Whyte, Alasdair C. (2017) Settlement-names and society: analysis of the medieval districts of Forsa and Moloros in the parish of Torosay, Mull. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8224/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten:Theses http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Settlement-Names and Society: analysis of the medieval districts of Forsa and Moloros in the parish of Torosay, Mull. Alasdair C. Whyte MA MRes Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Celtic and Gaelic | Ceiltis is Gàidhlig School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan College of Arts | Colaiste nan Ealain University of Glasgow | Oilthigh Ghlaschu May 2017 © Alasdair C. Whyte 2017 2 ABSTRACT This is a study of settlement and society in the parish of Torosay on the Inner Hebridean island of Mull, through the earliest known settlement-names of two of its medieval districts: Forsa and Moloros.1 The earliest settlement-names, 35 in total, were coined in two languages: Gaelic and Old Norse (hereafter abbreviated to ON) (see Abbreviations, below). The settlement-toponymy provides irrefutable evidence that ON-speakers settled locally and named their settlements in ON. In subsequent centuries, long after ON ceased to be spoken locally, these ON settlement-names were perpetuated by local Gaelic-speakers. Many of these ON settlement-names are still used locally and are recorded on modern maps; others have fallen out of use. The same can be said of the earliest settlement-names of Gaelic origin. New etymological analysis of the earliest known forms of these settlement-names, considered alongside local pronunciation where available, forms the basis of this thesis. Much of this analysis challenges previous research. A number of the settlement-names have not hitherto been located or been subject to etymological analysis, no previous study having comprehensively engaged with their earliest forms. The earliest known forms are recorded in fiscal evaluation dating to the final decade of the 15th century and, as such, the settlement- names provide a window on the Late Medieval period. The settlement-names also provide an invaluable insight into settlement and society in the Norse period; i.e. the period in which ON was spoken locally. Norse is employed here as both an adjective, as in the Norse period, and a noun, in reference to speakers of ON. Thus, application is broadly to what is now Scandinavia and contemporary inhabitants thereof, as opposed to the more typical modern application of Norse to Norway and its inhabitants (see OED s.v. Norse). Individual place- name elements employed in ON settlement-names provide an insight into how the local landscape was perceived and utilised agriculturally by these immigrant ON-speakers. In some cases, proposed personal names identify individuals associated with specific settlements. At least one ON settlement-name is likely to provide evidence of the religion of those who coined the name. 1 Etymological analysis of these district-names is presented in 5.2.1 and 5.2.4 respectively. Local pronunciation of Forsa is recorded in 5.2.1. Moloros is an obsolete name for which there is no recorded pronunciation. Its proposed Old Norse etymology makes it likely that stress was on the initial element, as it is in Forsa. 3 Syntactic analysis of the Gaelic settlement-names highlights the possibility that some were coined in the Early Medieval period. It also identifies names which are perhaps unlikely to have been coined before the early 10th century. Loan-words borrowed in both directions, i.e. from Gaelic to ON and from ON to Gaelic, are identified and these reveal something of the chronology of individual settlement-names, in addition to providing evidence for language contact. The distribution of ON settlement-names and the fiscal status of settlements bearing ON names can also reveal something of the status of immigrant ON-speakers and the status of local Gaelic-speaking communities. The date of the earliest known forms probably post- dates the period in which these ON names were coined by around six centuries and this clearly allows for significant displacement of settlement-toponymy. However, settlement- names of ON origin apply to both settlements of principal and of relatively low fiscal status and the implication is that there was a significant amount of continuity in