| Place-Name: | Earl Hill |
| Suggested meaning: | ‘hill associated with an Earl’ (perhaps in terms of boundary land ownership) |
| SSE earl ‘Earl’ + SSE hill ‘hill’ | |
| Place-name: | Earlseat |
| Suggested meaning: | ‘saddle-shaped hill associated with an Earl’ (perhaps in terms of boundary land ownership) |
| SSE earl ‘Earl’ Scots seat ‘saddle-shaped and conspicuous hill’ | |
| Place-Name: | Earlseat Hill |
| Place-Name: Earlseat + SSE hill ‘hill’ | |
| Place-Name: | Earlseat Burn |
| Place-Name: Earlseat + Scots burn ‘stream’ | |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | No Entry |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Earl Hill, Earlseat Hill, Earlseat Burn |
| Location: | Earl Hill: Ordnance Survey (1894) |
| Earlseat Hill, Earlseat Burn: Ordnance Survey (1894) |
Earl Hill
SSE earl ‘earl’ + SSE hill ‘hill’
The Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books (1855-57) entry for Earl Hill reads –
A Small Hill in the NE [North East] Corner of the parish
The entry offers nothing in terms of the derivation of the name of this small round hill. However, parish and county boundaries abound in the vicinity which may be of some significance regarding land ownership associated with an unnamed Earl, to be discussed below. One boundary is that between the two Ayrshire parishes of New Cumnock and Auchinleck although it should be noted that the former was part of the ancient region of King’s Kyle while the latter was in Kyle Stewart. The other parish boundary on show is that between New Cumnock and Kirkconnel which also marks the boundary between Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire. Of course it is necessary to recall that the parish of New Cumnock along with the neighbouring parish of Old Cumnock comprised the original parish of Cumnock up until 1650.
Also of interest is the presence of a small craig going by the name of Earl’s Seat on the south facing slope of Kirkland Hill in the neighbouring parish of Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire. The Dumfriesshire Ordance Survey Name Books for Earl’s Seat reads –
[situation] On Sn [Southern] Slope of Kirkland Hill. A small craig having the form of a chair It is about 200 yards S. E. [South East] of Kirkland Hill. ‘The’ unnecessary as the particular Earl from whom the name is taken cannot be ascertained.
N.B. Three of the four ‘Authorities for Spelling’ considered the name to be ‘The Earl’s Seat’ but those carrying out the survey have considered ‘The‘ to be unnecessary!
Since Earl Hill and Earl’s Seat sit on opposite side of the county boundary, it suggests perhaps that there are two Earls to take into account!
Earlseat Hill
SSE earl ‘Earl’ + Scots seat ‘saddle-shaped hill’ + SSE hill ‘hill’
Almost 9 miles to the south-east of Earl Hill stands Earlseat Hill and here too the details in the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books entry is fairly sparse and reads –
A Small eminence on which is a Trigl. [Trigonometrical or Trig] Station
Like Earl Hill above, Earlseat Hill sits close to the parish and county boundaries, in this case, the parish boundary between New Cumnock (Ayrshire) and Sanquhar (Dumfriesshire). Here again the place-name element earl may be associated with land ownership. Just over a mile to the north of Earlseat Hill stands Quintin Knowe where the first element may be Gaelic cointon ‘dispute’ [1], in the context of disputed land [2].
Earlseat Hill is clearly more elongated in form than its the rounded counterpart Earl Hill and this is evidenced by the place-name element Scots seat, one of which entries in the Dictionaries of Scots Language reads [3] –
9. A name for a high, gen. saddle-shaped and conspicuous hill esp. in place-names, as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, King’s Seat in the Sidlaws in Ags., Morven Seat in Cai. Cf. Gael. suidhe, seat, sim. used.
Dictionaries of Scots Language
Earlseat Hill could certainly be considered a saddled-shape hill on the one hand but not a conspicuous hill on the other, certainly not in comparison with Arthur’s Seat. The dictionary entry also confirms that the element hill in Earlseat Hill is superflous.
Coincidentally there is also an Earl’s Seat in the parish of Sanquhar but some 6 miles to the east of Earlseat Hill. Like its Kirkconnel counter-part, it’s a rocky outcrop where ‘it is said the Earl sat here looking on the men fighting hence the name‘ [Scotland Places]. Unfortunately, the source of the tradition is not recorded. In both Dumfriesshire cases the place-name element ‘seat’ refers to a sitting place rather than a saddle-shaped hill.
Earlseat Burn
Place-Name: Earlseat + Scots burn ‘stream, burn’
A Stream rising in the Same Moss as Pollachie Burn, but running in an N [North] easterly direction joins Kello Water
The burn [4] clearly takes its name from Earlseat Hill. It flows along the base of the north-west facing slope of the hill and downstream it meets the Kello Water which flows along the south-east slope of the hill, forming the parish and county boundary.
