The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Renfrewshire Keltic Place Names. 255
Brae = Braigh, Acclivity.^—This word is always used as an
English word, as, Burnbrae, Braehead, Finnybraes, Scaneybrae,
Westbrae, Waterbrae, &c.
Ard * Height.—This word is uncommon. Besides Ardgowan,
I know of no other name in which it appears, unless it be
Artnocks, which is doubtful.
Pol = Pool. — Polmadie = Pol-a'-mhadaidh, Dog's pool ; Polnoon
= Pol-an-uain, Lamb's pool ; (?) Polmillan -^ Pol-a' mhuilinn,
Mill pool.
Cross = Crois.—Crossmyloof ^ Crois-math-Lubh(?), St Lubh's
Cross; Drumcross -- Druim-na-croise, Cross ridge. Cross is used
in its English form in the following—Crossflats, Corseford, Corsebar.
Crossflats is a district of Paisley, pronounced by the older
inhabitants " common.
Corslats." This transposition of the /- is not un-
Inch =^ Innis, Meadow near stream, and island.—This word has
been used as an English word, as seen in the name The Inches =
The Inch House ; Abbot's Inch.
Castle = Castellum (Lat.) = Caisteal (Gael.), is most likely,
founding on the order of the words, used as a Gaelic word in the
Caitlesemple = Semple's Castle.
names Castlewat = Wat's Castle ;
Semple is a local surname.
Other names which suggest Gaelic and Brytho jic etymologies
are:—Garvoch ^ Garbh-achadh, Rough field; Rempoch, Cummoch,Gleddoch,
Rivoch, Tarnoch, Pannoch, Driffenbeg, Fereneze,
Duncanbur, Cummullin = Cum-a'-mhuilinn, Mill dell ; Moniabroch
= Moine-eabarach, Miry moss (the accent is on the «, which is
sounded ai) ; Amochrie (accent on the first syllayle), Garvel,
Branchal, Duchal, Nebany, Dippony, Mansvary, Humby, Lochar
(stream),
Sneddon,
Espedair
Candren
(stream),
(stream),
accent on last syllable ; Bladda,
Flender, Arrs {s = house ?), Braco,
Gogo, Spango (streams) ; Lethem, Dunsmore, Milliken, Finnic
{Fenwick is thus pronounced) ; Millowther Cross (sometimes
Melowther : Mel = Maol ?) ; Creuch Hill = Cruach, Round
conical hill ; Crolick. There is also a Motehill—Mote == Moid,
Court of justice.
Unlike the Anglicised names of Ireland, those of Renfrewshire
show no traces of eclipsis and little of aspiration. This may be
accounted for thus. Eclipsis is not an established habit of Scotch
Gaelic ; and a Gaelic-speaking people Anglicising Gaelic names,
and knowing the unaspirated forms of words, would drop the