IV.

ANCIENT VALUATIO E WES LAN F TH F NO SCOTLANDTO N I D : CON- TINUATION OF " WHAT IS A ?" BY THE LATE CAPT. . THOMASL . W . F , E.N., F.S.A. Scot.

formea n I r communicatio suggestes wa t ni d tha "e ouncelanth t d f "o e Orkney e equivalenth th s swa a previou f to s Pictish uni f valuationo t , called a "davach";1 it will now bo argued that north of the Islee th Foi'tsl Clydbeforal d hd an ninthe ean e th century were divided into davachs; that in so much of Scotland as came under Norse domination, the davach was succeeded in name by the ounceland ; and that in the twelfth or thirteenth century both davach and ounceland were valued in knight's fees, or in multiples or fractions thereof, The uni lanf o t d valuation wit Anglo-Saxone hth e hideth s , hida;swa the fourth parn ioctet, f a whico ts wa hjugera, yokeland, latterln i y North Britain a husbandland, . Hida translates i earliese th n di t Latin charters by terra aratri,2 a ploughgate—as much land as could be 1 Proc. Sac. Anliq, Soc., vol. xviii. j>. 258. 2 "xxx aratorum," No. 15, A.D. 611, Birch ; Cart. Sax., " trium aratorium," No. 36, A.D. 675. ib , ANCIENT VALUATIO LANF O N 1 SCOTLANDN DI 20 .

ploughed by eight oxen in one season.1 Many other words are used to translat eneee hida,w t d onlbu y notice here terra familiae, lane f th 2o d a family r rathero , , household, which must have included many individuals, for the mere father, mother, and children could neither have used nor required the work of eight oxen. After the Conquest, Scotlandn i d an hida , usualls ei y called caruoata, carucata r plougheo - land, and contained 120 English or 104 Scotch . In Scotland, I, loua (corrupted to lona), I Cholumchille was estimate Bedy db contaio at n five famittum,3 terras familiae—that , fivis e hides or ploughgates ; but throughout Pictavia, from the time there is any record, the unit of land valuation was the davach, ddbacli. That the davach was the same as the ploughgate admits of indirect proof, for e wesd nortth an tn f Scotlan i o h a davacd s synonymousi h witn a h ounceland; now, the ouncelands of the Orkneys, probably so named in the ninth century, contained a ploughgate.4 The extent of surface of land ploughed by a team of oxen6 must have varie e landd th qualitgreatle e f soilth , o th alss a ,f y oyo la wit e hth by the weight and size of the oxen, which, it may be presumed, varied as much between different parts of the country before the Conquest as afterwards; a team of Highland kyloes would make but little way over the stiff clays of the south of . It must therefore be most fallacious to reckon any fixed number of acres to a hide or ploughgate, until custo established mha dtheoreticaa n plac i lnaturaa f eo l measure. Davach, ddbach, ddbhach, doet occutopographicaa no s s a r l termn i Ireland, nor n Walesi ' s therefori t i ; e Pictish t wouli d dan ; probably 1 Seebohm, Eng, Vill. seq.t e Com.,2 6 . p 2 "x familiamm,' . 179No , A.D. 749, Birch, Cart. Sax.; Beda, Ece. Hist., passim. Beda, Ecc. Hist., Bk. iii. oh. iv. 1 PTOC. Soc. Antiq. Scot., vol. xviii. p. 276. Many are the explanations given to this much-vexed word, e.g., Davach—four ploughgates ploughgate on ; epagus; ; distric f countryo t lota ; a certai, n portion of land; a farm that keeps 60 cows ; a farm adequate to the pasture of 320 cows ; about eight miles long and four broad ; literally the pasturage; a bourn ; a deey poolr an deeo py r wellt holloan o ,p pi r o , w lande [i ncaldror th o ]t likva n; ea a flax dam ; a vat, kieve, or large tub ; a huge lady ; Fingal's mother ; a throw or blo ventur a wit handlesb t wo a tu htw a e; . 202 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S, APRI , 188612 L .

