The Upper Teviot and its tributaries were coded along their length. The coding was numbered from the source at Teviot Stone (TE1) downstream as far as the Rule Water (TE48), which was our cut-off point.
Tributaries consisting of more than one water were given their own codes, e.g. the Borthwick (TE34) was coded BO. Single burn tributaries were assigned Teviot (TE) codes, e.g. Grinding Burn (TE46). The tributaries were coded beginning from their confluence with the Teviot and progressing upstream, e.g. SL1 is Smaile Burn, the first water you come to following the Slitrig upstream from its confluences with the Teviot. A burn running into a tributary was assigned an additional point, e.g. a tributary of RU8 is coded RU8.1 and a tributary of RU8.1 is coded RU8.1.1.
Our approach is subjective in terms of judging where the main thread of a tributary ends and we were unable to undertake a detailed survey.
These notes accompany the phylogenetic mapping of the Upper Teviot, published as a booklet and available as a print. As well as sharing the process of research involved in this mapping they also offer some insight into the complexities of interpreting place-names. The project was not of such length as would allow me to undertake detailed research into every site, or make field trips. This informal summary represents an initial survey. As Maggie Scott (MS) said: ‘without seeing historical forms of the names, as is the case for the majority here, it’s very difficult to give a decent etymology; even though etymologies are ‘best guess’ at times, they are, if you like, ‘very best’ guesses when you have the spellings that allow us to see changes over the centuries.’ The other main informant was Douglas Scott (DS). We referred to the Dictionary of the Scots Language (DSL), and May Williamson’s thesis (MW). William Paterson praises Williamson in the Foreword to the version of the thesis published online by the Scottish Place-Name Society.
“As was conventional at the time but is less usual practice now, the element headings use the most ancient Old English forms and do not separately classify later medieval and early modern derivatives of those elements in Scots, where these rather than ancient forms were used to form new place-names. However, such reservations are outweighed by admiration for the continuing validity of much of May Williamson’s clear and penetrating thinking.”
The phylogenetic diagram divides the tributaries of the Teviot into North and South. The mapping was a collaboration with Gill Russell, completed with the assistance of Kate McAllan.
In the text I have referred to waters that have no name as they appear on OS maps as NAMELESS WATER.
Notes on common terms:
sike: small stream in marshy ground: gully, rill. I use rill.
grain: from Old Norse, greni, fork, branch, tributary. I use fork.
den, dene, dean: hollow where the ground slopes on both sides; generally has a rivulet running through it; a small valley. I use hollow.
hop or hope: small upland valley or hollow enclosed at the upper end by green hills or ridges (DSL) – I use valley to distinguish these from dene. Some waters which bear the name hope have no burn, water or sike, so the word can signify the presence of a water, e.g. LB6: LANG HOPE, and LB7: EWEN'S HOPE. I use valley.
cleuch: narrow gorge or chasm with high rocky sides. I use cleft.
Hope Sike (AF)
We begin with the Teviot (TV) itself, which Nicolaisen gives as one of a group of river-names, including Tain, Water of Tanar, Glentanner Water, and (probably) Tay, which derive from an Indo-European root form *ta- meaning ‘to melt, dissolve, flow’. My translation was an attempt to emphasise the importance of the local term, witter, for water, and suggest the essential simplicity of that streaming or flowing, which can be related also to The Allan Water, Ailan Witter, or The Ailnan.
The Teviot
the witterflow
(AF)
TEVIOT TRIBUTARIES (NORTH)
HASSENDEAN BURN
HB: HASSENDEAN BURN
Burn of Hathustans Hollow
The first element is an Old English personal name *Heaðustān, (MW). Hathustan would be the more local rendering, (MS).
I tend to leave off apostrophes in place-names.
HB1: HUNTLAW BURN
Hunthill Burn
HB1.1: NEWLANDS BURN
Newlands Burn
HB1.2: NAMELESS WATER
HB1.3: NAMELESS WATER
HB2: DEARLY BURN
Deer-field Burn
Tentatively given as deer leah, deer field, (MS).
HB2.1: NAMELESS WATER
HB2.2: NAMELESS WATER
HB2.3: NAMELESS WATER
HB3: NAMELESS WATER
HB4: NAMELESS WATER
HB5: NAMELESS WATER
BB: BOONRAW BURN
The origin is possibly good reaping or ploughing land in Old English or the bondsman’s house or bondsman’s corner, from Old Norse bondi vra, (DS). MW suggests the first element may be Gael bun, bottom, or Old English, bune, a weed, (MS). Given this information I sketched Grandland Burn, Goodbottom Burn, Lowerfield Burn, as possibilities, but decided to leave the name untranslated.
BB1: NAMELESS WATER
CALA BURN
Gill Russell noted that this is the Dean Burn, Burn of the Hollow, which it becomes the Cala Burn upstream. It is common for burns to have two names. We used Cala, but it would be known as the Dean Burn in Hawick.
