‘Davachtis’ Table

The 14 ‘Davachtis’ in Lennox

This table allows us to add other evidence showing that the 14 davachtis of 1223 were in fact the same as arachors, carucates or £20 lands.

 

13 December 1223	Modern Name	Parish	Extent	Date	Comments
Bullull	Bonhill	Bonhill			NB East bank of Leven only. See below.
Balloch	Balloch	Kilmaronock then Bonhill			The ‘terras dominicales’ (Mains Farm) of Balloch is £10 in 1506-7.
Sheneglis	Shanacles	Kilmaronock	3m	1572	See below.
Kilmarrannok	Kilmaronock	Kilmaronock			See below.
Colquhoun	Colquhoun	West Kilpatrick			See below.
Kilpatrik	Kilpatrick	West Kilpatrick			See below.
Drumtocher	Duntocher	West Kilpatrick			See below.
Manekinbrene	Boquhanran	West Kilpatrick			See below.
Drumry	Drumry	East Kilpatrick	£20	1545	See below.
Gartscuib	Garscube	East Kilpatrick			See below.
Gartchonane	Gartconnel	East Kilpatrick	carucate	13th C	See below.
Auchincloych-major	Achincloich (Meikle)	East Kilpatrick	(£20)	1632	See below.
Auchincloych-minor	Achincloich (Little or Nether?)	East Kilpatrick	carucate or arachor	13th C	See below.
Kilmonan	Kilmannan	Killearn	carucate	1388	See below.

 

I think each of these ‘davachtis’ was originally worth £20 or 30m.

 

 

Bonhill

Probably included Napierstown (10m, 1546), Ladytown (5m, 1571), Nobilstoun (6m, 1551-2).

 

Shanacles

Another early reference is ‘Seueglass’ in Paisley Register pp 213-4 for 1228 (see also p 212). The context suggests Shanacles then extended up to the River Leven. However if Balloch was the davach immediately north, and Bullull the davach immediately south, then the davach of Shanacles would have had a relatively narrow frontage on the Leven. It probably included Ballagan and Blairhosh.

 

Kilmaronock

The most likely components are Mains (£3), Bordland (£3) and Aber (3½ or 4½m). In the documents Gartocharn (3m) and Duncryne (3m) are often linked. This takes us to a maximum of £13 or 19½m. Kilmaronock was still dedicated to the maintenance of Dumbarton Castle in 1329 – see Kilmaronock text file.

It seems probable that Portnellan was another davach between Bullull, Shanacles and Balloch to the south and Kilmarrannok in the north. There must have been a reason it wasn’t included.

 

Colquhoun

Mains of Colquhoun was 17m in 1533 (Fraser, Colquhoun, II, p 10).

 

Kilpatrick

Easter and Wester Kilpatrick together were 20m in 1465. We should probably include Morishland (2m) which seems to have lain between them.

I think Paislay will have owned all of Kilpatrick davach.

 

Duntocher

Duntocher was only 6½m so likely included some of the neighbouring farms. However I cannot prove which. It became a Paisley property but I do not know how much of the Duntocher davach became Paisley’s.

 

Boquhanran

Boquhanran was 10m and became a Paisley property. However I do not know how much of the Boquhanran davach became Paisley’s. The davach probably included Auchingree which was another 2m – also belonging to Paisley.

 

Drumry

Drumry was a £20 land in 1545. Values we know are Drumry 40s (3m), Clobarhill 40s (3m), Hutcheson 5m, Drumchapel 40s (3m), Knightswood 40s (3m), Blairdardie 2m or 2½m.

 

Garscube

Garscube was a £10 land in 1498. This would be a half-davach so the other half must have splintered off by then.

 

Gartconnel

Gartconnel is discussed in the text file ‘Problem Names’. I think it is the same as Cartonvenach which was described as a carucate in the thirteenth century. Gartconnel was £5 (a quarterland) in 1501 and the other three-quarters are likely to have been its immediate neighbours.

 

Achincloich (Major = Meikle or Big), Achincloich (Minor = Little)

This is the only instance of the 14 where we are talking of a 2-davach unit. It must have been important in earlier times and by 1223 was subdivided into a Big/Little or More/Beag. The only later references we have to this division are a document of c. 1285 which refers to:

three quarters of a carrucate of land of Akencloy Nether, which in Scotch is called Arachor,

and a similar document in Cartularium de Levenax, pp 38-9, which refers to

tres quartarias carucate terre de Auchincloich inferiori, que scotice vocatur arachor,

(three quarters of a carucate of Nether Auchincloich, which is called arachor in Scots (i.e. Gaelic))

It seems reasonable to equate Nether Auchincloich with the Auchincloych-minor of 1223. It lay immediately north of what is now Milngavie.

Auchincloych-major probably lay to the NW of this and we know of 2 later half-carucate units in the vicinity. Achincloich, Hilton & Auldmurroch were a £10 land in 1512. Craigtoun, Thombowie & Carmeddane were a £10 land in 1632. These were quite possibly the two halves of Auchincloych-major.

 

Kilmannan

Kilmannan was once the name of a carucate. Fraser, Lennox, I, pp 28-9, prints a warrant from Robert II to Sir Patrick Graham in 1388 which refers to ‘the carucate of Kilmonevane’.