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Davoch

January 01, 1970

The davoch, davach or daugh is an ancient Scottish land measurement. All of these terms are cognate with modern Scottish Gaelic dabhach. The word dabh or damh means an "ox" (cf. oxgang, damh-imir), but dabhach can also refer to a "tub", so may indicate productivity. It was called the arachor in the Lennox.

It is thought that the measurement is of Pictish origins, and is most common in the north east, and often absent in the south of Scotland. It is particularly common in various placenames to this day, often in the form "Daugh of Invermarkie" etc. The name "Haddo" is also a corruption of “Hauf Daugh”, or half-davoch, in turn a translation of “leth-dhabhach”.

Scottish land measurements tended to be based on how much livestock they could support. This was particularly important in a country where fertility would vary widely. In the east a davoch would be a portion of land that could support 60 cattle or oxen. MacBain reckoned the davoch to be “either one or four ploughgates, according to locality and land”.[1] A ploughgate contains about 100 Scots acres (5.3 km2).

Watson, in The Placenames of Ross & Cromarty, says, “usually four ploughgates”. Skene in Celtic Scotland says:

“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 the great chain of mountains separating 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 pennyland is thought to be of Norse origin, so it is possible that Norse and native systems were conflated in the west.

Prof. MacKinnon in Place and Personal Names of Argyll says,

“In Pictland the unit of land measure was the ‘dabhach’, a unit which properly denotes a liquid measure. An old farmer in Western Gaeldom frequently speaks of his fields, not as containing so many acres of land, but as ‘the sowing of so many bolls of oats’, ‘the bed of so many barrels of potatoes’ &c. Accordingly, from a measure of capacity, ‘dabhach’ came early to be used as a measure of land surface. In Gaeldom, where arable land is scant and scattered, the variations in the acreage, of particular ‘dabhachs’ or ‘ounces’ must have been very great, still the extent of land represented by these terms seems to have been, as a rule, about 104 Scots acres, or 120 English acres [0.547 km2]”.

The lexicographer Jamieson claimed that a daugh was enough to produce about 48 bolls, and averaged an area of approximately 1+1⁄2 square miles (3.9 km2).

Daughs are referred to in the Book of Deer, and were recorded as being in use in the late 18th century in Inverness-shire. In some areas, a quarter of a davoch was a ploughgate, and an eighth an ochdamh.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Gyllenbok, Jan (2018-04-12). Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures: Volume 3. Birkhäuser. p. 2056. ISBN 978-3-319-66712-6.

This article incorporates text from Dwelly's [Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary (1911). (Dabhach) with corrections and additions

Further reading edit

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

January 01, 1970
davoch, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, november, 2022, learn, when, remove, this, message, davoch, davach, da. This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations November 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message The davoch davach or daugh is an ancient Scottish land measurement All of these terms are cognate with modern Scottish Gaelic dabhach The word dabh or damh means an ox cf oxgang damh imir but dabhach can also refer to a tub so may indicate productivity It was called the arachor in the Lennox It is thought that the measurement is of Pictish origins and is most common in the north east and often absent in the south of Scotland It is particularly common in various placenames to this day often in the form Daugh of Invermarkie etc The name Haddo is also a corruption of Hauf Daugh or half davoch in turn a translation of leth dhabhach Scottish land measurements tended to be based on how much livestock they could support This was particularly important in a country where fertility would vary widely In the east a davoch would be a portion of land that could support 60 cattle or oxen MacBain reckoned the davoch to be either one or four ploughgates according to locality and land 1 A ploughgate contains about 100 Scots acres 5 3 km2 Watson in The Placenames of Ross amp Cromarty says usually four ploughgates Skene in Celtic Scotland says 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 the great chain of mountains separating 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 pennyland is thought to be of Norse origin so it is possible that Norse and native systems were conflated in the west Prof MacKinnon in Place and Personal Names of Argyll says In Pictland the unit of land measure was the dabhach a unit which properly denotes a liquid measure An old farmer in Western Gaeldom frequently speaks of his fields not as containing so many acres of land but as the sowing of so many bolls of oats the bed of so many barrels of potatoes amp c Accordingly from a measure of capacity dabhach came early to be used as a measure of land surface In Gaeldom where arable land is scant and scattered the variations in the acreage of particular dabhachs or ounces must have been very great still the extent of land represented by these terms seems to have been as a rule about 104 Scots acres or 120 English acres 0 547 km2 The lexicographer Jamieson claimed that a daugh was enough to produce about 48 bolls and averaged an area of approximately 1 1 2 square miles 3 9 km2 Daughs are referred to in the Book of Deer and were recorded as being in use in the late 18th century in Inverness shire In some areas a quarter of a davoch was a ploughgate and an eighth an ochdamh See also editAcre Obsolete Scottish units of measurement In the East Highlands 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 West Highlands Groatland Cota ban basic unit Pennyland Peighinn 2 groatlands Quarterland Ceathramh 4 pennylands 8 groatlands Ounceland Tir unga 4 quarterlands 32 groatlands Markland Marg fhearann 8 ouncelands varied Townland Baile Feddan an Arabic land measurement following a similar line of thinking References edit Gyllenbok Jan 2018 04 12 Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology Weights and Measures Volume 3 Birkhauser p 2056 ISBN 978 3 319 66712 6 This article incorporates text fromDwelly s Scottish Gaelic Dictionary 1911 Dabhach with corrections and additionsFurther reading editMacQueen John Pennyland and Doach in South Western Scotland A Preliminary Note in Scottish Studies 23 1979 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Davoch amp oldid 1182555511, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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