be represente n modedi m Gaeli damhacli,y b c where damh, oxenox = , and ach is an augmentative particle, giving the sense of " abounding "n i ; thus, earn, heaa f stonespo ; carnach, placa manf eo y cairnso s ; davach, damhach, dabhach, will mea nfula l tea f oxenmo . stils i n ora a t lI l traditio Inverness-shiren i n , tha a davacht , always pronounce modern di n Gaelic, daach, da'ach,s muca s h wa lan couls da d f Banfo . A f , S ploughee . b 0 teaa e season e th y f moxed b on o d n ni an , state s originait s "n i l acceptatio t i nmeans s muce a b n h ca lan s a d ploughed by eight oxen."1 The same result is found for Inverness-shire, where in early ages, and even in quite recent times [1808], the extent or yearly value was estimated by the " daugh, the aughten part [and] the boll."2 JSTow, "a boll's sowing of bere " is a convertible term for an of arable land,3 and the writer states that "an aughten part" contain bollx ssi s sowing, othen i 4 r words x acressi , . This is provet da Elgin, wher n "a e auchtee n part" varied fro mx acres. si fou o t 5r Therefore Dr Robertson is wrong in supposing that an "aught or aughten part" corruptioa appear e b eighthn a o st f o n than parti r t fo , case a " daugh " would contain but 48 acres ; whereas if an " aughten part" be the eighteenth part of a "daugh," a davach will contain 108 acres, whic s halmosi t exactly (104) a moder, n ploughgate. Thers i e still further proof that a davach might contain but one ploughgate. In the Exchequer Rolls, 1458, in which are the accounts of the " Camer- arius ultra Spey," they charge themselves with the " firm of xl s do Westrehalfdavoch," and of xl s de Esterhalfdavoch," in Ardmannoch (Cromarty), i.e., £4, or six marks for the whole davach.6 But as a bovate ( d beeha )n devastated, they deduc s fro x mt their former account. The firm for the whole davach was 80s.; they deduct 10s., or one-eighth bovatee on lose f th so r , consequentlfo , e wholyth e davach was eight bovates or one ploughgate. Again, in 1568, a charter was granted " of the half of the east quarter of the lands of Dalcarty (Ding- 1. A., S Banff . vol.'.xii0 427. p . . 2 Agr. Swr. Inverness-shire,. 75 . p 3 Agr. Sur. AberdeensMre, p. 75. 4 Agr. Sur. Inverness-shire, p. 75. 5 0. S. A^Elgyn, vol. v. p. 17. 6 Scot. Exch. Rolls, vol. vi. p. 463. - . ANCIENT VALUATION OF LAND IN SCOTLAND. 203

wall), namely, an oxgang."1 As a quarter always means a quarter davach in the northern counties, a half of a quarter davacli, or one- eighth oxgaten provea s i , e eighd b an o ,d t t oxgate dav.ache th n si . But it is unquestionable that in the eastern counties a davach con- tained four ploughgates. In the Gordon Eental of Badenoch, 1603, against " Clone, four pleuches," there is the marginal note " Macomtosch s thiha s dauch "Bannachar,feed n i an ; " also four ploughgates calles ,i d a "dauche."2 Between 1661-70, Gordon of Straloch wrote that in Aberdeenshir e districteth s (regiones f countro ) y were divided into pagi or " daachs," which contained as much land as could be broken up by four in one year, but that then, owing to more land having been cleared of wood, the arable land in a " daaeh " was more than doubled.3 180y B davac0a f ordinaro h y extent required three time e numbesth r of cattle to labour it that were formerly employed. But the davachs must have varied considerabl superficiesn yi , for "oxengatee somth f eo s in Strathbogie are not 6 acres, others above 1 9 acres." 4 A list of lands in the barony of Murthlach, Banffshire, belonging to e Bishoprith f Aberdeeno c e middls e madfifteentth th wa ,n f i eo e h century, and the descriptions and firms of those lands are in the Eental of the same Bishopric, in 1511, as below :5 —

MTTRTHLAK. c. 1150. 1511. f Villa de Lekachy and' . , , I Sandlekacliy £ s. d. I „ Perthbeg . Perttbeg . . . 1 pig. 8 bov. 400 , , Petvach1^ . Larthquh8 e 6 3 1 y an . .. d Pettawa . .. y 1 davach \ ^illa de Rynes • • Belland . . .2 pig. ... 6 13 4 , , Drumloche1 bovpig6 2 . 1 rAuchlothty . . 80 . 0r 1 davach \ Villa de KeiUl i „ Petglass . . Petglasy. . 2 boypig6 s1 .. 800 davach Terre de Cloueth . Clouetht . . .2 pig. 16 bov. 800

Pr.,. Or 1 vol. ii., Dingwall. 2 Mis. Spalding Club, vol. iv. pp. 209, 300. 3 Blaeu's Atlas, Aberdeen. 4 Ehynie, . A.,S . 0 vol . xix . 290p . . 5 Beg. Epis. Aberdonensis, . 251volp . i ,. 369. 4 20 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , APEI , 188612 L .

