Session 9 – supernatural stories…

Session 9 – Part 2, Creating Supernatural Stories

We started Session 9 by listing different Supernatural Entities – some of which had been researched as homework by the S2s (see the last blog post!)

Here’s a photo of the whiteboard with the list we made during the session.

In the second half of the session, the classes were split into 9 groups and used story dice to create their own supernatural story. The dice we used were Rory’s Story Cubes which were purchased with funds provided by the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature scheme as part of the Residency.

Here are some of the stories the groups created!

“A man was in prison because he stole some dinosaur bones. His friend came to save him with his pet frog that was poisonous. He squeezed the frog to get poison out and he put the poison into some water and gave it to the guard outside his friend’s cell. The prison guard fell ill so they escaped and called their fake doctor friend to help the guard. But before he could get there, a young beautiful girl came to help him. She had a magic star that healed people.”

Two unicorn friends, Tirek and Jerome, were relaxing and playing on their phones. Jerome decided they should have an adventure and booked a holiday to Afghanistan for a week. They got on the plane and made their way there. They arrived at the hotel and booked a parachute jump! That night they sat down to play a board game – Tirek won and Jerome was a bit sad.

One night a man went exploring using a flashlight. He went over a bridge and found a castle. He picked a lock and went in. There he saw his own shadow – it looked like a werewolf – he got scared. He found a magnet. He saw what time it was and had to go home but it was a stormy night and he was scared to leave the castle. As he was walking home, he was struck by lightening and didn’t make it home.

Shannon was watching birds. She heard her phone ring and turned away from the bird watching. It sounded like there was a ghost on the other end! It was an eerie, gross, croaky voice on the other end. She could not understand what he was saying. The voice was so disgruntled. She had no clue what it was saying. She turned and a bee stung her on the hand causing her to drop the phone. Just then, an arrow flew through her open window killing her. The voice had been trying to tell her to watch out!

One night on a plane to Las Vegas, a few men were playing poker at the bar. Suddenly while they were smoking, the plane caught fire! Everyone was freaking out. Quickly the men grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the plane. Little did the me known, but the parachutes didn’t work – they picked them up from the wrong pile. They fell to their death and while some were in heaven, others went to hell. The men that went to heaven saw and angel and it explained to them what happened.

There was once a witch called Paige. She had a pet crocodile who became friends with a frog. She fell into the pond trying to get the frog. Her dog saved her. Then she fell down a well and drank the water. She saw the frog there. Someone came along and killed her and ate her all up!

Inspiration from history…

One of my favourite sources for local stories is looking up old newspaper archives. In session 7, we spoke about some local myths and legends before I asked the pupils to split into groups and identify the “bare bones” of some clippings from the 1800s.

Again they paced the story using the 5 bulletpoint system. Here are 4 of their stories.

Every Picture Tells a Story

Every picture tells a story

The S2 classes were split into groups of 3 or 4 and given a black and white photo.
They were asked to create a story about the people in the photo with some questions as prompts. Here are some of their stories –

“He started life in Turriff and was very poor. He moved to Columbia where he made a lot of money by selling cocaine. He was shot.”

“She was born into a rich family in 1926. During World War 2 she became a pilot. She became slightly deaf but remained a pilot for the rest of her life.”

“He was the son of a wealthy butcher who owned a big business and a big old posh house. He didn’t want to become a butcher and had childhood dreams of being an actor – so he suffocated his father to get his money. In the end he had no family or friends around him.”

“He was born in 1927 and became a fisherman. His wife died and he didn’t go back to his job. Instead he moved to the woods to be by himself. He made some new friends there and was still poor, but wasn’t alone.”

“He was born in Afghanistan into a poor family. He worked as a janitor in an expensive shop where he found a genie in a bottle. He made wishes and became rich and moved to New York. He had a magic carpet and a monkey.”

“She was born into a poor family in India and was hurt in a terrorist attack. Her legs were broken. She became an artist because she was in a wheelchair.”

“He was born in England and went to a boarding school because his family were rich farmers. When World War 2 started he was sent to the country as an evacuee but he was outside in a field and a bomb dropped on him.”

“They were born in the 1930s into a poor family, maybe in Germany. Their dad and their older brother died in the war and only the twin girls and their mother survived. Their mum taught them music and they became rich by performing. They were crushed by a prop when they were performing and both died together.”

“Her family were Scottish but they moved to China when she was 17. When she got back she studied for years to work at NASA. When she retired she was very rich and lived with her family in an estate in Scotland.”

“He was born in a caravan next to the water in North Carolina in 1896. His family was poor so he joined a gang of 6 robbing banks. He was given a death sentence but spent the rest of his life in solitary confinement.”

