| Place-name: | Mid Hill |
| Suggested Meaning: | middle hill in a range |
| SSE mid ‘middle’ | |
| SSE hill ‘hill, eminence’ | |
| Place-name: | Midhill Stell |
| Suggested Meaning: | sheep enclosure on Mid Hill |
| Place-Name: Mid Hill (in the form Midhill) | |
| Scots stell ‘sheep enclosure’ | |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | N/A |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Mid Hill, Midhill Stell |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1894) |
Mid Hill
SSE mid ‘middle’ and SSE hill ‘hill, elevation’
The entry in the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) for Mid Hill reads-
A slight elevation of moor land on Beoch farm
Mid Hill lie on the north of what is often referred to the ‘lands of the two Beochs’, i.e Nether Beoch and Upper Beoch (previously Over Beoch) farms [1]. Mid Hill appears to sit in the middle of range of elevation in the north the lands, i.e between Loch Rig ‘ A ridge of moor land on the North side of Martyrs Moss’ [2] and Over Hill ‘A slight eminence on Beoch Farm’ [3].
However it should be noted that as well as references to Over Beoch and Nether Beoch there is also a reference to ‘2 merk-lands of Myddil-Beath‘ [4].
At Edinburgh 20 May 1452
George Craufurde called de Beathtis [Royal confirmation of charter to Roger de Craufurde de Drongane in 2 merk lands of Myddil-Beath with the bosca of Beath with all lands lying between bosca and Nith, with all lands of OvirBeath on the other part with the whole hill called the Brounhill between the Blaksolling and barony of Uchiltre lying in barony of Cumnok vic Are .]
Register of the Great Seal, Vol. ii, No. 559
(Translation courtesy of Stuart Clarkson, Guelph, Ontario
It may have been expected that these lands were located between the Over and Nether Beochs but perhaps they may have incorporated Mid Hill?
Forestry now covers much of Mid Hill.
Midhill Stell
Place-Name: Mid Hill (in the form Midhaill) + Scots stell ‘sheep enclosure’
The entry in the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) for Midhill Stell reads-
A Sheepfold on the Parish Boundary adjoining Ochiltree and near Midhill
The Midhill Stell still stands within a loop of the Black Water on the New Cumnock side of the parish boundary with Ochiltree [ See aerail view on Map 3 link below] and upstream it is joined by the Lairhag Burn, where Lairhag comprises the two element Scots lair ‘place where sheep lie down’ and Scots hag ‘soft marshy, hollow piece of ground in a moor’ – probably the ground between the burn and the stell. [5]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| Many thanks to the Dumfries Archival Mapping Project for giving permission to use the above section of the Craignegillan estate map which shows the extent of the lands of the Two Beochs. The maps have been made available on-line through the National Library of Scotland Courtesy of Carsphairn Heritage Centre through the Dumfries Archival Mapping Project. |
| Thank you to Stuart Clarkson, Guelph, Ontario for translating the charter , Register of the Great Seal, Vol. ii, No. 559 |
| References |
| [1] New Cumnock Place-Names | Beoch |
| [2] New Cumnock Place-Names | Loch Rig (in progress) |
| [3] New Cumnock Place-Names | Over Hill (in progress) |
| [4] Register of the Great Seal, Vol. ii, No. 559 |
| [5] New Cumnock Place-Names | Lairhag Burn |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the Permission of National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Ordnance Survey, Plan of the Craigengillan Estate, Ayrshire and Kirkcudbrightshire,| Craigengillan – Two Beochs |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857) | Mid Hill and Midhill Stell |
| Map 3: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) | Midhill Stell (aerial view) |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Mid Hill |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Midhill Stell |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 