesmen's strand for Trawhuirry, but the
discussion of the question would outrun the limits of
these notes. The letter " s " is sometimes corruptly
prefixed to Trawhuirry, just as it sometimes is to
Trahoun.
TREE-FIELD ; query Tre-field, or Trey-field ? Here
stood Baron MacFee's Hall the Baron o' the
Breaghogh. Tales are still told of the Baron, who
was massacred by ' kernes' (caterans) in a particu-
larly savage manner.
TROHORK, the name of a pool at Barr-end, Kames.
Gaelic turloch, a place where water lodges in winter;
and this was characteristic of the pool. There is a
table-like mass of rock between the Gas-Works and
Torrmor, which Cumbrae folks appear to have tra-
ditionally associated with religious rites (Keddie's
Paper, Transs. Glasg. Archaeol. Soc., pt. iii. No. xiv.)
This table-rock is not very remote from the site of
Trohork pool, and it is perhaps worth remarking
that the Norse term horg signifies a group of stones
for sacrificial rites, a stone group or altar, that is, a
pagan altar (Thorpe's North. Mythology). Whence,
consider Thor-horg (tor-horc) ; query, Thor-altar,
Thor's altar ? But the resemblance is likely to be
purely accidental, and it is not probable that there
is any reference in the name of Trohork to the
table-rock.
VITRIFIED FORT. This is Douncraig or Lyde Doun,
which see. See also a Paper on this Fort by Wm.
96 CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES.
Keddie, Esq., in Transactions of the Glasgow Arch-
aeolog. Soc., pt. iii. No. xiv., A.D. 1863. Mr Keddie
deposited two pieces of the vitrified wall of this fort
in the Andersonian Museum, Glasgow, and these
have been examined by the writer.
WELL ; the " catholicon " well mentioned by Martin,
who says : " This island (greater Cumbrae) has a
chappel and a well which the natives esteem a cath-
olicon for all diseases." Martin's Western Islands,
cited Eaton Reid's Hist, of Bute, p. 271. Of this
" well " I have never otherwise heard, but I think it
must be Bidder Well in the den or ravine of Allt
Goute.
WEY CUMRA: the same as Little Cumbrae, but usually
pronounced Wee Cumra. Perhaps named from S.
Wey or Vey (Beye.)
WEY'S-KEY-HOUSE ; perhaps St Wey's cave-house or
grotto-house, from Teut. koie, Scotch que, qua, key, a
cave, a den, a cell, a grot. The ruins of this grotto
or cave-cell may be seen near Stead Haum, and
may possibly be those of St Wey's hut or cabin.
The name is spelt Whiskey House on Ord. Survey
map, but it is agreed on all hands that this small
ruined structure had never anything to do with
whisky, either in the making or smuggling of it.
WINNY EDGE FIELD; the "edge" referred to being the
ridge of Sheeghan Hills, and the name interesting
from the fact that the word edge, in this sense, is a
favourite of the east-country folks.
WODROW'S (John, ? Jonete) GRAVE. It is on the edge
of a lofty cliff near a dale on the west side of the
CUMBRAE LOCAL NAMES. 97
Bennits, Wey Cumbrae. She was the daughter of
a brother of Wodrow, the historian of The Kirk,
and died in her I4th year, 1774. At her own
" desire," her remains were interred on the summit
of the romantic cliff referred to, and where probably
she had often, during her brief life, sate on summer
afternoons admiring the majesty of the Arran Fells,
the blue ocean surging around the skerries at her
feet but far below and the magnificent sunsets
which are still so often to be seen from the same
spot. Her Christian or baptismal name, as sculp-
tured on her tombstone, was "John."
IBfbtstott
ARRAN STUDIES,
OR
AN ALPHABET OF ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
CHAPTER I.
THE DANES IN ARRAN.
As in the case of the Cumbrae Studies, I shall here
prefix a few preliminary observations.
Several works on Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, have
already appeared, and some of these possess consider-
able merit. The names of those authors who have
written on the Island will be found in the list of
authorities and references near the end of this little
treatise. My object, in the following notes and studies,
is to give the result of a careful investigation of the
language of the men of Arran the descendants of the
heroic Brandanes who fought at Falkirk and at the
battle of The Standard. By a diligent comparison of
their tongue with that of the men of Kintyre and of
the Butemen generally, I have endeavoured to trace
its history, and to apply the principles gained towards
the elucidation of those numerous local names which
cling to the shores and lands of Arran. Clearly, the
THE DANES IN ARRAN. 99
language of Arranmen two thousand years ago was a
Celtic one, and as clearly does it appear that a Norse
or Danish tongue was introduced into the island,
somewhere about eight centuries ago. The evidence
in favour of these statements will appear as we proceed
with the exposition ; but here it may be stated that
several, probably many, of the men of Arran can still
point out the sons of the stranger, and may even to-
day be heard saying (as they have been) with refer-
ence to some neighbour and native like themselves,,
"that is a Dane." The men of Arran speak very
intelligently on this point. They notice, particularly,
two markedly distinct races of men in the island ; the
representatives of the one tall, strong, blue-eyed, and
fair; while those of the other are more lightly built,
but wiry, agile, and keen, with dark hair and a swarthy
complexion. Here, also, as in the Isle of Man, the
men of Scandinavian type have had their homes and
settlements, with few exceptions, on the fairest and
richest lands; while their surnames Cumin, Cook,
Nicol, Stein, Inging (in Mackinnon*), Kar, Bruce,
Brown, and others are as good and pure Danish or
Norwegian patronymics as any which can be found.
Of course, some of these names may be Swedish, or,
possibly, even Frisian ; but at this stage it is not pos-
sible to enquire minutely into the matter. Here, how-
ever, it may be observed that the term " Dane " shall
occasionally be used in these pages, for brevity's sake,
to denote a Northman generally, for it is well known
* Mackinnon i.e., Mac Inging, and Inging signifies the son of Ingi.
In Moray we find the Ingsons or, as pronounced, Inksons.
100 THE DANES IN ARRAN.
that many people and authors and historians do so,
although these Northmen were of various nations. In
like manner the correlative " Danish " shall be under-
stood to have a similar reference ; and if the name of
Scania be occasionally employed instead of the Latin-
ised form Scandinavia, it is simply because it is a
shorter and handier term.*
Long before the Danes of the ninth century ap-
peared on our coasts, the western seas were swept by
great numbers of pagan buccaneers, called Fomorians.
The name is simply an adaptation of the Celtic fomhar,
a champion, warrior, sea-rover, buccaneer; and ample
authority can be adduced to show that these sea-
rovers were as truly Northmen as their successors of
the Age of the Vikings.-f- Some of them might be
Saxon, Jutish, or Frisian pirates, but the name of
Northmen or Eastmen is often used to include them
all. A better denomination is, however, found for
them in the name of Fomorian, when we understand
it to mean those pirates and sea-rovers who infested
the coasts of Britain during the period of the Roman
occupancy, and who, for the most part, were men of
Teutonic birth. The author of the "Ancient Tract,"
mentioned by Fergusson, identifies these Fomorians
with the Danish vikings; and we know that Carausius,
in the third century, was admiral of a fleet of galleys,
* In some of the fishing villages on the north-west coast of Scotland,
the name of Skinner is very common, and it is also found on the east
coast. By the laws of Scottish speech, it is easily seen that this surname
must be Skanungr i.e., a man of Scania. See Rask, 152.
tSee Hill Burton, Hist. i. 41, 46, 181 ; Simpson, Arch. Essays,
\. 181.
THE DANES IN ARRAN. IOI
whose business it was to guard the shores of Gaul
against the assaults of these northern buccaneers.
The British coast had, likewise, its warden or " Count
of the Saxon shore;" but, in spite of all opposition,
the warlike seamen made their way into the land.
Twice they reached the gates of London : once they
attempted to sack the city; at another time they were
actually within its walls and preparing to depart with
their heaps of booty, when Theodosius and his legions
fell upon them. Some centuries before these events,
they wrested a portion of Ireland from the old Hiberni,
but were, in their turn, overthrown by the Danans on
the bloody field of Moyturey, or Plain of wailing. A
party of them built a great stronghold on Tory island,
off the coast of Donegal, and Dr Joyce tells us how
Balor " of the great blows " was their chief, and how
his wife Cethlen fought at Moyturey and inflicted a
fatal wound on the Dagda, or king of the Danans.*
Numbers of them seem to have built camps or fenced
towns on the British coast, for Toliapis is clearly a
Norse compound, and signifying warriors' town ; Tris-
anton, the same, and meaning the mighty heroes'
town ; Iduman river, the river of the mariners or sea-
rovers. These names are taken from the map of
Ptolemy, the Greek geographer, ' who wrote his treat-
* Dagda, a lord, a father, and probably the same as the Scotch word
daddy. The old races called kings, lords, and priests 'father,' and
sometimes 'the old man,' just as sailors, to this day, often call their
captain the old man. The Danans, or Tuath de Danann, were pro-
bably a Danish race. They gained the victory over the Firbolgs and
Fomorians at the two battles of Moyturey said to have been fought
during the age of Julius Caesar.
IO2 THE DANES IN ARRAN.
ise in the beginning of the second century.' Joyce.*
The name of Humber is also a name of Teutonic
origin, for Thorpe tells us that the old Norse word
Jinnir means sea, ocean, and in old times people called
a lake-like firth a ' sea. 1 Off the coast of Jersey there
is an island called Humfrey, that is, sea-island. Clear
or ' clor,' in Cape Clear, is a Norse name, and meaning
a rocky ridge of a keel-like shape a fitting name for
the headland, as I know it to be from personal obser-
vation. The sea or ocean which lies off Cape Clear,
and stretches into St George's Channel, is the Vergi-
onius Oceanus of Ptolemy (palat. reading), and this
appellation is taken from cuan na bhfomharaichean,
the sea of the Fomorians.
In these details we have indications of the energy
and prowess of the early Danes, and of those nations
which were nearest to them in blood and speech.
They seem to have distinguished themselves as rulers
of the wave, and to have pushed westward into Britain,
with the view of obtaining either plunder or perman-
ent settlements. At first the islands on the coast
would be seized and fortified, so that from these, as
from so many points of vantage, they might be able,
as opportunity offered, to make descents upon the
mainland, and, if so minded, establish themselves
firmly in the country. That they did so is evident,
* Ur Joyce adds : "It is well known that Ptolemy's work is only
a corrected copy of another written by Marinus of Tyre, who lived a
short time before him, and the latter is believed to have drawn his
materials from an ancient Tyrian Atlas. The names preserved by
Ptolemy are therefore, so far as they are authentic, as old at least as the
first century, and with great probability much older."
THE DANES IN ARRAN. IO3
for the tribal or national name of Paris! is purely
Norse (with Latin termination), and Ptolemy's map
shows us these people on the shores of the Humber.*
In like manner we find the Trinobantes of Julius
Caesar on the shores of the river Thames, and thus
credited with a name which is clearly based upon the
Norse dregjanna bae or the heroes' habitation. Further
to the north we find Loxa or Salmon-river, and other
local appellations of Teutonic origin, so that if these
names are genuine, and have really passed through
Ptolemy's hands, they lend their measure of support
to the view which has just been stated.
But from other sources we have testimony to the
same effect " There is every reason," says Dr Skene
(Pref. Cps. 89), " to believe that tribes of the great
confederate nation of the Saxons had effected settle-
ments on the east coast of Britain long before that
period (A.D.449). The author of the Historia Britomtm,
certainly writing at a period equally early (with Bede),
dates the first arrival of the Saxons in the 347th year
after the Passion of Christ." It need not, therefore,
surprise us to find Fergusson saying that Elatha was
the great chief of the Fomorian pirates who then-f-
swarmed through the German Ocean and ruled over
the Shetland Isles and the Hebrides. His words at
once recal to mind the famous verse of Claudian, and,
* If any support to this representation were needed, it is readily found
in the fact that Petuaria is placed alongside of the Parisi, and that the
former name can with confidence be referred to the Norse bygdir i.e.,
settlements, colonies, inhabited districts. Purvis or Parris Hill, near
Innerleithen, should mean ' mighty warriors' hill. '
t The calculation makes the time 50 B.C.
IO4 THE DANES IN ARRAN.
with the facts already stated before us, we can see at a
glance that the poet may have had better warrant
than a poet's fancy for his
" maduerunt Saxone fuso
Orcades"
the Orcades were soaked with Saxon gore. At the
same time, it may be observed that, as Theodosius did
not, so far as we are informed, carry his victorious
arms into the Orkneys, the poet's words may be best
interpreted by regarding them as the echo of a report
which described these islands as the haunt of Saxon
and other Fomorian pirates. That such a report ex-
isted in Claudian's time cannot now be affirmed ; but,
judging from what we do know about these early sea-
rovers, it is the most likely thing in the world. And
upon the same grounds is built the conviction that the
report would have a solid basis of fact on which to
rest. Can it be imagined that men of such daring
valour, and possessed of such a thirst for the excite-
ments of travel and the wealth which it brought to
them can we imagine that such men would leave
unvisited any shore that was within a day or a
week's sail of Tory Island or Cape Clear ? And if the
Western Isles and the Orcades bore the marks of their
prowess and of their presence as settlers of a more or
less permanent character, shall it be thought that
Arran and the other Clyde-firth islands were stran-
gers to their exploits ? To this point I have brought
these observations, and with the view of introducing
this very question. Its pertinent character will be
seen in the fact that the neighbouring island of Cum-
brae still preserves the remains of a Fomorian's grave.
THE DANES IN ARRAN. 10$
A few years ago it was accidentally struck by the
plough, and thereby its presence once more made
known to the islanders. Not for any great length of
time, however, could the knowledge of its existence
have been absent from the minds of men; for the
names which cling to the spot and cluster thickly
around it are all too clear and significant in their
statements to have either escaped the notice or baffled
the intelligence of the Cumbrae Brandanes. But
whatever the sum of their knowledge regarding this
interesting spot may have been, it had all passed
away, with the sole exception of the names them-
selves. These, thanks to the old barons of Balacowan
and their 'kindly tenants,' were carefully preserved,
and two of them were caught just in time by the
writer to save them from utter extinction. If Sir
Walter Scott was just in time, as indeed he was, to
save many of the grand old Border ballads from the
fate of several of their predecessors, their very popu-
larity of to-day, and their value as links in sustaining
the continuity of our history, ought, surely, to decide
every patriot to use diligence in a similar direction, so
as to preserve the fast-fading memorials of our fore-
fathers' wisdom and lore.
CHAPTER II.
FOMORIAN BUCCANEERS^
To return to the Fomorian's grave. It will be found
on the beautiful strand of White Bay, near Portrye
and the north end of the island. Here the old buc-
caneer found a resting-place. His rank appears to be
attested by the quaint or highly-finished character of
the interment. If the practice of ' suttee ' belonged
to his age, or any such feeling as prompted slaves to
immolate themselves in honour of their master's obse-
quies, the composition of the barrow would show a
remarkable correspondence. Enough, however, is now
known of such interments to make it certain that
Nouyorrach was the grave of a warrior-chief* If the
people in olden times erred not in giving the name
(and that they erred cannot be presumed), the name
itself is clear enough to make us feel assured that he
was one of the old Fomorian sea-captains, who ruled
the western seas, and who may also have founded
settlements on the havens of the Clyde-Firth. It is
possible that he may even have been in time to catch
from the lips of some enterprising Christian the mes-
sage of peace and goodwill toward men, for Origen
and Tertullian say enough to let us see how eagerly
* Nouyorrach Gaelic an uaigh fhomhoraich, the grave of the pirate,
buccaneer, warrior, or Fomorian. A fragment of the article adheres,
as in 'nickname,' equivalent to an eke name.
FOMORIAN BUCCANEERS. IO/
the persecuted adherents of the Cross made for the
British shores, with the hope of finding there a retreat
and refuge from persecution, and an opportunity of
telling the glad tidings to the distant dwellers in The
Isles. The ancient mode of burial in slab-kists is no
argument against the knowledge of Christianity, for it
has become known that the custom survived the re-
ception of the true faith, and, indeed, was just as likely
to so survive among the old conservative races as were
those heathen freets which still mix themselves up so
largely with our modern Christianity.
The Island of Bute contains a very remarkable
monument of the Fomorians. It stands in the Vale of
Aitterach ait-teamhrach, the site of the Palace and
gives name to the farm of Creislagh-vourachy, or the
Girdle-stones of the Fomorians.* The Girdle-stones,
as a name, admirably correspond with the " Girdle-
stanes " of Wat Carraik in upper Eskdale, Langholm ;
but in more respects than in the name does the re-
semblance hold good. Both of them are notable ex-
amples of the great stone-circles which our predeces-
sors were accustomed to raise to the memory of fallen
chiefs and heroes, and have nothing whatever to do
with heathen religious rites or the "habitations of
horrid cruelty." Both of them, too, have been used
* Creislagh-vourachy Gaelic crioslach-na-bhfomhoraiche, the buccan-
eers' girdle-stones or belt-of-pillar-stones. A few years ago I discov-
ered the site of the Palace of Aitterach or Aitrick (Blain's MS). It is
marked "Fort" on the Ord. Sur. sheet, and is about 200 yards to the
south of the homestead of Upper Etterick. The famous Tara in Meath
is Teamhair, gen. teamhrach, a residence, palace, royal seat: see
Joyce, 283.
IO8 FOMORIAN BUCCANEERS.
by those who are lovers of gain more than lovers of
truth, in the vain attempt to corrupt the pure tradi-
tions of the yeomen and peasantry, and to lead them
to believe that these stone-circles are not what our
fathers said they were the sleeping-places of the
mighty dead but merely the surroundings of pagan
altars, on which the blood of human victims freely
flowed, and around which the ghastly rites of a dia-
bolical superstition were practised. The picture is a
false one, and the facts that determine it are as numer-
ous as they are certain. But man's love of the mar-
vellous leads him many a dance. There are people
who will dwell nowhere but in Wonder-Land, and
were it found in the pure study of leaf or flower, star
or stone, the residence and the admiration alike would
be a heavenly sustenance to their souls. But, in too
many cases, the foul orgies of heathen darkness delight
them more, and where these are wanting, a gadding
fancy speedily fills the void. Sensational details are
introduced, and the coarse colouring of the showman's
canvas lends distinctness to every feature. Fiction
thus takes the place of fact, and over all is thrown the
wild light of some unearthly torch or blazing fagot.
The 'exhibition is now complete, and the 'madding
crowd' are blandly invited to step inside. Bewildered
and intoxicated with the exterior display, they lend
their countenance for a time to the artful drama that
has been prepared for them ; but soon its unreality
and untruthfulness become manifest, and with quick-
ened pace they withdraw, wondering how men can be
such deceivers or so greatly self-deceived.
CHAPTER III.
"WHERE HEROES SLEEP."
BETWEEN two and three miles from the south end of
Bute there are two sets of large pillar-stones, the
names of which have been ascertained as well as their
significations. In both instances they are thus dis-
covered to have . been places of sepulture, the one
being the grave of a Caledonian lord, and the other
the resting-place of foreign heroes.*
Near the mansion of Monteviot Park, on the Teviot,
there is a large barrow or grave-mound, called Dauva-
lassaly an appellation which readily slides into the
form of Davy Leslie, and, as equivalent to the latter, has
been fortunately preserved in the following rhyme:
" Forty paces frae the Stawbrik meyre,
Sits Davy Leslie in his golden chair."
On comparing the slightly different versions of this
rhyme, I have considered it highly probable that one
of its older forms was:
" Forty paces frae the Stor-breik,
Sits Davy Leslie in his gowden hauberk."
The Storbreik mentioned here is a pure Danish com-
pound, and signifies the big fen or marshy place. But
the name of Davy Leslie or dauvalassly has a Celtic
origin ; and, strange as it may appear, I can say with
* For further particulars regarding these names and places, see Lar-
ichanaoidhean in the Bute Studies.
IIO "WHERE HEROES SLEEP."
entire confidence that it is dumha-fhail-Ghaidhealaich,
the grave-mound of the Caledonian lord. Not far
from it is Seillery Knowe, the pillar-stone cairn
seiller being the plural of the old Dano-Scots word
seile or suite, a pillar-stone. And it is only a few
years since the circle of pillar-stones called the Hair
[haur] -Stanes was removed. It stood in a field about
150 yards north-east of the Home farm of Monteviot,
and had its name from the Norse haugr, a grave-
mound or cairn. Speaking of Seillery Knowe re-
minds me of Salisbury Crags and Salisbury Plain.
Now ' salis ' is only another way of writing seilis or
suilis, and as bury signifies a burying-place, Salisbury
is clearly the pillar-stone burying-place or cemetery.
By another series of observations, ' salis ' is found to
have been applied to columnar or pillar-like crags ;
hence Salisbury Crags, or the crags of the pillar-like
precipices along the line of which there are still
several out-standing pikes or spink-rocks. Even the
Gaels use the word sail in the sense of joist, beam,
prop, any pillar-like prop ; and ' bury' is only a form
of bierg, or bierge, that is, rocks, crags, precipices.
Since the great memorial of the Fomorians in Bute
has led us into Teviotdale, we may find it profitable
to listen for a few minutes longer to the voice that
comes to us from these ancient mounds. So far as we
have gone with the Monteviot monuments, we find
that their names tell us only of 'seiller' or pillar-
stones, and of cairns which cover, as with a kindly
robe, the relics of the mighty dead. Not a word have
they uttered about idols, or temples, or heathen wor-
ship. On such themes they are silent, and the silence
"WHERE HEROES SLEEP." Ill
is significant. For their tongues are the tongues of
the Ancients, and when we listen to their words, we
listen to the testimony of the Ancients. If, then, they
tell us nothing about white-robed priests and sacri-
ficial fires, but only of funeral pomps, and of
"A Reaper whose name is Death,"
shall we not deem their testimony true? "But," it
may be said, " their words are dark, and who may give
the interpretation thereof?" The answer is ready, and
it is this An interpreter need not be wanting. Man
has only to work in the field of Language, as he has
worked in other fields; and, if he does so faithfully
and in accordance with the principles of a pure scien-
tific investigation, he need not despair of success.
Nay, rather, he may hope, and hope, too, for results
which shall repay all his labours. If Science has in-
terpreted the voice of the rocks, and expounded the
legends stamped upon the " Medals of Creation," she
can do the same for the voice of the cairns and for the
speech which syllables their names. And, what is
more, she will. The first-fruits of her inspiration have
already appeared, and give promise of the coming har-
vest. But Scotland's share of these first-fruits is so
very small as to be scarcely tangible. Let us hope in
these Studies to enlarge the measure, and even to ad-
vance to the ingathering of many goodly sheaves.
Since it has not been possible for me, in this little
work, to do more than touch on a few of the principles
of interpretation as applied to language in Scotland,
it may here be stated, that illustrations of many others
will appear as we proceed. It will not, however, be
112 "WHERE HEROES SLEEP."
possible, in many cases, to interrupt the narrative with
the view of proving the validity of any particular prin-
ciple which may be founded upon ; and therefore I
can only hope that the contents of the chapter on
Principles, may be such as to constitute a sufficient
guarantee for the soundness of any philological prin-
ciple upon which I may be found acting. If, for ex-
ample, I should be found saying that Bauna-knowe is
the same as Dounabauna, my statement would be
justified upon the principle of demi-version, or trans-
lation in part. That this is a sound principle, I can
amply prove, and prove so fully from Scottish records
and the popular tongue, that probably a book as big
as this one would be required to hold the evidence
under my command. Now, Bauna-knowe would very
likely be written by many, Bonny-knowe ; but I have
reason or ground for saying that this name was for-
merly Dounabauna, and that its original was really
what we now write dumha-na-bhfianna, i.e., the burial-
heap of the champions or warriors. As to the appli-
cation of this or that particular principle, or of several
principles, to a given case, it may here be only briefly
remarked, that one cannot spend a series of years in
the constant study of our old Scottish and Celtic
tongues without learning to know, as by a kind of
instinct, on what principles he must proceed to the
interpretation of any subject lying within the field.
And the whole process is as rapidly gone through as
the handling of any foreign language usually is by
one who has studied it for years. In Bauna-, or
Bauny-knowe, we have an example of 'translation in
part' the first term in the original having been trans-
"WHERE HEROES SLEEP." 1 13
lated into knoll or knowe, and the last kept much as
it was, but ordered to the front, so as to qualify or
characterise its associate. The poor 'article,' in the
midst of these changes, was left to shift for itself, or
thrust out of the way altogether; but its presence was
not got rid of before it had left its mark on the vo-
cable which it had defined so long. Nay, it may be
said to have left more than its mark, for it actually
changed, not the whole character of the 'f vafianna,
but so much of its nature as to bring it into identity
with its cousin b.
Having said so much about Bauny-knowe, let us
take another look at it before leaving the beautiful
vale in which it is situated. It is in the park of Mon-
teviot, but on the opposite side of the river from that
on which the cairn of Seillery-knowe stands. The
first part of the name may be written Bana, but it is
pronounced bauna or bonny, and sometimes benny,
by the dalesmen. These variations, however, in no way
affect the identification of the name, but rather serve
to establish it more firmly. We have seen that it sig-
nifies the burial-mound of the warriors or champions,
but it may also be translated, the burial-mound of the
chiefs. I should think that the latter is the most
likely version, for, when I visited the spot a few
months ago, I was able to compare the mound with
the barrows in the vicinity, as well as with hundreds
of others throughout the country. The main point,
however, is not how to render fianna into English, but
to bear in mind that the old name of this mound tells
us for what purpose the mound itself was raised. If it
stood alone, the communication might not be worth
114 "WHERE HEROES SLEEP."
much, but when it finds itself in company with hun-
dreds, or rather thousands of associates of the same
class, and with the same name, its testimony must be
received with respect. And this respect will grow into
conviction that the tale is well-founded, when we find,
on inspection, that every one of such mounds contains
the ashes of departed heroes, or supplies the evidence
of the rifling and spoliation that has made the relics
undistinguishable. Even the absence of the relics will
not greatly affect our final judgment, when it is noticed
that the empty kists of the rifled mounds or barrows
are, in every essential respect, the very same as those
which are found charged with their changed but origi-
nal contents, and, by consequence, built for the same
purpose. If to these considerations we add the fact
that the name could scarcely have been given to the
knoll, with full intelligence of its' meaning, during any
one of the last five centuries, and was therefore be-
stowed upon it at a period so remote as to preclude
the likelihood of error, we have before us an array of
testimony, such as might make any one as soon think
of doubting his ability to identify a mole-hill, as hesi-
tate to believe that the name of Benny-knowe was in-
telligently given and truthfully descriptive of its
object.
The mound itself was searched a few years ago by
Mr John S. Phene".* He was then penetrated with
the idea that it was the old " site of a hill-altar," and
the scene of 'serpent worship;' but in it, nevertheless,
he found several "pows" or crania "of remarkable
* See Tht Scotsman of August 3, 1871.
THE YEATS AND PICTS. IIS
strength," and other kindred relics. These traces of
ancient sepulture may, perhaps, to some people, con-
stitute a better argument for establishing the true
nature of the mound than the philological 'one; simply
because the former is more familiar to them, and
therefore better understood. But the argument from
language and the name of the knoll is as good as any
other, and its force will be increasingly felt as we
pass into the maze of obscurities which has baffled so
many, and lay our hand upon the clue which guides
us to the radiant goal.
CHAPTER IV.
THE YEA TS AND PICTS.
IN days long gone by the Yeats dwelt in the dales of
Teviotside, and many of their descendants must be
there still. Here they built their houses and fenced
their strong towns ; here they kept their flocks, went
a-hunting in the wolds, and anon made war against
their foes. At times the Roman eagle swept proudly
through the vale, but never could he fold his wing and
take rest for any length of time. Once and again he
built his eyrie on the Caledonian cliffs, and made as if
he would lord it over their ancient owners, but the
war-bird of Alba hotly disputed his pretensions, and
Il6 THE YEATS AND PICTS.
forced him to seek quarters on the sunny side of the
Cheviot.
I am not aware that any writer has hitherto noticed
the name of Yeat, or that, in the plural form, it is the
exact Scottish equivalent and representative of the
Gadeni of Roman authors. Like many ancient deno-
minations, it occurs in a variety of forms, such as Yeat,
Yewe, Gewict, Guich, Wait, Wite, Weat, Wat ; but all
of these, as the philologist will see, are bound together
by the closest ties of dialectical kinship. Nearest to
them are the other forms of the same name, to wit,
Cait, Cade, Caiy, Cuy, Couke, Cuiket, Kitty, Kat, etc.
Zet, in Zetland, is only a clerical form of Guit or
Gewict, for in the Scots tongue there is no letter " z "
except as the mere equivalent of y or g. The other
varieties of this name which I have noticed are
Guirt, Guist, Gouse, House, Causey, Kes, Keska, etc*
As a rule, it will be found convenient to speak of
the Yeats by this form of the name, and as they
appear to have occupied the Island of Arran as well
as a large portion of Britain, it will serve our purpose
to glance at a few more particulars concerning this
ancient race. A great and powerful nation these
Yeats must have been. All through the south of
Scotland the traces of their former inhabitation may
be found. In Ptolemy they are the Selgovae siol
nan Guicheach the seed or race of the Yeats, and in
the pages of the same writer they are also called
*The introduction of the letter r before the guttural is far from un-
frequent, and has arisen from the difficulty which foreigners experienced
in pronouncing the latter, or in detecting its true character when pro-
nounced by the Celts.
THE YEATS AND PICTS. 1 1/
Gadeni. Under the former denomination they are
placed in the south of Scotland, and under the latter
in the parts about Stirling and the Clyde. It is in-
structive to observe the same people appearing in the
second century under these two slightly varied forms
of their name, and also to call to mind the fact that
the Meatae or Peahts were dwelling in the country of
the Gadeni a couple of centuries later. This need not,
however, mean that the Peahts or Picts had displaced
the Yeats, but only that Yeat and Peaht are two dia-
lectical forms of the same national name, just as the
names of Meatae and Peahts or Peaghts are. When
we come to treat specially of the Peahts, we shall see
how Tir nam Beachaeh, the land of the Beahts or
Peahts, becomes Tir-na-mBeachach, i.e., Tir na Meach-
ach, the land of the Meachtae or Meatae. In the
latter case the peculiar form arises from what is called
the eclipsing power of the ' article,' but no change
thereby takes place in the meaning of the term so
eclipsed. We shall also see how one great section of
the Celtic race in Britain preferred the sound of the
letter g as the initial sound in their race-name (Guich-
each), while another great section of the same or
closely-allied people preferred the sound of b as the
initial letter of their name (Beachach).
The Yeats appear to have early received the bless-
ing of Christian truth. While they showed a bold
front to the Roman legions, they welcomed the mes-
sengers of the heavenly King. To the heralds of
"glad tidings" they gave houses and lands or the
opportunity of acquiring them ; and when the clerics,
as we may call these early pioneers of the bannered
IlS THE YEATS AND PICTS.
hosts of the Lord, had mastered the language of the
Yeats, and delivered their message, many of the latter
became obedient to the Faith. Now it was that, for
the first time within the bounds of present Scotland,
many a house of Christian prayer arose, and the
glades of the mighty forest were gladdened by the
sound of holy psalms. The hardy Yeat laid aside his
spear, and listened to the teachings df those men whose
weapons of warfare were not carnal, but mighty withal
to the pulling down of strongholds. The high places
of heathenism were purged and consecrated to a purer
worship; the diviners and magicians felt their influ-
ence on the wane, and were sometimes the foremost
to renounce it altogether. When the aged veterans of
the Cross had fulfilled their task, native teachers and
ministers stepped into their places, and carried on the
work which they had begun. Thus, in many a corner
of the land, the lamp of Christian truth was tended,
and its precious light handed down from father to son,
and from teacher to pupil. Few, indeed, are the
names of the early British missionaries and Christians
which the tooth of Time has spared, but not unhon-
oured by Heaven was the faith not unhonoured the
labours of those whose very names have passed into
oblivion. The strife of ages may have blotted out
their remembrances from among men, but their record
is on high ! The good work they accomplished was
probably much greater than the common estimates of
it bear out ; but whatever the amount of it, it was
carried on continuously, neither martyrdom nor per-
secution availing to interrupt it. And to this conti-
nuity in the line of Christian teachers do we trace the
THE YEATS AND PICTS. 119
instruction which the youthful Ninian received. His
reputed country was the land of the Yeats, for the
Cumberland of to-day, as I shall show, is written over
with their name ; and one can scarcely learn that his
father was a prince, without thinking of Penrith, z>.,
baile an airigh, the Prince's Town.* If Penrith was
the birthplace of S. Ninian, he could probably have
told us all about the giant's grave in the churchyard
that venerable monument of antiquity, which so
greatly interested Sir Walter Scott, and which may
reasonably be held to be the grave-monument of one
of the ancient Yeat lords.- He could also probably
have told us of Lang Meagg and her daughters at
Little Salkeld; but since we have now nothing but
the name and the associated monuments to help us,
we must do our best to understand their meaning.
Nor need the task be a long one, for the very name of
Lang Meagg proclaims aloud that its stone-girt en-
closure was the burying-place of the Meatae or
Peahts.f
* The Ruler's castle or fortress is an equally good version airigh,
airich, airith, giving Balnairith, Panarith, Penrith. The Castle of
Penrith was built of materials mainly procured from the ruins of
Maburg i.e., the burg of the Meatae or Picts. The term burg denotes
a residence of the living, and frequently also a cemetery of the dead.
From what Mr Fergusson, pp. 127, 128, says, it is probable that Maburg
(Camden, p. 330), or Mayborough, was the Peahts or Picts' barrow
(burying place). Compare Maes-Howe, Orkney i.e., Maesche-howe,
or the sepulchre of the Meatae or Peahts. So Masbury, near Wells,
Soirjerset.
f Camp Meagg is two miles east of Cockpen, and its name signifies
the Camp of the Meatae. Whether the name has been rightly or
wrongly given, is a question which will come up afterwards, and need
CHAPTER V.
THE PRIMITIVE HOUSES OF PR A YER.
THE advantages which Ninian's birth gave him appear
to have been well improved. By foreign travel he en-
riched his mind with stores of valuable information,
and by study in the best available seats of learning he
qualified himself to expound the Sacred Oracles in
the knowledge of which he had been reared. Return-
ing to his native land, he devoted himself to the evan-
gelization of his compatriots ; for whether he laboured
in the Cumberland or the Galloway of to-day, he was
in both regions equally at home among the Yeats.
We shall see, as we proceed, that it is so ; but mean-
while I may observe, that Galloway appears to have
early received great numbers of Scottish and other
not be discussed here. Our chief business, in the first place, is to read
the place-names, and to garner the results which a scientific philology
yields. Cockpen must be another name of Camp Meagg, or of some
old town near it, for it is Cuigh-baein i.e., the Yeats' Town! cf. Firri-
point, Glenrosa, Arran i.e., firdha-baan, the warriors' town, as Femy-
hurst is warriors' shaw (a wood) ; Rispain, Respond, both of which
signify the mighty heroes' dwelling-place or the Town of the Rosses.
Gowkshill, a hamlet near Camp Meagg, must refer to the " Camp" or
fenced town, and signifies the hill of the Gewicts or Yeats. Mayfield is
also near, and, like Maburg, must be referred to the Meatae these,
probably, in time of war making common cause with the Yeats.
"Lang," in Lang or Long Meagg, should be a form of lann, an in-
closure, or of liagan, a pillar-stone, which gives us the word logan
(luggan, liggan), often applied to rocking-stones. Camden says the
Lang Meagg circle contained seventy-seven pillar-stones, but according
to Harriet Martineau, sixty-seven is now the ' prescribed ' number.
THE PRIMITIVE HOUSES OF PRAYER. 121
Teutonic settlers from abroad, who, coming as Gaill
or strangers, and making alliances with the Yeats,
resolved themselves into a nation called Gallweyts, or
foreignised Yeats. Scarcely could Ninian have left
the region south of the Solway (sail [saul], a sea-inlet
or firth, and wagh, Norse vagr, a deep bay), unless
that country had been so fairly provided with religious
teachers as to give him a warrant for exerting his
evangelising efforts upon the men of Galloway, and
those who then dwelt in the central parts of Scotland.
However that may be, it is remarkable that the map
of Cumberland and Westmoreland does not shew a
trace of St Ninian's name, whereas the map of Scot-
land is spangled with crosses which mark the churches
ascribed to his memory. If we begin at Furness Ab-
bey, and scan the map of the Cumbrian land to the
"Madan" Way at Kershop-head, we shall see what
kind of names the old churches bear, and assuredly
the review will greatly help us in our study of the
Scottish landmarks.*
About five miles from Furness Abbey there is a
place called Conishead Priory, the name being kovin
the cell, the oratory, and Juad, a common term in
local names for a slight eminence; so Coniston i.e.,
church or chapel town ; so Cowanhead near Kendal ;
so Cowegarth, now Calgarth i.e., chapel-hall ; so, pro-
* Here I shall endeavour to present the results in a concise form.
Whatever is left unexplained will be amply illustrated in the sections
which follow. Presently it shall appear how true it is that truth is
stranger than fiction, and how great is the perversity of tongues and
pens in altering names. The alterations, however, are easily detected
by the expert in the Celtic and Scottish languages.
H
122 THE PRIMITIVE HOUSES OF PRAYER.
bably, Kendal, for the old form is Candal i.e., caun-
dal: Norse kofi, def. kofin, pronounced kovin, and
afterwards kowin, cown, caun ; kofi becomes kowe,
cowe, and cow: cf. the Cowe-gates in Edinburgh,
Arbroath, and other towns. Harriet Martineau tells
us of " the place now called the Crier of Claife," and
says, " If he (the traveller) asks who or what the Crier
was that is precisely what nobody can tell, though
everybody would be glad to know: but we know all
how and about it, except just what it really was."
Guide to the English Lakes, p. 31. The secret is out:
" Claife " simply and literally means the house of
prayer, and " Crier " is a shrine, a reliquary. The
former is the Gaelic ceall-ghuidhe, and the latter is the
Welsh crair, a relic ; also, a shorter form of creirfa, a
shrine, a reliquary. Crair or Crear is pronounced
cryre in many parts, and is found in a good many
local names in the south and west of Scotland.
Through the influence of the article, it takes some-
times the form of Grear. Claife is the same as Cal-
chow (now Kelso), Glagow or Glasgow, Kilsyth or
Kiluesyth, and the greatly worn-down form of Kelloe.
Claife must be older here than Crier, but the Crier of
Claife signifies the shrine of the Claife or house of
prayer. The shrine or reliquary, in this case, may
have originally contained the books, parchments, or
other reliques of the cleric who built the Claife. The
name is instructive, as pointing to a Gaelic-speaking
people on the banks of Windermere, and it has only
to be added that Crier of Claife is in the vicinity of
the Ferry Nab, west side of Windermere.