CB: DEAN BURN / CALA BURN
Burn of the Hollow / Cooler Burn
Probably from caller, fresh, cool, (MS).
CB1: NAMELESS WATER
CB1.1: NAMELESS WATER
CB1.2: NAMELESS WATER
CB2: NAMELESS WATER
WILTON BURN
WB: Wilton Burn
Willow-farm Burn
Toun: small settlement or farm. Wilig, Old English, willow, (MS).
WB1: TODSHAW SIKE
Fox-coppice Rill
Shaw: small wood, esp. one of natural growth, a thicket, coppice, grove, (DSL).
WB2: NAMELESS WATER
BORTHWICK WATER
BO: Borthwick Water
Homefarm Water
Bord, home farm. Wick, farm, village.
BO1: NAMELESS WATER
BO2: HARDEN BURN
Hare-valley Burn
This is probably hara denu, Old English, hare valley, (MW).
BO2.1: MERCHELYTON BURN
Merch may be march, bounds, but being unsure I left this untranslated.
BO2.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO2.2: PENMANSHALL BURN
Penman could be a surname from the occupational term for a clerk, though this word also acquired some less savoury meanings over time and could denote a forger as well as a scribe. If there’s no record of a hall, then the final element is probably halch, from Old English halh, nook, corner of land, no doubt the name of an adjoining piece of land next the brook, (MS).
BO2.2.1: BLIND BURN
Blind Burn
BO3: NAMELESS WATER
BO3.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO4: BITSTONE BURN
Bitstone Burn
Bit could suggest a piece, share (of land), which sounds plausible, but it may be a form of but which has a variety of different meanings: a ridge or strip of ploughed land; a mark for practice in archery, target; or it may be something completely different, (MS).
BO5: GLEN BURN
Glen Burn
BO5.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO6: NAMELESS WATER
BO7: NAMELESS WATER
BO8: CHURNTON BURN
Churn-farm Burn
This may be churn, for butter, and tun, farm, though it’s a tricky guess from modern spellings alone. Northern English dialectal uses of churn for daffodil appear to be rare from the dictionary record, and I’m not aware of this usage north of the Border, but that doesn’t rule it out. There’s also an Ayrshire example of churn referring to ploughed land (DSL, MS).
BO9: NAMELESS WATER
BO10: BORTHWICKBRAE BURN
Homefarm Hill Burn
As above, Borthwick is Homefarm.
BO10.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO10.2: NAMELESS WATER
BO10.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO10.4: NAMELESS WATER
BO11: WOOD BURN
Wood Burn
BO11.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO11.2: NAMELESS WATER
BO11.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO12: NAMELESS WATER
BO13: DEAN BURN
The Hollow Burn
Dean or dene is akin to an English version of glen; a hollow where the ground slopes on both sides, generally with a burn running through it.
BO13.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.2: POT SIKE
BO13.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.4: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.5: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.5.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.6: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.6.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.7: NAMELESS WATER
BO13.8: NAMELESS WATER
BO14: MUSELEE BURN
Marsh Burn
MW has 'MUSELEE (Rbt): (85, 9 B): Meussly, Blaeu. Perhaps OE mōs-lēah, containing mōs, “sustenance”, in the sense of “fodder”: cf Fodderlee (supra). OE mōs > MSc muis. The local pronunciation is [møzli;] which suggests original ō.’ Another possibility could be Old English ‘mos’ meaning ‘bog, marsh’, (MS).
BO15: NAMELESS WATER
BO16: HOSECOTE BURN
Bramble-cottage Burn
There are various possibilities, but I decided to plump for Bramble-cottage Burn. Cote is a cottage and hoshla is Old English for bramble, (MW).
BO16.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO16.2: NAMELESS WATER
BO16.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO16.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO16.4: MID SIKE
Mid Rill
BO16.5: BLACK SIKE
Black Rill
BO16.6: LOCH SIKE
Loch Rill
BO17: CAMP BURN
Camp Burn
BO18: NITSHIEL SIKE
We were unable to resolve this name, beyond the ending: Summer-pasture Rill
BO19: PHILHOPE BURN
MW has one early spelling, from Blaeu’s 17th century map, which muddies the waters for the –hope, valley, ending: ‘PHILHOPE (Rbt): Phillippe, Blaeu. Compare Philliphaugh (Slk) (infra): this may be the same’ (p. 89); her comparison with Philliphaugh (Slk) reveals: ‘PHILLIPHAUGH (Slk): (80, 10 E): Fulhope, 1265 Rot Scac; 1288 ib; Fulhopehalche, 1317 RMS; Phillophauch, 1570-80 RMS. Either Long Philip Burn or the small stream behind Philliphaugh Farm provided the original fūl hop, “foul, or muddy, valley”. Old English fūl hop became Middle English fŭlop, and the ŭbeing later modified to ĭ, according to the local dialect, a form fĭlop, associated with the personal name Phillip, arose. The haugh is the flat ground by the side of the Ettrick’, (MS).
