welcome

History of the Parish

of New Cumnock

by Robert Guthrie

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PLACE-
NAMES

'cor'

.........

Knipe- , Knock-, Knowe-

Hills & Mosses Home Page

W.J. Watson 'The Celtic Placenames of Scotland'

W.F.H. Nicolaisen 'Scottish Place-Names'

Malcolm MacLennan 'Gaelic Dictionary'

John Strawhorn 'A New History of Cumnock'

Johan Blaeu 'Atlas Novus, Coila Provincia'

William McDowall 'History of Dumfries'

RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient Historical
Monuments of Scotland)

Corsencon 'the rounded hill of the pig-farm'

The secret to the name of Corsencon is found in an Act of Parliament ( Acts, Parl, Scot., i., 716 ) from the 15th
century . McDowall provides the details but briefly it describes an early warning system of beacons devised by William,
Earl of Douglas (at Lincluden , 1488) and established in the 15th century on hill tops along the length of Nithsdale
including 'ane on Corswintoun' . In this form the name clearly contains the [Old English] element swin;tun 'swine,
pig; town, farm' and is indicative of an early Anglian settlement on the slopes of Corsencon hill, perhaps dating to the
time when Eadbhert annexed Kyle into his Anglian kingdom in 755 AD. Further evidence of this Anglian settlement, is
the aforementioned cross found on the Mansfield estate, for it is classified as an 9th century Anglian cross. The name
Mansfield is a relatively young name. In 1790, Sir James Stirling acquired the lands of Garrieve in New Cumnock and
re-named the lands Mansfield after his wife Alison Mansfield. The place-name Garrive may contain the Gaelic element
garbh 'rough' . Alternatively the early form Garif suggests Old English graf , graefe 'thicket, copse', an ideal location
to raise a Christian cross.

Dalswinton, Dumfriesshire some 20 miles further south down the Nith valley from Corsencon and the now obsolete
Glenswinton, Balmaclellan in Kircudbrightshire also share the mark of these Anglian pig-farmers. Overwhelming proof of
pig-farming on Corsencon is found in the names of the farms neighbouring Corsencon farm, albeit it on the Dumfriesshire
side of the hill. In Blaeu's map of 'Coila Provincia' appear the farms O. Korfinkon (Over Corsencon), N. KoBinkon
(Nether Corsencon), Glenmucklam , Nether Glenmucklach and O.Glenmuckloch all co-existing on the slopes of
KoBinkon Hill (Corsencon Hill) with the B. (Burn) of Glenmucklach running into the Nith below. Glenmuckloch can only
be from the Gaelic gleann muclac ' glen, valley of the pig-farm'. These Gaelic speaking farmers, unlikely to have
settled here before the end of the 10th century were simply continuing the traditions of the earlier Anglian settlers of
producing Ayrshire bacon! . They were also probably responsible for pre-fixing the element cor to the name Swinton to
and creating the first Corswinton.

Watson gives Gaelic element cor 'rounded hill' and indeed Gaelic dictionaries give corr ' tapering, peaked, pointed'.
It would be inconceivable to think that such a distinctive hill as Corsencon would not influence its own name and
thankfully our ancestors have rightfully honoured New Cumnock's most famous landmark as Corswinton 'the rounded
hill of the pig-farm'. WFH Nicolaisen describes the aforementioned Dalswinton 'as one of the most interesting names in
the Scottish south because of the later addition of [Gaelic] dail 'river-meadow' to [Old English] Swin-tun 'pig-farm'
is evidence of an early English and largely pre-Gaelic element in the population of that area'.

The same accolade can now be bestowed upon Corsencon. � Robert Guthrie 2001

Corsencon 'the hounds crossing'

W.J Watson early forms of the name Corsencon in ancient charters -

"The charter of William I. granted about 1205 to the burgh of Ayr, and
confirmed by Alexander II. and David II. (1367, RMS), prescribes that 'toll
and customs due to the burgh shall be given and received at Mache and
Karnebuth and Loudon and Krosnecone (Krosnekone, 1367) and
Lachtalpen.'

In 1398 it was agreed that Englishmen born with Scottish fealty should dwell
as far from the march as Peebles, Crawford, or Corsincon (Bain's Cal)."

Watson offers ' [Gaelic] cros na con 'crossing of the hounds', with reference probably to the crossing over the hill
of Corsancone, for there is no evidence for a cross having stood at that place'. However fragments of a stone cross
were found in the 19th century on the Mansfield less than a mile to the west of Corsencon hill.

The Mansfield Cross

CrownCopyright RCAHMS

Corsencon - Corsintoune 'Corsin's toune'

The name appears in the form Corsintoune in the 16th century when it was
recorded that Patrick Dunbar, laird of Corsintoune was murdered whilst
attending mass at Cumnock Kirk. This form suggests 'Corsin's town' as a
possible meaning. Corsane, or Corson is one of Nithsdale's oldest family
names apparently originating from the Corsini family in Italy. It is claimed
their first ancestor came to Scotland to oversee the building of Devorguilla's
Bridge over the Nith (at Dumfries) and the construction of Sweetheart
Abbey (New Abbey, Dumfriesshire) which was completed c. 1275.
However, greater antiquity for the name may be claimed since it is often to
be found in the form of Acorsane or Ap Corsane strongly suggesting a
British or Celtic origin (cf. Owen Ap Urien)

Johan Blaeu 'Coila Provincia' showing Garif (modern day Mansfield), KoBinkon hill , (Corsencon Hill), N.
KoBinkon (Nether Corsencon), O. Korfinkon (Over Corsencon), Glennucklam (Glenmuckloch)

W.J.Watson 'The Celtic Placenames of Scotland' (Birlinn Edition, 1993)

Malcolm MacLennan 'Gaelic Dictionary' (1995)

A.D. Mills 'Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names '(1997)

J.Stuart 'Sculptured Stones of Scotland'

W.G.Collingwood 'The Early Crosses of Galloway'

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

Corsencon Hill and the River Nith

Devorgilla's Bridge, River Nith, Dumfries

Corsencon Hill from Dalleagles