Place Names in Kirkpatrick-Durham. 255 



as East Kilbride and West Kiltjride. But when the Gaelic- 

 speaking people were disappearing and others were taking their 

 place who did not understand the tongue yet worshipped in the 

 same little church, they prefixed their own word Kirk. Thus 

 Kilbride became Kirk-Kilbride, and remains so in the common 

 speech of to-day — Kirklebride. Kilnabony, as already mentioned, 

 may have been originally an ecclesiastical spot. Another vestige 

 of old church usages is found in the words for cross which still 

 remain. In old Keltic days, as in some continental countries 

 still, crosses were erected in various places, some elaborately 

 carved, others extremely plain. That custom accounts for the 

 names Croys, Corse, Corsehill, Corsegate. 



We pass on now to more modern times. Naturally we pass 

 through a period of transition. Just as Norse words passed into 

 the usage of those who spoke Gaelic and were modified accord- 

 ingly, so Gaelic words have come down to us through the speech 

 of those who knew no Gaelic and have been at times so distorted 

 as to become unrecognisable. This may account for such names 

 as Cutcloy and Tailtratnaw. For the same reason — the meaning 

 of the words having been lost — later additions were prefixed or 

 appended. Kirklebride is an instance. Again, names were 

 given to places which brought together the speech of two different 

 races, thus forming one word. Of this kind is Gowkcairn. 

 Gowk is Saxon and Cairn is of Keltic origin. If I might hazard 

 a guess at Tan Hill, I would say that it also is a hybrid, for Tan^ 

 may represent the Gaelic for fire and Hill of course is Saxon. 



Coming now to names which are more distinctive of our 

 modern times, we have a few — I may take this opportunity to put 

 them on record — which are ceasing to be remembered. Slate- 

 house is one. Perhaps it was the first house in the district to be 

 slated. All the other houses would be thatched or covered with 

 turf. Shielbank, Westfield, Springside, Step-end, Marlmount, 

 the old name for Woodpark. 



Other names, most of them still in use, hav€ preserved words 

 which are nearly or altogether obsolete. Nethertown, for 

 instance, and Townhead, in which town is the old word toun = 

 the farm toun, i.e., the farm with its collection of houses — barn, 

 byres, stables, etc. Fordhouse and Crocketford preserve a use 

 of the word ford, which has now become forgotten, namely for a 



3. See Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary, sub voce Teind. 