“They lived in a farm outside Dublin in the 1950s. They were middle class because they were dairy farmers and the children went to school. Foot and mouth broke out on the farm and a lot of the cows died which had a big impact on the farm. So the mother started brewing poteen. They saved the money from the poteen and bought more cows but there was a TB outbreak and the family all died, except for the mum who tried to run the farm by herself but became an alcoholic.”

The structure of a story

To demonstrate “Good Storytelling Skills” I told the S2s one of my favourite stories, “The Tales of the Sage Duban” from the famous 1001 Nights (aka The Arabian Nights)

One of the most important things when creating a story – and for us storytellers, telling a story, is Pacing. I asked the pupils to come up with 5 bulletpoints for the story.
1 – the start
2 – midpoint between start and middle
3 – the middle
4 – midpoint between middle and end
5 – the end

Duban is quite a tricky story to do this with as the tale could end after 3 bulletpoints… but most groups summarised it well. Here’s one –

1) Duban came back from travelling
2) He found out that the king was ill
3) He healed the King
4) Duban was executed because Jafar lied
5) Jafar died trying to make a genie

Ballads and songs homework…

The S2s learned all about traditional ballads and bothy ballads, but I wanted to know if they could pick out any more recent songs which tell a story.
Here are the songs they came up with

Verified by Your Favourite Martian
Tennessee Jed by the Grateful Dead
Someone Like You by Adele
Stan by Eminem
Riot Van by Arctic Monkeys
Seven Years Old by Lucas Graham
Love Story by Taylor Swift
Smokin in the Boys Room by Motley Crüe

Here are some of my favourite story songs
Sk8r Boi by Avril Lavigne – https://youtu.be/TIy3n2b7V9k
Teenage Dirtbag by Wheetus – https://youtu.be/FC3y9llDXuM
The Devil Went Down To Georgia by The Levellers – https://youtu.be/FC3y9llDXuM
Talkin Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues by Bob Dylan – https://youtu.be/ktx1jxllS00
and let’s not forget Ernie, the Fastest Milkman In The West! https://youtu.be/8e1xvyTdBZI

Session 4 – Ballads – what did we cover

Songs That Tell Stories

Ballads are songs which tell a story. The North East of Scotland is a particularly rich source of traditional songs which go back hundreds of years and also Bothy Ballads which tell of the farming life.

Using some ballads, the S2s were shown how a story is “paced” and were asked to summarise the plot of some famous songs associated with the North East.
They needed a Start, Middle, End and a couple of other bulletpoints to develop the plot!

Here are the ballads they investigated –
The Bonnie Lass o Fyvie – https://youtu.be/FE_OWMhxIsM
Binorrie (or The Twa Sisters) https://youtu.be/Lkug80HDQho
Johnny O Braidislee – https://youtu.be/5P27NG6xV3U

The Wee Toon Clerk – https://youtu.be/F-PXNOirZWQ
MacPhersons Rant – https://youtu.be/0Xk97yaZnMM
Mill O Tifty’s Annie https://youtu.be/0O1yTSIzoJo
The Twa Brithers https://youtu.be/T7qnPIPwWvI
Glenlogie – https://youtu.be/AaYhg5WV6nU
The Gypsy Laddies – https://youtu.be/oexCfr5Utbk
Twa Corbies https://youtu.be/sYfNgOuQ2Bo

More Lovely Ballads!

A Tent of Birds

As ma thoughts scowpall ben ma brain
ah sit in silence an wunner
o fit have faad inta this blunder
o fit it aa gid wrang

Sat in a tent
nae a soond tae be heard
Until the rustling yokit
The words ach nae ran aa ben ma heid

Squawking and squeaking,
an jumping an skirling jis like little birds
ah tried tae droon tham oot
Yet they were aa ah cwid hear

In the morn ah wis telt
The stories o the nicht
The story o a tent
Ma tent

A Tent fu o Birds

My Ballad
I toasted ma bread and then I turned red as I burnt it.
Sae, I Haen a bourie bar and then I went in the caur towards rugby in inverness.
I’m feeling yaldi I got to the pitch I warmed up and trained
The game ended 14-39. I was braw then we got back in the changing rooms and the coach announced MOTM for the game and I was runner up for it.
I got back hame and played with my kittlen
And then I went in the Shour.
For bealin I had spag bol.
I then went to wabbit after watching a movie.

Ballad

I dae a sport,
It’s caad judo,
I go every Freyday night,
At quarter past eight,
Till 10 O’clock.
We start wi a warmup,
Then we stretch,
After that we split into oor groups,
We practice for gradings.
Once we’re dane practicing,
We start doing randori,
Randori is friendly fighting.

At the end we putten the mats away,
Max and I get picked up,
I then get dropped aff,
My dad waits up to let me in,
I go to my room and wait till noon.