Pro e aboves plaii mth t e i fifteentn,th tha d sixteentn i tan h h centurie a davacs h contained four ploughgates 2 bovate3 r o ,s (oxgates). The extent of a davach cannot be traced farther back, for no fraction of a davach is ever expressed in acres, only in halves and quarters. The attempt was made to get at the superficies of a davach by com- paring the firm or rent with that of a known ploughgate (carucate), but with indifferent success, for rents varied as much in the thirteenth century as the nowo yd . Thero wann s ei t of material r instancefo ; t Banfa , f there is a " fine place called Dow-haugh (Daach-haugh ?) on which Duff House stands; the field, together with the sandy hills, &c., make a davach of land, supposed to contain 416 acres."1 In 1668 George, Lord Banff, is served heir to his father in . ..." terris de Backlaw, Cairnelpies salmonum cu , m piscationibu t cruivee s s earundu aqun mi a de Dovern," 2 &c.; and in 1663 his father was served heir to Cairnelfoies cum piscatione salmonum,3 &c. We seem to have here the ancient " davat e Ketherelpi,ad whicr " fo provose hth Banff o t f charged himself " quator libris de firmis vtriusque anno," in 1340,4 and has done so from 1327 "r terr,fo Catherelpy.e ad fragmene th Kentae n th I f "o t l of Alexander III., 1249-85 e countth f f Banffo ,o y , preservee th n i d Chartular e Bishoprith f o y f Aberdeeno c , there occurs, "De ville d a Ketherelp j marcas."yv 5 Thu fire f th thimso s davac e landf hth o n i , thirteenth century, was £4 = 6 marks. At the same time, and in the same county " Convath," whic afterwards hwa s know Inverkethneys na . and contained six davachs,6 was rented at 24 marks7 or one davach at 4 marks. In 1244-6, William de Monte Alto, sheriff of Cmmbauchtyn (Cromarty), debits himself wit e year 4 r marks"se2 on hfo ,r xfo , davatis terre," whic holde hh s hereditaril king.e th n 123I f 8e o y 2 th

1. A., S Banff. 359, p 0 vol. . xv . 2 Retours. s Kid. 4 Scot. Exch. Eolls, . 450volp . i .. 5 Keg. Epis. Aberdeen, vol. i. p. 56. 6 Colls. Antiq. Aberdeen Banff,d an . 217p vol . .ii . 7 Key. Epis. Aberdeen, . 160volp . i .. 8 Ecliq. Rolls Scots., vol. i. p. 26. ANCIENT VALUATIO F LANO N 5 SCOTLANDN DI 20 .

fir f halmo davaca f t Bhyniha e f fouChurco mark3 rd s othean h wa s; r half davach marks2 s each.1 From the foregoing it seems to be fairly established that in the thirteenth century, in Moravia, the firm of a davach of land was from 6 to 4 marks. Knowin price g th f produc eo e thirteent th n i e h century t i wil, e b l foun dmerk6 tha= fira t4 s renr £ mwoul o f o t 4 chalder paie b dy db s whea 1t= 2 chalders barle r ber yo chalder8 e= s mal chalder6 t= s oat- mea 0 chalderl=2 s prebende (oat n sheaf?i s 0 6 cow2 1 t 4s.a )r = s o , cows at 5s. each.2 A short calculation would show that any of these articles of grain could be grown on 20 or 30 acres, which leads to the conclusion that nothing like 416 acres were cultivated in a davach. Before the war of Independence the countries of England and Scot- land wercommerciaa n eo economicad an l l equality average Th . e price of wheat in England, in 1269, was 1 qr. = 5s.; and in Kent, in 1292, alse Rentae w o th d 5s.fin = Alexande. f n an di ;o l qr 1 r III., 1249-85, that, so far north as Banffshire, the compting price of wheat was 1 qr. = 5s.e norma e th takesb s y a Thinl pricma s f wheao e n boti t h countrie e thirteentth r fo s h century t pricebu ; s rosd felan el recipro- e fruitfuth callyn i lr yearfo , , 1280 e pric a th quarte, f eo f wheao r n i t England was 3s. 0|d., and in Scotland the price in was 3s., in Jedburgh 3s. 4d. per quarter. From 1264 to 1286 the compting price in Scotland of 1 qr. of barley was 3s. 4d., and this is also the average price in England for those years. The value of a Highland cow, 1264—66, was 3s., but the Lowland cattle were usually 5s. In England the prices varied much more, from 6s. to 11s.4 We will now make a short inquiry into the rent of a ploughgate (carucate) in both countries, from whence to compare the rent of a davach. Earl David of Huntingdon, brother of King William the Lyon, gave two measured in Kelalcmund (afterwards called Ardblar, in

