Place names of Stratherrick.

This list was copied, with permission, from the Appendix of Alan Lawson’s book “A Country Called Stratherrick”.

Interpreting place names is not an exact science – if you have any different ideas about the names below we would be interested to hear from you. And, of course, this list is far from complete and we would very much like to add to it, if you can help.

National Grid

Reference

598 269           Abersky – abar – puddle and easgach – marshy place.

552 199           Aberchalder –aber – river mouth and calder – common river name.

598 302           Achnabat – achadh – field and bat – stick.

543 229           Ault-na-goire – allt – burn and goibhre – goats.

502 193           Allt-na-sithean – Anglicised as Fairyburn.

541 253           Balachuirn – baile –farm ‘town’ and chuirn – cairns.

Balichernoch – baile and ceathairneach – robbers.

535 250           Ballaggan – baile and lagan – hollow.

564 255           Balnabeeran – baile and bior – prickle or thorn.

561 256           Balnain – baile and athan – town of the fordlet.

495 167           Bellaloin – baile and lon – meadow.

583 158           Beinn Bhurich – beinn – hill and buirich – roaring (of stags).

505 148           Beinn Sgurrach – beinn and sgurrach – pointed or peaky.

572 273           Bochrubin – both – house and craobh – tree.

508 223           Boleskine – possibly Baile os-ceann – the town above (the loch).

454 128           Breakachy – breac – speckled and achadh – field.

485 189           Carn Dearg – carn – rocky hill and dearg – red.

564 235           Carnoch – carneach – rocky place.

579 247           Ceapmaol – ceap – cap or lump and – maol – ridge end.

507 171           Corriegarth – coire – bowl and gart – field or enclosure.

557 196           Croachy – cro – fold and achadh – field.

562 240           Croftdhu – croit – croft and dubh – black, dark.

472 121           Dalchapple – dail – field and capul – horse.

498 177           Dalcrag – dail – and creag – rock.

612 286           Dalcrombie – dail and crombaidh – bend, curve.

606 247           Dalscoilt – dail and sgoilte – split.  Anglicised as Clovendale.

540 241           Dirichurachan – probably diridh – steep slope or ascent and chaorachain –cascading water (from likeness to leaping fire) from nearby Eas Dubh- the dark waterfall.

597 286           Dunchea – dun – fort or hill and Ce, one of the seven sons of Cruithne, the reputed father of the Picts.

610 239           Dunmaglas – dun mac Glais – fort of the sons of Glais.

476 145           Drummond – dromain – back or ridge.

508 185           Drumtemple – druim – ridge and teampull – a temple or church.   It is said that there used to be stone circles there, so the ‘temple’ may have been pre-Christian.

515 169           E. (River) – This seems very obscure, but MacFarlane and the Forfeited Estate Papers name it as ‘Dee’, a common river name.   It may have been Allt Dee, the ‘d’ attaching to the ‘t’ and being dropped by a kind of elision.

586 267           Eudinuagain – Earlier spellings give ‘-unachan’, so it may be from aodann – hill-face and aonachan – market or gathering place.

566 232           Errogie – Has been given as ‘height of rushing’ (wind), but may be a variant of Farigaig.

520 239           Farigaig – Said to be from fairge – ocean, but this seems rather remote.

565 219           Farraline – possibly from farain – land and lon – meadow.

515 189           Fenecreich – fan – slope and crioch – boundary.   It lies at the march between the lands of Mussady and Dalcrag.

495 208           Foyers – foithear – shelving slope.

521 118           Garrogie – older spelling is ‘Garrovie’ – gearr – narrow and maigh – plain or flat.

518 170           Garthbeg – gart – field and beag – little.

513 165           Garthmore – gart and mor – big.

548 215           Gorthleck – gart and ghlaick – hollow.

476 119           Glenbreun – gleann and breun – nasty.   The water of the burn is said to be sulphurous.

515 215           Glenlia – gleann and liath – grey.

480 132           Killiechoilum – cill – cell or church and cuingleum – gorge-leap, from which also

492 142           Knockchoilum – cnoc – small hill and cuingleum.

526 091           Killin – cill and fhin – white.

468 130           Knockcarroch – cnoc and carroch – uneven.

446 133           Knockie – hillocky place

567 258           Leadclune – leth – half and lon – meadow – the split meadow.

552 245           Loch a’ bhodaich – loch and bodach – old man or hobglobin.

588 288           Loch Ceo-glais – loch of the grey Ce.

500 155           Loch-nan-losganan – loch of the frogs.   (Nearby is Paddockfield, paddock being Scots for frog.)

540 202           Lyne – lainn – field.

545 074           Markie (Glen and Burn) – marc – horse.

538 188           Migovie – mig – bog and aghaidh – face.

576 212           Meal Donn – meall – rounded hill and donn – brown.

601 316           Riabhaichaidh (dun) – riabhaich – brindled.

602 270           Ruthven – ruadh – red and mhaighin – place.

Saobhaidh (used in names of several hills) – fix’s litter.

536 069           Stronelarig – sron – nose or point and lairig – pass.

589 282           Tom-na-croich  – tom – knoll and croich – gallows.

531 203           Tom-a-Mhoid – tom and mod – court or assembly.

502 192           Tom-a-Mhuilin – tom and muileann – mill.   Mill Hill.

580 270           Torness – tor – hill and eas – waterfall.

574 236           Torshelly – tor and sealladh – looking.   Look-out Hill.

523 201           Tyndrum – tigh – house and druim – ridge.

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