Summary Table Caithness

Caithness: Summary Table

Parish Pennylands 18d units/

Ouncelands

At least …

6d units/

Davachs?

Davachs

(specified or named)

Davach

(equiv No’s)

Ratio d:d

(Davachs to

Pennylands)

Place-name evidence
Bower 69⅚d 2 2 No 11+ 1:6?
Canisbay 80⅝d 1 No 13+ 1:6?
Dunnet 76⅝d 3 No 12+ 1:6?
Halkirk 120⅝d 3 6 No 20+ 1:6?
Latheron 252d 4 5 Yes (15+) 42 1:6
Olrig 64⅝d 1 No 10+ 1:6?
Reay 271d 3   Yes 45+? 1:6? Dachow
Reay (Caithness) 163d 3   Yes 27+ 1:6? Dachow
Reay (Sutherland) 10d     Yes (8¼)   1:6? Davachmore, Davachbeg
Thurso 149⅜d + 2 4 No 24+ 1:6?
Watten 74½d +  1/16th d 1? 2? No 12+ 1:6?
Wick 139d 6 1 No* 23+ 1:6? *Unless Camster?

Cf Latheron

Total 1190d + ** 1/16th d 26 20 198 + ** Does not include Sutherland part of Reay.

 

Latheron is important for confirming the equivalence between ouncelands and 3-davach units, and between davachs and 6d units.

Nottingham is 1 ounceland in the 13th century and 3 davachs in 1408.

Smerral is described as both a 6d unit and a 1-davach unit. We can infer the same for both Brae na-h-Eaglaise and Ousdale.

 

Column 3 lists those units with values of at least 18d (which was an ounceland or urisland)

Column 4 lists the number of identifiable 6d units in the parish. These are usually separate to those listed in Column 3.

The only parish where we can be confident of the total is Reay. In every other parish the table probably underrepresents the true davach and pennyland totals.

 

The data for merklands of Old Extent is so sparse and inconsistent for both Sutherland and Caithness that it is omitted from the table. I do not believe there is enough merkland data for these two northernmost counties to draw any meaningful conclusions.

 

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