LL-L "Place names" 2002.07.12 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 12.JUL.2002 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Place names"

Lowlanders,

Over the past few decades since the local railway was closed
and the tracks removed in my village in Scotland, the local
council has been gradually converting the scar left by the
tracks into a series of attractive walks. A stream (or "burn"
as we call it in Scots) runs parallel to the railway and
recently a new walk was added to the network, which involved
building a small bridge across the stream at a point where
there was no access before.

Walking across this bridge, I wondered which of the local
streams this was. I realised that a mile further down the
railway it passed through Puddle Wud (or "Puddle Wood"),
and therefore this was the Puddle Burn. On thinking this
through again, however, I realised that somewhat over half
a mile further down the railway in the same direction, there
was another crossing point at The Howden Brig (or Haldane
Bridge, if for any strange reason you might want to put that
into English). At this point the stream is known as the Howden
Burn.

It struck me as very strange that this stream is known by
two different names, by the very same villagers, depending
on which point of the stream is being referred to, the two
points being only a quarter of a mile apart. In fact, I've
been referring to this stream by two different names,
according to context, my whole life and never given it a
thought until the new crossing point opened up!

I know that the Rhine (for example) has different names at
different stretches, but this is a different thing, since
it's different people who give it these names, whereas the
more modest Howden/Puddle burn is so named by the people
of a single village.

Is it quite usual for country folk to make a mapmaker's
nightmare out of their locality, or is this an observation
of an anomaly? What should I call the Burn at the new
crossing point? It occurs to me that neither Howden nor
Puddle pertains at the new point, as it's not near the old
Howden engine that used to serve the pit and gave the area
its name, nor is it near the Puddle Wud!

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

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