Village in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK
Human settlement in Scotland
Auchencrow
(
Scottish Gaelic
:
Allt na Cra
) is a small village in the
Scottish Borders
area of
Scotland
, by the
Lammermuir
range of hills, and near
Reston
.
Etymology
[
edit
]
Around 1210, the village was referred to as Aldenegraue. It had become Aldencraw by the end of the 13th century, then Adincraw by the start of the 17th century, Auchincraw by 1771, and Auchencrow by 1860.
[1]
The modern name, Auchencrow, tends to obscure the question of origins. A Gaelic origin is accepted by Watson (1926, 138) and Nicholaisen (1976, 138). It is thought that the meaning is "achadh na cra", or "field of the tree or trees". This is apparently contradicted by the 12th-century name-form 'Alden-’, also preserved, for example, in four 13th-century Durham charters. Mac an Tailleir suggests the form
Aldenacraw
may be derived from a name for the watercourse (such as the Gaelic
Allt na Cra
, "stream of the salmon trap") rather than the settlement itself.
[2]
Something like 'Halden's Grave' or 'Halden's Grove' could be nearer the original idea, but it is more natural to use the current name and speak of the village of Auchencrow. This is itself a form only recently derived by folk-etymology from the much longer-running 'Edencraw' or 'Auchencrawe': an evolution from Halden- to Alden- or Eden- to Auchenand from -grove/ -grave too -crawe to -crow.
[
citation needed
]
James Hutton
, the founder of modern
geology
, farmed two miles to the west. A James Hutton Trail was established in 2006.
Billie Mains and Tower
[
edit
]
South of Auchencrow towards
Chirnside
, during the war of the
Rough Wooing
,
Billie
was burnt in May 1544 during the withdrawal of
Lord Hertford's army from Edinburgh
.
[3]
The castle tower, "Byllye tower 9 miles from Berwick on the edge of Lammermore, between
Angus's
barony of Boncle, and Coldingham"
(
55°49′48″N
2°14′24″W
/
55.8299°N 2.2400°W
/
55.8299; -2.2400
(
Billie Tower
)
),
was captured on
Candlemas Day
(i.e. 2 February) 1548 by the English soldier Thomas Carlile, who overcame the guard with ten companions dressed "in maner of Skottes." He garrisoned the tower with 50 horsemen.
[4]
Billie Castle was mentioned with two other neighbouring strongholds
Bonkyll Castle
and
Blanerne Castle
in a prophetic rhyme referring to their construction in the time of
David I
;
Bunkle, Billie and Blanerne
Three castles strong as irne,
Built when Davie was a Bairn,
Theyll all gang doon,
Wi Scotland's Croun
An ilka ane shall be a cairn.
Berwickshire rhymes
[
edit
]
Auchencrow and Billie were mentioned in place-name verses recorded in the 19th century;
I stood upon Eyemouth Fort,
And guess ye what I saw,
Ferneyside, and Flemington,
Newhouses, and Cocklaw,
The fairy-folk o' Fosterland,
The witches o'
Edencraw
,
And the bogle in the
Billy
-myre.
and among verses referring to witches and warlocks;
Bourtrees, Bees, and Bairns,
Are rife in
Auchencraw
,
Where in the days o' auld lang syne,
The wives were witches a',
And Jamie Bour the auld gley'd carle,
Was warlock in yon raw.
[5]
Although the 19th-century editor considered the latter verse of recent origin, he noted "Jamie Bour" as a reference to the servant of
Robert Logan of Restalrig
and
Fast Castle
mentioned in the
Gowrie Conspiracy
trial in 1608, who had property in the village.
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Rinaldi, Giancarlo (5 January 2017).
"What's in a Berwickshire place name?"
.
BBC News
. Retrieved
7 January
2017
.
- ^
Mac an Tailleir, Iain (2003)
Placenames
Archived
25 December 2010 at the
Wayback Machine
. (pdf) Parlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^
"Billie Castle"
.
RCAHMS Canmore
.
- ^
Calendar State Papers Scotland
, vol.1 (1898), 68, 70
- ^
Henderson, George,
The popular rhymes, sayings, and proverbs of the county of Berwick
, (1856)
, 2, 52-60
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Auchencrow
.