PABBAY/PABAIGH (SOUTH UIST) (H3) PLACE-NAME INVENTORY

(Parish of Kilphedir)

Kristján Ahronson

GUIDE TO ENTRIES

Entries formatted for the Scottish Place-Name Database, with the consultation of Simon Taylor.

PLACE-NAME *#~[TAB][PARISH] [SITE CLASSIFICATION] [NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE] [CERTAINY LEVEL 1-5] [ALTITUDE] [ASPECT/DRAINAGE]

Place-name 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

Forbes derives Place-name from the ON plat, n, ‘trick or hoax’ (Forbes 1923:56).

* = not listed on Ordnance Survey Pathfinder

~ = linear feature

[PARISH] = 3-letter abbreviation, ex: SUS for South Uist

Site Classification Codes:

FField

IIsland

WWater (not Coastal)

Certainty Level:

1 – certain

2 – assumed

3 – within 1km in each direction

4 – within 5km in each direction

5 – vague (whole island or parish)

Abbreviations (in chronological order)

Atlas Novus Skia = J Blaeu 1654. Atlas Novus. Amsterdam.

Keulen = Gerard van Keulen 1734?. Nieuwe paskaart van de West Kust van Schotland, de Lewys Eylanden en de noord Kust van Yrland. In I van Keulen 1734, De Niewe Groote Ligtende Zee-Fakkel. Location: BM, Bod, NLS, RGS.

Huddart = Joseph Huddart 1794. A new chart of the West coast of Scotland from the point of Ardnamurchan to Cape Wrath. In J Huddart 1794, The North-about Navigator, London.

Heather/Hebrides = William Heather 1804. “A new and improved chart of the Hebrides or Lewis Islands and adjacent coast of Scotland from the Mull of Cantire to Cape Wrath”. Location: BM, NLS.

Thomson/Skye = John Thomson 1824. Skye Island &c. In John Thomson 1832, Atlas of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Scot W = 1886. Scotland: West Coast. [Admiralty Chart no 2635]. Location: NLS.

References

McDonald, Fr Allan 1903. The Norsemen in Uist Folklore. Saga-Book of the Viking Club vol 3:413-33.

PARISH INFORMATION

“Now in the parish of South Uist, Pabbay lay in the medieval parish of Kilpeder, known also as Kilpedire Blisen and Kilpheder in Uist, the church, which was one of the five parish kirks of Uist, was an independent parsonage in 1441 but by the Reformation had been annexed to Iona. As was customary one third of the teinds pertained to the bishops of the Isles. (Monro W.I. 48-9; Coll. de Rebus Alban 3).” (Cowan 1967:109)

“Kilpeter. Parochia de Kilpedire Blisen – Peitter’s Paraochin – Keilpedder in Veist – Kilfadrik – Kilphedre.

This parish, now part of the modern parish of South Uist (which includes also Howmore and Benbecula), seems to have consisted of the district known as Kandish or the South Head of Uist, the district of Boisdale (of old Baghastil), and the islands Eriskay, Lingay, and Oronsay, and a few smaller isles, thus extending from the extreme south of Eriskay to the neighbourhood of Loch Eynort on the east and of the promontory styled Ardmichael on the west. The west side of the parish is low, flat, and sandy, the east rocky, mountainous, and indented by Loch Boisdale [where the Pabbay(s) are found]. Fresh-water lakes are numerous.

…There were chapels at Kilbride in Boisdale, and at Kildonnan and apparently also at Clachan of Branagh, Clachan Cuay, and Kirkidale, in the other and larger portion of the parish.” (Bannatyne Club, Origines Parochiales Scotiae 1854:365-8)

PLACE-NAME INVENTORY

PABBAY ~SUS I NF778195 1 14m

Pabbay 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

Pabbay 1976 OS Pathf

Pabaigh 1995 OS Landranger

Two islands joined by a tidal causeway at NF778196. On OS 6 inch first edn., both individually named Pabbay. On OS Pathf, both islands grouped as one and given the name Pabbay.

WELL *SUS W NF780197 2 0m

Well 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

[FIELD DIVISION]SUS F NF777198 – NF778197 1 0m

- 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

- 1976 OS Pathf

[FIELD DIVISION]SUS F NF778197 – NF779198 1 0m

- 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

- 1976 OS Pathf

[FIELD DIVISION]SUS F NF778197 – NF780198 1 0m

- 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

- 1976 OS Pathf

[FIELD DIVISION]SUS F NF778194 – NF779195 1 0-8m

- 1881 OS 6 inch first edn.

- 1976 OS Pathf