Blair Collection > Surnames & place-names of the Isle of Man

236 Manx ipiace-Ilamca.
Mountain,' and Mullagh-Ouyr, ' Dun Top.' [(I)
CORROWER, (G) BeNOWR.]
Breac (K), breck (C), ' speckled,' or ' spotted,' is an
epithet applied to ground sprinkled with quartz
rocks, as well as to the appearance presented by
the varying colours of vegetation. Thus : Lhergy-
Vreck, ' Speckled Slope ;' Cronkbreck, and
Cronaback, formerly Cronkbreck, ' Speckled
Hill ;' Carnanebreck, ' Speckled Cairn ;' GoB-
Breac, ' Speckled Point' The farm of Cronk-
breck is said to have been formerly held on the
tenure of providing a piper for the lord of the Isle.
[(I) Kylebrack, (G) Benbrack.]
Buigh, ' yellow,' is usually applied to places where
gorse or furze grows freely, as in Reeast Bwee,
'Yellow Moor;' Close Buigh, 'Yellow Close;'
BiNG-BuiE {hinn), ' Yellow Tops;' Stroin Vuigh,
* Yellow Nose,' the name of the point under
Cronk-ny-arrey-Lhaa ; Coan Bwee, ' Yellow
Valley ;' Balla-conneh-Bwee {conncy), ' Yellow
Gorse Farm ;' Ballabuiy and Ballabouigh,
' Yellow Farm ;' also GnllctBUiGU, ' Yellow Gullet,'
on Langness. [(I) Owenwee, (G) Ballabooie.]
Size and shape are naturally very common epithets
in place nomenclature.
The antithesis of big and little, mooar and beg, is
used to compare unequal divisions of land, and
the difference between one natural feature and
another in its neighbourhood. Thus there is a
Balla Moar, 'Big Farm,' and a Ballabeg, 'Little
Farm,' in every parish; a Cronk Moar, ' Big Hill,'
will be found in juxtaposition with a Cronkbeg,