Scottish Place Names W

WARK OLD COUNTY: Berwick NAME ON MAP: Wark MEANING: OLD ENGLISH (ge)weorc `fortification'. A castle was here by 1314.

WATTEN OLD COUNTY: Caithness NAME ON MAP: Watne DATE: c.1230 MEANING: OLD NORSE vatn `water'.

WEMYSS OLD COUNTY: Fife NAME ON MAP: Wemys DATE: 1239 MEANING: GOIDELIC uamh `cave' with an OLD ENGLISH plural ‑s.

WHITBURN OLD COUNTY: West Lothian NAME ON MAP: Whiteburne DATE: 1296 MEANING: OLD ENGLISH hwit `white' burna `stream'.

WHITHORN OLD COUNTY: Wigtown NAME ON MAP: Whitherne DATE: 1159 EARLIEST RECORD: Hwiterne DATE: 565 MEANING: OLD ENGLISH hwit `white' erne `house'. In LATIN it was Candida Casa and was so named when St Ninian founded it in c.397.

WICK OLD COUNTY: Caithness NAME ON MAP: Wick DATE: c.1375 EARLIEST RECORD: Vik DATE: 1140 MEANING: OLD NORSE vík `bay'.

WIGTOWN OLD COUNTY: Wigtown NAME ON MAP: Wyggeton DATE: 1283 EARLIEST RECORD: Wigeton DATE: 1266 MEANING: either OLD ENGLISH wic `farm', or Wicga with tun `settlement, village'.

WISTON OLD COUNTY: Lanark NAME ON MAP: Wicestun DATE: c.1155 MEANING: "Withce's OLD ENGLISH tun `settlement, village'". A knight of this name appears in 12th century charters.

WRANGHAM OLD COUNTY: Aberdeen NAME ON MAP: Wrangham DATE: 1261 MEANING: probably "OLD ENGLISH ham `homestead' of the Væringi (Varangians)". The name meant "men of plighted faith" and was used of the Normans in Russia.