School – Ballad

I don’t know whether I hate school or not,
I sit in the classroom without a thought.

As the teacher rambles on,
I just wish the day had gone.

School is what I imagine prison is like,
Long hours and big fights.

Getting up at 7 in the morning,
Just to sit there and do work.

I hate school!

I enjoy seeing my friends,
Laughing until break ends.

Maybe schoolisn’t that bad after all.

I still don’t know whether I hate school or not,
I just wish the day would bef over a lot.


Narrative Ballad
A mber is my name
M y dog is called dexter
Bananas are minging
Excellent at everything
R osie is my pet coo

My name is Angel McIntosh
I am thirteen years ald
I have green een and broone hair
I play fitba on left wing or striker but I dinna mind playing right back
I have 2 moggys and 1 dug
I like te dee pe and French
I dee a paper roond every mornin
My favourite food is gelato
I have named one of my moggys Edwards and the other MJ

Bothie ballad
Isla is ma first name.
Short is ma height.
Lang blonde hair.
Aberdeenshire is far I bide.

McRae is ma last name.
Cooper is ma dug’s name
Revolution is een o ma favorite makeup brands.
Amber is een o ma pals.
Everyone has a problem wi me

Ballad

Scottish
Ma name is Cairinaan ma favourite colour is pink.
Ma air an ma reem is pink an mast o ma clothes are pink
Ma phone is another thing that I like. I spend nearly twa hoors on it.
Een last thing that I like is hill walking I climb hills a lot with ma family an we do een every new year an at diffrent times o the year.

Ballad
Strumming as she sings
Feeling alane
Guitar strings moving
Dae asthey’retelt

Feeling alone,
The air feels oorlich
Yet my heart still bides dry

So, I sit at hame
Feeling Alane
Wishing for someone in my life
Wishing to feel whole
Nae all alone
Sometimes I Cannae cry.

Ballad
The things that bring me joy is meeting with my pals. When ur inside everything’s dull and boring. Since you dinna ken fit ti do.
But as soon as you step foot outside you get a feel of joy as you start heading to your pals.
Once your with them you can hae fun and make memories. But whilst your indoor you ken that you winna do anything big that You’ll remember

Ballad- my phone
My phone is very dear to me
And is a bonnie artifact
because it holds lots of stuff
that I have done.
The photos that I have taken
hold so mony memories from being out with
friends and doing fun things.
I can keep them until they
are worth nothing to me.
My phone brings me joy when
I am feeling down,
my phone gives me something to do
when I have hee haw to do.

Ballad
fan I wis on holiday in a caravan I went timak my breakfast I wis gan ti hae Nutella on toast but the Nutella wis hard because it wis a new tub so I took aff the foil on the top then put it in the microwave and I did nae see that alang the top o it there wis still some foil that I did nae see so I pit it In the oven and for the first 2-3 seconds it wis fine then it started ti spark and mak a weird noise fan the foil and Nutella caught on fire and I jumped back because I got a fleg then I hid ti open the microwave and wait like 10 mins till the Nutella cooled doon but fan when it cooled down it turned oot that it wis burned so in the end I never got Nutella on toast for my breakfast.

Upon entering the kitchie ah opent the fridge tae an noticed we had barely ony aipple juice eneuch fur een gless an nae mair nor een gless worth bit kent naebody else fair go hiv ony an jis wintittae shower sae gid tae take a shower an get properly toggit ah had picked oot ma spleet new Nike tracksuit an gid tae the kitchie tae get ma aipple juice an then aire wis still a nearly toom bottle in the fridge sae ah picked oot a sma gless an fult it richt up as muckle as ah cwid an it wis basically a fu gless bit ah had corriefister ma phone in ma room sae ah gotten up tae get it fin ah heard gless shatter an ma dug wis running awa faet aa an ma aipple juice wis aa ower the fleer an ma dug wis licking her mim mood an ah realised she had attempted tae dram some an knocked it on the fleer an ah had nae aipple juice.

My name is Aimee
I am fourteenyears ald
I have curly broone hair
I have blue eine
I play the pipes
I like de highland dancing
I have one dog
I have 2 rabbits
I dinne like to go ta school
My birthday is the 4th o January

Camping in winter

Fireplace crackling, kettle brewing, these are the things I call soothing
Dew glazed across the grass ready to creep up the glass
Birds chirping in the winter sna, singing gracefully whilst daffodils dance in the meadow

A cosy little hoose upon a hill, fit reminds of the one in Jack and Jill.
A small well covered in leaves, climbing trees filled with children, with muddy knees

When the sun goes doon, the moon appears with subtle tar thon shed some tears
Owls glide across the sky, with delicate glimpses inside their eyes

