Place name in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire

[searcher 52]

I have an OPR christening 1767 and the place name is like "Meikle Asthie". Hard to read as so many are!

Can't find it or anything like it. Have tried Genuki.

Any helpful suggestions welcomed.

Andrew

[WilmaM]

The 'Meikles' I can see in that area are Meikle Folla, Meikle Gourdas and Meikle Warthill [now Wartil].

These are all in present day maps and late 1800's maps.

Looking at an early 1800's one http://www.nls.uk/maps/joins/576.html
shows a Meikle ARDA or Ardo just north of Methlick, not strictly speaking in Fyvie though.

That area has shown little change in names of farms etc over the past 200 years it seems,
so I suspect it's there somewhere...

Any other clues you can give us? the names involved, where you find them next or where siblings crop up?

[Tracey]

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/sgzexe/anyword2.pl
Searching Fyvie and clicking on the map there is a place name Ythsie just right of Tarves. Dont know how it would be pronounced but looking at it could sound like Asthie.

I dont know the meaning / significance of Meikle before a place name - only know it as sir name for some of mine .................

[WilmaM]

That's a very good possibility Tracey.

I've no idea how the locals would say it either
I think I can say NE place names but when I hear them actually said I'm way off.

I put 'Meikle Ythsie' into Google and came up with a PDF document from Aberdeen City
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/nmsrunti ... 0&sID=9101
[I should have added it's on page 25 of 55]

It seems to be some sort of window/horse Tax survey taken in 1799? so at least nearer the time scale than the maps were.

line district page year date Parish first name last name Address no windows duties on windows
2021 2 53 1799 13-Aug Tarvas Alexander Knox Little Ythsie 1 to 6 2s 6d
2022 2 53 1799 13-Aug Tarvas William Miln Meikle Ythsie 1 to 6 2s 6d


The word Meikle in Scots generally means big or large, mickle & muckle are similar words.
Though I always thought a mickle was small and a muckle was big - as in 'mony a mickle makes a muckle' help on that one

[LesleyB]

Hi Wilma

Though I always thought a mickle was small and a muckle was big

So did I, but then I can never get my head round the Gaelic either, where beag is small as it sounds too much like big to me...

The Concsie Scots Dictionary says:
meikle see muckle
mickle see muckle
muckle, mekill, mikill, muckill, meikle, mickle; 1.large in size or bulk, big, great 2. specif. applied to the larger of two farms, estates etc, of the same name.

- which makes it look like mickles and muckles are the same thing, so like you I'm now not understanding "'mony a mickle maks a muckle "

Best wishes
Lesley

[CalumD]

My searches have also come with Ythsie as being the most probable location. Was Athsie written on the OPR as it sounded ?

Eg: Ythan is in some parts pronounced Athan or Aythan.

The Gaelic 'beag' and 'mor' are very descriptive words and similar to meikle and muckle. I can't see any confusion.

As for 'mony a meikle maks a muckle'..... 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves'

Good luck searcher 52

Calum

[AndrewP]

Hi Wilma

Though I always thought a mickle was small and a muckle was big

So did I, but then I can never get my head round the Gaelic either, where beag is small as it sounds too much like big to me...

The Concsie Scots Dictionary says:
meikle see muckle
mickle see muckle
muckle, mekill, mikill, muckill, meikle, mickle; 1.large in size or bulk, big, great 2. specif. applied to the larger of two farms, estates etc, of the same name.

- which makes it look like mickles and muckles are the same thing, so like you I'm now not understanding "'mony a mickle maks a muckle "

Chambers Dictionary agrees with Lesley's Concise Scots Dictionary. However, it goes on to say about the confusion with "mony a mickle maks a muckle", that probably should be "mony a pickle maks a muckle", where pickle does mean small quantity.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Currie]

Up to 1900 “Little Ythsie” appears in the Aberdeen Journal about 500 times. In 1808 it’s advertised for letting and is described as possessed of Alexander Knox and containing 205 Scotch Acres of very fine land, beside 50 acres of meadow and pasture. It seems to have been occupied by the Hay family for most of the 19th Century.

“Meikle Ythsie” doesn’t get a mention in the Aberdeen journal. Maybe Little Ythsie ate it up. Maybe it was broken up into smaller farms and the name became inappropriate. How did the clearances affect this area?

This book has a list of pollable persons living on the farms in 1696. It includes several Cottar families. http://www.google.com.au/books?id=mxTOA ... 22&f=false

Alan

[WilmaM]

At some stage in the 1800's it seems to have changed to the present day configurations of Ythsie.
North, South, Little and Milltown of...

Perhaps It got so Muckle it needed split into 2 farms.

I hope these findings have pointed you in the right direction Searcher52?