Garepool, Garepool Burn

Place-name:Garepool
Suggested Meaning:slimy, filthy, or muddy pool
elementS. gar ‘slimy, filthy, or muddy’
elementStandard Scottish English pool ‘pool’
Place-name: Garepool Burn
Place-Name: Garepool + Scots burn ‘stream’
Blaeu Coila (1654):Poulshell B.
OS Name Books (1855-57):Garepool, Garepool Burn
Location:Ordnance Survey (1892-1960)
Other Forms
Poulshell B. (1654)

Garepool

Scots gar ‘slimy, filthy, or muddy‘ + SSE pool ‘pool’

The entry for Garepool in the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57)reads –

A large pool in the river Nith, about 4 chains N. E. of the mouth of Garepool Burn.

Map 1 : Garepool & River Nith| Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

Thank you to Dr. Simon Taylor for explaining the first element of the name is Scots gar ‘slimy, filthy, or muddy substance, specif. that produced by algae in a pond or river’ [1]; that presumably collected at the pool.

  • Garepool on the Nith (photo Robert Guthrie)
  • Garepool on far bank with Corsencon hill in the distance (photo Robert Guthrie)

N. B. Originally I had considered the name to be Gaelic garbh ‘rough, boisterous’ [2] and Gaelic poll, poul ‘pit, hole, pool’; [3] i.e, ‘rough pool’.

Garepool Burn

Place-Name: Garepool + Scots burn ‘stream’ [4]

The entry for Garepool Burn in the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) reads –

A burn rising on the Knipes, and flowing southwards into the river Nith

The Ordnance Survey Map (1895) shows the Garepool Burn rising on the Knipe and then further downstream it flows past Polshill farm before joining the Nith, upstream from Garepool on the Nith.

Map 2: 1. Garepool 2, Polshill 3. Garepool Burn| Reproduced with permission of the National Library of Scotland

There are several examples of Garpel Burns or Waters found in Ordnance Survey Name Books across Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Renfrewshire which appear to be a variant of Garepool Burn.

Sir Herbert Maxwell entry for Garpel Burn in ‘Place-Names of Galloway’ [5] which includes a reference to the early P. (Pont) form reads –

Garpel Burn (P. Garvepool B.) ‘Balmaclellan’ Garbh [garv] pol, rough stream

There is no early equivalent form of Garepool Burn to be found on Blaeu Map Coila Provincia, based on Pont’s Manuscript. However, the map shows Poulshell B. (burn) rising in Chnip Hill (The Knipe) and downstream joins the River Nith just beyond N. (Nether) Poushil.

For many the burn to this day is still known as Polshill Burn and the name has survived in Polshill farm on its banks. It is one of a number of burn names in the parish of New Cumnock with the first element British pol- ‘stream, burn’ which at some later stage the term burn was appended by those that were unaware that it was already part of the name, i.e. the original name of this water-course was simply Polshill.

Map 3: Poulshell b. (Blaeu 1654) | Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

At some time long after burn had been appended to Polshill Burn it was renamed Garepool Burn. Of course since Polshill Burn was the name as late as 1645 it was not renamed by Gaelic speakers. The most likely explanation is that locals named it after the pool called Garepool in the Nith, i.e the burn that entered the Nith near the Garepool [6].

  • Garepool Burn joining the River Nith (photo Robert Guthrie)
  • Garepool Burn joins the River Nith (photo by Robert Guthrie)

N.B. Parallels can be drawn with Polquheys Burn where this ‘burn, stream‘ name was later renamed Muirfoot Burn, after Muirfoot farm which sat on the banks of the Nith near where its joined by the Polquheys Burn [7].

Paterson’s Well

 (added 12th May 2026)

The ……

The Local Authority of this parish, in pursuance of instructions from the Board of Supervision , have been for some time past engaged in looking after a water supply for Pathhead and Mansfield villages, and a committee along with Mr McDerment, C.E., Ayr have been engaged examining the different sources where a supply could be got, not merely for these villages, but for all the villages in the parish ; and at a meeting of the Local Authority held on Saturday presided over by Mr. John Hyslop of Bank – reports were laid on the table, giving minutes details of various schemes. As analysis by Dr. Wallace, Glasgow of the water of five different springs was also submitted , showing Harehill and Glenfarm springs to be the best. The meeting was adjourned for a month to allow of further inquiry, and the committee empowered to communicate with the Marquis of Bute as to be allowed to draw from Harehill

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Saturday 02 October 1875

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

References
[1] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd | gar
[2] Edward Dwelly ‘Illustrated Gaelic- English Dictionary|garbh
[3] Edward Dwelly ‘Illustrated Gaelic- English Dictionary|poll, puill
[4] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. |burn
[5] Sir Herbert Maxwell ‘The Place-Names of Galloway’ | Garpel Water
[6] New Cumnock Place-Names | Polshill (in progress)
[7] New Cumnock Place-Names | Polquheys (in progress)
Maps
Reproduced with the Permission of the National Library of Scotland
https://maps.nls.uk/
Map 1: Ordnance Survey Maps – 25 inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1855-1882 (1856) | Garepool
Map 2: Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Scotland, 2nd Edition – 1885-1900 (1895) |Garepool Burn
Map 3: Joan Blaeu, Coila Provincia, [or], The province of Kyle / auct. Timoth. Pont.| Poulshell B.
Ordnance Survey Name Books
By Permission of Scotland’s Places
scotlandsplaces.gov.uk
Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Garepool
Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Garepool Burn