Cunsey-beck is not far off, and is clearly a ' colled '
THE PRIMITIVE HOUSES OF PRAYER. 123
or syncopated form of Covins-ea i.e., chapel brook
beck, a brook, being afterwards added. I should have
stated that Camden's map gives Claffe or (?) Classe for
Claife, but neither of these interfere with the version
submitted.
Although the Gaels may have been here at times,
the Lake Country shows many memorials of the Yeats.
Clappersgate, at the head of Windermere, is written
Claperyate in Camden, and signifies the bulwark or
fenced town of the Yeat lord the terms employed
being cladJi, air, and Guicheach : cf. Clava i.e., cladha,
ramparts, mounds, burying-places. The appearance
of the ancient stronghold of Claperyate is described
by Camden, p. 323. Some people have set it down
as a Roman camp, but it is not so much my business
to enter into that question as to study accuracy in the
interpretation of the nomenclature. Could the place
not have been a town of the Yeats or Gaels, and after-
wards a standing camp of the Romans ? The marvel-
lous constructions and munitions of Claperyate must
have excited the wonder of the dominant Danes when,
settling down in the lovely vale of the Rothay, they
called the ruined city eatna-boel i.e., giant-warriors'
town the name becoming ean-bol, then eambol and
the Amble in Ambleside. Robbers seem to have
vexed the settlers with their constant forays, for Scan-
dale in the vicinity signifies the robbers' dale. The
great conflict between the dalesmen and those whom
they subdued in this locality is probably commemo-
rated in the name of Orrest near Elleray, for orrust
is a Norse word denoting battle, conflict. The havoc
was certainly frightful, for many an oratory must have
124 BEDESMEN, ORATORIES,
graced the chosen sites of Elleray and Calgarth, yet
only the name of the latter and that of Ibbots (Abbots)
Holme appear to remain as their memorials. Chapel
Island is indeed named as being near Curwens Island
curwen, cathair na bhfeinne, the champions' strong-
hold. Gummers How is near the south end of Win-
dermere, and is a Norse appellation meaning warriors'
hill. Winster is champions' town, and is also Norse.
The whole of the Lake Country teems with Danish OP
Norse names, and the fact should be early noticed,,
because it tells us of one of the great influences which
have modified so many of the older appellations.
CHAPTER VI.
BEDESMEN, ORATORIES, AND GIANTS' MONUMENTS.
A MORNING'S walk of about a couple of hours brings
the traveller from Ambleside to Patterdale. The
glens at the southern end of Ullswater have evidently
been favourite seats of the old clergy and bedesmen.
The word 'patter' signifies a bedesman, one who prays,
and is the same as the Saxon bidder. In local names
it is variously written ' butter,' ' potter,' ' patter/ etc.
Hence Potter-fell in the neighbourhood of Cowan-
head, and meaning bedesman's hill the hill of the
old churchman, or cleric, who discharged the djaties of
AND GIANTS' MONUMENTS. 125
his sacred office at the 'covin 1 or chapel. Hence, also,
Buttermere, where the smallest church in England is
said to have stood the clergyman's lake ; Patterdale,
that is, clerics' dale ; Butterswick, bedesmen's abode ;
Butterburn, the bedesmen's burn. A shorter form
beady is used ; hence Paddaburn, bedesmen's burn,
north of Gilsland, and the head stream of Irthing
Water i.e., praying-men's river. Here is an example
of the use of beady, or bedie, in a fragment of an old
rhyme :
'Tween Crowles-rode and Bedie's lair,
There lies a bowie fu' o' gowd.
Bedie's lair is the cleric's grave, and Crowles-rode
(rode, a camp) is the name of an ancient fort or fenced
town both sites being in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire.
Glenkwen (Camden), near Ara Force (fors,fos,fis,
a waterfall, as in Phys-gil), is glen-cowan, gleann a'
ckomhain, the glen of the oratory or little sanctuary.
The beauty of this little glen or dell is something
wonderful. "Tales are told of artists," says Harriet
Martineau, "who, turning into Glencoin to find ma-
terials for a sketch, have not come out again for three
months, finding themselves overwhelmed with tempt-
ing subjects for the pencil. The singularly primitive
character of the popular mind in those secluded cor-
ners is almost as great an incitement to study as the
variety and richness of the foregrounds and the colour-
ing." But other tales than these delighted the dales-
men of old, and their lingering echoes send a strain of
sweetness through the brattle of Ara Force Norse ar
fors, river's cascade. For here the knight built a cell,
126 BEDESMEN, ORATORIES,
and became a hermit, for the sake of the lady whose
troth kept perpetual freshness with the evergreen
under which their mutual love had been pledged.
The story, as given by Wordsworth, is a pretty one,
but like many others it has been woven in the loom of
a thousand fancies, where every coloured thread links
itself to the snow-white fabric of historic truth, which
margins and begins it all. Not difficult is it to run
the eye down the web and read the characters which
grace the head of the scroll not difficult to run down
the game and secure the ' brush ' of underlying scien-
tific truth. " Lyulph's Tower" is only the quaintly
written form of a previous Ulfa, Eova, Yeiva, and
these are merely varieties of eimh, a sanctuary, a holy
house.* Accordingly, the tale adds its testimony to
that of the other witnesses who have spoken of the
primitive Christians of Patterdale, and its evidence is
all the better for the 'glamour' of romance, which
hindered the rehearsers from seeing it. Uffa is in the
vale of Duddon, and signifies the sanctuary, the church,
the holy house ; though, of late, the name has come to
be written Ulpha.-f- Gallgaels first shaped the word
out of da ve (the holy house) pronounced deve, dave,
* The initial / in " L'Ulf," or Lyulph, is the Norman le (the) of the
middle-age scriveners: hence le ufe i.e., lufe, lit If ha, the eive, the ve,
the temple or holy place ; hence, also, the surname of Love a very
common one at Monkland and other ancient kirk-sites.
t Of course, it is not my business to intermeddle with the spelling of
names, but to search out the facts and principles which determine their
meaning. For ages men have been writing their names and those of
their lands in many different or diverse ways, and very likely they will
continue the practice. But it should be observed that diversity of spell-
ing does not always mean diversity of pronunciation, nor, indeed, any
AND GIANTS' MONUMENTS. 127
or dauvy and afterwards rejecting the definite article,
evolved eimh [eiv], ave, auvy, euvy, ufa, and Ulfa.
Hence, Davis-duib in Cumbrae, or the pool of the
oratory, and Loch-Teavi in Arran, near both of which
places there was a lodge of devotion, or cell of prayer.
These Gallgaels would come into the old Cumbrian
land from the Isles, Dublin, and all sorts of Western
places, whether in Scotland, Ireland, or the Isle of
Man. Their speech was a strange medley of Gaelic
and Danish, and as such though greatly modified
it still rules strongly all over the West, from More-
cambe Bay to Cape Wrath.*
We have seen that the tower of Ufe, Ulf, or Lyulph
signifies the church-tower, and the conclusion is con-
firmed by the meaning of Gowbarrow Park the park
wherein stands our famous tower, now rebuilt. Gow-
barrow denotes church-fort, or church-tower, from kofi
under the influence of the article, and burk, a town,
city; fort, castle; court, palace, house (Bosworth).
kind of diversity beyond what manifests itself to the eye. Thus, Bore-
dale is Borrowdale, but I cannot doubt that the name has been pro-
nounced in the same way for centuries by the yeomen who have dwelt
there. A change in the orthography sometimes indicates a new sense
or signification ; thus, 'yeoman' is yeoth-man, or youth-man, originally,
but when a youth was rewarded with a grant of land for his valour, he
became a yeoman.
* I strongly suspect that the Irish daimh, a house, a church, is the
Norse or Danish da ve. Compounded with liag, a stone, it is daimh-
liag, a stone house or church (Joyce, 537). Daimh also means a
learned man, from the phrase Daive-man i.e., the kirk -man, the
churchman or minister. Sometimes it is pronounced Tarn and Tammy;
hence Tammis-hill, Cumbrae, the clerics' hill. Compare Tammas the
Rhymer, or Thomas Rymour, with Reamour [rymour], a fenced town
Gaelic rathmuir.
128 BEDESMEN, ORATORIES,
Matterdale can have nothing to do with Ave Marys,
as related by Martineau, but must have the same
meaning as Mitterdale near Wast Water. Lobbs, or
the grave-cairns, is in Matterdale, and shows that
" Matter " is Meaht-haur, that is, the burial-place of
the Meatae or Picts. Here also is Threlkeld, or the
mighty-heroes' sepulchre, marked by a belt of about
fifty rude pillar-stones, or ' salies,' which engirdle the
graves. The country people say "that a treasure is
buried under the largest stone." Martineau, p. 96.
Now the Gaelic uladh signifies a cairn over the dead,
a barrow; also, a treasure; hence the twist given to
the old tradition, which, however, can be unravelled
with the greatest ease. Threlkeld was called an
uladh or burying-place, but as the Yeats were accus-
tomed to deposit much treasure in the narrow houses
of the dead, the frequent searchings in such places for
the precious hoards by later generations appear to have
led the riflers to use the term more in the sense of
treasure than in that of cairn-grave. The story of this
Threlkeld or Giants' cemetery (thrills, giant-heroes,
cladh, graveyard), as given by Harriet Martineau, pre-
sents a thrilling illustration of " the changes effected
by oral tradition," as the ball of mingled truth and
fable rolls on from age to age. But the expert in lan-
guage may hope to ' red ' the tangled skein. Already
the treasure under the great stone has given us an
nladh or cemetery, and not a pagan temple. As a
curiosity, I shall give another piece of information,
and, of course, extracted from the legend of the
Threlkeld Stones : " And the oracle demanded a
sacrifice to appease the divine wrath. The lot fell on
AND GIANTS' MONUMENTS. 129
a young girl, etc." Martineau, 95. Now, for ' Lot on
a young girl,' read 'Lot on a young lass' i.e., (?) Laut-
anadeagJidaidhealaich, Gaelic leachda na daghda Gaid-
healaich, the grave monuments of the Celtic lords !
This is very remarkable, but it is not a whit more so
than many such which have passed through my hands,
and passed, too, out of the rank of curiosities into the
region of established fact. It is, therefore, not impos-
sible that, in the event of my revisiting Keswick and
Threlkeld, new facts may be collected, and among
these something which may help to change the
present curiosity into a real scientific treasure.
But further testimony awaits us as to the true char-
acter of the Threlkeld stones. The hill beside them
is called Lat-rig, that is, the cemetery-hill ; and in
their eastern vicinity is Loth-waite, or the cemetery-
croft, but possibly meaning rather the Yeats' cemetery-
monument. Turning now to Mitterdale, we find there
a remarkable cluster of standing stones. The spot is
about two miles west of Hardknot Castle, that is,
Jirathnyeot, or the Yeats' fortress. The brook of Hard-
knot is Cockley Beck, and this latter is Cuighe-ley, or
the Yeats' fortress. These facts, along with those
already given, make it clear enough that Mitterdale
or Myterdale (Camden) is Meacht-aur-dale, the dale
of the burying place of the Meatae.
On Stoneside, about ten miles south of Wasdale or
holy-house dale, there is a circle of standing stones
which, according to Wordsworth, the country people
call Sunken Church. The principles show at once
that this is Suighen-kirche i.e., coirthe nan saoidhean,
the warriors' pillar-stones these having been set up
130 BEDESMEN, ORATORIES,
to give distinction to the graves of the honoured dead.
It is something to reach a bit of firm ground, after
wading through the tangled " wisps " of fable, which
have been so industriously woven around these and
similar subjects. Even the poet Wordsworth, in his
River Duddon Sonnets, suffered himself to fall into
the popular mistake which assigns Hardknot to the
Romans :
" Slept amid that camp on Hardknot's height,
Whose Guardians bend the knee to Jove and Mars."
Nor was he more fortunate in his allusion to Sunken
Church, referring it, as he does, to the idolatrous de-
vices of a pagan priesthood.
Having disposed of Matterdale, let us return to the
pleasant shores of Ulswater. The latter appellation is
evidently taken from the Ulf-kirk near Ara-force ;
hence Ulf-water, or Ulswater, the holy-kirk lake.
Dockwray, in the neighbourhood, means the tower or
fenced abode of the bedesman or clergyman and-
adhbh-fhirghuidhe and must refer to L'Ulf's Tower.
Dockraes, at Largs, has the same meaning, and this
statement is confirmed by its neighbour, Aplenira,
which must signify the bedesman's chapel or oratory
the forms being afilaniro, a-whilanirow, cichill an
fhirgJmidJie. At this old chapel of the Largs bedes-
man or clergyman is Rylies, i.e., the cemetery
reilig where also, in later times, solid stone sarco-
phagi of the ecclesiastical type were dug up. The
name of Kelsoland (from Kelso i.e., house of prayer,
church) was applied to the land of Rylies and that of
many adjacent fields, parts of which are also called
Kirkland and Chapeltown.
AND GIANTS' MONUMENTS. 131
With Aplenira compare Aplencors at Coludi (house
of prayer) or Coldingham, that is, the cors or cross of
the house of prayer or church ; also Applecross, a hard-
ened form of Apelhirouse (h changed into c\ and simply
meaning the house of the man of prayer;* Affleck
or Achinleck, the bedesman's chapel ; and the Apel-
Ringie herb, that is, the herb of St Ninian's church
it being also called Saithrin-wuid (" Suthern-wood "),
or Saint Rin's wood, i.e., S. Ninian's wood (herb).
These will show us that Appleby is the Church-town,
that the two Cumbrian Applethwaites are either the
kirk-crofts, or (rather so) the house of prayer z>., the
oratory or church ; that Elleray is ahilliruy dchill
fJiirghuidhe the clergyman's house, that is, the church.
In Patterdale or Churchmen's Vale is Glenkroden,
alias Glenridding, that is, the glen of the bedesmen ;
a minor dale called Grisedale, possibly also connected
with the bedesmen, but very certainly not with the
wild boar, as Harriet Martineau affirms. Let us see
if Grisedal wo'nt yield to the wave of the philological
rod. It can certainly, so far as the written form goes,
be greischill, a sanctuary, and Grisedale Chapel is in a
vale at Souther Fell, or the Churchmen's hill. Very
astonishing is it to find that souther means bedesman,
churchman, hermit ; but found it is, as will be shown
in the sequel. There is yet a third Grizedale (sic),
about two or three miles west of Windermere and the
Crier o' Claife. Satterthwaite Kirk is here, and may
well be Sauther-thwaite, that is, the churchmen's por-
* Apurcrossan is just the same, the first r having got into the place of
/ a common experience.
132 BEDESMEN, ORATORIES, ETC.
tion of land. A fourth Grisedale appears at Newland
or naomk-land, the sacred church, a little way west of
Derwentwater. The vale of Grisedale Chapel is also
called Mungrisdale, which is probably munkers' dale
or monks' dale. But while grise and guisy are terms de-
noting a gryce or pig, it is possible enough that 'guise'
is a fragment of ceall-ghuidhe, house of prayer, as in
Kilcaise. Grise, however, may be gris-ve, a sanctuary-
church, as in gridha-stad, a girth-stead or sanctuary;
for near the Grisedale of Ullswater there is St Sun-
day's crag, possibly Sand-wey crag, or holy-house
crag. To increase the difficulty, there is the Gaelic
greis, a hero, a champion ; greas, a guest, protection ;
yet this last meaning, ' protection,' seems to point to
the sanctuary of a church. Grasmere will, of course,
enter this field of discussion, and also such names as
Grasmuir and Gersmilside ; but since it is impossible
for me at present to determine the true meaning of
Grisedale, and since guessing of any kind must be ex-
cluded from these pages, the wisest course is to leave
the question undecided, and to keep on the outlook
for anything that may serve to settle it.
CHAPTER VII.
GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES.
" BEAUTIFUL principles," some may say, " when a
name like Grisdale beggars them so!" Brief, how-
ever, is the triumph of mystery. For another night it
reigned not an hour longer. Having slept over the
question, the morning found me in possession of the
prize. Grisedale is really the Bedesmen's dale the
vale of the qucestionarii, or those who sought by prayer
and asceticism to win the crown of sanctity. How
this appears might be made a long story of, but here
it must suffice to say that guir is an abbreviation of
guidheachair or gweddiwr, a supplicant, petitioner,
bedesman. The term was borrowed from the Celts,
and came to be pronounced somewhat like ' gear,' just
as the Danish population of Buchan say peer for puir.
The plural form is gearis; hence Gearismere, the
bedesmen's lake, but gradually shortened into Geres-
mere and Gresmere, as seen in Camden. Most people
now write it Grasmere, but Wordsworth gives Gras-
mire a form which better indicates the 'barricane,'
or old local speech, of the dalesmen. Mungrisdale
shows the prefix of monk, and so used in order to
throw some light into the growing obscurity of the
name Grisdal. Creanggour, in Cumbrae, is the hospice
of the bedesmen, and Clachnakeelyechuir, in Arran, is
the stone of the bedesman's cell or oratory. The vast
inductions which have wrested these long-hidden
134 GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES.
secrets from the old appellations cannot detain us at
this stage, but they shall appear as the work advances.
A brief account of the site in Arran just mentioned
may, however, be here inserted. Around the Stone of
the bedesman's cell quite a romance has been woven.
The first threads were spun out of a ' wee pickle tow '
of true history, but most of the others have evidently
been drawn from several popular tales, and from in-
correct versions or translations of the names of the
place. One of its old names must have been that
jaw-riving one preserved by the accomplished Timothy
Pont, viz., Huntingdoggesatdcar i.e., (clach) an tseann
tigJie ghuidlieacJiair, the stone of the bedesman's old
house. The bedesman, in this instance, may have
been the superior or chief minister of the ancient kirk
of Naraghan (naom/i-d/iion, a sanctuary, a haly-kirk)
in glen-Callodale, for we know that clergymen of the
highest learning and position used to build retreats or
hermitages for themselves in wildernesses, wherein to
exercise themselves in prayer and fasting. The dis-
cipline which these men subjected themselves to was
stern and severe, but the chastening had a wholesome
effect upon their religious life. Nor can it be said to
have been self-imposed, for they felt that their Master's
example of entering the mountain solitudes for prayer
carried in it a command to all his followers. Abuse
of the duty or, rather, privilege, may have been made,
as when the active life of the clergy in teaching the
people was confined to a fraction of their time, and all
the rest of it spent in anchoretish devotions. But, as
a practice alternating with the out-of-door work in the
vineyard, the private communing of the spirit with its
GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES. 135
Maker in the caves or distant cells was in every re-
spect a sound and salutary one; and, if the noble
spirits of our early church found the exercise so bene-
ficial as a corrective of pride and malice and wicked-
ness, surely the same pious exercise must recommend
itself to those zealots of to-day, who, at any moment,
are ready to barter away the last shreds of their honour
and meekness and truthfulness for one passing breath
of unintelligent and unhallowed applause.
Let us endeavour to form a worthy conception of
the ancient anchoret of Arran. His fame must have
been great, else why should the Brandanes of Arran
have kept on telling his story from age to age. His
hermitage was built at the foot of the magnificent
mountain called Grianan Athol (Penn. ii. 168), and by
the side of a ' great granite boulder ' at no great dis-
tance from Lochandaivy loch an daimJie, the lake of
the learned man. The very name of this lake almost
startles one by the vividness of its teaching, and it
lends its tribute of confirmation to the statements al-
ready advanced, It stands out, like the Boulder of
the Cell, an enduring monument to the memory of
the ancient recluse ; and while it speaks to his fame,
it also tells of his learning. Well, as I have already
said, a romantic tale has been woven around this
famous Stone the Stone of the bedesman's old
house but it is easy work to draw aside the veil and
discover the source whence the fictitious portions of
the fabric were derived. The clack cheall ghuidhe (the
stone of the cell of prayer) becomes, under bad or in-
different pronunciation, the stone of the caileag's git,
that is, the stone of the maiden's bairn ; and, accord-
136 GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES.
ingly, a woman of the name of Kerr or Cuir (bedes-
man) is said to have built a lodge for herself and her
child against the great stone. In this lodging she
dwelt with her changeling boy, and when at any time
she required to leave the wilderness in order to pro-
cure provisions, she previously gave the little fellow a
junket of beef to suck during her absence. Lest,
however, that piece of meat should get into the boy's
throat and choke him, she took the precaution of
attaching the dainty by a cord to his big toe. Now,
it is quite clear to me that the piece of flesh (feoil),
great toe (ordag), and one or two other expressions,
have been, like maiden's bairn or quean's git, elabor-
ated out of the various Gaelic denominations of this
bedesman's cell. To give the details of the process
would be an easy task, but the illustration given
above may be held to satisfy most readers, without
introducing more specimens of such uncouth com-
pounds. As a closing remark I may observe that the
Carr of the tale is not a person of the name of Kerr,
but the Cuir or bedesman, and that the term is the
same as Guir, from which we have Grisdale.*
Since the historic language of Arran closely cor-
* The popular tale which has just been discussed was recited to me
by a native of Arran, but as only one or two episodes in it have been
given, it may be stated that the whole story will be found in the Rev.
David Landsborough's Early History of Arran, p. 23. For the
changeling, notice how readily the Fomorians in Arran might confound
kielhirongh [keelhirof], the bedesman's cell, with their own Teutish or
Germanic kiel-kropf, a changeling; the letter c, or k, being strongly
akin to h, and frequently interchanged with it ; e.g. heart, cor, cordis.
Clach-feoil-ordag must be clach-cheall-fhirghuidhe, the stone of the bedes-
man's cell.
GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES. 137
responds with that of the old Cumbrian territory, we
may briefly glance at a few more of the old church
sites, and then proceed to give a summary of the in-
vestigation. Space, however, for the various readings
of names cannot be afforded ; but these have been
carefully considered, and, where any hesitation about
the true interpretation is entertained, the one preferred
will come first. Better, surely, to do so than to pass
them by altogether, for the suggestions made may be
useful to other workers in the same field.
Lanercost, al. Lanvercost i.e., the house of the men
of prayer, or of the bedesmen ; Lamplugh, the house
of prayer, with Ian, a house, court, church, prefixed ;
Arkleby, church-town aireagal, an oratory or small
church, al. airictil, Lat. oraculum : so, by metathesis,
Arlecdon, or airicul-cek, kirk knpll, plus don, the
church fort, or Whin-rah, both having the same mean-
ing ; so Arkilston, Ercildoun, the church town ; Kill-
ath, house of prayer; Tebay, the oratory teve; Hepe
or Shap Abbey, the house of prayer ceall being dis-
placed by abbey ; Old Hutton, or Keil-huitan, the
oratory ; Beetha, bedesmen's river ; Coulton, the ora-
tory ; Gleaston probably the same ; Kirkby Stephen,
i.e., kielsteven, house of prayer ; Kirkbyireleth, the
oratory town ; Soutergate, bedesmen's gate ; Kendal,
kirk-dale ; Bampton, bedesmen's town so Bamboro'
or Babbenburgh, bedesmen's castle ; Yarlside, kirk
side, from airicul becoming earil: so Cabel Urial in
Arran ; Rampside, Rom-be side, the side or district of
the Christians' town, at Furness Abbey rom, a Chris-
tian, in the Viking tongue ; Algerian rummi, a Chris-
tian : romling equiv. to rom i.e., a Rome-man, and
i
138 GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES.
equivalent to Christian : so Ramps-holm (Derwent-
water), the islet of the clerics or Christians' dwelling ;
Romling or Rumlingburn, the brook or camp of the
Christians; Ramsey (Whithorn), clerics' isle; Stavely,
holy-kirk field ; Martindale is, in Camden, Marken-
dale, the dale of the open field, but probably marchuin
i.e., mot/tar a' chomhain, the ruined chapel plus dale;
Gilerux, the bedesman or cleric's house; Blenerhasset,
the bedesmen's town ; Bewaldeth, the town or tower
of the godly man, perhaps chief of the clergy baile
a' tsaoith\ Holm-cultra, the clerics' building holm
equiv. to hauv or adhblie : near it, Sowterfeld or
Southerfield, the clerics' land or hill, also Babba-cotes,
bedesmen's lodges or cloisters ; Kellswick, church
town : Islekirk, aisle-kirk or chapel-kirk ; Pap-castle,
the strong house of the kirk-fathers or clergymen, and
equivalent to the Gaelic Graysuithen, which is a little
to the south near Eaglesfield or church-field ; Bride-
kirk, literally the house or church of the clerics, and
originally the same as Cillabhruic, the old name of
Rothesay Kirk O. S. A. i. 301 ; so KiJbride, that is,
the place-of-worship of the Christians, not of any one
person called Bride or saint Bride ; Cristenbury, the
Christians' fort or fenced town ; Carlatton, the fort of
the church, at Abbeyfield ; Calthwait, the oratory, and
at Thomas or Tammis-close, the sages' court, the
learned-clerics' court or lodge ; Petteril-burn, the
bedesmen's hill-fort brook, and, probably, because the
Christians occupied old Penrith or Plumpton, baile
aoigtiean, the foreign-heroes' town, after these stran-
gers or Romans left it ; Annet-walls, the church-walls,
at Aldston, six miles north of Cross-fell ; Bewcastle,
GETTING BEHIND THE SCENES. 139
prelate's castle, the stronghold of the ba [baw] or chief
of the clergy ; Preston-fells, or hills of the clergymen's
town ; Wythop-chapel, the chapel of the bishop or
father-overseer the old Scots father signifying a
clergyman ; Culgaith, house of prayer, and not far
from Isanparles, or the cairn-hillocks of the godlike
heroes ; Wetheral or Wether-row, the clergymen's
fortified dwelling ; Weddicar-hall, or clerics' hall ;
Kinniside, the oratory cill na guidhe, in Ennerdale
or giant-warriors' dale ; Copeland, the church (kofi)
land ; Wittyham, the church hamlet ; Ravenglas, the
fort of the church, the fenced town of the house-of-
prayer, and also called Munc-caster, or monks' fenced
town ; Ullock, the prelate's grave or the shrine of the
chief cleric, and on Marron or bedesmen's river, near
Mukar-kin, or the clergyman's sepulchre ; Blinbothel,
i.e., buina-bothel or house of prayers so blin-man for
buine-man, a man of prayer, and so " Blyndwell " or
" Tybyrnoquhyg," tobar na guid/ie, the well of the
prayer ; Snittlegarth, or holy-tomb court, san uladh
becoming snulla, and by Danes pronounced sniddle
and snittle like hattle for hella, a flake of stone, hence
a hattle-bottom is a rocky bottom in the sea : these
ullas, or the sacred graves (of the old the dear old
clergy) were often resorted to for prayer by their chil-
dren in the faith not necessarily idolatrous prayer,
but such a prayer as I have seen offered by an orphan
boy while kneeling on his mother's grave ; Uldale,
tomb dale, at San-Ulla-garth, or holy-grave court,
near Ireby on the Alwen or clear-water ; Rotington
or Vroutan-toun, the bedesmen's town, at St Bees : so
the burns called Routan, from the habit of resorting
140 THE CHURCH OF GOD'S SERVANTS.
to such for private devotion ; Lindale, or kirk-dale, for
landal; St Michael's Chapel, from Wigil or holy-house
knoll, equiv. to vey-holl, and hence Kiel-veekil, that is,
kirk-chapelknowe, but not Michael's kirk : so Sen-
bigel or San-Vigil, in Ewes-dale, has been erroneously
rendered Mikkel in Mikkeldale as early as the fifteenth
century, at. Sta-bigil, i.e., Santa Vigil vigil being pro-
bably a diminutive form of ve, vey, vig, a holy house,
a chapel. Compare Clah-Veechal at Sannox, Arran.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CHURCH OF GOD'S SERVANTS.
THE great majority of these ancient names of church
buildings and Christian institutions are of Celtic origin.
The simple and natural way in which the compounds
have been formed constitutes strong evidence of the
accuracy of the interpretations. An ordinary house,
when occupied by the Missionary fresh from the East,
became in due time a church, and so, by degrees,
words like Ian, taigh, ceall, all meaning a house, ac-
quired the signification of church, chapel, oratory.
But in the first period of British Christianity, the
church was called and literally so the house of
prayer, or the house of the man of prayer. When the
THE CHURCH OF GOD'S SERVANTS. 14!
clergy dwelt together in colleges and other large es-
tablishments, they called these the quarters or hospices
(inns) of the bedesmen. Sometimes the name of the
founder of a church was suffixed or added to the Ian
or taigh, but I am not aware that the practice of 'dedi-
cating' churches to 'saints' came into use, in Scotland,
prior to the eleventh or twelfth century. See Miller's
Arbroath Abbey. It does not, however, lie within my
province to discuss the merits or demerits of ecclesias-
tical dedications, and, accordingly, I go on to observe
that, in the course of time, Latin and Greek terms
were introduced by the Celtic clergy, and applied to
churches. Of these eaglais, a church, is well known ;
others are baisleac, a basilica, a palace-kirk, and hence
Paisley ; airicul, oracle, church, chapel ; teampul, a
temple or church ; kirk, from the Greek, as in kirk-
house, that is, Lord's House, the House of the Lord ;
domhnach, from Dominions, of or belonging to the
Lord, as in dies Dominica, the Lord's Day Sunday.
Hence we come to perceive that kirk is a syncopated
or contracted form of kirk-house, or Lord's House, and
so with its cognate, church.
Another thing has been strongly brought out by
the above investigation, and that is, the multitude of
old, or rather, very ancient Christian sites in the old
Cumbrian territory. Through the changes and strife
of twelve or fourteen centuries, many of these old or
original churches must have maintained their influ-
ence, and commanded respect from Celt and Saxon,
Anglian and Dane. At times the hand of violence
was raised against them, and many a venerable fabric
ruthlessly overthrown at times the pious bedesmen
142 THE CHURCH OF GOD'S SERVANTS.
and their flocks, who fled to the churches (sometimes
fortified) as to sanctuaries, were slaughtered in the
first fury of the heathen invaders ; but, doubtless, they
had often many years of unbroken peace. It is certain
that many of the old clergy were far more learned than
is commonly known, and if the tenth century witnessed
a measure of decay and inaction penetrating into their
ranks, it cannot be yet held as proven to have been
greater or more general than the ecclesiastical back-
sliding which has, unhappily, more than once occurred
since. As for their piety, it is known to have been
fervid and sincere. To this day they are known as
Culdees or Men of God a title sufficiently suggestive
of their Christian fidelity and good character. But
originally this title or denomination does not appear
to have been applied to the clergy exclusively, and
great interest must therefore attach to it as a common
designation of the early Christians generally. Prob-
ably the name was drawn from the words of the
Apostle " All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness ; that the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works." And right interesting is it to ob-
serve that the Gaelic version (in this passage) of these
words, 'man of God/ is oglach DhJ, that is, God's
gillie or servant, for both giolla and oglach signify a
youth, a lad, a servant. The circumstance points
strongly in the direction of an older, though perhaps
unwritten version of the same passage, namely, gille
DM, and makes it highly probable that the old Celtic
preachers so rendered the words, whenever chosen for
THE CHURCH OF GOD'S SERVANTS. 143
a text, or quoted in a sermon. Indeed, there must be
more in this matter than is apparent at first sight, for
the original Greek does not, so far as I am aware, con-
vey the idea of a youth or servant, but only of a man
(anthropos). Now, as the king's man, like the minis-
ter's man, is a servant, and since young men constitute
the greater number of the servants who are in office,
so it followed that a gille, or youth, came to mean a
servant, and also a ' man,' in the sense of servant. In
this way we get God's man, or God's servant, for 'man
of God ;' and I confess that never till now did I gather
so clear and pointed an idea from the words in our
English Version. Thanks, then, to the Gaelic Version
for its suggestiveness, and thanks also to the privilege
of studying languages and idioms.
Turgot might say that, in his day, the worship or
church service of the Culdees was a series of barbarous
rites ; but, as he does not condescend to particulars,
his statement does not amount to much. It only re-
minds one of the hard words which some modern
Christians have been heard applying to the church
services of their brethren of another 'denomination.'
But, as the wise and the pious may be found in many
churches, so it fell out that the Culdee Church, or
Church of God's servants, had much to be thankful
for ; and, whatever were her deficiencies, they will
bulk less in our prejudiced eye if we shall only go
and spend one hour in the perusal of those beautiful,
earnest hymns and Psalm-worded liturgies, which she
has handed down to our day.
CHAPTER IX.
THE ALPHABET OF ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
ABHAL, pronounced Ahval, also written Athol, and
the name, or part of the name, of a very lofty Fell
or mountain to the west of Sannox ; also called
Grianan Athol, and Caisteal Abhail or Castle Ahval.
The first form is probably the same as Eval or Aval
(a mountain in Uist) and the Norse ha ficell, high
Fells ; Athol hatt fiall, lofty fell, high mountain-
peak. Hafuil is pronounced Haval, and the initial
h disappears when the Gaels place grianan [greenan]
i.e., hill-top, before Hafuil i.e., high Fells. Hence
Greenan Ahval is the Greenan or summit-peak of
the high fells. Compare grianan aibJieil i.e., vast
hill-head, huge peak or hill-top the last term being
also written adkbhal ; see Grianan Abhail.
ABHAINN BHEAG, tiny river ; Abhan mhor, big stream
from Pennant.
ACHACHARRE, or achachar. Pont ; ach d c/iarraidk,
the field of the seile or pillar-stone : near Dugary.
Headrick notices a very large obelisk here, and his
map shows auchacairn, the field of the cairn, in the
vicinity. Hereabouts also is the field of Glagh-
vainn, or the field of the warriors' grave-mound
achadh chlaidh na bkfeinne.
ACHACHARN, near Skorroe or the buccaneers' hold
a fort on the Aird alias Kingscorro, al. kingscross-
point i.e., kinn-scorroe's point. Pont gives acha-
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 145
charn, the field of the cairn ; alii auchencairn, id. ;
hereabouts an ancient copper caldron was found.
McAr. 90. We shall see ere long what fables have
been concocted in this quarter.
ACHACHORRIE, the dell-field or field of the cony, ap-
parently ; and now clad with wood near the springs
of Alltanowaran or the giants' brook, Corrygill.
ACHADH-A-BHEIRGHE, the champion's field, and may
be Anglicised Achaveyra or Aghaveyra. The cham-
pion, in this instance, must have been a beorn or
warrior, who won his sword-land here, and then be-
came a baron or ' beorn.' The field is a good one,
and is on Kelso's farm, right bank of Alltanowaran
water, Corrygil ; compare bearg, a champion, with
the Norse bragar.
ACHADH-A-CHOMHLAINN, the hero's field, and may be
Anglicised achahaulin, or achachaulin. This field
is beside the one last mentioned.
ACHAGALLAN, see Achakaldan.
ACHAGLAIGHVOLLA may be Anglicised Gleytvolla
Park, but Scottice it is rather Gleyghvollg Park, or
achadh chlaidh B/iolgh, the field of the Firbolgs'
burying place, and referring probably to the tumulus
close by. Beside this tumulus or cairn-mound there
is a cottage called Dunan, and the barrow still con-
tains the ancient grave-kists. See Index for the
Firbolgs in Islay and Arran ; and compare siol Erin
nam Bolg, the seed or race of Erin of the Firbolgs :
Oss. Temora, bk. 7, 1. 384: at line 278, Learthon, a
Firbolg chief, is mentioned; see also Joyce, i. 370, for
Beola, "who was probably an old Firbolg chieftain,"
and whose cairn or barrow is called Toombeola.
146 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
ACHAIG, the field, or pasturage ; al. Achab.
ACHAKALDAN, the field of the barrows or cairn-
mounds (cladhan), or a corruption of uagh nan
Gaillian, the burying place of the Gallians, a Fir-
bolg tribe; al. achegallan, year 1452, the field of
the gallan or standing stone ; al. auchagallon ; here
is Carnbeyan or the heroes' cairn earn na bhfeinne.
ACHALEFFAN, the field of the house of prayer
achadh chillgJiuidhean.
ACHANEOW, proncd. achanyou ; achadh an ioth, the
field or land of the corn, the corn-land ; al. Ahew,
and Auchenhew: it is at Lhun, the land or lann, a
church, if not litnd, a wood, a grove, a copse.
ACHANHILEEBERTSH, the field of the Mass Kirk
achadh na cille iobairt. This name, as well as many
others in this catalogue, is new to Arran literature.
Martin appears to have heard this place called Ta
Mass-kirk, and to have supposed it to be Seumas-
kirk, or Eaclus an tSeumais, James's kirk ; for he
tells us that " St James' Church is at the north end
(of Arran)." But, in giving us this version or trans-
lation, he made a complete mistake. In order to
set the matter right, I shall call the ancient cloister-
kirk (if such it was) at Narachan, the Mass-kirk, or
Keileebertsh (cill-iobairt) this latter name being
contained in the compound which is the subject of
this article. It is obvious that the Mass-kirk was
the scene of Bruce's fabled interview with his sister,
Isobel, as represented in the ' Lord of The Isles ; '
for no other church in this quarter has been heard
of, till the Duchess Anne built a chapel at Loch-
ranza in the year 1700. Yet Me Arthur, p. 172, has
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 147
confounded the ruins of this modern chapel with
those of Keileebertsh, and indentifies the former
with "the legendary convent of Saint Bride." I
cannot exactly say where the Duchess Anne's
chapel stood, but I know it was not built on the
ruins of the Mass-kirk. It may have occupied a
site some five or eight hundred yards lower down
the vale, for Headrick's map shows a " Meeting
House " on the right bank of the river about oppo-
site to the Hotel. Neagles-Teite an eaglais-daigJi-
nichte or the existing 'established church' at Loch-
ranza, does not, so far as I am aware, stand on the
site of Duchess Anne's chapel.
The last reliques of Keileebertsh were cleared away
only a few years ago, but a little fountain remains
to mark the spot. This ancient church stood on
the right bank of Callodale Water opposite Ballearra
the house on the chine and about 140 yards
above its armot or confluence with Easnabeira
Water. It is sometimes called Eaclus Papanaich,
that is, the church of the Papists ; but its oldest
name is Narachan or Nayraghan, that is, naomk-
dhion, the sanctuary, the sacred spot.
I cannot doubt that the original sanctuary or church
may have been raised on this site before ever Cal-
umkeile landed in lona. The islands early attracted
the attention of the evangelists of yore, and who-
ever, throughout the ages, may have had the fortune
to settle down to pastoral work in so sweet a spot,
they could not fail to have their minds and religious
feelings sensibly affected by the constant presence of
the majestic mountains which engirdle it.
148 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
ACHAREOCH, or Auchinreach, i.e., achinvruigh, the
field of the bedesmen or clerics achadh na bhfear-
gimidhe.
ACHAVEYRA, the champion's field : v. supra.
ACHAVOULIN, the field of the mill.