As the meaning is uncertain no translation is given.
BO19.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO20: NAMELESS WATER
BO21: EILDRIG BURN
Deer-trap Burn
An eilrig is a traditional site for a tainchell, deer drive; a number of the names relate to hunting and stalking, such as Rut Sike.
BO21.1: ROUGH-HOPE BURN
Rough-valley Burn
BO21.2: PHILHOPESHIEL BURN
see BO19
BO21.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO21.4: NAMELESS WATER
BO21: NAMELESS WATER
BO22: WHINNEY CLEUCH
Whiny Cleft
It seems likely from comparable names that this is from whin, gorse, so whinney would refer to an area dense with gorse, (MS).
BO22.1: MOSS SIKE
Moss Rill
BO23: DIRTHOPE BURN
Dirt-valley Burn
BO23.1: SHIEL SIKE
Summer-pasture Rill
Shieling can be translated in a number of ways depending on the local form of transhumance. My general preference is summer-pasture.
BO23.2: OTTERHOLE SIKE
Otterhole Rill
BO23.3: RED SIKE
Reed Rill
Red is a less usual colour for a river; they tend to be black / white / muddy / fast / slow / etc, so reeds would make sense in the watery context, (MS).
BO24: LIMIE SIKE
Lime Rill
BO25: CRAIK SIKE
Croaky Rill
This may be crag. MW interprets the early spellings in craik-: ‘CRAIGSFORD (Mel): Craiksford, Blaeu. A family name Craik, or Craig, derived from OBrit *craik, “crag”, is the first element’, (MW).
BO26: NAMELESS WATER
BO27: BIRNY SIKE
Stalky Rill
Birny: having a rough or stunted stem; applied to plants, (DSL). This may refer specifically of heather, as per DSL: used to describe a birn stalk or land covered with Birns, (MS).
BO28: AITHOUSE BURN / WOLFCLEUCH BURN
Oathouse Burn / Wolf-cleft Burn
Aithouse looks like a Scots form of oathouse. Wolf may indeed be literal – it’s fairly common in place-names.
BO28.1: HARE SIKE
Hare Rill
BO28.2: HARE GRAIN
Hare Fork
BO28.2.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO28.3: CAT SIKE
Wildcat Rill
BO29: HOWPASLEY BURN / STOCK GRAIN
Hollow-pass Field / Stock Fork
This was "Howpaslot" in earlier documents, and that's probably a clue to the origin, (DS). It could be howe – pas – leah, the hollow – pass – field, but it would be best checked in the field. Canmore records a medieval tower of which no remains survive, which was burnt by the English in 1543, (MS).
BO29.1: LOANS CLEUCH
Lane Cleft
Loan, Orig., before the enclosing of fields, a strip of grass of varying breadth running through the arable part of a farm and freq. linking it with the common grazing ground of the community, (DSL).
BO29.2: RUT SIKE
Rut Rill
BO29.3: HEDLEY BURN
Topfield Burn
The meaning here is of the head and pasture, (MS).
BO29.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.3.2: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.3.3: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.4: CAT CLEUGH
Wildcat Cleft
BO29.5: BLOODY SIKE
Bloody Rill
BO29.6: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.7: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.8: WHITEHOLM SIKE
As this could be white, or wheat I have left it untranslated, (MS).
BO29.9: MARK SIKE
Mark Rill
This could be a personal name, or a marker of some kind, or something completely different, (MS).
BO29.10: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.11: FOUL CLEUGH
This could be foul, unpleasant, but may also be foul, bird, (MS)
BO29.12: GAVEL SIKE
Gable Rill
This may be metaphorical for some aspect of the shape of the land? (MS).
BO29.12.1: NAMELESS WATER
BO29.13: LADSHAW SIKE
Lade-wood Rill
This could be a lad, but also a mill lade, a channel for conducting water from the mill-dam to and from a mill. One could seek evidence locally, (MS).
BO29.13.1: NAMELESS WATER
NEWMILL BURN
NB: NEWMILL BURN
Newmill Burn
NB1: NAMELESS WATER
NB2: LOCH SIKE
Loch Rill
VALES BURN
VB: VALES BURN
Valleys Burn
I have taken vale in the traditional sense here.
VB1: NAMELESS WATER
TEINSIDE BURN
Sprinkling Burn
MW has: ‘TEINDSIDE (Tvt): (85, 10 C): Tenside, 1446-7 HMC (Rxb); Teneside, 1511 RMS; -syde, 1547 ib. /144/ Perhaps Gael Tigh na suidhe, “house on the hillside”: cf Tenafield (PN R & Cr, 111). The first element might be a Celtic river name: cf Teign D, from W taen, sprinkling, (ERN, 397). The Teindside Burn might have had originally a Celtic name.’ (MS).
