Gaelic bùrn as a Generic Element in the North East of Scotland

Gaelic bùrn as a Generic

Element in the North Eastof Scotland

Jake King – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

Sc Burn

1229 Kyrkeburne Moray Reg. 77

Sc Burn

Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue:

A brook or stream. Frequent in early place-names

Water, esp. for use in brewing. Frequent in north-eastern

records after 1600.

G bùrn (masc) in the lexicon

“do leum a’ bhradain ri bùrn”. Òrain Iain Luim 1707, 1923

“The salmon jumped by a burn/water”

“Mar mhial-bhuirn air gach loch” Òrain Iain Luim 1707, p. 399, 14 [variant mhiol-buirn]

“Like the whale[?] in each loch”

Mial-bùirn: ‘whale’ in Dwelly – ‘ lit. water-animal’

G bùrn in the lexicon

Sàil is bùrn, salt water and fresh water;

nì bùrn salach làmhan glan, foul water makes clean hands;

cho saor ri bùrn, as cheap as water;

chitheam am fuil do bhùrn, would that I saw their blood as water - AM;

nach e rinn am bùrn, how it has rained!

tha bùrn mór anns an abhainn, there is much water in the river.

G bùrn as a specific element

Allt a’ Bhùirn - "The fresh water stream" is so called from it's being used by the people of Lairigfor household purposes. OS Name book ARG OS1/2/50/130

Dal-bhuirn - Invercauld dal-vurn ‘would be a field liable to flooding: Diack MS2276 [Dail a’ Bhùirn]

“Tota Bhuirn” signifies Water Roofless Mall: OS name book ROS OS1/27/39/51

G bùrn as a generic element?

The loan of Sc burn into G bùrn into generally has the meaning ‘fresh water’

Was Sc burn also borrowed as meaning ‘brook, stream’?

BURN BEG ~ Am Bùrn Beag

Burn Beg OS 6 inch edn.

ScG beag, adj. ‘small’

OS name books says: "A small stream rising in the Moss of Ardonald and flows into the Burn of Cairnie near the Duelties" OS1/1/12/51 Aberdeenshire

BURN HERVIE ~ Bùrn na h-Eirbhe?

Burn Ervie 1820 SCA CS/2/26 [Receipt for part payment of bridge over Burn Ervie]

small stream called Burnervie 1834-45 NSA vol.7 p. 562

Burn Hervey 1869 OS 6 inch 1st edn. [watercourse]

Burnervie, or Burnharvey 1875 New History of Aberdeenshire p.311 vol. I

Burn Hervie 1901 Os 6 inch 1st revision [watercourse]

Burnhervie 1901 OS 6 inch 1st revision [settlement]

ScG airbhe, gen (h-)eirbh, ’wall, boundary’

[bɅrn’ɛrvi]. Pronounced Burn Ervie: Alexander 1952, 191

“…forms the boundary for a considerable distance between the parishes of Inverury and Chapel of Garioch.” (OS1/1/42/81)

BURN LOISHKEAN ~ Bùrn (nan) Loisgeann

KraigLuoiʃkẽn c. 1591 Pont map 6

Bend lusken 1761 RHP 41898 [no bend marked on the plan]

Burn Loishkean 1874 OS 6 inch 1st edn.

G loisgeann, ‘toad’ (variant of losgann)

"A small stream… the name is corrupted from the Gaelic of the Frogs Stream" OS name book Morayshire OS1/12/3/102

The Namebook has Losgann written in pencil above the form Loishkean as the headform.

BURN ROY ~ Am Bùrn Ruadh

Burn Royen x2 1761 RHP41897

Burn Roy 1874 OS 6 inch edn.

There is also a nearby Bogroy:

Bogroy 1747-1755 Roy Military Survey of Scotland

Bogroy 1761 RHP41897

ScG ruadh, ’red, iron’

Roy’s Well ~ Tobar an Ruaidh / Tobar Ruadh ?

• At the head of this is Roy’s Well

• Also near Bogroy is a Chalybeate well. On Skye these are called TobarRuadh or Tobar an Ruaidh.

• Roy’s well = Tobar an Ruaidh ?