1 Colls. Antiq. Aberdeen Banff,d an . 156p vol . .ii . 2 These price deducee sar d from Scots. Exchq. Sails. 3 Beg. Epis. Aberdeen,. 55 . p vol . ii . . Scots.Cf 4 Exehq. Bolls; Baind an , Gal. Scots. Docs., vol. ii . 6 20 PROCEEDING SE SOCIETY OfTH f , APKI , 188612 L .

Clat) to the Bishop of Aberdeen, and the grant was confirmed by King William.1 Bishop Mathew, feued these lands to " Willelmo de Tatenell homini nostro," who was to pay for one carucate a pound of incense, and othee fomare th r Kinsilvef d ron k o an g r; William confirm "e donasth - tion."2 These lands are confirmed to another William de Tatenell, grandson of the former, in 1276, who feued and sold them in 1297, when the sale was confirmed by Bishop Henry, but the feu-duty was raise marks.2 dto 3 There having been contention, Isabell Douglassade , Countess of Marr, renounces, 1402, any right to the lands of Ardlaw and Estirlochyr, and in 1407 Alexander Stewart, Earl of Marr, does the same n 141I .inques n 8a t foun carucateo dtw thae f Kyllachth o ts - mond , callewhicw no ds h i Ardlar shire th f Clat eo n i , , paimarko dtw s silver feu-duty, were then worth ten marks annually, and were of the same value "ternpore pacis"; that is, before the war of Independence.4 From thi t i appears s a ploughgatthae ren f th o t tthirteente th n i e h century was five marks. . On 19th March, 1302-3, an inquest at St Andrews found that William hele lan th f dBurchlo d y (BurleighJ e Bishot th S f f o )o p Andrew r 10sfo s f.= marko perfort r o e offic, e mth f bake o th e n i r Bishop's household. The extent or annual value of the land was five marks. Julian, the daughter of William, was then seized in fee, and did service to the king for half a davach.5 Here the rent of the davach is 10 marks. The baker's daughter, Julian, was also heiress to half the land of Nidy. [nea t Andrews]S r , whic worts hwa h three marks whole th ; e land of Mdy renderin "e service davauche.gon th f o e 6 Her davace eth s hi worth 6 marks. In 1296 an inquest on the lands of Eobert de Pinkeney, deceased, was held, when the jurors found that the tenement of Ballincrief (by Aberlady)wit messuage,garden,ane hth d pigeon-house, were worth 34s. .4d 1 Beg. Epis. Aber., vol. i. p. 9. 2 licg. Epis. Aber., vol. i. p. 13. 3 . Ibid.,38 . p *7Jid., vol. ii. p. 218. Bain, Gal. Scots. Docs., vol. ii. No. 1350. 65 Ibid., . 13SONo . ANCIENT VALUATIO LANF NO 7 SCOTLANDN I D20 . desmenn i d ha e h 10d caraeateAn acre4 5 f arabld so san e land,1 each worth with its grazing, 21d.; total, £95, 14s. 2d. (recte £95, 14s. 6d.). earlThin a s ysi e numbe prooth f f o acrefa Scotco r n i s h carucatr o e ploughgate, for by the summation one carucate is found to contain 104 (Scotch) acres. Althoug lane h th stils d i lbes e som th Scotlandn i tf eo , the rent per acre is enormous; this is partly caused by the vicious system in the Scotch inquests of including an indefinite quantity of meado pasturd wan e (Gulla nacrn Linka f arableo o t ) s? e e w land d an , know thaacre meadof on eto ws equai arabl o t leastw a l eo t t acres. In the same tenement 6 bovates are worth 6 marks : hence 1 - gat marks8 e= . e samAlsoth en i , tenemen f Ballincrieo t carucata f e "Ln i e Cotis s wort wa "n 6 Gosformarks i h d 1 an carucat;d 5 e= marks.2 In 1300, at Selkirk, 1 ploughgate in desmene was worth 10 marks, no doubt with meadow and grazings included. rentae Priore th Th f f Coldinghamo lyo , compiled apparentl n 1290yi , soon after the disastrous battle of "Faukyrke," supplies information not readily found elsewheree monkth e "r timth s Fo peace,f eo . " tampore pads, was of greater significance than a law phrase; for many of their lands were "waste," and others were let for four years at a progressive rent. Throughou Eentae th t l viii. bovata =carucate 1 hovat e th t ebu , fixea t dno quantitys i seven i ; n townlands totaa f sixteenf o o l t ou , 1 , bovate = 13 acres; but in others 1 bovate=14 (bis), 13J, 12|, 10 or 8 acres, so that a carucate may vary from 112 to only 64 acres. It cannot alway made sb t whethe eou lane rth desmen s di husbandlandr eo , r whether timo o r f peacer afai a eo rente fo t wa tim rth r e f bu ,sar o e average for one carucate in time of peace was 40s = 3 marks. The inquir extendes ywa d into England, wit resule th h te thatth n i , thirteenth century average th , e ren f arablo t eacr 1 lans e =dwa 6d.r o , 4J mark carucata acres0 r sfo 12 f .eo It is to be regretted that the evidence here brought forward does not establish either way that, in the eastern counties, a davach of land in e thirteentth h century contained eithe e ploughgaton r r fourt o eA . Bain, Gal Scots. Docs., vol. ii. No. 856. 1 2 Ibid., No. 857. 8 20 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , APRI , 188612 L .