I went with the latter explanation.
TB1: BACK BURN
Back Burn
TB1.1: NAMELESS WATER
TB1.2: NAMELESS WATER
TB2: NAMELESS WATER
TB3: NAMELESS WATER
WEENS SIKE
WS: WEENS SIKE
Wailing Rill
Ween, wail, weep, (DSL). I went with this interpretation, but MS wondered if there is any sign of caves in the area near to this tributary? It’s possible that Weems could be the first element, as hinted at by some of the 16th century historical spellings, as weem, from Gaelic uaimh, is a cave, cavern, most famously at Weems, (MS).
MW has: ‘WEENSLAND (Hwk): (86, 2 B): Weyndis-landis, 1511 RMS; Wemis-landis, 1540, 1547 ib. “Lands belonging to Weens (Hbk)”. Weens may be Celtic in origin, or it may be MSc wyindis, “windings”, as the Rule Water makes a bend there.’
WS1: NAMELESS WATER
FALNASH BURN
FB: FALNASH BURN / HAZELHOPE BURN / LANG BURN
Hazel-valley Burn / Long Burn
DS thought that Falnash Burn comes from fallen ash, whereas MS thought it is more likely that it derives from a village. I left it untranslated. The other names for this burn are straightforward.
FB1: DRYDEN BURN
Dry-hollow Burn
The adjective dry is usually associated in place-names with streams or valleys, (MW).
FB1.1: NAMELESS WATER
FB2: CALFSHAW BURN
Calf-wood Burn
Shaw, a small wood, esp. one of natural growth, a thicket, coppice, grove, (DSL).
FB2.1: NAMELESS WATER
FB3 LAIRHOPE BURN / RUTHEAD SIKE
Den-valley Burn / Ruthead Rill
Lair could also be an animal’s lair, or a grave, (MS). The second name of this burn is another example that may relate to hunting.
FB3.1: CRIB SIKE
Crest Rill
I had suggested the Brittonic crib, ridge, but MS thinks this unlikely. MW has ‘CRIBS HILL (Slk): Cribbes, 1296 CDS. This may be a manorial name from a personal name, Cribb. /118/ ModSc Crib is a “manger” or “wooden box”; it may be that the hill has indentations on its surface resembling mangers in shape. Cf Crib Law (Chan).’
FB3.2: NAMELESS WATER
FB3.2.1: NAMELESS WATER
FB3.2.2: HARE GRAIN
Hare Fork
FB3.3: NAMELESS
FB4: MARCH SIKE
Boundary Rill
FB5: FAULD BURN
Fold Burn
The terms fank and stell, for a fold (for livestock), occur in different areas of the Borders.
FB5.1: NAMELESS WATER
FB5.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
FB5.1.2: NAMELESS WATER
FB5.2: NAMELESS WATER
FB5.3: NAMELESS WATER
FB6: NAMELESS
FB7: NAMELESS WATER
Stell, Slitrig Water (AF)
TEVIOT TRIBUTARIES (SOUTH)
RULE WATER
RU: RULE WATER
Steeps Water
DS thought the origin might be the old Celtic for a steep slope. MW has: ‘Rulesmains (Duns) is Rowlis Manys, 1536 RSS, Rewlismains 1587 HMC (Wed), perhaps from a personal name, OFr Raoul.’
RU1: TOWER BURN
Tower Burn
RU2: DYKES BURN
Walls Burn
There is The Dykes-farm in the Rule Valley, just to the west of Bedrule and east of Spittal Tower, (DS).
RU2.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU3: NAMELESS WATER
RU3.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU4: NAMELESS WATER
RU5: FULTON BURN
Bird-farm Burn
Old English fugol-t〉n, bird farm, perhaps because it was frequented by unusual numbers of them, (MW).
RU5.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU6: NAMELESS WATER
RU6.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU7: FODDERLEE SIKE
Fodder-meadow Rill
The origin is probably simply the fodder meadow, (DS).
RU7.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU7.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU8: FODDERLEE BURN
Fodder-meadow Burn
RU8.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU8.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU8.1.2: KILN SIKE
Kiln Rill
RU9: HALLRULE BURN
Steeps-hall Burn
Possibly from Old Norse, hallr, slope, or big stone, (PHD)
RU9.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU9.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU9.3: NAMELESS WATER
RU9.4: NAMELESS WATER
RU9.4.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU10: HOBS BURN / MIDBURN
Enfolded Burn / Midburn
This first name was originally Hoppisburn; a hop or hope is an enclosed valley (DS). There are lots of instances of hop becoming hob in later forms, e.g. MW has: ‘HOBKIRK (Hbk): (86, 2 B): Hoppkirck, Blaeu. “Church in an enclosed valley”: ME hope-kirke’, (MS).