They has now come to an end
No more fires and bug bites
Oh I miss the bonnie campsite

My name is Mirren
I am thirteen years Auld
I have long hair
I have broon had green eyes
I like highland dancing
I have one dug
I have 3 cats
I have eight rabbits
I bide inturriff
I love ice hockey
My bast pal is Aimee

Ballad

Libby is my name
I have blond hair
Blue Is the colour of my eein
Brora is where I used ta bide
Y is the letter at the end of my first name

Roseveare is my second name
Odi is the name of one of my horses
Saturday is my favorite day
Every day I try to ride my horse
Very happy lambs
Every dayI help with the yowes and lambs
Aberdeenshire is where I bide
Rosie is the name of my sister’s horse
Every day I feed my horses

MY BALLAD

Once when I made me porridge in ma kitchen I left the pan handle over the counter “by accident” and me dug jumped up on the counter and hit the handle causing it to fall to the floor and spill everywhere which sucks because me porridge was almost done but what sucks more is that I had to clean it up and make it again.

The day I got sand in me eye and I had to go to haspital and get me eye rinsed oot with water and then they put blue and yellow dye aroond me eye and then they said I was good to ga and I got a certificate for being good because I was only a sma loon at the time at happened

One time I woke up randomly in the middle of the night and I was really scared because there was a sma creaking noise that soonded far awa but close enough for me to hear and then there was a weird clapping soond ootside which really creeped me oot and I couldn’t go back to sleep even after the noises stopped.


‘I hate school,’ I say it without a second thought. Every time I arrive it just makes me want to go back home.
‘I love being home though,’ I can say it with a smile on my face. Every time I stay home, I feel relaxed.
School fills me with worries and stress while being at home lets me feel warm and happy.
Being at home gives me endless entertainment while school gets me bored and tired.
I see my friends at school and get to talk with them, but I much rather talk to them through the phone.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I need my education. But I can’t help to hate learning.


I am a musician
I saoil what its like to be famous sometimes
I hear the sound of rock n roll ceol

I see hundreds of guitars
I want to spel guitar all day
I am a musician

I pretend to spelif front of people some day
I feel yaldi
I touch my guitar and all my feelings and wores go away
I worry iwont be able to spel
I cry when im away from my guitar
I am a musician

I understand the musical ways
I say iwont stop playing
i dream about playing
I try to spel drums but its not as fun
I hope it never breaks
I am a musician


Ballad in scottish
In the past twa months ah hae made mair memories than ah hae in twa years
ah hae met mair fowk in twa months than ah hae in twa years
twa years ago wis the maist boring time of mah life
if ah huddane anything a wee bit differently twa months ago they twa months wid never happened
ah look at a lot of places differently compared tae twa years ago
ah ken thae places better than ah did twa years ago
if ah hud seen four swings twa years ago ah wid nae think anythin’ o’ it noo whin ah keek at four swings it reminds me o the past twa months
turriff is very different than twas twa years ago
i’m very different than ah wis twa years ago

Origin of names (Pauline’s faves!)

“Auchance” – I couldn’t find that but maybe I couldn’t read the writing correctly. Might be Auchinhamper or Auchininna – both are in the parish of Inverkeithny.
1867-1869 ordnance survey OS Name Book Banffshire Vol 19 “Auchininna Croft – A cottars dwelling, having some outhouses, garden and croft attached, the property of Mr Rose Innes. Netherdale.” Maybe named after the Burn of Auchininna?

North Auchininna – A good dwelling house, with a court of Suitable offices, a garden, and a medium Sized arable farm attached. T.G.R. [Thomas Gilzean Rose] Innes Esqr. proprietor.

South Auchininna – A good dwelling house, with a court of farm ofices, a garden, and a first class farm attached, in the occupation of William Shearer, and the property of T.G.R. Innes Esqr. of Netherdale.

Auchinhamper – A large and nearly new farmsteading, the property of T.G.R. Innes Esqr. of Netherdale.

Auchry – Place on a slope. Achadh, place; ruigh, slope.

Balwinike – can’t find this place Bal maybe from baile meaning town
Bogside –a place next to a bog!

Banff – it may be derived from the Scottish Gaelic banbh meaning ‘piglet’, a more likely origin is the name being a contraction of bean-naomh, Gaelic for ‘holy woman’, as this would tie in with the burgh’s coat of arms which features the Virgin Mary.[ William J. Watson writes: “It is true that Banff is Banb in the Book of Deer and Banbh in modern Gaelic—one syllable. On the other hand, banbh, a suckling pig, is not appropriate—one might say it is impossible—as the name of a place or district.”