A'CHIR, that is, the crest, as of a cock, and giving
name to the high indented ridge which runs along
the western side of Glenrosa.
A'CHRUACH, the stack-like hill; at Ploverfield *>.,
the hill of the giant's castle or champions' stronghold.
./ERSA, Norse aurrid/ta-a, trout-water, trout-river ; lit.
trouts' river, salmon-trouts' river ; al. lorsa Water ;
Water of Versa. Pont. It is usually pronounced
much like eersa by natives of Arran, and accordingly
Eersa may be used as a handier form. It is highly
probable that the vale was formerly called Eersadale,
as we still find Callodale and similar compounds
among the local names of the island. Our word
trout seems to be formed from itrrith, a trout, with
te, the, prefixed ; thus, t'urrith, tuirt, trout.
AHVAL, see Abhal.
AlRAVERGA, the champion's shealing airidh a'
bJieirge, nom. s. bearg, a champion, and, by many
analogies, probably equivalent to beorn, a warrior, a
baron ; hence Barone-hill, the warriors' hill, in Bute.
Perhaps eyri, a shingly beach, and berga, cliffs *>.,
the shingle beach of, or at, the cliffs.
AlRD, a point, headland, and one of the names of
Skorroe point, or Kingscross point: see this last name.
ALCRAPPAGH, the crag of the abbot's seat aillcatliair
apaidh\ a track from Lamlash to Clachan passes
near it.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 149
ALLTACHLYVE, the brook of the house of prayer, the
brook of the oratory or little church allt chill-
gJmidhe. The brook or burn is also called Swir-
burn, that is, the bedesman's burn, the brook of the
man of prayer, and is beside Corrie schoolhouse.
These are very remarkable results, and they amply
show what searching observations and pure induc-
tions must lead to. This interesting spot is only a
very short distance north of Corrie Inn ; and the
brook of the Oratory flows through a very sweet
and picturesque dell. It occurs to me that I have
identified the site of this ancient oratory. Like
'souther,' 'suir' or 'swir' is developed out Q{ guidhe-
achair. See Grisdale in the Index, and compare
Craigachloy, in Bute, meaning the crag of the
house of prayer referring to Kilblain.
ALLT A' CHOMHARBA, the coarb's beck, the vicar's
burn; proncd. alltachorva, and sometimes called
Corby-burn. It flows past Kilbride Manse, only a
few yards to the east of it, and down through Gor-
tein-jaucky z>., kirkland.
ALLTANOWARAN, the champions' burn or river-dale
allt na bhfuamhairean : the chief burn or brook in
the vale of Corrygil. Since gil signifies a burn in a
glen, an allt, and carry means a strong man, a
champion, we get Corrygil, that is, champions'
ghyll or river-vale.
ALLTBORRACHAN, the stream of the cairns or grave-
mounds borradh, equiv. to brugh\ S. beorh, a bar-
row; at Burican mill, Scorrodale; and near its junc-
tion with the main stream there were several great
cairns.
150 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
ALLT-CHALLIN, or Alltchallyuin, the brook of the
tiny oratory ; at the gamekeeper's house, Callodale ;
or the second brook above Nayraghan.
ALLTEIDRICH, the preceptor's brook, allt-fhidriche
the dell-stream of the meditator. It reminds one
of the Bishop's Walk, and was probably a favourite
resort of the head cleric of Keileebertsh ; for it is
the nearest brook to Nayraghan, and flows into
Callodale water from the north. The pretty nooks
of this little dell or glen are quite familiar to me,
and as my studies have taught me to recognise the
interest which men usually take in their neighbours
I prefer the above version to allt-eitrich, or the
Gurly-burn, pretty though it be. To show how keen
the interpreter's instinct or penetration must be, I
have only to notice eithreich, wilderness, and eitJireag^
cloud-berry, as being very like the latter part of our
name.
ALLTGOLACH, the forked burn.
ALLT NAN STUAIGH, the brook of the pillar-stones ;
and which are at the circle of An-ros, well up in the
vale of Kilmory. An-ros signifies the cairn, and is
an undoubted instance of a Danish word received
into the Gaelic tongue. Some of the Arran people
corruptly pronounce this name alltanstuik, but this
is not half so bad as the form of it given in the Ord-
nance Survey sheet.
ALLT NA PAIRCE, in Ord. sur., but properly allt na
parcha, that is alltnaborragha, the stream of the
cairn-graves, like Alltborrachan above. It is also
called alltoulyagree ; but see next article.
ALLTOULY AGREE, or more correctly Allt-ula-gorey,
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 151
*>., allt ulaidh na gcoraidh, the brook of the heroes'
sepulchre or cairn ; referring to the ruined mauso-
leum of Margreuldacan near the water of Sledaroe,
or camp of the slayers (Wikings.) Observe how
these long names are clipped short or syncopated,
and the article thrown out, but leaving its trail be-
hind a mark by which its detection is inevitable.
The Scots carry, a hero, is a loan word from the
Gaelic coraidh, al. curaidh, a hero, champion, war-
rior, doughty fellow.
ALLT ST MUIREIG, a name restored from Headrick's
Alsmourac, and meaning St Mary's Brook, the
form for Mary being a diminutive, like ladikin from
lady, and implying affection, endearment. This
brook flows past Smuraig in Straghealo, or Kirk-
dale.
ALMOLACH, aill, a lofty crag, and Mo Luagh, a
famous cleric in the west of Scotland long ago.
Compare ball Muluy, Moling's stone globe, a famous
green stone about the size of a goose egg, and much
prized by the Brandanes of old for its healing vir-
tues. So says Martin. The form of the word,
' Moling,' which Martin here uses, reminds me of
the Norse name of Holy Isle, viz., Melansey. Al-
molach is one of the names of Holy Isle, and the
Norse Melagsey is another. Luagh, or, with the
honorary prefix, Maluagh, Moluagh, must be the
right form, and ' lass ' in Molass a corruption. The
forms Melan and Moling are explained by the habit
of hardening a g by sounding an n before it. It
does not appear that Almolach has anything to do
with losa, 'the blessed name JESUS.' The subject
152 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
of the article, Alcrapagh, may refer to this old cleric
or abbot, Maluagh ; but the necessary brevity of these
notes forbids enlargement here.
ANGOORACH, the fenny or marshy piece of ground,
an curach, and on the north side of Doonan-corrigil,
dumha nan coraidh gaill, the tumulus or grave-
mound of the foreign warriors.
AN Ros, the cairn ; Scots rats pronounced raus and
ros ; Dan. rces, as in Dunbalrais, near Thirlmere,
that is, the lords' cairn or barrow, with rats suffixed,
dumha na bhfail, dunevail, dunebal, and dunmail.
An-ros is also Carnbeyn or warriors' cairn, and not
Carn-ban, as in the Ord. Sur. The hill here is
Tuhvein, i.e., dumh na bhfeinn, the heroes' barrow,
but corruptly Tighvein in the Ord. sur.
ANTEYNA, proncd. an-teynna, the steep declivity or
slope, the stey brae Gael, an t-aoineadh, and is ap-
plied to a conical hill about two miles west of North
Sannox, as also to the slope of a steep hillside at
the very head of Glenshearag or glen of the fairies.
The compound is readily mispronounced Antony, as
in Antony's Chapel-ruins, on the summit of a steep-
sided height, not far from Holyrood.
AORINN, or Aoirin z>., the cairn. The greater por-
tion of this cairn has been removed, but lately I saw
the kistvaens or slab-kists in which the fallen heroes
had been placed. This name was given to me by a
very intelligent and elderly native of Arran, and the
above is the Gaelic orthography for the manner in
which he pronounced the name. He could not tell
me its meaning, but I am now able to say that it is
the Norse Jiaugrinn (the cairn), softened or worn
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 153
down a little in its connection with achadk, for
Achadh-aorinn is the name of the field in which the
relics of this cairn are still to be seen at a spot
about two hundred yards right north of Sannox
churchyard. It is not, of course, the fine mound or
barrow which stands entire in the angle formed by
the shore road and the road which leads up to the
churchyard. McAr., p. 75, mistakes the character
of this place ; see Clah-veeghal.
AoRINN in Arrindale, Catagil. This is the famous
cairn to which some writers have referred the name
of the Island of Arran. Pont writes it Arren, Head-
rick Arin. The Ord. Sur. map gives the fancy
spelling "Arfhionn," but the name has the very
same origin as the Aorinn of the previous article,
and simply means The Cairn, the cairn over the
dead. The general question as to this cairn will be
discussed in another part of the volume, for which
see Index.
ARD-BHEANN Ardvein, the high or lofty hill; cp.
ard, a height, hill.
ARRAN CASTLE. Headrick ; the same as Brodick
Castle.
ARRANDALE, Catacol, or the cairn-dale. At p. 48,
McArthur mentions "the farm of Arranton," but
does not say where it is, though it has yielded
sundry relics of the dead, in the shape of an urn
and stone jar.
ARRANVOR, the big croft earrann, and beside Cromla.
ARRIN-CAIRN proposed as a convenient name for the
Aorinn of Catacol.
ARTHIR'S SEAT, or Suy-erthur an old name of a
K
154 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
nook shaped like a chair, on the side of Coire na
h-uidhe, close to Grianan Athol. The name signi-
fies the seat of the bedesman, as in Arthur's foun-
tain or bedesman's well. Compare siubhal airthir
ort, an imprecation, and signifying the departure, or
death, of ' Airthir ' to thee ! Could this imprecation
or curse have its origin in the wars between the early
Christians and the heathen ? This subject may be
discussed in the sequel ; but here it may be noticed
that Airthir is said to have broken " Bolee's " grave-
stone in Clachan churchyard, and that he afterwards
had his legs broken on the moor for it. After such
mistakes or misdeeds, according to old popular tales,
no one who makes or commits them ever thrives.
ARYWHONYNE pronounced awrywhonnin, and signi-
fying the grave-mound field ; Nor. haugr, a cairn,
and vangr, a field ; Sc. wang and wong : at Glen-
cloy, which see, as well as Strahwhillen.
ASTADALE clearly the old name of Glen Ashdale
(which see), and signifying the dale of the mighty
heroes' town or stronghold. Asta is asa stadh, and
may also be rendered giants' town, the town of the
god-like heroes. See chapter on Heroes for details.
In this same dale or valley are the remains of an
ancient church, to which the name of Airicul or
Aireagal was given, and I have identified it with
the Cabel-Urial mentioned by Martin. Urial is
"aireagal, an oratory, a church ; and this term gives
name to many churches, such as that of Ercildoun,
now Earlston. Dr Bryce writes Glen Eaisdale, but
the dale is not named from the eas, or waterfall, in
it. The physical features of the land have never
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES 1 55
been able to compete with man's history in giving
names to places.
AYRIN the gravelly beach, the shingly strand ; Nor.
eyri, def. eyrin. The name is also written Nayrin
by prefixing the Gaelic definite article. The place
is at Whitefarland and Row na heren (Pont). Ayrin-
beag is beside a remarkable shingle-strand near to
Lochransa Castle, and may have the same origin.
Europie in Lewis is shingle-beach town or village,
and our word eyri occurs with very great frequency
all round the British shores.
BAKOPS-WELL baek-hop, brook head ; hence brook-
head well, the well of the mother-syke.
BAILEACHAN i.e., village : Munro.
BAILE NAN SEOID DAG, the town of the Danish
heroes : see Sheaddaug.
BAINCARAIGHAN, the warriors' town baile nan coraid-
hean. The people in the West have a strong habit
of pronouncing o as a.
BAINLESSARIGH : see Playstar.
BALLYGOWN, a corrupted form of Ballachown, i.e., baile
a' chomhain, the town of the church or sanctuary.
BALLEARRA bail'-earraidh, chine house, or the house
on the chine of the hill : chine is equiv. to lower
part e.g., of the backbone ; cf. " the chine of Snow-
don:" Borrow, Wild Wales, ii. 129.
BALLYMEANACH a thin, drawling pronunciation of
ballymanach, that is, monks' town. Columkeile
hamlet is here.
BALLYNAW, holy-men's town, as Hellan Leneow is
Isle of saints : Pennant, ii. 188.
156 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
BALMICHEL. Headrick ; see chap, on Churches.
BALNACOOL, or Balnacoule baile na congbhaile, the
town of the church establishment, the town of the
ecclesiastical establishment ; at Pein and Clauchan;
see Joyce 25 for congbhail, and notice the strength
of the Culdees, or God's Men, here. What a fearful
waste the Viking hosts made in the charming vale
of Sheskan ! The " John's cell " mentioned by
Macbride must be seann-chill, the old church or
oratory: v. N.S.A., v. Kilmorie.
BAWKIN'S CAVE, the goblin's cave ; it is opposite the
Rocking-stone.
BAWNEEN, the little meadow or green.
BEENGAN, beinnean, a little hill, pinnacle.
BEINN-GAIL, the mountain of vapour : Shaw.
BEININHURUCH, the hill of the sheep : Head.
BENGAILL beinn-aill, the rock peak ; lit. the peak of
the towering rock.
BENKLEEVIN ; see Kleevin.
BENINUARAN, from Headrick, 146, and signifying the
champions' fortress : it is apparently in the Vanner-
loch quarter, and has a great circular bulwark of
uncemented stones.
BENLEVEN, or Benilewen, the hill of the oratory.
BENNOOSH beinn uamhais, the peak of horror: so,
probably, Ben-nevis, Ben-wyvis, and Benuaish in the
North.
BEN-VOIRRIN pronounced vuirrin ; not, however, as
Gaels understand this spelling, but as Scotsmen do,
and of which an instance is found in the Eng. word
built ; beinn-bhoirne, the hill of stony or rocky lands
or grounds. Notice beann na beairn, the hill of the
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 157
breach or of the gap, for beam is a fem. noun ; cp.
beann a! bhearain, the young man's hill. Morroin-
hill, Braemar, is the hill of the rocks, boirne ; as I
know well the character of its summit from having
visited the spot. ' Dr Landsborough gives Beinn
Mhorroin i.e., the hill of the rocks. To prevent
mistake, let it be added that this Beinn Mhorroin is
our Arran name. ' Benvarreh ' is the handiest form
for daily use, but it should not be divided into two
sections. Compare cnoc na mboirne, the hill of the
rocks : Joyce, 405, and notice that there is a Cnoc-
moirrin in the south of Cantyre.
BENVREAC, the flecked mountain.
BLACK CAVE ; also called the Monsters' cave uaimh
nam beist ; at Struey Rocks.
BLACK DOG FALL probably named so from the
otters which frequented it.
BLAIRMORE for the cairns here, see Penn., ii. 212.
BLARNAGABAR blar na gcabar, the field of the sticks
(for firewood) ; near Lochransa.
BOAT STAITH, the, staitk, a landing-place; Sax. staedh
and staeth.
BOCK-HILL bock, a hill-top, as in Buc o' the Cab-
raghe, equiv. to hoc of tJie gebirge, the crowning sum-
mit of the mountains ; our Arran name is badly
written ' Boguille ' in the Ord. Sur., but it serves to
show the Gaelic influence on Norse and Scots words :
it is in the Scorrodale quarter.
BOLLEE compare bilith, image, figure ; and notice
that this name is given by the Sheaddaug, or Pein
folks, to the sculptured figure of a cleric in Clauchan
kirkyard. Billee or Bollee does not seem to be a
158 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
man's name, but billee, an image, a figure. When
we say that a boy is quite his father's' bild, we use
this term bilith, and mean that the lad is the very
' image ' of his father.
BORRACHAN, a little swelling, eminence, law, hill.
BAWNANGEARC the hens' hut, bothan na gcearc ; at
Lochransa.
BRAIZAY CASTIL. Dean Monro. In the Scots tongue
"Braizay" is pronounced Braighay, and may be
written Breaghay for the same sound. The " z " is
really "g," and is sometimes sounded as a "g" or as
" gh." The older natives of Arran still pronounce
Brodick as Brayag and Braigha. Now brayag is
the same as bearg, a champion, a warrior, and
Braigay Castil is clearly a version of rath nam
bearga, the warriors' fort or fenced town. Instead
of rath, bnigh might be used ; thus, brugh nam
beargaidh signifies the champions' fort or strong-
hold. Further illustration will be given in the
sequel of the Arran Studies.
BRAWNE-KEIN bragna koin, the warriors' grave-
mound or burying-place. This name is derived
from Headrick's book, but he thought that kein was
ceann, head. A number of pillar-stones marked the
spot, which is not far west of Corachrevy : see par-
ticularly Lag-a-gaille-eohen.
BRODICK see Braizay Castil.
BROWN HlLLS: Headrick, p. 129 bragna hofudh,
warriors' headland : the name being closely associ-
ated with Brawne-kein.
BRUSES CASTLE vrisa borg, the mighty warrior's
burg or stronghold ; scarcely from brughas, a fort :
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 159
see Ploverfield. This fort is a mile to the south-
west of Kilmichael, and does not really appear to
have its name from king Robert Bruce.
BRUGES CAVES vrisa keier, mighty heroes' caves ;
kern, the cave, has been corrupted into king, and
hence Headrick's " King's Cove," and Beckett's
" King's Caves." The story of the spider is, by
some, connected with these caves, and by others
with a " cot " near Aird or Kingscorro. But the
meaning is entirely misunderstood, as I shall pro-
bably show in another chapter. It should be stated
that vrisi becomes brisi, brise, bryce, bruise, etc. In
Shetland, kirns means the caves, and this is the
' definite ' with a double plural. Kynance Caves, in
Cornwall, simply means 'the caves,' with the English
' caves ' added. The old word keie or koi signifies
either a cave or a grave, and the same connection is
observed in other languages.
The rise and growth of mythical tales constitute a
striking illustration of man's love of the marvellous,
and distaste of matters of fact.
CABEL URIAL i.e., the chapel of Urial [ur-yal] but
urial is a contracted form of airicul, an oratory, a
church. Its cemetery and ruins may be found in
Astadale or Glen-ashdale; and, though Martin does
not say where it stood, I have been able to identify
it with the ancient Kiskadale Church.
CAGA the bay or creek (geodha) at the oyce or mouth
of north Sannox water : see Kaga.
CAISTEAL ABHAIL : see Abhal.
CALLODALE the dale of the oratory ceallgJiuidhe^.
l6o ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
which becomes callyow, and calleo ; with glen pre-
fixed we get Glenchalladel (Pont).
CARXABAIXX, the warriors' cairn earn na bhfeinm:
in Arran there are four or five cairns which bear
this name, but usually miswritten Carn Ban, though
the natives pronounce their names in a way very
different from ban.
CARXABEYAN, the cairn of the heroes: at Achakaldan ;
there is another not far from Pein.
CARNACUIGHEX is pronounced ' carnacuifen,' and sig-
nifies the cairn of the strangers earn nan coimh-
eacJian. The site of this remarkable cairn is about
half a mile north of Kilbride old church.
CATACOL, but pronounced Cuithagal, and, therefore,
very likely to mean the Gewicts or Yeats' grave-
mound. The hamlet is quite near the site of the
famous tumulus. But Glencatagal may possibly be
gleann catlia gaill, the glen of the battle of the
foreigners. The name is written Catagil, Cathay-
dill, Cattidell, etc.
CATT-STAXE i.e., the pointed stone, gadd, Sc. kad,
kat, a goad, a spike ; also a hill-peak, as in Goat-
fells i.e., spike-fells, pike-fells or sharp-pointed
hills. The Catt-stane is a huge pointed boulder, a
little to the north of Corrie, and on west side of the
road.
CEAXXALEEKY, the ness or point of the flag-like rock:
at Kaga, that is, Keoga, a creek, north Sannox
shore.
CEUM-NA-CAILLICH the witch's stride, the stride of
the demon-giantess. The witch here referred to
appears to have been one of the Weirds or Norns
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. l6l
for the fuller form of Ceum na caillich Urne is still
in occasional use among the natives of Arran, and I
once heard the name so given. Now, Urne must be
Urin, Norse Urdhin, the Weird, the Norn one of
the three weird sisters. The meaning of the longer
form is The stride of the hag or witch called the Urd
or Weird. Urne, as a term, has the definite article
added to it, but that, as many facts in these pages
show, makes no difficulty. In several local names
we find Urd or Urdh, as in Irriewell, the Weird's
spring, in Udny parish. Headrick tells us why the
Arran name was given, but the whole story is a relic
of heathen darkness, and may be left in meet ob-
scurity. Arthur's curse maybe "urdhar-far," that is,
perdition, ill-fate. The "stride" is from the tower-
ing eastern pinnacle called the Hound's Tooth
across a tremendous gulf to the next pike on the
west, so that one foot was planted on the Hound's
Tooth, and the other on the beetling crag which
forms the forehead of the Sleeping Giant. The
sharp edge or ridge at the bottom of the gulf bears
the old name of Druimeich, or the Nag's Back.
The Gaelic name of the Witch's Stride may be
Anglicised Caymnacalyie.
ClOCH NA H-INGHIN the Maiden's Breast ; Pont
writes it Kiach na hinnoin, Grierson Kioch-na-hain,
Ord. Sur. Cioch na h-Oighe, but all the forms have
the very same meaning. It is a very fine peak, and
is well seen from Sannox shore. The great pointed
stone called the Cock of Arran, may have its name
from this word dock, a pap, a peak, and akin to gadd y
a goad, a spike, as well as to the Swiss zug; a moun-
1 62 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
tain peak. Our name is best Anglicised Keenahein :
cf. Maol na Giche, in lona, the hill-brow of the peak
or pap.
CiR-MHOR, the great comb, or crest, or crested ridge,
and is not very correctly applied to one peak. The
most intelligent arrd best informed natives of Arran
apply this name to the whole ridge from the Archer's
Pass to the towering 'horn' at the head of Glenrosa.
Curr, cir or hill-crest, is near the high Cheviot.
The Norse eigg, Gael, nig, is often applied to lofty
cones and peaks, as in the island of Eigg. When
the peak " Cir-mhor" of the maps is viewed from
the south, it presents the appearance or shape of a
trident, or three-pronged pike. Headrick notices
this also, and it may be sometimes convenient to
refer to it as Trident Peak. Its Gaelic name is An-
glicised Keervohr.
CLACHAIG, the champion's barrow or grave-mound,
cladh-oig and neither this tumulus nor those in its
vicinity have anything to do with "Ossian" except
as a corruption of aoig/iean, heroes. This is quite cer-
tain, as will be amply shown in a following section.
CLACHAN, meaning a small stone-house, and often
applied as a name to the ancient oratories or small
churches. "Clochans or monks' houses" were found
in St Kilda. Simpson, citing Martin per Petrie, i.
136. In Cork and Kerry, clochan is used to denote
an ancient stone-house of a bee-hive shape. Joyce,
p. 352, cf. 398. I have seen one of these tiny ora-
tories in the wilds of the Mull of Kintyre. There
is another clachan in the moor of Benleven at
Callodale.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 163
CLACHAREN, i.e., a little stony place ; and here there
is a very stony croft or field at Lochrenasay : cf.
Cloghereen, Joyce, 402.
CLACHILAN A.D. 1433. Probably the name of one of
the great cairns in the vicinity of Kilbride Chapel :
cladJi-Gaillian, Firbolgs' burial-cairn.
CLACH-NA-CILLE-CHUIAR, i.e., the stone of the bedes-
man's cell or oratory : see above.
CLACHNADUN ? clach-n-adun, the castle of the he-
roes, clock nan aoidhean, but perhaps the cairn of
the heroes. Headrick, 353.
CLAGHVEINN, the heroes' cairn or burial-place.
CLAHAN-RIGHUIRT and Cladhan-righ-Ghuirt, the sep-
ulchres of the kings of the Gewicts, the burial-places
of the Yeat Kings cladJian righ GidcJieack. The
Ord. Sur. sheet badly writes the name Glenrickard,
but the natives do not pronounce it so. The place
is a quarter of a mile south-east of Kilmichael.
CLAH-VEEGHAL, the grave-mound of the foreign lords
cladh na bhfiadh gaill ; and the mound may be
seen in the angle of the two roads close by the shore
of south Sannox bay. It is carefully preserved by
the residents in the locality, and may be the tomb
of their Norse forefathers.
CLANACHAN, beautiful meadow cluain chaoin ; from
Inquis. Spec, or Retours, 18.
CLAPPEN-HILL, warriors' fort, or heroes' burial-place
cladh aoigJiean : see McArthur, 69.
CLEEVIN, the keel-shaped hill keol bfieinn, Nor. kjoll,
a frequent term in local nomenclature ; but cf.
cliabh bheinn, breast-hill ; this hatchet-like Edge is
on the west side of Glenrosa.
164 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
CLEYNACK />., a slope ; al. Cloined, Clunaig, Gael.
claonadh, claonad; cf. claon, a slope (Joyce).
CNOC A' CHAPUILL prob. a corrup. of kop-hill, or
head-hill, the summit ridge.
CNOCAN A' CHRANNCHUIR, the mount of the bedes-
men's hospice c. clieitJireanna (nan) guidlieacliair.
It is near Kilpatrick i.e., Keilbeartigh or the bedes-
men's church, and here also is Cornabeithe i.e.,
coire an abaidh, the abbot's dell ; also Torrandaive
or the learned-man's hill.
CNOCANA NAN SITHEAN, the hills of the fairy-mounts.
CNOCAN-BEAROGH, the bedesmen's hill the one at
Balnacoule.
CNOCAN H-AOIDHE, the hero's knoll an old name of
the tumulus at Clauchog ; cf. sron-h-aoidJiean, the
warriors' ness, and the Gaelic form of Strontian
[stronteean] : name received from Rev. James
Curdie, Gigha.
CNOCAN-TUBHA, knoll of the cairn or barrow Gael.
dnmJia, tinnJia : about one mile from Pein.
CNOC-BREAC, speckled knoll or hill; Cnoc-buidhe, yel-
low or saffron-coloured hill ; Cnoc-donn, dusky hill.
CNOCLECARLEW or Drimlecarlew (from Headrick),
the hill or hill-rig of the Firbolgs' burying-place
drttim ulaidh fJiirbJwlg, giving drimulaghirwil ; cf.
Knocacharbeil in the vicinity. The Ord. Sur. gives
an entirely wrong form, Cnoc na Comhairle. Lagh-
tareel is the grave of the Firbolgs who fought at
Moyturey, and Letrewell, near Helensburgh, must
also mean the Firbolgs' grave or monument. Our
name cannot signify Council Hill, for it refers to
the " Giants' Graves " near Largymor.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 165
CNOC NA CEILLE, above Glaister and near a pillar-
stone, is probably cnoc nan gaille, the hill of the
standing stones.
CNOC NA CoiLLE or Knockankelly, the knoll or hill
of the (hazel) holt or copse ; cf. "the hazel copses
of Knockingelly:" Dr Landsbro'.
CNOC NAN AOIDHEAN, the hill of the heroes. This is
an old name of a hill with a cairn or barrow on it
near Dippen, and its other name is Giants' Hill. In
the popular tales (not legends), heroes and warriors
are called giants.
COIRE-BHRADAIN, the salmon's pot a pool in Glen-
rosa Water.
COIRE NA H-UIDHE, the corry of the Pass ; and is the
way across the edge or ridge between Keervor and
Ahval.
COLUMKEILE-HAMLET may have been " Lhun "-Chal-
uimchille, or Columba's chapel.
CORACHREVY or Korichreui (Pont) i.e., cathair (nan)
curaidke, the stronghold of the warriors ; it is pro-
bably the same fort which the stranger Danes called
Sledaroe, or the fort of the pernicious ones (slayers).
Crae-castle in Bute has the same meaning; Pitcruvie
is warriors' dwelling; Auchencruive, -heroes' field.
On the shore is Hadak-port i.e., p. nan at hatch,
the champions or giants' creek ; cf. Cas. Creavy,
Galloway.
CORDAN named from a cairn or barrow which was
here, uladh nan coraidhean, the grave-mound of the
heroes ; cf. cor an tsuinn, the knoll of the hero.
CORLOCH, the hero's dell ; or warriors' grave-cairns,
for on the shore there seem to be remains of cairns.
1 66 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
CORRYHYNE, the dell of the river coire na h-aibhne.
CORRIE probably land of Corrie, that is, land of
heroes, for " Feinn " signifies land of heroes or war-
riors being only part of the name. Fife should be
either the land of lords or land of Picts ; crioch nan
curaidh, the region or locality of the heroes or
champions : al. Corry, Currie.
CORRIE AN LACHAN, the caldron or lakelet of the
wild ducks or drakes coire nan lachan : cf. Loch
Goyne, the lake of the barnacle geese Gaelic
cadlian.
CORRYNAGOOSHAG, the corry of the long grass, used
for making maidens' hats.
CORRY-GHYLL, hero-glen, or glen of champions ; see
Alltanowaran ; cf. coire gail, dell of slaughter ; coire
ghoille, vale of war or battle, or of prowess ; coire-
g/iaoil, vale of love i.e., a place beloved, the dear
dell ; Norse gil, a ghyll, a glen ; cf. Welsh crigyll, a
ravine, a creek. Perhaps the full name is dumha
nan coraidk gaill, the grave-mound of the stranger
heroes or 'frem' warriors ; for this combines Dunan
with Corrygill, and such divorcements do occur.
The great grave-mound is at Dunan here : cf.
Corriviarlich, thieves' glen (meirleach) : Gordon's
Poems, 57.
CRANNSHEANTA, the old hospice ceithreann seanda ;
al. Cranshant, id. This was a famous old place in
Glenrosa, and must have been an ancient clerical
establishment. I shall probably speak of it in the
sequel ; but compare the Danish kroen, the Inn, and
note that in the later age travellers were put up
here.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. l6/
CRAVY-CAIBEA L from caibeal-nan-craibhthigh, the
chapel of the devout ones (see Joyce, 90), or the
church of the devout worshippers. The ruins of it
are in the vale of Sledaroe. It could not possibly
have its name from a tree, as some one has sug-
gested : see Cravies-heol, Cumbrae List, where the
word clearly refers to the devout pilgrims on their
way to Santa Vey.
CRAW-HILLS the marshy, fenny hills ; koere, fens,
mosses, morasses, and, when drained, carses.
CREAG A' MHAIDA (vyda), the dog's crag ; at Renesa,
or Lochrenesa.
CREAG NAN CURAIDH, the champions' crag; it has on
it the remains of an old bulwark, fort, or ward, and
is above Clachareen, Reynasa.
CREAG NA GCATHAG, the jack-daws' crag.
CREAG NA H-IOLAIRE, the eagle's crag.
CREAG NA SRONE, the crag of the cape or headland,
north end of Arran.
CREANGOWAR, the hospice or Inn of the bedesmen or
churchmen : at Kilpatrick.
CROGAN, a peak, at Lagantuin ; Welsh crwg.
CROLLUY, the knoll of the oratory cor chillgJiuidhe ;
a mile north of Clachan. It is another name of
Traighiluith, torr chill ghuidJie, the mount of the
house of prayer.
CROMLA or Crimla, the freebooters' camp or dwelling,
the brigands' lodge kerne-bcel, krenbel, kremble,
and krimble. This place is at Currie ; its name is
not uncommon.
CUITHE or Kwee, Norse -kui, a fold for cattle, sheep,
etc., and is in the north of the island. Compare
1 68 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
Catagil al. Cuithagil, and which may simply be
the cattle-fold glen.
CULLSTHUIDHEAN i.e,, cill-ghuidhean, the house of
prayer, the oratory or church, and clearly an old
name for Kilbride Chapel or some one near to it.
The name occurs at Gortanjauka, Lamlash.
DAIRE NAN AOIGH, the heroes' copsewood or thicket,
the wood of the foreign warriors probably kernes
or freebooters of the later age : al. Deere na nach
(Pont), Durrinaneoch ; it is not far from Crolluy.
DAUG-BRAAN, or Daug-brahin, the Danes' burying-
place (beorhin), or the Danes' barrow: the name is
found in the popular tales about the Torrmor bar-
rows. Martin says, " and to the single stone Bran,
Finmacoul's hunting-dog was usually tied ;" see
Finmacoul's cave and circle.
DIPPEN, Dipput, or Dupenny, the heroes' fort and
adhbha aoidJiean ; for the last form take -na-bhfeinne.
The remains of the fort exist.
DIRLIN the upper part of a sea-beach, Gael, duirlin
(Joyce ii. 371). There is a famous story of the
' singed ' man who fought on Lamlash doirlin, and
of which the meaning is now pretty obvious.
DIRNABOL, heroes' town dregianna bol\ but see
Earranamboule.
DOUGARY, in Gaelic speech Anduighairigh i.e., the
ruler's mansion an t-adhbh airigJi, the commander's
skali or dwelling.
DRIMADOWN, the ' rig ' of the ward or bulwark.
DRIMAYEINAIR, the ' rig ' or hill of the chieftain's fort,
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 169
or of the superior (of the church) druirn dhuin air.
It is near Kilpatrick, the bedesmen's church.
DRIMEICH The nags or naig's back, a sharp cleaver-
like edge between the pikes of Caymnacalyie.
DRIMLABARRA, or Drum chly barra (Pont), the ridge
of the bedesmen's church, druim cJiille na bJifearg-
hnidhe.
DRUIM CRUNEY, the Picts' ridge. This name says
the Picts had something to do with the fort of
Drimadoon.
DUMHA NAN CALM GAILL, the grave-mound of the
foreign champions : in Glentuie.
DUMHA NAN SAOIDH-CHURAIDHEAN, the grave-
mound of the heroic warriors. This is clearly the
full and proper form of Macbride's Suidhe choir
Fhionn.
DUMHA NAN SAOIDHEAN, the heroes' cairn ; at Cata-
col, and taken from the tale of Sweden-kein, or the
heroes' grave : see Beckett, 75.
DuNDUG OR DUNDUBH, the warriors' fort dund-
aoigh.
DUN FlANN, the giant-warriors' brough or fort. This
is the right form, but the name is written by authors
in eight or ten different ways. The High. Soc.
Diet, renders it " the fort of the Fingalians," but if
the last word means anything it means warriors.
The local pronunciation is Dunfinn and Dunfewn,
but the meaning is all the same and quite certain.
Some would make out that the fort or bulwark is
Finmacoul's fort, but it was not the strength of one
but of many. The fort was vitrified.
DuNCAIN-TAIT, the castle of the nobleman, hero-chief,
L
I/O ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
preceptor or man of letters daingean an t-saoidh :
cf. Tait's Cross, the abbot's or sage's cross ; Teits
Well, the learned cleric's well.
EACLUS (nam) Papanaich, the kirk of the Papists :
see Achanhilcebertsh.
EARRANN-BEAG, the small share, or portion, or field ;
al. Urinbeg : see Ayrin.
EARRANAMBOULE, the share, or field, or allotment of
the boolies or out -lying dairies, earrann nam
buaile ; but also called Tirnaboul, from an t-earrann
etc. ; the place is at the foot of the most northern
glen in the island.
EASBIE, mighty heroes' fort or fenced town, and is
about a mile north-east of the homestead of Glen-
luie or glen of the Pass ; norse asa bae, old Scots
ease-by. Some have called the neighbouring glen
" bishop's glen," from the resemblance of our name
to ' easpy,' ' easbuig,' a bishop.
EASACHRANNAIGH, the waterfall of the heroes' strong-
hold eas cathair nan aoigli^ and near the Cyclopean
remains of an ancient bulwark or ' city,' planted on
a crag in Astadale, q.v. Compare Portchrannaigh
at Carradale pier, or the port of the warriors' citadel,
of which the ruins are in the near vicinity.
EAS-CUMIIANN, the narrow waterfall, i.e., the slender
thread of a waterfall ; Headrick renders it " narrow
fall," p. 118; it is "the cascade of Esscumhan on
Leven Water : " N.S.A., v. 42.
EAS-MOR, " great fall." Head. 1 14 ; great waterfall.
EASNABEIRA, the cascade of the grisly goblin eas na
beira in a very deep rocky gorge below Torrnidna-
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 17 1
neun, and hemmed in by walls of sheer cliff and
precipice. The glen appears to be Macbride's
Glenfas, or gleann fos, glen of the waterfall,
showing here, as elsewhere, a borrowed Norse term :
see the fifth vol. of the New Stat. Acct, and cf.
Physgil, i.e., waterfall ghyll or glen.
EMOCHYR (Pont dr. 1600), The Point of, rudha nan
naoimh-uidhear, the Point of the holy pilgrims.
FARCHAN, properly Fairegan, heights, eminences.
FEORLIN, al. Furling, i.e., fir-leyn, fure-leyn, the
warriors' grave-mound or cairn, Norse firdJia ligin.
Pennant speaks of the "stupendous cairn" which
he saw here, but it is now wholly removed. Com-
pare ferlanna hangr equiv. to the later ' ferlane
howe/ that is, travellers or rovers' cairn.
FlNMACOUL's CAVE, in the shore-cliff west of Pein
and Clachan, and where this old warrior-chief
" lodged during the time of his residence in this
isle." Martin.
FlNMACOUL's CIRCLE (of pillar-stones), " the natives
say that the circle was made by the giant Fin-mac -
Coul." Martin.
FIRRYPEIN, the warriors' town or dwelling-place,
firdha baein [firry beyn]. This name is clearly
contained in the following passage : " The Gaelic
name of this glen (Glenrosa) is said to mean the
Ferry-point Glen." Dr Bryce, Arran, p. 166 ;
compare Rispain, and Respond, both meaning the
warriors' dwelling, and observe that d is often added
to the end of a word or name. Gaelic influence on.
172 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
this Norse name explains the vowels and all the
rest : see above, p. 1 20.
GATEFIELD, spike-fells, or spike mountain-peaks,
Norse gadd-ficell ; the older way of writing Goat-
fell, and quite as correct as the latter. Pont writes
Keadefel, but it is the very same as Gatefield. The
variety shows the Gaelic influence in the pro-
nunciation. There are several peaks in Arran
called by this name, but, as the whole subject is too
extensive to be inserted here, it will be explained
in the sequel.
GEELKAMBEDGILL, see Sailchamedgil.
GARGADALE or GURGADALE, warriors' dale, lag na
gcuraidlie (guraghe), and above Glen Ramskel.
GIANTS' GRAVES see Cnoclecarlew, and Torrna-
Baoileag.
GLAHAN-RIGHUIRT, see Clahan-righuirt.
GLAISTER, al. Glastre, the glebe-land, Wei. clasdir.
GLANSNABEIRA, the glen of the cascade of the grisly
goblin.
GLAN-HANNAG, -hennoc, perh. glen of the Council-
knoll Thing-hang ; the Gaelic form of Glensannox.
GLEANN-NAN-GIOLLA, the glen of the young fellows.
GLEN-ASHDALE or Glenasda's dale; see Astadale, and
compare Eaton Reid, 65, McArthur, 149.
GLENBLADELL (Pont), the glen of the hero-chief's
Hall, with dell, a dale, added ; and marked beside
Glenshant.