RU10.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU10.2: HAWTHORNSIDE BURN
Hawthornside Burn
RU11: BLACKHALL BURN
Blackhall Burn
RU12: CATLEE BURN
Wildcat-meadow Burn
This is part of the estate of Wolfelee, (DS). Cat may well be from wild-cat and MS notes that MW records ‘CADGILL (Hfm): Catgill(e), 1552 Bullock; 1590 RPC; Blaeu. ON katt-gil, “wild cat ravine”.’
RU12.1: WOLFEHOPELEE BURN
Wolfvalley-pasture Burn
RU12.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.1.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.1.3: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.1.4: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.1.4: CROSS SIKE
Cross Rill
RU12.2: MARCH SIKE
Boundary Rill
RU12.2.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.3: WIGG BURN / COMMON SIKE
Commonty Rill
Recorded in 1677 when the lands of Wauchope are described as on Southside of water called Wig, (DS). The upper part of Wigg Burn is named Common Sike. This name proved impossible to translate.
RU12.3.1: HASS SIKE
Gullet Rill
Has, n., arch. the neck, throat, (DS). Note two burns are named Hass Sike.
RU12.3.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.3.3: BRACKEN SIKE
Bracken Rill
RU12.3.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.3.4: COMMON SIKE
Commonty Rill
RU12.4: REDSTONE SIKE
Redstone Rill
RU12.5: NAMELESS WATER / HARDLEE SIKE
Hardland Burn
Some of the sheepfolds were made from the stones of the Hare Cairn, (DS). There is an area of “rough pasture” marked here in the OS Map, so hard must refer to the poor quality of the soil. Lee may mean simply grassland, (MW).
RU12.5.1: HARECAIRN SIKE
Boundary-cairn Rill
This could be hare, boundary, or the animal. The Ordnance Survey Name Book (in 1859) notes that although no trace of it survived, two cists had been found there. It lay on the path of part of an old road identified with the Wheel Causeway, (DS).
RU12.5.2: HASS SIKE
Gullet Rill
Has, n., arch. the neck, throat, (DS).
Note two burns are named Hass Sike.
RU12.6: SWIRE SIKE
Pass Rill
Swire: a hollow between hills or flat area near the top of a hill, frequently having a road through it, a hill pass, (DS). Swira, OE, neck, gives ModSc swire, a pass, (MW).
RU12.6.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU12.7: RUSHYRIG SIKE
Rushyridge Rill
RU12.8: BRACK SIKE
Brokenland Rill
Brack, a fall of snow or rain: ‘Where winds had swept an ebber [shallower] brack’, (DS). MS also noted the meaning in DSL: Ground broken up for cultivation; a division of land under the old system of rotation of crops. I opted for the latter meaning.
RU13: HARWOOD BURN
Harewood Burn
RU13.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU13.1.1: MILL LADE
Mill Lade
RU13.2: STONEDGE BURN
Stony Burn
Stonedge Burn was formerly Stanylech and similar, suggesting it is Old English stony leche, meaning stony stream, (DS).
RU13.2.1: CORBY BURN
Crow Burn
Corby, Sc, can refer to the raven or crow, (MS).
RU13.2.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU13.3: MILL LADE
Mill Lade
RU13.3.1: PINES BURN
Pines Burn
RU13.3.2: NAMELESS WATER
RU13.3.3: WHISKEY SIKE
Whisky Rill
RU13.4: LURGIES BURN
Bloodhound Burn
This may be a person’s name, perhaps a nickname; the Scots lurg dog, bloodhound (literally track dog) is suggestive of a possible link of some kind with the Gaelic lorg, track, (MS).
RU13.4.1: NAMELESS WATER
RU13.5: NAMELESS WATER
RU13.6: NAMELESS WATER
RU14: NAMELESS WATER
RU15: NAMELESS WATER
RU16: FORK SIKE
Forks Fork
RU17: NAMELESS WATER
RU18: NAMELESS WATER
RU19: OLD MARCH SIKE
Old Bounds Rill
RU20: WHITE SIKE
White Rill
RU21: SWIRE SIKE
Down-the-way Rill
Swire, discussed above, is hollow or declivity between hills (through which a road runs); a hollow or level place near the top of a hill; a neck (of land). My translation is no more than a sketch of the land form.
RU22: NAMELESS WATER
RU23: BLACKRIG SIKE
Blackridge Rill
RU24: FANNA SIKE
We failed to pick this lock.