presenn onlca ye supposw t e n earlthata t ya , period davacha , , having been equal to one ploughgate, and, like the English hide, considered to e portiohth e n necessar e e householdsupporth on y b o f t y o d t ha , ploughing up additional land become, in the fifteenth century, of four times its original extent, as, by the eighteenth century, the area had been again doubled. This view is supported by a law in Eegiam Majestatem, which enacts tha tenana t t holding less than one-eighta f ho davac e davachth heriotshoulo d n hy Ha containedpa . d four plough- lands thiwoulw sla d have exempte holdee dth f halro ploughgata f d ean of four oxen^-whic e davacth f s i absurdi hh t containeBu e . on t dbu ploughgate e holdeth , f leso r s than one-eighth would also presumably possess less than a whole ox. The davach, like the hide in England, was the unit both for fiscal and military purposes. In the early charters there is the constantly recurring clause " faciendo forinsecum servitium quod ad terras illas pertinet." Eorinsec service is explained as "servicium Scoticanum,1 and this is known to be service in the Scottish army for six weeks ; but nowheris it e frostatego mdavacha to d whethe are moror . emen rone e westerth n I n fiords f o Scotlan e militarth d s occasionallwa y y exchanged for naval service; in 1343 the four davachs of Assynt had to suppl y gallea 0 oars2 f y,n froo fiv ma me davache n 130I . e 3th land f Christiaso f Marrno n Arasaii , d Moidartgan , supplie dshia f po 26 oarvictuals d 5e s^an th wit davachn d han me ; f Glenelso 134n gi 3 also furnishe 6 oars 2 n shida I 131 f . po e land 5th f Lochoo s d wan Ardskodnish had to find one ship of 40 oars with sufficient men and furnitur 0 days4 r ,e bailleri fo ewhilth r fo f eTroternisho e 1498n i , , oars6 n 14631 I f . o Macleo,o havo tw t s d e dan wa read , shie 26 yon f p o markland8 2 e th f Sleaso t supplieEare th lt oars. 8 shie 1 Bu df on p o 2 of Athol, in 1304, was informed that Lochlin (Maclean) and his friends had threatened that each davach of land should furnish a galley of 20 oars agains English.e th t 3 This would hav n froemma beee eacon nh

household. Reg.1 Epis. Moray, Original Charters, No. 13. Pr.,Or. 2 passim. Bain, Gal. Scots. Docs., . 1633 volNo . .ii . 3 ANCIENT VALUATION 01? LAND IN SCOTLAND. 209

