Too many Towies

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:35 pm

Hi all,
If you search for Towie on Multimap or the like, you will find three locations in Aberdeen. On the IGI/OPR and GENUKI sites there appears to only be one, which I think is the one furthest south near Kildrummy. I suspect, but am not sure, that in terms of census place or location of an event in the OPRs it is this Towie that is meant? However, I'm fairly sure that many of the Towies in the "Place of birth" column in the censuses refer to one of the other locations. Is there any easy way to untangle this? And where would I find the births of the people supposedly born in the other Towies? I think I have found some of them from the Towie located in between Clatt and Kennethmont/Kinnethmont born in either of those parishes, but am unclear about the ones who may refer to the Towie in the north near New Aberdour.

If this sounds confusing it is because I am confused

Anyone have an enlightening solution for this problem?

All the best,
Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 6:52 pm

There is a parish by the name of Towie.

The only other Towie in Groome's Ordnance Survey Gazetteer, the new edition, which is much more trustworthy than the first edition, now accessible somewhere on the www, is Towie-Barclay, an old castle in Turiff parish.

The 1881 placename search facility on ScotsOrigins, however, complicates matters ...............

There's............

Lower Towie BOTRIPHNIE Banffshire

Farm House Towie FORDYCE Banffshire

Cottage On Towie FORDYCE Banffshire

Croft On Brae Of Towie FORDYCE Banffshire

Mill Of Towie SAVOCH Aberdeenshire

House On North Towie Turner AUCHTERLESS Aberdeenshire

Gardeners Cottage Towie TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Nether Towie (E) TOWIE Aberdeenshire

Nether Towie (Shop) TOWIE Aberdeenshire

Nether Towie (W) TOWIE Aberdeenshire

North Towie TOWIE Aberdeenshire

North Towie Turner AUCHTERLESS Aberdeenshire

South Towie Turner AUCHTERLESS Aberdeenshire

Towie ABERDOUR Aberdeenshire

Towie Barclay TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Towie Carpenters Cottage TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Towie Coachmans Cottage TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Towie Cottage TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Towie Cottage & Shop TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Towie Farm House ABERDOUR Aberdeenshire

Towie Slack ABERDOUR Aberdeenshire

Towie Station Cottage TURRIFF Aberdeenshire

Upper Towie TOWIE Aberdeenshire

....plus others in the parishes above, never mind Tertowie, Towiemore......

You did ask

"towie" just has to have some meaning in the Doric, but whit Ah jist dinna ken.

David

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:05 pm

Hi David,
You see why my head is spinning...

DavidWW wrote:"towie" just has to have some meaning in the Doric, but whit Ah jist dinna ken.

According to A New History of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Smith (Ed), 1875, quoted on GENUKI, the etymology is from:

Tuath (the letters th not sounded), meaning "the north side."

Not that it helps much... Just about any place can have a north side, which I suppose is why there are so many of them!

I'm just having a hard time knowing which Towie any given person is from, since it is quite clear to me that not all the references indicate the same one.

Regards,
Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:41 pm

SarahND wrote:Hi David,
You see why my head is spinning...

DavidWW wrote:"towie" just has to have some meaning in the Doric, but whit Ah jist dinna ken.
According to A New History of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Smith (Ed), 1875, quoted on GENUKI, the etymology is from:

Tuath (the letters th not sounded), meaning "the north side."

Not that it helps much... Just about any place can have a north side, which I suppose is why there are so many of them!

I'm just having a hard time knowing which Towie any given person is from, since it is quite clear to me that not all the references indicate the same one.

Regards,
Sarah

That etymology certainly makes sense

David