English / Map Form: Alness
Gaelic Form: Alanais
Location: Easter Ross, Highland
Post Town: ALNESS
County: Ross and Cromarty
Local Authority: Highland
English / Map Form: Alness
Gaelic Form: Alanais
Language Notes
Element Meaning
Sources
| Alenes | 1227 Moray Reg. 75 |
| Alnes | 1547 RSS |
| croftum de Alnes | 1566 RMS iv no. 1744 |
| Alnes | 1589 RMS iv no. 1625 |
| capellanie de Alnes | 1590 RMS iv no. 1767 |
| capellaniam de Alnes (vel Alves) | 1621 Retours (Ross and Cromarty) no. 60 |
| lands of Alnes | 1651 Retours (Ross and Cromarty) no. 101 |
| Anes | 1654 Blaeu Map (Moray) |
| in villa et terris de Alnes | 1691 Retours (Ross and Cromarty) no. 151 |
| Alness | 1820 Thomson |
| G Alanais Watson | Watson 1904, 75 and Watson 1926, 468 |
Additional Information
This is an obscure name. Watson says this is not Norse ‘nis’ but G Allan as a river-name + f(h)as, ‘station, stance’. This seems unlikely however, given the original name of the Alness River, the Averon. Moreover, in this area Norse names are primarily confined to the coast, and the site of Alness is typical of a site which might have a Norse name.