Fernebuchlyn

Fernebuchlyn, Ferincoskry and the boundaries of Sutherland

(See also the text file ‘The Geography of Sutherland’).

 

Trying to pin down the location of Fernebuchlyn – a place-name dating from the early thirteenth century – invokes a discussion of the former extent of Sutherland. We have a variety of sources including charters, place-names, sixteenth and seventeenth-century maps, and secondary sources from the seventeenth-century.

 

We have references to Fernebuchlyn (or similar) in 4 different documents that are transcribed in Vol III of The Book of Sutherland by William Fraser.

 

1) The earliest of these, (No 1, c. 1211), concerns a grant made by Hugh Freskyn to Gilbert of Moray: of the land of Skelbo, Fernebuchlyn and Inverchyn, “and further, all my land of Sutherland towards the west, which lies between these aforenamed lands and the boundaries of Ross”.

 

2) The second, (No 2), is a royal confirmation (by William I – the Lion) of the above grant – but doesn’t mention Inverchyn (Invershin). Spelling is Ferenbeuchlin. See also RRS II (520) 1212 x 1214 where spelling is Ferenbeuthlin’.

 

3) The third, (No 3), is a charter by William, son of the late Hugh Freskyn, dated c. 1214, which confirms his father’s grant (No 1 above) in almost identical terms and again mentions Inverchyn. Spelling is Fernebuchlyn.

 

4) The fourth, (No 6), is a royal confirmation (by Alexander II in 1235) of the Bishop of Caithness’s grant to the bishop’s brother, Richard, of the lands originally given by Hugh Freskyn, but Inverchyn is not mentioned. Spellings are Ferinbeildin or Ferinbeilldyn. The document specifically refers to the fact that the other lands granted lie between Skelbo and Ferinbeilldyn on the one side and the boundaries of Ross on the other.

 

We may conclude the following:

 

Fernebuchlyn (or Ferinbeildin) was different to Skelbo, Inverchyn, as well as other lands to the west which lay betweeen Skelbo, Fernebuchlyn, Invershin and Ross.

 

Secondly, despite the claim in RRS II (520) p 470 (Comment), I suggest that Fernebuchlyn is not the same as Ferencoskry. Ferincoskry lay along the north side of the Kyle of Sutherland and the River Oykel. It is certainly true that Invershin lies within this drainage basin – but Skelbo doesn’t. Skelbo lies to the south of Loch Fleet and perhaps Fernebuchlyn or Ferinbeildin relates to the drainage basin of the River Fleet rather than the River Oykel.

 

Thirdly, the context suggests that Gilbert now owned parts of Sutherland which lay west of Skelbo and Invershin and Fernebuchlyn; lands, moreover, which stretched to the boundaries of Ross.

 

So where were the boundaries of Ross? The difficulty is that what is now thought of as Wester Ross was not so thought in the early thirteenth century. The evidence is extremely scanty but much of the western seaboard during this period was thought of as Argyll (Earra-Ghàidheal, or the coastland of the Gael). The southern portion has translated into the modern county of Argyll. Further north lay ‘North Argyll’ which comprised Argyll of Moray and then Argyll of Ross. But what districts did they include, how did they divide and how far north did they stretch?

 

Terms like Argyll of Moray and Argyll of Ross may appear to be general geographic descriptions but were probably quite specific in terms of the districts they included. Illustrations of the Topography and Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, Vol II, pp 272-3 gives a charter by David I to the monks of Urquhart dating to 1150-1153. (The quoted sources are the Registrum de Dunfermelyn pp 17-18 and the Registrum Episcopatus Moraviensis pp 329-330. See also Barrow, The Charters of David I pp 144-5). There is reference to a tenth of the ‘cain’ (plus pleas and profits) of Argyll of Moray. Since this was a form of tax we can be sure that all parties knew exactly what lands were included. (See also Barrow pp 122-5, where there is a grant, in very similar terms, of half the tenth of the ‘cain’, pleas and profits of Kintyre and Argyll [i.e. South Argyll], to Holyrood Abbey).

 

In 1293 the king (John Balliol) established three sheriffdoms along the west coast (Skye, Lorn and Kintyre). That of Skye, the northernmost, is described first and included:

the lands of the earldom of Ross in north Argyll,

the land of Glenc’, *

the king’s land of Skye and [?]Lewis,

eight davachs of the land of […], **

Eigg and Rum,

Uist and Barra with the very small isles.

