Shetlandic words, help needed

[Trønder]

Vatster Loch - Vatn Str Loch

'Norse ' lake farm', gaelic 'lake'

I'm not sure it is correct to translate "setr" to "farm". It is more like a pasture outpost of a farm.

[deardron]

There's 2 Shetland words being confused: seter (1) 'homestead, farm' < ON setr 'residence' and seter (2) 'pasture in the out-field' < ON sætr 'mountain pasture, diary land'. There's also the word bister 'dwelling, farm; collection of farms' < ON bólstaðr 'domicile, farm' and also probably bústaðr 'domicile'.

[derick]

There's 2 Shetland words being confused: seter (1) 'homestead, farm' < ON setr 'residence' and seter (2) 'pasture in the out-field' < ON sætr 'mountain pasture, diary land'. There's also the word bister 'dwelling, farm; collection of farms' < ON bólstaðr 'domicile, farm' and also probably bústaðr 'domicile'.

 

Vatster is a fairm bi da lake, 'setr' no a mountain pasture type 'setter'

 

dis is Vatster

 

http://www.originart.eu/shetland/isles/eyell/024_4.html

[Njugle]

I wis aboot tae copy a pictur o da OS maps ontae here bit towt better o it at da hinmaest meenit.

 

 

Da "Vatsetter" in Yell clearly has da fairm marked as Vatsetter an a loch as "Loch o Vatsetter", also of note is dat da dir is da "Ness of Vatsetter" nort o da steading an da "White hill of Vatsetter" is sooth east o Vatsetter.

Anidder ting at caucht me een is der anidder biggin sooth by da loch caad "Vatsie" an da hill abun it is da "Hill of Vatsie".

 

What wid "Vatsie" mean?

 

 

Similarly da "Vatster" sooth by Wadbister is marked on da biggings again an da "Loch of Vatster" is neest tae it.

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

[Pooks]

Link to Vatsetter on Ordnance Survey website Here

[Trønder]

There's 2 Shetland words being confused: seter (1) 'homestead, farm' < ON setr 'residence' and seter (2) 'pasture in the out-field' < ON sætr 'mountain pasture, diary land'. There's also the word bister 'dwelling, farm; collection of farms' < ON bólstaðr 'domicile, farm' and also probably bústaðr 'domicile'.

Oh, then they have merged in modern Norwegian. I figured it was a West Norse vs East Norse thing, but that was obviously incorrect.

[derick]

What wid "Vatsie" mean?

 

I'm aye windired dat. It's pronoonced 'Vatchie' - kinda laek da Vatchley ida sooth Mainlaund. Physically Vatchie is a brawly guid fairm (weill fur Yell, onywey), aest facing, at lies anunder a hill. Boannie place actually.

[thekid]

What does "Houll" mean?

[Trønder]

What does "Houll" mean?

Do you have a context, and perhaps an explanation of how it is pronounced?

[Njugle]

There are several place names in Shetland that incorporate the word Houll

There is a Houlland croft in the hills above Scalloway, there is a Houland loch in South Nesting and another in Eshaness. There is also a retro-named road in a housing scheme in Brae i think called 'Grindahoul'.

 

There is also Skibhoul int the north isles, if i recall correctly, Swarthoul (or to be precise i recall the now closed shop "Nye Swarthoul Stores") is another in Urafirth. etc etc.

 

Houll is just pronounced as 'hool' as in 'cool' to my tongue. I would have assumed it was soemthing along the lines of 'hill' but most of the places i know of are not prominent hills, or hills at all really. I could be wrong.

 

In the Scots dictionary the only comparison is the word 'houll' used as a variation of name of the bird 'owl' which i assume has no relevance to the Shetland place name context.

[groilick]

Houl or hool - according to John Stewart means hill or height.

Skiphoul comes from skip (ship), the sea mark for Baltasound harbour

[deardron]

Hoolland can be the old Norse 'Háland' = "High land".

 

Houll must descend from ON hóll 'hill, hillock'.

[Njugle]

This I agree with completely, perhaps not so much a hill as hillock or rise in the land. The area at Eshaness is what stops me from thinking it means hill as such as the loch of Houlland is probably named for it's proximity to "Priesthoulland", which despite being an elevated area over-all is still contained in a lowlying area cmpared to surrounding hills i think. Just along east of there is Braehoulland too, map Here

[thekid]

I know of three houlls in whalsay,

 

"Vatshoull" which is next to a loch right next to the sea

 

"Skibberhoull" on a slope but still not very high

 

"Houll" which is of the three the only one on top of a hill?????

[Ghostrider]

I'd agree that Houlland refers to 'high land', and Houll to sloping ground, Houlland at Sandwick and Exnaboe, and Swarthoull at Cunningsburgh, the Hayhoull at Bigton and the Houll immediately south of Quendale all conform to those meanings.

 

Some Houll's though may confuse, as there are known cases where it seems it was the nearest word to the spoken place-name known to early written record keepers or map makers. In many cases they probably got it right, but in a few the combination of 'Houll', meaning slope, with the remainder of the place name gave an overall written place-name that was at best unlikely, and at worst a total nonsense. To that end you have to conclude that either 'Houll' had been used incorrectly, or the remainder of the names in questions had been misinterpreted when written.