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