Boyndie – New Statistical Account, disappointingly says “The origin of the name is unknown” https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/BAN/Boyndie
Church Street – named after the church which is on that street

Creelwell – mentioned in documents “Plans of Estates of Netherdale and others” from 1817- 1822 at National Records- plans show farms and fields with their acreages of pasture, moor, wood, plantings. In the parish of Inverkeithny. 1867-1869 ordnance survey OS Name Book Banffshire Vol 19 “A well with a good flow of fresh water well adapted for domestic purposes.”
Crooking Crashing Roadie (Banff) – debates on Banff and Macduff FB page 7 years ago about it being The

Crookie Crasher – “It was always called the Crookin Crasher. I think it just became Crookin Crashin Road when it was posh enough to get a road sign.”

Crudie – (from gaelic Cruach Dain). Knoll of judgment. Cruach, knoll, pile of stones; dain, judgment.
See also – Cruden (as in Cruden Bay) comes from Croch Dain – the slaughter of the Danes.

Cuminestown – named after the landowner who designed the village in founded in 1763 by Joseph Cumine of

Auchry

Delgaty Crescent – named after the Castle. Delgaty comes from Place of thorn(-bushes), place abounding in thorn-bushes

Deen – a common name for a valley
Errol Street – The Earls of Errol lived at Delgaty Castle and owned a lot of the land locally, including land in Turriff. William Hay of Errol became the patron (gave money to) the church in Turriff. So the roads with “Erroll” in them have been named after this local ruling family.
Fintry (a farm) – Fintry seems to come from the gaelic for The Fair Land”

Fisherford – presumably a place where people would cross a river or stream (Ford) to fish – or where fisher people would cross. It’s fair;y inland, so I would have thought it was a place to cross to get to fishing grounds.

Forglen Crescent The estate of Forglen (Foithir Gleann, meaning “the hollow of the vale” in Gaelic)
Over Foulzie – Foulzie. The name had been Cuith Phuill. meaning Cattle-fold at a pool or burn. Over time that became Ohuill Chuith. Then again over time the pronounciation changed to Fuillzui, then Foulzie, This is the origin of the surname Fowlie as a personal name (https://archive.org/stream/celticplacenames00miln/celticplacenames00miln_djvu.txt)

Gamrie/Gardenstown From the Statistical Accounts by Rev Mr Wilson “It has long been a general report, and the prevailing tradition in this country, that, some time before the year 1004, in which the church of Gamrie is said to have been built, (and there is at this day the date 1004 on the steeple), that the Thane of Buchan pursued the Danes to the precipice or brow of the hill above the church, and there defeated them with great slaughter. Several of their skulls (most likely of their chiefs who had fallen in battle) were built into the church wall, where they remain entire: From hence it came to be called by some the Kirk of Sculls. In the Gaelic language, the word Kemri, from which, probably, Gamrie is derived, signifies running step, or running leap. And this derivation seems a natural one; because, from the situation of the hill, which is one of the highest on this part of the coast, and very steep on one side, it must have been a running skirmish, and very fatal to the vanquished. In some old registers, the name of the parish is written Ghaemrie. On the said eminence, above the kirk of Gamrie, at the east end of one of the most level and extensive plains in Buchan, are a number of vestiges of encampments, which at this day are called by the name of bloody pots, or bloody pits”
Familysearch.org summarises that as The parish of Gamrie, has been known at various times as: Gamery, Ghaemrie, or Gemrie. According to tradition it derived its name from a Gaelic word, Kemrie, signifying a running leap or running fight, on account of a bloody engagement with the Danes on the spot where the old church now stands.
The current village, Gardenstown “Gardenstown and its harbour[5] were founded in 1720 by Alexander Garden” (Wikipedia)

Greenness – This name applies to a somewhat extensive tract of elevated moorland, and cultivated ground including a goodly number of small crofts or farms (1865-1871 OS Name Books) A Ness is a headland and the name may date back to the Vikings

Hatton Castle – possibly “Hatton” come from “Hall-toun” which in Scots means the farm (or ferm toun) near the Hall (or Ha). Thus the Hall must have been there first, and the name “Hatton” actually refers to the adjacent farm, now known as Hatton Farm (This is from another Hatton Castle in Angus) The Turriff Hatton was once Balquholly Castle, sometimes spelt as Balquollie, it was renamed in 1814
King Edward – The name itself has nothing to do with any “King Edward”, but is a corruption of an earlier Scottish Gaelic name. The first element “King”, usually appears as “kin” in Scottish placenames, and derives from “Ceann” meaning a headland. The second element is less certain but may derive from “Eadar” (between) or “cathair-thalmhainn” (yarrow).

