Cnocbreac Place Names

 

Cnocbreac   cnoc - hill, knoll    breac – spotted, speckled

The speckled knoll – referring to the knoll at NC391 674 – which is very green, but speckled with outcrops of limestone

Fuaran Fheoraidh     fuaran – well, spring    fheoraidh – possibly feoran – green The green well – the spring at NC392 672

Bealach-nam-fualtach             bealach – pass or gorge of a mountain       nam – of the                      Fualtach - ? fual – urine, water fualachtar – marsh-wort

The pass of the marsh-wort (unlikely) – top of Keoldale Brae NC 390 664

Croispol       Poll na Croich             probably wet meadow of the Gallows after the field beside the loch where the gallows tree was       NC 390 680

Calladale      possibly cattuinn – hazel and Norse dalr – the Hazel Dale       NC 396 667

Achins         achadh – meadow       NC 394 671

Keoldale      Old Norse – kaldi dalr – the cold dale NC 382 662

Buailebhig of Keoldale    buaile – fold for sheep or black cattle       bheag - small

The small fold of Keoldale Possibly in the area of NC 389 663

Druim-a-chraise  druim – ridge of a hill          a-chraise ?

 

Commencing at Loch Croispol by the march dyke at Druim-a-chraise by the road side to Crosspul – the current Glebe boundary comes from the loch up to the Manse gates on the sharp road corner on the west side of the Craft Village and Crosspul may have been approximately where the entrance to the Craft Village is – the east side of the CV formed the boundary of the Glebe. This would mean that Druim-a-chraise is the ridge which the present Durine – Balnakeil road more or less runs along – coming from Balnakeil the road rises to the CV corner then drops to the Manse – in other words, crosses the ridge, NC393 681

 

Field names from the formation of the Glebe in 1726

Gealachiebraghid     geal – white   achadh – field      braghad - throat

Geallachibraghid

Polnaha       pol – hole/pit/mire/bog/pond/stagnant water/ wet, miry meadow            na – of the       h’a – possibly chariot/wagon/hill promontory

Buailnangabhar        buaile – fold  nan – of an    gabhar – goat  Fold of the Goats

Maginnanthearnih     maghan – field, level country, field of battle       nan – of       searach – six month old beast (horse)          The field of the six month old horse

Maginnanshearach      as above

Polraon        Pol - wet, miry meadow      raon – mossy plain       The wet, mossy meadow

Glacnanlian glac – hollow /narrow valley       nan –of the    lian – of many fields, plains or meadows Valley of the many fields

Names from ‘A List of Townships ……….. in the Parish of Durness’ William Gunn 1830’s? Dep313/1060

Cnocbreac-shios       Upper Cnocbreac The Glebe

Cnocbreac-shuas      Lower Cnocbreac That contiguous to the Glebe on the South

Crossbul      Croispol Adjacent to the Glebe on the East (noted as a shepherds house)

Balanloch    on the east side of Loch Croispul – noted as a ‘lost’ township along with Craggiemhulin at the north end of the loch