大象传媒

Tha 脿ite faisg air L霉chairt an R貌id, no Holyrood Palace, ann an D霉n 脠ideann air a bheil an t-ainm Croft-an-Righ. Chan e Croit an R矛gh, ach Croft-an-Righ. Ach, gun teagamh, 鈥檚 e ainm G脿idhlig a tha ann. Ciamar a fhuair e ainm mar sin?

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha ainmean G脿idhlig ann an D霉n 脠ideann, ceart gu le貌r. Chan eil iad pailt, ach tha iad ann. Ach tha iad gu math sean. Agus nuair a thog R矛gh na h-Alba l霉chairt ann an Sg矛re an R貌id cha robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig be貌 ann an Lodainn.

Chaidh mi s矛os an rathad, a鈥� coimhead airson na croite. Uill, cha robh croit ann. Cha robh sgeul air crodh is caoraich. Cha robh sgeul air sabhal no b脿thach. Agus cha robh sgeul air croitear le b貌tannan air. Ach bha seann taigh ann. Agus bha sanas air an taigh 鈥� Croft-an-Righ.

Chaidh mi don leabhar le Sti霉bhart Harris 鈥� The Place Names of Edinburgh. Tha Harris ag r脿dh nach e ainm G脿idhlig a tha ann. Feumaidh sinn cuimhneachadh gun t脿inig am facal G脿idhlig croit bhon Bheurla croft. Agus o shean, 鈥檚 e an t-ainm a bha air an 脿ite seo Croftangry. 鈥橲 e ainm Beurla a tha ann. Th脿inig e bho croft angr. Tha croft angr a鈥� ciallachadh p脿irc ionaltraidh le feansa, a tha taobh a-staigh fearann a鈥� bhaile. Chan eil e taobh a-muigh a鈥� bhaile, mar a tha an c霉l-cinn no common grazing. Tha e taobh a-staigh a鈥� bhaile.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ciamar a fhuair e ainm G脿idhlig? Uill, tha Harris ag r脿dh, anns an naoidheamh linn deug, gun do dh鈥檃tharraich an t-ainm. Dh鈥檃tharraich e bho Croftangry gu Croftanry gu Croft an Rhi le r-h-i. Mu dheireadh dh鈥檃tharraich an r-h-i gu r-i-g-h. Croft-an-Righ. Rinn cuideigin ceangal eadar an t-ainm agus an r矛gh oir bha e faisg air an l霉chairt.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chan eil Harris ag r脿dh c貌 chuir dreach G脿idhlig air an ainm. Ach tha e ag r脿dh gur e 鈥淐roft an Rye鈥� a chanas m貌ran. Chan eil muinntir an 脿ite, aig nach eil G脿idhlig, 鈥檚 d貌cha a鈥� tuigsinn d猫 tha Croft-an-Righ a鈥� ciallachadh.

There is a place close to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh which is called Croft-an-Righ. Not Croit an R矛gh, but Croft-an-Righ. But, certainly, it鈥檚 a Gaelic name. How did it get a name like that?

聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽There are certainly Gaelic names in Edinburgh. They are not plentiful, but they鈥檙e there. But they鈥檙e very old. And when the King of Scotland built a palace in Holyrood Gaelic was no longer extant in Lothian.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I went down the road, looking for the croft. Well, there was no croft. There was no sign of cattle and sheep. There was no sign of a barn or a byre. And there was no sign of a crofter wearing wellies. But there was an old house. And there was a notice on the house - Croft-an-Righ.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I went to the book by Stuart Harris 鈥� The Place Names of Edinburgh. Harris says that it is not a Gaelic name. We must remember that the Gaelic word croit came from the English croft. And in olden times, it was called Croftangry. That is an English name. It came from croft angr. Croft angr means grazing ground with a fence, which is within the township. It鈥檚 not outside the township, as is the common grazing. It鈥檚 within the township.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 How did it get a Gaelic name? Well, Harris says, in the nineteenth century, that the name changed. It changed from Croftangry to Croftanry to Croft an Rhi with r-h-i. Finally the r-h-i changed to r-i-g-h. Croft-an-Righ. Somebody made a link between the name and the king because it was close to the palace.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Harris doesn鈥檛 say who gave the name a Gaelic appearance. But he says it is 鈥淐roft an Rye鈥� that many say. Local people, who don鈥檛 speak Gaelic, perhaps don鈥檛 understand what Croft-an-Righ means.