Records of the Parliaments of Scotland, [1293/2/16-19] Accessed 4/12/2021.

* The context suggests this should be Glenelg.

** As discussed under Argyll I think the missing word here is Garmoran.

 

The document makes perfect sense geographically. Ross comes first – the southernmost parishes of which are Kintail and Glenshiel (later united). Glenshiel lies immediately north of Glenelg. The 8 davachs on the mainland south of Glenelg are those of Garmoran (Knoydart, Morar, Arisaig and Moidart). The Outer Isles, Skye and the Small Isles are all listed. Morvern (Cineal Bhaodain) and Ardnamurchan lie to the south of Garmoran and are listed as belonging to Lorn. We can interpret this document as evidence that Argyll of Ross means the parishes of Wester Ross between Lochbroom and Glenshiel. Argyll of Moray (although unnamed) is represented by Glenelg and Garmoran. Argyll proper would have Ardnamurchan and Morvern as the northern boundary.

 

RRS VI No 485 (or APS XII Supplement pp 6-7) is a 1343 inspection of a 1342 charter which refers to 10 davachs of Kintail in North Argyll (‘in Ergadia boreali’).

Our first document describing Gairloch (RMS I (423 or 437) on original of 1366) observes that it lies within Argyll (‘infra partes Ergadie’).

 

Working from north to south, Argyll of Ross will not have included Durness or Edderachylis. The Kinnairds of Skelbo owned Edderachylis in the early sixteenth century but it was probably smaller than the later parish of the same name. In its earliest form it may only have comprised one davach. We should probably also exclude Assynt from Argyll of Ross since the 4 davachs of Assynt are described as early as 1343 (RRS VI (487)). RMS II (238) 1440 shows the Kynnarde family then owned Assynt. It seems that it had come down to Alan of Kynnarde through his mother Egidia de Moravia de Colbine. (See also Illustrations of the Topography and Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff, Vol III, p 267). The Sibbald quote given below shows that Assynt fell within the bishopric of Caithness.

 

Further help is given by RRS V (389) 1312 which provides us with the bounds of the earldom of Moray. This included the named territories of Lochaber, Mamore, Loch Arkaig, Glengarry and Glenelg. The document refers to the northern border of Argyll of Ross and tells us that the River Forne (Beauly River) was the eastern boundary between Moray and Ross. We can infer that Glenelg was the northernmost territory of Argyll of Moray.

 

Glenelg should not be thought of as including the shoreline of Loch Duich. That would fall within what became the parish of Glenshiel. Argyll of Moray lay to the south and Argyll of Ross stretched up the west coast to include Loch Broom and Coigach. Argyll of Moray probably had a northern limit between Glenelg parish and Glenshiel parish. Argyll of Ross would then stretch to a northern boundary between Coigach and Assynt. Such definitions would match with the later county boundaries between Inverness and Ross, and between Ross and Sutherland.

 

Further evidence for the boundaries of Ross comes from Sibbald’s Topographical Notices of Scotland (Adv.MS.34.2.8 ff 122v-123r) transcribed by Dr Jean Munro on the National Library of Scotland maps website. (This is the source for material in Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections Vol II p 545):

 

‘The lenght of Ross is 50 myle from Kintaill to Tervatnesss the breadth therof from the Stok foord [the Stockford of Ross] or nordeastsyd of the River Farrar parting it from the Bishoprik of Murray is 30 myl to Assin whilk is in the Bishoprik of Cathnes’.

(Kintail and Glenshiel became combined in one parish).

 

Ferincoskry (see also under Creich parish)

RRS V (196) 1321 tells us that Ferincoskry was in Sutherland. We have numerous later descriptions of properties within Ferincoskry so can safely describe it as the north side of the Kyle of Sutherland between Pulrossie in the east and the mouth of the River Cassley in the west.

 

Balnagown Estate

The estate of the ancient family of Ross of Balnagown provides further clues. The county of Ross has a curious northern extension which appears on the Blaeu maps of Sutherland and Extima Scotiae (1654), county maps of the first decades of the nineteenth century and a Balnagown estate map (RHP 1453).

 

The maps in the first Blaeu Atlas of Scotland (1654) derive from groundwork undertaken by Timothy Pont in the period c. 1583-96 and additional work by Robert Gordon c. the 1640s. In the context of the relationship between Ross and Sutherland there are two maps which are particularly important: Sutherland and Extima Scotiae – the latter covering Northern Scotland as a whole.