GLENCLOY, the glen of the church gleann chillghuidhe,
glen of the house of prayer. Maclow or MakClowy,
the surname of the family of Kilmichael, must be
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 1/3
magh cheall ghuidhe, the field or land of the church,
kirk-land, and their device three fish heads
clearly points to the old bedesmen, as may be shown
hereafter.
GLENCOREDALE, the glen of the champions' dale; it is
upper Scorodale.
GLENEARSA, glen of Trout- Water.
GLENLUIE, the glen of the way or pass, gleann VuidJie.
GLENORMIDALE, glen of Waterfall Dale, Norse vermi,
Dan. varme, a waterfall ; under Gaelic influence the
v initial coalesces with the vowel ; cf. Wirmidale, at
Tingwall.
GLEN RAMSKEL (Pont), the glen of the Christians'
mansion, building or establishment at Glenrie or
Leananree ; cf. glen-Rom isdale in Skye.
GLENROSA giant-warriors' dale Norse risa dal ; in
the Gaelic speech of Arran our name is sounded
glanruasadk, but it is very doubtful whether there is
a final dk sounded. Probably the name was formerly
Rosadale, as many of the names in this list will il-
lustrate. See risi in the chapter on Heroes, and
consider Rais-dale i.e., Cairn-dale, for there were
cairns or 'howes,' and tall standing stones here.
Several of the latter remain : see also Macbhrol-
chin's stone.
GLENSANNOCK : Pont writes Glensennock, the glen
of the valiant warriors gleann nan suinn aige ; see
Clah-veeghal.
GLENSHANT : see Crannsheanta.
GLEN SHEAR AG, the Fairies' Dell gleann nan siabhrag,
the glen of the fairies. Headrick writes Glensherag:
the form in the Ord. Sur. sheet is very incorrect.
174 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
GLENTUIE or more fully Glentua-calmgaill, the glen
of the foreign champions' grave-mound gleann
dumJia [tumha] calm gaill. The cairn is near the
String road from Brodick to Glenluie.
GOATFELL, also Goatfells, as several peaks bear this
name. Pont writes Keadefel, others Gatefield :
O.S.A. xi. 391 et seq. The name signifies spike-
fells, spike mountain-peaks, goad-fells or peaks
shaped like a goad, Norse gadd. We might say
Pike-fells ; cf. Langdale Pikes ; Geddenscleugh or
glen of the pointed hills, above Carlanrig : see
Gatefield, supra. Macculloch writes our Gatefield
or Keadefel as " Kid Vol ; " gaoid in Gaoidbheinn
is the Norse word gadd, a goad, a spike, and not
what Armstrong's dictionary would suggest.
GORTANJAUKA lands of religion, lands given for
pious uses, kirk-lands, goirtein diadhaidhe, godly
patches or glebes, i.e., clods, gleba, a clod, a glebe.
The place is in front of Kilbride manse.
GRIANAN ABHAIL [greenan-aval], the tremendous
peak, the huge hill-top grianan adJibhal ; but as
" adhbhal " is not a well-established term, I prefer
grianan na bhfiel, the mountain-peak of the Fiel
Range, or Range of Mountains. Fiel signifies
Fells, mountains, and is a Norse term. This
mountain rises high above the vale of Ransa, and
forms the chest of the " Sleeping Giant " with the
knuckles of his clasped hands rising prominently
above his breast. But these and the other colossal
features of the giant can only be well seen from the
Cumbraes: see Abhal.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 1/5
HELLAN LENEOW [le-naiv]. Fordun, ii. 10, cited by
Pennant who renders this name " Isle of saints."
Tour, ii. 188. Accordingly it is eilean le naoimh,
saints' isle alias Holy Isle.
HUNTINGDOGGESATDCAR (sic). Pont. The word
clack is understood, hence clack an tseann tiglie
gJiuidheacJiair, the Stone of the old house or oratory
of the Bedesman. For further details, see p. 1 34.
IMOCHAR POINT ; see Emochyr.
IRON ISLAND (Headrick, 133), but properly Eyrin
Isle, that is, the eyrin or the gravel-bank, which
becomes an island at the ebb.
KANIL (Pont), ceann ail/, the head of the precipice ;
but since Pont saw it the gigantic cliff has wholly
come away, and lies a wreck of rocks upon the
beach called the Fallen Rocks.
KEILEEBERTSH ; see Achanhileebertsh.
KID VOL, one of the Goatfell peaks.
KlLDALES, />., Kil-dale or Kirk-dale, from the ancient
church in Astadale.
KlLDONAN, Adamnan's church cilld AdkamJmain^
' d ' being often added to till. But the name may
rather be cladh DomJman, the burying-place of the
Downans, a Firbolg race, also called Firdownans.
There is a stone circle here.
KILLEMICHEL. Reg. Mag. Sig., A.D. 1472 ; also called
Kirk-Michel : Pennant. I suspect that " michel "
is a form of Maclow, for which see Glencloy.
KlNGSCORRO (Headrick), i.e., Scorroe, the buccaneers'
176 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
camp or fort, with " king," that is, ceann, a point,
cape, headland, prefixed, Norse skadha riodh, old
Scots scaw-roe, foes' camp, robbers' fort or bul-
wark of the buccaneers. See Aird, Scoradale and
Scorroe Point.
KISKADALE is, in the Arran Gaelic speech, pro-
nounced keastJichil, and is very likely to have been
formed from /tf^-dhuischille, sanctuary vale re-
ferring like Kildales to the ancient Airicul Church
in Glenashdale.
KLEEVIN, the keel or keel-shaped hill-rig, keol-bJieinn^
keel-hill ; nor. kjcellr.
KNOCKANKELLY : see Cnoc-na-coille.
LAG-A-GAILLE-EOHEN, the vale of the pillar-stones of
the heroes lag nan gaille aoidhean. The place is
on the upper side of the road which crosses the
glen-stream about half a mile to the west of
Corachrevy. This is one of the three or four
"Ossian's" graves which have been discovered in
Arran, but the name " ossian," in these instances, is
only a corruption of aoidJiean, heroes, warriors. The
pillar-stones marked an old barrow, but they have
been carried off and used as gate or " yett " posts.
The Dano-Scotic name of this barrow is clearly
Brawne-kein, q.v.
LAGAN IOMAIRE EORNA, the vale of the barley-rig.
LAG AN T-SEASGAINN, Fen-Dale or the vale of the
fenny-ground : usually called Vale of Sheaskan.
LAG AN T-SUINN [Laggantuin], the Hero-chief's vale,
and is about a half-mile north-west of Kanil.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 177
LAGAVELLIE or Lekaneilzie (Pont), the cairn or grave-
mound of the lords leachd na bhfaile.
LAGAVEY, al. Lagaveya, al. Leykavehy, Birch-glen.
LAIRAGH-BEYAN, the grave of the champions lairig
na bhfeinn, the barrow of the heroes. This spot
gives name to the land from Stronaigh Pillar-stone
to the vicinity of Currie the blacksmith's house.
LAMLACH or Holy Yle. Pont : see Almolach, Hellan
Leneow, and notice that luamh signifies an abbot, a
pilot. Hence eilean ma luaimh, the island of my
(lord) abbot or prior : cf. derteacJi Maeliosa, the ora-
tory of Maeliosa, who was Coarb Columcille in Iona v
and died in the year 1086.
Lamlach or Lamlash is possibly a contraction of Ian
ma Lagh, the church or oratory of Lagh or Luagh ;
but see Lorn-street, and p. 181.
LEACHD A' MHILIDH, the hero's grave, a name applied
to the "cairns" on the right bank of Sleddary Water,
but evidently recent.
LEANREE, the bedesman's house, the oratory of the
man of prayer lan-fhir-gJiuidhe. Pont places it in
the near neighbourhood of Cravy-Caibeal. Glanree,
Glenree, and Leananree are only varieties of Leanree.
LEVEN-CORRACH, the steep town of the warriors, Nor.
lydha baein, later ley-bhein, with corrach, steep, after-
wards added. Here we have " Leven Water " as a
complete name for the stream in the immediate
neighbourhood, and it is important to notice this.
Pont writes this name Leffan-corkrach, somewhat
suggestive of coigrich, strangers : cf. liathmhuine, grey
thicket or copse.
1/8 ARRAN LOCAL NAM MS.
LHUN [lun]. Pont ; Ian or l/ian, a church, chapel, as
in Lhanbryde. Lhun is placed at Ballymainaich or
Monks' town.
LOCHERIMBURN, the brook, with "burn" added
Norse Icekrin, the brook ; becomes in before b as
usual ; at Corrie.
LOCH FEARGUS, a corruption of Laght-feargaw, from
firdha Jiaug, warriors' cairn, with . lag/it, a grave
monument, prefixed ; and placed near a standing
stone, foot of Machry-burn, by Black's map. Com-
pare Lochshot, leacJid seoid, heroes' barrow.
LOCH-KNOC-A-CHARBEIT. Pennant says it is full of
large eels. Pont writes it Loch-knockacharbit ;
hence clearly cnoc a' gharbhaite, the hill of the rocky
rugged region.
LOCH NA LEIRG, lake of the hill-side, or of the " rain-
goose " (learg).
LOCH RANSA. Pont ; Lochrenasay. Monro. See
Principles, p. 18.
LOM-STREET, that is, beach-street Norse lorn, beach.
At Whiting Bay. Hence, probably, Lamlash, the
shore castle, the beach fortress (lom-lis or lam-lios^,
referring to the ruined one at Whitehouse.
MAC BHROLCHIN'S STONE. Pennant, ii. 179. Mac-
bhrolchin equal to magh-bhor-ail-aighen, the field
of the sepulchre of the lord of the heroes magh
blirngh flmil aoigliean; brugli is also written borradh,
a burying-place. The aoigliean or heroes were origin-
ally stranger-heroes, but in course of time the idea
of ' stranger ' was dropped, and that of ' hero ' alone
retained. It is easy to see how this happens. At
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 1/9
this grave or sepulchre there was a great pillar-stone
twelve feet in length, and its site was evidently at
no great distance from the present church of Brodick :
cf. E. R. 19.
M ADALOUNA, but pronounced more like 'mightalouna,'
the wild-dog lair laghin, lawin, the lair.
MARGAVLAIR, the field of the battle, the Battle-Field
margd bhlair on the south side of Glenramskal,
Margreoch.
MARGNAHEGLISH, the field of the church, kirk-land.
MARGREOCH or Margreeagh, the ruin of the mansion
or Institution of the bedesmen or churchmen
mothar adJibha fJdrghuidhe at High Baincaraighan.
MARGREULDACAN. Pont. This interesting name has
received my best attention for years, and the results
of careful study have been brought to bear upon it.
I now consider that this name signifies the ruin of
the sepulchre of the lords mothar nladk daghdhan;
the place is marked "Cairns" on the Ord. Sur. sheet,
right bank of Sledro-water, about a mile above the
laracJi or ruin of Cravy Caibeal alias Leanry [lan-
nirey]. The name is locally unknown, but I have
identified it as one of the names of the ancient
mausoleum at the place just described. The whole
structure is colossal, and should be visited to be un-
derstood. It has been greatly torn up and rifled by
the treasure-seekers, but six great stone-slabs of the
extended " kistvaen " remain in situ, besides several
tall monumental stones. One of its more recent
names is Leaghaveelaigh, or the champion's grave,
but really meaning the grave of the champions.
When I visited the place I was told that " some
l8o ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
people would call it Oscar's grave." These are the
parties who think they can find traces of the so-
called poet Ossian in Arran, but the whole concep-
tion is a mistake. Compare Headrick, p. 147.
MARGRIERS. Pont. Headrick's map has Margionish,
an evident misprint of Margiorish. Try marg a
gkreis, the champion's field ; motJiar itagh ghreis,
the ruin of the champion's grave ; or marg fhir
ghuidhe, the churchman's field. The place is at or
near Lhun, in the Kildonan quarter, or at Acha-
neow al. Auchenhew. The whole region there-
abouts is very beautiful and picturesque, and retains
many indications of its ancient ecclesiastical char-
acter. The term greis is evidently the Gaelic form
of rist, a mighty hero, a Ross, a Russel. The word
mire, a lord, might be considered in connection with
Margreers as it is given in the New Statistical Ac-
count. So also may marg cJirair tliaise, the field of
the shrine of relics. This last version of Margiorish,
or Margriers, appears to be the right one at last.
MARKLAND ; mark, a wood, a boundary, a field.
MAYISH Welsh maes,-a. plain, an open field.
MEERYFEIS, the lake waterfall, or moor- water cascade.
MELSTANE POINT, the shingle-stone beach, N. mel.
Compare Malaford, on the Nith, the gravelly-ford.
MONICHOILLYIE (Pont), the hill-moor of the cell of
prayer alii Monaquhele.
NARACHAN, the sanctuary, the holy house naomh-
dhion ; cf. Narachan at Ministers' Hill, Killean.
NEAGLES-TEITE, the Established Church an eaglais
daighnichte.
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. l8l
PANRISOK or Pennerevach, the bedesmen's hall, the
town of the clergymen baile na blifearghuidJie ; al.
Penreoche and Pemrioc.
PEIN, the village baein ; at Sheaddaug.
PiPERS-CAVE, the bedesmen's cave peapar, papar ; at
Dippen ; cf. McArthur, 86.
PLADA or Flada, the flat \s\zflad-a.
PLAYSTAR from baile prefixed to Laystar or Leystar,
that is, warriors' peel-tower, castle, or strong house,
Norse lydha stadhr. This is the " Lamlash Castle "
mentioned by McArthur, p. 157, and of which the
foundation stones are still traceable " near the
Whitehouse." It appears to point to a Norse or
Danish conquest of the vale of Lamlash i.e., lorn-
las, or Shore Fort. The word lios, a fort, a " dun,"
becomes Us, proncd. leish, and gradually getting to
be pronounced 'leash,' 'lash;' cf. Laswade, the
Yeats' fort or fenced town. Penlestar, another form
of our name, is explained by the use of an, the ar-
ticle, after baile. Glenalastar must be Glen o' Lay-
star, the glen of the warriors' tower. In modern
Gaelic speech, the Arranmen call the place Bain-
lessarigh, that is, the town or village of the Prince's
Fort baile na leas airigh ; see Joyce for " leas " as
used here. Pont writes Benlashragh, and it is evi-
dent that the place has two names, neither of which
is a corruption of the other : cf. Duncantait.
PLOVERFIELD, the hill or fell (field) of the champion's
stronghold bailfhomhair, clearly referring to Bruses-
castle, which see.
PORT-GALLAN, port of the pillar-stones ; adjacent are
1 82 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
two barrows or gravemounds with settlers or standing
stones.
PORT na Feannaiche, the port of the Danish cham-
pions port nani feinn Dag ; but the creek is also
called Hadak or Hatach port, the port of the
champions (athacJi). The place is at Corachrevy
shore.
PUNTER-BURN, the bedesman's burn bidder, a sup-
plicant ; it is at Corrie, and is also called Locherim-
burn.
RAHVUR, fort, fortress, stronghold torr an raith-
mliuir, the hill of the citadel ; at Sannox.
RAWNGARRE, the .champions' fort rath na gcuraidlie,
and clearly an old name of Scauroe.
RlSAKElN, the champions' cave.
ROSADALE or Ruisadale, the mighty warrriors' dale.
and probably of old used for Glenrosa, i.e., Glen-
rousa.
SAILCHAMEDGIL, or Geelkambedgill, that is, Keel-
rig-edge-hill ! Keol or keal, Norse kjccllr ; cf.
Kleevin, supra. Headrick misses the meaning
entirely, but space fails me, else I would give all
the explanations, authorities, and learning on the
subject. The " Gille Chamigil " of Black's Map, is
a fairly correct form, and shows how beinn prefixed,
changes Keel or Keal into Gille [gheel~\. Sail may-
be slee or sliabh, or otherwise explained ; cf. Gillian-
brigs, the keel-rig-crags, in Cumberland.
SAINT'S CAVE, The ; in Holy Isle : Head. 83.
SANNOX : this term or name will require more space
ARRAN LOCAL NAMES. 183
than can be afforded by the nature of this List ;
but note sonnacJi, a mound or rampart, and see
Clahveeghal.
SCAUROE or Scorroe, the buccaneers' fort or strong-
hold ; these fellows > are the coraidlie, or champions,
of Rawngarre, q.v.'; see Kingscorro for the terms
used, and note that this is a name about the mean-
ing of which there can be no doubt. Scorroe Point
is the same as the so-written " Kingscross Point."
SCORODALE, buccaneers' dale, champions' dale, the
dale of the mighty heroes. See previous article,
Baincaraighan, and Glencoredale.
SCREADAN, the rock slip, i.e., a slip of rocks, which
have come away from the face of a hill, Norse
skridliin.
SouiLER, peat-mosses, Norse sivilir, swailer, and
showing how w becomes g under Gaelic influence.
SHEADDAUG, the town of the Danish heroes baile
nan seoid Dag. This is a discovery ; and, seriously
speaking, it is so. See Daugbraan, and Portna-
feannaigh. Pont writes the name Shedack, and
Pennant, Sheddag. Few, if any, can understand the
amount of time and thought and research it has cost
me for years, in order to clear or ' redd ' up these
Arran subjects, as well as many others throughout
Scotland.
SHEASKAN ; see Lagantseasgainn ; the name is also
written Ceskan.
SKAUFTIGHYLL, head -hill glen skaf tne gil.
SKASBIDEL (Pont), wood-town dale.
SLEDAROE, the fort or camp of the champions or
slayers slid-verja riodhr, later form, slidweroe ;
1 84 ARRAN LOCAL NAMES.
Pont writes Sledroi. The fort is evidently the one
at Corachrevy the Gaelic equivalent of the Norse
Sledaroe.
SLEENAGARRAHAN, the moor of the pillar-stones
sliabli na gcarraigJiean ; at Torrmor.
SLOCHD a' mhada rhuaidh, the den of the red dog, i.e.,
fox ; at Corrygil.
SPRING-BANK, the fort-bank bruigJiean or bnr/iin,
with s prefixed.
SRONAHABAR, the nose or snout of the giant or " lang
lank fellow" sron an fhamhair.
STRAGHEALA, the vale of the house of prayer sratk
clieall ghuidhe ; al. Stragaele.
STRAWHILLEN, the vale of the church or house of
prayer; al. Straith-oughlian, the vale of the Firbolgs'
graves.
STRONAACH, the giant-hero's pillar-stone, stor an
athaich.
SuiDHE Choir Fhionn : see Suighairean.
SuiGHAIREAN, a preferable form of " Suidhe Choir
Fhionn," since Macbride quite mistook the meaning
of the latter, and, by consequence, of the former also.
Our name is a Dano-Gaelic compound signifying
champions' pillar-stones, warriors' standing-stones
snidh-cJiairtJiean ; cf. N.S.A., v., and see Sleenagar-
rahan.
SUIDHE FAEROCH The basis of this name seems to
be berg, a crag, a rock ; cf. berg-as, crag-ridge, moun-
tain ridge, with Suidhe Fheargas (Hamilton), another
form of the name, coming from sui pherc as perc
being an old form of berg, crag, fell. But the name
may be simply Gael, faireag, a gland, kernel, hump,
ARRAN LOCAL NAfttES. 185
hillock, and used in the sense of 'peak,' like beinnean;
and suy, in Suy Faeroch (Font's spelling of this
name), may yet appear to be only a Gaelic form of
suit, a pillar, a pointed crag or ' stack.'
SWIR-BURN, see Alltachlyve.
TAIGH NA BEIST, the grisly monster's dwelling, in
Alltoulyagree, and probably referring to a feminine
water-kelpie (baog/i) : kelpie from kell, a fountain,
and (say) Gaelic be, a woman.
TlRGUY, or Tonreghue (Pont) : the forms of this word
are numerous, and so much the better, for they
clearly show that their original form is taigh an
fhirghuidhe, the bedesman's house, the clergyman's
house ; alii Tandergay.
TIRWHILLAN, the land of the church.
TOBAR Chaluimchille, St Columba's Well ; there is
one at Tirguy and another near Lhun.
TOBAR chleachda mhuintir, the Well of the country-
folks' usages or customary practices a name which
tells us how the people resorted to this fountain for
healing benefits, real or imaginary. This ' well ' is
at Margreoch.
TOBAR-laraghtefal, the well of the ruined church
tobar laraich cheall; at Tirwhillan.
TORR an t-seann chaisteil, the knoll of the old 'brough'
or castle.
TORR na Baoileag. Ord. Sur. the hill of the Bolgs
or Firbolgs, and probably having its name from
its association with Cnoclecarlew and the Giants'
Graves. This hill is on the western side of Astadale,
TORR nan uain Ord. Sur. most likely to be the hill
of the graves uaig/iean.
M
1 86 ARkAN LOCAL NAMES.
TORRVEYLUIN, the knoll of the oratory torr chill-
ghuidhean ; at Glenramskal.
TORR nid nan eun, the hill of the birds' nests.
TORRYLEAN, or rather Torryleean, the knoll of the
heroes' sepulchre torr iiladh aoid/tean ; near Lag
Inn.
TOUREDDER, the Knight's Tower tur rideir ; at
Knichtslands ; perhaps Kildonan.
TYNQUHARRE, the bedesman's house ; perhaps at
Emochyr, where it is said there is a reilig or grave-
yard; see McArthur, 155.
UARUA, or Uaruigh, the bedesman's cave ; at Punter-
burn, or bedesman's burn, Corrie.
UASGHNOGH. Headrick. The river of the hero-
strangers uisge nan aoighe ; another name for the
Blackwater, unless the name be a corrupt form of
uaigh nan aoiglie, the sepulchre of the heroes.
VANNER-loch-hill Headrick, p. 181 the pasturage
loch-hill Nor. vangr, field, pasture.
WHITEHOUSE compare welt, the temple, the church,
the sanctuary ; see Playstar.
WHITING BAY, the fishery bay, the bay of fishing,
Norse veidhi, def. veidhin, fishing, fishery.
WlNDMILL-hill, the pasture hill, the pasturage hill
wong muil; Scots wong, wang, wangle, a field of
pasture.
YLE OF ARREN, The. Rev. Timothy Pont.
litbiSton
ARRAN STUDIES.
CHAPTER I.
THE BAROA'S SWORD-LAND.
Do Adam rut un Eva span
Wer was do ain edel man
Dem Got S cliche eren gan.
" When Adam delved and Eve span,
Who was then a gentleman
In whom from God such honour ran ?"*
SINCE the foregoing Alphabetical Arrangement has
somewhat unceremoniously withdrawn many of the
Arran local names from their " local habitations," we
may now dismiss them to their proper seats, and take
as early an opportunity as possible of visiting them at
the stations which they have so long adorned.
The Island of Arran appears to have its name from
the old champions, lords, and barons. To understand
this properly, let it be observed that "baron" originally
signified a warrior, a mighty hero, and, by conse-
quence, one who earned his sword-land or " barony "
by his prowess. In the Song of the Fight of Brunan-
* Taken from a MS. copy of the " Biblia Pauperum ;" a Biblical rarity
of the fiftee th century.
1 88 THE BARON'S SWORD-LAND.
burh we find Beorn blanden feax, the warrior with
grey hair (Freeman), and hence it is easy to see that
Fairfax, as a name, denotes fair hair; and so with
Halifax, Jialy or holy hair. Isaac Taylor tells us that
Halifax in Yorkshire derived its name from the " holy
tress" of the Virgin's hair which so many pilgrims
came to see. But it is not at all likely that the
Virgin here referred to is the " Blessed Virgin," for
" Virgin " was a not uncommon appellation of those
devoted lady missionaries who did so much for the
extension of the Christian faith throughout the land
in early times.
One of the old names of Arran is Hersey(Hak.Sag.iii.
227), that is, Barons' Isle, Hero-chiefs' Isle, Norse
Jiersa ey. The meaning is much the same though we
should think it hers ey, Army's Isle, Host's Island, for
the word her Scots har was constantly applied to
the hosts of Danish and Fomorian champions. An-
other form of the old name of Arran is " Herey," that is,
Host Island, War-men Island; and "definitely" it
becomes Hareyn, or Haren [harren], that is, tlie Army
Island. When the Gaelic word innis, island, is pre-
fixed to the last form we get Insh Arren, or Arran
Isle ; for in such circumstances, both in Gaelic and
Scots, the letter h disappears. This is the rule, though
there are exceptions. But when the Gaels said Inis
nan airean they said Island of the hero-chiefs, Island
of the doughty warriors, that is, the exact equivalent
of Hersey or Herey. Compare Figatach in the Cum-
brae " Alphabet," and observe that the ancient Danish
lords and barons (warriors) of Arran may have qften
told that world-old Northern Tale, how that Jarl
THE BARON'S SWORD-LAND. 189
[yarl] married Erna, the daughter of Hersir (baron),
and that the youngest of their sons was the " young "
Konr or King. Thorpe.
Speaking of these champion hosts reminds me of
the host of instances which might easily be here intro-
duced in illustration of the above exegesis. But as
we have probably had enough of such dry details, it
will be sufficient to notice Harlaw, host-hill, Harris or
Harragh, host-island (pg y isle), Harrington, the war-
riors' town, Cairnarran, the chieftains' cairn, or the
cairn of the hero-chiefs, Herropsyke (Ewesdale), the
army-hill brook, and beside the great camp or fort-
ress of Bruirashaugh, the burg of the Yeat lord.
CHAPTER II.
GREA T SIGHTS.
IT was my privilege to revisit Arran in the spring
of 1873. Nearly ten whole years had passed since a
young friend and myself stood together on the highest
peak of The Goatfells in the "greyking" of an autumn
morn.* A wreathing trail of mist shut us in at the
time, and balked all our hopes of beholding the
impressive spectacle, which more favourable weather
* Compare " Ere greyking of the misty morn :" Professor Veitch, The
Tweed, p. 139, 1. 6. Dr Veitch says that the Scots term "greyking" is
more specific than dawn, for " it indicates the appearance and fading of the
dim grey or half-lit misty sky at the approach of the rising sun."
19 GREAT SIGHTS.
would have unfolded to our gaze. But I had been
there before, and my friend drew what satisfaction he
could from the fact of his having gained the summit
of the mountain for the first time. We had just time
to descend and catch the morning boat on her passage
up the firth. As we steamed away from the Corrie
shore, we had an opportunity of scanning the gradually
fading features of the Sleeping Giant, and the tower-
ing pikes of granite which seemed to form a bristling
fence around his cold Olympic bed. During' years of
work the memories of former visits to Arran, often
enabled me in thought to traverse over again the
scenes which had delighted me there in earlier days.
By-and-by a strong desire to revisit the Island took
possession of me, and the feeling was at length grati-
fied in a series of visits. With no ordinary delight I
renewed my explorations, and in the course of two
years succeeded in adding largely to my knowledge of
the historic treasures of Arran. Its natural history
had previously much engaged my attention, but now
hammer and vasculum were laid aside, and rocks and
plants while not unheeded were looked at more as
man's natural defences or the j_dornments of his
dwelling-place. In short, my researches of late years
have been chiefly directed to subjects pertaining to
Man's history, and specially to the history of the races
who now occupy Scotland. By a strict adherence to
the laws and idioms of language I have sought to
reach scientifically whatever gains might be forth-
coming. And in Arran the results gained appear to
have such special interest and freshness as to justify
any attempt to make them known. As results that
GREAT SIGHTS. 19 1
lie all around the life of Man, they will serve to illus-
trate his history both there and elsewhere. Whatever
helps to extricate the Past from darkness and to
bring it into the light, must be welcome. For thereby
the field of view is widened and its varied features
better understood. As from an eminence the eye
commands a wider range of vision, and takes in a
fuller view of the landscape, so does our ascent into
the Past discover a beauty and an order which till
then were unperceived. In the lower grounds we see
only what is immediately around us, and as we pass
from point to point we notice many things which only
close inspection can put us in possession of, but if we
wish to form a just conception of the whole scheme
which the several parts of the landscape combine to
make up, we must mount some neighbouring height
and from its clearer atmosphere survey the blended
beauties of the scene. The result will be a decided
gain in point of intelligence and wisdom to the calm
observer, and no less will be the pleasure of it.
Similar to this is the method by which Man's life
or history may.be studied to advantage. The things
which lie about our paths and homes ; the events
which are taking place in our own immediate neigh-
bourhood, these naturally claim our first attention,
and in point of fact always do. From them, as from a
centre, we pass by degrees further and further along
the radiating lines of life, -and from time to time, if we
are wise, we shall turn aside to some eminent stand-
point from whence to survey the united aspect of the
details which had previously become familiar to us.
It will be strange if such an exercise should not yield
192 GREAT SIGHTS.
both pleasure and profit. For the very effort to
mount will quicken the intelligence and give strength
to every faculty. It will stimulate the spirit to an
intenser life, and brace the mind to a clearer and more
refined action. And when the Mount of vision is
gained there will be no lack of objects to interest the
beholder or furnish subjects of thought. He will see
the whole land through which he has traversed lying
before him, and its several parts, standing out like
characters distinct from each other, will not now
appear isolated as before, but will link themselves
together and form combinations which, like so many
intelligible words, will bear to him bright messages of
truth and joy. New to him will truths thus gained
be, and to the freshness and interest of novelty will be
added the charm of a most eminent utility. They
will supply the capital on which he has to work, and
armed with his newly-found resources he enters the
arena of life with a more confident step and a more
energetic purpose.
To see well the Island of Arran as a whole, and
especially its noble cluster of granite mountains, we
must not keep too far off nor yet approach too near.
Two of the best stations for obtaining the finest views,
are Kilblain in the south of Bute, and Kennara-brugh
in the south-west of the Greater Cumbrae. From a
nook near the foot of the latter Arthur Perigal, R.S.A.,
transferred with masterly hand and true delineation to
his canvas the sublime features of the giant hills of
Arran. From the same spot may be seen the foaming
streak of White Water, as it plunges over the shoulder
of the southern Goatfell, and gleams in the morning
GREAT SIGHTS. 1 93
sunshine like a cataract of sparkling diamonds. Over it
tower aloft " in calm and graceful majesty" the sky-
piercing pikes of the two great Goatfells (spike-fells),
flanked by deep, dark -bosomed corries, which only a
bright morning sun can penetrate. But if one wishes to
see the most striking and least commonly-witnessed
effects of the morning light upon the Arran Fells, he
must get up before sun-rise on a fine summer's morn, and
be ready to witness the first radiance of the lord of Day,
as he flings his fire upon the peaks. Long before the
lower hills have caught the light, the tips of the granite
mountains will be seen glowing in the sunshine like
the gilded horns of he-goats, and be almost heard
antheming their hymn of praise. A few minutes more,
and the giant band of towering pyramids, will stand
revealed in all their grandeur and august proportions.
You might fancy their resemblance to an assemblage
of mighty heroes gathered round their chief and
holding council with him on high affairs of state.
With a marked individuality of character they stand,
every one " the hero of a hundred fights," but no one
of them exactly like any of his fellows. All of them,
however, bear upon their breasts the scars which tell
of long ages of battling with the tempests, and as we
lift our eyes to their " brent " and furrowed foreheads
and behold the crown of eminent dignity which every
one of the august companions wears, there steals the
while over us a feeling of unbounded admiration, and
so long as we remain in their presence, nothing can
break the spell which they exercise over us.
At other times, when a storm has just blown over,
the dying wind may be seen toying with the tangled
194 GREAT SIGHTS.
lint-white locks of mist which hangabout the Fell-heads,
and anon be caught twirling the gauze-like fabric into
every changing feature of unimaginable grotesqueness ;
and when the sere and yellow leaf comes with clear
skies in October nothing is more bewitchingly beauti-
ful than the full-orbed Star of E'en as she looks out at
her casement in the western sky right over the Arran
Fells, shedding her radiance over the still empurpled
peaks of the sunset hour, and directing her glance far
down into the gloomy depths of gorges and glens.
Pure, indeed, have been the emotions which scenes
like these have kindled, great and noble the thoughts
they have awakened. I pause not here to review the
lessons which such a dower of beauty and such superb
monuments of Almighty power and wisdom are
designed to teach us, nor to enlarge upon the Divine
Creator's purpose in thus unfolding to Man the great
volume of His handiwork. But, surely, here as else-
where he who runs may read ; and if we fail to read
the lesson, the fault must be ours, not His.
CHAPTER III.
ARRAN VISITED: ORIGINAL VIEWS OBTAINED.
IN order to make a visit to the Island of Arran, we may
go on board the Campbelton Steamer at Greenock, and
pass over to Lochranza.* As our good ship cleaves a
* The Island may also be reached by Steamer from Glasgow, and, by the
same kind of conveyance, from Wemyss Bay and Ardrossan.
ARRAN VISITED. 195
path for herself through the tiny billows of the Clyde
Firth, we may call to mind the fact that Agricola,
after he had got pretty well settled down in southern
Caledonia, crossed the Clota or Clyde estuary and
gave battle to the nations who dwelt on its shores.
Captain White, in his book on Kintyre, doubts whether
it was the Clyde that was then crossed, but the best
commentators on the " Life of Agricola " are against
him, and in favour of the view just stated. It is very
certain that, long before the time of Agricola, the
barks of many nations had swept over the blue waters
of the Clyde Firth. Britons in their coracles, Scots in
their curachs, Romans in their galleys, Saxons in their
keels, Norsemen in their dragon-ships, all have been
here. So also have Fomorians and Firbolgs, Meatae
and Attacots, Cruhne or Picts ; and probably also men
of Tyrian or Phenician race. But we cannot linger
over questions like these, for the mountains of Arran
are already in sight, and every stroke of the paddle-
wheels lifts them higher and higher above the horizon.
By the time we have reached mid-channel between
Bute and the Cumbraes the Alpine panorama becomes
intensely interesting. There are the Goatfells to the
south, presided over by the patriarch of the group,
and himself looking every inch a king of Fells.
Further to the right is the beautiful cone of Keenahein
or the Hinny's Pap, and right away over its shoulder
is the beak-like pinnacle of Bennoosh. The next peak
to the right is Sronahabar or The Giant's Nose part
of the great A'Chir [ahkeer] or Crested Ridge and
sometimes called Brougham's Nose. From our station
on the poop this polyglot nose will be seen towering
196 ARRAN VISITED:
high above the Col or ridge, which comes between the
head waters of Glens Rosa and Sannox. Next in
order, turning the eye towards the right, is the tower-
ing Jiorn of Keervohr, and showing, even from our
present point of view, somewhat of the trident-like
appearance which the view from the four granite
boulders on the Lamlash road betrays. Right be-
neath Keervohr lies avast under-world of shadow, filling
almost throughout the great hulk-like trough of Glen
Sannox, and reaching far up into the dark recesses of
Cornawhee. The next to hand, on the right, are the
four sharp and lofty pikes of Caym-na-calyie or The
Witch's Stride, and which are feigned in common
story to be the facial features of the Giant asleep.
Following up this fancy the popular eye has traced
the outline of the giant's breast in the next great ele-
vation to the right, and while some place a buckler
with bosses on the breast of the giant, for his protec-
tion in sleep and long siesta, others feign that his
massive hands are clasped in prayer, and that these,
resting on his well expanded chest, form the huge
knuckle-like projections which culminate in the peak
of Greenan Ahval.
The nearest or outermost pike of the Witch's
Stride* is sometimes called the The Hound's Tooth,
r.nd a veritable tooth or tusk it is, so far at least as
the shape or form is concerned. " White as a hound's
tooth " is a common saying, and, if the tale be true,
our Hound's Tooth of grey granite will often show as
white as any. The eigg or peak of Suy Faeroch, as
* Not " leap" or " step," as Headrick's book, " View of Arran," sh'ows.
ORIGINAL VIEWS OBTAINED. 197
Pont wrote the name, is the only one remaining to be
noticed here. It will be seen in front of the Hound's
Tooth or the pikes of Caymnacalyie, and with these
it is connected by the lofty ridge, which forms the
northern wall of Glen Sannox. Some of the elderly
Corrie men call this peak Suhergho, and it is now cer-
tain that the name has been formed on a Norse
foundation (berg-hoy or crag-peak). Suhergas, the
third form of the name, is similarly explained, because
as denotes a top, head, ridge, edge ; and the changes
of some of the letters, are all explained by Celtic
idiom and aspiration. It would be easy for me to
give the whole details, but as we have probably had
enough of dry philological analysis, I shall content
myself with saying that the name of this peak signifies
high berg or high crag the suffix of hoy or of as being
mere reduplication.
Since we are now nearing the coast of Arran, it
may be as well to notice here the points of chief
interest between Sannox and Lochranza. These may
all be pretty well seen from the deck of the steamer,
and it will save many a rough scramble if we make
the best of them from our present station. Away
over the waters, to the south, may be seen in the dis-
tance a prettily wooded eminence, which thrusts its
head slightly forward into the sea. That is Ceann-na-
lice [kinnaleeky], or the head of the rock of slabstone,
the point of the slabstone. Here is the Blue Rock
which has often been noticed ; and a short distance
north of it is Caga, or the creek at the oyce or water-
mouth of north Sannox. Next comes a very beauti-
ful carpet of green-sward at Ruantrah, or the point of
198 ARRAN VISITED.
the meadow or lawn, rudha an t-sratJi, al. Rugshrath,
a form which illustrates well the peculiar Gaelic
idiom of the Arranmen. Hereabouts is a famous
echo, which is fabled to have replied in Gaelic when
addressed in English. Scarcely a mile from the sea
is Rahvur, the citadel, the fortress a great dilapidated
brough or burh of the early ages, and set upon a hill.
The Fallen Rocks come next, being only the wreck
of a lofty crag called Kanil in Font's time ceann aill
or cliff-head. Further on, towards the right and north-
west, is Lagantuin, or the hero-chief's vale, and on its
western side is Crogan, or the peak. A long shingly
strand or beach comes next, and which bears the name
of Melstane, or shingle-stone beach, from the Norse
word met or mcel, pebbles, as in the Scots term mel-
grave, a gravel-pit. Here also is Melstane Point, and
it is certain that the name has nothing to do with
mill-stones. Next comes Lagan, or the little vale, and
beyond it is the deserted home-stead of Kwee or the
cattle-fold, norse kui, gael. cuithe. On the shore below
Kwee there is a little green plat overlooked by ruins
gaunt and grey those of the salt-pans beside a
little staith or landing-place, which must have been
called Kwee-port. About five hundred yards to the
west of this port is the homestead of the Cock of
Arran, and so named from the well-known landmark
on the shore three-fourths of a mile to the north-west,
Macalpine, the tacksman of this sheep farm, gave me
the name of Lagan iomaire eorna, the little vale of the
barley rig, as the appellation of a portion of his ground.
