Genitive Form: Eilean a' Bhùtha

Prepositional Form: air Eilean a' Bhùtha

Element Meaning

G Eilean a’ Bhùtha = nom. sg. eilean, masc. ‘island’ + gen. sg. masc. def. art. a’ (leniting) + lenited gen. sg. of bùth masc. ‘booth, shop’ = ‘the island of the shop’

Sources

Elanvow c. 1364 Lennox Chrs., 61
Elanvow 1395 Lennox Chrs., 63
38 Ylen-ow c. 1591 Pont text 150r
Ylen-ow c. 1591 Pont text 150v
yl. na vow 1636-52 Gordon 48
Ilan a Bou 1701 Wodrow MS [4 Ilan a Bou or the Booth Isle]
Island Vow 1724 Description of six parishes (Macf. Geog. Coll. P. 345)
Islandavou 1747-55 Roy
Avon 1750 Dorret [generic elements missing for most islands]
Ellanvon 1777 Ross [for Ellanvou?]
I. Bane 1792 Ross [near Rubha Ban?]
Ellan a vowe 1817 Grassom
Ellan a vowe 1832 Thomson Stirlingshire
Elengavahana 1832 Thomson Dumbartonshire
Elengavahana 1845 New. Stat. Acc. Dumbarton, vol. viii, p. 230
EILEAN-A-MHOU 1869 Fraser
Eilean a’ Bhogha 1912 Dwelly [headform is Ellanvow]
Eilean a’ Bhogha, Island of the Bow 1931 Lamond

“The ruins of one of these may still be seen on the wooded knoll which stands at the head of Loch Lomond, and which is an island when the loch is high. Another was the very substantial and for that time even elegant castle on “Eilan-a-bhuth” – the “Island of the shop or store”, about two miles from the top of Loch Lomond. The name of this picturesque island is comparatively recent; the kitchen of the old castle was used by a certain Andrew Macfarlane as a sort of store in which he kept the goods which he sold to the inhabitants on both sides of the loch: hence the name Eilan-a-bhuth; the older name was “Eilan-ure”, the new island, given probably at the time when the chief built his new house upon it.” Winchester

Additional Information

Originally the name was perhaps Eilean a’ Bhodha ‘the island of the sunken rock’ from bodha ‘sunken rock. The rock in question would seem to be Guy Rock. This derivation is in fact supported by both Dwelly and Lamond. The derivation of bùth ‘shop’ (translated as ‘booth’ by Wodrow in 1701) possibly only dates from the time of the MacFarlanes in 1697.

Alternative Forms