G2 Place Namks. 



also in Kirkcudbrig'ht, not iu association with a cliurdi site, but 

 with one of those nearly rectangular forts commonly supposed to 

 be Roman. In Southwick are Dunmuck, Doonend (pi-obably a 

 corruption ag'ain of the Graelic diminutive), and Dunjimpon ; the 

 latter found also in Buittle ; in Twynholm. Din Hill and Boon 

 Hill. 



Without going specially into the local distribution of the 

 prefixes Aiichen and Dal, which are not specifically hill epithets, 

 let us look at some of the names, Gaelic and oth^r than Graelic, 

 which stud the maps with their odd-looking lettering, and surprise 

 or amuse the ear when one hears them pronounced. Many 

 hybrids offer g-ood examples of this peculiarity. For instance. 

 Shouther o' Mullbane, Tormoidknowe, Wee Meaul, Alwhannie 

 Knowes, Hags o' Poljargen, are hill epithets in Carsphairn, both 

 (juaint and sonorous. Fangs o' Merrick, Lamachan Scaur, Nick 

 o' the Bushy, Wheel, Clachaneasy, Boi'ganferrach, Troston, Scars 

 o' Gaharn, Closing, Clashdonkie, Nick o' Slanyvenach, Magempsey 

 — this formidable-sounding array represents but a few picked at 

 random out of my lists for the wild highland parish of Minnigaff. 

 names, for the most part, best left alone, so far as interpretation is 

 concerned. To one just mentioned, however, I am tempted to advert 

 for a moment— Clachaneasy. This is usually supposed to b3 the 

 Gaelic Clachan Josa, in a corrupt form, and to mean " the hamlet, 

 or church, of Jesus." To give colour to this, one would expect to 

 find the ruins of a primitive chapel near ; but not even the site of 

 such is, traditionally or otherwise, vouchsafed us. Besides, ea^^n is 

 a most unwarrantable mispi'oimnciation of fosa. The true inter- 

 pretation, while destroying the sentiment of association with an 

 early Christian settlement here, is, at anyrate, reasonable. Close 

 by the bridge, near Clachaneasy, is a small stream, like many 

 another stream hereabouts, of turbulent temper and changeable. 

 Its name is, nowadays, Essie or Essy. What can be simpler 

 than to trace the " easy " of the place name to the Gaelic eassie, 

 or cascade, or a stream of cascades ? I am glad to find that my 

 rendering of this name is in agreement w'lXh that suggested l)y 

 more than one Gaelic scholar far more competent to pronounce an 

 opinion. 



Girthon — to resume our main line of illustration — supplies us 

 with the very strange names, Syllodioch and Garniemire ; in 

 Balmaclellan, high up among the hills, 1150 ft. above sea level, is 