From the homestead just mentioned to the Picture
Cave, the distance is about nine hundred yards, and
ORIGINAL VIEWS OBTAINED. 199
may be traversed in eight or ten minutes. Now have
we come to a place of genuine interest. It would
make a splendid subject for an Arabian Nights' Tale.
But even if the ability for this were forthcoming, it
would not be possible to make room for it here.
CHAPTER IV.
THE PICTURE CAVE, ETC.
THE Picture Cave has been sadly neglected by the
describers of Arran, and I cannot refer to a single
work in which it is mentioned. Consequently, when
I managed to warp myself through the strait and
narrow aperture, which alone gives entrance to the
inner crypt of this remarkable grotto, I felt as if some-
thing of the nature of a discovery had been made.
Not a streak of light from the sun ever enters the
cave, and the darkness within is as thick as the silence
is profound. Sweet enough, however, is the atmos-
phere of the cavern, and by the help of a rush-light I
explored it fully. Cones of stalactite, like icicles of
spar, depend from the vault overhead, but not so
numerously as in some caves. Its walls of red sand-
stone close solidly round it on every side, leaving
only a narrow orifice at the bottom of a shaft
by which admission can be gained ; and even this
cannot be effected without difficulty and a solemn
feeling of imminent peril. For the entrance is formed
200 THE PICTURE CAVE, ETC.
by masses of rock, which have slipped down from
above, and got jammed in the crevice below ; but one
can scarcely satisfy himself that a single piece of rock
shall not be disturbed by a touch, as the adventurer
scrambles through the aperture, and, coming down
upon him like a portcullis, fix him as in a trap for
ever. Nevertheless I went in, but only after carefully
testing the solidity of the jaws and mouth-piece of the
cavern. Scrambling up the narrow shaft, light in
hand, my first feeling as I glanced into the dark
recesses of the cavern made even more pitchy black
by the flicker of rush-light which filled the middle
space was one of indescribable awe. " Here at last,"
said I, " is a cell for a hermit ; " and I searched the
walls of the crypt for crosses or sculpture of any kind,
but found none. " How then," it may be asked, " do
you call it the Picture Cave"? Simply because the
grand outer gallery or corridor of the cave is carved
all over with men-of-war in full sail, others with sails
furled and yards squared, while here and there,
among the great three-deckers of the days of Cook
and Nelson, cutters and brigs are cruising about in all
the glory of canvas and bunting. Pretty mosses and
tiny seedlings of the Hart's Tongue Fern, besides
lichens and golden chrysosplene, adorn the massive
walls of this romantic gallery ; while all along over
the eaves, as it were, of this charming Arcade, hang a
great profusion of Holly fern (Lastrea recurva), purple-
cymed grasses, St John's Wort, and other flowers.*
Could the eident carvers of these quaintly chiselled
* All these were seen by me when I visited the Cave during my Christmas
holidays of 1873. The beauty of the winter foliage of the evergreen Holly-
THE PICTURE CAVE, ETC. 2OI
men-of-war return to the cave, they would see what a
graceful drapery the hand of Nature has hung around
their pictures ; but since the dates incised upon the
stone beside the ships, and the initials of their carvers,
range from 1779 to 1791, there is not much chance of
any of them being ever able to do so. Little doubt
can be entertained that these figures and other carv-
ings were executed by the miners who long ago
quarried the cliff which is about two hundred and fifty
yards to the north-west of the cave, and that while
dwelling on this lonely shore they thus endeavoured
to while away many of their leisure hours.*
Ere I quitted the cave, and, as I may say, the heart
of the mountain, I estimated the dimensions of the
cavern at forty feet by forty, while the height of the
vault appeared to be about twenty feet. I observed
a dark passage running away into the hill from the
inmost side of the cave, but it was much too strait to
admit of further exploration. Making my exit in
safety from this grim abode of perpetual night, I
could not help thinking, as I rested on a shelf of the
corridor, of the old Saga story of Kali and his com-
panions in the cave of Dolls-hellir, or the Goblin's
Cave. " It was said that money was hidden there.
The merchants went into the cave, and found it very
difficult to penetrate into it. They came to a sheet of
water stretching across the cave, and no one dared to
Fern was such as one could never become weary of admiring, and to-day
the fragrance of some fronds of it which I gathered at the time, is as purely
sweet and refreshing as it ever was.
* The length of the corridor or gallery which runs up to the cave's mouth,
is about fourteen 5'ards, and the width is about eight or nine feet.
N
202 THE PICTURE CAVE, ETC.
cross it except Kali and one of Solmund's domestics
called Havard. They swam across the lake having a
rope between them. Kali also carried firewood and
fire-making gear between his shoulders. They came
to the opposite shore, which was rugged and stony ;
the smell also was there very bad, so that they could
hardly make a light. Kali said they should not go
any farther, and piled up stones as a monument.
Then Kali sang a song :
Here I raise a mighty stone-pile,
In remembrance of our daring,
In this Doll's cave, dark and gloomy,
Where we sought the goblin's treasure.
Yet I know not how the captain
Of the ocean's gliding snow-skates
May recross the dismal water :
Long and dreary is the journey."
Ork. Sag., p. 77.
A descendant of the former tenants of Kwee calls
the Picture Cave by the simple Gaelic appellation of
An-Uamh [an-oov], or The Cave.* In front of it
there is a small creek or port on the shore, beside a
dyke of large stones, and a " keppagh " or small tilled
plot. From this creek to the famous stone called the
Cock of Arran, the distance is about five or six
hundred yards. Ramsay says : " The Cock of Arran
is a large stone on the beach, forming a well-known
landmark to seamen. Formerly when seen in some
positions from the sea, it presented the appearance of
" Other Gaelic words for cave, are dearc, gurna, lusca; Scoto-Danish
helier, Norse hellir, Sc. koy and kei or key. Hence kein, the cave, as in
Keins-caves, corruptly Kings-caves, and signifying Caves-caves by redupli-
cation.
THE PICTURE CAVE, ETC. 2O3
a cock in the act of crowing. Some idle or malicious
persons have since broken off the head, which now
lies on the ground beside the decapitated body."
Instead of " head," it appears to me that Mr Ramsay
should have said " beak." Lately I carefully examined
the stone and found that its upper portion still pre-
sents the appearance of a great beak or spike, but it
is possible enough that just a little bit may have been
broken off the very tip. The point of the beak or
spike is about eighteen feet above the ground, and the
whole mass of the pointed block, as viewed from the
west, greatly resembles a blacksmith's anvil, tilted up
in such a way as to give its upper surface the slope of
an ordinary roof. It occurs to me that its name is
not a version of coileack, a cock, but rather a form of
dock, a peak, anything prominent like a gland or the
nave of a wheel.
Next comes the Screadan or rock-slip, a vast debacle
of huge fragments of rock lying at the foot of a tall
cliff. Headrick informs us that a great portion of this
cliff gave way about the year 1720, and came down
with a thundering crash.
Dirnabol, or Earranamboule, is at the foot of a deep
little glen or ghill, and gives name to a couple of
cottages at the burn-foot. The steamer is now
rounding the North Cape of Arran, and in three
minutes, or less time, will be in the " chops " of Loch-
ranza, or Loch of the Sea-Champions.
CHAPTER V.
LOCHRANZA.
A stout and well-manned yawl conveys passengers
from the steamer to the stayth or landing-place on
the shore of Lochranza. Here Pennant landed in the
summer of the year 1772, and was hospitably enter-
tained by Mr Lindsay, the minister, from whom he
appears to have learned several of the local names in
this quarter of the island. The first view of Loch-
ranza and its girdle of mountains is most impressive.
It is a place by itself, and scarcely anything like it
can be found elsewhere. My first glimpse of it was
caught early on a bright September morning as I
turned the point of Ballynaw. Before me lay the
calm waters of the loch, dotted over with herring
" busses " f newly arrived from the fishing-ground ;
their brown barked sails loosely clewed up, and their
crews busily occupied in shaking the silver-coated
booty from the nets. Conspicuous over the masts of
the fishing-smacks which lay at anchor around it,
stood the old, grey, battlemented tower ; its image
mysteriously reflected in the clear mirror of the lake,
and surrounded with the companion images of the
vessels which floated on the waters. Round the
margin of the sea-inlet little groups of white painted
* Buss is a west-coast term for a boat or little " smack," and is evidently
a corruption of the ga. bait, boats.
LOCHRANZA. 2O5
cottages looked quite gay in the morning light, and
high over all rose the crescent Alpine ridge of Greenan
Ahval, its great under-lying corrie sunk deep in shade,
but its scallop-shell bars all plainly visible. The
picture was one that never could be forgotten, and in
my memory it lay like a thing to dream of.
Mr Ramsay's* description of the place is so very
beautiful that I may be pardoned for introducing it :
" There is perhaps no scene in Arran," says Professor
Ramsay, " which so much impresses the beholder with
the feeling of solitary beauty as the first glimpse of
Loch Ranza. The traveller may perhaps be some-
what fatigued with this protracted journey, as on a
still summer evening he rounds the Newton Point
(Ballynaw). But tired and hungry though he be, and
with the very smoke of the little inn curling before
his eyes, let him pause for a moment at the entrance
of the loch, and seating himself on a granitic boulder,
quietly contemplate the placid scene before him.
Trees there are few to boast of, and what is pleasanter,
there are still fewer strangers, for to the traveller in
such a scene, all strangers seem out of place but him-
self. The sinking sun shines bright on the gleaming
peaks of Caistael Abhael [ah-val] and Ceum Na
Cailleach, where the shadows of the ragged scars and
deep hollows of the winter torrents, mingling with the
lights brightly reflected from the projecting rocks, forrri
a hazy radiance, which more obscures than illuminates
the shady recesses of the rugged Corries. The tide is at
* Professor Ramsay, Director-General of The Geological Survey, ' ' Geo-
logy of Arran," p. 36.
206 LOCHRANZA.
its full, and the lazy sails of many a lagging fishing-
boat, the image of the ruined tower and of the green
hills around, lie calmly reflected in the unruffled
waters :
' The lake return'd in chasten'd gleam
The purple cloud, the golden beam ;
Reflected in the crystal pool,
Headland and bank lay fair and cool,
The weather-tinted rock and tower,
Each drooping tree, each fairy flower ;
So true, so soft, the mirror gave,
As if there lay beneath the wave,
Secure from trouble, toil, and care,
A world than earthly world more fair.'
" But it is in a cold February evening that the
pleasant solitude of the place will be most esteemed.
There, seated at a blazing peat-fire, as the geologist ex-
tends his notes, or arranges his specimens, after his day's
work, he will hear the piercing wind whistling down
Glen Chalmadael, and the narrow pass of Glen Eisna-
bearradh, then dying away as it reaches the wider
expanse of the loch, to be again renewed by a louder
and a shriller blast. And as he loiters to the door to
speculate on the probabilities of the morrow's weather,
he may chance to see the burning heath, like the
beacons of old, blazing on the hills around, and faintly
gleaming on the far distant headlands of Argyleshire."
Full fifteen years passed ere I revisited Lochranza,
and this second visit was made in winter time. Lovely
sunshine greeted my first step to shore, and though
deep snow garmented the mountains, it could scarce
lay a flake that would rest in the vale of Lochranza.
The fine weather continued through all the days of
LOCHRANZA. 2O/
my stay except the last, for on the evening of that
day, after exploring the Picture Cave and the coast as
far as the Fallen Rocks, I caught the full fury of a
tempest of wind and rain from the south-west directly
I turned the elbow of Ruantrah (the point of The
Green), on my way to the hospitable house of North
Sannox. Here I rested nearly an hour, and, as by
that time the tempest had well-nigh blown over, I set
out for Lochranza by the inland road. It was a
grand sight to see the great squadrons of cloud, now
relieved of their watery burden as of so much impedi-
menta> hurrying away over the summits of the lofty
mountains, and showing now and then the edge of
the silver lining which they had borrowed from the
moon. Presently the fair Empress of the Night made
an appearance herself, though only for a second or
two ; but by-and-bye, as the wind parted the cloud-
rack, she took many a glimpse of the wild tumult
which filled the glens of An Teyna, and brightened
up with her rays the foaming rage of their torrents.
With snow on the Fells and a bright sun overhead,
it was not possible for me to see by day much of the
" gloomy grandeur," which Lord Teignmouth observed
in the Winter aspect of Lochranza. When a casual
snow-shower fell at noonday, the high temperature of
the vale and sea-loch speedily sublimated much of it
in the form of vapour, and soon this vapour could be
seen curling up the hill-sides in beautiful wreaths of
gossamer-mist, till it became lost in the sheen and
glancing brightness of the snow which lay on the
forehead of Tornidaneun. But when the short-houred
day was taking his leave, a grey twilight stole into
2O8 LOCHRANZA.
the vale causing it to appear like a vast amphitheatre,
of which the surface of the plain and lake was the
floor, the terraced sides of the lower hills the benches,
tier above tier, and the craggy cliffs along the oval of
the sky-line the upper rim of the solid and stately
wall which compassed it about ; while overhead a
vaulted roof of purest azure, and gemmed with twink-
ling stars of gold, seemed of itself to settle down upon
the coping, at once completing the building and add-
ing immensely to its magnificence.
We may now go out once more and visit the Places
of Lochranza. From these we shall pass over to
Brodick by way of Sannox, visiting as we proceed a
goodly number of the old Arran Stations of her Local
Names. From Brodick we shall make our way to
Whiting Bay doing the same thing, and thence to
Lag, and so on round the west coast of the island till
we reach Lochranza again.
CHAPTER VI.
LOCHRANZA PLACES,
THE TAB AIL, N EAGLES, KEILEEBERTSH, NARAHAN,
THE HOSPICE, THE RAINNIES.
The Stayth or landing-place at Lochranza may
be taken as the starting point of our Tour. It has
already become familiar to us. Near the Stayth is a
rivulet which does not appear to have a name. It
THE TABAIL. 2OQ
might be called Stayth-burn. Crossing it, the first
houses on the right bear the name of Earranbeag, or
Urinbeg. If the latter be the proper form of the name,
it is very likely to be founded upon the eyrin, or the
shingly beach, adjacent. On the left stands The
Castle upon a tongue or spit of land, and it is said
that " a hoard " or treasure lies buried below the table
in the hall. Stories of hidden treasure are rife
throughout the West, and indeed, throughout the whole
land. They remind us of the Doll's cave and its re-
ported treasure, as mentioned above. " But," it has
been asked, " where is the table ? " It is evidently
contained in Tabail, that is, baron's castle, lord's
castle, an t-adhbti fhail. So that old tradition of the
table in the Castle-hall of Lochranza appears to have
preserved for us an old Gaelic name of this same
tower or castle. It is all the more likely from the fact
that Stirling Castle is also a Table or Tabail, and it is
" round," apparently because it was the castle of the
lord of the Cruithne or Picts, the name of the nation
being confounded with cruinn, round. As for the
Arthurs of Dumbarton and Stirling Castles, they are
to be referred to ardthriath, a chief lord, a chief ruler.
Pass the Free Church and come to Clacharen, or
the little stony field, on the right. On the hill above
are the ruins of an old brugh or fort, the name of
which may be anglicised Craignagairy, according to
local pronunciation, and meaning the champions' crag.
Next comes the Hotel, then Neagles, or the Church ;
then a path leading up through Marknaheagles (the
kirk-land) to Crocanloch, or knoll of the loch, on the
right. In the neighbourhood of the last are, Craig-
210 KEILEEBERTSH.
avyeta or wild dog's crag, Bawnagearc or the hens'
hut, Slochtyduh* or the dark chasm, rift or gorge,
and down which a torrent comes trampling on with
rapid step ; Blairnagabar, the field of the sticks, be-
yond the brow of the hill which forms a crescent-
shaped coom here ; and the mill-houses at Lochavoulin
or the Mill-pond. Passing on to the bridge which
carries the road over Glansnabeira Water, notice the
armot or meeting of the Water just mentioned with
that of Callodale; for about one hundred and forty
yards above this Water-meet will be found the site of
the ancient church of Keileebertsh. Close by the
confluence of the waters, but on the farther side of
Callodale or Calmadale Water, there is a pretty steep
bank clad with broom, and at the upper end of this
bank a thorn hedge runs about due north from the
riverside towards the foot of Creag Ghlas, but keeping
a little to the east of Malcolm Ker's house. Now, in
the corner or angle formed by the lower part of this
hedge and Callodale Water (but on the east side of the
hedge), stood Keileebertsh or the Mass Kirk. The
site may be well seen, if the traveller will pass on from
the bridge up the ascending road towards Balleara
[ballarry], as far as a point or part of the road at
which he will have the gap or gorge of Easnabeira
opened up full to the view. At this point of the road
he will find himself close to a gravel pit (Melgrave) in
a knoll, and now looking over to the hedge near Ker's
house, and tracing this hedge with his eye downwards
to the Callodale Water, he will unfailingly deter-
* If any one wishes to anglicise a word like this, he has only to follow the
analogy of daughter, slaughter, etc. , and say Slottydoo.
NARAHAN. 211
mine the site of Keileebertsh. The site is specially
identified with a slight green swell in the field, between
the river's brink and a small bank or terrace about
forty yards to the north of the river. At the foot of
this terrace, and about a stone's cast from the eastern
side of the thorn hedge, is the Well or fountain, and
on the site of the church there is a small boulder or
earth-fast stone. The last of its foundation stones are
known to have been removed by a certain party; and
the churchyard, or God's Acre, extended as far as the
hedge, for when Mrs Ker's father dug a trench for the
first planting of this hedge, he found a kistvaen with
bones in rt, but whether this was a solid stone coffin
of the pure ecclesiastical type or not, I could not find
means of determining. The older name of Keilee-
bertsh seems to have been Naraghan, anglicised
Narahan, that is, the Sanctuary, the sacred house ;
and Naraghan is still the name of the hamlet adjacent
to the site of the ancient church. Another old name
of the place perhaps the oldest of all must have
been that which is found in Callodale, or the dale of
the house of prayer. See passim above, and Achan-'
hileebertsh in the alphabetical list. The name of
Callodale has, since Font's time, nearly three centuries
ago, been corrupted into Calmadale, or else the latter
is formed from Coum-by, i.e., kirk-town. Since Bally -
naw was either here or in the near vicinity in Font's
time, it can scarcely mean New Town : it rather
signifies holy men's town, and, according to many
facts and analogies, must have come to be applied to
the whole of the eastern side of Lochranza" vale, from
the Mass Kirk to Dirnabol.
212 EASNABEIRA.
According to my informant there was " great war "
and much carnage was wrought at Keileebertsh, a
statement which may be regarded as a piece of true
history, for the whole locality is eloquent with
memorials of the Vikings [veek-ings]. Now all is
peace in the dale, and even the green site of this
ancient church occupies a, spot well-removed from the
little busy world of the summer Loch-side. There is
an air of retirement about the locality, for much of the
outer world is shut out from view, and well would the
place suit the meditative habits of the old clergy. The
deep-voiced roar of Easnabeira sometimes breaks in
upon the stillness, and blends its bass with the sweet
warblings of the song-birds in the grove. As for the
mountains which shut it in, There is the mighty
ridge of Ahval or Greenan Ahval as you look through
the deep gap of Easnabeira or ' the cascade of the
grisly goblin.' To the left, in front, is the lofty crag
of Torr-nid-nan-eun, or the hill of birds' nests, for
eagles and shakes or hawks used to build in the clefts
of the rock, and here at its foot is the homestead of
Ballearra, or the house on the chine (of the hill).
Away to the right again, or south-west, is the rounded
summit of Maelvohr, as they call it here, though one
would have expected Maelmohr. But the gender of
some Gaelic nouns is not very well fixed, and I could
give a dozen of them about which doctors disagree.
Some people say there was a nunnery here, but I
cannot believe it. Neither books nor men, so far as
known to me, can be found in possession of any evi-
dence by which to support the averment. There may
have been a school for girls here in ancient times, and
THE HOSPICE. 213
there is the certainty, drawn from many analogies, so
far as that goes, that there was here an ecclesiastical
Inn or Hospice, over which the chief clergyman pre-
sided, and into which he received catechumens, tra-
velling clerics, and such studious youths as were
desirous of being trained for service in the Church.
It is no good evidence of Keileebertsh's having been a
Cloister Yard, to say that the people sometimes call
it An Eaclus Papanaich, for the studies we have made
prove that this is a recently-invented and applied
name. But if the holy Maids, the " Brides of Jesus,"
were really here, they must have been happy as birds
in such a lovely vale. How flowers, and songs, and
burn-side walks, alternating with the serious business
of their lives, would variously engage their attention.
How readily they can be imagined vespers said and
holy hymn sung looking out from their Cloister
Girth into the clear night, to admire again the mighty
procession of Pleiades and Orion and the kindred host
of heavenly brilliants, and after a long delighted gaze,
withdrawing their eyes only to find them immediately
met by the awful depth of darkness which fills the
gorge of the Cataract, and clings like a coffin's pall to
the skirts of Tornidanain. Would not such impressive
contrasts solemnize their minds, and carry their
thoughts upwards to the God who made the heavens,
and reared those giant hills which guarded their
home ?
Before bidding adieu to Loch Ranza for the present,
let it be noticed that language like Truth is its own
interpreter. Since I wrote so much of the "Principles"
as are given in this work, I have come to find in Arran
214 THE RAINNIES.
itself full evidence that the Rainnies, who give name
to Lochranza or Lochrenasay, were in the later age
regarded not so much as robbers or pirates, as brave
men, warriors, champions. The history of the change
in the meaning of the term, and the philosophy of it,
might easily be given, but bits of the evidence will occur
as we proceed, and parallels to the fact are sufficiently
common to make explanation of it unnecessary in this
place. Accordingly, when I find Renisdal (pro-
nounced rainisdal) given as an old name of the vale
of Lochranza, I translate it Warriors' Dale, and so
with Raenaseit another old name of the same vale
that is, warriors' dwelling-place, champions' seat or
place of settlement.
Quite near to the hamlet of Narahan is the brook
of Allteidrich, or the brook of the Preceptor. It
comes from the north and falls into Callodale Water.
For notes on this brook and its neighbour Allt-challin,
see the alphabetical list of Arran names, supra. Pass
up Glen Callodale ; peat mosses ; fine view in fine
weather of Ahval and the pikes at the Witch's
Stride, on the right; the pretty picturesque vale of
north Sannox comes in sight ; the steep slope of An-
teyna, right ; fine view of the Hound's Tooth through
the gap between Anteyna and the ridge of Suy
Faeroch ; fifty minutes walk from Narahan to the
bridge thrown over north Sannox Water ; here is a
fine double fall or cascade ; in five or seven minutes
more come opposite the lairaichean or ruins of north
Sannox hamlet, and also of the ruined fort of Rahvur
on the hill, both left ; traverse another mile and reach
the farm-house of Sannox.
CHAPTER VII.
SANNOX SCENES AND SITES.
HERE the traveller should pause, and looking towards
the lofty pinnacled Bens, contemplate at leisure a
spectacle which is held by the best and most ex-
perienced judges to be one of the three grandest and
finest in all Scotland. The last time I was here, this
magnificent sight was enjoyed to perfection ; for the
day was one of the brightest and most beautiful,
though in the month of November. Standing on the
road by the farmhouse, I looked up to the mountain
peaks, which here group themselves together in the
most sublimely picturesque manner. There, in the
centre, rose the towering majestic spire of Keervohr, or
Kid Vol,as Macculloch calls it ;* to its.left Keenahein or
the Hinny's Pap ; and to its right the Hound's Tooth
and the other bristling pikes of Drimeich (the Nag's
back) at Caymnacalyie, or the Witch's Stride. Farther
to the right, and at a greater distance from my station,
loomed the mighty pile of Ahval, or Greenan Ahval
his brows lightly wrapped in a fleece of snow- white mist ;
and still farther to the right, but almost at hand, the
jaggy peak of Suy Faeroch completed the picture/!*
* I venture to assert this, for the evidence before me is amply sufficient to
determine the point. The " Kid Voe " of the ordinary editions of Maccul-
loch's Western Islands, ii. 314, must be a misprint. Kead Vol, following
Pont so far, would be a preferable spelling.
t This striking piece of scenery is well described by the Rev. David
Landsborough in his excellent little book, Arran, and How to See It, p. 30.
2l6 SANNOX SCENES AND SITES.
Deep and darkly below slept the shadow in the great
chasm of Glensannock, but bright day lighted up the
romantic strath beside the farmhouse, and danced
joyously on the gleaming wavelets of the bay. Not a
sound stirred the air but that of waterfalls and rushing
river, the crowing of the cock in the barnyard, and the
happy "chucking" of his mates. A few sail-rigged
yawls lay at anchor off the oyce or mouth of the river,
and away over the firth many a vessel spread her
white wings, like birds upon the. deep. The whole
combined to form a scene rarely beheld, and presented
a picture which should not easily fade from the
memory.
Turning the eye towards the Sannox shore, the
traveller will observe the pretty copse-clad eminence
of Kinnaleeky ; and it may be remembered that at
this point we began our survey of the north-east coast
of the island. Viewed from the north about Ruantrah,
this eminence exhibits itself in the form of a little head-
land of great beauty, and has reminded me very much
of its likeness to Eggarnes, or the Ness of the ridge, in
Wigton Bay. Passing now onwards from our tem-
porary station on the road near Sannox House, and
proceeding towards the river which flows through the
glen, we may notice, in the field on the right, a pretty
tall seile or pillar stone, but still not so tall as the one
which stands in the Manse garden to the left. These
stones may be justly held to mark the graves of
ancient heroes (sonn, a hero, a warrior), for the names
of hundreds of such monuments distinctly state that
the monuments themselves were set up for that pur-
pose. Over in Bute there, and at a spot almost visible
SANNOX SCENES AND SITES. 2 1/
from our present position, there stands in a wood a
portion of an ancient monument in the form of three
great rude pillar-stones, and its name tells us that it
is The ruin of the Sepulchre of the Celtic lord.
Presently we reach the rustic stock-bridge and cross
Sannox Water, then pass along the river-holm or
meadow to the green lane which conducts to the old
cemetery of Clah Veeghal. Here a church is said to
have stood, and the statement need not be doubted.
But not a relic of the little oratory exists, unless one
may be found in the remarkable piece of sculpture
which has been fixed in the wall beside the churchyard
gate. As we pass up the green lane, or Kirk-lane,
notice on the left a little streamlet close by the road-
side, and which, for the sake of easy reference, may
be called Kirk-burn. Close by the margin of this
streamlet, and about the distance of a stone's cast from
the shore road, there is a green knoll or mound of
large size, clad with a few hazel bushes and a fine old
hawthorn of five stems, which unite at the surface of
the ground. A high degree of interest attaches to
this mound, and it is well known that the residents in
the locality have such a veneration for it that on no
account will they suffer it to be touched or removed.
It is clearly an artificial mound, for several breaches
made in its side by the rabbit-burrows disclose the
fact that stones are mixed with the earth of the
mound, at the depth of about a foot beneath the sur-
face. As to size, it is seventy yards or thereby in
circumference at the base, and about thirty yards
from rim to rim as one walks over its summit from
the floor of earth on which it rests. In vain have I
o
21 8 SANNOX SCENES AND SITES.
demanded the name of the mound ; yet a name it
must have had. Can it be really the true Clah-
Veeghal of this locality, although this name is
sometimes applied by the men of Arran to the
churchyard a little higher up the lane ? Or can it be
the cairn which Pennant calls Mac-farlane's Carn,
and which he places, though very indefinitely, some-
where in the Sannox quarter ? Or, again, can this
mound or tumulus have anything to do with the
name of Sennock or Sannock, in Sanaig Keilveichal,
another form of the name of the old churchyard
here ? These are questions which might be answered,
but the answers would give small satisfaction unless
the whole of the facts which I collected on the spot
were detailed and discussed at length. To do so
would far outrun the limits of this little work, and
therefore I shall only make here a few observations
regarding this interesting mound, reserving for some
future occasion, if possible, the full determination of
its name.
Now if Clah-Veeghal be, indeed, the name of this
mound, it is an appellation which readily yields the
meaning of The grave-mound of the foreign lords.
If it be Macfarlanes-Cairn, then I should say that this
appellation denotes the cairn of the field of the
sea-rovers or Fomorian champions. And if the
name of Glensannock have anything to do with
the mound, then from this name we draw the
meaning of The Glen, or the burying-place [cladli],
of the valiant heroes. The situation of the mound
on the low-lying holm below the adjacent terrace in
the field suggests the idea that the tumulus must
AORINN. 219
have been placed there at a comparatively recent date,
and may not be older than the period of the great de-
scent of the Northmen upon our coasts. For one can
scarcely scan minutely the features of the locality,
without observing that time was when the river must
have swept over the low ground on which the mound
rests. My own opinion of its character, after several
careful studies of it, is that it is a true barrow or grave-
mound, but whether it contains the ashes of Scandina-
vian champions or those of some ancient Arran
worthies, it is, in the absence of a reliable name for it,
impossible to determine.*
In the field on the right-hand side of the green or
kirk lane, and at a distance of one hundred yards from
the mound or barrow just described, may be found the
remains of a vast Cairn called Aorinn [aerin], or The
Cairn. This name is pure Norse the vowel of the
first syllable being slightly changed by the Gaelic in-
fluence. The cairn itself stood near the edge of a
brow or terrace which slopes down to the river-holm.
We may now step up to the gate of the church
cemetery of Sanaig Kilveichal, or Clah Veeghal. It
will be observed on the left, enclosed by a modern
wall, and embowered in dark green shrubbery. Here
sleep the forefathers of the hamlet it, too, all re-
moved, save the aged ash-trees and a more calm,
secluded spot than this sacred reilig or churchyard
* The adjacent terrace, it may be mentioned, contained till lately the
remains of a strong ancient wall, but it could not have been a sea-wall,
and was rather, in all probability, built by the early ecclesiastics and
Christians of the place, in order to fence their tilled land and keep it
from being overblown with dry shore-sand.
220 SANAIG KILVEICHAL,
could not easily be found. No one dares to call the
place Kilmichael, but some of the books on Arran say
that within the sacred precinct there once stood a
church dedicated to St Michael. Upon what author-
ity this is stated I cannot divine, and none is given.
If the men of Arran are appealed to on the question,
they deny that there is any " Kilmichael " in Arran,
except the one in Glencloy. Such a denial was first
made to me by one of the parish clergymen, who has
been long in the island, and he ought to know very
well about the matter. His statement rather inter-
ested me, and it has been found since that the Corrie
people say the same thing. After directing much
attention to the question, I have come to the conclu-
sion that if there be, or have been, one church in Arran
dedicated to Saint Michael, there must have been, at
the least, three ; for Pont places a Kilmichel at Balna-
coule, and Martin calls Machrie Water Kirk-michel
river. But, while " Michel " may be regarded as a
tolerable representation of the old name of all these
churches or oratories, it is not possible to see that it
means or represents the name of a "saint." It is
rather, in my opinion, to be regarded as a form of
magJt chill ghnidlie i.e. y the field of the house of
prayer, the church-land. This has been stated above
under Killemichel and Glencloy ; which see. If
"Michel" could have a Norse or Dano-Scottish origin,
muk-kil, monk-cell, might be suggested. So also
might vigil y holy-house knoll, and with this may be
compared Senbigil in Mikkil-dale of Ewesdale, where
there was a dearmch, ' duris,' or oratory. But, per-
haps, better than any of these is beag chill, or tiny
OR CLAH VEEGHAL. 221
church, with kil afterwards prefixed. Wigol, or battle-
hill, can scarcely be applicable here, though mak-hil^
or champions-knoll, might be descriptive enough of
the Clagh-veeghal mound.
With regard to the church which stood in the ceme-
tery of South Sannox, another suggestion may be
made. Senoc was a laborious and famed evangelist
of the sixth century. He appears to have planted
several churches in Argyll, one at Luss, and another
at Callander. " Finally he suffered martyrdom for the
truth at Bandry, where a cairn and large stone, on
which is carved the effigy of an ecclesiastic, were
erected to his memory." Kal. Sc. Now, there is a
Bandry or Baudrie near Luss, and this is a name
which (in the despite of possible misprints or clerical
errors) may be safely interpreted as the Chief's resi-
dence baile an treith, and probably referring to Ross-
dhu. Had it not been for the presence of this name
at Luss, one might have thought of Bandry as the fair
strand at Sannox, and the effigy in the wall of the
cemetery there as the sculptured bust of Senoc. But,
nevertheless, it may be observed that the name of
Clah-veeghal-Sennock has its straightest English in
The cemetery of the tiny church of Senoc. After
this more need not be added. It is clear that, in re-
gard to the now obsolete church of South Sannox, we
must wait for more information, although where it is
to come from is not clear at all. At the same time,
the suggestions which have been made may serve, in
some measure, to aid the researches of others.*
* Saint Senoc is also called Kessog, and some of the knowing ones
about Callander say that he is the patron saint of Scotland, that he was
CHAPTER VIII.
BEACH-FOUNTAIN; THE SCOTS ; WAR-CRY OF THE
MEN OF HA WICK EXPLAINED.
WE may now retrace our steps to the shore road,
from the foot of Kirk-lane, pass on southwards for a
few yards till we come to what may be called Beach-
fountain. This is a fine spring of sweet water on the
left or eastern side of the lode or way lode- being an
old term for a road or path. How thankful the tra-
veller often is for a draught of genuine cold water !
And here he will find it genuine to the core. The
spring is just such an one as that which Ban Macin-
tyre has sung in the following lines :
" The wild wine of Nature,
Honey-like in its taste,
The genial, fair, thin element
Filtering through the sands,
Which is sweeter than cinnamon,
And is well known to us hunters.
O, that eternal, healing draught,
Which comes from under the earth,
Which contains abundance of God
And costs no money ! "
a priest and warrior, and that he was slain in the year 451, although he
was only born about the year 488.
On the left hand side of the gate of South Sannox cemetery there is a
block of red sandstone, about two feet in length and nearly two spans in
width, built into the wall. This stone was found about the churchyard.
Upon the upper part of the face of the stone, and rather to one side of it
(as if the rest of the stone had been imbedded in the substance of a wall),
there has been chiselled a boldly and well carved image of the head and
face of a man. The countenance is a very striking and noble one the
features and general style decidedly leaning to the Celtic type and the
cheeks are deeply sunken or hollow, as if intended by the ancient sculp-
tor to represent the emaciated appearance of a recluse, or of a cleric
strongly addicted to asceticism. This sculptured stone appears to have
formed a corbel in the old church.
BEACH-FOUNTAIN. 223
So did George Borrow render the Gaelic verse of
the Celtic bard. Wild Wales, ii. 112. While we sit
by the fountain and take rest for a few minutes, we
may survey at leisure the clear, green-tinted water
of the river as it mingles with the brine only a few
paces from our feet. Scarcely have we let go the last
thoughts that struck us, as we turned away from the
quiet churchyard. That one generation comes and
ere long gives place to another is one of the common-
places of observation ; but it is not every one who
learns at once from it the lesson of forsaking the false
and pursuing the true ; of dying to the wrong and
living to the right. There are many kinds of death
in the world, but the noblest of them all is the death
of ignorance, evil, unbelief, wrong-doing. If a man
can die to these and go forward into the life of a wis-
dom that is from above ; into the life of a devotion to
duty and the God who prescribes it ; into the life that
recognises the image and reverences the sacredness of
truth ; into the life of a self-sacrifice which is guided
by the light of faith, hope, and charity, he shall, in
that case, have no lack of happiness, or of ability to
fill with honour the sphere of work in which he moves ;
he shall have every opportunity of doing what good
he can in the world, and shall have no occasion to
throw dust in the eyes of his fellows, in order to make
them believe either in his integrity or the purity of his
motives.
But here comes the news-boy from the early steamer,
and though we care not while in the presence of so
much beauty and picturesqueness for the latest tele-
grams or the general news of the world, still we may
224 THE SCOTS.
do a little trade with the loon, and help him to make
an honest penny. Accordingly we put ourselves in
possession of several of the morning papers, and speed-
ily one of our party, as he glanced over the columns
of The Scotsman, lighted upon an able review of the
latest volume of Dr Freeman's History of the Norman
Conquest of England. Here, thought he, here must
be something to remind one of the old settlers in
Arran, as well as in other parts of Scotland. And so
indeed it proved. In one of the passages cited by the
critic from Dr Freeman's work, the learned historian
makes reference to "the true Scots," and does so in
such a way as to suggest the idea that he considers
the true Scots to be a different race from the Teutonic
races of the south and east of Scotland. Now such a
conclusion would be only true in part, for to my mind
the Scots were originally a Teutonic race, of which
a large section came into Scotland with tongue un-
changed, whereas another section came into it with
a strong dash of acquired Celtic blood in their veins,
and a hybrid dialect of mingled Gaelic and Danish on
their tongues. The term scot signifies a man, a hero, a
warrior ; and it is just as easy to perceive that Danish
Scots could make alliances with the Gael, and so learn
the Gaelic tongue eighteen centuries ago, as it is to
know that thousands of Northmen made such alliances
in the ninth and tenth centuries, and left behind them
a posterity which to this day, on the coasts of Argyll
and The Isles, speaks a mixed Danish and Celtic
tongue. But does the acquisition of a measure or
smattering of Gaelic make a Dane a Gael ? Does the
acquisition of a measure of English make a Scotsman
THE SCOTS. 225
-an Englishman ? If it does not, then in so far as the
old Scots acquired only a measure of Gaelic or Irish
Gaelic, they did not thereby become Gaels. In some
cases the descendants of Scottish and Celtic alliances
may have acquired the Gaelic tongue in such measure
and in such purity as to entitle them to the appellation
of Gaels, but they nevertheless continued to be cousins
of those Scots in Scotland, who had learned but little
of Gaelic, or even none at all. And when the Scottish
kingdom was set up by the Scots, Scoto-Gaels, and
Scoto-Peahts, the Scotsmen in Scotland were so strong
in numbers, and continued to be so, as at once to dwarf
into comparative insignificance, and absorb immedi-
ately into their ranks the handfuls of Englishmen who
came into their country in the days of Eadgar and
David. Dr Freeman speaks of what he calls " English
Lothian," but the territory he refers to may with more
propriety be denominated Danish or Norse Lothian.
At the same time it is Scottish Lothian, because the
names of Dane, of Northman, and of Englishman are,
in Scotland, all swallowed up, or thrown into the back-
ground, by the name of Scot. More than this cannot
be introduced here, but the question will be presented
at greater length, and with full illustration, elsewhere.
