Index of Islay Placenames 2021

Index of Islay, Scotland Placenames

Bob McQueen

Version 4, August 29, 2021

This list contains the names of about 460 farms and settlements on Islay, Scotland, including names used from 1750 to the present. It does not contain the names of rivers, lakes or other physical features. The intent is to assist in tracking of genealogical research for ancestors that emigrated from Islay in the 1800s, when the name of farm or settlement was commonly used on tenant records, and birth, christening and marriage records. However, a variety of spellings were often used for the same location, so this list contains as many of the versions of the names used as possible, referenced to the names that appear on modern maps. A 2001 version of this document has been loaded on Rootsweb http://sites.rootsweb.com/~steve/islay/rawdata/bobmq.htm and annotated with some photographs.

Notes

1. NR references are to the British Ordnance Survey (OS) Landranger (sheet 60 Islay) and Pathfinder (sheets 397, 398, 410, 411, 424, 425, 439) series of maps. NR refers to the major grid square ID, the first three digits represent the vertical grid line reference number, and the second three digits represent the horizontal grid line reference number. Each units digit in the three digit grid reference represents 1/10 km, so the distance between references can be roughly calculated by subtracting without having a map. Maps can be ordered from http://www.elstead.co.uk - and the cost is about five pounds each - credit cards accepted. You need only one Landranger map (1:50000) or all seven of the Pathfinder series (1:25000) to cover the whole of Islay.

2. The OS coordinates have been converted to decimal GPS coordinates at https://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong-os-gridref.html. The GPS combined string may be copied and pasted into the Google Maps search box, and this should return a map close to the original black square of the farmhouse originally recorded with the OS coordinates.

3. The Links column is a direct link to the Google Islay map view with a pin indicating the location. You can switch to satellite view which might give a better idea of the surroundings, although the satellite images of Islay at present seem to be of low resolution. Ctrl+click on this link should launch a Google maps tab in your browser.

4. The name spelling that is taken as “standard” is the spelling that appears on the OS maps. Other spellings from the map of early farms and tenant lists are given with a reference to the standard spelling entry, which has the grid reference.

5. Versions of the names of the farms have been taken from the map by surveyor Stephen McDougall (data from 1749-51, printed 1848) which indicated main house locations. This map was subsequently redrawn (with clearer names but without house locations) and an electronic version is available named “bigislay.jpg”, which is reproduced on the following page. The indications of the building locations on the early map have been correlated with the locations given on the modern maps for present day farm buildings and in some cases old stone walls, and these have been used to derive the OS grid references. These names are indicated in the list with a “m” in column 6.

6. In many cases, the variations of the name can be easily worked out as phonetic equivalents. However, in a few cases, similar looking names represent quite separate locations (Kilkolumkill and Killcolumkill).

7. The parish in which the name is located is given in the second column, mainly derived from the parish farm lists. Boundaries between parishes are determined from these lists. Parish names are helpful to determine marriages and baptisms from the old parish records.

8. The letter in the sixth column indicates the source of the placename spelling - m is from the McDougall map published in 1848 but surveyed in 1749-51, bb is from the 1828 blackbook tenant list transcription by Toni Sinclair, and (where different from other sources) p is from the parish farm lists possibly corresponding to the McDougall survey of 1749-51. No entry in this column indicates a placename taken from the Landranger and Pathfinder maps. Unresolved locations, mainly from the blackbook entries, are indicated with a “?”.

9. There are undoubtedly errors in the co-ordinates, both in the OS coordinates estimated from that map, and in the manual conversion of the OS coordinates to GPS coordinates.

10. Corrections and additions most welcome! Please contact the author by email.

Version 4, August 29, 2021

Farm Name	Parish	OS coordinates	GPS coordinates	Link to Google maps	Notes
Airigh Ghuaidre	Kilmeny	NR398628	55.788251,-6.152148	https://google.com/maps/place/55.788251,-6.152148
Airighnambeist	Kildalton	NR418474	55.651310,-6.105808	https://google.com/maps/place/55.651310,-6.105808
Alabus	Killarow	see Eallabus			m
Alelay	Killarow	NR423567	55.734922,-6.106626	https://google.com/maps/place/55.734922,-6.106626	m
Almond	Kilchoman	NR220550	55.708476,-6.427226	https://google.com/maps/place/55.708476,-6.427226	m
Ancladach	Kilmeny	NR440623	55.786012,-6.084875	https://google.com/maps/place/55.786012,-6.084875
Aoradh	Kilchoman	NR276672	55.820955,-6.350543	https://google.com/maps/place/55.820955,-6.350543
Archalloch	Kilchoman	NR185555	55.710936,-6.483268	https://google.com/maps/place/55.710936,-6.483268	m
Ardbeg	Kildalton	NR416464	55.642241,-6.108038	https://google.com/maps/place/55.642241,-6.108038	m
Ardeenesell	Kildalton	see Laphroiag			m
Ardelister	Kildalton	see Ardilistry			bb
Ardelistor	Kildalton	see Ardilistry			m
Ardilistry	Kildalton	NR442490	55.666919,-6.069257	https://google.com/maps/place/55.666919,-6.069257
Ardimersay	Kildalton	NR435466	55.645040,-6.078116	https://google.com/maps/place/55.645040,-6.078116	m
Ardinisdale	Kildalton	see Laphroaig			m
Ardlarach	Killarow	NR294586	55.744915,-6.313361	https://google.com/maps/place/55.744915,-6.313361
Ardlorauch	Killarow	See Ardlarach			m
Ardmenoch	Kildalton	NR469508	55.684466,-6.028102	https://google.com/maps/place/55.684466,-6.028102	m
Ardmore	Kildalton	NR466505	55.681621,-6.032584	https://google.com/maps/place/55.681621,-6.032584	m
Ardnahoe	Kilmeny	NR424718	55.870299,-6.119325	https://google.com/maps/place/55.870299,-6.119325
Ardnave	Kilchoman	NR282731	55.874151,-6.346902	https://google.com/maps/place/55.874151,-6.346902
Ardneave	Kilchoman	see Ardnave			m
Ardnohow	Kilmeny	see Ardnahoe			m
Ardochy	Kilmeny	NR404636	55.795743,-6.143368	https://google.com/maps/place/55.795743,-6.143368	m
Ardruah		see ?			bb
Ardtallah	Kildalton	NR466545	55.717472,-6.036283	https://google.com/maps/place/55.717472,-6.036283
Arduahow		see ?			bb
Areguirie	Kilmeny	see Airigh Ghuaidre
Arinobiast	Kildalton	see Airighnambeist
Ariquary	Kilmeny	see Airigh Ghuaidre			m
Arivoichallum	Kildalton	NR348500	55.670840,-6.219254	https://google.com/maps/place/55.670840,-6.219254
Artala	Kildalton	see Ardtallah			m
Arvolcalum	Kildalton	see Arivoichallum			m
Aryghuary	Kilmeny	see Airigh Ghuaidre
Aryghuary	Kilmeny	see Airigh Ghuaidre			bb
Aryveg (?)		see ?			bb
Assibus	Kildalton	see Risabus			m
Auchnacarnan		see ?			bb
Auchnaclach	Kilmeny	NR398677	55.832162,-6.156833	https://google.com/maps/place/55.832162,-6.156833	bb