STONECROSS BURN

Place-name:	Stonecross Burn
Suggested Meaning:	stone cross (boundary marker) burn
First element	Scots stone cross ‘boundary mark’
Second element	Scots burn ‘stream’
Blaeu Coila (1654):	N/A
OS Name Books (1855-57):	Stonecross Burn
Location:	Ordnance Survey (1898)

Stonecross Burn

The Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) New Cumnock entry for Stonecross Burn reads –

A Small Burn which forms a part of the Boundary between Dalmellington and New Cumnock and flowing southwards into Pochriegavin Burn.

The Ayrshire OS Name Book Entry (1855-57) Dalmellington entry for Stonecross Burn reads –

A Small but rapid Stream collecting at the east Base of Benbrack in the Parish of New Cumnock and forming the Parish Boundary between it and Dalmellington till it joins Pougherygown Burn at the junction of the Parish with the County boundary the greatest part of its Course is through a narrow Steep’ partly Rocky and partly grassy Ravine.

It is interesting to note that although the Pougherygown Burn rises in the parish of Dalmellington, onces it crosses the parish boundary into New Cumnock, at the confluence with Stonecross Burn, its name changes to Pochriegavin Burn [1]. From here to where it joins the Water of Deugh, near Lochmeharb, it forms the county boundary between Ayrshire (parish of New Cumnock) and Kirkcudbrightshire (parish of Carsphairn).

Stonecross Burn runs for a distance of only 0.6 miles from its source to its meeting with Pochriegavin Burn defining part of the boundary between the parish of New Cumnock and the parish of Dalmellington.

The second element of the name is obviosuly Scots burn ‘stream’ [2] while the first element is probably taken from a stone cross that stood on its bank, serving as a boundary mark and perhaps an earlier form of the may have been [3] –

Cors, Corce, Corse, n.² Also: corsc A stone cross or pillar erected in the centre or market-place of a town, or as a boundary mark.

Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd

An ideal spot for the stone cross would have been at the Stonecross Burn’s confluence with Pochriegavin Burn since this marks the meeting place not of two but of three parishes – New Cumnock, Dalmellington and Carsphairn.

Althernatively, it may have taken its name from the pile of stones on the hill that marked the parish boundary, north west of the source of Stonecross Burn [4].

CROSS, 2. A cairn; a pile of stones on a hill-top. These piles of stones are often termed, Cairn, Pike, Currough, Cross, etc.

Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd

Today forestry encroaches on either side of the burn now hidden in the moss with an old fence running along the parish boundary.

Photographs

Chris Wimbush | Geograph: Pochriegavin Burn & Prickney Burn   ©Copyright Chris Wimbush and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

References

[1] New Cumnock Place-Names |Pochriegavin Burn

[2] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. |burn

[3] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd.| cors

[4] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. |cross

Maps

Reproduced with the Permission of National Library of Scotland

https://maps.nls.uk/

Images used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence.

Map 1: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1850-57)| Stonecross Burn

Map 2: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) | Stonecross Burn

Map 3: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) | Pile of stones

Ordnance Survey Name Books

By Permission of Scotland’s Places

scotlandsplaces.gov.uk

Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49|New Cumnock, Stonecross Burn

Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 21| Dalmellington, Stonecross Burn