RU25: CUDDIE SIKE
Pony Rill
DEAN BURN
DB: DEAN BURN
Valley Burn
DB1: HAWK BURN
Hawk Burn
DB2: NAMELESS WATER
DB3: NAMELESS WATER
KIRKTON BURN
KB: KIRKTON BURN
Church-farm Burn
KB1: NAMELESS WATER
KB2: NAMELESS WATER
KB3: NAMELESS WATER
KB3.1: BUCKSTRUTHER MOSS
Buck-marsh Moss
Sruthair, Gaelic, is stream, marsh, (MW).
KB4: NAMELESS WATER
KB5: NAMELESS WATER
KB6: NAMELESS WATER
SLITRIG
SL: SLITRIG / LANGSIDE BURN / FORE BURN
Cut-a-way River / Longside Burn / Fore Burn
SL1: SMAILE BURN
Small Burn
SL2: FLEX BURN
Flecked Burn
SL3: ACREKNOWE BURN
Acreknowe Burn
SL4: HORSLEY BURN
Horse-meadow Burn
SL4 .1 MARCH SIKE
Boundary Rill
SL4.2 : NAMELESS WATER
SL5: NAMELESS WATER
SL6: PAGTON BURN
DS noted that its interior is heart shaped and MS noted that Pagton is probably from another farm name, perhaps now lost.
SL7: BARNES BURN
This could be a personal name, or relate to barn, Sc, rock.
SL7.1: NAMELESS WATER
SL7.2: NAMELESS WATER
SL7.3: NAMELESS WATER
SL8: COG’SMILL BURN
Cogsmill Burn
This may relate to the physical object, cog’s mill, a wooden vessel made of hooped staves, or perhaps to a name, or even to the mechanics of the mill (MS).
SL8.1 : ADDERSTONSHIELS BURN
Eadreds-farm Sheepcot Burn
A stream that rises near Hoggfield Hill and runs roughly south-westerly to join the Cogsmill Burn near Cogsmill before flowing into the Slitrig Water. Adderstonshiels farm in the Slitrig Valley, near Stobs, with 2 hill-forts and other evidence of former occupation nearby, (DS). The name is something of the order of Eadred’s Farm’s Sheepcots Burn, (MS).
SL8.1.1: STELL SIKE
Stell Rill
Stell, a stall, enclosure, shelter for sheep or cattle, usually built from drystane dyke and often circular, with
an opening on one side, (DS).
SL8.2: NAMELESS WATER
SL8.3: NAMELESS WATER
SL8.4: NAMELESS WATER
SL8.5: NAMELESS WATER
SL9: GIBBY’S SIKE
Marked as Back Sike on the 1863 Ordnance Survey map; possible association with ‘Gilbert with the Golden Garters’, a familiar name for Gilbert Eliott of Stobs, (DS).
SL10: PENCHRISE BURN
Ringed Hill Burn
SL10.1: NAMELESS WATER
SL10.2: PEN SIKE
Conehill Rill
Pen, a hill, particularly a pointed conical one, (DS).
SL10.3: NAMELESS WATER
SL11: HOPE SIKE
Hollow Rill
SL11.1: NAMELESS WATER
SL12: LANG BURN / FLOSH BURN / KILN SIKE
Long Burn / Quagy Burn / Kiln Rill
Flosh: a piece of boggy ground, esp. one where water frequently lies on the surface, a swampy place, a pool of water in a field, (DSL). The upper Lang Burn is known as Flosh Burn.
SL12.1: BROWN’S SIKE
Brown Rill
The obvious meaning of Brown seems likely, though brown/brun in place-names can also mean a brown animal, (MS).
SL12.2: LEAP BURN
Lap Burn
An intriguing example of a slip in sound changing the meaning of a name.
SL12.3: ROPE SIKE
A difficult name to translate without visiting the location. MS suggested that if it’s notably long and thin it may be rope used metaphorically.
SL12.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
SL12.3.2: GREY MARE’S SIKE
Grey Mares Rill
SL12.4: NAMELESS WATER
SL12.5: NAMELESS WATER
SL12.6: NAMELESS WATER
SL13: HARDWOOD BURN
Wildwood Burn
Rises with the King’s Sike and Drowning Sike and joins Langside Burn between Stennishope and Shank-end, (DS).
SL13.1: NAMELESS WATER
SL13.2: KINGS SIKE
Kings Rill
SL13.3: DROWNING SIKE
Drowning Rill
SL14: NAMELESS WATER
SL15: BLIND SIKE
SL16.: MID BURN
Mid Rill
SL16.1: BACK BURN
Blind Rill
ALLAN WATER
AW
ALLAN WATER / SKELFHILL BURN / MASTER GRAIN
The Flowing Witter / Splinter-hill Burn / Master Fork
Allan Water - there are other rivers with basically the same elsewhere, and the suggestion is that the name is pre-Anglian, perhaps the same as the Ale Water, (DS). Nicolaisen considers Allan Water to be a possible candidate for inclusion in the group of river names derived from the Indo-European derived form *Alauna which he notes as ‘a very popular or fashionable name to call rivers by’, with the translation being ‘something like the flowing one, probably a synonym for “stream”’, (MS).
