| Place-name: | Lethans Hill |
| Place-Name: Lethans + SSE hill ‘hill’ | |
| Gaelic leathann ‘broad’ | |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | N/A |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Lethans Hill |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1894) |
| Early Forms |
| Lathanis (1384 confirmed 1427), Lethanys (1406 confirmed 1427), Lethanis (1631), Lethans Hill |
Lathanis, Lethanys, Lethanis
In 1374 Lord Alan Cathcart inherited the baronies of Sundrum and Dalmellington through his wife Margaret Wallace, sister of Sir Duncan Wallace [1]. Ten years later in 1384 he entered into a contract with Roger Craufurd of Dalelglis in which he renounced ‘his own 10 merk lands in his barony of Dalmellington‘ in return for £46 13s 4d, with the intention of paying back the money within an agreed period of time and recovering his lands.
In 1427 the contract or indenture was confirmed by James II, King of Scots, which lists the 10 merk lands in question, including the ‘farthing land of Lathanis‘ [2] –
At Edinburgh, 31 May (1427).
THE KING confirmed a certain indenture,- [in which Lord Alan of Kethkert knight, lord of the same, pledged and offered the title of pledge (?) and renounced to ROGER of CRAUFURDE lord of Daleglis,-his own 10 merk lands in his barony of Dalmelyntoun, in the sheriffdom of Air, viz. the farthing land of Benbane, the obulatam (?) land of Drumcalder, the farthing land of Lathanis, the farthing land of Molynnach, the farthing land of Dalwar, the farthing land of Rewach, the obulatam land of Knocbyrny, the farthing land of Marchaleholme,- for Ł46 13s. 4d. sterling; which the said Roger paid to the said Alan as necessary:
Register of the Great Seal, vol. II, #90 (translation):
The ten merk-lands were recovered by the Cathcart family and in 1406, four of the ten merk-lands were granted to John of the Schaw, Lord of the Hale, including terras de Lethanys [3] .
At Edinburgh, 31 May (1427).
EX confirmavit quasdam literas Johannis de Crawfurd de Drongane, in vulgari ser- mono, — [qua concessit JOHANNI DE SCHAW de Hale et Heredibus ejus, — terras de Marsielmerk, de Knapbyrny, Mulenach, et de Lethanys, in baronia de Dalmelytoun, vie. Are : — Apud Are, Nov. 16, 1406, sub hac forma subsequente :Be it kend til al men thrwch thir present letteris me Jon off Crawfurd, lord off Drongane, til haf gewin and til haf grantit and be thir my present letteris gifis and grantis til Jon of tho Schaw, lord of the Hale, and til hys ayris, in fe and heritage, al and syndry the landis of Marsielmerk, of Knypbyrny, of the Mulenach and of the Lethanys wyth the pertineutis lyand wythin the barony of Dalmelyntoun wythin the schyrrafedome of Are, quhil tha landis fra me or myn ayris be lauchfully racoverit be the ayris of Schyr Alan of Cathkert
Register of the Great Seal, vol. II, #89:
N.B. the content of this letter was also confirmed on 31 May 1427
In later years, nine of the original ten merk lands made up what became the Cathcart owned Waterhead Estate in the parish of New Cumnock* but still within the Barony of Dalmellington. In 1631 William Cathcart was served heir to the ‘nine-merk land of extent of Waterhead‘ including the ‘merk-land of Lethanis [4]’.
However by 1885 the names of Lathanis, Lethanys or Lethanis nor the later form Lethans does not appear in the Valuation Rolls of the Waterhead estate. However a comparison of those lands named above (i.e. in years 1384, 1404 and 1631) with the names in the Valuation Rolls suggests that these have been reassigned to the lands of Meiklehill [5].
*At that time what became known as the parish of New Cumnock along with the lands that became known as the parish of Old Cumnock formed the original parish of Cumnock
Nevertheless the name Lethans does survive in that of Lethans Hill which lies to the east of Meikle Hill on the opposite side of the River Nith. The lands of Meiklehill therefore now appear to include Meiklehill farm, Meikle Hill and Lethans Hill.
It seems that the lands of Lethans once comprised the farmhouse of Lethans (which was probably situated on the lower slopes of Lethans Hill), Lethans Hill and Meikle Hill. The farmhouse of Lethans fell into ruin (of which there are no sign) while a new farmhouse was built on the lower ,northern slope of Meikle Hill, taking the name Meiklehill.
Lethans
Gaelic leathann ‘broad’
Edward Dwelly in his Gaelic dictionary gives – Gaelic leathann ‘broad’ and 2. ‘spacious’ and he also notes Alexander MacBain’s spelling of the name as Gaelic leathan [6,7]. Professor W. J. Watson also considers the spelling as Gaelic leathan and in his discussion of the ‘Saints of West and East’ he notes Dubthach of Tain and offers that the Laird of Lethen in Nairnshire is Tighearm Leathan Dubthaich ‘lord of Dubhthach’s broad (slope)’ [8].
Presumably the farmhouse and lands of Lathanis, Lethanys, Lethanis etc. took their name from the broad hill or slope that now goes by the name of Lethans Hill.
Lethans Hill
Place-Name : Lethans + SSE hill ‘hill’
The Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books (1855-57) entry for Lethans Hill reads –
A hill Situated between Peddinnan Burn, River Nith and Loup Burn
It is interesting to note that one of the Authorities for Spelling was James* McGuffie, Meiklehill
*This is probably William McGuffie, shepherd, Meiklehill
Lethans Hill probably was named after the original farmhouse and lands known as Lethans. Like many other hils in the parish much of it is covered in forestry.
While Lethans Hill took its name from the farmhouse Lethans, the farm house Meiklehill took its name from Meikle Hill.
Footnote
There is another Lethans Hill along with Lethans farmhouse (now in ruins) in the parish of New Cumnock about 10 miles due west near the boundary with the parish of Kirkconnel [9] . There is also a Lethan Hill giving its name to the miners’ row of Lethanhill (see Map 3) in the neighbouring parish of Dalmellington.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] James Paterson, History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton Volume I Kyle, Part two (1871, 2003 Edition) | Dunbars of Mochrum and Cumnock |
| [2] Register of the Great Seal, vol. II, #90 | Lathanis |
| [3] Register of the Great Seal, vol. II, #89 |Lethanys |
| [4] The Scottish Jurist: Containing Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of Scotland, Vol. XV (1843) |Rev. Matthew Kirkland v Sir John Andrew Cathcart | Lethanis |
| [5] New Cumnock Place-Names | Waterhead Castle & Waterhead Farm |
| [6] Edward Dwelly, Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary | Leathann |
| [7] Alexander MacBain, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language (1911)| Leathan |
| [8] Professor W. J. Watson, Celtic Place-Names of Scotland (Birlinn 2004) | Leathan |
| [9] New Cumnock Place-Name: Lethans, Lethans Hill |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the Permission of National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain – 1945-1973 (1954) | Lethans Hill |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) |Lethans Hill |
| Map 3: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) | Lethan Hill, Lethanhill (Dalmellington) |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Lethans Hill |