Place name of the week

Roxburgh ~ Rosbrog

Roxburgh (Rokesburc in 1127) is Old English in origin, from Hroc, a personal name meaning ‘rook’, and burh ‘fortified place’. In the Book of Clanranald, an early 18th-century Gaelic work, in part relating events of the 15th century, Roxburgh Castle appears as c(h)aislen Rosbrog.

The author of this work was Niall Macmhuirich, a bard from Dalabrog (in English, now Daliburgh). Perhaps Macmhuirich was influenced by this in his choice of a Gaelic form for Roxburgh. In truth, final -brog derives from Old Norse brokka ‘slope’, whilst the first element may be dalr ‘valley’ hence ‘valley slope’.

The same text mentions Philliphaugh as Filipfach. This is simply the Scots name Phillip and haugh ‘river meadow’, and the Gaelic form seems to be a phonological adoption, perhaps under influence from the Gaelic word faiche ‘field’, of approximately the same meaning as haugh. lfor more information visit www.ainmean-aite.scot