The fiscal and church exactions from a davach are too numerous and complicate enumeratee b o dt d here. We now enter upon the second part of our inquiry—the land valuation of the West Coast and Isles in ouncelands and pemiylands. The origin of this valuatio f courseo , is n , Norse t i exist; n fuli s l e vigouth n i r Orkneys at the present time. The comparative archaeologist must often work from little or no help from record, but the place-names supply him with abundant materials for research. In the middle of Sutherland, on the banks of the Oikel, is Langwell. Neither Gael nor Englishman could have given that name, for the original was Lang-voMr = Long-field. Wherever "dale" terminates the name of a valley the Norse have been, e an"holsth d n i Sutherlan" d Rosan d s bespeak their residence. Under man a ystrang e for e Norsmth e discoveredb e fjorSry ma t no , e leasth t being Knut-fjor$r—Cnut's firth appearin s Knoiderta g d an , pronounce n Gaelii d c " Croderst. e place-nameth y B " Norsemee th s n can be traced from Caithness to Kintyre, and by their peculiar valuation in ounce and , southward to Ayr.1 There is little on record to point to an extensive and prolonged occupation of the west of Scotland t theibu , r possessio e Hebrideth f o n s must have given them great influence upo wese nth t coast. e Owes th nf Scotlan o t e valuatioth d n ounci n d pennylandan e s must hav time beeon e t universalna e ounceth t conformitn i ,bu ; y with e Saxoth n ounc f silvero e s hel o wa contain,dt , twenty pennyweights. There is no doubt that in Caithness the ounce was originally divided into eighteen pennies, and there are slight indications that it was the same in the , in . In Caithness, Kilminister, Wick, was a 36d. land, i.e., 2 oz. of 18d. each. Skail, Eeay, was 31d. land = lf oz. of ISd. Westerclith, Latheron, was 24d. land=l-g- oz. Scarmaclete, Bower, and Westgren- land, Latheron, were each 18d. = 1 oz. lands. Brims, Thurso, was 13-|d f. = oz. land. Wick and Stangergill, Olrick, each 9d \.= oz. lands. Six places are 6d., or J oz.; and four others are 4|d., or \ oz. lands. The parish of Eeay contained 271 pennylands of arable land, no doubt, truly 270d. or 15 ouncelands of 18d. each.2 Bain, Gal. Docs. Scot. . Pr.,Or vol. .ii 1 2 VOL. XX. 0 0 21 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APKI , 188612 L .

Only in North Uist on the west coast have indications of valuation bee. of oz n18d 1 found.= . Ungana 24ds wa b. (18d 6d.).+ = 1. \oz KeUeskere, 9d. (18d.-9d.) = £ oz. Orwansay, North Uist, 6d. (18d. — 12d.) = J oz.; nor are there any fractions of 5d.1 e HebridesInth charterse th n i , , "ounceland frequentls "i y translated by unciata, e uneiatth s a f Bogattallisao e fouth , r unciats f Bracadaleeo , Skye. e Nort grana th f n I ho t Hea f Ewiso d t (Uist), 1505 ,a davac s i h explaine s beinda ga " terung, e davac"th h calle n Scotci d h le terung, where "Scotch" moans "Gaelic, and "terung," " teirroung," " teiroung,'' written by Macvurich tirunga, is tir-unrja, Gael, literally land-ounce, ounceland ; from tir, Gael, land unga,d an , Gael, ounce weight; thue sw see that davach, ounceland, unciata, tirunga, are all synonymous. This s furthei r confirme3 davachs e th f Knodworto y b d h (Knoidert) being equal to 60d. = 3 oz. and the 3 unciate of Sunart being also equal to , oz 60d 3 .= e islandTh s e coasoth nf Sutherlan o t e valuear d s pennylands,a d 2 e n townlanddavachsi th l t al bu s e mana ;ar s s twenty-sia y e ar x reckoned as single davachs. This indicates that the davach was a rough assessment of an uncertain area, for the, townlands could not have been of the same size. The Pictish davach, which probably was the sam ploughgatea s ea , becam Norse eth e ounceland t whe bu e ,Gaeli nth c speech regaine e ascendencdth ouncelne yth d again becam davachea . The old valuation in pennylands is almost forgotten in Lewis; but some land t a Nes se stilar s l s spokea No, f o nCuigpeigliinneann e Five-pcnnysTh = d Kneepan ; , with Valto d Reef e stile an s ar th ,l " Fourteen-pennies.'' r o was,Ther , is e Penny Donal dDonald'= s Pennyland nine th ed farthinan , g lanf o t da Crolista y Ba e , th bot n o h Uig. It is now about sixty years since the practice of "runrig" was given lane s udivideLewisn pth i d wa d an ,d into " lots," before which 1 Or. TV., vol. ii. There are some of the smaller islands upon the west coast valued as pennylands, 2 but it was not the area of the island, but the extent of arable land, which was so valued. Ulva, Kintyre, 3d. ; Scarba, 2d.; Lunga, Id. ; Inchkenneth, 2d.; Gometra, 4d.; Oansiiy, Uist, 6d.; Staffa, jd.; Fladda, 3d.; Stroma, 2d.; Hoan, 2d.; Heisker, North Uist, 9d.; Eorsay, Mull, Jd.—Or. Pr., vol. ii. passim. ANCIENT VALUATIO F LANO N 1 N SCOTLANDI D21 .

