| 1. Land division and allocation |
| (a) Specific portions or allotments into which arable land is divided |
| obair an’ earraich | spring work. |
| an àiteach | spring work. |
| an treabhadh | spring work. Common term for this district. |
| ri g’éilaidh, leagal na’ h’éilaidh | beginning of spring work; rough turning of soil with spade preparatory to sowing with barley seed. When manured, turned or ploughed again and then sown. The last crop put down in the season except perhaps veg., cabbage etc. |
| cur a’ bhunata | sreath/streath bhunata. |
| tionndadh a coirc/corc | |
| cur foidhe an eorna | manured, ploughed and sown same day for good results. |
| iomair | a fairly sized portion of arable longer than it is wide, pertaining to machair. |
| feannag | similar in length and width [to iomair] and pertaining to croft. |
| clàr | larger than the above two portions [i.e. iomair and feannag] and more or less square; croft. Ex. clàr bunata, clàr corc, clàr shneip. |
| ceann | the smallest portion of arable. Ex. ceann churran, etc. |
| lios | pronounced leas (ie.) leas càil - cabbage garden. Which would have to be walled. [NOTES: this fragment appears between ‘lios’ and ‘athbhull’ but it is not clear to which of the two definitions it belongs.] |
| athbhull | a small turf walled, garden shaped; used for young cabbage plants. |
| buaile and pairc | reclaimed portion of arable between crofts and moor and made stock proof with stone dykes, having no title to it in some cases. Nowadays it is fencing [sic] through appointments from Crofters’ Commission. |
| Seann fhacail co-cheangailte ri cur agus buan |
| [seanfhaclan] | Fear nach cur sa latha fhuar, cha bhuain sa latha theth. Ceum beag domhain, siol agus todhar. Faigh do shiol agus do thodhar s’ bith [sic] do threabhach deant. Cha do shuidh tuathanach math riamh air a chliabh. |
| sgriob | furrow. |
| (b) Various types of arable land |
| talamh bàn | |
| talamh àitaich | |
| atharnach, atharnaich | where potatoes were previous year. Ex. atharnach bhuntata. |
| buaile | for cultivation. |
| pairc | for cultivation. |
| cul a bhaile | for grazing. |
| an cul | for grazing. |
| athbhull, abhall | used generally for raising cabbage plants. |
| feanagan | |
| iomairean | |
| clair | |
| cinn | |
| (c) Actual dividing and allocating of land, e.g. casting lots |
| garadh crìche | |
| clach criche, clach crìoch | |
| cur croinn | to cast lots. |
| roinn chinn, cheann | run rig. |
| garadh a’ bhaile | dry-stone dyke enclosing cultivated part of village (about ½ mile from sea-shore). |
| garadh ùir | turf dyke a further ½ mile into the moor (one mile from sea). This dyke protected the cultivation of the river glen. In vicinity of each of these dykes was a pound for stray animals. |
| garadh droma | |
| buaile a phuinnd | the place of the stray animal pound. |
| (d) Land owned or held under leases of various duration |
| Tha croit agam air mhal. | I have a croft on rent. |
| Tha croit agam air ‘rent’. | |
| 2. Harness of a horse |
| (a) The harness of a horse as used in the performance of different tasks |
| clagan | halter. |
| strathair | saddle. |
| collair | collar. |
| siulleachan | hames. |
| briogais | breeches. |
| cairtair | carter. |
| cairtaireachd | carting. |
| treabhadh | ploughing. |
| cliathadh | harrowing. |
| cur an t’ each an’ uidheam | [?] put the harness on the horse. |
| cur an t’ each do’n cairt | put the horse in the cart. |
| (b) Different parts of the harness for carting |
| (c) Different parts of the harness for ploughing or harrowing |
| sliosean | traces. |
| gralag, na greallagan | a strong piece of wood with a strong iron band at each end to which the traces are linked. Another of the same in the centre facing backwards and to which the plough or harrow is fixed. |
| ban droma | or back rope; the back band keeping the traces in position. |
| 3. Carts |
| (a) The common farm-yard cart |
| cairt copic | couping cart. |
| (b) Different parts of a cart |
| 1. Body |
| carn | the body of the cart. |
| tromachan | the two main beams in the body lengthwise, trams. |
| cross end deiraidh | |
| cross end toisaich | |
| na blocaichean | the pieces of wood separating trams from axle. |
| 2. Trams |
| 3. Wheel and axle |
| cearcall | iron ring on wheels. |
| na gàirdeanan | the spokes in wheels. |
| a chioch | the hub. |
