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Erray

An Eirbhe


Meaning

the fence or wall


Location

Argyll & Bute

Argyll & Bute

NM503561


English / Map Form: Erray

Gaelic Form: An Eirbhe


Location: Isle of Mull

Post Town: ISLE OF MULL

County: Argyll & Bute

Local Authority: Argyll & Bute

English / Map Form: Erray

Gaelic Form: An Eirbhe


Language Notes

G fem. sg. def. art an + nom. sg. eirbhe, fem. `fence, wall'

Element Meaning

G eirbhe ~ fence, wall

Sources

Eray 1775 Mackenzie: The sound of Mull
Erra 1801 Langland’s map of Argyleshire
Eray 1804 Heather
Errai 1820 Thomson
Erie House 1851 Admiralty Chart 1256
Erray, Coille nan Erray 1881 OS 6 inch 1st edn.

Additional Information

Erray Rd leads to Erray House to the North and Druim Erray (Druim nan Erray 1881 OS 6 inch edn.) further North; there is also Coille nan Erray.

Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland says: “At Erray (an Eirbhe, the outlying part of a farm)… In olden times a wall (or turf) was commonly built to separate the crop land from the hill ground, and was known as Gàradh bràgh’d or upper wall. The ground above the Gàradh bràgh’d was known as the Eirbhe.”

The neighbouring names above containing the genitive plural article suggests the original name might have been plural, however the single has been used given the absence of any evidence of a nominative plural form and any corroborating evidence from non OS forms.

See Place Names of Mull, 157 and Watson 1926, 479-480 for other examples.

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