A Quarterland or Ceathramh (Scottish Gaelic) was a Scottish land measurement. It was used mainly in the west and north.
It was supposed to be equivalent to eight fourpennylands, roughly equivalent to a quarter of a markland. However, in Islay, a quarterland was equivalent to a quarter of an ounceland. Half of a quarterland would be an ochdamh(ie.one-eighth), and in Islay a quarter of a quarterland a leothras(ie.one-sixteenth).
The name appears in many Scottish placenames, notably Kirriemuir.
- Kerrowaird – Ceathramh àrd (High Quarterland)
- Kerrowgair – Ceathramh geàrr (Rough Quarterland)
- Kerry (Cowal) - An Ceathramh Còmh’lach (The Cowal Quarterland)
- Kerrycroy - An Ceathramh cruaidh (The Hard Quarterland)
- Kirriemuir – An Ceathramh Mòr/Ceathramh Mhoire (either "The Big Quarterland" or "Mary’s Quarterland")
Ceathramh was also used in Gàidhlig for a bushel and a firlot (or four pecks), as was Feòirling, the term used for a farthlingland.
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man retained a similar system into historic times: in the traditional land divisions of treens (c.f. the Scottish Gaelic word trian, a third part) which are in turn subdivided into smaller units called quarterlands.[1]
See also
- Obsolete Scottish units of measurement
- In the East Highlands:
- Rood
- Scottish acre = 4 roods
- Oxgang (Damh-imir) = the area an ox could plow in a year (around 20 acres)
- Ploughgate (?) = 8 oxgangs
- Daugh (Dabhach) = 4 ploughgates
- In the West Highlands:
- In the East Highlands:
- Townland
- Township (Scotland)
References
- This article incorporates text from Dwelly's [Scottish] Gaelic Dictionary (1911).