what are these place names please?

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:48 am

Hi All,

Hoping some one will be able to tell me where James MURDOCH and Anne Gibson are from on this OPR marriage record which I will upload.(Hopefully)

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1287

Thank you
Karen

Gallery url added by Marilyn

Post by **paddyscar** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:00 am

Hi Karen:

I read it as:

James Murdoch son of Thomas Murdoch, Waulkmiln (Orkney Islands) & Anne Gibson daughter of John Gibson Cleugh-head (Scottish Borders, 41 miles southeast of Edinburgh),were regularly proclaimed in this Parish Church in order to marriage & married on the 27 of February

Locations from Google.com

Frances

winslowsmom · Post by **winslowsmom** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:30 am

Hello

I think there may have been place names of Waulkmiln or Waulkmill
in Ayrshire as well, which would have put the Murdoch's closer to most of the others on the page (Muirkirk). I think I read somewhere that Waulkmiln was the name given to a place having something to do with milling/processing of cloth.

http://www.ayrshirehistory.com/sorn_mills_of_sorn.html

Cathy

Post by **paddyscar** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:14 am

winslowsmom wrote:Hello

I think there may have been place names of Waulkmiln or Waulkmill
in Ayrshire as well, which would have put the Murdoch's closer to most of the others on the page (Muirkirk). I think I read somewhere that Waulkmiln was the name given to a place having something to do with milling/processing of cloth.

http://www.ayrshirehistory.com/sorn_mills_of_sorn.html

Cathy

Which makes more sense than the Orkneys.
Frances

Post by **AndrewP** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:16 am

Hi Karen,

My feeling is that both locations are in Muirkirk parish, Ayrshire. I can see Cleuch-head on a couple of maps, and Waulkmill (no sign of Waulkmiln) on other maps. No sign of the two appearing on the same map.

On the Old-maps website, both can be seen, but not on the same map section.

www.old-maps.co.uk
maps

with co-ordinates:
Cleuch-Head 271500 and 630600
Waulkmill 271600 and 628100

(thus these locations are 2500m apart)

On a modern map, these locations are un-named, but cam be seen.

O.S. map of east part of Muirkirk parish

On that map, Cleuch Head is the building in the top caentre square and Waulkmill is just below the milestone (MS) in the bottom centre square.

All the best,

AndrewP

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:34 am

"mill" and "miln" are synonymous.

David

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:24 am

Hi All,

Thanks for clearing this up for me. It does look like "miln" on the record and I thought I had read somewhere Mill and Miln were interchangable. The other place had me stumped. The maps are great. Spent a couple of hours last night after the kids went to bed looking for all the information I could find on MUirkirk, (I hadn't realized Douglas was so close). There's some really good Photies and information on the Ayrshirehistory website at:

http://www.ayrshirehistory.com/muirkirk.html

Thanks
Karen

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:55 am

Hi,

I forgot to ask, would these two place, Waulkmill and Cleuch-Head, have been like farms or estates or are they Suburbs?

Karen

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:15 am

Hi Karen

Since I have rellies from Muirkirk area I couldn't resist taking a look.

Cleuch-head looks like a small farm. Waulkmill is right beside a viaduct and could well have been a flour mill using the water from the aqueduct to power the mill race. There is a weir just up-river.

I couldn't remember what the old Scots word 'cleuch' meant - In this context it is a deep, wooded valley or a narrow glen. It can be a coal pit but there is no evidence of this on the map. Only freestone quarries.
It was probably an upland sheep farm as there are no field enclosures round it.

I love these old maps

Russell

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:55 am

Hi Russell,

Thanks for your input. Have tried "googling" on both names with Muirkirk in the search box and am coming up with nothing, but have seen them both on the maps Andrew pointed me to and am quite happy that they are both in Muirkirk. James is born Ayrshire in the 1841 census, Anne has already passed away.

Karen