Pennyland

For the district in Milton Keynes, seePennyland project.

Apennyland(Scottish Gaelic:peighinn) is an oldScottishland measurement. It was found in the West Highlands, and alsoGalloway,and believed to be ofNorseorigin. It is frequently found in minor placenames.

SkeneinCeltic Scotlandsays:

"in the eastern district there is a uniform system of land denomination consisting of 'dabhachs', 'ploughgates' and 'oxgangs', each 'dabhach' consisting of four 'ploughgates' and each 'ploughgate' containing eight 'oxgangs'.

"As soon as we cross thegreat chain of mountainsseparating the eastern from the western waters, we find a different system equally uniform. The 'ploughgates' and 'oxgangs' disappear, and in their place we find 'dabhachs' and 'pennylands'. The portion of land termed a 'dabhach' is here also called a 'tirung' or 'ounceland', and each 'dabhach' contains 20 pennylands. "

The Rev. Dr Campbell ofBroadfordon Skye says:

"the system of land measure which prevailed in theWestern Isles,and then took root inArgyllwas neitherPictishnorIrish,but Norse. The unit was the ‘ounce-’land, i.e. the extent of land which paid the rent of an ounce ofsilver.The word was borrowed by Gaelic and appears as ‘unnsa’. The land term was ‘unga’, e.g. Unganab inNorth Uistand inTiree.It appears in the old charters as ‘teroung’, ‘teiroung’, &c. This extent was divided into twenty parts—sometimes into only 18 – which parts being called ‘peighinn’; hence many placenames, e.g. Pennymore, Peighinnchornach. In some places the pennyland was subdivided. OnLoch Fynesidewe meet with Lephinmore, Lephincorrach, (‘the big half-pennyland’, the ‘rough half pennyland’); also ‘an Fheòirling’ (the ‘farthingland’). A conventional use of the term ‘peighinn’ is met with inSkye—thecroftingtown ofElgolis separated by a march-dyke from thedeer forest;each crofter is responsible for the upkeep of a specified length of the dyke, and it is called the ‘peighinn’ of his croft; similarly the part of the shore allotted to each croft for seaware is called the ‘peighinn’ of that croft. "

It should not be confused withpenwhich is aBrythoniclanguage element in placenames such asPenicuik,inMidlothian.

References

This article incorporates text fromDwelly's[Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary(1911).(Dabhach, Peighinn)

Further reading

• MacQueen, John,Pennyland and Doach in South Western Scotland: A Preliminary NoteinScottish Studies#23, (1979)

See also

• Obsolete Scottish units of measurement
  • In the EastHighlands:
    • Rood
    • Scottish acre= 4 roods
    • Oxgang(Damh-imir) = the area an ox could plow in a year (around 20 acres)
    • Ploughgate(?) = 8 oxgangs
    • Daugh(Dabhach) = 4 ploughgates
  • In the WestHighlands:
    • Markland(Marg-fhearann) = 8 Ouncelands (varied)
    • Ounceland(Tir-unga) =20 Pennylands
    • Pennyland (Peighinn) = basic unit; sub-divided intohalf penny-land andfarthing-land
    • (Other terms in use;Quarterland(Ceathramh): variable value;Groatland(Còta bàn)
• Penny Scots
• Pennyland project(low-energy buildingsatMilton Keynes)