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

240 Place Names in Strathbogie.
diminutive of beinji, ' a hill.' There are no re-
mains, nor traditions of a fort on this hill, though
it is highly probable there may have been one
guarding the pass from the upper district to the
open plain. On and around Dunbennan, I think
there can be no doubt, the earliest settlements of
the Celtic race in the locality were formed. The
old names indicate this, and when we know any-
thing definite of the place we find it the centre
of the population, and the site of the Kirk. On
the slope of the hill towards the Deveron is
Pitscurry, possibly from sgorracJi^ ' rocky,' but
although the name in this sense would be appro-
priate it is more probable that ' scurry' represents
the old Gaelic scaribh, 'a ford' — Pitscurry being
close beside an old and important ford of the
Deveron. Scurryford occurs in the counties of
Aberdeen and Banff; and there is a Pitscurry in
Chapel of Garioch, on the burn which joins the
Urie at Pitcaple. Beside it is Fordley, and on
the opposite side of the burn is Whiteford. From
these associations, I think, it is probable that
scurry or scairbJi was at one time the local
term for a ford.
Domin is on the north side of the hill, and
may represent Dail-meadJwn, ' the field of the
middle.' Ball-Domin is one of the old names we
find in the Book of Deer, but the place has not
been identified. In the charter of 1534, the
spelling of Domin is Domyne, and in the Retour