Problem Names

Problem names

 

This section is devoted to trying to establish the nature and whereabouts of some of the more problematic names given in the early documents.

 

 

Polnegulan

 

RRS  IV Pt 1 No 205; RH5/21 1259; APS I, 99; CDS I (2174); all deal with an inquest regarding the carucate of Polnegulan. The inquest is discussed in Select Scottish Cases of the Thirteenth Century by Lord Cooper, Edinburgh, 1944, pp 72-3. It took place in the presence of Robert de Colechon ‘et aliorum proborum de Leuenax’ (and other worthy men of Lennox). However the document goes on to list the baronies these men represented and none of them are on the north side of the Clyde. I think the way the document has been phrased could mislead us into thinking that Polnegulan was in Lennox. The inquest did take place in Dumbarton. Robert de Colechon (Colquhoun) and Michael son of Edoff [Edolf] were from Lennox – but the others weren’t and I suspect Polnegulan was not in Lennox at all.

 

 

Cartonvenach

 

The sources:

 

Cartularium de Levenax, p 12, records the gift by Alwin, earl of Lennox, of Cartonvene to the church of Kilpatrick. He confirms other properties which had probably been granted by his predecessors but Cartonvene is specifically stated to have been his own gift. The charter dates between 1174 and 1199. The Index of variant readings on p 106 offers Cactonbene from a manuscript in the possession of the Duke of Montrose.

 

The same document recording Alwin’s gift appears on p 157 of the Paisley Register and reads Cateconnen. The property is mentioned again on p 167 where it is spelled Kachconnen in a document dated to 1233. By this stage it had been sold by Malcolm Beg – a fact endorsed by other witnesses.

 

So the four variants for what is definitely the same place are Cartonvene or Cactonbene (CL) and Cateconnen or Kachconnen (RMP).

 

We have not identified all of the early properties which belonged to Paisley. However those which we have located are all in Kilpatrick parish. It seems likely that Cartonvene would also have been in Kilpatrick. However, for some strange reason this property did not end up in Paisley’s hands. The Abbey was remorseless in pursuing other Kilpatrick properties but they decided to let this one go.

 

On Cartularium de Levenax pp 26-7, Maldoven, earl of Lennox (fl. 1225 – c. 1270), granted to Maurice, son of Galbraith:

totam carucatam terre de Cartonvenach

(the whole carucate of Cartonvenach)

 

On Cartularium de Levenax pp 29-30, Malcolm, earl of Lennox, gave to Arthur Galbraith (son of the Maurice on pp 26-7 above):

 illam dimidiam quartariam terre de Gilgirinane que propinquior est terre de Cartonewene et Tyrwaldouny

(that half-quarterland (i.e. eighthland) of Gilgirinane which is closer to the land of Cartonewene and Tyrwaldouny)

 

It seems reasonable to assume that the Galbraith carucate of Cartonvenach on page 26 is probably the same as the land of Cartonewene on p 29. But are these the same as the Cartonvene of the late 12th century?

 

On the basis of his Index Locorum it appears that James Dennistoun, the editor of the Cartularium de Levenax, thought there were two separate places involved here. He gives Cartonvene and Cateconnen as the same and lists pages 12, 29, and 106. He gives Cartonvenach as a separate entry and lists page 26.

 

OSA Vol 15 No XVI p 271 equates Cartonbenach with Bathernock (i.e. Baldernock).

OPS I (edited by C. Innes) p 47 equates Cartenvenoch with Bardowie.In the map at the end of Volume 1, Kathconnen is marked just NW of Gartenconnel. Cartenvenoch (Bardowie) is marked just N of Loch Bardowie.

 

Nimmo, The History of Stirlingshire, 3rd edition Vol 1, pp 56-7, has this to say of “The Auld Wives’ Lifts”:

On Craigmaddie Moor, in the parish of Baldernock, anciently Cartenbenach, another remarkable antiquity is found. … The place appears to have been Druidical, and the ancient Celtic name Gart-na-Beannachd, signifying “Field of Blessing,” might have originated from this circumstance.

On this interpretation ‘Gart-na-Beannachd’ may have been an old name for Craigmaddie and thence the western carucate of Baldernock (see further under Baldernock parish).

 

And finally, the only place-name in Lennox which seems to bear any resemblance to Cartonvenach is Caldarvan in Kilmaronock which was ‘Caldorvene’ in 1528.

 

So far we have a number of possible identifications. Can we sort them out?

 

Despite Baldernock being a Galbraith stronghold, despite ‘Gart-na-Beannachd’ and despite ‘Caldorvene’ I think the evidence supporting these is all too circumstantial. They are also too distant from Kilpatrick.

 

I think it is much more likely that Cartonvenach is simply Gartconnel. For some reason it was not given to Paisley but ended up with the Galbraiths instead. The spellings of Cartonvene, Cartonvenach and Cartonewene are all found in one source only – the Cartularium de Levenax. That suggests an idiosyncratic style of presentation that we can partly discount. Since we know that Cartonvene is the same as Cateconnen it seems most logical to assume that all the references are to the same place – the Galbraith stronghold of Gartconnel. Initially it was a carucate (probably worth £20) and presumably an important estate centre since there is a Court Hill nearby at NS 5372. Over time it subdivided. See also text file ‘Davachs in Lennox?’.

 

In the early documents Gartconnel is often spelt with an initial ‘C’. GD124/1/411 c. 1360 is witnessed by William de Galbraith, lord of Catconnel.

 

 

Kilgerintyn or Gilgirinane

 

We have two references in the Cartularium de Levenax to a property that is hard to identify. On pp 28-29            Malcolm earl of Lennox refers to Arthur Galbraith possessing Bannachra, Kingareloch, Finnart, Balfunning, ‘Kilgerintyn’ and Auchincloich.

