Drummond, Peter John (2014) An analysis of toponyms and toponymic patterns in eight parishes of the upper Kelvin basin. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5270/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis 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. Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] An analysis of toponyms and toponymic patterns in eight parishes of the upper Kelvin basin Peter John Drummond M.A. (Hons), M.Sc. Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities College of Arts University of Glasgow © Peter Drummond February 2014 2 Abstract This thesis examines a small but unfashionable area of Scotland, invisible to tourist guidebooks, heavily urbanised, and whose towns have won environmental ‘Carbuncle awards’ from the Scottish media. Yet it is deep in Gaelic and Scots place-names which reveal a landscape that past inhabitants perceived to be a green and relatively pleasant land, if perhaps not flowing with milk and honey. Part Three belies its numeration, in that it is the core of the study, examining in detail the place-names of eight (modern) parishes, listing old forms and attempting a sound etymology for each. Part One, based on the data gathered for Part Three, attempts to seek patterns among these names, both between and within the languages concerned. Inter alia, it seeks to explore the degree to which the choice of elements for a particular name, from any language’s toponymicon, is conditioned by cultural, political and social influences ranging from feudal and parochial authorities, through the influence of Scots-speaking merchants, to onomastic local farming customs. The lessons derived from Part One were then used to shed light on some etymologies in Part Three: and hopefully will be of value to researchers in other areas of the country. 3 Table of Contents Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 5 Preface ............................................................................................................................ 7 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 8 Author’s Declaration ...................................................................................................... 9 Abbreviations used ....................................................................................................... 10 Part One. Onomastic patterns in the study area. ............................................................ 14 1. The area of study ...................................................................................................... 14 2. Source materials and research issues ....................................................................... 24 3. The basic landscape: Hydronyms............................................................................. 28 4. The basic landscape: Oronyms ................................................................................ 37 5. Brittonic settlement-names....................................................................................... 40 6. Gaelic settlement-names .......................................................................................... 42 6.1 Gaelic habitative toponyms .................................................................................... 42 6.2 Gaelic topographical settlement-names ............................................................. 62 6.3 Relationship between Gaelic habitative and topographical settlement-names .. 70 6.4 Gaelic simplex forms ......................................................................................... 71 7. Scots settlement-names ............................................................................................ 74 7.1 Scots habitative toponyms ................................................................................. 74 7.2 Scots topographical names................................................................................. 85 7.3 Relationship between Scots habitative and topographical settlement-names .... 91 7.4 Scots simplex toponyms .................................................................................... 92 8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 94 Part Two. Appendices, Bibliography, and Index of Headwords .......................................... 95 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 95 .......................................................................................................................................... 95 Bibliography and Sources, including Maps ................................................................... 100 Index of Headwords ....................................................................................................... 112 Part Three. Parish Surveys .............................................................................................. 117 Baldernock parish (BDK) .............................................................................................. 118 Cadder parish (CAD) ..................................................................................................... 139 Campsie parish (CPS) .................................................................................................... 178 Cumbernauld parish (CND) ........................................................................................... 217 Kilsyth parish (KSY)...................................................................................................... 251 4 Kirkintilloch parish (KTL) ............................................................................................. 286 New Monkland parish (NMO) ....................................................................................... 318 Old Monkland parish (OMO) ......................................................................................... 371 List of Figures Fig. 1.1 Map: Area of Study, with post-Reformation parish boundaries 13 Fig. 1.2 Map: Area of Study; medieval parishes, and principal hydronomy 14 Fig. 1.3 Extract, OS solid geology map, sheet 31W 16 Fig. 1.4 Extract, OS drift geology map, sheet 31W 17 Fig. 1.4b Colour codes for Fig. 1.4 drift geology Appendix 4 Fig. 1.5 Maps of Cumbernauld’s urban expansion, comparing 1947 -2012 19 Fig. 1.6 Map of 20 earliest recorded Scots place-names 22 Fig. 3.1 Extract, 1775 map showing Poudrait Bridge 31 Fig. 3.2 Extract, Blaeu map of Lennox, 1654, area round Campsie kirk 33 Fig. 3.3 Glazert Water basin 36 Fig. 4.1 Map, Gaelic oronyms 38 Fig. 6.1 Table of baile-name in AOS 44 Fig. 6.2 Map: Distribution of baile-names in medieval parishes 46 Fig. 6.3 Table of achadh-names 47 Fig. 6.4 Map: Distribution of achadh-names in medieval parishes 48 Fig. 6.5 Dates of first record of achadh- and baile-names 50 Fig. 6.6 Table of first recorded dates, and heights, various Gaelic generics 51 Fig. 6.7 Soil quality; extract from OS Soil Survey 1:250000 map 52 6 Fig. 6.8 Soil quality; extract from OS Soil Survey 1:50000 map 54 Fig. 6.9 Map: Distribution of gart-names in medieval parishes 59 Fig. 6.10 Table of gart-names 61 Fig. 6.11 Extract, Forrest map, 1816, showing area round Gartcloss 62 Fig. 6.12 Table of druim-names 63 Fig. 6.13 Map: Distribution of druim-names in medieval parishes 65 Fig 6.14 Table of bàrr-names 68 Fig. 6.15 Table of creag-names 69 Fig. 6.16 Table of Gaelic names recorded before 1560 Appendix 1 Fig. 6.17 Table of Gaelic simplex toponyms 72 Fig. 7.1 Table of toun-names 75 Fig. 7.2 Map: Distribution of toun-names in medieval parishes 76 Fig. 7.3 Table of Scots anthropoym-names [other than toun-names] 79 Fig. 7.4 Table of farms with North or South affixes 81 Fig. 7.5 Table of affixes recorded in Campsie and New Monkland 83 Fig. 7.6 Table of proximity- names 86 Fig. 7.7 Table of Scots names recorded before 1580 Appendix 2 Fig. 7.8 Table of Scots simplex toponyms Appendix 3 7 Preface Scottish toponymy has made major progress in the 21st century. Prior to the millennium, the only county in Scotland that possessed a systematic collection and treatment of its place-names in print was West Lothian (MacDonald 1941). Now, just over a decade into the new century, the much larger county of Fife is covered by 5 volumes in print, by Simon Taylor and Gilbert Márkus, the work supported by the AHRC project ‘Gaelic in medieval Scotland; the evidence of names’. The follow-on project, STIT (‘Scottish Toponymy in Transition’) will shortly publish volumes on Menteith, Clackmannanshire and Kinross- shire, and has initiated research on Berwickshire