settlement- toponymy up to the date of the earliest known fiscal sources. The dearth of contemporary textual sources for the Early Medieval and Norse periods and of local archaeology relating to these periods identifies these settlement-names as invaluable sources of information for contemporary settlement, society and language in the districts of Forsa and Moloros. Part One Chapter 1 sets the research in context in providing geographical, geological, topographical, tenurial, ecclesiastical and fiscal information for the two districts. Chapter 2 comprises a review of previous studies on local settlement-toponymy. Chapter 3 identifies the sources which provide the earliest known forms and outlines the employed methodology. Chapter 4 provides an historical framework and engages with Norse toponymy furth of Mull across Britain and Ireland. Chapter 5 presents discursive analysis addressing the predominant research questions. Chapter 6 presents conclusions. 4 Part Two The place-name survey presents raw spatial data and etymological analysis, where not included in chapter 5, for each of the 35 settlement-names. 5 CONTENTS List of Tables List of Maps List of Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Symbols Part One Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Geography 1.2 Coast 1.3 Soils 1.4 Districts 1.4.1 Forsa 1.4.2 Moloros 1.5 Tenure 1.6 Ecclesiastical Context 1.6.1 Killean 1.6.2 Pennygown 1.6.3 St Columba’s, Salen 1.6.4 Kilpatrick, Duart 1.6.5 Laggan 1.6.6 Cùil Mhurchaidh 1.6.7 Killbeg 1.6.8 Allt a’ Chladha 1.6.9 Lag na Cille 1.6.10 Glen Cannel 1.6.11 Knock 1.6.12 Rossal 1.6.13 Church-Lands 1.7 Land-Assessment 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Toponymic Studies of Argyll 2.2 MacQuarrie 2.3 Johnston 2.4 Maclean 2.5 Acts of the Lords of the Isles (ALI) 2.6 Land-Assessment Scotland (LAS) Chapter 3: Methodology, Sources And Early Forms 3.1 Early Written Forms 3.1.1 Register of the Great Seal (RMS) 3.1.2 Exchequer Rolls (ER) 3.1.3 Other Early Textual Sources 3.2 Early Maps 3.3 Ordnance Survey 3.4 Pronunciation 3.5 Physical Data Chapter 4: Historical Framework 4.1 Defining the Norse Period 4.2 Toponymic Continuity 4.3 Iona and Colum Cille 4.4 Political Hegemony 4.5 Innse Gall 4.6 Laithlinn 4.7 Acculturation 4.7.1 Icelandic Sources and Ketill Flatnefr 4.7.2 Caittil Find and Gall-Ghàidheil 4.7.3 Lawmen, Chieftains and ‘Farmer Republics’ 4.8 Archaeology 4.8.1 Mull 4.8.2 Kiloran Bay 4.8.3 Swordle, Ardnamurchan 4.8.4 Càrn a’ Bharraich, Oronsay 4.8.5 Cnoc nan Gall, Colonsay 7 4.8.6 Summary 4.9 Gaelicisation 4.9.1 Toponymic Evidence 4.10 The Late Norse Period 4.10.1 Amlaíb Cúarán 4.10.2 The ‘Haraldson’ dynasty 4.10.3 c.1000–1266 4.11 Summary Chapter 5: Settlement, Society and Language: the evidence of settlement-names 5.1 Introduction 5.2 District-Names 5.2.1 Forsa 5.2.2 Leth’r Mhuileach 5.2.3 Leth’r nan Cailleach 5.2.4 Moloros 5.2.5 Glen Cannel 5.2.6 Torosay 5.2.7 Ard(i)nis 5.2.8 Summary 5.3 Forsa 5.3.1 Linguistic Origins 5.3.2 ON Names 5.3.3 Gaelic Names 5.4 Moloros 5.4.1 Linguistic Origins 5.4.2 Fiscal Evaluation 5.4.3 Analysis 5.4.4 Summary Chapter 6: Conclusions Part Two: Place-Name Survey Aon Stapall Ardnasalyne 8 Barachandroman Bradhadail Callachally Cameron Còrrachadh Cowillay Croggan Crosta Derrynaculen Dibidil Dìosgaig Drimnatain Fishnish Gaodhail Garmony Garmonyreoch Glenbyre Gruline Iaradail Inagart Killbeg Kinlochspelve Laggan Leiter Leth Thorcaill Moy Pennygown Rhoail Rossal Scallastle Teamhair Tomslèibhe Torlochan 9 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 (in 5.2). District-names in Torosay parish. Table 2 (in 5.3). The settlement-names of Forsa. Table 3 (in 5.3.2). ON names in Forsa. Table 4 (in 5.4). The settlement-names of Moloros. Table 5 (in 5.4.4). ON settlement-names in Moloros. 10 LIST OF MAPS Map 1 (in 1.1). The civil parishes of Mull. Map 2 (in 1.1). Modern ferry-ports: Fishnish, Lochaline, Craignure and Oban. Map 3 (in 1.1). Major topographical features in Torosay parish. Map 4 (in 1.4.1). The medieval settlements of Forsa. Map 5 (in 1.4.2). The medieval settlements of Moloros. Map 6 (in 1.6.12). Ecclesiastical sites in Torosay parish and Inchkenneth. Map 7 (in 1.6.13). Church-lands in Torosay parish, Iona and Inchkenneth. Map 8 (in 1.7). Distibution map of pennylands in western Scotland. Map 9 (in 4.9.1). Jennings and Kruse’s zonal map of Norse settlement in western Scotland.