Blair Collection > Place names in Strathbogie, with notes historical, antiquarian and descriptive

Gartly. 103
It is not mentioned in the Register of the
Diocese, nor in any old writing so far as I know ;
but neither are other two of the four chapels at
one time existing in the parish. There is no
appearance now of a graveyard, but it may have
long since been removed. The site of the chapel
itself is reduced to half its original size, and only a
small heap of stones with a fringe of waste ground
is left to mark the spot. There is therefore no
evidence either in the records of the district, or
on the spot, that this chapel was known as a
kirk, except possibly in the name. This name
may have been originally Kirk-Kenneth, passing
into kenny and kny. Although this is pure con-
jecture, it seems to me a more natural explanation
of the name than the former, chiefly because kirk
is a doubtful form for cearc to take in Scotland,
and because it is generally English, and associ-
ated with a saint's name.
The local usage is almost uniform.ly to speak
of the Kirkney hills, or the Hill of Kirkney, and
the Burn of Kirkney, never the Kirkney as
applying to the hill, and rarely to the stream.
The local custom in this respect may be gener-
ally accepted as strong evidence that the name
does not apply primarily to the hill or stream as a
descriptive name, as we say the Binn, the Knock,
the Fourman, or the Balloch. I therefore think
that a Gaelic derivation is possible, but that the
name is more likely English.