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

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COLDSTREAM (Cdstr): (81, 10 B):
Caldestream, c 1210 (c 1260) GC; early 13 th Scal (App): Cald(e)strem(e), c 1200, c 1250, c
1270 (1434) Cdstr; 1291 DIHS; 1296-7 RS; 1409 Rot Scac; Coldestrem, 1296 DIHS;
Kaldistrem, 14 th St And; Caudstreym, c 1485 Wallace; Cauldstreme 1535 RMS. “Cold
stream”. The name may originally have been applied to the Leet Water, or to some small
streamlet in the neighbourhood, and later transferred to the settlement beside it. “Cold”, is
more commonly found with well, eg Coldwell, Nb, Caldwell YNR, meaning “cold spring”;
but compare Caldbeck, Cu, originally a stream-name, now a place-name (DEPN, 78; ERN,
59).
Berewiches strem, 1153-65 (c 1280) LSMM is the River Tweed at Berwick: Berewyckstreem,
1152 (c 1320) Kelso; Berewicstreme 1165-1214 ib. This makes it possible that the “cold
stream” above was also the Tweed.
/167/ XL OE wl,
“a deep pool in a river”, survives as weel in ModSc, and Northern English, with the meanings,
“whirlpool, eddy; deep still part of a river” (EDD). The meaning of “whirlpool” has no doubt
been caused by confusion with the OE hweol, “wheel”.
ROXBURGHSHIRE
MAXWELL (Kso): (81, 6 D):
Macch’swel, 1159 (c 1320) Kelso; Mackuswel, 1165-1214 LSMM; Maccuswelle, 1215 CDS;
Maccuswel (P), 1221 Pat; Maxewelle, 1296 CDS. The early forms in -wel point to ME wēl,
later confused with welle from OE wælla. The first element is the Celtic personal name
Maccus found also in Maxton, Longformacus. Maxwell was at one time the name of a parish,
but the name now remains only in Maxwellheugh, a suburb of Kelso. “Maxwheel” is the
name of a salmon cast below Kelso Bridge (Lang, p.73). Compare the “piscaria” de Blakewel,
1217-27 (c 1320) Kelso, at Tweedmouth.
/168/ XLI OE mere,
“lake”. There are no names now ending in -mere, but two names in -moor are almost certainly
from OE -mere. This change is brought about by the SSc pronunciation of MSc muir as [mør].
ROXBURGHSHIRE
ALEMOOR (Rbt): (85, 9 A):
Almere, 1296 CDS; Alemere, 1511 RMS; Alemoor Loch: Ealmoore L, Blaeu; Elmoore, ib.
Alemoor Loch must have been the original mere. The first element is the Ale Water, which is
a British river-name. Modern pronunciation is [je;lme:r].
SELKIRKSHIRE
WHITMUIR (Slk): (80, 12 F):