© Copyright Chris Wimbush and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
So who were the Earls?
1. Earls of Dunbar
The Earls of Dunbar also held the title of the Barons of Cumnock from late 13th Century until 1375 at which time the barony passed to a branch of the family known as the Dunbars of Cumnock, with Cumnock Castle in what is now the parish of New Cumnock serving as the baronial seat.
2. Earls of Dumfries
In 1633 William Crichton, 9th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar was created 1st Earl of Dumfries and Baron Crichton of Cumnock. Soon after, he relocated from Sanquahr Castle to Lefnories Castle, in what is now the parish of Old Cumnock, Cumnock Castle having fallen into disrepair. Lefnories in turn was replaced in the mid 18th century by the grand Dumfries House.
If Earl Hill and Earlseat Hill in the parish of New Cumnock are a reference to land-owning earls, then it is probably more likely to be named for one of the Earls of Dumfries rather than an Earl of Dunbar.
3. Earls of Queensberry
William Crichton, 1st Earl of Dumfries sold off Sanquhar Castle and his lands to William Douglas, 9th Lord of Drumlanrig, who was was created 1st Earl of Queensberry in 1633. The Queensberry lands included the parish of Sanqhuar, Kirkconnel and part of Crawford and the extent of these can be found in the Queensberry Estate Plans courtesy of the Buccleuch Estates through the Dumfries Archival Mapping Project [4] .
Although Earl’s Seat, Kirkconnel lies on the slope of Kirkland Hill it is not shown in the Kirkland map [See Map 6 link below]. Indeed Kirkland Hill is shown as Muckle Hill while Little Kirkland Hill is shortened toLittle Hill. However Earl’s Seat, Sanquhar is shown on the map of the lands of Glenmaddie [see Map 7 link below].
Other Earl Hill and Earlseat Place-Names
Comparisons are drawn with the following Earl and Earlseat place-names recorded in the Ordnance Survey Name Books accessible in Scotland’s Places. It is interesting to note that several of the place-names stand on, or near, parish and / or county boundaries.
- Earl Hill, Muirkirk, AYRSHIRE
Elsewhere in Ayrshire there is an Earl Hill in the parish of Muirkirk, which like the New Cumnock, Earl Hill and Earlseat Hill, sits close to a parish & county boundary, i.e. Muirkirk, Ayrshire and Douglas, Lanarkshire boundary. The OS Name Books entry reads ‘An elevated portion of Ground on the farm of “Darnhaunch” .The property of Lord Douglas‘; presumably a descendant of the Earls of Douglas.
- Site of Earl’s Hill, Ellon, ABERDEENSHIRE
Ellon was created a burgh of barony in the 13th century, under the rule of the powerful Comyn family, Earls of Buchan. Justice would be served out at the Moot Hill known today as Earl’s Hill and probably named after the Earls of Buchan [6].
- Earl’s Hill, SELKIRKSHIRE
Earl’s Hill sits on the boundary between the parishes of Ettrick & Yarrow.
- Earl’s Seat & Little Earl, Campsie STIRLINGSHIRE
Earl’s Seat is the largest hill in the Campsie Fells and its entry in the Stirlingshire OS Name Books (1858-61) notes that ‘The Parishes of Killearn, Fintry, Strathblane and Campsie meet at the Trigonometrical Station on the summit‘. Little Earl probably takes it name from Earl’s Seat.
Peter Drummond in ‘Scottish Hill Names’ [7] suggests it was ‘named probably from the Earl of Lennox whose castle stood on the southern of the hills‘. In his discussion of the hill name generic seat he notes ‘Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat and the Campsie Fells’ Earl’s Seat expresses the idea of a high throne for the powerful in the land‘. In a broader view of Earl names (and others of high station) he suggests sycophancy is at play –
In the hills of southern and central Scotland hill names rarely bear the names other than landowners and others of high station. This tendency to sycophancy is to be found in the several Laird’s Hill, the two Earl’s Hill and the Earl’s Seat, the Ochil’s King’s Seat and the Lomond’s Bishop’s Hill‘. There are in fact 42 hills beginning with King’s, 19 with Laird’s and 12 with Earl’s, but hardly any have been linked to any specific kings, lairds or earls.
Peter Drummond, Scottish Hill Names [7]
- Earlseat, Cruden, ABERDEENSHIRE
Although Earlseat is the name of a house in the parish it takes its name from a large stone that the Earl of Errol had sat upon while waiting to settle a dispute with the Laird of Kinmundy. Comparisons can be drawn with the two Dumfriesshire occurrences of Earl’s Seat at Kirkconnel and Sanquhar, both had an earl’s seat fashioned in a rock.
