| Place-name: | Gallowhill |
| Suggested Meaning: | gallow’s hill |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | No Entry |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | No Entry |
| Location: | Roy Military, Lowlands (1752-55) |
| Early form |
| Gallowhill (1564) |
The name Gallowhill does not appear in Blaeu Coila Provincia map (1654) nor does it appear in the later Ordnance Survey maps; or the Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57). However, it does appear on William Roy’s Military Map, Lowlands (1752-55).
The earliest reference to the property of Gallowhill, to be found thus far, appears in the ‘Testament, Testamentar and Inventory of James Dunbar of Polquir Tour (Polqhuirter), spouse of Agnes Barclay’, dated 25th April 1564 [Scotland’s People, Wills].
Item with johne gammill in gallowhill ane yung cow of ii yeiris auld the price xxx sh,
Item John gamill in gallowhill xxxviij
Item with John Gammill in gaitheid
Scotland’s People, Legal Records Wills & Testament, Glasgow Commisary Court CC 9/7/2
John Gammill held the lands of Gallowhill and the neighbouring Gaithead [1,2].
The property of Gallowhill presumably took its name from a gallows hill that once stood here. The two possible sites of Gallowhill are as follows –
1. Gallowhill
According to Roy’s Map above Gallowhill appears to sit north of the route that heads from the Old Mill, fording the Afton Water and then the River Nith before Muirfoot and then heads north of Garclaugh and up past Garclaugh – the route now known as Mansfield Road. The natural knowe to the west of Gatehead, with Trig Point (704 feet), appears to be a suitable location for the gallows.
2. Gallowhill
Although nothing now remains of the property of Gallowhill the name has survived locally as ‘Gala hul‘, a knowe in a field on the opposite side of Mansfield Road from Gatehead [3].
Whatever the location the Gallows Hill it would be clearly visible from the ancient route to Cumnock Castle by way of Corsencon hill and serve as a warning to others and a gruesome reminder that crime had its consequences.
Other Gallows
Similarly near the head of Glen Afton sits Yarngallows Knowe [4] which would be visible from the main route from Galloway to Cumnock Castle. On the lands of Hall of Auchincross there was a Gallows Knowe [5] said to be for the personal use of the Laird, however the authority to try civil and criminal cases rested with the baron of Cumnock.
Interestingly the earliest reference to the property of Gallowhill found in the Old Parish Records of New Cumnock (which date back to 1706) is found in the baptisms records of the children of Andrew Mitchell and Elizabeth Gemmell, namely Andrew (1712), Agnes (1714) and Andrew II (1719). Was Elizabeth Gemmell a descendant of the aforementioned John Gammill in Gallowhill?
The latest entry found of Gallowhill in the baptism records is that of Jean (1744), daughter of James Waddle and Abigail Drummond before the family relocated to nearby Muirfoot farm.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Many thanks to Yvonne Saunderson who transcribed the ‘Testament, Testamentar and Inventory of James Dunbar of Polquir Tour (Polqhuirter), spouse of Agnes Barclay’, dated 25th April 1564 .Scotland’s People, Legal Records Wills & Testament, Glasgow Commisary Court CC 9/7/2 |
| [2] New Cumnock Place-Name | Gatehead |
| [3] Many thanks to Walter Daubney and Jackie Kerr for identifying the location of Gallowhill (Gala hull) |
| [4] New Cumnock Place- Name |Yarngallows Knowe |
| [5] New Cumnock Place-Name | Gallows Knowe |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the Permission of the National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-1755 , Roy Lowland (1752-55), Copyright British Library | Gallowhill |
| Map 2 | Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1888-1915 (1895) |Gallowhill |
| Map 3 |Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Scotland, 2nd Edition 1885-1903 (1895) | Mansfield Road |
| Scotland’s People |
| https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk |
| Old Parish Records, Births, Marriages, Deaths, Census Records, Valuations Rolls, Wills & Testaments |
| Old Parish Records | Baptisms |