DS also noted the use of the definite article when referring to some water features. E.g. it's always known as the Ailan locally, rather than Allan Water, with a strong preference for the use of "the". Similarly for the Teviot, the Slitrig and the Borthwick.
A skelf is, of course, a splinter.
AW1: RAMPY SIKE
Rank Rill
May be from ramp, wild, but with the sense overgrown, (MS).
AW2: NORTH BURN
North Burn
Also sometimes known as Newbiggin Burn, (DS).
AW3: LOCH BURN
Loch Burn
AW4: NAMELESS WATER
AW4.1: NAMELESS WATER
AW5: NAMELESS WATER
AW6: GATEBURN
Gateburn
Depending on its age, this could be a modern gate (providing an entrance to something), but it may alternatively be an older, different gate, from Old Norse gata, meaning a road, track, way, (MS).
AW6.1: NAMELESS WATER
AW6.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
AW6.2: NAMELESS WATER
AW6.3: NAMELESS WATER
AW7: DOD BURN
Hill Burn
AW7.1: PYATKNOWE SIKE
Magpie-knowe Rill
Knowe, hill; pyet could also be magpie, or a nickname for a thief, (MS).
AW7.2: BARRY SIKE
Barry Rill
This is tenuously speculative, but could this be barrie, fine; big; smart in appearance. I wonder if it is an impressive waterway, (MS)?
AW7.3: NAMELESS WATER
AW7.4: NAMELESS WATER
AW7.5: NAMELESS WATER
AW7.6: HAWK SIKE
Hawk Rill
AW7.7: REDSIKE
Reeds-rill
See BO23.3: RED SIKE. Red is unusual as a colour for waterways; the meaning could be reed, (MS).
AW8: NAMELESS WATER
AW9: NAMELESS WATER
AW10: NAMELESS WATER
AW11: NAMELESS WATER
AW12: NAMELESS WATER
AW12.2: NAMELESS WATER
AW12.3: NAMELESS WATER
AW12.3.1: CAULD CLEUCH
Cold Cleft
AW12.3.2: NAMELESS WATER
AW12.4: CAT SIKE
Wildcat Rill
AW12.5: BRUNTSHIEL CLEUCH
Burnst-shieling Cleft
AW12.6: CAPEL CLEUCH
Chapel Cleft
AW12.7: NAMELESS WATER
AW13: NAMELESS WATER
AW14: PEN SIKE
Hill Rill
AW15: COW SIKE
Cow Rill
AW15.1: NAMELESS WATER
AW16: NAMELESS WATER
AW16.1: NAMELESS WATER
AW17: CARSEY CLEUCH
Carse Cleft
Carse, water meadow, a stretch of land along the bank of a river, (MS).
AW18: MASTERGRAIN
Masterfork
NORTHHOUSE BURN
NHB: NORTHHOUSE BURN / SOUTHDEAN BURN
Northhouse Burn / South-valley Burn
NHB1: CROMRIG BURN
Bent-ridge Burn
NHB2: CHAPEL BURN
This name was identified by DS using the 1860 edition OS map.
NHB3: FOULEDGE SIKE
Fouledge Rill
This is another example where the meaning could be foul, unpleasant, but may also be foul, bird, (MS).
NHB4: BAR SIKE
There are too many options to list, but could it be a rill with a notable build up of silt, sand bar(s), etc? A bar could also be a defence of some kind, or used of a gate or other barrier, (MS).
NHB5: NAMELESS WATER
NHB6: NAMELESS WATER
NEST BURN
NB: NEST BURN
Nest Burn
NB1: NAMELESS WATER
NB1.1: NAMELESS WATER
LIMIECLEUCH BURN
LB: LIMIECLEUCH BURN / WRANGWAY BURN
Lime-cleft Burn / Wrongway Burn
LB1: BINKS BURN
Cliff Burn
The word bink can mean a ledge or cliff, (DS). It could also be Scots bink, bench, local topography may provide a clue, (MS).
LB2: FROSTLIE BURN / LINHOPE BURN / DUNCAN'S GRAIN
Falls-valley Burn / Duncans Fork
I was unable to translate Frostlie. Linn, waterfall, cataract is a likely explanation of the second name, (MS).
LB2.1: PHAUP BURN
Mottled Burn
Phaup Burn is the same as Phawhope, or even Falhope, and may be from the Old English fah hop, variegated valley, (DS). MW has Middle English faw, Old English, fāġ, multicoloured’, (MS).
LB2.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.1.1.1 BEATHILL SIKE
Bundle-hill Rill
This may be related to beat, bundle of flax, either as the site of preparation of some physical resemblance of the hill to a bundle of flax, (MS). I was unable to form a satisfactory English name.