The parish of King Edward has had approx 24 variations of the name: Kynedor (12th Century), Kynedward and Kinedart to name a few. (Wikipedia)
The name of this parish has long been written King-Edward, but by people living in the district it is pronouned Kin-edart, or Kin-eddar, which is supposed to be derived from the Gaelic, and, if that were so, it would mean “the head point or end of the height.” (A New History of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Smith (Ed), 1875)

Kinminty (farm) – Kinminity, Kinminty, Kinmonity, Kinmundy, all come from Ceann meaning head

Knockie Road – Knockie. Small hill. Cnocan, dim. of cnoc, hill.

Logie Aulton – Logie – howe or little hollow. Aulton is farmstead (town used to mean a farmstead or settlement with a lot of buildings, some homes, for one big farm. So Logie Aulton is an old farmstead at a little hollow.

Luncarty – Luncart is a common word in Scots for a circle of stones for holding a fire for an outdoors washing; and it is used as a place name— Luncarty. It is the same word as the Irish long-phort, a fortress. Monaidh meaning Head of the hill. C(eann, head; monaidh, gen. of monadh, hill, moor)
Melrose (farm) Melrose means the bald (treeless) hill or moor

Meadowview Place – a new street in the North West of Turriff – a perfect example of naming a place after what it is! From this spot you would get a beautiful view of the meadow (place where hay would have been grown for feed). (Unless the new houses are in the way?)
Mill Road, Turriff here it is in 1870 – leading to the Woolen Mill!. (Which was gone from the maps by 1900)

Monquhitter The name Monquhitter Signifies the place for ensnaring the deer, and was derived from the farm on which the Church was originally built (Scotlandsplaces 1800s OS)
Newton of Carnousie – “Newton” comes from a new farmsteading (there may have been an Auldtown – yes there was. Whiskey was brewed there!). Part of the lands surrounding Carnousie Castle which was a barony created in 1369 for Walter de Leslie, Earl of Ross. Carn likely comes from cairn – a pile of stones or ancient burial mound

Ordiquhill – Ordiquhill is of Gaelic original, and signifies, the ‘hollow beside the heightFrom The Statistical Account for Scotland, 1791-1799 Volume XVI, Banffshire, Moray & Nairnshire. (Celtic Place Names disagrees “Both parts of this name mean hill. Ordan, small hill, an becoming ie ; choill, coill asp., hill.

Smithy Cottaqe – a great example of a house keeping the name of the buildings original use – it would have housed a blacksmiths forge and probably home.

Station Road – from the days when there was still a railway going through Turriff. The station was where the caravan site toilets are now
and also –
The Auld Mill – The Auld Mill flats on Station Road used to be … an old mill. Here they are in the 1870 map

Teuchar – Dry shieling. Teuch, dry; airidh, shieling.

Tifty – Tifty. House of rest. Originally the name had been Tigh Taimh (pronounced tee tave), but the order of the parts had been changed in post-Gaelic the name would have been suitable for a roadside inn.

Mains of Tullo – Tula, Tullich, Tullo, Tulloch, Tullos, and Tully at the beginning of names represent tulach, a round-headed hill.
Turriff

Surnames

Acklaw – I could not find ANYTHING concrete about Acklaw!!
It’s possibly from Acklam or Aclom – places in Yorkshire after which the family was named. This comes from ‘oak wood, oak-tree clearing’ in old English.

Allen – may be derived from two separate sources: Ailin, in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, means both “little rock” and “harmony”, or it may also be derived from the Celtic Aluinn, which means “handsome”.

Anderson – son of Andrew. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Andrew itself comes from Andreas meaning “man” or “manly” in Greek.

Baron – status name from Scots baron, which in the Highlands denoted a small landholder.

Benzie This unusual name is Scottish, and has two possible origins. The first of these is a form of the Scottish nickname, “Bain” used for a fair-haired person, which comes from the Gaelic word “ban” meaning “white” or “fair”. The ending “zie” means “son of”.
The second possible origin is from a pet form of the medieval personal name “Benedict”, of which the English form is “Bennet(t)”. That name means “blessed”, from the Latin “Benedictus” and was popular in the Middle Ages, chiefly due to the fame of St. Benedict

Bisset – I found two meanings. Bisset is the Scottish form of the old French “bisse” which means “fine linen” – likely from someone who deals in fine linen
Or alternatively Bisset is the Scottish form of the French “biset” or “bizet” which means dark complexioned.
Brazier is an occupational surname of French origin, meaning “a worker in brass”. It is the anglicised version of the French surname Brasier (Wikipedia)

Brooks – Brooks is thought to have been derived from both the Swedish surname Bäckland, (bäck, “brook”, “stream”) and lund (“grove”); and in English, Gaelic and Scottish from “of the brook”. The word brook derives from the Old English broc

Bruce family, also spelled Bruis, Brix, or Broase, an old Scottish family of Norman French descent, to which two kings of Scotland belonged. The name is traditionally derived from Bruis or Brix, the site of a former Norman castle between Cherbourg and Valognes in France it comes from Clan Bruce. In some cases it come from the French place name of Briouze in Orne,[1] while in others it appears to be derived from Brix in Manche, or Bruz in Brittany, both in France

Capon –Wikipedia – Capon is a Norman French surname, from the Old French “Chapon” or “Chapelain” meaning a ‘chantry priest’
Alternative meaning: The family name Capon is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names of Britain. It was originally a name for a person who worked as a poultry farmer, having derived from the Old French word Capone. The surname also has origins as a nickname, which refers to a young hen.

