Wigtownshire

WIG Wigtownshire

WIGTOWNSHIRE AND CARRICK PLACE-NAMES: A COMPARISON
Michael Ansell, organiser of the Spring 2009 Conference, summarises Professor John MacQueen‘s talk at New Galloway.

Professor MacQueen began his talk by quoting William Watson¹ 'Everything goes to show that the introduction of Gaelic and the decline of British followed much the same course in both districts' (referring to Carrick and Galloway). However the talk was confined to a comparison between South Ayrshire and Wigtownshire, these being areas for which Prof. MacQueen had more place-name data available. The lecture was then based on an analysis of one or two difficulties with the position as outlined by Watson. In describing these, Prof. MacQueen examined the distribution of certain place-name elements in South Ayrshire and Wigtownshire. These were the Gaelic land measure terms peighinn, leith-pheighinn, fairdean, dabhach, ceathramh, together with the landscape features sliabh and carraig. He compared this with the Brittonic tref and other Brittonic elements.

For the purpose of this summary, the gist of the argument may be put by recounting the position put forward relating to each of the above place-name elements. Prof. MacQueen firstly demonstrated divergence from Watson‘s position by examining the Brittonic element tref which he explained as being derived from Welsh law relating to a communal farm of 256 acres and therefore indicative of farmed settlement. He pointed out that the simple term 'Threave' may represent local centres of some weight and gave the example of Threave in Kirkcudbrightshire which, located in a strongly defensible central position, remained for long a place of importance. The difference in distribution of this term was shown to be dramatic across the area in question with a very considerable number surviving in the Carrick and South Ayrshire river valleys, particularly those of the Girvan Water and Ayr. However only three are to be found in Wigtownshire and one, Ochiltree is close to the Carrick border. Prof. MacQueen suggested that this indicated that Brittonic may have survived much longer in Carrick and South Ayrshire than in Wigtownshire.

A significant contrast in distribution was next demonstrated by an analysis of the Gaelic element ceathramh, a quarterland. Prof MacQueen emphasised the Irish origin of this land division and showed how its distribution provided a mirror image of the distribution of the Brittonic tref element mentioned above. Only one ceathramh name was shown to be over the watershed in Carrick (Colmonell parish) whereas there are many examples in Wigtownshire.

The interesting differences in distribution of some other place-name elements were next examined. Prof. MacQueen demonstrated that the Gaelic land unit names peighinn, leith-pheighinn, fairdean, were also largely confined to South Ayrshire with some remarkable concentrations in the same Carrick river valleys where he had earlier demonstrated tref survival clusters. The Germanic origin of these terms, though borrowed into Gaelic and forming a part of a land holding system stretching up the west coast of Scotland into Argyll and the Hebrides was mentioned in the context that this suggests a later arrival of this land unit naming system. Prof. MacQueen stressed that the contrast in place-name distribution of these elements suggested something fundamentally different had taken place in settlement north and south of the watershed that forms the historic boundary between Carrick and Galloway. The picture he glimpsed from this and other evidence was that of an earlier and densely settled Gaelic province of Wigtownshire which was aligned strongly with Ireland and Irish patterns of land-holding, in contrast to the late surviving Brittonic areas in Carrick. This suggested a different political reality in the zone north of the watershed which was more open to later influence by settlers bringing in a new land holding system, this time derived from Argyll and the Hebrides. He considered that the new influence could have arrived in Carrick and South Ayrshire with the Gall Gaidheal which would fit with late Brittonic survival prior to a rapid and thorough Hebridean Gaelicisation. His point however was that this Gall Gaidheal tide seems to have slowed at the watershed between Galloway and Carrick. South of this, in Wigtownshire, existed a Gaelic- speaking province but of a somewhat different, more Irish orientation.

Further support for this differentiation was cited by Prof. MacQueen with respect to the place-name element dail. He agreed with Watson that this prefix may be a Brittonic survival or a borrowing into Gaelic and the fact that there are 46 dail names (albeit coined in Gaelic) in Carrick and South Ayrshire compared to just 4 in Wigtownshire suggests a stronger Brittonic legacy in the north.

While the distribution of dabhach was looked into by Prof. MacQueen the relative scarcity of this element (3 in Carrick and 1 in Wigtownshire) precluded any specific conclusions. Indeed it might be that this element in South West Scotland does not relate to a land-holding unit but simply to a topographical feature or even fish-traps as noted by Maxwell.²

Prof. MacQueen concluded his paper by noting that the distribution of the Gaelic elements sliabh and carraig are massively concentrated in South-West Scotland, in Wigtownshire and especially the Rhinns. He has elsewhere proposed that the distribution of these elements indicates early Gaelic settlement, possibly contemporaneous with the Dalriadic settlement of the inner Hebrides and Argyll. While he acknowledges the occurrence of sliabh more widely in Scotland he considers that the sheer weight of the presence of these elements where sliabh forms the generic has to be taken as something of significance for early Gaelic settlement.