- Earlseat Hill, Kildrummy, ABERDEENSHIRE
A high hill covered with heather near to the junction of the Burn of Clashnarae and the Glenlaff Burn.
- Earl’s Seat, Dumbarton, DUNBARTONSHIRE
The small pasture known as Earl’s Seat sits less than half-mile from the parish and county boundary between Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire and Killearn, Stirlingshire.
- Earl’s Seat, Wemyss, FIFE
A good Farm house with outbuildings and a few cottages, the property of Admiral Wemyss. Earl’s Seat in this case may be an example of the place-name seat ‘dwelling-place or manor-house on a small estate’ [3]. It appears as Earles-feat in Blaeu’s Sheriffdome of Fife (1654) however it does not appear to be a building of any significant note.
- Earlseat, Auldearn, NAIRNSHIRE
A Farm steading & dwelling house, 1 storey high, slated & in good repair. Property of the Earl of Cawdor. Another example in which the place-name element seat is a reference to a dwelling place. It also appears on Blaeu’s Map (1654), as Earlfeat. The infamous witch Isabel Gowdie and her coven met at the Hill of Earlseat in the 1660s [8], the hill is longer named. Just over a mile to the north-east sits the property of Earlsmill over the parish and county boundaries into Dyke & Moy, Morayshire. The OSNB entry notes that it was owned by the Earl of Moray [Scotland Places]. It may be the case that Earlseat and Earlsmill were under common ownership at one time.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| Photograph |
| Earlseat Burn © Copyright Chris Wimbush and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. |
| References |
| [1] Edward Dwelly, Ilustrated Gaelic-Engish Dictionary | cointon |
| [2[ New Cumnock Place-Names | Quintin Knowe |
| [3] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd |seat |
| [4] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd|burn |
| [5] McCallum, D., fl. 1835-1857 and Dundas, John Francis, fl. 1833-1857|Queensberry Estate 6th Division Abstract of Contents (1856) |
| [6] Aberdeenshire Council, Heritage Environment Records | Ellon |
| [7] Peter Drummond, Scottish Hill Names, Their origin and meaning (1991) |
| [8] Goblinshead, Isabel Gowdie 1662 |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857) |Earl Hill |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain – 1945-1971(1955) |Earl Hill, Earl’s Seat |
| Map 3: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857)|Earlseat Hill & Earlseat Burn |
| Map 4: Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Scotland, 2nd Edition – 1885-1900 (1895) |Quintin Knowe & Earlseat Hill |
| Map 5: Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain – 1945-1971(1955) | Earlseat Hill & Earlseat Burn |
| Map 6: McCallum, D., fl. 1835-1857, Dundas, John Francis, fl. 1833-1857,Queensberry Estate Plans, 1854 Volume 6 | Kirkland, Kirkconnel Courtesy Dumfries Archival Mapping Project |
| Map 7: McCallum, D., fl. 1835-1857, Dundas, John Francis, fl. 1833-1857, Queensberry Estate Plans, 1854 Volume 6 | Glenmaddie Courtesy Dumfries Archival Mapping Project |
| Map 8: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857)|Earl Hill, Muirkirk |
| Map 9: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857)|Earl’s Seat & Little Earl, Stirlingshire |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49, New Cumnock|Earl Hill |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49, New Cumnock |Earlseat Hill |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49, New Cumnock |Earlseat Burn |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 48, Muirkirk |Earl Hill |
| Dumfriesshire OS Name Books (1848-1858), Vol. 30, Kirkconnel |Earl’s Seat |
| Dumfriesshire OS Name Books (1848-1858), Vol, 44, Sanquhar| Earl’s Seat |
| Other Earl and Earlseat Names |
| Aberdeenshire OS Name Books (1865-1871), Vol. 22, Cruden | Earlseat |
| Aberdeenshire OS Name Books (1865-1871), Vol. 29, Ellon |Site of Earls Hill |
| Aberdeenshire OS Name Books (1865-1871), Vol. 47, Kildrummy | Earlseat Hill |
| Dunbartonshire OS Name Books (1860) Vol. 08, Dumbarton | Earl’s Seat |
| Fife and Kinross-shire OS Name Books (1853-55) Vol. 12, Wemyss |Earl’s Seat |
| Nairnshire OS Name Books (1861) Vol. 3, Auldearn |Earlseat |
| Selkirkshire OS Name Books (1858) Vol. 3, Ettrick |Earl’s Hill |
| Selkirkshire OS Name Books (1858) Vol. 14, Yarrow | Earl’s Hill |
| Stirlingshire OS Name Books (1858-61) Vol. 7, Campsie| Earl’s Seat |
| Stirlingshire OS Name Books (1858-61) Vol. 7, Campsie|Little Earl |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 