LL-L: "Place names" LOWLANDS-L, 06.FEB.2000 (04) [E/S]

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: Place names

> From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
> Subject: Place names
>
> Chambers Dictionary says "low" in place names means "hill; tumulus".

Well, it's the wacky world of English topography where "downs" are up and
"lows" are high!

Actually, this word is still used by itself in Scots, where a "law" is a
hill that's "kenspeckle" on account of standing alone on a plain or being
the visually most dominant of a group. Usually they have to be roughly
conical or conical with a glaciated tail formation to qualify as a law. This
is lowland rather than highland topography.

Examples are Lammer Law, Traprain Law, (North) Berwick Law, Largo Law,
Greenlaw, Gala Law, Eildon Law, &c (lammer = amber).

Referring back to earlier postings on this thread, a "den" also exists as a
word in Scots - a small hollow, I would define it, often in woodlands (e.g.
Cairnsmill Den in St Andrews).

Can anybody identify other Lowlandic equivalents of Scots topographical
features:

Law - as described above
Den - as described above
Links - sand dunes, usually the permanent sort covered with grass or gorse
Bents - flat ground or dunes covered with coarse bent grass (hmmm... expains
itself, now that I think about it!)
Heugh - a promontory
Haugh - a large hollow or depression
Brae - hillside, slope

I've left out the obvious such as muir (moor).

Oh... A... div like ti be aside the seaside,
Oh, A div like ti be aside the sea,
Oh, A div like ti gang alang the links an bents,
Wi the jaup at ma taes an ma hat asklent   :)

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
http://www.fleimin.demon.co.uk

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