¹Watson W. History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland, 1926, p.191
²Maxwell, H. Studies in the Topography of Galloway, 1887, p. 144

PLACE AND FOLK-NAME ELEMENTS IN THE POEM ‘ÒRAN BAGRAIDH’

Òran Bagraidh is a Gaelic poem (the title means 'A Song of Defiance') which first appeared in print in a book of songs and poems supposedly collected in North Uist. The principal source of the material therein was one Angus John MacDonald who hailed from the island and emigrated to Australia when in his 50s. He was given the title 'Gaelic Editor' in the book which is called 'From the Farthest Hebrides'¹ and whose General Editor was the Canadian Professor Donald Fergusson. The book itself received highly critical reviews by D.S. Thomson² and V.S. Blankenhorn³ which elicited a response from Prof. Fergusson and a counter from Blankenhorn in 1980⁴. Space and time here prohibit going through the cases for the prosecution and defence, suffice to say that a guilty verdict to the charge of falsification and 'confectionisation' would probably be carried. However the prosecutors acknowledged that it was likely that some genuine material would be contained in the book but they were so incensed at what they took to be flagrant abuse that they could not see the merit in sifting through it. Blankenhorn in particular drew attention to what she regarded as the over sentimental and flowery literary style of AJM‘s 'concoctions' in the book and by implication proposed a basis for sifting wheat from chaff. This is where matters may have been expected to rest however the fact that the poem Òran Bagraidh contains place-names apparently from Galloway and nearby South Ayrshire provided the justification for further investigation. Added to this, the fact that it transpired that this particular poem was taken very seriously by the Rev. William Matheson who went so far as to make a new English translation of it as well as reconstructing the Gaelic version with copious notes signifies at the least that more work on it could be justified⁵.

The poem Òran Bagraidh and associated notes are on pages 90-92 of the book mentioned above. In the notes AJM provides details of its supposed provenance. Clearly the biggest obstacle to our taking this poem seriously is that this is its sole attestation. It is not recorded anywhere else, as far as I am aware and, as Blankenhorn pointed out, the retention of historic oral tradition within one family exclusively is implausible, oral transmission not working in that way. A further problem is that AJM‘s notes make clear that the song was sung by Donald MacRury whereas the version in the book is essentially garbled and unsingable, especially the last few verses. In fact as Ronnie Black has pointed out⁶ it seems clear that there is some kind of manuscript background to the poem, contradicting AJM‘s notes in this respect. On balance then I conclude that while there are significant doubts remaining about Òran Bagraidh its having been taken seriously by such as Willie Matheson and Ronnie Black, its very roughness and garbled nature (contrasting with the more transparent concoctions in the book) merit further investigation into the place-names and folk-names therein.

To the poem itself then, what does it seem to be about?. The first verse seems to set the scene mentally and geographically, harking back to halcyon days in locations near Loch Doon AYR. However something dreadful happened one morning that changed everything, potentially connected with Cassillis. The second verse lays into the Sliochd na Feannaig, vowing revenge in no uncertain terms while the third praises the (presumably murdered) leader‘s royal ancestry, peaceful and noble manner. Verse four connects the tribes Muinntir na Dubhchos and the Sliochd a‘ Mhaduidh, praises them as warriors and rejoices in traditional hunting, fishing and feasting in the Glenkens KBT. The final verse is a garbled lament and further cry for revenge. This is not a pleasant composition, it is dark, depressing and bitter. Rev. Matheson connected the heavy event with the murder by Craufurd of Kerse of Gilbert, 2nd Earl of Cassillis on the banks of the Pow burn in the sands just north of Ayr in August 1527. As Armstrong's 'New Map of Ayrshire‘ 1775 states, 'there is a dangerous quicksand on the road at the foot of the Pow Burn, to avoid it keep as near to the sea as the tide will allow'. This would have created a predictable ambush spot.

There seem to be genuine place-names in the poem and also simple descriptions of places which may or may not have had the status of a place-name. These are listed below alongside my suggested locations and some earlier forms where available:

Cumar an eas dom	Ness Glen, Loch Doon AYR
Bealach na Slogh	Glenmuck? AYR	Glenmuk 1632
Beinn Beithich	Benbeoch, Dalmellington AYR	Benbeuch 1594
Caisteal caiseal a‘ chro	Cassillis AYR	Castlys 1363, Cassillis 1450
Rath na righinn	Motte at Dalry? KBT
Draoinich	Auchindrain AYR
Ruigh raoin	Roan?, Kirkmichael, AYR
Loch a‘ Bharr	Lochinvar KBT	Lochinvar 1581
Carrsa Fearn	Carsphairn KBT	Carsfairne 1682
Gleann na Seamraig	Glenshimmeroch KBT	Glenschynneroche 1474
Dail Righ	Dalry, KBT	Dalry, 1511, Dalrie 1662

The parish church (St John the Evangelist) at Dalry,
on the slope overlooking the river meadows of the Water of Ken;
it is neighbour to a motte, out of picture to the left.

