Auchentullich Farm Shop

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 25 May 2016

The farm shop is beside the A82. At the time of writing, the map uses the older name Auchentullich Namoin. Another farmstead, the similarly-named Auchentullich Natra, was at c.Image It is shown, for example, on Roy's Military Survey (1740s–50s) as Achentullochnatra, and appeared on OS maps until recently, but has now been cleared away; this took place around 2006. (For the pronunciation of Natra and Namoin, see end note *1, below.) A while ago, it was explained to me in person, by someone very familiar with these farms, that the elements "Namoin" and "Natra" signify, respectively, "on the moss" (that is, on the mossy or boggy ground) and "by the shore". If this is correct (as it most probably is), they are derived from the Gaelic words "mòine" and "tràigh". Specifically, the derivation of these elements would then be as follows (where I have employed the appropriate genitive forms): "Namoin" < "na mòine": "of the peat moss" "Natra" < "na tràghad": "of the shore" It is likely that the names, being old, might have had their endings worn down a little over the centuries. As it happens, the spelling "Auchintullich-na-moine" was current in 1760 (see note *2 below); that derivation, then, appears to be sound. The lands of Auchentullich as a whole are referred to (as Achadhtulech) in a charter (see note *3) by Maldowen Earl of Lennox (1225–c.1270), alongside some early though recognisable forms of the names of nearby places: Inverlauren, Dumfin and Luss. The name Auchintullich combines "achadh" and "tulach", and means "field of the mound (or knoll)". Given the allusion to a mound or knoll in the Gaelic place-name, it is perhaps relevant that John Mitchell, in his "Loch Lomondside" (2001, New Naturalist Series), when commenting on glacial debris that can be seen in the area, mentions "the remains of eskers in the form of sinuous ridges beside the main A82 at Auchentullich between Luss and Arden". Notes: (*1) The present-day pronunciations are not evident from the written forms, but were passed on to me orally: in the modern names "Auchentullich Natra/Namoin", "Natra" is pronounced [nəˈtra:] (meaning that the stress is on the second syllable, which has a long vowel), and "Namoin" is pronounced [nəˈmɔ:n] (again, the stress is on the second syllable). The Gaelic expression "na tràghad" is pronounced [nəˈtra:.əd̥]; if its last syllable was lost over time, the resulting pronunciation would be the same as that just given for "Natra". (*2) "Auchentullich-na-moine": that form appears on page 373 of volume 1 of "The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country" (William Fraser, 1869), in a discussion of lands that changed hands in 1760. (*3) The spelling "Achadhtulech" in a 13th-century charter: see "Cartularium Comitatus de Levenax" (Maitland Club Edition, 1833): the charter is in the Addendum, and appears on pages 96–97 of the book.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0