In accordance with the view which regards the Scots
as originally a Teutonic race, we may also speak of
them as flemings, but, of course, only so in the sense
of mere strangers, as the custom of the people is, and
without reference to any special country from which
they may have come. Now, into the island of Arran
many such flemings came, and the descendants of
some of these strangers are the Macmillans of the
226 HAWICK MOTE.
Island the word fieming being actually contained in-
the name of Macmillan. That the Macmillans and
other fieming settlers in Arran were Scots or heroes
Norse skatar, skotar, heroes may well be believed,
and though their posterity came to use a mixed dia-
lect of Danish and Gaelic, they were not in that re-
spect far removed from the Scots of Ayrshire in the
days of George Buchanan. Only a few generations
back, a certain kind of Gaelic was spoken in the glens
of Ayrshire ; and in the larger villages a great deal of
Gaelic, besides a considerable sprinkling of Kymric
terms, was infused into the Lowland Scotch. Can we
then, with these facts before us, call the men of Kyle
and Carrick Scots, and deny the name to the men of
Arran ?
Ere we leave our station by the fountain let us take
another glance at the charming vale of South Sannox.
Possibly enough it may have sometimes been called
Crisdale, for in Scotland as well as in Cumberland we
have places which bear the name of Crisdal or bedes-
men's vale. One of these is in the Lammermuir above
Cranshaws, and gives the name of Crystal Well to a
certain fountain near Friardykes. Even in Arran to
this day, as we saw above when treating of Grisedale,
the word cuir is in use to signify a bedesman. There
is the Sannox mound which has interested us so much.
Does it not remind one of the Hawick Mote and of
the story of the worthy who, when asked by a visitor
whether the Mote was a natural or artificial mound,
replied, " O, sir, it's neither naitural nor artificial : it's
just the Hawick Mote " ? Probably that same worthy
THE HAWICK SLOGAN. 22/
could have given as characteristic a version of the
famous words
Teary bus teary oaden,
but as he does not appear to have done so, we must
see if we cannot give account of them. These words
were long the war-whoop or gathering war-cry (slogan)
of the men of Hawick, and, according to TJie Scotsman
and other authorities, have never been explained. Dr
Jamieson, the learned author of the Scottish Diction-
ary, tried his hand on them, but his non-acquaintance
with Gaelic introduced an element of incompetence
which, for such a task, he would have been the first to
acknowledge. The words of the Hawick slogan have
therefore remained unexplained, but they need not so
remain any longer. They are simply the first line of
an old Gaelic war-song, and may be freely rendered
The Captain's on his legs with all his mighty men.
More literally the line or verse may be translated
The captain (or lord) has arisen, and arisen have the
heroes. The lines which followed would probably go
on to say Now may we all make ready for the fray,
or words to that effect. Written out in modern Gaelic,
Teary bus teary oaden is DJieirich abas dJteirich aoidJi-
ean, arisen has the chief, and arisen have his heroes.
Compare "Do lub e na neamha, he bowed the hea-
vens " (Smith) ; also the Gaelic version of Luke xxiv.,
34, and
Bho' n a dh eirich a ghrian,
'S gu'n do chuir i fo a sgiath na neoil :
Because the sun has arisen,
And because she has put the clouds below her wing.*
* J. F. Campbell's Letter to The Scotsman of Nov. 13, 1875.
228 CALWEYDALE.
It is most interesting as well as instructive to find such
a fragment of pure old Gaelic in the heart of Teviot-
dale. It may with confidence be left to the future of
Scottish philology to determine whether the above is
a true version of the Hawick slogan or not.
Must we now turn our backs upon the vale of "Sen-
nock" or Sannox without our having reached any kind
of satisfactory intelligence in regard to its name, or
that of the old church of Kilveeghal ? " Not if I can
help it," says the writer ; but since we have all done
already a pretty fair day's work, we may as well spend
the afternoon according to our individual fancies
agreeing, however, before we part for the day, to meet
here again to-morrow morning. If by that time Kil-
veighal or Calveeghal does not yield up its secret, I
give it up for a good while, at least.
CHAPTER IX.
CALWEYDALE CANDIDA CAS A ; SANNOCK; THE
GOOD PASTOR.
CAME the morning robed in light, and hung her banner
out above the gateways of the day. Her earliest beam
smote the trident-peak of Keadd Vol. Presently
there came another and at once, like a fairy clothed
with light, went a-searching through the crevice on
CALWEYDALE. 229
the forehead of the Fell. Then another and another
in quick succession came, and without a moment's de-
lay, began peering into the clefts and crannies which
scar the shoulder of the mountain. Soon a great
troop of these Light-elves was busy at work, explor-
ing every nook and corrie, lesser spike and pinnacle ;
while every one of them was happier than another at
having found a pretty thing to brighten up, and make
once more visible to mortals. If any of the latter
class of beings had been early astir, they would have
seen not only the arrival of the bright little fellows,
and the many little gems of light-and-pencil sketches
which they first dashed off on face of sky and fell ;
but they would also have witnessed the splendid
scenic effect which, in the next instance, their fine
artistic touches harmoniously created.
With the morning came other messengers of light.
Bright spirits of the Intelligence they came, every one
after his ministry in the collegiate faculty of Mind,
and filling all Thought-Land with scenes of busy life.
First to come was the gentle herald, who gently opens
the door of consciousness, and lets in upon the soul
the light of a new day. Nearly at the same instant
came the grateful spirit with a suggestion of devotion
in his wings, and when his ministry was fulfilled there
immediately appeared a little Mercury, saying "Calwee,
Calwee/' in a way that attracted my attention. The
word was not unfamiliar to me, and I had noticed it
months before as having possibly some relationship to
Kilveeghal. So said I to my little interviewer, "Calwee
I know, and Kilvee I know, but what sort of a word
comes in for the ending of Keilveeghal ?" Quick as
230 CALVEEGHAL.
thought came the answer "dal !" It seemed to fall on
my ear like the clear note of a bell in the calm morning
air, and to have had its birth-place in a clear sparkle
of the purest light, which gleamed against the deep
blue sky. At once all my difficulties with Kilveeghal
vanished, and " Kirk-Dale," as its true meaning, rose to
my lips. More literally interpreted, Kilveeghal [keel-
veehal] signifies House-of-prayer Dale.
Here, as elsewhere, truth is its own evidence. From
every quarter of the land comes a cloud of witnesses,
testifying to the soundness of the conclusion. Coludi
claims the Calwee or Keilvey of Sannox as a sister
house of prayer. So do Glasgow, Collace, Kelso, and
hundreds of the same stock, whose names being in-
terpreted signify house of prayer. Surely the early
Christians must have had much and intimate acquaint-
ance with the words and truths of Holy Writ, else how
did it happen that their favourite designation for a
place of Christian worship was drawn from the very
words of the Great Teacher Himself, " It is written,
My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye
have made it a den of thieves ?"
It seems scarcely necessary, after the numerous
illustrations given above, to delineate the process by
which Calweydal becomes Calveeghal ; but, for the
sake of those who are less familiar with the Gaelic
idiom, it may be stated that the d in dal, a dale, has
been aspirated, and then pronounced like gh. The
Callodale of Naraghan has escaped the altering force
of aspiration, probably because of the strong Danish
influence there ; yet it has the very same meaning as
Calweydale or Keilveeghal. The Kelsoes of Arran
CANDIDA CASA. 231
dwelt for generations in Callodale, and must have had
their surname from the old house-of-prayer there.
Kildavee in the south of Kintyre is^the very same as
Calwey (house of prayer), and has nothing to do with
" Dewi " this latter being Captain White's suggestion.
The other two Keilveeghals or Keilmichaels in Arran
are the exact equivalents of Calweydale in respect of
mere nomenclature. The three fisJi-Jieads which form
the device of the Kilmichael family, have been derived
from a misunderstanding of the old Celtic name of the
bedesmen or churchmen of Glencloy. This fact is one
of the strong witnesses to the truth of what has just
been stated. But what is even more extraordinary, it
can be shown that the famous Kate Kennedy of St
Andrews simply signifies House-of-prayer. Conse-
quently Kate Kennedy's Day has nothing to do with
the celebration of the festival of a personage of that
name. Still more startling is the fact that Candida
Casa need have no sort of connection with the Latin
tongue, because simply a debased form of the Gaelic
equivalent of Weitern or Whithorn, that is, The church
of the headland, Cape-kirk, or the Cape of the house
of prayer. Lukopibia evidently means Abbot's Kirk
the initial cill having been dropped and though
found in Ptolemy may justly be suspected of having
been inserted by a much later hand. To illustrate
and verify such statements by the facts and principles
of philology, will require a great deal more space than
can be found within the limits of this little book, but
it is hoped that an opportunity of doing this in a
future and more technical treatise, will occur.
The dedication of churches to saints does not appear
232 SANNOCK.
to have been much practised by the churchmen of the
Culdee age. Some very pertinent facts on this point
are given in Miller's "Arbroath and its Abbey," where
it is stated that among twenty-five churches belonging
to the Abbey of Arbroath in the time of King William,
only one was designated by the name of a saint, viz.,
Maryton or Old Montrose. This is important to notice
in connection with the name of Sennock (Pont) or
Sannock in Arran, and the conclusion I have to come
to is, that this Sennoc is the old Scotch suinn-haug
[seinnauk], that is, heroes' grave-mound. The former
term is found in Scenes Law, as well as in many other
local names, and it is certain that sann, suinn, or seinn,
is a loan word from the Gaelic sonn, gen. suinn.
According to the custom of the people in the west of
Scotland, sonn is pronounced sann ; but the borrowers
of words from other languages are as much in the
habit of using the oblique cases of nouns as any other
hence suinn pronounced seinn, a hero. Sannock-
mound or Sennauk-knowe, speedily becomes Sannock 's
Mound, and in the same way arise Sannock's glen,
Sannock's Ossary, or graveyard, etc.
As Croshileagie in Cantyre signifies the cross of the
oratory or house of prayer, and Aberlady or Aber-
lessic means the ' armot ' or confluence of the church
or oratory, may we not, after these and other analogies,
call the mouth or 'oyce' of the south Sannox river
Aberleagie ? This last form is the equivalent of Aber-
lady, and signifies the aber of the church or house-of-
prayer.*
* Captain Oliver says : " The Burghs with their double mural shells
and spiral staircases are known to have been fortresses in the Shetland
THE NIX. 233
Balsillie occurs as a local name, and it signifies the
town of the church or house of prayer baile chill
ghuidhe. It is highly probable that the ancient village
of South Sannox would, in the far-off days, be often
so designated. Balysaly is in the Isle of Man, and
signifies church-town. It is not far from Rushin-
castle, i.e., the castle of the mighty heroes.
Since we are still lingering by the side of Beach-
fountain, and are about to pass away from it and
Calweydale for good, let it be observed that springs of
this kind are sometimes called after nik or nix, a
demon well-known to the old Scots, and not yet quite
forgotten. Near Langholm there are two springs or
fountains, both of which bear the name of Dinxies or
Danksie's Well, that is, the water-sprite's well or
spring. Here we have the old Scots article da, de,
prefixed to nik, and when Dink's-well had become
quite an established appellation, a diminutive form
was given to it just as it stood : hence Danksie's Well
or the little demon's fountain.* Such names originated
in the heathen age, and it is remarkable how they sur-
vive in spite of all the teaching and enlightenment
bestowed upon the people. Demons' wells, so far as
known to me, do not occur in Arran, but not a few
other places in the island have their names from the
goblin brood.
Islands, and in the same category may be placed the Boens and Cillgah,
or Gol-cagh, of Ireland." Now boen is a contraction of boen-hoiise
(prayer-house) as kirk is a contraction of kirk -house (Lord's house), and
Cillgay or Golcagh signifies House-of-prayer. Sometimes such ancient
churches were built on strong places, or fenced about with munitions.
* The Nix, plural nixen, is a spirit or demon of the water, according
P
234 THE GOOD PASTOR.
Having got so far upon firm ground with regard to
the ancient church of Calweydale, it is clear that we
must not say that this church was dedicated to St
Michael. But of those noble features which have been
traced on the sculptured stone by the churchyard gate
no history has hitherto been forthcoming. Were they
carved by some loving hand in memory of one who
ministered the word of life to his little flock within the
walls of the old house of prayer ? Were they meant
to represent the effigy or likeness of a Culdee or ser-
vant of God ? And if so, did his people call him
prester or presbyter, priest or papa, bishop or coarb ?
These are questions which cannot be answered, but
it is highly probable that the sculptured head com-
memorates one of the ancient worthies of the now
obliterated church. We can think of him as a pastor
such as an Apostle has described, studying to show
himself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth ;
letting no false or corrupt communication pass his lips,
but that which is good to the use of edifying that it
may minister grace unto the hearers. Or we can
think of him as the peer of the worthy ' persoun' (par-
son) whose portrait is sketched by Chaucer :
A good man was ther of religioun,
And was a pore Persoun of a toun,
But riche he was of holy thought and werk :
He also was a lerned man, a clerk
to heathen 'freet' (knowledge, science.) These sprites were said to be
very wise, and to raise or sink the waters of springs and ponds. They
were also said to be fond of music and the dance, and, if honoured, to
hcixl rain in case of need or drought (Thorpe.)
THE GOOD PASTOR. 235
That Cristes gospel truly wolde preche,
His parischens devoutly wolde he teche ;
Benigne he was, and wondur diligent,
And in adversite ful pacient.
He was a schepperde and no mercenarie,
And though he holy were and vertuous,
He was to senful man nought despitous,
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne,
But in his teching discret and benigne ;
To drawe folk to heven by fairnesse,
By good ensample, was his busynesse.
But it were eny persone obstinat,
What so he were of high or low estat,
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.
A bettre preist I trowe there nowher is ;
He wayted after no pomp ne reverence,
Ne maked him a spiced conscience,
But Cristes lore and his apostles twelve
He taught, and ferst he folwed it himselve.
We may sketch him, in the words of Goldsmith, as
More bent to raise the wretched than to rise.
Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,
And even his failings leaned to virtue's side.
But in his duty prompt at every call
He watched and wept, he prayed and felt for all ;
And as a bird each fond endearment tries
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies,
He tryed each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allured to brighter worlds and led the way.
O si sic' omnes !
Fortunately for the Church of our fathers, pastors
of this stamp were not uncommon, and fortunately for
the Church of to-day men who "follow after righteous-
ness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness," are
found in no inconsiderable numbers throughout the
236 CHURCHMEN.
land. With the love of God in their hearts, and the
spirit of devotion to their work, they labour with
untiring vigilance for the deliverance of themselves
and their fellow-men from ignorance and error, sin and
guilt. Having put their hand to the plough they look
not back, but go on with the sowing and the hoeing in
the spiritual husbandry, making the wilderness of
many a desolated heart to rejoice and blossom as the
rose. Such men are their country's hope, their church's
pride. But, unhappily, at times a traitor arises,
Like some false friend who holds our fall in trust,
Oils our decline and hands us to the dust !
Like an angel of light he appears in the councils of
noon-day, but under cloud of night he sneaks abroad
and sows tares among the wheat. No real 'true-man '
or 'man of faith'* is he, and since he loves darkness
rather than light, and permits the " deceivableness of
unrighteousness " to work in his heart, it soon follows
that these habits acting in concert, the one from within,
the other from without, like sympathetic chemical
agents, so impart such a colour of naughtiness to the
outward complexion of the life as to render further
concealment of the true character impossible. In this
way, as in many others, God makes the wrath of man
to praise him; makes his servants strong to drive from
his temple those who would make it a den of thieves ;
* True-man, signifying 'man of faith,' and hence 'a Christian,' appears
to have been given as a name by the old Scots of Lothian to the chief
cleric or air of Abercorn (Trumuin) in the seventh century. Mr Green,
p. 33, makes statements about this cleric or 'man of God' which cannot
be accepted as historical, and in the same passage gives quite a wrong
version of "the Whithern" in Galloway.
CHURCHMEN. 237
insists that he will have truth upon the tongue as well
as truth in the inward parts truth in doctrine as well
as in the dealings of daily life and, as the living
spring or moving force of all, requires us to accept the
spirit of Jesus as the spirit of prophecy, so that the
crooked, carnal policy of the world may yield to the
action of the pure and powerful principles taught by
Jesus Christ.
Ill fares the land that should find within its bounds
any number of churchmen, however inconsiderable the
number, whose general character does not rise to the
level of that of many country gentlemen. For faith,
good faith, honour, honesty, sincerity, truthfulness,
generosity, charity, good works and the spirit of
prayer, there are gentlemen of the laity and gentle-
men of high degree who are peers of the highest; and
since it is one thing to know the truth and another to
give it effect in our daily conversation as the religion
of common life, we may all learn to profit by the
poet's sketch of one who seemed to him scarce other
than his own ideal knight, and whose name shall long
be held in loving remembrance by our nation :
"He seems to me
Scarce other than my own ideal knight,
' Who reverenced his conscience as his king ;
Whose glory was, redressing human wrong ;
Who spake no slander, no, nor listen'd to it ;
Who loved one only and who clave to her '
Her over all whose realms to their last isle,
Commingled with the gloom of imminent war,
The shadow of His loss drew like eclipse,
Darkening the world. We have lost him : he is gone:
We know him now: all narrow jealousies
238 FARCHAN.
Are silent ; and we see him as he moved,
How modest, kindly, all-accomplish'd, wise,
With what sublime repression of himself,
And in what limits, and how tenderly;
Not swaying to this faction or to that ;
Not making his high place the lawless perch
Of wing'd ambitions, nor a vantage-ground
For pleasure ; but thro' all his tract of years
Wearing the white flower of a blameless life,
Before a thousand peering littlenesses,
In that fierce light which beats upon a throne,
And blackens every blot."
CHAPTER X.
SHORT SKETCHES OF OTHER NOTABLE PLACES,
WITH MANY NEW FINDINGS.
FROM Calweydale to Carrie. A truce to lengthy de-
scription ! Notice the pikes or gaddar at Drimeich,
and pass southwards a few yards to the cottages of
Farchan Mor. One would have expected Mora here,
and then the meaning would be great heights or
hillocks, referring to the adjacent crags. Great
boulder, the Rocking stone, in front ; beside it Ba\v-
kin's cave or goblin's cave, a hellir or rock-cave, re-
minding one of the Veitellir or ' the temple-cave' in
Kintyre beside Fiddlers-rock, />., the crag of the
CORRIE. 239
temple or chapel cave ' fiddler ' being a form of veit-
ellir i.e. t veit-hellir, one of the numerous Keirnes, or
' the Caves ' there, but having nothing to do with saint
Ciaran. Observe how this brings to nought all Captain
White's laborious speculations about Kieran, as well as
those of Dr Smith.
Crescent of copse-clad braes, right ; Katt-burn, that
is, Katt-stane burn, and about thirty yards south of
this tiny rivulet is the huge Katt-stane, on the right, a
peaked, piked, or pear-shaped stone, and named from
the Norse gadd, a spike, like the lofty fells above it.
Peak of Keenahein, right ; Achab, abbot's field or
land, right, referring to the abbot or minister of Cal-
weydale ; reach Red-ness or Dearg-cheann, with a
cave in the red cliff at the southern end of the crescent
braes ; advance about twenty yards and cross Achab
streamlet ; one hundred and fifty yards more brings
the traveller to Sughar-lock Rock, or rock of the
bedesman's brook (the next to the south), with a cave,
at the three boulders, and needlessly called the
Englishman's stone, since Suighar-lock Rock is much
older ; great granite boulder with tree near it, left ;
schoolhouse, right ; reach here Alltachlyve, that i?,
the brook of the oratory, chapel, or house of prayer,
otherwise called Swir-burn or bedesman's brook, and
the same as Suighar-lock, that is, bedesman's ' lake '
or brook Norse Icekr, a brook ; hence Lugar, Lucker,
etc. Reach Corrie-port, Corrie Hotel, Cromla or
Krimbly, that is, freebooters' lodge, warriors' station,
right ; Arranvor, that is, big share, big croft or paffil,
right ; cross Luikrimburn or Locherimburn, that is,
' the brook,' with burn added the n of Icekrin becom-
240 KEADFEL.
ing m before ' burn,' as usual : but this brook is also
called Punter-burn, that is, bedesman's burn, from
bidder, a bedesman ; compare the Lake (laek), a rivu-
let at Wallace Hall, Closeburn, and Lochrin-burn,
Edinburgh. On the right bank of Luikrimburn was
Uarua or the bedesman's cave, but lately destroyed by
the quarriers or winners of stone ; here also is a cas-
cade or fuis ; quay or pier, left ; Screeb (cliff of the
cave) quarry, right, and showing how v becomes b, as
well as the Scoto-Norse influence. Corrie farm, right;
cross White Water or Corrie-burn, probably the Slaiyne
of Pont ; cyclopean boulder, right ; cross the Water of
Mahn, monadh, a hill-moor, or maen, a stone ; great
boulder, right.
The highest Keadfel, Goatfel, or Gatefield, right,
with the other Keadd Vols, or spike-fells, in its vicin-
ity ; Beinn-gail, mountain of vapour (Shaw), probably
referring to ' mist,' an alias of Goatfel or Ahval, but
not signifying 'the mountain of the wind,' as Sir
Walter Scott renders it (' Ben-Ghoil ') in the following
verses :
The sun, ere yet he sunk behind
Ben-Ghoil, 'the mountain of the wind,'
Gave his grim peaks a greeting kind,
And bade Lochranza smile.
Lord of the Isles, Canto 4, stanza 13.
From Corrie-burn the Kead-Vols may be scaled,
and the view obtained from the top of any one of the
peaks, but especially from the highest or southern
Goatfel, is not to be surpassed in the British Isles.
Shortly after my first ascent of the highest Goatfel,
I had the privilege of mounting some of the loftiest
BRODICK. 241
summits of the Indian Ghauts, and grand beyond ex-
pression as were the views enjoyed from the latter,
they were not, in point of extent or impressiveness,
one whit superior to those obtained from the former.
Speaking of India reminds me of the famous moun-
tain " Tri-Kouta, with its trident-like top," as seen
from the banks of the Jummoo ; and Celtic scholars
will probably see the Gaelic dock, a peak or pap, in
the Indian kouta, or peaks.* Pass on by Markland,
or wood-land, to Braizay or
Brodick Castle. The name of Brodick or Braighay
must signify either the warriors' fort, as given in the
Alphabet of Arran names, or it may possibly mean
the chieftain's stronghold brugh aidh. In this quar-
ter are Crannsheanta, the old hospice, Glen Bladell,
probably the glen of the hero-chief's hall, Glenrosa,
mighty heroes' dale, or the dale of the warriors' grave-
monuments, Firrypein, the warriors' residence, Glen-
shearag, the fairies' dell, Mac Bhrolchin's Stone, the
field of the pillar-stone of the lord of the fiery heroes,
Lairigh-beyan, the champions' barrow or place of
sepulture, Stronaach or Stronaigh, the giant-hero's
pillar-stone. The last three of these local names refer
to stone monuments set up in memory of the mighty
dead. One of these monuments still stands at the dis-
tance of only a few yards from Brodick Schoolhouse
and the Duke's statue. This rude pillar-stone, bear-
ing the name of Stronaach, is about eleven feet in
* It is stated in Chambers's Encyclopaedia that ' Goatfell ' is an English
corruption for 'Goath-Bhein.' That this is quite a mistake has been
amply shown in these pages.
242 GLENROSA.
height, about five in width, and over two feet in thick-
ness. The Brolchin Stone was lying on the ground
when Pennant saw it, and he says that it was twelve
feet long, two broad, and one thick. All that the
natives could tell him about it was that it was placed
over a giant, that is, according to popular usage, a
mighty man of valour.
It is difficult to be certain about Glen Bladell, be-
cause Font's map is my only authority for it, and the
name seems to have utterly faded from the memory of
the inhabitants of Arran. Its position suggests the
meaning of Cairn-dale (uladh), with reference to the
stone monuments, or seilis, which still stand in the
plain between Glenrosa farm-house and the sea. But
its apparent identity with Glenrosa homestead makes
one think of bol, a house, a homestead, and of several
other words which need not be specified here. Glen-
rosa is pronounced Glanruasadh (risa-haug) in the
Gaelic speech of Arran, but the homestead of this
name is placed by Pont at Mayish, and his map shows
Glenbladell on the site of the modern Glenrosa farm-
house. These facts suggest raise , a cairn, as in the
Arran example of An Ros, or the cairn the Bute
Tomenrais, or the mound of the cairn and the Cum-
brian Dunbalrase, or the grave-mound of the lords
(du'navail phis rais). Raisdal or Rosdal is certainly
either cairn-dale or warriors' dale. Rosland, in Bute,
contains many kist-burials which may have been for-
merly covered with cairns or ' raises.' Rispain, near
Whithorn, signifies the giant-heroes' residence or camp,
and so also does the Rispond of Durness, Loch-eribol.
But Rispain camp is also called Rosses' Brae, that is,
GLENROSA. 243
mighty warriors' 'fort;' and Risenuke, or the giant-
heroes' hill-fort, is at the Mull of Galloway. These
heroes were clearly Danish sea-rovers or Fomorians>
for the sound of Jura is called An Linne Rosach, or
the sea of the champion rovers. The Ross is An-
Rias, that is, the mighty hero, and as such he is the
head of the clan Ross, or tribe of Danish champions.
The Deile o' Aldrissan is evidently the castle of the
lord of the Rosses or Scandinavian heroes, but few
people know that this is the original of Ardrossan.
Perhaps the Rev. Isaac Taylor will thank me for the
information. Portcrosch, opposite the Cumbraes, sig-
nifies the port of the castle of the Ross, or hero-chief ;
and it is known that he was here in the tenth century.
Roseneatn, like Rosnat of St Ninian, must be the
mighty heroes' peninsula risanna eitJi and Rose-
hearty the quarter of the mighty champions.
For the sake of illustrating the name of Glenrosa, a
few more of these compounds may be given. They
will serve to show the great variety of ways in which
people write and pronounce the same word, for risi, a
mighty hero, becomes russe, rouse, ross, reis, ryce, &c.
Resort signifies the sea-champions' firth, and when the
Gaels adopt the name they say Loch-resort. So with
Resapol, the Norse name of a mountain, and meaning
giant's dwelling ; but the Gaels introduce it with beinn,
giving us Benrisapol in Sunart. Riesdal or warriors'
dale is in Kintyre, and by the same law becomes
Glenreasdal. Rispaine, the name of a vitrified fort on
the coast of Kerry, Argyll, and signifying the residence
of mighty heroes, has cathair, a fortress, prefixed, and
so becomes Cairispaine a form which gives us Cris-
244 RISAR.
piana Bay, and which, if care be not taken, is likely
enough to become St Crispin's Bay. Risag, or cham-
pions' bay, evolves Locharisaig, and appears to be the
same as Lochanougal, the loch of the foreign warriors.
Risingham, in Redesdale, means the mighty heroes'
town, and its old Celtic name of Habitancum has the
same signification. Rosebery, near Temple on South
Esk, is mighty warriors' burg, like Risbury in Wales ;
Rosslare means heroes' camp ; Rosehill is warriors'
hill-fort ; Rosewal, in Livingston, is heroes' camp ;
Rosewell, near Lasswade (Yeats' fort), is warriors'
stronghold ; Roslin, the mighty hero's hall ; Rossend-
castle, the castle of the mighty men, and Rusley, near
Biel, the war-men's camp. In the neighbourhood of
the last is Presminnen, or the mighty champions'
monuments ; and close by is Fatlippes or Faitleaps,
meaning the Yeats' beds or graves. Russafelt is giant-
heroes' hill, Ruswarpe, hero-men's town, Wressle, hero's
hall, and Ressalrig, the ridge of Hero-hall.
The risar are our Rosses, Frasers, and Russells ;
and in very ancient times they were described as a
handsome and long-lived race. The word ' brem ' or
* prim ' is sometimes prefixed to russe or rosse, and
hence the surname of Primrose, that is, the fierce hero,
the hero of fiery valour. It is very clear that this pre-
fix is the term which gives us the name of the broom,
or bruim shrub, that is, the shrub of the flame or fiery-
hued flowers ; and the word ' brimstone ' will occur to
everyone as the fire-stone. The connection betwixt
the title of Rosebery and the surname of Primrose is
obvious. The Tuscans or Etruscans appear to have
been a Germanic race of risar. Their country is
GLENCLOY. 245
Rasena-land, or the land of the mighty heroes ; and
they are said to have called themselves Tursenes a
term clearly formed by the coalescence of the definite
article, ta, with their name. Under Celtic influence,
the term risi becomes greis, as in Greistonlees and the
Grisons. Other forms may be seen in Porsena-lar, the
mighty heroes' lord equivalent to Lar or Lars Por-
sena; Persephone, that is, mighty hero's daughter, and
who was also called Despcena, or god's daughter.
The pillar stones on the plain, or meadow, between
Glenrosa homestead and the sea-shore, were evidently
called the Russagh pillars, or Russa-seiles, and as such
gave name to the glen of Rosa, that is, the glen of the
mighty warriors' grave-monuments. Marked traces of
stone-kist burial are known to have been seen beside
these pillar stones, and there can be little doubt that
the interments are of the age of the Fomorians. Mr
Landsborough tells us (p. 29, " Early History of
Arran,") that there is a plot of ground near the Rosa
standing stones which is called " Monadh-na-ceann,
the moss of beheading." One could have wished that
the reverend gentleman had given the people's pro-
nunciation of the name, for if they say Minneny Gaun,
or anything like it, the name may really have reference
to the ancient stone monuments of the locality.
Glencloy, the glen of the house of prayer, is near
the Mayish stone, or Picts' stone. Compare Maeshow,
or the Picts' grave-mound, Maesydog Castle, or Picts'
castle (now Mugdock), Mustard, or Picts' town, Mussel-
burgh, or Picts' fenced town, with 'burgh' suffixed,
and Musden, or Peahts' sepulchre. At Glencloy is the
plain called Arywhonyne, or the cairn-field ; and here
246 SKASBIDEL.
Pennant saw five barrows which appear to have sug-
gested the name of Straith-oughlian, or the vale of the
Firbolgs' graves. Pont places a Glen Rosy in this
quarter, also Tyrwhillen, or the land of the house of
prayer, and Skasbidel, or the dell of the homestead in
the wood. This dell must be Lagavey, at the Douglas
Hotel. In the vicinity are Carnabainn, the warriors'
cairn, Clahan-righuirt, the sepulchre of the Yeat kings,
Bruses-castle, the warrior's fort, because evidently
equivalent to Plover (the champion's hold) in Plover-
field (field, a fell, a hill), Ormidale, waterfall-dale,
Corry-ghyll, heroes' glen, Alltanowaran, the brook of
the champions or the brook of the grave-mound of the
champions, Achaglaighvolla, the field of the Firbolgs'
burying-place, Achadh a' chomhlain, the hero's field,
Achadh a' bheirghe, the champion's field, Dun-fiann,
the warriors' stronghold, Carnacuighen, the cairn of
the strangers, Blairmore, great battle-field, Margna-
heglish, the church land (at the old kirk of Kilbride),
A lit a' chomharba, the coarb's beck, or the vicar's
brook, Cullsthuidhean, the house of prayer, Gortan-
jauka, kirk-lands, and Holy Island a name which
explains itself. One of the old names of this island is
Melagsey, that is, Molag's isle, or the isle of Lughach
' mo' being the honorary prefix. A distinguished
cleric of this name died in Lismore about four years
before Columkille's decease, and Dr Joyce mentions a
St Molaga who preached the gospel to the North
Britons in the seventh century. The name is found
in the designations of several churches, such as Kilda-
loig, or the church of St Lughach (in Kintyre), and
Kilmaluach in Skye, Raasa, &c. It is also found in
LAMLASH. 247
the name of a famous stone, upon which the men of
Arran, in old times, were wont to swear " decisive
oaths." This stone was about the size of a " goose
egg," and was called Baul-Muluy or the "stone globe"
of St Muluy. Martin tells us that Muluy was a
" saint," and it is evident that his name is the same as
Moluach of Almolach or Holy Isle. The name of
Almolach is clearly a fragment of Innis-cheall-Molach,
that is, the island of Molach's church, just as the name
of Altivaig Isle is a broken form of Innis-cheall-
ghuidhe, the island of the chapel or house of prayer.
The principle of the interpretation lies in the fact, that
frequently when the head of a compound name is
driven from its place, it carries away with it a portion
of the shoulders, so to speak. Dean Monro calls Al-
mo-lach " the yle of Molass," and here we see the
beginning of the corruption which represents our Holy
Island as the residence of a " St Molios." There is
an historical Molaise of Dev-inish, and there is Maeliosa,
the learned lector or professor of Both-Chonais ; but,
so far as evidence is concerned, our Holy Island knew
them not. We have, therefore, no alternative but to
fall back on Mu-Luy or Mo-Luoc, and if he dwelt in
the cave that is pointed out to visitors, we may so far
anglicise as to call it the Cave of St Lewy or St Luik.
Other names of the island are Ellan-le-neuve, or
isle of saints, and Melansey, or the island of the ruined
church.
Lamlash. This name signifies the bald bulwark,
ruined fort, dilapidated castle ; and the foundations of
the old strength are still traceable near the White-
house. In the vicinity is Bainlesarigh, the town or
248 LAMLASH.
homestead of the governor's fort, otherwise called
Pleystar, or the village of the chieftain's fort. The
original Us or strong dwelling, may have been the
residence of some ancient Celtic chief who, with his
clan or people, found a happy home in the peaceful
vale. But in an evil day came the ships of the
stranger, and a host of armed warriors seeking tribute
or territory. If the golden rings and bracelets of the
women did not purchase peace, their husbands and
brothers must buckle to the fight. Perhaps some
friendly alliance was suggested, or at least some por-
tion of territory ceded to the strangers. But what-
ever the issue, there seems to have been strife. Blair-
more and its cairn of the strangers point in this di-
rection. So does the strange old story of the singed
man who fought on the Lamlash 'dirlin.' The Walter
Fionn of the tale must be the ' fair-haired leader ' of
the foreign host valdr, a lord, a leader ; -the Duncan
Tait must be the Celtic chief, called, as in Scotland,
after the name of his property, for Duncan-tait signifies
'the nobleman's fortress.' The scene of the combat
between the chieftains, as the tale represents, was the
dirlin or green-sward at the head of the beach ; and
since one Macnish is said to have hatched the strife, it
would appear to have broken out during the celebra-
tion of some fair or festival. For the word ' Macnish '
may well mean ' the field of the fair or festival,' as is
shown by Fauld Makneansh in the Cumbrae list.
Again, the ' singed man ' is surely the offspring of a
mistaken version of saoidh in the name of daingean an
t-saoith (Duncan 'tait), for the Gaelic doitJite signifies
'singed.' Here, then, have we a very probable example
WHITEHOUSE. 249
of an old tale twisted out of its original shape by the
mere force of competing tongues, and the partial decay
of both, i.e., the Gaelic and Danish.*
It can scarcely be expected that the interpretation
of the legend which has just been given, should all at
once command the confidence of those who are little
accustomed to the kind of research which now occu-
pies our attention. But its force will be felt when we
come to see how many of the old tales can be thrown
into their true shape, and made the vehicles of con-
veying to us many a fragment of otherwise lost history.
Sometimes an old tale becomes embodied in a device,
such as that of the three fish-heads on the shield of
the Kilmichael family in Arran, and in this device may
be read a portion of the history of the primitive church-
men of Glencloy. So with the tree and robin on the
arms of the city of Glasgow : these symbols tell us of
an institution or establishment of clergymen, and the
tree and the robin are simply representations of a
mistaken version of the old Celtic name of the Glas-
gow Hospice. These and other instances of the same
kind will be more fully explained elsewhere, and we
may now return to the site of old Lamlash.
It has been already stated that a remnant of Lam-
lash Castle may be seen near Whitehouse, and it is
not unlikely that this latter name is a version of
Taighbain, supposed to mean 'white house,' but which,
as the numerous Carnabainns show, ought rather to
have been translated 'warriors' house.' Possibly these
* The tale is told by McArthur at p. 165 of his Antiquities of Arran,
but he does not speak of the singed man.
Q
250 SCAUROE.
warriors were Norsemen, and if so, the name of Pley-
star may be formed upon Leystar, that is, the warriors'
residence or peel-tower baile being afterwards pre-
fixed. The other version of this name, as given above,
regards it as a Gaelic compound. Near the head of
Glenalaster or, perhaps, glen o' Leystar, is the rock
called Alcrappagh, or the crag of the abbot's seat.
Glenarrie, Cordan and Lagavellie, are in the Lamlash
quarter : more inland we find Squiler, signifying peat-
mosses, Urie-loch, meaning shingle-beach lake, and
Tuhvein, the barrow or cairn of the warriors.
Scauroe is situated on the point or headland which
the Gaels call Aird, and also Ceann Scauroe, or the
headland of the robbers' hold. Headrick wrote the
longer form of the name " Kingscorro," that is, Kinn-
scorro, and upon this as a basis was formed the name
of Kinn-scorro's Point. By a total misapprehension
of this appellation, the name has come to be written
Kingscross Point, and a vague idea has grown up that
'cross' is a ferry or passage, and that some ' king' had
accordingly been ferried across the firth from Scauroe-
point. But the name is really Ceann-Scauroe, and
has nothing in the world to do with either ' king' or
' cross.' The Bruce may have been in Arran, but it
does not appear that either he himself or his name is
in any way connected with Scauroe, or Kings-cove, or
Torranree, or Bruses-castle. And it may be added,
that none of the writers on Arran have anything but
conjectures to offer when they speak of the Bruce's
place of embarkation.
The ruins of Scauroe, or Robbers' Hold, may still
be seen on the headland, and though it may be diffi-
WHITING BAY. 251
cult to say who were its original builders, it is very
probable that the sea-rovers occupied it more or less.
In the song of the Fight of Maldon the Danish leader
is called a robber, a churl, and also a wiking. If
Rawngarrey be really Scorroe, it follows that the fort
was occupied by the 'strong men,' who might be
roving buccaneers to-day and the yeomen occupants
of Arran dales to-morrow.
Whiting Bay. This name signifies the fishing bay,
and has no connection with a ting, or meeting. Kis-
kadale, the holy-kirk dale, Cabel Urial, the church of
the oratory, Kildales, church-dales, Astadale, the dale
of the mighty warriors' stronghold, and the same as
Glenasdasdale ; but notice llan aosda, the ancient
church, and that this compound is very apt to be pro-
nounced Glan-aisda, like Glanrie for Lananree. We
find llan or lann, a church, used at Monkstown of
Margirish ; and as for the church or chapel called
Urial, its name may also be written Aryal, Airgal,
Arcal, and Kirk-Urral. Airgile, or the oratory, gives
name to a suburb of the city of St Andrews, and the
same word is found in the well-known Ercildoun of
Thomas the Rhymer.