 

We should not think of county boundaries as they are today. In the same way that Ross did not include Wester Ross so Sutherland had a much more resticted definition. Sutherland in the Blaeu maps is only what would now be regarded as the south-eastern part of the county. It borders Caithness by the Ord but does not include Strath Halladale, Strathnaver, Durness, Eddrachylis or Assynt. The map entitled ‘Extima Scotiae’ establishes the geographical context. Sutherland then included the drainage-basins of all rivers running south-west into the North Sea – for that section of the coastline south of the Ord. It did not include the drainage-basins of any rivers running to the North coast, e.g. River Halladale, River Strathy, River Naver or the Strathmore River – which are covered by the map of Strathnaver. It did include the drainage basin of the River Shin and Loch Shin – a huge area which drains into the Kyle of Sutherland. Its western march was Ben More Assynt. This context is reinforced by the Blaeu map of Sutherland. The orientation of Loch Shin is awry but ‘Bin moir Assynt’ is clearly at the western extremity.

 

It is when we come to the southern boundary with Ross that we meet more ambiguity. Both maps suggest that the drainage basin of the River Oykel lay within Ross but that the River Cassley was the boundary between Ross and Sutherland. As we shall see this matches the evidence from RHP 1453 which gives the outlines of the Balnagown estate. This may well have been the boundary established in the mediaeval period but I doubt it will have been the oldest boundary which I would expect to follow the watershed between the River Cassley and Loch Shin. Watercourses are generally easier to follow than the courses of watersheds so I expect usage, convenience and ownership probably lie behind this evolutionary change.

 

(See Sibbald’s Topographical Notices of Scotland (Adv.MS.34.2.8 ff 131v-132r) transcribed by Dr Jean Munro on the National Library of Scotland maps website. This is the source for material in Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections Vol II p 568. The text states ‘the mouth of Chassil river whiche devydeth Ros from Sutherland’. See also ff 122v-123r or Macfarlane p 545).

 

In The Book of Ross p 64, Macdonald comments on this Ross-shire extension:

‘The Parish of Kincardine … marches with Sutherlandshire, and at one part makes a peculiar curve into that county at a place called Altnacealgach. The story is that when the boundary line between the counties was in dispute, an old Ross-shire man put Balnagown (Ross-shire) earth in his shoes, walked round this part, and kept declaring as he went that he still trod on Ross-shire earth’.

 

In the Sutherland and Caithness section of the same book his companion author Polson writes on p 135:

 

“Aultnacealgaich, where there is an hotel on the shores of Loch Borolan. It is worth noticing that here a part of the county of Ross is thrust into Sutherland like a wedge. It seems that there was once a dispute as to the exact boundary of the two counties, and the old Ross-shire witnesses came to settle the matter, and walked into Sutherland declaring all the time that they certainly were standing on Ross-shire soil. It was found that they had Ross-shire soil in their boots, and thus the place got its Gaelic name, which means ‘The Cheat’s Burn’.”  (Gaelic cealgair = cheat, traitor)

 

What is interesting from our perspective is that long ago this extension was noticed and thought worthy of a rationalisation that passed into local folklore. We can flesh some of the detail out back to Timothy Pont’s time. See Sibbald’s Topographical Notices of Scotland (Adv.MS.34.2.8 ff 122v-123r) transcribed by Dr Jean Munro on the National Library of Scotland maps website. (This is the source for material in Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections Vol II p 545).

 

Item the head of the water of alt-Gellagach cumeth out of Assyn, and is march betuix Assyn and Bra-Stra-okel

(i.e. the head of Allt nan Cealgach [NC 2610] comes out of Assynt and is the boundary between Assynt and Brae [Upper] Strath Oykell). See also ff 145v-146r or Macfarlane p 600.

 

There are some place-names which are worth drawing attention to in this context. Fionn Allt is the burn which runs south into the outfall from Gorm Loch Mòr and so into Fionn Loch Mòr in the uppermost stretch of the River Cassley. These all lie below the north flank of Ben More Assynt which was at the interface between Sutherland and Assynt. Like many another boundary in the Highlands there was dispute here too. RHP 679 of 1768 is entitled ‘A plan of the controverted grazings of Fionauld made out by order of the Lords of Council and Session’.