time the different townlands were traditionally known to contain so many pennylands, and even still peiyhinn, penny, is still used to designate a definite part of a townlaiid, as " Peighinn na Clath,1' " Peighin Cuile,a nn . "&c A Peiyhinn or Pennyland might be divided into Letli-plteigliinn or Halfpenny; Feoirlinn or Farthing; Leth-flieoirlinn or Half-farthing; Cianorj r Quarter-farthingo d Olitarjan ; equa o -Jt l Farthing. FeoirlinnA r Farthing-lauo d wa n ordinara s y holdin n Lewii g t a s the end of the last century, and was large enough to keep five cows each with three followers, seventy or eighty sheep, and four or five horsest wouli d an ,d require about five barrels (2-g- bolls f seeo ) d corn.1 Harrisn I , 1792 anciene th , d stilan tl common computatio f lano n d pennya s wa , halfpenny, farthing, half-farthing ,tacksma A clitag . &c , n might hold 20d.—tha ouncelancln a , is t ; whil esmala l tenan r crofteo t r usually held a farthing land. The stock or souming for a farthing land was four milk cows, thre r fouo e r s horsesmana d ye an ,shee th n o p commo e luc e tenane croth o reart th kTh d ps n a .ha t migh e comb t - puted, in general at four or five bolls, and the rent was 30 or 40 shillings, besides personal service, rated at one day's work per week.2 In North Uist, 1794, the small tenants usually held a Jd. land, on which they kep 6 cowst 6 horses, d raisean , d enough grai o keet n p yeae theth rl mround.al 3 In Barra, a £d. land was either single or double ; the souming of a single £d. land was 4 cows, 3 horses, and 8 or 10 sheep, and the rent £4.r o wa *3 s£ Pennant n 1772i , , foun Cannn i d a tha a Idt . land yielde 8 bolld s oats boll4 , s boll7 bear d s an , potatoes e farth ;m maintaine cowd7 d an s 2 horses, and the rent was 4-J guineas.6 Pennylands are noted in nearly every one of the Hebrides excepting May. We now reach the third division of our subject, viz., the valuation in marklands. We have seen that in the Orkneys and Shetland a mark- 1 Rev. M. Macphail, Kilmartin. 2 Harris 0. &'. A., vol. x. p. 366. North . A., S Uist . 0 vol . xiii . 311p . . 3 4 Barra . A.,S . 0 vol . xiii . 331p . . 5 Voy. Hebrides, 1772, . vol315p . .i . 212 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 12, 1886.