BURNCRUINEACH

Burnecrunnache 1609 Sherriff Court Records of Aberdeen: Diet Books vol VIII, part II

Burnecruinack 1685 Ratification in favours of the duke of Gordon [and protest]

Burncruinach 1822 Robertson’s Topographical and military map of the counties of Aberdeen, Banff and Kincardine

Burncriunach 1832 Thomson’s Map of Scotland

Burn Cruinach 1874 OS 6 inch edn.

Settlement at foot of Shield Burn.

BURN CRUINEACH

Burn-cruinach Chalmers NLS MS.3.1.7 f142v [Cruin-ach in Irish denotes a round field (O’ Brien and Shaw in no Cruin) so Burn-cruinach the rivulet of the round field or the round field of the rivulet.]

(burn-crunak D) / (? Bùrn cruinneachaidh ‘spring of meeting, assembly.

Bùrn crūnyach = water gathering (Downie) MS2494 Aberdeen Spec. Coll. (Diack)

[bɅrn’krunək] Pronounced Burn Croonek: Alexander 1952, 191

Other names:

•Burn Beg: beag, ‘small’

Other names:


•Burn Cruinach: cruinneachadh, ‘assembly’

Other names:



•Burn Hervie: airbhe, gen h-eirbh, ‘wall, boundary’

•Burnervie: airbhe, gen h-eirbh, ‘wall, boundary’

Other names:





•Burnervite: ?

•Burngarnie: ?

Other names:





•Burnervite: ?

•Burngarnie: ?

•Burn Gauly: gobhal, gen. goibhle, ’fork’

Other names:





•Burnervite: ?

•Burngarnie: ?

•Burn Gauly: gobhal, gen. goibhle, ’fork’

•Burn Levenit: ? lìobhanaid (cf. Lìobhaid ~ Livet)

Other names:

•Burn Loishkean: losgann, loisgeann, ’toad’

Other names:


•Burn Muckarty: ? Mucardaidh, ‘pig-place’

Other names:



•Burnorrachie: ? òrachaidh, ‘gold place’

Other names:




•Burn Roy: ruadh, ‘red, iron’

Other names:





•Burnshangie: seang, ‘slender’

Other names:






•Burn Treble: ? triopall, ‘bunch, cluster’

Other names:






•Burn Treble: ? triopall, ‘bunch, cluster’

•Burn Warroch: ? uarach, ‘waterfall’

BurnwarrochDumyat

Many false friends

Burnturk P *brun / *bren, ‘hill’ + P *turc (Brenturk c.1245)

Burnbane P *brun / *bren, ‘hill’ + P ban (Brinbane 1423)

Many false friends

Burnturk P *brun / *bren, ‘hill’ + P *turc (Brenturk c.1245)

Burnbane P *brun / *bren, ‘hill’ + P ban (Brinbane 1423)

Burn Crooks “A considerable Stream or burn running in a serpentine course” DNB OS namebooks [OS1/9/8/23]

Burn Whommie / Foamy Burn

terras de Burnaquhommie 1630 RMS no. 1663 vol. IV

Burnaquhammie 1634 RMS no. 54 vol. IX

torrentem de Whame 1642 RMS no. 1283 vol. IX

Auld Crombie lie Burne de Whomie 1643 RMS no. 1307 vol. IV

terras de Burnaquhomi 1643 RMS no. 1419 vol. IV

Burne de Whomie 1668 Retours (Banff) no. 125

Foamyburn or Fommieburn 1867-9 OS Namebooks Banffshire OS1/4/22/48

Burndow ~ Am Bùrn Dubh

Area between Loch Ard and Duchray water was known

as An Abhainn Dubh, ‘the black river’.

Generic element variation Abhainn ~ Bùrn ?

In conclusion..

• Sc burn borrowed into Gaelic as bùrn meaning ‘fresh water’.

In conclusion..


• Also borrowed in the North East meaning ‘brook, stream’ c. 1500? (1609 earliest attested form )

In conclusion..


• Also borrowed in the North East meaning ‘brook, stream’ c. 1500? (1609 earliest attested form )

• Very late borrowing which does not seem to have survived as Gaelic died out in the area not long after.

In conclusion..


• Also borrowed in the North East meaning ‘brook, stream’ by 1500? (1609 earliest attested form )

• Very late borrowing which does not seem to have survived as Gaelic died out in the area not long after.

• On more example of toponymy uncover otherwise unknown words or meanings.

Gaelic bùrn as a Generic Element in the North East of Scotland

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