| Place-name: | Reeve Craigs |
| Suggested Meaning: | sheep-pen rock |
| 1st element (1) | S. reeve ‘pen, enclosure’ |
| 2nd element: | S. craig ‘rock’ |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | No Entry |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Reeve Craigs |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1894) |
Reeve Knowe
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) entry for Reeve Craigs reads –
Two Small rocky Slopes near a Sheepfold or Reeve on Glenlee farm.A small Knowe north of Nether Beoch, near a Sheepfold
Map 1 Reeve Craigs | Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
1st element: Scots reeve ‘pen, enclosure’ [1]
The Dictionaries of the Scots Language Scots entry for reeve reads –
I. n. 1. A pen or enclosure for confining an animal, e.g. a pen or fold for sheep or cattle, a pig-sty, a chicken-run.
A rectangular sheepfold sits just to the west of the Reeve Craigs while a circular sheepfold lies further west near the Water of Deugh.
2nd element: Scots craig ‘rock’ [2]
The commonly used Scots craig ‘rock’ is found throughout the parish of New Cumnock and is applied to rocky hills, rock faces and these ‘two small rocky slopes‘.
The Reeve Craigs and the two sheepfolds are now lost with a swathe of forestry.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Dictionaries of the Scots Language |reeve |
| [2] Dictionaries of the Scots Language |craig |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1 | Ordnance Survey (1843-1882) |Reeve Craigs |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49| Reeve Craigs |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 