The potential folk-names contained in the poem are listed below:

Muinntir na dubhchos	Kindred of the black feet	Kennedies
Sliochd na feannaig	Tribe of the crow	Craufurds?
Cinneil sliochd a‘ mhaduidh	Tribe of the wolf or dog	MacLellans
Sluagh na gruaigi ciar	Tribe of the dusky hair	Douglases?

It seems quite clear that the muinntir na dubhchos was a Gaelic name for the Kennedy clan. John Mac Kennedy of Muntercasduff was mentioned in a charter of David II (1329-1371)⁷ while Gilbert Kennedy of Bargany had the lands of Sanct Michaelis Muntercasduff (Kirkmichael) in 1464⁸. Further evidence of this association can be seen from the early forms of the Kennedy holding of Auchencrosh near Ballantrae AYR.

Form	Date	Source	No.
Ballmoircastell	1429	RMS ii	128
Ballowymercastell	1429	RMS ii	128
Ballndrcasdow	1491/2	Wigtown Charters	163
Balmontircasty alias Auchincroshe	1541	RMS iii	2400
Balmowcasti alias Auchincros	1631	RMS vii	1886

As regards the sliochd na feannaig, Willie Matheson suggested in his notes that this might refer to the Crawfurd family who had a base at Kerse, across the River Doon from Cassillis. There is no direct evidence confirming this assertion however and it must remain an open question as to which family is meant here.

There is slightly more, though still circumstantial information as to the provenance of the sliochd a‘ mhaduidh. In Carsphairn parish KBT occurs a cluster of place-names which contain the specific element madadh, a word with various possible canine meanings (dog, wolf, fox). These include the Polmaddy Burn, Castlemaddy, Sheil of Castlemaddy, Holmhead of Castlemaddy and Northside of Castlemaddy. This area essentially is the glen of the Polmaddy Burn and is inside the former boundary of the Forest of Buchan, an ancient hunting district controlled by the Kennedy clan. The poem implies a connection between the 'folk of the wolf' and the 'tribe of the black feet'. The cluster of madadh names in this area seems to indicate a potential area for the sliochd a‘ mhaduidh based in the North West Glenkens. Further Glenkens canine links might be inferred by the place-name Balmaclellan, from Gaelic Baile mac ‘ille fhaolain, the village of the son of St Fillan‘s servant. St. Fillan or Faolán means 'little wolf'. To this day the surname MacLellan is common in the Glenkens. It may be that this family and the sliochd a‘ mhaduidh are one and the same.

Polmaddy Burn and surroundings from John Thomson‘s Atlas of Scotland, 1832. The present Polmaddy and A713 road through it are downstream of the locations in 1832. The older more direct road shown in fainter lines south of Carsphairn is part of the 'Pack Road' path marked on more recent maps. The hint of a sliabh name in (Upr.) Slongashill, now Stroangassel, is not supported by the 'Strancastle' on Roy‘s Military Survey, c1750. (Thanks to NLS for online maps.)

I have not been able to make any connection between the Douglases and the sluagh na gruagi ciar as suggested by Matheson.

This leaves us for now with the questions as to who composed the poem, if it is indeed genuine and how could it have moved from Galloway to North Uist? While accepting that the jury is still very much out as to the genuineness of the poem itself the most likely origin for it if it was really a SW Scotland composition would be in the Glenkens due to the location of the place-names and potentially some of the folk-names therein. It would also most likely have been composed by a bard attached to a wealthy sympathiser of the Kennedy family (if we accept Matheson‘s theory as to the murder of the 2nd Earl of Cassillis). In fact there have been two Kennedy family branches recorded as residing in the Glenkens itself, one of Knockgray near Carsphairn is too recent while the other at Knockreoch and Knocknalling has been on record since 1476. This would be the most likely location for the poem to have been written, possibly around 1550 or so (this date accords with comparisons of the style Ronnie Black has made with MacGregor elegiac poetry⁹).

As for its transmission to North Uist, the book 'From the Farthest Hebrides' claimed the North Uist men picked it up from visits to Arran. Arran is within sight of the potential murder location. Another possibility is a MacLellan family connection; the name is common in both the Glenkens and North Uist. Is it mere coincidence that the main settlement in North Uist is Loch nam madadh?

[1] Fergusson, D. (Gen. Ed.), 'From the Farthest Hebrides', 1978
[2] Glasgow Herald 14 Dec 1978
[3] Scottish Review No. 16 1979
[4] Scottish Review No. 18 1980
[5] NLS Acc. 9711, Box 14, No.1
[6] Personal Communication
[7] RMS I app. 2 No. 914
[8] Paterson, Ayr II p.347
[9] Ronnie Black, personal communication

Michael Ansell (summarising his talk at New Galloway)

Bibliography (to see full bibliography, click here)