 

On pp 29-30 Malcolm earl of Lennox grants to Arthur Galbraith:

illam dimidiam quartariam terre de Gilgirinane que propinquior est terre de Cartonewene et Tyrwaldouny

(that half-quarterland (i.e. eighthland) of Gilgirinane which is nearer to the land of Cartonewene and Tyrwaldouny).

 

Gilgirinane is almost certainly the same as Kilgerintyn since they were both Arthur Galbraith’s properties. (The two documents cannot be far from each other in terms of date since they have very similar witness-lists). Tyrwaldouny may be for tir (land) + Maldouny (i.e. Maldowen’s land) but I have no other references for this and so cannot locate it. Cartonewene will be Gartconnel (see above).

 

After this Kilgerintyn disappears from the records except for one reference to Kilcrinan which may be the same place:

 

In RMS II (165, 166) 1430 (on originals of 1423) James I confirmed a charter of Duncan, earl of Lennox, which granted to Sir William Grahame about 20 properties in Lennox. In RMS II (634) 1458 James II confirmed most of these to Patrick Graham. The two lists are not quite the same. Three properties feature in the earlier list but not the second – Ledlewan, the two Thownachis, Balnaclerach. In the second list Kilcrinan, Gartfairn and Corriearklet appear. This is the only reference I know to Kilcrinan and it cannot be the same as Kilmannan which is Kylmonagane in 1423 and Kilmoran in 1458.

 

The lists are not really in geographical order although there are clusters of names which are close to each other on the ground. For what it is worth Kilcrinan is listed after Barloch and before Kilmoran in 1458. Barloch was at NS 560748 in East Kilpatrick parish. I think the site of Kilmannan (Kilmoran in 1458) is occupied by what is now called Auchineden Farm in NS 5179 (Killearn parish). The area between them is well-populated with places which appear in the documentary record: Little Balvie, Tambowie, Craigton, Hilton, Carneddan and the lost place-name of Auchencloich. Kilgerintyn or Kilcrinan may have been somewhere here and it may once have been a church-site.

 

There is one other reference which should perhaps be mentioned here. J Bruce, History of the Parish of Kilpatrick, p 251, quotes Dumbarton Burgh records for 1372 that Patrick de Greym (Graham) disposed of the lands of ‘Kyllemonethdam et Kyllerman’ to support a chaplain in the parish church of Dumbarton. Apparently these lands had come to him from Isabella Fleming of Dalnotter. ‘Kyllemonethdam’ is Kilmannan in Killearn parish. But where is ‘Kyllerman’? It appears similar to Killermont in East Kilpatrick parish which belonged to the Cunninghams of Drumquhassle in the sixteenth century. If it had an earlier history as a Graham property I haven’t managed to track it down. But might it be Kilcrinan? We know that belonged to the Grahams because it appears in the same list as Kilmannan in 1458.

 

 

Awchedauchhannoch

 

Chapter XXI of Guthrie Smith, Strathendrick, deals with the Buchanans of Buchanan. On p 286, he gives a 1474 reference to ‘the lands of Vester Manys called Awchedauchhannoch‘. Now this alternative name for Wester Mains of ‘Awchedauchhannoch’ looks interesting. The first element is Sc. G. achadh (field). The second element appears to be ‘dauch’ one of the common abbreviations of dabhach – a primary land-assessment unit. The problem is that in the whole of the rest of the Lennox I have not found any other place-name which definitely includes this element. The quote comes from a Protocol Book of Stirling so it is possible that the notary was imposing his own ‘foreign’ terminology. However it does raise intriguing possibilities.

 

 

Letblaan

 

Cartularium de Levenax pp 91-92, King Alexander (II) confirmed on last day of May a.r. 12 (1226):

donationem illam, quam Maldovenus comes de Levenax fecit Hamelen filio comitis de Levenax, de Neved, Glanfrone, Moigliag, Letblaan, Ardereran, Kilmeagdha et Dolenchen

(that gift which Maldowen earl of Lennox made to Hamelen, son of the earl of Lennox, (i.e. Hamelen was Maldowen’s brother), of Neved [Rosneath], Glanfrone [Glen Fruin, Row parish], Moigliag [Milligs, Row parish], Letblaan [? Letterblaan], Ardereran [Ardardan, Cardross parish], Kilmeagdha [Kilmahew, Cardross parish] and Dolenchen [Tulliechewan, Bonhill parish]).

Of these names Letblaan [? Letterblaan] is the only one that has not survived. The first element of the name is probably Sc. G. leitir (slope). Is the second element anything to do with St Blane?

 

Irving has the following to say of Colgrain in Cardross: “There was a chapel dedicated to St. Blane, erected on the lands by an early Laird of Colgrain, but no trace of it remains”. (J Irving, The Book of Dumbartonshire, Vol II, p 307). See also Irving Vol II p 324: “four acres of land of the chapelle of St Blane” in the lordship of Colgrain in 1536. Was this Letblaan?

 

 

Lunbane and Drumlee

 

RMS III (3140) 1545  refers to 4m Lunbane and 4m Drumlee.

RMS V (76) 1580 refers to 4m Lumbanie and 4m Drumkay.

RMS VI (1413) 1603 refers to 4m Lumbany and 4m Drumkey

 

I cannot locate these and think they may be wayward spellings or transcriptions of other properties we do know about.

 

 

Doune Makmunen

 

Fraser, Chiefs of Colquhoun, II, No 41, 1494, deals with the resignation of Doune Makmunen by John Makcalpyne. It was in the barony of Luss but I am not certain which ‘Dun-‘ is being referred to.