LB2.1.1.2: FELL SIKE
Crag Rill
LB2.1.2: TOD SIKE
Fox Rill
LB2.1.3: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.1.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.1.4: STRAIT SIKE
Straight Rill
LB2.2: CORRIE SIKE
Corrie Rill
LB2.2.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.3.1: MARE SIKE
Mare Rill
LB2.3: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.4: COMB SIKE
Ridge Rill
LB2.5: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.6: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.7: ELY GRAIN
This could be eely, abundant with eels, or iley, oily, maybe applied to sluggish water, (MS).
LB2.8: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.9: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.9.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.10.1: EARN HOPE
White-tailed Eagle Valley
Earn, white-tailed or sea eagle, (DSL).
LB2.10: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.11: RUSHY HOPE
Rushy Valley
LB2.11.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2.11.1.1: NAMELESS WATER
LB2END: DUNCANS GRAIN
Duncans Fork
LB3: LIMIE SIKE
Limey Rill
LB4: SHORT HOPE
Short Valley
LB5: WISPMOOR CLEUCH
It is tempting to see a link with wisp, a rope or cord made of twisted straw, heather, or similar material, (DSL). In a farming context, perhaps relating to land use, though it may be more closely linked to the presence of heather; could also be wasp, (MS).
LB6: MERRYPATH SIKE
Lovely-path Rill
LB7: LANG HOPE
Long Valley
LB8: EWEN'S HOPE
Ewens Valley
TEVIOT (FROM TEVIOT STONE)
TE1: DEEP GRAIN
Deep Fork
TE1.1: NAMELESS WATER
TE2: NAMELESS WATER
TE3: MID GRAIN
Mid Fork
TE3.1: NAMELESS WATER
TE4: NAMELESS WATER
TE5 : WESTER CLEUCH
Wester Cleft
TE6: LANG GRAIN
Long Fork
TE6.1: YELLOW SIKE
Yellow Rill
TE7: MID CLEUCH
Mid Cleft
TE8: RASHIE GRAIN
Rushy Fork
TE9: RAMS CLEUCH / WORMS CLEUCH
Rams Cleft
We were unable to translate the second name.
TE9.1: MARCH CLEUCH
Bounds Cleft
TE9.2: AIKY GRAIN
Oaky Fork
TE9.2.1: HIGH GRAIN
High Fork
TE9.3: EWESDOWN SIKE / SHORTER SIKE
Ewes-hill Rill / Shorter Rill
TE9.3.1: NAMELESS WATER
TE9.4: NAMELESS WATER
TE10: MARE SIKE
Mare Rill
TE11: GIDDENS CLEUCH
This is probably a personal name, (DS).
TE11.1: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.2: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.3: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.4 : NAMELESS WATER
TE11.5: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.6: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.6.1: NAMELESS WATER
TE11.7: NAMELESS WATER
TE12: NAMELESS WATER
TE13: HARE SIKE
Hare Rill
TE14: NAMELESS WATER
TE15: BLACK CLEUCH
Black Cleft
TE16: NAMELESS WATER
TE17: NAMELESS WATER
TE18 = LB
TE19 = FB
TE20 = NB
TE21 = WS
TE22 = TB
TE23 = NHB
TE24: HOWDEN CLEUCH
Hole-dene Cleft
MW gives this as Old English hol denu, valley like a hole, (MS).
TE25: NAMELESS WATER
TE26: NAMELESS WATER
TE27 = VB
TE28 = NB
TE29 = AW
TE30: NAMELESS WATER
TE31: FENWICK BURN
Fen-farm Burn
MW has Old English fenn wīċ, farm by the bog, (MS).
TE32: NAMELESS WATER
TE33: NAMELESS WATER
TE34 = BO
TE35 = WB
TE36 = CB
TE37 = SL
TE38: STIRCHES BURN
Bullock Burn
Possibly a form of stirk, bullock, (MS).
TE39 = BB
TE40 = KB
TE41: NAMELESS WATER
TE42 = HB
TE43: NAMELESS WATER
TE44: HONEY BURN
Honey Burn
TE45 = DB
TE46: GRINDING BURN
Greenhill Burn
In one of those unexpected and delightful shifts of meaning MW derives this from Old English grēne dūn burna, green hill burn. The Grinding Burn comes down from the Eildon Hills, which are notably green, (MS).
TE47: NAMELESS WATER
TE48 = RU
Fleety Wud and the Slitrig Water (AF)
th’ fleety wud
alec finlay with gill russell, 2017the project will culminate in a publication in Autumn 2017
photography: AF, Alec Finlay; KM, Kate McAllan
funded by Creative Scotland, and commissioned by the Borders Heritage Festival (co-ordinated/supported by CABN)
With thanks to Jenna Corcoran, Mary Morrison, Claire Pencak, and Paul Brough.
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