Stoneykirk Place-Names. 28t 



worship of the church. Knocktaggart will mark a priest's 

 residence or possession, Caimtaggart mark his grave. A large 

 tract of land gets its name Port o' Spittal from a hospice once 

 there, likelv for the benefit of traders and travellers crossing to 

 and from Ireland. Four miles on the road east is Craigencrosh. 

 The cross here could do double duty, at once near the wayside 

 and the church — Stoneykirk adjoins. There is also a Knockin- 

 crosh ; and Corshill is quite near Kirkmadryne. Here, too, as 

 at Hassendean, some magic power or sacred rite had been associ- 

 ated with a stone. Clayshaut (holy stone) is one of the three 

 parishes now making up Stoneykirk. 



The place names teach a good deal about the occupation* 

 and habits of the Gaelic parishioners. There was the primitive 

 hunting, as seen in Barnchalloch. Craiginee marks where deer 

 were, and Balloch a lee, hind calves. Knockscaddan hill, where 

 herrings were sold, points to fishing as well as hunting. Knock- 

 teinan, beacon hill, in neighbourhood of Port o' Spittal, may 

 have served to guide fishing boats as well as trading boats to a 

 harbour. Cattle rearing was more extensively followed than 

 agriculture. There is a glen, Allivolie, the glen suitable for 

 cattle, also hills for them — Drumbawn, Knockbawn. Bar- 

 vannoch may be the modern calf park. Barscarrow would be, 

 most suitably, the hill for foals. There is an Airioland where 

 the cattle were sent for natural hill pasture in summer, and 

 Shielhill speaks of the shelters erected for the herds. Goats 

 would feed on the crags, especially at Portgowar. 



There was some tillage. Auchness Croft goes back to 

 Gaelic times influenced by Anglo Saxons. Croft is said to be 

 connected with Cruach, Erse for stack, as the first cultivated 

 land was at the top. The name here is suitable for a spot tilled 

 higher up than the meadow. There are two Awhirks, Auch, 

 coirce, corn. Of one of these places it was once said to me " a 

 fine wee farm for growing oats." In Drumillan and Knock- 

 mullin, three miles apart, there is evidence that corn was grown 

 in several places, that querns no longer sufficed for grinding, 

 and that the wdndmills needed to be then on heights. 



The two trades then followed had to do with leather and 

 with iron. There is a glen Grusy, for the leather workers, and 

 Knocktrodden for tanners. Of course, this parish, like others, 

 had its smithy forge (challoch). The field opposite the challoch 