| am bushie | the iron fitting through which the axle passes. |
| na punnachean | the axle pins. |
| 4. Decorations |
| [painting carts] | Normally a cart was painted red with blue on that portion of the trams where the back rope or back band sliders are fixed in. The reason for this part being painted blue, I presume, was because the sliders were always greased and grease running on to the blue did not show so much as it would if the paint was red. Sometimes the trams were also painted blue about six inches on rear and front. Some carters also painted these parts of trams in black. Blue and black paint counteracted grease marks. |
| (c) Other words associated with carting |
| cur an eich do’n cairt | putting horse in cart. |
| toirt an eich as a cairt | releasing horse from cart. |
| tùmadh na cairt | emptying the cart. |
| 4. The plough |
| (a) Different kinds of ploughs |
| crann mor | the heavy all iron plough used on the big farms of the south and pulled by two horses. |
| crann de each | the heavy all iron plough used on the big farms of the south and pulled by two horses. |
| crann beag (Oliver) | the small common Highland plough of wood and iron and pulled by one horse suitable for stony crofts such as we have in Lewis. |
| (b) Parts of a plough in detail |
| [crann-na-gad] | I refer you to Dwelly’s Gaelic Dictionary, as a very detailed list is given under Crann-na-Gad. The names and expressions are pertaining to that of the parish of Barvas, Isle-of-Lewis. |
| 5. Harrows and swingle trees |
| (a) Different types of harrows |
| cliath an eich | three main beams with three cross beams preferably of hard wood. |
| cliath bheag | a man drawn harrow very suitable for small plots of arable. |
| (b) Swingle trees |
| 6. Spring work |
| (a) Fertilisers and fertilising |
| 1. Fertilisers |
| sitig | a layer of dung manure and seaweed alternately put together during late winter and early spring; good for all crops. |
| feamainn dubh | cut when tide is out. High tide bringing the cut seaweed on to foreshore gathered and spread on machair soil suitable for potatoes. |
| feamainn dearg | brought on to shore by the incoming tide; also suitable for potatoes as is also for oats and barley. |
| 2. The actual work performed, e.g. transporting seaweed/manure to field |
| gearradh na feamaida duibhe | |
| cur suas an fheamainn | |
| cliabh feamainn | |
| cliabh todhair | |
| cairt todhair | |
| cur mach an todhar | manuring of croft or field. |
| cur na feamainn anns a sgriob | |
| cur na feamainn anns a streath | |
| ’cur a mach ant-sùith | [sic] on a sunny, dry day the thatch was removed and the soot collected and stored for use as fertiliser or it may have been taken straight to the croft (not sure of this point). |
| 3. Implements used for lifting, carrying and spreading manure or seaweed |
| graip | |
| cliabh | |
| barra | wheelbarrow. |
| (b) Turning and tilling the soil |
| 1. Implements used for turning or tilling the soil |
| spaid | |
| crann treabhaidh | |
| horse drawn | |
| tractor | |
| |
| 2. Parts of the implements used |
| 3. Words used in connection with tilling the soil, e.g. digging |
| túmadh | cleaning of drains and spreading the cleanings over the arable, then ploughed in giving the soil renewed fertility. |
| (c) Seed planting |
| 1. Names of seeds planted and words used for sowing or planting these |
| siol corc | cur a corc. |
| cur a bhunata | planting potatoes. |
| cur chail | planting cabbages. |
| 2. Names of any special sack, basket etc. used for carrying seed when sowing or planting |
| seic | bag made of hide or skin. |
| poc | bag made of sackcloth. |
| 3. Names of any special implement used for planting |
| putair | for putting down potatoes when soil is already turned and ploughed. An ordinary wooden shaft with one end somewhat pointed to make the holes more easier [sic]. |
| 7. Summer work |
| (a) Cleaning and weeding potatoes |
| tobha | hoe. |
| priceadh | going over the plot cutting all weeds etc. |
| tobhaiceadh | earthing to prevent the grown shaws from being broken by strong winds. |
| (b) Thinning and weeding other crops |
| tannachadh | thinning with broad hoe. |
| 8. Autumn work |
| (a) Hay making |
| 1. The implement used for (a) cutting (b) raking and turning (c) lifting and stacking |
| corran | sickle (very little used nowadays). |
| speal | scythe. |