 

At the north-east corner of the ‘old’ Sutherland there is a hill called Knockfin – a watershed from which various burns run in different directions. In Blaeu’s map of Strathnaver it is decribed as ‘Knock finn which devydeth Strathnavern from Southerland’. We can take this back a little further because ‘Knok finn’ appears on the MS map Pont 2 (front). Beside it is the note ‘This is marche betuix Southerland & Strathnavern’. (See Stone p 19). Now, the most obvious meaning of the Gaelic word fionn is ‘white’. But, there is also the personal name Finn/Fionn, hugely important in the mythology of Ireland and which also features in the topography of Scotland.

 

Professor Elizabeth FitzPatrick has done work on early mediaeval forests and boundaries in Ireland and draws attention to place-names such as formaoil (bare hilltop) and Suidhe Finn (Finn’s Seat). She argues “that the word formaoil was applied as a place-name to particular landforms and that it was synonymous with the idea of wilderness, boundaries, and conflict sites where elite hunting and battle took place”. She draws attention to an example in Sutherland marked on Pont 3 as ‘farmeald’. In Gordon (11) this appears as Bin-Far-meald and on maps today it is Farrmheall in NC 3058. Bill Patterson also wrote a piece called ‘Formaoil in Scotland’ for the Scottish Place-Name Society Newsletter No 43 in September 2017. FitzPatrick further  suggests that the place name Suidhe Finn (Finn’s Seat) – of which there are 37 examples in Ireland – was a boundary marker.

 

There are comparable place-names in Scotland. There is Suidhe Coire Fhionn in Arran; Suidh Fhinn by Portree, Skye; Pobull Fhinn in North Uist; Greadal Fhinn in Ardnamurchan and Coire Fhionn MhicChumhail in Tiree. The last of these is depicted as Kory-Finmackoul in the map of Tiree which forms part of the Blaeu map of Mull. (This map ascribes its authorship to Timothy Pont). The fact that Pont gives it this name suggests he was familiar with Fingalian tradition. He was also aware that Knok finn in Sutherland was a boundary marker. Are we looking at a frontier place-name incorporating the name of a legendary figure? Might that also be the case with Fionn Loch Mòr and Fionn Allt on the border with Assynt?

 

We may have another relevant place-name in Fodderty parish, Ross. Knock Farril is an imposing vitrified fort situated at the southern end of Fodderty parish and just north of Loch Ussie. It has long intrigued observers and was excavated as early as the 1770s. However it was also noticed by Timothy Pont almost 200 years earlier. We know that some of the transcripts in the printed Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections derive from notes made by Pont. A new transcription, based on the source text, has been made by Dr Jean Munro for the National Library of Scotland’s digital map library. She reads the last paragraph of folio 125v as follows:

 

Item Loch owsie [Ussie] with ane yle and a hous in it, is a myl long and 2 myl distant from Dingwell. Item Knock-Fermoil a great work and ruynes of Fin-Mack-Coul, upon a shoyr hil top, having a gallant prospect, into the rich and fertil valley of Stra-feor, it is a myl distant from Dingwell.

 

The name is repeated on ff 126v-127r (or Macfarlane p 555) where it is Knok-Formol. (Macfarlane reads it Knok Formal which is not correct).

 

It seems pretty clear from this that Knock Farril is another example of formaoil and is also linked to Fingalian tradition. Furthermore Pont knew of these mythical associations and recorded the fact. In light of Professor FitzPatrick’s observations we should add that several parish boundaries lie close – Fodderty, Dingwall, Contin, Kinnettes and Urray. There is a possibility that Tollie once composed a separate parish. There were also other units probably based on davachs and parishes. We have several ‘quarters’ in Ross as well as place-names which begin with fearann or ‘portion of land’. There are a number of contexts for ‘boundary’.

 

Finally we should draw attention to the proximity of Dingwall. Dingwall is famously an example of a ‘thing-field’, i.e. a Norse assembly site and probable administrative centre. It makes perfect sense that a pre-Norse tribal society would have their focal-point at an inland hilltop fort whilst a maritime power would have theirs just 5 kilometres away on the coast.

 

Since this essay is primarily about land-assessment I will now leave this line of enquiry. For those of you who wish to pursue it there is a rich field in front of you. Not only was this the district of the Brahan Seer but Hugh Miller, the geologist, found a deep vein of folklore here. (H. Miller, Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland, Republished by B&W Publishing, Edinburgh, 1994, Chapter IV). See also Watson’s comments in the footnote on p 105 of Place Names of Ross & Cromarty.

