| Place-name: | Hall Burn |
| Suggested Meaning: | stream at Hall of Auchincross |
| 1st element: | Place-name: Hall |
| 2nd element: | S. burn ‘stream’ |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | AuchincorB b. |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Hall Burn |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1894) |
| Earlier References |
| AchincorB b. (1654) |
Auchincross Burn
AchincorB b. is shown in Blaeu Coila Provincia (1654) rising in Glaisnock Hill flowing past Midle AchincorB (Hall of Auchincross) and Litil AchincorB (Auchincross) on its way to meeting with the River Nith. The burn clearly taking its name from the lands of Auchincross.
Map 1 AchincorB b. (Blaeu 1654) : Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Hall Burn
In later years Middle Auchincross was renamed Hall of Auchincross (after the Old Hall of the Laird of Auchincross) at which time Auchincross Burn takes on the name Hall Burn
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) entry for Hall Burn reads –
A small burn rising about 12 chains S [South] of White Knowe, and flowing southwest past the Hall of Auchincross into the River Nith.
[N.B. Despite this entry in the OS Name Book (1855-57) the name Hall Burn does not appear in the Six-inch1st Edition (1854-59) or 25 inch 1st Edition (1854-59) maps nor indeed in the later editions of OS Maps.]
The burn was dammed on the north west side of the farm to create a mill pond to feed a meal mill, which presumably was the long building on the south west side of the farm, after which the water was channelled to eventually drain into the River Nith.
The course of the Hall Burn, now only a trickle, was changed long after the mill dam was no longer in use, diverted to the east side of the Hall of Auchincross farm
Today with further regeneration of the landscape there is no sign of the route of the burn
Ha’ Runnel
The Hall of Auchincross, or Ha’ of Auchincross, has also given rise to the local name The Ha’ Runnel. The second element of the name appears to be Scots runnel, a variant of roundel ‘anything of circular form’ [2].
ROUNDEL, n. Also roundell, roundle, roondil (Fif. 1875 A. Burgess Poute 84); runale (Edb. 1755 Edb. Sasines (Reg. Ho.) cxlvi. 168). roonal, rounall; runnal, runnel. Sc. forms and usages. [′run(d)əl] As in Eng., anything of a circular form. Specif.: (1) a round turret (em.Sc.(a), sm.Sc. 1968). Comb. roundel stair, a narrow winding stair in a turret;
1. Scots runnel ’round road’
The road from Cumnock passes the road-end to Hall of Auchincross and takes a sharp turn at Cairn Hill before starting the descent down a steep round bend to drop to the level of the River Nith.
Could this be the runnel?
However, Sam Wilson, who lived at Fordmouth in “Daunderin” his local account of halcyon days growing up in New Cumnock makes several references to the plural form Hall Runnels.
..we would meet at some secluded appointed trysting place, and wander happily away up the Nith, past the Hall Runnels, and that lovely little glen which adjoins it, ..
He later makes a reference to ‘the Hall Runnels on the road to Old Cumnock‘ and ‘the bottom of the Hall Runnels Brae‘ -the latter which is certainly the road.
2. Scots runnel ’round tree planatations’
Runnel may be a reference to a circular tree plantations, although none are named as such. There are two circular plantations near the Hall of Mansfield, one at either end of the Little Creoch Plantation, Benston Mount to the north and an unnamed one to the south at Cairn Hill; it has to be said the circular shape of the latter is obscured.
Were these known locally as the Ha’ Runnels?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. |burn |
| [2] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. | roundel |
| [3] Sam Wilson, “‘Daunderin'” |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Joan Blaeu, Atlas of Scotland (1654), Coila Provincia, [or], The province of Kyle / auct. Timoth. Pont.|AuchincorB burn |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Scotland, 2nd Edition – 1885-1900 (1895) | Hall of Auchincross |
| Map 3: Ordnance Survey Maps – 25 inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1855-1882 (1858) | Hall of Auchincross |
| Map 4: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 |(1895) Hall of Auchincross |
| Map 5: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 |(1895) Hall of Auchincross |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49|Hall Burn |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 