Scottish Place Names H
HADDINGTON OLD COUNTY: East Lothian NAME ON MAP: Hadingtoun DATE: a.1150 EARLIEST RECORD: Hadynton DATE: 1098 MEANING: "Hada's OLD ENGLISH tun `settlement, village'" or "Hada's people's village". OLD ENGLISH ‑ing‑ means `associated with'; OLD ENGLISH ‑inga‑ means `belonging to the people of': without the earliest spelling it is impossible to differentiate. In the 12th century the county was called Hadingtunschira, a name which was the alternative to East Lothian until quite recently.
HALKIRK OLD COUNTY: Caithness NAME ON MAP: Hakirk DATE: 1222 MEANING: OLD NORSE hár `high' kirkja `church'; at a later date hallr `slope' has influenced the spelling.
HAMILTON OLD COUNTY: Lanark NAME ON MAP: Hamilton DATE: 1296 MEANING: see the entry for Cadzow, and for Hamilton under Clan Names.
HARRIS OLD COUNTY: Inverness (Outer Hebrides) NAME ON MAP: Heradh DATE: c.1500 MEANING: GOIDELIC h‑earaidh `higher', possibly from an earlier OLD NORSE hár ey `high island'. It is more mountainous than Lewis.
HAWICK OLD COUNTY: Roxburgh NAME ON MAP: Hawic DATE: a.1183 MEANING: OLD ENGLISH haga `fenced enclosure' wíc `farm, settlement'.
HEBRIDES (Not shown on the map) EARLIEST RECORDS: (H)Ébudes DATE: 77 (Pliny) Aibouda DATE: c. 170 (Ptolemy) MEANING: unknown, it is probably PRE-CELTIC . The modern spelling (from at least 1526) results from u being read as ri. The Vikings called the islands Suthreyar "the southern islands", to distinguish them from the northern islands, the Orkneys. It is from this that the Bishop of Sodor and Man takes the first part of his title.
HELMSDALE OLD COUNTY: Sutherland NAME ON MAP: Holmesdale DATE: 1290 EARLIEST RECORD: Hjalmunddal (Norse Sagas) MEANING: "Hjalmund's (a Viking name) OLD NORSE dalr `dale'".
HERMITAGE OLD COUNTY: Roxburgh NAME ON MAP: Eremitage DATE: 1300 MEANING: from NORMAN‑FRENCH ermite `hermit'. See the entry for Ramsay in Clan Names.
HOBKIRK OLD COUNTY: Roxburgh NAME ON MAP: Hopechirke DATE: 1220 MEANING: either OLD ENGLISH hop `valley' and cirice `church', which later became kirk, or OLD NORSE hóp `sheltered spot' and kirkja `church'. See the entry for Kirkcolm.
HOLYROOD OLD COUNTY: Midlothian NAME ON MAP: Holyrud DATE: 1392 EARLIEST RECORD: Ecclesia Sante Crucis DATE: c.1128 MEANING: OLD ENGLISH halig `holy' ród `rod, cross' (hence the rood screen in many churches).
HOUSTON OLD COUNTY: Renfrew NAME ON MAP: Houstoun DATE: 1300 EARLIEST RECORD: Villa Hugonis DATE: c.1200 MEANING: "Hugo's tun `settlement, manor'". It was held by the ANGLO‑NORMAN Hugo de Paduinan in c.1160.
HUME OLD COUNTY: Berwick NAME ON MAP: Home DATE: 1250 EARLIEST RECORD: Houm DATE: 1127 MEANING: late OLD ENGLISH holm, from OLD NORSE holmr `land partly enclosed by streams, dry area in a marsh'.