Hutton – Scottish (Fife) and English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): habitational name from one or other of the many places called Hutton most of which derive from Old English hōh ‘heel spur of land’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’.

Chappell – topographic name for someone who lived near a chapel from Middle English chapel(l)e ‘chapel

Chisholm (from ancestry.com) “Scottish: habitational name from Chisholme near Hawick in southern Scotland which derives its name from Old English c̄se cēse ‘cheese’ (from Latin caseus) + holm ‘piece of dry land in a fen’ and refers to a waterside meadow good for dairy farming and hence for producing cheeses.”

Cruickshank – Scottish: nickname for a man with a crooked leg or legs from older Scots cruik ‘(something) bent’ (from Old Norse krókr or Old English crōc + shank(e) Old English sceanca ‘shank leg’).
Dawson – Dawson means “the son of David.’ David is a Biblical/Hebrew name meaning “beloved”

Donald – “a powerful ruler” The name Donald is derived from the Gaelic name Domhnull, or MacDhomhnuill, and the Celtic name Dubnovalos, all of which mean “world ruler” or “world-mighty”.

Duncan – Duncan the English form of Irish and Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh. That is made up of the elements donn, meaning “brown” or “dark” from Donn a Gaelic God; and chadh, meaning “chief” or “noble

Gall – As an English, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish surname, of Celtic origin, from Gall (“foreigner”). This is in turn from Latin gallus, which has borrowings (many of which are surnames) in several European languages, such as Czech Havel, Polish Gawel. (Wikipedia)

Garden – likely an occupational surname for a gardener

Gerard – This comes from of the ancient Germanic elements gēr ‘spear lance’ + hard ‘hardy brave strong’. Grant originated as a surname, deriving from the French term graund meaning “tall” and big” – found with English, French, and Scottish origins.”

Gray – In most Scottish instances, the name “Gray” is from the Germanic Scots language, and is cognate with Old English, “græg”, meaning “grey”, probably as a hair colour. (Wikipedia)

Grieve – a surname meaning an estate or farm manager.

Hulme – The Anglo-Saxon name Hulme comes from when the family resided in an area that was referred to as a holme, a slightly raised islet in a fen or partially surrounded by a stream or river.
Ironside A Scottish surname which comes from from Middle English or Older Scots irenside (Old English īren ‘iron’ + sīde ‘side’) a nickname for an iron-clad warrior or a man of great bravery.

Jamieson – son of James. James is a traditional Biblical name coming from “replacer” or “may God protect”

Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning “Son of John”. It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of Johnston, a habitational name

Keith – family name originating in Keith (the place) – according to Wikipedia, The name appears to come from a Brythonic word meaning “wood” (cf. Welsh coed), but it may also be related to the Pictish territorial division in this area, which was known as Cé. Another local tradition is that it derives from the Gaelic gaoth, meaning “wind”, since locals attest to how fiercely the winter winds blow
Killoh – Kiloh Name Meaning From Keiloch in Braemar. Recorded as Kelaugh 1444 in Aberdeenshire Place-Names. The place is known locally as The Keeloch /ðəˈkiləx/ anglicizing Gaelic an caolach ‘the narrow place. Families of that surname would have originated there
Ledingham – widespread in Aberdeenshire from the late 16th Century. The “Ham” part comes from a village or homestead. Some sources say that it means “The homestead of Leoda’s people”

Massie – I found two meanings – Massie could come from the Scottish surname Matheson (derived from the Gaelic for “son of the bear”)
OR A Norman family name originating in Macey in Normandy

MacGregor – son of Gregor – Gregor was a popular name in the middle ages and comes from ancient Greek meaning awake or watchful

McHardy – Scottish: from a Gaelic personal name which is most likely to be the English form of Gaelic Mac Mhuircheartaigh (see McCurdy ) Muircheartach is personal name composed of the elements muir ‘sea’ + ceartach ‘ruler’ hence ‘skilled seaman’

McIntosh – The English form of Gaelic Mac an Toisich ‘son of the chief’.