Loumstreet is in the vicinity of Kirk-Urral or Cabel-
urial, and seems to point to the loum, or pilot, who
dwelt in the dale. But the pilot must have been the
religious pilot, or spiritual guide, for luam and luamhar
(louvar) signify a pilot, an abbot, a prior. The shorter
form of these two terms must be a contraction of the
longer one, and, though used by the Gaels, they are
evidently the Norse lodh madhr, a way-man, a man
who shows the way. How many of the Brandanes
252 KIRK-URRAL.
this good old spiritual guide may have led into the
way of life ! Perhaps it was St Muluy of the cave
who built Chapel Urral in Glenashdale, and preached
to the Cruhney or Pictish folk the way of salvation.
However that may be, one cannot walk about Arcal
and survey the ruined fane, around which the ' rude
forefathers of the hamlet sleep,' without a kindly hope
that many burdened souls found peace within the now
\vasted sanctuary, and blessed their Maker for the
hallowed joy.
Long may the piety and the pure charity
Of pastor and people who dwelt here of yore,
Be flowers of the fairest, yet none of the rarest,
Which garland the homes near Kirk-Urral so hoar.
Fair is the scenery round this old sanctuary,
Whose girth-stead encloses so much precious dust ;
But dumb are the choristers ; hushed are the orators,
Whose eloquence filled up the ranks of the just.
Soft be the foot-fall that presses each narrow knoll
Enshrining the seed-corn that dies but to live,
And soft be the requiem breathed over all of them,
Whose ashes are here, but whose souls are above.
It is quite clear that Glenashdale is a corrupted
form of Glenasda-dale, and 'glenasda' may well be
lan-aosda, meaning ' ancient church.' If Astadale be
the original form, it should be asa-sta, mighty heroes'
town, with ' dale ' added, and referring to the great
stronghold of Easachrannaigh, that is, the waterfall of
the heroes' stronghold. This last-mentioned name
contains the name of Cahr-nan-aegh, which is the
exact Gaelic equivalent of the old Scots Lydal, and
both of these simply mean heroes' hold. The great
DIPPEN. 253
stronghold of Lydal is on a hill near Canobie-lee, and
its name is variously written Liddal, Lytil, &c.
Pass up the slope of Drimlecarlew, or the eminence
of the Firbolgs' burying-place. Here are huge struc-
tures of extraordinary interest, and often called ' the
giants' graves,' but very much torn up and wasted by
the treasure-seekers. The name is associated with
Cnoclecarlew and Torr-na-Baoileag, the latter mean-
ing the hill or grave-mound of the Firbolgs. On the
right is the high, rugged region of Garvait, giving us
the name of Knocacharbait, or the hill .of the rugged
district. Near Dippen or Dupenny />., Daubeinne,
the warriors' fort, is the hill called Cnoc-nan-aoidhean
or the Giants' Hill, that is, the fiery warriors' hill, and
remarkable for having escaped the imputation of being
Ossian's Grave, although its name contains the very
same word which, when badly pronounced, certain
sciolists have imagined to be 'Ossian.' There is a
fine fort called Daubeinny about an hour's walk from
Lauder, and not far off are the Addiston rings or war-
riors' camp. The Piper's cave is at Dippen, and the
name shows that the cave was frequented by the
hermit bedesmen.
Pass on to Touredder or the knight's tower, at Kil-
donan or the sepulchre of the Downans (Firbolgs) ;
then to Drimlabarra or the ridge of the bedesmen's
church ; Lhun, the church, near Ballymeanach or
monks' town, and Margirish, which, after all, must
really mean the bedesman's field ; Achaneow [achan-
you], the field of the corn, Leven-water, the stream of
the war-men's town, Shannochie, the old grave-mound
but Pont has Channochy, the headland of the graves,
254 KILMORY.
because probably the same as Torr-nan-uain ; also Kil-
bride, which is here most likely to be cladh nam Brit,
that is, the burial-place of the Brits or Britons.
Kilmory. This name is also written Kylemure
[keilmuiry], and signifies Mary-kirk. There is noth-
ing to give countenance to the suggestion that it is
Kilmaree. To the north is Stragheala, the vale of the
house of prayer, Allt St Muireig, St Mary's brook,
Achareoch, the bedesman's land, Carnbeyn, the war-
riors' cairn also called An Ros, i.e., an rais, the cairn
Allt-nan-stuaigh, the brook of the pillar-stones (of
Anros) Achaleffan, Cleynack and Lag Torrylean,
the knoll or mound of the sepulchre of the heroes,
Clachaig, the champion's barrow or grave-mound. To
the west of Clachaig or Clauchog there are two places
of sepulture, whose names contain the word aoidJiean,
but it has been found that, while some of the natives
of Arran pronounce the names of these two places
correctly, others are so slovenly in their speech as to
say aoisthean for aoidJiean. The latter, however, is
proved to be the correct form, and Dr Hately Waddell
may as well fix upon the " Clach Ossian " of Glenal-
mond for the tomb of Ossian as upon Clachaig. Clach
Ossian simply means heroes' stone ; and, since there
are several grave-mounds at Clachaig, it is easy to see
how that collectively they could be called cladha nan
aoidJiean z>., the barrows of the heroes, and that the
corruption of the latter part of the name could be the
only authority for the statement of Macbride, viz.,
" Ossian is said to have died here."
Baincaraighan signifies the warriors' town, and is the
Gaelic equivalent of Scorroe, champions' camp, in
SCORODALE. 255
Scorodale or the vale of the champions' settlement.
These fellows were surely Scandinavian wikings or
sea-rovers, for the skadhar were usually such. In this
quarter we find Cravy Caioeal, the church of the
devout worshippers, Leanry, or the bedesman's house,
Torrveyluin, Margavlair, and Glen Ramskel. Above
Burican we have Kopp-hill or head-hill, Bock-hill or
peak-hill, Alltborrachan or the brook of the grave-
mounds, and Alltoulyagree or the brook of the sepul-
chre of the heroes. On the right bank of Scorodale
water is the place called Margreuldacan, that is, the
ruin of the sepulchre of the lords or of the fiery war-
riors (aoighean), because also called Leaghaveelaigh,
that is, the grave of the champions. Taigh-na-beist,
the house of the dragon or grisly goblin, is in the glen
of Alltoulyagree, and south of it is Sledaroe, or the
fort of the champions or slayers, being equivalent to
the Gaelic Corachrevy, z>., the fort of the champions.
On the sea-shore is Portnafeandaich, the port of the
Danish warriors, but also called Hadak or Hattak
port, that is, champions' haven ; and near it is the sub-
marine bank of Eyrin, or the gravelly bank. About a
mile west of Corachrevy, and on the upper side of the
road, is Brawne-kein, or the champions' grave -bed ;
but in Gaelic the place is called Lagagailleohen, that
is, the vale of the pillar-stones of the heroes. By a
mispronunciation of the latter name, an Ossian's grave
was evolved here also. The pillar-stones which marked
the interments have been removed and used for gate-
posts. Near Corachrevy is Clappen Hill, a name
which signifies the warriors' fort or burial-place.
Headrick tells us of the Brown Hills, that is, warriors'
256 KILPATRICK.
hills, and it is clear that the name is intimately asso-
ciated with Bravvne-kein.
Kilpatrick. Near this place may be seen Cnocan a'
chrannchuir, the hill of 'the bedesmen's hospice, Dri-
mayeinar, the ridge of the fort of the chieftain or
abbot, Coirnabaith, the abbot's dell, and Torrandaive,
or the hill of the learned man (a cleric, probably.)
The word daimh, a learned man, is evidently the same
as the slang word 'dab,' an accomplished fellow, as "a
dab at cards," or the like. Pass on to Achavoulin, the
field of the mill, Furling or Feorlin, the warriors' cairn,
Uasghnogh, the river of the heroes, and which, as used
by Headrick, seems to be a name of the Black Water;
but possibly it is a corruption of tiaigh nan aotglie,
that is, the sepulchre of the heroes, with reference to
the great cairn of Feorlin, or to the 'kistvaen' between
Drimadoon homestead and the sea. Regarding this
kistvaen, or stone tomb, the usual errors have cropped
up. Its old Gaelic name is Leachd-nan-aoidhean, that
is, the grave-monument of the heroes, but since the
meaning of the last part of the name had become lost
to the people of Arran, none of them could make any-
thing better out of it than "the grave of Fingal's
daughter," or " Ossian's grave," or (combining the two
errors) "the grave of Ossian's daughter!" The reader
will notice that, in this instance also, the word ' aoid-
hean ' or ' aoighean ' must have sometimes been mis-
pronounced ' aoisthean ' or ' oisein,' and that such has
really been the case I am able, from personal inter-
course with the men of Arran, to state distinctly. It
is scarcely fair to the people of Arran to represent
them as detailers of traditions regarding a great stone
DRIMADOON. 257
mausoleum, on the mere ground of an occasional mis-
pronunciation of its name or inability to interpret it.
There is a manifest difference between the interpreta-
tion of a local name and the traditional remembrance
of the name itself. Accordingly, we cannot say that
the men of Arran have a tradition to the effect that a
certain spot is the grave of Fingal's daughter, or of
Ossian's daughter, or of Ossian himself; for they
frankly acknowledge that these conflicting notions are
only the result of attempts at interpretation. The
grave-monument at Drimadoon may be called a kist-
vaen (chest of stone), and of this a Gaelic version has
lately appeared in the form of Ciste-cloiche.* To
describe it as a ' cromlech ' is to use a term which is
very objectionable, on account of the utterly false
theory which the term was invented to support. But,
since the correct name of the monument has been
found, and may be anglicised Laghtaneyan or Lat-
tanoon (the monumental heap of the fiery warriors),
it is unnecessary to apply any other designation to it.
Lattanoon reminds one of Dunoon, or the castle of
the fiery heroes.
Martin speaks of " a circle of Big-stones a little to
the south of Drum-Cruey, the area of which is about
twelve paces. There is a broad thin stone in the
middle of this circle, supported by three lesser stones."
There is no difficulty in identifying this circle with
Lattanoon. Two or three standing stones still mark
the spot, and the great slab of whinstone which forms
* A very good name for a kistvaen is found in the old Scotch ' hettle-
kist,' that is, stone-slab chest ; and 'nettle' is the Norse hella.
258 TORR-MOR.
the cover of the grave-kist, still rests upon the edges
of three of the slabs which form the sides of the stone
chest. The remnants of a cairn which must have
covered the grave-kist may still be seen, and also a
stone which looks like the covering slab of a smaller
kist. Nothing is known, however, of the cairn -breakers
who pierced the barrow and extracted from its interior
whatever treasure they could lay hands on ; but if the
ghosts of the departed heroes did not scare the
plunderers in their dreams, it was surely not from
want of provocation.
The name of Drimadoon may be explained to mean
' the ridge of the bulwark ' or fortification. It is also
called Druim Cruney, or Picts' ridge ; and, strange to
say, it has still another name, viz., Cahrnabeyan, that
is, the 'caher' or camp of the champions. Sheaskan
Vale is the vale of the fenny ground, Ballygown, the
town of the church, Sheaddaug, the town of the
Danish heroes, Clachan, the oratory or small church,
St John's cell or seann-chill, the old church, Crolluy or
Traighliath, the knoll of the house of prayer, Daire-
nan-aoigh, the champions' thicket. For these and other
well-known names in this quarter, see 'The Alphabet.'
Torrmor. The western or shore face of this hill
presents a cliff which is pierced with numerous caves.
These are reported to have been the dwelling-places
of giants or champions, and the tradition is confirmed
by the structures which may still be seen in and about
the caves. Some people have supposed that the word
' king' is found in the name of the grandest of these
caves, but the word is more likely to be either kinn,
the face of a hill, or keinn, that is, the cave. Now,
KINGS-CAVES. 259
Bruses' Keinn signifies the cave of the champions, and
as the famous spider is said to have performed here in
the presence of The Bruce as well as in a " hut " or
den at Scorroe Point, we may look for an explanation
of the tale in the word ' wabster,' that is, a spider, also
a cave-dwelling. The interior of the ruined fort of
Scorroe would be called a den or kei (Gaelic, uam/t],
and as the fort was a dwelling or ' bister,' the people
would readily say 'ua-bister' or Wabster, z>., den-
house. Another appellative of the spider is atter-cob,
a compound which would be readily confused with
Eatter-cove, or giants' cave. But an 'ether' is a snake
or serpent, and it is remarkable that the figure of a
large snake or serpent is carved on the north wall of
the chief cave at Torrmor. The term keirnes signifies
'the caves,' and this is evidently the word used in
Keirens-caves on the opposite coast of Kintyre. The
singular definite keinn, meaning ' the cave,' is so pro-
nounced as to give rise to 'keing;' and in the south
of England this same word is written 'kent' in the
name of the famous Kent's Cavern (near Torquay),
that is, ' the cave's cavern.'
The caves of Torrmor have probably been also
occupied at times by hermits or religious recluses.
Although they are not, like so many caves, called
Pypars' Caves i.e., bedesmen's caves, .the work which
has been wrought on them seems to point more to the
patient art of recluses than to roving pirates or cham-
pions. The great or chief cave shows a nicely hewn
stone chair near its mouth, and the figure of an ecclesi-
astic is traced with a sharp tool upon the ship-stern
pillar at its inner end. His left hand is represented
260 "HORSE SHOE."
holding an open book over his head, and his right
hand appears to sustain something like a casket. A
claymore, apparently, is represented near this figure,
and in the vicinity of the stone chair may be seen the
serpent or snake already referred to. If another idea
regarding the serpent may be given, it is found in
' suir-peint,' that is, the bedesman's dwelling, and the
likeness of this to ' serpent ' is sufficiently obvious.
The " horse shoe " mentioned by Martin was evidently
supposed to mean ' giant's shoe,' and hence the gigan-
tic foot-print which has been carved on the ship-stern
pillar. No horse-shoe can now be found " engraven "
on the south side of the cave, and since hirse, a giant,
is readily confounded with ' horse,' it would be easy to
show that Martin must have written from jumbled ac-
counts, and not from his having personally seen a
horse-shoe engraven on the rock. But the true mean-
ing of " horse shoe," in this instance, will be found
neither in 'giant's shoe,' nor yet in the shoe of a horse.
The cave must have been called ' horshu-cave,' and, in
the language of the men of Arran and Cantyre, this is
the same as ' hirshu-cave,' that is, bedesman's cave
uanili-fhirghuidlie* The partial translation of the old
name of the cave, and the letter-change of ' gh ' into
' sh,' are quite in keeping with the ascertained habits
and speech of the Islesmen. A further confirmation
of the conclusion just stated is drawn from the ' wab-
ster,' that is, uamh a' ghuidheachair, the bedesman's
cave. And whatever may become of the spider of
* The luck of picking up a horse-shoe was probably at first the luck of
finding a powerful bedesman one powerful enough, by prevailing
prayer, to win absolution for a man.
BRUGES' CAVES. 261
Scorroe, his fate is not necessarily wrapped up in that
of the spider of Bruse-cave. It is enough for the
present to be able to pull off the mask, and to see in
these caves the rock-dwellings of anchorets and war-
riors. We may still, however, speak of them as Bruces'
Caves, that is, champions' caves ; but we can scarcely
say Bruce's Cave in the sense of ' the cave of king
Robert the Bruce.' The king's name is simply the
appellative brus, bris, or bryce, a mighty hero, invested
by usage with the dignity of a proper name. It fol-
lows therefore that, if king Robert the Bruce ever
dwelt for a season in one of these caves, the fact must
be made good by special historical evidence ; for one
of the names of the caves can be satisfactorily ex-
plained by a common term which is in very frequent
use. And since nothing but tradition connects these
caves with The Bruce, it is a tradition which is fully
accounted for and justified without reference to the
king at all.
The older natives of Arran often call the Bruces'
Caves simply ' Na h-uamhaichean,' that is, ' the caves,'
and one of them states that he never heard the word
rtgk, a king, used in combination with this name.
Another elderly native says that he knows nothing of
a hill called Torr-righ or Torr-righ-beag. It is very
clear, then, that these are recently invented names,
and founded upon the very questionable conclusion
which associates a king with the caves. The " Kings
Hill " of Ramsay's map of Arran is really Torr-mor,
or big hill ; and if Torranree be an old name for it, its
meaning is ' the hill of the heather.'
The Wasatar or Wabstar Cave (bedesman's cave)
262 SERPENTS.
receives ample illustration from such names as Satiris
Muli, the bedesmen's Cape now called Mull of Kin-
tyre Basatar, the residence of the bedesmen, and not
far from the Mull just mentioned ; Twaesistar, the
bedesman's house, at Linton on the Borders ; Soutar-
point, the bedesmen's point, at Monkwearmouth ;
Soutra-kirk, the church of the bedesman or cleric ;
Sausserland, the bedesmen's land, Paisley ; Hunting-
doggesatdcar and Sugarlock in Arran ; Siccar-cave,
the bedesman's cave, near Kirk-Helen, Auldcambus ;
Soceres- meadow, near Carlisle ; Seggarsdean, the
bedesman's vale, near Haddington and Monkrig ;
Sauchar-bay, the bedesmen's bay, Elie-ness ; and the
Souters of Selkirk, i.e., the bedesmen or Christian gen-
tlemen of Selkirk (hall-kirk). In the last instance the
appellation seems to have been first applied to the
numerous ecclesiastics of the town, and afterwards to
the whole of its inhabitants.
With reference to the figure of a serpent traced on
the wall of the cave, as noticed above, it may be stated
that there are many popular tales about serpents.
One of these serpents is large enough to clasp a hill
which is still crowned with the remnants of a rampart
or fortification ; another destroys a whole fleet of ships ;
a third mounts guard over an orchard ; and a fourth is
slain by a furious chieftain. The last instance is com-
memorated in the following lines :
" The wode laird of Laristone
Slew the worm of Worme's Glen,
And wan all Linton parochine."
It is generally known that our grandfathers called an
adder or snake a 'worm,' as in the proper name
LEGENDS. 263
Guthorm, that is, battle-snake.* But it is highly
probable that the 'worms' are sometimes a mistaken
version of 'ethers,' or giants, and sometimes of 'Roms,'
or Christians. Many of the old Celtic names of
churches and oratories would, when corruptly pro-
nounced, suggest the idea of a serpent. To show
how this is so would demand more space than can
be afforded here ; but it may be briefly stated that
the results of a careful study of this subject point
to the frequent substitution of serpent for bedesman.
If the name of Ramsway signifies ' cleric's temple,' as
surely it does, it is easy to see how readily it may be
corrupted into ' vramsay,' or worm's kirk. Accordingly,
the " worm of Worme's Glen " may simply mean the
* cleric of Rom-kirk,' just as Ramskel signifies Rome-
folks' dwelling, that is, Christians' dwelling. Ram-
ports is at St Abb's Head, and signifies the Rome-
folks' or Christians' fortress. It contains the Willock,
or House-of-prayer, from whence comes the name of
Willock-nest, or 'the cape (nes-it) of the Oratory.'
Twaesistar's knoll becomes changed into the knoll of
the two sisters, and a legend is soon invented to ex-
plain the latter; but the story is entirely founded upon
a false translation. In Glennevis there is a Pypar's
cave, or bedesman's cave, but a popular tale represents
a piper as penetrating the cave, and playing the tune,
<( O that I had three hands " this name of the tune,
however, being really the Gaelic name of the cave, and
signifying the bedesman's cave. Another form of the
* The surname Blue must be an erroneous version of Guthorm, through
confusion with gorm, blue.
264 SLEE-NA-GARRAHAN.
name is Uaigh-t-Hoirle, the cave of the oratory, but
the writer of the old account of Kilmalie erroneously
rendered it " Samuel's Cave." O. S. A., viii. 407.
We may now leave the caves of bedesmen and buc-
caneers. Few places in Arran will more delight the
traveller or repay a visit. As Grierson said of the
caves at Barlocco, they are " temples not made with
hands." And like some of the tiny hill temples in
India, they are beautifully decked with moss and fern.
An air of solitude invests the place and disposes the
mind to reflection. On this account the caves would
be dear to the old bedesmen. The privacy which they
afforded would not be often disturbed, unless by the
occasional cooing of the rock-doves in the galleries.
Scarcely would the plashing wave, as it rolled up to
the threshold of the caves, affect the serenity of these
calm retreats. The sound of many waters without
would be a fit accompaniment to the voice of praise
and prayer within. Refreshed in spirit and braced in
every faculty, the temporary hermit would return to
his flock (for he was often a beneficed clergyman),
lead them into pastures new, and nourish them with
the words of faith and sound doctrine.*
Slee-na-garrahan. This name denotes 'the moor of
* It should be noticed that the locality of Veitellir, or ' the temple
cave,' may be seen on the farther side of the Sound, and a little to the
south of Kildalloig. Webstar may be 'we-bister,' that is, tern pie -
dwelling, holy-house place. Compare Vossac, or 'religious house,' at
Temple, Mid-Lothian, and clearly the name of the old church there.
The name of Vaesac is inscribed beneath the belfry. Beside it are the
letters M. I. H. M., and apparently meaning 'the humble likeness of
the hospice of the monks ' modicum instar hospitii monachorum.
STONE CIRCLES. 265
the pillar-stones,' and applies to a tract of waste land
in the vicinity of Machrie Water. The place is famous
for the magnificence of the old stone monuments
which have been raised in honour of the mighty dead,
and for the intense interest they awaken in every be-
holder. No mean men could their builders have been ;
and though the hands which reared them have long
been dust, their remembrances attest a noble race.
What gifts of strength and skill do these tall pillar-
stones imply! What lively emotions of filial piety
leading to a due consignment of the dead ! And when
the heap was raised over kist and urn, the tears which
fell around the tomb seemed to crystallize into great,
grey, granite boulders, where they still remain an
evidence alike of human feelings in the far-off past, and
of intellects that could devise structures so stable.
One of the stone circles is still marked by three rude
unchiselled columns of great height and most imposing
character. The tallest of the group stands eighteen
feet above the ground, and being of red free-stone, its
surface has become beautifully chased as with a grav-
ing tool by the weather. A similar ornament of raised
work belongs to its nearest neighbours, and one of the
three is curiously ribbed like the brown sea-sand. A
prostrate slab of red sandstone shows where another
column stood, and near it lies a perforated slab of
granite, which some enterprising miller seems to have
thought of converting into a millstone. One of the
adjacent circles shows a pillar of great height, and
several others of not greatly inferior dimensions ; while
among the remaining monuments on the heath, the
traveller will notice the double circle near a peasant's
R
266 PANEL'S STONE.
house, and to the west of the latter a rifled chamber,
formed of such massive slabs as may well indicate a
prince's tomb.
Several names are found in connection with the
cairns and stone circles of this locality. One of these
is Cnocan-a-tuva, that is, the hillock of the burial-heap,
and may refer to the place of the stone coffin which,
as Martin tells us, had its contents washed away by
the Kirkmichael river. A second is the Panel's Stone,
and notwithstanding what has been said about this
name, it is interesting to know that panail signifies
' the lord's grave ' beabh an fhail. A third name is
the one which is applied to the double circle, but it is
a name which was entirely misunderstood by the late
Rev. A. Macbride, who first mentions it. The reverend
gentleman fell into a similar error about the name
Glentuie, writing it Glen-in-tshuidhe instead of Glen-
in-tumha. Applying the presumed correction to
Macbride's name of the double circle we get Tumha-
coraidhean (tuacorain), that is, the burial-mound of
heroes, instead of his Suidhe-choir-Fhionn. The mis-
take was a pardonable one, for the word tum/ia, a
burial heap, is obsolete in Arran and Cantyre, although
in these parts it is still found in the names of a number
of cairns and ancient places of sepulture. If another
possible cause of mistake may be suggested, it will be
seen by the Gaelic scholar in the ' article ' as used in
the name of the glen just mentioned, and particularly
so if brought into comparison with the other error of
" Suidhe Challumchille " instead of the correct form
Tuachallimchill, ' the grave-mound of the foreign war-
rior' (calm-gall). In the ordinary speech of the people
TUCORIN. 267
cnocan, a knoll, or cairthean, pillar stones, would often,
according to many well-known examples of the man-
ner, be used before Tumha-coraidhean, so that it does
not surprise one to find a busy clergyman falling in
with the popular notion and representing the name as
containing 'suidhe' instead of the more correct, but to
him obsolete word, ' tumha.'
For the sake of convenience let us anglicise the
name of this double circle, and call it Tucorin. Its
adoption compromises no theory and disturbs no con-
clusion. Let us understand that these are the condi-
tions upon which this abbreviated, anglicised form is
used, and no harm to truth will come out of it. Now,
it may be said that Tucorin might mean the burial-
mound of the pillar-stones ; but, to be brief, common
sense and experience show that ' the burial-mound of
the heroes ' is the only version or translation which
can be entertained. This conclusion is only slightly
different from the one given in the alphabetical list,
but not essentially so. There is, however, another
view to be considered, and it is one which is associated
with Suighairean as an anglicised form of the name of
the circle. If this be the true form of the name, it
may be observed that compounds are sometimes
formed by a sort of process, which may be called
broken Gaelic, as in Sunken Church, or the pillar
stones of the warriors ; Sunhoney, or heroes' graves.
According to this idiom, and it is far from unfrequent,
Suighairean may well mean ' champion pillar-stones,'
or the pillar stones of the heroes. Another name for
the Tucorin circle is suggested by what Martin and
others say about Finmacoul's dog, Bran. "Dog Bran"
268 BRAN-KK1N.
is strangely like Daug-braan, that is, Danes' barrow or
burying place. And if the legend about the dog could
be supposed to have been derived from one of the old
names of Tucorin, it is easy to see that such a name
can be found in Bran-kein, or the warriors' grave-
mound (bragna-koin). Here the term kein or koin
exactly corresponds to coin, ' of a dog,' and it will be
remembered that there is a Brawne-kein near Cora-
chrevy. But Brain-daug may well be brugh nan Dag,
or the Danes' burying place, for Brainarekin, in Kin-
tyre, signifies the sepulchre of the captain of the heroes,
and the spot is marked by a huge monumental stone.
\Yith these compare Kilbrannan Sound, that is, the
Sound of the warriors or sea-rovers the name being
completely Norse, with the Gaelic prefix of caol, a
sound.
It only remains to be stated that recent excavations
in these stone circles entirely confirm the conclusions
which have been gained by philological research both
here and elsewhere. " Dr Bryce," says the Reverend
Mr Landsborough (Arran, p. 46), " by digging at the
centres of the circles discovered cists containing urns,
skulls and other human remains, flint arrow-heads, and
a bronze pin in a cist among the remains of a young
female, thus proving these memorials to be sepulchral.
This conclusion, however, does not disprove the tradi-
tional belief that they were also associated with Druid-
ical worship." Well, if it does not, the reason is
obvious. Druids might pray in cemeteries if they
chose, just as Christians may. Churches are built for
Christian worship, but that does not disprove the fact
that they have been used as places of sepulture.
HEROES' CAIRNS. 269
Turning now to what is called "traditional belief," and
to the implied tradition upon which a certain belief is
founded, it may be remarked that our knowledge of
the Druids is very limited, and that any additions
which can be made to it by a well founded tradition
will be welcome. It would be important to know if
the Arran tradition can tell us whether the primary
purpose of the stone circles on Sleenagarrahan was
worship or interment. But if the tradition which
associates them with Druidical worship be all that can
be obtained, its value must not be overlooked. It will
be an important addition to our knowledge, provided
always that the tradition is genuine, and not a thing
of yesterday. These qualities, however, it is not likely
to possess, and the reasons for thinking so are not far
to seek. What we have already seen about Ossian
and others in Arran tells us to be on our guard.
" According to tradition," the daughter of Ossian was
buried at Lattanoon, but we have learned to under-
stand what that means. Our grandfathers often spoke
of Peaghts* and warriors in connection with cairns,
camps, and standing stones, but I have yet to learn
that tradition taught them to speak of Druids. They
* The following fragment may serve to illustrate this :
" By the cairn and Peaght Stane
Grisly Dreadin sate alane ;
Billy wi' a segge sae stout
Cries, ' I'll turn grisly Dreadin out :'
Dreadin leuch and stalked awa',
Syne vanished in a babinqua."
The word 'Dreadin' should mean 'the chief,' or 'the lord.' It is
clear that 'segge' is saga, for some copies of the lines have 'cainnt,' a
speech, a saying, in its stead.
2/0 NEW DOCTRINES.
were innocent of tales about " Druids sacrificing their
bleeding victims " on altar stones, till the followers of
Jones and Stukely began to disseminate their doc-
trines among the peasantry and others. And it is
only too likely that Martin himself was the originator
of the report to which he refers, when he says " The
ancient inhabitants (of Arran) are reported to have
burned their sacrifices on the broad stone in time of
heathenism." Not that Martin felt himself without
warrant for his statement, but that he broached the
idea to the people and drew, or thought he drew, their
assent to it. The country people do not choose to be
esteemed ignorant, and when a few well-dressed gentle-
men come forward and descant eloquently on the
beauties of Druidism, it is not to be wondered at if
some are beguiled. The local names which supported
and expressed the older traditions being by this time
unintelligible to the people, and the traditions them-
selves becoming fainter or less coherent through the
greater occupation of men's minds with books and
newspapers, it naturally follows that a specious presen-
tation of new doctrines should have a good chance of
success. As a matter of fact, the success has been so
complete in some quarters, that one cannot now visit
lona, or Arran, or Holywood without finding Druid-
ism in full swing served up daily as the "standing
dish for tourists."*
Martin shows us that in his time the men of Arran
* Dr Reeves makes short work of the silly tales vended in lona about
"the never-failing Druids," and without hesitation he characterises them
as fiction, imperfect fiction, nonsense. See " Vita Columbae," p. 436.
OLD DOCTRINES. 2/1
regarded the standing stones " as monuments upon
the graves of persons of note who were killed in battle."
He also shows that in the minds of the men of Arran
these monuments were associated with the wars of
Finn mac Coole and his mighty heroes. Some of
these Hibernian heroes were the "persons of note"
who were killed, and others were heroes of the race of
"the ancient natives" of Arran. The old Brandanes
had great store of tales about the ancient Irish Fenians
or champions, and especially about the prowess of
their renowned leader, Finn mac Coole. Several of
these tales were told to me by a venerable native of
Kintyre, and his recorded narratives show that he was
thoroughly free from the taint of that modern he.resy,
which substitutes Fingal for Finn mac Coole.* The
same purity in the traditions has been maintained by
some of the men of Arran, but not a few of them have
yielded to the vitiating influence of the heresy which
has just been referred to. And it may be remarked
that the general decadence of this species of folk-lore
is particularly manifest in the absurd inventions which
are occasionally palmed off as traditions. I was told,
for example, that Finn and Ossian had made the
Picture Cave their dwelling-place, but one or two in-
terrogations sufficed to discover the true character of
the communication. It then appeared that these
worthies were supposed to have been everywhere, and
that no mistake could be made by assigning to them
an abode wherever fancy dictated.-f*
* See Stewart's Gaelic Grammar, 2nd ed., p. 197, et seq.
t See pp. 80, 107, el seq., and 128.
272 CAIRN-TREASURE.
There was another class of tales which gave a
popular interest to the cairns and other sepulchral
monuments. These were the tales about the hidden
treasures which they were believed to contain, and
which, in actual fact, have not unfrequently been dis-
covered. Taken along with the stories which repre-
sented the cairns as the resting-places of the mighty
dead, these tales evidently constituted the staple of
our fore-fathers' conversation regarding them.* To
modern times it has been left to instil new ideas into
the minds of the people regarding the ancient grave-
mounds and stone circles. As an able expression of
this well-established fact, and also as an illustration of
the popular belief in cairn-treasure, take the following
passage from Mr Jevvitt's admirable work: "In many
cases, however, they (the grave-mounds) have doubtless
been removed in the hope of finding treasure beneath ;
it being a common belief that immense stores of gold
in one instance the popular belief was that a ' coach
of gold ' was buried beneath were there for digging
for. Where the mounds have been removed and the
colossal megalithic structures allowed to remain, they
have an imposing and solemn appearance, and seem
almost to excuse the play of imagination indulged in
by our early antiquaries in naming them Cromlechs,
and in giving to them a false interest by making them
out to be ' Druids' altars ' altars on which the Druids
made their sacrifices. These same authorities have,
* Arran and Cantyre offer several examples of cairns where hidden
treasure is said to have been found. In one of the stone-kists of a very
large tumulus in the latter territory I discovered what appears to be a
stone axe-head. For "a bowie fu' o' gowd," see p. 125.
MACHRIE. 273
indeed, gone so far in their inventions as to affirm,
that when the capstone was lower on one side than
another, as must necessarily frequently be the case, it
was so constructed that the blood of the victims might
run off in that direction, and be caught by the priests ;
that some of the naturally formed hollows in the stones
were scooped out by hand to receive the heart and
hold its blood for the highest purposes ; and that when
the cromlech was a double one, the larger was used
for the sacrifice, and the smaller for the Arch-Druid
himself whilst sacrificing.
" Researches which have been made in recent times
show the absurdity of all this, and prove beyond doubt
that the cromlechs are neither more nor less than
sepulchral chambers denuded of their mounds. In
several instances they have been found intact, and,
these mounds being excavated, have been brought to
light in a perfect state. These instances have occurred
in Cornwall, in Derbyshire, and in other districts of
England, as well as in the Channel Islands and else-
where. One instance is that of the Lanyon cromlech
in Cornwall." *
Leaving Slee-na-garrahan and its monuments the
traveller may take the shore road to Dougary, and
visit by the way several cairns and standing stones.
One of the latter, between Machrie farmhouse and
the sea-shore, is the Forgislagh of page 30, and signi-
fies the warriors' place of sepulture. Strictly speaking,
it is quite possible that this name may simply mean
* Llewellynn Jewitt, Grave-mounds and their Contents, p. 50. The
" coach " of gold is evidently the cog of gold.
2/4 GLENLUIK.
the howe or tomb of the champion (Treik). Loch-
feargus is another form of this name, and it is explained
in the alphabetical list. At Achagallan there is a
cairn called Carnabeyan or Carnavainn, that is, the
cairn of the heroes ; but in some books the name is
erroneously interpreted " the white cairn." Glacvainn
or Claghveinn signifies the grave-mound of the heroes,
and is the name of a cairn in this quarter. One of
these barrows is fenced with a ring of standing stones,
and attempts have been made to associate it with
Druidical rites ; but we have seen enough in these
studies to show the vanity of such notions. Cnocan-
cualladh may be the mount of the burying-places
(Eirse cladha\ but as there is a chapel-site a little to
the north of it, the name may rather signify the mount
of the oratory. Near the homestead of Auchencar, or
Achachar, there is a very large pillar-stone, as the
name implies, and not far off is Dougary, or the man-
sion of the ruler the hall of the chieftain or thane.
Inland from Machrie a plain, a field is Glaister,*
or the glebe-land, and about a mile from it is Mony-
quil or Monichoillyie, that is, the hill-moor of the cell
of prayer (see p. 134), but possibly signifying the
moorland of the pillar-stone monadh a ghaille. In
the vicinity is Glenluie, the glen of the way or pass (to
Brodick), and merging into Glen-tuie-calm-gaill, the
glen of the cairn of the foreign champions. Near the
* Derenenach is about a mile to the south of Glaister, and may sig-
nify the copse-wood of the heifers or fawns ; but it may also bear the
interpretation which is given at p. 258 : compare Fereneze, i.e., the forest
of the heifers.
Traighliath is another mile further south.
EASBIE. 2/5
cairn just mentioned may be seen Anteyna, or the
steep declivity, and to the west of the latter a Fort
which seems to have been called Easbie, that is, the
habitation or fenced-town of the mighty heroes. This
fort is situated on the brink of a glen which is variously
called Gleann Easbuig, Bishop's Glen, and Glen an
Thagirt ; but it is almost absolutely certain that these
appellations are merely inaccurate versions of ' gleann
Easbie.' Headrick mentions the name of Beninuaran
(p. 146), and while it is interesting to notice that this
Gaelic compound has the very same meaning as the
Norse Easbie, it is no less remarkable to find .the
former name associated with a camp or fort. Head-
rick describes this fort or stronghold as an " immense
circular mound (bulwark) of loose stones," and says
that it " may have been an encampment, or fort, of
the Norwegians, when they possessed the island." The
situation of Beninuaran appears to agree entirely with
that of Easbie, and taken along with the other argu-
ments indicated leaves little room for hesitation as to
the side towards which the weight of evidence leans.*
On the high ground between Easbie and Eersa
Water there is a tarn called Loch Tinna or the hill-
* There is an- Easbie near the Water of Ae. Compare Asapol,
mighty heroes' dwelling ; Aisharel, mighty warrior's tomb-stone ; Ays-
haug, the god-.like hero's cairn ; Ashinduish, the cairn of the doughty
champions ; Osnaburgh, the camp of the mighty warriors ; Hoselaw,
the hill-fort of the heroes ; and Osborne, the stronghold of the god-like
heroes. Oswald means ruler of heroes, just as Donald is ruler of Danes.
Chisholm should denote the mighty hero-chief's town. Astioremon L>
said to have been one of the forefathers of the Urquharts, and it is
interesting to see that his name signifies the man of the mighty warriors'
town.
276 VANNER-LOCH.
head lake tind, a peak, a hill-top. It is sometimes
called Loch-nuis, that is, lochan-ais, or the lochlet of
the hill.* A third name for this little lake is found in
Vannerloch-hill, that is, the hill of the loch of the pas-
ture lands vangar, pastures, grassy fields. Here and
there among the uplands of the Garrawalt these grassy
spots may be found, and the name applied to them is
only one of the many Scandinavian appellations with
which the district abounds. Beyond the water of
Eersa is the prominent ridge of Geelkambedgill, pro-
nounced 'gheel-kammijil,' and signifying the keel-rig-
edge-hill. Thanks are due to Black's map for pre-
serving this name in the form of " Gille Chamigil,"
because otherwise it would have been very difficult to
determine the true character of the first term in the
compound. But this having now been done, it is an
easy matter to explain the .other forms of the name.
Of these, one is Sail Chalmadale, and another is Sail
Hamdel. The old Danish term kioll, a keel-shaped
ridge, is the first word in the compound, and is
changed into 'geel' and 'sail' by sundry Gaelic influ-
ences which can be more fitly described in a philo-
logical treatise. But it may be stated here that ' sail
is an attempted reduction of ' hail,' in accordance with
the Gaelic idiom, to its nominative form, and that
' hail ' or ' huil ' has been gathered or evolved from
* Compare the mountain called Canasp, that is, as-hof, or ridge-head,
with ceann prefixed. This Norse, term, as, is also contained in Wren-
ose or Wrynose [rinn-ace], Yash-ben, Aisgoval, and possibly in Benuish,
Arran. Professor Blackie has tried his hand on Canasp, but in this de-
partment he does not show the same success as in his renderings of
Gaelic poetry.