 

Another place-name which may be significant in defining the boundaries of Sutherland is ‘Merkland’. (See Ian Fraser ‘Norse and Celtic Place-names around the Dornoch Firth’ p 30, in Firthlands of Ross and Sutherland, ed. Baldwin, 1986). Fraser suggests this might be from merki-land or march-land. I would add that I don’t think that the ‘merk’ in this Merkland has anything to do with the Scots currency unit.

 

Loch Merkland lies at the north-western end of the Loch Shin drainage basin. A small burn called Allt Criche (March Burn) runs into it at its north-west corner. This is the watershed since just 100 metres to the west the waters start to flow westwards. It may be that Timothy Pont was also alive to its importance as a place-name. Pont 3 (front) contains two depictions of Loch Shin – one considerably more detailed than the other. In the less detailed sketch Pont gives ‘L: Myrkelann’ which is copied into Gordon  (11) as ‘L. Mirkelann’. In the more detailed sketch there is additional text beside the outline of the loch. One section (transcribed by J. Stone p 31) reads ‘Item in Assyn is Laid Markill wher ar guid stoods’. The word ‘Laid’ is probably for Gaelic leathad or slope which also appears in place-names as ‘Lead-‘ or ‘Led-‘. Both Gordon (2) and (3) show Lead Markelan running along the north-eastern side of Loch Shin. Cumulatively the evidence from Pont and Gordon suggests that the watershed between the Loch Shin basin and Strathnaver/Durness was known as ‘march-land’ in Norse times, and possibly long before.

 

There is one other piece of boundary evidence to draw attention to. Pont 2 (front) has a little note just west of Bin-Ormoyd (Ben Armine). It reads ‘this march betuix Stranaver & Southerland’ (Stone p 19). Ben Armine is by the watershed – and so the interface between Sutherland and Strathnaver. To the S and SE of this hill all the waters fall south-eastwards to the coastline between Brora and the Kyle of Sutherland. To the NE they flow down to Kildonan or Strath Ullie. To the N and NW they flow north to the north coast. The norm in early times appears to have been division by watershed and drainage-basin. This drainage pattern is shown quite clearly in both of Nowell’s maps of Scotland c. 1565.

 

As counties settled into their modern shape we can still see these legacies from earlier centuries. We have the county boundaries for Ross and Sutherland as depicted for us by Forbes in 1820, Thomson in 1823 and 1826, Burnett and Scott in 1833, and the Ordnance Survey 6″ Map Index Sheet for Ross (Mainland) 1878-1883. Although Thomson gives a slightly different view in Sutherlandshire (1823) to Ross-shire (1826) the different sources all agree that there was a northern protuberance to the county of Ross which followed the River Oykel to north of Loch Ailsh. The march then turned to SSW and passed Loch Borralan at Altnacealgach. (See also NLS Dep.313/3588 Plan of intended road from Loch Inver by the Portenleick Ferry. Surveyed by George Brown, 1793). There are differences between the sources and there is also considerably uncertainty about early parish boundaries. But Ross definitely extended northwards in the area west of the River Cassley. To explain this we need to refer to the estate of the ancient family of Ross of Balnagown.

 

RHP 1453 (dateable to c. 1863-4 by its depiction of the railway) shows the Balnagown estate’s eastern boundary following the Cassley River in a north-westerly direction to north of Fionn Loch Mor in NC 3323. (The map actually states ‘Fion Lochs’ in the plural so what is now Gorm Loch Mòr may have been included). This boundary is not accidental. Whatever the exact delineation on the map, or legally, I expect the most ancient boundary here was the watershed – literally Druim Alban (The Ridge of Scotland) – the ridge dividing the waters flowing east from the waters flowing west. From here the western boundary of the estate runs in a roughly SSW direction until it joins Loch Borralan at Altnacealgach. Although this is an old boundary I don’t think it is the most ancient – which, again, I would expect to follow the line of the watershed.