MacKinnon – the English form of the Gaelic Mac (son of) Fhionghuin meaning “fair born” or “fair son”.

McManus – Irish and Scottish surname: The English form of Gaelic Mac (son of) Maghnuis or Maghnus later Mánus. That is a gaelic version of the Scandinavian name Magnus made famous by St. Magnus of Orkney

McRae – Surname. The surname Macrae (and its variations) is the gaelic for MacRaith. This personal name means “son of grace”.

Michie – comes from the name Michael. Michael in turn is biblical and means “Who is God?”

Mitchell – English and Scottish: nickname for a big man from Middle English michel mechel muchel ‘big’}

Mullay – The Irish name Mullay was originally written in a Gaelic form as O Maolmhuaidh, which is derived from the word “muadh,” which has the dual meaning of “noble” and “big and soft.”

Murison – The name is predominantly connected with Aberdeenshire and is patronymic in origin, meaning “son of Muris”. Muris was a variant of Maurice, a name introduced to Scotland by the Normans.

Ogg The English form of a nickname from the Gaelic adjective “óg” meaning ‘young’ used to distinguish the junior of two people of the same personal name (typically father and son).

Robert – Bright with Glory

Ross – The name Ross is primarily a male name of Scottish origin that means Headland

Ruthrie – possibly named after Ruthrie near Aberlour (Linn of Ruthrie ie Linn Falls)

Ruadh, red, expanded into ruadhran, with dh changed to th.

Scott – a family name for someone who comes from Scotland

Sim – Scottish (Aberdeenshire) English and Dutch: from the personal name Sim(m) or Sime a short form of Simon

Skene – thought to come from the Aberdeenshire parish of the same name. Legend has it that the first bearer of the name was second son of Struan Robertson, who saved king Malcolm II (circa 1014) by slaying a wolf with his “sgian,” or “skene,” (Scottish dagger) in Stocket Forest.

Smart – The origins of the Smart surname date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from an early member of the family who was a person who was referred to as smeart which meant that the original bearer was quick and active.

Smith – English and Scottish: occupational name denoting a worker in metal especially iron such as a blacksmith or farrier from Middle English smith ‘smith’ (Old English smith probably a derivative of smītan ‘to strike hammer’).

Stronach – nickname from Gaelic srònach ‘nosy’.!! “This interesting and unusual name is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic word ‘sronach’, meaning curious or inquisitive, used to describe someone who possessed these traits. However, it could also have been used as a nickname to describe the shape or size of a person’s nose.

Sullivan – The old Gaelic name used by the Sullivan family in Ireland was O Suileabhain, which partially comes from the word “suil,” which means “eye.” The surname probably means either one-eyed or hawk-eyed.

Swiercz – nickname from Old Polish and regional świercz ‘cricket’ (the insect).

Watson – Watson is a patronymic surname of English and Scottish origin. It means “son of Walter. In 2015, Watson was the 46th most common surname in England and the 19th most common in Scotland.
Will – This surname is now commonly found in Scotland in Aberdeenshire Angus and Kincardineshire. English: topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream

Wilson (Wikipedia) – comes from the Son of Will, a popular medieval name.
The medieval name Will could come from old Norse meaning “desire” or possibly the most common of these names was William, derived from elements wil and helm, meaning “desire” and “helmet”, “protection”. Wilson is the third most common surname in Scotland.

Wojcicka – a Polish family name originating in the village of Wójcice in Poland. Alternatively a derivative of the status name wójt ‘village headman’

Session 6! Every picture tells a story

Pauline says:

The S2 did an amazing job with the Session 6 workshop! One of the teachers had commented that sometimes “imaginative writing” exercises in class results in some disguised plots of films or stories – well as a storyteller that’s ok, it’s what we do! To demonstrate this, I told a story originally from the Nasreddin Hodja whose funny stories taught morals and philosophy. I set it in Aberdeen and Turriff and the students came up with some great ideas during the story.

Afterwards the classes were split into groups of two or three and the students were given a black and white photo to create a story about – with some questions to help!
The photos were of people (some heroes, a couple of villains!) who I feel had an exciting life – a former slave, twins from the Jazz age, politicians and explorers – luckily we managed to swap the photos round so that everyone ended up with the photo of someone they couldn’t identify!

I went round each group and the stories were amazing – some actually got really close to the “real story”

In the second part of the workshop, everyone was able to see all the photos and we went through some words with hints about their true stories!
“CAPTIVE” “ARTIST” “DICTATOR” “HUMANITARIAN” “EXILED”

I must apologise to the lads that got the photo of my dad, auntie and granny – That was a bit mean of me, haha! I loved the story you came up with for them 😉

I hope the classes enjoyed this workshop and I’m looking forward to my next visit – which will be on Local Stories!

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