land was as much land as could be bought for a mark of silver, but in Scotlan e Isleth marklansa d e dfractioan th s dwa knight'na f -fao e sfe of £20 or 30 marks. Davi . dintroduceI feudae dth l system into Scotlan grantiny db g land for knight service, and his grandson is supposed to have stented a large e encloseparth f o t d lan f Scotlando d t leasa , t suc s camha e withie nth Crown e powesame th th f eo rn i ,mannerrecor n o s i d t thai ;gav e h t e twenty knight's fees to his sister Margaret, Countess of Brittany, on r marriage.he y 1264-6B 1 e feudath 6 l casualtie f wardo s , reliefd an , marriage had been fully established.2 The valuation must have been roughly made from rent, not from acres. The valuation of rent, malgre Domesday Book, could not have been an easy matter, considerin e mangth y item f producso servicd ean f whiceo h composeds wa e t knight'parta i Th f o s.e woul fe s e reckoneb d n i d marks hencd an e ,origi eth f "o n marklands, " eac f whico h h woule db e land mare th rate on f s silvers ka o t would a t bu ; d var qualityn yi a , markland would be of no certain area nor any denned number of acres. Nor would the new valuation in knight's fees and marks agree with the davachn i e ouncelandsd on san d ol . Rapid progres beins swa g madn ei the eleventh and twelfth centuries in Scotland in all the useful arts, and the arable land in what was rated as a davach or ounceland would be greatly increased. In the Hebrides there could have been no feudal system until after their session to Scotland in 1266 ; the Lagmenn of the Isles, those who d d soc,sacan ha woul t havno d e surrendere e freedoth d f theio m r allodial tenur r feudafo e l service o doubtN . , southern influencs wa e making itself felt amonEnglisn a s gwa h them n knight Kine Ma th ;f go , with an allowance of corn and wine, but what is most extraordinary, and a remarkable instanc f " edefendeo e turnin b o t tables,e s y gth db wa e "h Englise th h forces fro e "wickings."mth 3 On the cession of the Isles to Scotland, a valuation must have been

1 Act. Parl. Scot., vol. i. p. 118. 2 Ex::hq. Bolls Scot., vol. i. passim. " Wikini," i.e., Vikingar, pirates, not villagers, as noted by the editor.—Bain, 3 Gal. Docs. Scot.,. 428.p . ii - ANCIENT VALUATION OF LAND IN SCOTLAND. 213

made in knight's fees for feudal purposes; thus, Islay was valued at 12 knights' fees; Mul Avrad an lt 1na 0 ; Lewis , North ;Uist 2 Seid t a lan , Barra, Egg, lona, Coll, Jura, Colonsay, G-igha, and Rachlin at 1, i.e., eac e mainland0 marks. th t ,£23 h a n r 0o O 1 , Duror, Lochiel, Sunart, and Kintai eace ar lh value knight'1 t da s fee. valuatione Th s appea o havt r e been mad estimatiny eb davache gth s at a varying number of marks. A davach, tir-unga, unciata or ounce- land, was valued in Lewis, Skye. and adjacent isles at 4 marks; in both Uists, Barra, Egg, and the other small Isles at 6 marks; while in Mull adjunctss it d an , Lismore, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Gigha.i marks0 1 s .wa t At a subsequent, but still early period a more complicated method of valuation seems to have been adopted in Islay and a part of Mull. In 1528 the lands of Quinish, Mull, belonging to Maclean of Coll, are value mannea n di r whic t i hwoul e difficulb de th r o explait tfo t bu n analogy found in Islay. The 18 marklands of Quinish are made up of 18s., 36s. . landsouncelane , 9s 27s.Th d . an , f 18ddo bees .ha n valued at 10|th marks, 01 144s., of which one-fourth is 36s., one-eighth 18s thiy &cB s . systehighee th l mal r number multiplee sar shillings.3 f so 2 n IslayI n 149 i ,d 1541 an 4lande e th value, ar s s quartersa d , half- quarters, &c., and in 1562 in multiples and fractions of marks. On inspectio sees i t ni tha unie f valuatioth t o t marks0 1 s ni , which again is the valuation of a davach or ounceland. This unit of ten marks is broke halvesn i p nu , quarters, eighths, &c., each havin gGaelia c names a , subjoinee th n i d tabl 3e: — 1 davach = 20d. land = 10 marks = 133s. 4d. = 1 Tir-unga. , J ~5d. = 33s, .~2, 4dJ . = Ce.athrmnh. -2id. 16s. 8d. = 0ehdamh. -lid. 8s. 4d. = Leorthas. - Id. =Cota-ba. 4s2d . Groatlaiulr no . Tffd. 2s. Id. = Dha Sgillin or Twopennyland. e abovmeanine th Th l eal f termgo s plaini s , except Leorthas, which

awaits explanation. Anonymou1 s Description of the Isles ; Skene, Celtic Scot., vol. iii. Pr.,. Or 2 vol. 325p . .ii . 3 Cf. Ayr. Sur. Hebrides, p. 624.