| Place-name: | Grain Burn, Grains Burn |
| Suggested Meaning: | ‘branch, fork of a stream’ |
| Scots grain ‘branch, fork of a stream’ | |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | No Entry |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Grain Burn, Grains Burn |
| Location: | Grain Burn ,Grains Burn |
Grain Burn
The Grain Burn is a small burn that rises above Roughside and flows south west to join the upper reaches of Muirfoot Burn.
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) entry for Grain Burn reads –
A Small Stream on the W [West] Side of Roughside and running in a westerly direction into Polquheys Burn.
It is interesting to note that 1855-57 today’s Muirfoot Burn is referred to as Polquhey Burns. Undoubtedly the original name of the burn was Polquheys as it is clearly a pol- name, i.e. British pol ‘stream’. The farm of Polquheys takes its name from the burn. The burn has sinc been renamed after the much later farm of Muirfoot, which stands at the ‘foot of the moor’ near to where the burn flows into the River Nith.
Grains Burn
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) entry for Grains Burn reads
A Small Stream having its source about 18 Chains SW [South West] of Horse Craigs and flowing into Afton Water about ¼ of a mile north of Castle William
The Grains Burn has a fork near its source and then joins the Sandy Syke just before the latter enters the Afton Water. Today the meeting of the Grains with the Sandy Syke is hidden in the forest to the south of the Glen Afton Filter Station.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Dictionary of the Scots Language | grain |
| Maps | |
| Reproduced with the Permission of National Library of Scotland | |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ | |
| Map 1 | Ordnance Survey (1892-1960) | |
| Map 2 | Ordnance Survey (1892-1960) |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Grain Burn |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Grains Burn |
