Och Aye!!

[Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>]

Following on Neil's request about the meaning of the prefix
"Auch" which
appears in many of the pace-names of Scotland, I have asked around
and
been given the information below:

        

        

Auchnacloich

    

        

=

       

        

stone
field

        

        

Auchleeks

       

        

=

       

        

flagstone
field

        

        

Auchnafree

      

        

=

       

        

field
of the dee forest

        

        

Auchnaguie

      

        

=

       

        

field
of the wind

        

        

Auchessan

       

        

=

       

        

field
of the little waterfall

        

        

Auchgobbal

      

        

=

       

        

field
of the fork

        

        

Aucharn

 

        

=

       

        

cairn
field

so, from the above, we can conclude that 'auch' means a field i.e.
until
we come to:

        

        

Auchtermuchty

   

        

=

       

        

upland
area of the burn* which

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

name
might have included '

muc'
                                                        

which
is Gaelic for 'pig'

        

        

Auchtertool

     

        

=

       

        

upland
+ burn name (Teil)

        

        

Auchtermoonzie

  

        

=

       

        

upland
+ burn name (Moonzie)

        

        

Auchterstruthers

        

=

       

        

upland
between the burns

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

Struthers
was once Uchteruthirstruthire

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

which
is uachdar eadar strutha - which

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

is
the Gaelic for 'upland between the burns'

*

      

        

burn

    

        

        

=

       

        

small
brook or stream

It would appear that the 'confusion' between the 'field' translation and
the 'upland' translation
arises from the similarity in Gaelic between achadh for 'field'
and auchdar for 'upland'.

I hope this has confused everyone as much as it has confused me and made
me eternally grateful
that the English gave us the English language which allows us to converse
with our fellow-men (and
women) almost anywhere in the World.

Incidentally,  the Sinclairs* never spoke Gaelic as
their mother tongue.  True many of them 'acquired'
Gaelic just as they would have acquired any other language to facilitate
their daily business.

* this would not apply to the Sinclairs of Argyll.

Niven Sinclair