 

If we overlook some of the fine detail the most logical conclusion is that the old Balnagown estate included the drainage basin of the River Oykel and the west bank of the River Cassley. In early times estate boundaries probably matched drainage-basins, parish, and then county boundaries. The Balnagown estate would be regarded as part of Ross – hence the northern extension of that county. However, estates and parishes are dynamic. There is a great deal of uncertainty about the earliest definitions of Kincardine, Creich and Lairg. Gunn and Mackay (p 161) wondered whether the parish name Creich derived from the Gaelic crich (boundary). It may have bounded with Ross in the west as well as the south.

 

OSA Vol 3 No 71 p 508 notes 3 burial-grounds in Creich which were also used by parishioners of Kincardine. OPS II, II, p 411 fn 9 wondered if part of Creich had formerly belonged to Kincardine. We have references to a 6 davach (Balnagown) estate called Dalnachtan and Doune – 4 davachs of which lay north of the R. Oykel, 2 davachs to south. In past times parts of what is now Creich may have been Kincardine. (See Kincardine parish, Ross, for further discussion). I am also not sure of the situation on the East side of the River Cassley – up to the watershed with the Loch Shin basin.

 

Despite such uncertainties we can be certain of a northern extension to the county of Ross. Is this what is being referred to in the early thirteenth-century documents? When they talk of the boundaries of Ross is this what they had in mind? After all these centuries I doubt we will ever find certainty on these points but Fernebuchlyn may have referred to parts of the River Fleet drainage-basin and the boundaries with Ross may have been referring to a northern extension of that county along the River Oykel and the west bank of the River Cassley.

 

Another way of approaching the problem is to look at the properties linked with the Skelbo estate in early records. Such properties are likely to have included the constituents of Fernebuchlyn. Sutherland Book III (74) 1525 lists the lands of Skelbo belonging to John Kinnaird as:

 

Dawauchdow              Balblair (Golspie parish, ½ davach)

Auchandro                  Achavandra (Dornoch parish, 1 davach)

Pait Mayne                  Pitmayne (Dornoch parish, 1 davach, probably part of Skelbo)

Balnobraid                  Balvraid (Dornoch parish, 1 davach)

Cammeseffe                Cambusavie (Dornoch parish, 1 davach)

Estir Abbirschoir         E. Aberscross (Golspie parish, 1 davach)

Vestir Abbirschoir       W. Aberscross (Golspie parish, 2 davachs)

Littill Roart                 Little Rogart (Rogart parish, 1 davach)

Knok Cartnell             Knockarthur (Rogart parish, 2 davachs)

Moirench                     Morness (Rogart parish, 2 davachs)

Auchindowecht          Achinduich (Creich parish, 1½ davachs)

Innirschyn                   Invershin (Creich parish, 1½ davachs)

Petintraill                     Pittentrail (Rogart parish, 1 davach)

Assent                         Assynt (Assynt parish)

Artikquhilles               Eddrachyllis (Eddrachylis parish)

(See Skelbo text file for further details).

 

Sutherland Book III No 4 1222-1245 shows Scelleboll (Skelbo) with 12 davachs – although this would comprise the whole estate. Skelbo itself was probably 4 davachs and the other properties listed above come to well over 8 davachs. Which properties should we exclude?

 

Invershin and Achinduich are not far apart on the East bank of the River Shin. It is posssible that in the early thirteenth century they went under the one name of Invershin and a valuation of 3 davachs or 1 ounceland. Since Invershin is listed separately to Skelbo in the earliest document these two should probably be excluded – along with Assynt and Edderachylis which lie in the far north-west. Subtracting these from the list above we are still left with 13½ davachs – 1 of which, Pitmain, may have been considered part of Skelbo itself.

 

It may be that the original Skelbo estate consisted of 4 davachs of Skelbo plus those properties from the above list which lay in Dornoch or Golspie. In which case it is possible that Fernebuchlyn comprised the other 5 davachs which lay in Rogart. We might then expect the other Sutherland lands – specified in 1211 as lying ‘toward the west’ – to be referring to Lairg parish and the lands along Loch Shin. But, in all honesty, this is very speculative.

 

Some parts of the Skelbo estate are mentioned in later documents and we also have useful maps from 1788 (Dep.313/3587/5), 1810 (Dep.313/3591/1) and 1820 (Dep.313/3591/8). The latter two show the castle policies including Achavandra and Balvraid.

 

(Bentinck, Dornoch, pp 511-512, suggested a derivation for Fernebuchlyn or Ferenbeuchlin as fearann, land and buachaillean, herds. Although ingenious I do not think Fernebuchlyn is where he suggested).