May Williamson: The Non-Celtic Place-Names of the Scottish Border ...

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found amongst the rocks on the Berwickshire coast: Mawcarr Stells, Heathery Carr (Cld) and
East and West Carr (Ayt).
/159/ XXXVI OE berg,
“hill”, MSc berZ. The distribution of these names points to English rather than Norse origin.
ON berg is probably the source of the names in North Cumberland: Highberries, Howberry,
Berry Hill, etc.
ROXBURGHSHIRE
GORRENBERRY (Cst): (85, 11 F):
Gorrumber(r)y, 1518 ALC, 1569 RPC; Goranberry, Blaeu. The first element may be Gaelic:
cf Cairngorm (PNS, 120).
BERWICKSHIRE
DEANBERRY HOLE (Ckb):
Denberryholt, Blaeu. “Hill beside a dean”, and hole. Blaeu may have represented the ending
correctly, from OE holt “wood”.
DUMFRIESSHIRE
LOWEBERRY (Hlw):
Luberrie, 1637, Reg Sas Dmf. This is near a small loch, so the first element may be OW luch,
“lake”. OE luh does occur, but it is rare.
WEE QUEENSBERRY (Clb):
Quenysbery, c 1485 Wallace. OE cwēn, may refer to some particular queen, or may mean
simply “woman”.
There are also Hazelberry (Tun) and Mainberry (Smh). Several names in -burgh are probably
from OE -berg: Blackbrough Hill (How), Shereburgh (Mrb), and Windburgh Hill (Hbk).
/160/ XXXVII OE mōr,
“waste land, barren land”, MSc muir. Moor and muir are equally common in the Border area.
ROXBURGHSHIRE
GREATMOOR HILL (Cav and Cst):
Grittmoore, Blaeu. “Great, or large moor”: cf Greatmoor Hill (Tvt), three miles to the west.
WHITMUIRHAUGH (Spr):
Quhitmuirhall, 1569 RMS. “Hall or haugh by the white moor”. Water-blanched grass or
flowering bog-cotton might account for the adjective “white”.