DOUGARY. 277
druim chuil (kioll), or the like.* The Cuillin, in Skye,
is kioll-in, that is, the keel-shaped ridge or range; and
Culter-fell has its name from the same Norse appella-
tive kjollr. The term is often used in our local
names, but the instances are too numerous to intro-
duce here. It only remains to be said that the second
term in our highly compound name is kamb, a 'kame,'
a rig or ridge, and that it is followed by edge and hill.
Sherral-burn flows southwards from Loch-tanna, and,
as a form of Sheraw, may be held to mean clear-water,
or crag-water. Skauftighyll, or the head-hill glen, is
more to the south-west, and appears to have its name
from the lofty hill-head of Benvarren. Allt na h-Air-
idhe the brook of the shealing or green dell is in
the neighbourhood, and falls into Eersa-water near
Dougary.
Dougary, Nayrin, and Catacol. Dougary appears to
have been formerly the residence of a chief or lord.
The fuller form of the name, as used by natives of
Arran, is Anduighairigh, that is, the residence of the
ruler or prince. His town may have been at first a
fortified camp or ' rath,' and possibly at a later age a
' brough ' or peel-tower of uncemented stones. The
charming situation of Dougary at the foot of the Vale
of Eersa, and close by a river teeming with fish,*!*
could not fail to attract the attention of the earliest
settlers, and to point it out in after times as the proper
heritage of the baron or captain of the host. In the
* Pladda is an instance of false reduction the Norse name of the islet
being Flada,'or the flat-isle.
t Earsay loch abounds with trout of different sizes, and fine salmon,
which are caught by cruives and draught lines. O. S. A., ix. 166.
278 EERSA WATER.
Lothians there is a place called Daachgaury, and in
Cuningham there is a Tougry, both being the equiva-
lents in meaning of the name now under considera-
tion. Eersa is a Norse compound signifying 'trout-
water/ and was formerly pronounced 'yeersa,' although
the proper spelling was Uirsa. This shows how thor-
oughly the Scandinavian influence made itself felt in
Arran, and how complete is the resemblance between
the language of Buchan as still spoken and that which
was used by the men of Arran three centuries ago.
Glen lorsa gives name to the fine glen of Eersa-water,
and has been supposed to mean " the retired glen,"
but it is quite certain that this is a mistake: see ^Ersa,
p. 148.
Passing northwards along the coast, the traveller
comes, to Emochyr or Imochar Point a somewhat
bold headland with a small creek for boats. From
this point there was formerly a ferry by yawl or boat
to the Abbey of Saddel in Kintyre, and this fact is
probably commemorated in the name of Imochar-
point, that is, the point or headland of the holy pil-
grims roinn nan naoimh-uidliear. We have here an
instance of "translation in part," and, as frequently
happens in such cases, a fragment of the latter half
has been torn away in the disruption of the name. It
will be observed that, in this case, the fragment so
carried off is the letter ' n." I have been told that
there is an old grave-yard here, and it is interesting to
notice that there is a hill in the vicinity which bears
the name of Roileag, that is, "a church, a burying-
ground," according to Armstrong. Tynquharry signi-
fies the house of the man of prayer, and certain reasons
NAYRIN. 279
can be advanced for pointing to Imochar as the pro-
bable site of this little oratory. A closer examination
of the locality might lead to good results, and it should
be borne in mind that eim or eimk signifies an oratory,
a sanctuary or holy house ; hence eim a' gfiuidtiir
[eim-a-chuir], the cell or chapel of the bedesman. As
instances of Scottish local names containing the word
'eiv' (eimk), take Morphie i.e., the ruin of the ora-
tory; Aymar-glen, at Old Kirkconnel, and meaning
chapel-brook glen ; Inchmahome or, as locally pro-
nounced, Inshnahaim, and signifying the islet of the
church or oratory ; Evie, a parish joined to Rendal.
Compare Kittil-nakit, that is, the holy-house of prayer
at Coldstream. Such a compound as Weife-nakit,
or the house of prayer eimh na guidJie may have
constituted the germ of the tradition about Lady
Godiva ; and here it is somewhat startling to observe
that godiva itself signifies priest-house, or priest's
temple. Coventry also simply means ' the church
town.' There must be something in these indications,
especially when it can be asserted that my portfolio
contains a score of instances of a similar kind, and all
of them quite as good as those just given. It has also
to be remembered that many of the early founders of
churches in England introduced the Gaelic or Eirse
tongue, and gave Celtic names to a goodly number of
their sacred edifices. It would be an easy matter to
cite the instances which prove this, but it must be left
to another occasion.
Ayrin or Nayrin signifies the gravel-beach, and
applies to the beach of gravel or shingle at Whitefar-
land Point. This point is also called Row-na-heren,
280 TIRGUY.
or the point of the Ayrin, and it is to this association
with the Gaelic that it owes the initial ' n ' in Nayrin.
This latter form of the name is also used to designate
the homestead which stands a little to the north of the
farmhouse of Whitefarland, and ought to be better
known than it seems to be.* Benvoirrin, or the moun-
tain of the rocks, towers aloft on the right, "and shows
on the summit two cyclopean walls of granite blocks
meeting at right angles" (Nelson's Hand-Book.} It
is perfectly evident that the hill has its name from
these granite blocks, and not from the breach or
gash in its forehead, but it would take a good deal of
writing to show how it is so. Let it suffice to notice
one or two points. Beinn-mhorroin is one form of the
name, and if this be a corruption of beinn na beirn, the
hill of the gap, what shall be said of beinn d bhearain,
the hill of the young man ? The word barran, mean-
ing the crest or ridge of a hill or mountain, will also
have to be considered, and so will ban-righinn, a 'bar-
rein,' a queen. None of these, however, can compete
with boireann, a large rock ; a stony, rocky district.
For the rest, see page 156.
Panrisok or Pennerevach is reached shortly after
crossing the brook of Alltgolach, and signifies the
bedesmen's hall, or town of the clergymen. Pont
writes it Penreoch, and in its neighbourhood are the
two places called Tobar Chaluimchille, or the Well of
St Columba, and Tirguy,^ or the house of the bedes-
* Rhunahourine is a point of land in the west of Kintyre, opposite
Gigha, and has the same meaning as Row-na-heren [rue na h-eyrin.]
tThis name is written Tonreghue by Pont, and in the fifteenth cen-
tury it appears in the form of Tonregethy. The mariners' chart has
KELPIES. 28l
man. On the right, and at no great distance from
the coast, there is a small mountain tarn which is thus
described : " This little sheet of water is by far the
most picturesque of all the lochs of Arran, and is
situated deep in a hollow, called Corrie an Lachan.
The place is perfectly lonely ; not a tree is near ; and
except the brown heath on its margin, and a few
stunted rushes by the brook, the surrounding hills are
almost bare of vegetation. The water is dark and
deep, and the stormy blasts of the mountain never
reach its still and unruffled surface. From its edge,
on all sides but that towards the sea, rise the naked
hills, whose sides are either formed of massive granite
blocks, which, though surely yielding to decay, yet
offer a stronger resistance to the destroying influences
of time than the softer portions of the mountain, where
the decomposing rock . may almost be seen slowly
crumbling away." * Headrick tells us that " the
people here believe that a water-bull, of great ferocity,
resides in this lake ;" but it is not at all likely that
anyone now entertains this belief. Stories about
water kelpies and other aquatic monsters were far
from uncommon in old times, and a considerable
number of places owe their names to this circum-
stance. It may be so with Corrie an Lachan. Let
us see if loich, a trull or goblin, will do. This word is
probably a Gaelic form ofjlaugh, a giantess, a troll, an
ogre ; and by adding to it the diminutive termination
Tandergay, and some recent maps have Thundergay, but all the forms
have the same meaning, viz., the house of the bedesman or clergyman.
* Professor Ramsay's " Geology of the Island of Arran," p. 49.
S
282 AIRIVERGA.
we get coire na loichin, or the goblin's pot. Some
mistake about the gender may have crept into the
tradition, or Headrick's " water-bull " may be a mis-
print of water-trull. In any case the result is capable
of receiving stronger support than either of the other
two versions, viz., the corrie of the ducks, or the corrie
of the little loch. Knock-mani-scular, or the hill of
the moor of peat-mosses, is shown by the mariners'
chart to be in this quarter, and it reminds us of the
Scuiler or mosses near Urie-loch. Meall-biorach is on
the southern verge of Corrie-an-lachan, and seems to
mean the sharp-pointed hill ; but unless this character
belongs to it (which is very doubtful), it is not unlikely
that the name was originally based upon the Norse
word biarg, a crag, rock, . cliff, hill. This remark
applies also to the 'breac' in Beinn-bhreac, and ap-
pears to be countenanced by the presence of biergas, a
ridge, a cliff, in Suidhe-feargas. Compare the Buc of
the Cabrach, that is, the peak of the mountain range
gebirge, o. h. g. ki-perki,
Airiverga is a picturesque locality on the sea-shore,
and the natural beauty of the place is not a little en-
hanced by the presence of a church. The name is
evidently a compound of eyri, a low gravelly shore or
point, and brekka, a cliffy eminence, a bank. The
former term qualifies the latter, and the meaning is
equivalent to shingle-point cliff, or the cliff beside the
gravelly point. Eyri-vergan is another form of the
same name, and it designates the same locality. The
fact shows that berg, a rock, a cliff, does not apply
here, because it is a neuter noun and could not, even
under Gaelic influence, become 'vergan.' It will, of
ARRIN CAIRN. 283
course, be observed that the slightly altered form of
the name is due to the influence just referred to.*
Further, it may be remarked that the castle of Loch-
ranza is built upon an ' eyri.'
Craw is cro, with the same meaning as Kwee, p. 167,
but the hills adjacent may, or may not, have a different
association. The bay of Catacol is now in full view,
and a short walk will bring the traveller to the site of
the famous cairn. Timothy Pont is likely to have
seen this cairn when he travelled through the island
nearly three centuries ago, for his map points it out
by the name of Arren. Martin seems to refer to it
when he speaks of " the place of the giant Fin-mac-
Coul's slaughter," but he gives no further description
of the cairn. Towards the close of the last century
one of the ministers of Arran says just enough to let
us see that this cairn, called Arrin, had lent its name
to a field on which, as alleged, a battle had been fought.
The combatants, according to tradition, were Finn on
the one hand, and Manus, son of the king of Sweden,
on the other. Now, it need not be doubted that there
is some truth in this story, but in order to understand
it we have to remember that ' Finn' often signifies the
champions, and ' Sweden,' the warriors, and ' king,' the
grave-mound or cairn.-f- Arrin also signifies 'the
cairn' (haugrinn), and it is certain that the name was
* This explanation supersedes the one given at p. 148, and it may
here be stated that brekkan is in the definite form.
t The Arrin cairn has been swept away, the materials having been
used in the construction of a road. Fingal appears to be regarded by
some authors as a theoretical equivalent of Finn, but does not the former
simply mean 'foreign champions?' See Aorinn, p. 153.
284 CATACOL.
given by the Norse settlers in the island of Arran. It
has only to be added that some authors write Sweden
for Swedeland in connection with this subject, and
that Glencatagil easily bears the signification of The
glen of the battle of the foreigners.
For the sake of illustration let it be noted that
' sweden-king ' signifies the warriors' cairn, and that
mac in the language of Arran denotes a field as well
as a son. It is therefore clear that Mac-sweden-king
means the field of the heroes' cairn, and not the son
of the king of Sweden. Of course, it would be non-
sense to say " the son of the heroes' cairn." In Mac-
farlans-cairn we have an example of mac in the sense
of field it being a hardened form of magJi and
several other instances of it occur in these pages.
When Sir Walter Scott introduces Macfarlane's Cross
into one of his poetical episodes,* it is evident that he
has preserved another form of the name of Macfarlan'-s-
cairn, that is, the field of Forlin Cairn. Now, this
Forlin has the same meaning as the Feorlin of page
171, and the " cross " is just kors or keirs, that is, the
grave-beds, the cairns. Hence Farlane's Cors signifies
either the sea-rovers' cairns, or the cairns of Forlin
* " He cross'd his brow beside the stone
Where Druids erst heard victims groan,
And at the cairns upon the wild,
O'er many a heathen hero piled,
He breathed a timid prayer for those
Who died ere Shiloh's sun arose.
Beside Macfarlane's Cross he staid,
There told his hours within the shade,
And at the stream his thirst allay'd."
LORD OF THE ISLES, c. v., s. 6.
MEIGLE. 285
(whatever that may mean), and should be sought for
at Sannox. Swinscoe, or champions' barrow, presents
a very close parallel to ' sweden-king ' see Jewitt, p.
22. As examples of the use of 'kein' or 'king,' let me
offer the following: Cathkin, the Yeats' barrow; Cat-
cune, the same; Greskin, the mighty hero's grave-bed;
Enterken, the giant-warriors' cairn (two places so
called) ; King-shaw's Grave, the cairn hill-top, with
grave added ; King-loth's Grave, the barrow-stone's
grave "loth" being lag/it, a grave or monument;
King - stone, the barrow-stone ; Kings - knowe, the
howe- knoll ; and Wanders -kwen, the hero -chief's
sepulchre at Meigle, but has nothing in the world to
do with queen Guinevere.
In the neighbourhood of Arrin-cairn there were
other sepulchral memorials, and since the word minnie
or minde denotes a cairn, a grave-monument, it is easy
to see that Minnies-mac is the field of the memorial-
stones or barrows, and not of Manus. Minnesh is in
the island of Gigha, and signifies Cairn-point ; Mind-
ick means the hill of monuments, and is at Slipper-
field i.e., the field or hill of the seil-beor, or pillar-
stone tomb ;* Menzion is at Dounail, or the lord's
grave, and his sepulchre is still marked by three great
rude pillar-stones on Tweedside ; and Monichoillyie
is probably best explained by 'memorial pillar-stones'
minde-gaille.
Before we leave the site of the cairn which has so
much engaged our attention, let us notice a few other
* Here is lapis Catti, or the Yeats' Stone. See Jewitt, page 54, for
Minning-low.
286 AYTON.
places whose names naturally claim affinity with it.
The Horn or Haurn is one of these, and it need
scarcely be said that this local name simply means
' the cairn.' Its contents have been exposed, and
sundry relics of the old champions brought to light.
Whether these warriors were of the race of the Risar
who gave their name to the lands of Reston (and it is
on these lands that the Horn will be found), or were
of an older Celtic race, is a question which it is not
necessary at present to decide. The remains of this
barrow are in the parish of Ayton, Berwickshire, and
they are not far from the site of the old fort of Pren-
derguest, that is, the fort of the Yeat chief. Millbank,
in the same parish, has supplied beautiful specimens
of cinerary urns of high antiquity. They were found
in the kistvaens of an ancient cemetery, which is situ-
ated on a sunny slope overlooking a romantic part of
the glen of Eye. The characteristics of the spot se-
lected, and certain other indications, appear very
clearly to point to the Yeats as the constructors of
these interesting relics. The place is nearly a mile to
the north-east of Ayton Castle. Percyhorner is a re-
markably fine name, and it signifies ' the cairns of the
giants or mighty heroes.' It designates a locality
about two miles to the south-west of Fraserburgh (i.e.,
mighty heroes' camp-town), and supplies an interest-
ing example of a pure Norse definite plural. Crimon-
mogate is about five miles to the south-east, and is
worthy of attention, for its name means the pillar-
stones of the chiefs of the Picts. It may be compared
with Innean na Meachach, or the precipice of the Picts
a name which it was my fortune to discover in Kin-
HOGG. 287
tyre, and one of special importance on account of the
.perfect state in which it was found. Inkhorn is in
Buchan, and denotes either the barrow of Ingi, or that
of the giants. Dreghorn signifies heroes' cairn, and
there are several places of this name. Compare An-
thorn, or the giants' tumulus ; Hawklaw, the hill of
the burial-mound ; the Hawk-stone, or barrow-stone,
of St Madoes, but connected with a falcon's flight in
the legendary history of the Hays ; Houn-point, the
cairn-ness or point, and corresponding as a name with
Peatdraught i.e., the tomb of the chief at Earl
Cairnie, or the chieftains' sepulchres, Dalmeny. Oscar
or 'auskir' readily bears the meaning of 'lordly heroes'
sepulchres,' and if it has been really found as a local
name in Arran, it can be so explained. (See p. 180.)*
Hogg means a hillock or mound, as well as a cairn ;
and the numerous ' haurstanes ' or ' hairstanes ' are
usually so denominated from the barrows which they
distinguish.
Avon-vaig, or little water, appears to be a name for
the stream which enters the sea near the site of the
Cairn. Ramsay's map, however, distinguishes it by
the appellation of Uisge Solus, or ' the bright water,"
as he explains it. Bright enough it certainly is when
glancing in the summer sunshine it dashes adown the
steeps of Maithaic-uan, and sparkles like a cataract of
brilliants. But if the true interpretation has been
* Rask says that Asgier [oscar] denotes god's spear (geir), or, per-
haps, god's falcon (geyer.)
Haugs-houme occurs as a local name and signifies Cairn-vale. The
latter term in the compound occurs several times in the form of
a green vale : see p. 89.
288 KELLYVOHR.
given, the grammatical construction of its name is
about the worst that can be found in Arran. A more
creditable alternative might be suggested, but it may
be better to wait till an opportunity occurs for acquir-
ing further information on the spot.
The Madalouna of page 179 is evidently the Maith-
aic Uan which Professor Ramsay describes as a "hill,"
but the fact had not been noticed when the page re-
ferred to was written. It may therefore be stated here
that the two forms of the name show at once how one
may lay his finger on the perfect original, and that
that original signifies the hill of the declivity, the
mount of the steep slope mota cJdaoine. We may
still write Madalouna as a sufficiently correct and
Anglicised form of the name, but we must not say
that it means the wild-dog lair. And if it be possible
to represent with exactness the local pronunciation as
given to me by one of the natives, I should say that
' muitaluiny ' comes very near the mark. It only re-
mains to be said that the hill so designated is nearly a
mile to the south-east of Catacol farmhouse.
Lochranza may now be reached in less than half an
hour. Passing along the coast, the traveller soon finds
himself opposite a beautiful range of copse-clad cliffs,
and these are strikingly romantic between White Point
and Kellyvohr Point. The latter name is an Angli-
cised form of coille m/wr, that is, great wood, big
copse ; but as holt means a copse, a wooded height,
and is still used in some parts of the country, it is pos-
sible enough that this locality may have been some-
times called Stor-holt, that is, great copse, big wooded
height. Craig-na-gack, or the jack-daws' crag, is in
LOCHRANZA. 289
this quarter; and more inland is Craignagairy, or the
crag of the champions, with a ruined fort. Both of
these names are noticed at page 167, and there the
latter of the two is written Creag nan curaidh. To the
left, looking across the Sound of Kilbrannan, a charm-
ing view is obtained of Riesdal, or mighty heroes' dale
(at Clunaig), and also of the grand old Castle of Skip-
ness, with the remains of its ancient church on a green
mound near the sea-shore. Further to the north may
be seen Airdlamont and the mountains of Kerry and
Cowal.
APPENDIX.
A GLANCE ROUND BUTE.
SINCE it has not been possible to introduce the Bute
Studies into this volume, I shall confine myself here
to a few observations on some of the local names of
the island.* Many of these names have been familiar
to me from my earliest years, and the localities to
which they are applied are no less so. Every avail-
able aid to their elucidation has been used. Charters
and retours have been carefully studied, several classes
of Bute MSS. consulted, and the local pronunciation
of three and four generations back treasured up. As
an example of the value of a thorough knowledge of
the old local pronunciation, take the name of Largi-
zean. It is not found in the charter of 1506, and it
does not appear in Font's map of Bute. In short,
there is little to help us in this instance except the
pure traditional sound of the name, and this may be
* It is hoped that an opportunity of publishing these Studies may
occur before another year has passed.
292 APPENDIX.
tolerably well represented by Larich-a-yaean. Here
Elain's Manuscripts come to our assistance, and these
furnish ample evidence that in his time the name was
frequently pronounced Larichaneyan. Its meaning is
not now far to seek, and it is caught with a certainty
which is not always to be had. Largizean, then (to re-
sume the conventional form of the name), signifies the
burying-place of the hero-strangers, and clearly refers -
to the three great pillar-stones in the near vicinity of
the farm-house. As a place of sepulture, this parti-
cular spot is -alluded to at page 109, and here it may
be explained that the same page contains a reference
to the pillar-stones in the wood to the north of Yett-
house. A further reference to the great standing
stones in the wood (near Kingarth parish church) is
also made at page 216.
The determination of the meaning of the name of
Ambro' is, in a great measure, due to the discovery of
the pure, old, local pronunciation. Without this it
would have been very difficult to reach anything like
certainty in regard to the two Ambres of Scalpsie, but
as things stand every difficulty has vanished. Ambro'
signifies the giant-warriors' burg or fortress, as has
been explained above, p. 37, and the name has evident
reference to the demolished 'caher' or 'brough,' of
which the vast ruins may still be seen on a rocky
mount at Scalpsie Bay. It should also be noticed
that the other name just mentioned was formerly pro-
nounced Scalspie, and since this name signifies cham-
pions' residence, warriors' fortress, it is clear that it
originally designated the same stronghold as Ambro'.
Scalbirt, near Campbelton, signifies the warriors'
APPENDIX. 293
fortress or citadel, and was a place of great strength.
Its circular wall or bulwark is fourteen feet in thick-
ness, and encloses an area of considerable extent.
These names remind one of Scauroe or the bucaneers'
fort upon the Aird of King-scorroe in Arran. See
above, pp. 148, 175, and 250. Another very interesting
fact is brought out by these studies, viz., that Ambro'
as a local name is the same as Edinburgh, and that
consequently there is a ruined citadel so denominated
in the Isle of Bute. See Clusters of Names, p. 36, and
compare the Dun-mac-aisneighin of page 39. This
last name was evidently at first Ahasaneyan, that is,
the palace of the hero-strangers, the citadel or garrison
of the fiery warriors ; but in course of time the peasants
of the neighbourhood used the name to distinguish the
Mac (magk, field, plain) which lies about it, and hence
arose Mac-ahas-an-eyan, or the Field of the fenced-
town of the fiery warriors. The next step that of
prefixing dun, a fastness, a fortified hill shows that
the yeomen of Beregonium had utterly lost the mean-
ing of the primary form of the appellation. For the
sake of those who may not be very well acquainted
with Dunmacasneighan, I may state that the name
belongs to the remains of a great vitrified hill-fort on
the shore of Muik-ness Bay, Lochetive. Antiquaries
and others have alleged that it was the capital of the
Picts at a very remote period, but the roving strangers
from the East evidently called it Bergonium, that is,
bragna heim, or the warriors' residence. A newspaper
report of a Paper read before the Society of Anti-
quaries of Scotland says : " On the other hand it was
plain that the dun was not a Roman Camp, and had
294 APPENDIX.
no title to the name Beregonium sometimes bestowed
on it.* Now, with regard to these allegations it may
be remarked that the former cannot be doubted, but
the latter of the two statements must be entirely re-
pelled. It was lately my fortune to make a series of
researches in the locality referred to, and whatever
may be said about the meaning of the name Bere-
gonium, it is undeniable that the name itself is a gen-
uine old local name, and has been in continuous use
for generations. And for the sake of pure scientific
investigation, let it be understood that my interpreta-
tion does not indicate any leaning or bias towards the
Norsemen on the one hand, or Picts on the other. It
is quite certain that many places have several names,
and it is easy to' see how some of these could be given
at a time when the older appellations were either lost
or their meaning forgotten.
Dunmacasneighin appears to be also called Bergo-
nian (Hill Burton, i. 87), that is, the 'brough' or fenced
town of the fiery heroes ; and this name may be com-
pared with the Printonian [print-an-eean] of page 21,
supra. Speaking of the vitrified forts, Mr Burton
says : "Another is on the shore of Loch Etive, oppo-
site to the Castle of Dunstaffnage. Its fragments are
found on a double-topped rocky mound rising out of
the narrow plain, and overlooking long stretches of
sea, loch, and of the Island of Mull. Its proper High-
land name is Dun Macsniachain. This has been set
down as the Rerigonium spoken of by the monkish
chroniclers as the capital of the Pictish kings. We are
* See The Scotsman of December 12, 1876.
APPENDIX. 295
to suppose, then, that their court was held here before
the removal of the establishment, first to Craigphadric,
and afterwards to Forteviot on the Earn." History of
Scotland, i. 87.
A note to this passage says : " Among the people
of the neighbourhood the Latin name thus conferred
on it by the learned seems to have, with an alteration
in the first letter, superseded its native name, and the
inhabitants speak of it as ' Bergonian.' "
Now, with reference to Rerigonium, it need only be
stated that it clearly signifies the fortress of the lord
of the warriors, and that Ptolemy's map shows a town
of this name in the country of the Novantae, now
Galloway. By a different reading of the name we get
Retigonion, that is, the fortress of the heroes ratJi
aoighean. Other vitrified forts are Craigphadric,
that is, the crag of the prince's palace ; Dunadeer, the
mount of the governor's residence, the hill of the chief's
fortress ; Farigag, the ruin of the fortress ; Noath, a
refuge-hold (naid) ; Dunskeige, the hill or mount of
the refuge-hold; Port-rey, in the Cumbraes (seep. 85^
and Dunagoil, or the stronghold of the strangers. The
last of these names brings us back to the island of
Bute, and also reminds us of the vitrified fort of
Ellanbuy in the Kyles. This is probably the same
as Eallanboy,. that is, the island of the garrison or
fortified residence ; and since it is one of the Burnt
Isles, we should bear in mind that ' brunt' signifies a
fortress, a camp, a rath. Nearly a mile and a half to
the north of it is Eallangheirig (Wade, 357), or noble-
man's isle eilean airg with slight remains of a castle
which Argyll made use of in 1685. The name should
296 APPENDIX.
be pronounced ' eallan-yeirg,' and it is very certain
indeed that it does not mean " red island," as stated
in Wilson's "Guide to Rothesay," p. 5 1, 3rd ed. Font's
map has it in the form of Castel oilen Greg, or the
castle of warriors' island, because analogous to the
name of the great camp of Castle-greg or Campbelty,
five miles south of Livingston. Rispaine has been
mentioned above (p. 243) as a vitrified fort situated
on the coast of Kerry, and on a point of land opposite
Tarbert.
Dunagoil is rendered "the hill of the Lowland men"
by Thorburn in his account of the parish of Kingarth,
and he adds that it was said to be a Danish fort. Dr
Joyce tells us that Donegal means ' the fortress of the
foreigners,' and he states distinctly that these for-
eigners must have been Danes " for we have direct
testimony that they had a settlement there at an early
period," (p. 92). These statements may be compared
with the view suggested or entertained by J. Eaton
Reid, and expressed in the following extract from his
valuable " History of the County of Bute," page 16:
"At Dungoil (or the Hill of the Strangers) the re-
mains are more extensive, but not so well defined.
The name (which is applied to a similar site in the
Sound of Mull) would lead to the inference that those
places were the resort, not of the native population,
but of the sea adventurers who infested the western
shores of Scotland." MacConachy, a native of Bute,
says : "All the ancient fortresses in Bute, Arran, and
the other islands, are indisputably of Norwegian con-
struction, and were erected about two centuries before
APPENDIX. 297
the year 1093."* Some people have thought that the
Gaelic name of this vitrified fort argues a Celtic occu-
pation, but it is easy to see that the mere name war-
rants no such conclusion. It is quite possible that
the fortress may have had a Scandinavian name, and
if so we have not far to look for it. Port-dornach is
the name of a little creek at the foot of the headland
on which the ruined fortress is situated, and may be
rendered 'the port or creek of the pebbles' (dornag) ;
but this appellation may really be founded upon the
Danish dornock, that is, heroes' hill-fort ; and it is well
known that several places throughout the land are so
designated. About a mile to the north of this creek,
and in the near neighbourhood of another of these
old 'broughs' or forts, there is a port which bears the
name of Portahach, or warriors' port. This latter
creek or port is also called Foule-port, a very likely
corruption of Fouar-port, that is, the port of the Fom-
orians or sea champions. These facts are significant,
but I cannot dwell on them at present, and have only
to add, that this little creek or landing place is styled
Lubas Port in the Ordnance Survey sheet. -J-
Creislagh-vourachy has been adduced at page 107
in connection with the old sea-rovers. This name
may also be written Creaslavouratie, and it is very
fortunate that there can be no difficulty in determining
* MacConachy's Manuscript Account of Bute. He wrote about the
year 1840, and spent part of his life in the West Indies.
f Compare Foule-port, p. 70, and see Dr Joyce's "Names of Places,"
p. 47, for the frequent substitution of the letter / for r. Uav-atach,
that is, the cave of the giant, champion, or monster, is only a short
distance southwards from Dunagoil.
T
298 APPENDIX.
its meaning. It signifies ' the Fomorians' belt of pillar-
stones ;' in other words, 'the girdle stones of the giant-
heroes.' But though there be no difficulty now, it was
not always so. The errors of scribes and the blunders
of copyists had twisted it into all sorts of odd shapes,
and if the history of its many disguises were told, the
tale would be as curious as instructive. It may with
truth be said, that had not the study of this name,
as well as that of many others in the island, been a
labour of love, the task would have been hopeless.
Dr MacLea had not the slightest chance of being
able to interpret it, for it is not at all likely that he
could spare the time necessary for collecting the writ-
ten materials which bear upon it. As for the pillar-
stones which rejoice in this long Gaelic name, it is
also a fortunate circumstance that they still remain
on the site which they have dignified for ages. Seven
in number they Fstand, grey and freckled with the
lichen-tints of age, and forming a circle nineteen paces
in diameter. A ' fail ' or turf dyke encloses the circle,
and a fine clump of thirty-one trees overshadows the
whole group. In the eastern part of the circle there
is a huge pointed block which rises some nine or ten
feet above the soil. This massive stone. is about three
paces in breadth, and its thickness at the base is one
pace. Westward of it there is another huge block of
equal height, but thicker at the head than about the
waist. Further to the westward there is a large block
standing about three feet above the ground. The
next, going round more towards the south, is appa-
rently thrown out of its original position. In the
south may be seen other two massive stones, one of
APPENDIX. 299
them about six feet in height, and the other nearly as
tall. The last of these, as I judged, is composed of
gneiss, and between it and the tallest of the group
(No. i) there is a low slab of slate occupying the most
easterly position of all the seven. Some of the stones
are of quartzose mica-rock, one is a hard, compact
whin-stone, and others are of a slaty texture. This
magnificent circle of monumental stones stands in the
fourth field from the lovely strand of Ettrick Bay, and
upon a spot which is only about a quarter of a mile to
the south of Kilmahalmac. Perhaps it was the cap-
tain or leader-chief of these Fomorians who built the
palace of Aitrick (Blain's orthography) on the green
mount scarcely a mile to the westward. However
that may be (and it is a question which cannot be
entered upon here), it is important to observe that
Ptolemy places the Yeats or Gadini in the territory
which lies between Stirling and Loch Fyne, and there-
fore it is highly probable that this people occupied the
island of Bute also. If the Firbolgs took possession
of Arran and Islay, as old chronicles relate (Cps. 23)
and local names confirm, it is also very likely that they
made themselves acquainted with the green dales of
Bute as well as with the shores of Cuningham and
Renfrew. Perhaps we may also find traces of the
Cruiney in Bute, as we appear to have done so in a
neighbouring island ; and since the Cruiney or Picts
are placed by Ptolemy in the Argyle of to-day, it is
quite possible that they may have had something to
do with the ancient vitrified fort and the primitive
munitions of Aitrick Court.*
* Aitrick is variously written Atrig, Athriochg, and Etterick. In the
300 APPENDIX.
At page 107 Aitrick has been explained to mean
' the site of the palace.' By the use of the term ' pal-
ace' we are here to understand a distinguished resi-
dence, a fenced or fortified mansion, a court (as of a
noble.) The site, as has already been indicated, is
identified with a green mound situated about two
hundred yards to the south of the homestead of
Upper Etterick. Great quantities of the stones which
formed the ramparts have been removed within the
memory of persons still living in the island. From
north to south the fort or palace would be about one
hundred paces in length, and the breadth from east to
west about fifty-four paces. These measurements
were made on the spot, and it may be safely said that
no one can visit the locality without being charmed
with the romantic features of the place, and the mag-
nificent as well as extensive prospect which the sum-
mit of the mount commands. The word teamJiair has
been fully explained by Dr Joyce, and examples of its
use may be found in Tibber-castle z>., palace-tower,
at Drumlanrig (the ' rig ' of the nobleman's court) ;
Temper, about four or five miles west of Tummel-
bridge ; Tepper-moor, near the citadel of Procolitia on
the southern Roman "barrier; and probably also in
Castle-tarres, now Carstairs. Achintearie may be ex-
plained by this term, and the meaning will conse-
quently be 'the field of the fortified residence,' with
reference to the adjacent fort.
Largovrachan is situated on the south-eastern shore
Retours of two centuries ago we find the two farmhouses of the name
described as " the two Aitricks," and Pout's map has " Ettrichs."
APPENDIX. 301
of Ettrick Bay, and its name signifies the burying-
place of the Fomorian champions. The spot is marked
by some remains of a circle of stones near a wood,
and at no great distance westwards from the farm-
house. Traces of these sea-rovers may also be found
in the name of Reilivourkie, that is, the barrow or
grave-mound of the champions ; and although the
barrow and its rude kistvaens have been removed, the
site may still be seen on the south-east side of the
road, near Greenan-mill. Calmorayin, or grave of the
warriors, refers to the same class of adventurers, and it
gives name to the field on Scoulag farm in which the
barrow with its contents was discovered. Blain speaks
of a barrow which was found in the paddock of the
mill connected with this farm, and possibly it is the
same as the one just described. Aghanvranchan is
the name of a large hill-fort at Largs, and denotes the
fort or stronghold of the Fomorians. A shorter form
of the word (fomhar) occurs in a great number of local
names throughout the land ; e.g., Castle-ower, or the
fortified town of the warriors, otherwise called Yeat-
byre, or Yeats' town. It is situated on one of the
Eskdale hills, and is no less remarkable for its magni-
tude than for the strength of its munitions. Scoulag
has just been mentioned, and may be explained here.
It is a Norse name signifying champions' settlement,
and may be compared with Danalagh, or the Danes'
settlement.
The subject-matter of the preceding paragraph
shows very clearly that the Island of Britain may
simply mean the island of the mighty warriors innis
na bhfomliaraicJiean, The last term in this compound
302 APPENDIX.
becomes ' vrachtan ' and ' brettan,' and in point of fact
it has become so in many instances which are known
to me. The extremely frequent and extensive use of
the linguistic principles involved renders this explana-
tion much more natural than the one offered by the
author of Words and Places.
Castle-cree is about a mile and a half to the west of
Greenan, and its name clearly points it out as a strong-
hold of the champions or warriors coraidh. It is
built on the summit of a lofty spur which projects
from the sea-cliff, and the sides of this hill-spur are
sheer precipices, except at the narrow neck which
joins it to the main-land of the island. The inner or
east-end wall of the fortress takes the form of a point,
and is nine paces in thickness. The side walls, so far
as they extend, are about four paces in breadth or
thickness, and the entire bulwark is constructed of
slate-stones without cement of any kind. An area of
forty-five paces in length and about ten in width is
thus enclosed, and part of the wall is still entire to the
height of four feet. There seems to have been a par-
tition wall about six paces to the west of the inner
face of the eastern defences, thus forming a chamber
in the eastern end of the fort. Quite a profusion of
ferns and wild flowers adorned the area of this refuge-
hold when I last saw it, and while the verge of the
cliff all round was beautifully fringed with sloe-thorn
in full bloom, the parapet of the walls was gaily crim-
soned with the red-leaved sedum or stonecrop. Who-
ever may have been the builders of this strong old
residence, it is certain that the hand of violence was
raised against it, and no one seems to know anything
APPENDIX. 303
of its history. Sometimes it is called Macrae-castle,
that is, the fort or castle of the champions. Androsca-
dale appears to be another name of the structure, but
the local pronunciation is sometimes Ardrostugal, that
is, the high promontory of the Dugalls or foreigners.
If the former be held to be the correct form, it is quite
possible that it may contain 'skadal' i.e., robbers'
hill or residence ; and this may be compared with
Skudaborg, or the fortress of the pirates in Skye.
With these remarks I must take leave of the subject
for the present, though it would be quite easy to intro-
duce and discuss one or two other views regarding it
which have occurred to me.
Cryslan Well has been explained above (p. 21) as
the health-giving well or pot coire, a pot, a basin. It
will be found at a place one mile to the southwards,
and near a ruined chapel of the same name. This
little chapel is situated at the foot of a cliff crowned
with ivy, and which contains a tiny cave in which a
'pypar' or hermit may have lodged. The famous
fountain is a short distance east of the chapel, and is a
strong clear spring of cool sweet water. Troops of
pilgrims appear to have frequented it, especially on
church-festival days, for the meadow beside the chapel
is still called Billie-bog, that is, the play or festival
bog : see Bel-stane, p. 58. Of course it will be under-
stood that "bog" is here used in the sense of meadow,
for such is really the case. Near it is Ruanomar, or
islet-point (Jiolmar, island), and farther to the south is
Ruh-ant-linnean, or shoulder-blade point, otherwise
called St Ringan's.
Dunallin at first sight might be thought to mean
304 APPENDIX.
either the beautiful mount, or the hill-fort of the
champion adhlan, a hero : compare ' uhlan.' But
the name is Dunawlan, and signifies the fortified resi-
dence of the lords or chiefs dun na bJiflatfian. Scarcely
a vestige of this ancient habitation can now be seen,
but the amenity of the situation and the fertility of
the district could not fail to point it out- as the proper
seat of a noble. On the south is the rich vale of Kil-
whinlik, and the house of Ballanlay, or chieftain's
mansion. Dumburgadale is nearly a mile to the
north-west of the homestead of Westland, and com-
mands a fine view of both sides of the island. It
stands on the slope of the hill-range of Craig-na-buid-
sich, or the crag of the witches, and is only a few hun-
dred yards outside of the royalty boundary or march.
It has been built of slate stones and without cement.
On the north side the outer face of its circular wall is
still as high as a man's shoulder, and though much
lower in other parts, enough remains to enable one to
trace the wall all round. The wall is about five and a
half paces in thickness, and the diameter of the in-
terior area is the same as that of Ambro, viz., twenty-
four paces. Drimahoany, or the ridge of wailing, is in
the vicinity of this ruined brough, and the very men-
tion of its name is strangely suggestive of war and
calamity. As for the name of this great tower, it
would be easy to show that it is Burdagal with dun
prefixed, and therefore signifies the brough or strong
tower of the foreigners. But as the limits of these
notes will soon be reached, it may be sufficient for the
present to state that Burgadale (in the parish of
Kingarth) is often, and doubtless properly, pronounced
APPENDIX. 305
Burdagal, that is, the fortress of the strangers. When