Dabhach And Ceathramh Names

Citation

Oram R (2022) Dabhach And Ceathramh Names [Dabhach and Ceathramh-Names: Fragments of a Lost Assessment System?]. In: Galloway. The Lost Province of Gaelic Scotland. Glasgow: John Dewar Publishers Ltd.

Abstract
This chapter explores the evidence for the existence of a system of land assessment based on the unit known as the dabhach and its sub-division the ceathramh (quarterland) in medieval Galloway. It traces the historiography of thinking around these units, looking at the traditions of Norse and/or Gaelic origins and examining the potential agency for their creation. It concludes with a review of the surviving place-names and charter evidence and hypothesises the circumstances in which such an assessment system would have functioned and for what purpose.

Keywords
dabhach, ceathramh, Galloway, land assessment, Norse

People

Professor Richard Oram

Professor, History