| Place-name: | Brockloch |
| Suggested Meaning: | ‘badger’s den’ |
| First element | Gaelic broclaich‘ badger’s den‘ |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | Brokloc |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Brockloch |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1892-1960) |
| Other Early Forms: |
| Broklouch (1548), Brokloche, Brockloch (1625), Brokloc (Blaeu1654), Brochloch of Blarein (1706) |
John Portar of Broklouch
Broklouch is the earliest form of Brockloch, discovered thus far, and is found in an entry in the Protocol Book of Henry Prestoun, in reference to ‘John Portar of Brocklouch, attorney for the noble youth Patrick Dunbar, son and apparent heir of Alexander Dunbar of Cumnok‘ [1,2].
20 August 1548. Instrument of sasine, on a precept f. 35r. from chancery directed to the sheriffs of Elgin, Fores, and Aire [see R.M.S. iv. 113], given by Constantine Campbell of Craigdow, sheriff depute of Aire, to John Portar of Broklouch, attorney for the noble youth Patrick Dunbar, son and apparent heir of Alexander Dunbar of Cumnok, on his father’s resignation, of the lands and barony of Cumnok with the tower, fortalice, &c., and the gift andright of patronage of the parish church of Cumnok and of the office of parish clerk of Cumnok. Done on the ground at the castle of Cumnok and on the lands of Pennyfodoch as a pendicle of the said barony about 3 and 5 p.m.respectively. Witnesses : William, Lord Crechtoun of Sanquhare, Mr. Robert Crechtoun rector of Sanquhare, Patrick Dunbar, David Muir, Mr. Andrew Broune, Fergus Dalrimple, and others.
Ayrshire Archaeological & Natural History Society, Protocol Book of Henry Prestoun
Gemmels of Brockloch
The names of this family, made up of Patrick Gemmill, his spouse Margaret Campbell and their son Patrick appear in the Sasine Register from 1625-1633 where the name Brockloch appears in in the forms Brockloch (1625, 1629, 1633) , Brokloche (1625,1629, 1633) and Kirkloche (1633) – the latter clearly a misreading of Brokloche [3].
The Ordnance Survey Name Books (1855-57) entry for Brockloch reads –
A good farm house occupied by George Sloan the property of Mr. A Cunninghame, of Logan
George Sloan was the son of the late Alexander Sloan and Euphemia Park, the large family having had moved here from Galston.
The proprietor was William Cunningham, the son of William Cunninghame of Enterkine and Catherine Gordon-Stewart, daughter of Mrs. Catherine Gordon-Stewart of Afton & Stair, the renowned patron of Robert Burns. He married Miss Allason, heiress to the Logan estate and was thereafter known as William Allason Cunninghame, Esquire of Afton & Logan. Brockloch was one of the few remaining Gordon properties in the parish of New Cumnock that made up the Barony of Afton, created in 1706 for Sir William Gordon, 1st Baronet of Afton – the son of Sir William Gordon of Earlston, Kirkcudbrightshire. In the barony charter the property is referred to as Brochloch of Blarein [4].
Brockloch is a relatively common place-name including three others recorded in the Ordnance Survey Name Books for Ayrshire for the parishes of Craigie, Girvan and Maybole.
Brockloch
Gaelic broclach ‘badger warren’
Although the name appears to begin with Scots brock ‘badger’ [5] its origins lie in Gaelic broc ‘badger’ [6] leading to Gaelic broclach ‘badger’s den, warren, fox’s den’ [7].
Sir Herbert Maxwell records a number of occurences of the place-name Brockloch (and variants) in Galloway and identifies them as broclach ‘badger warren’ [8].
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Ayrshire Archaeological & Natural History Society, Protocol Book of Henry Prestoun |
| [2] RMS iv, 113 |
| [3] H.M. Stationery Office. Indexes No. 29. Index to Particular Register of Sasines for Sheriffdom of Ayr and Bailiaries of Kyle, Carrick and Cunningham 1617-1634. Vol. I |
| [4] New Cumnock History . Heritors (Landowers) 1833 | Misses Stewart |
| [5] Dictionaries of the Scots Language | broc |
| [6] Edward Dwelly ‘Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary’ | broc |
| [7] Edward Dwelly ‘Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary’ | broclach |
| [8] Sir Herbert Maxwell ‘The Place-Names of Galloway’ |
| Maps |
| By Permission of National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1:Blaeu, Joan Blaeu, (1596-1673) Coila Provincia, [or], The province of Kyle / auct. Timoth. Pont |Brokloc |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1895) | Brockloch |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Brockloch |