Settlement Association

[Calthrop]

Milngavie is one of the big "pronunciation problem" places in Scotland, for non-Scots -- approximate pronunciation, I gather, "Mull-guy". Another such, which has given me difficulty in the past, is Kilconquhar, Fife -- pronounced approx., "Kin-YEW-char". (I understand that there's an official alternative spelling, "Kinneuchar": much closer to the pronunciation.)

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Kilconquhar Parish Church is within the Church of Scotland; it is still in regular use. The church was planned in 1818 and designed by the brothers Richard and Robert Dickson (usually simply referred to as R & R Dickson) in 1819; it was opened in 1821. A later work by the brothers is the Atholl Arms Hotel in Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross; it is a Category C listed building dating to 1832.

 

[Calthrop]

Blair Atholl lies, essentially, on the A9 road; as does Latheron, Highland (near Lybster).

 

[EbbwJunction1]

The Clan Gunn Heritage Centre and Museum is housed in the old Parish Church, Latheron, which was built in 1734 and donated to the Society in 1974. With financial support from a number of organisations, the clan society were able to convert it into a museum, which was officially opened on 22nd August 1985. The traditional origin of the Clan Gunn is that the progenitor of the clan was one Gunni who came to Caithness at the end of the 12th century when his wife, Ragnhild, inherited the estates from her brother, Harald Maddadsson, who was the Earl of Orkney. His wife was descended from St Ragnvald, who was the founder of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Prestonpans in East Lothian also has a Mercat Cross.

 

[johnnychips]

The manager of the Bay City Rollers, Tam Paton, lived in Prestonpans, whereas the lead singer, Les McKeown was born in Broomhouse in Edinburgh.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Hayle in Cornwall also has a church that is dedicated to St Joseph.

 

[Calthrop]

I'm going with "twinning" yet again: Bideford is also twinned with a settlement in Brittany. Hayle's "twin" is Pordic, in the departement of Cotes d'Armor; Bideford's is Landivisiau, further west in Finistere. (I feel it slightly odd that Landivisiau's twin, is thus a town "next door" in non-Celtic Devon; but there are no hard-and-fast rules about this business -- indeed one occasionally has the feeling that those responsible, go out of their way to find the most un-alike and inappropriate settlements that can be found !)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Lancaster is another settlement where witch trials were held,

 

[D6130]

Ribchester is another site of a Roman settlement in Lancashire.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Paythorne in Lancashire also lies on the line of the River Ribble.

 

[Springs Branch]

Until local government re-organisation in 1974, Paythorne was located in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Another former West Riding settlement which was liberated during the same re-organisation is Dobcross, now in Greater Manchester.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Delph in Greater Manchester also lies on the line of the River Tame.

 

[Calthrop]

Delph in Greater Manchester also lies on the line of the River Tame.

We learn from Wiki that the likeliest origin of the name Delph, is from the Old English word delf = quarry; thought to refer to the quarries for bakestones, which were located just north of the village. In probably similar case is Delves Lane, County Durham (near Consett) -- name reckoned to come from "delf holes created by the 17th- and 18th-century quarrying attributed to the Sword Makers of Shotley Bridge".

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Durham also has a public house called "The Travellers Rest ".

 

[johnnychips]

The singer Roger Whittaker, whose song had him leaving Durham Town, went to university in Bangor, Wales.

 

[Calthrop]

The singer Roger Whittaker, whose song had him leaving Durham Town, [my interpolation: which he mis-locates on the Tyne, silly man] went to university in Bangor, Wales.

Bangor's Garth Pier is Wales's second-longest pier. The Principality's longest is that at Llandudno.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute is also a coastal settlement whose visitors once arrived and departed by steamers.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

When the visitors arrive at Helensburgh, they'll find that it is the starting point for some long distance walking. The longest walk with a local start is the John Muir Way, which commemorates the man who is celebrated worldwide as the "Father of National Parks". It runs from Helensburgh for 134 miles to his birthplace at Dunbar in East Lothian.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Edinburgh was also a major settlement of the Brythonic tribal people known as the Gododdin.

 

[Calthrop]

Assuming we can stretch things a bit to allow for US place-name / spelling conventions: Edinburgh has an (almost) namesake in Texas, viz. Edinburg (all-but as far south as you can get in Texas -- it's almost in Mexico). Texas also has a settlement called Hereford, in the north of the state.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Carfin in Lanarkshire also has a church that is dedicated to St Francis Xavier.

 

[Calthrop]

Once more, perhaps getting a bit naughty: Carfin's name comes from the Gaelic An Carn Fionn = The White Cairn. In a kind-of-analagous way, Hastings (East Sussex) has a White Rock Theatre and a White Rock Hotel.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Hythe in Kent was also one of the original Cinque Ports.

 

[Calthrop]

The novelist Daphne du Maurier lived with her family at Hythe in the early years of World War II; despite her to a large extent "doing her thing" in, and being identified with, Cornwall. She long lived at Menabilly (reckoned to be the "Manderley" of her Rebecca), Tywardreath, near Fowey.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Binham in Norfolk was also chosen as a site for an early Benedictine priory.

 

[Calthrop]

Rookley, Isle of Wight, also has a Chequers Inn.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Bonchurch is another Isle of Wight settlement historically connected to smuggling in past times.

 

[johnnychips]

Charles Dickens briefly lived in Bonchurch. He once also lived in Chatham.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Bridport in Dorset also has historical connections to ropemaking.