| clach speal | sharpener. |
| rácadh | raking and turning. |
| gocadh | first stage of stacking. |
| cruach | stack. |
| goca mor | stack. |
| sìg | stacked oblong shaped and tapered in the top so as to throw off oncoming rains. |
| 2. Name the parts of the implements mentioned |
| iarunn | blade. |
| cas | handle. |
| 3. Various stages of hay-making |
| gearradh fheoir | cutting hay. |
| tionndadh an fheoir | turning [hay]. |
| ri gocadh | hay-cocks. |
| ri cruachadh | stacking. |
| deanamh sìg | |
| (b) Corn cutting and securing |
| 1. Implements used for cutting, raking, binding, lifting into stacks etc. |
| speal | |
| ràckan | |
| ceangal | |
| 2. Bands (for tying corn), sheaves, stooks etc. |
| bann | band. |
| bad coirc | |
| beum eorna | |
| adag coirc | a stook of twelve sheaves; bad. |
| curracag eorna | a stook of ten sheaves; beum. |
| 3. Stack making (in yard) |
| clachan buinn | stones. |
| acaraichean | anchors, weights; flat stones put in loops of rope. |
| seann lion sadanach | for protection from birds. |
| bonn na cruaich | foundation. |
| glaodhan | the body. |
| bad a muigh | covering the body with heavy sheaves at the same time making secure with coir rope or heather rope. |
| crios | coir rope etc. |
| 4. Methods of carrying or transporting corn from field to corn yard |
| taod | the corn tied up firmly in ropes and carried on the human back. |
| cart + tractor | the more modern. |
| (c) Potato lifting and storing |
| 1. Implements |
| tobhain | |
| graip | |
| croman |
|
| 2. Sack, creel, barrow etc. used for carrying potatoes in field and to steading |
| cliabh | or creel. The most commonly used. |
| 3. Where potatoes are kept or stored |
| slochd bhunata | potato pit. To make a potato pit, preferably where oats were grown clean, according to quantity to be put in 20-30 creels for example, 9 feet long 4 ft wide and six inches deep covered with firm sods of earth termed sgrathan and covered with the surrounding earth 9 inches thick formed into a shapely mound. |
| cuil bhunata | when potatoes are stored in barn. |
| 4. Potato diseases |
| cnamh | blight, caused by too much wet, signs: withering shaws. |
| lobhadh | rotting, caused by too much wet, signs: withering shaws. |
| (d) Other crops (Lifting and storing) |
| 1. Implements used for lifting |
| 2. How and where crop is stored |
| iodhlann | corn yard. |
| 3. Diseases/insects which attack the particular crop(s) |
| pudharan | a black stalk of corn in a field of growing oats. |
| graine dubh | a black stalk of corn in a field of growing oats. |
| 9. Winter work |
| (a) Land drainage |
| 1. Drains, ditches etc. |
| clais | drain between the two feannags. |
| taomadh | clearing drain of debris, which is spread on adjoining fields. |
| 2. Implements used |
| spaid | spade. |
| (b) Potato cutting for seed |
| 1. Instruments used |
| sgealbadh | cutting the potato leaving an eye in each part. |
| 2. Different kinds of potatoes |
| Kerr’s pink | |
| Champion | |
| Golden Wonder | |
| (c) Corn threshing |
| 1. Implements used |
| sùist | flail. |
| ial | [flail] thongs connecting handle to buailtean [q.v.].
|
| lamharan | [flail] shaft or handle.
|
| buailtean | [flail] a two foot long tree branch refined down to suitable weight for threshing corn laid out on barn floor.
|
| maide frassaidh | a length of wood with edges cut in teeth like manner by which the sheaf is threshed by light beatings.
|
| 2. Threshing |
| bualadh | |
| frassadh | |
| sgathadh bhunan | cutting the base and roots off barley sheaves with an old scythe blade and shaking all down into a thorough mixture for thatch. |
| (d) Grain winnowing |
| 1. Devices used |
| fasganadh | |
| criathar | sieve. Circular wooden frame. Skin – perforated to allow grain to fall through. [NOTES: spelled ‘criothar’ in the illustration.]
|
| criathradh | |
| 2. How constructed and materials used. Winnowing |
| [siol agus scalpan] | Siol agus scalpan air a cur ri gaoith, siol ri tuiteam faisg a laimh ach a scalpan no moll falb [sic] leis a gaoith. |
| 10. Permanent structures/buildings for storing crops |
| (a) Stack-yard |
| iodhlainn | stack yard, originally built of stone. |
| bearna | gate-way. |
| gàradh na h-iodhlainn | |
| (b) Barn and parts of a barn |
| toll an shabhail | opening in wall for winnowing when wind would have to be from favourable direction. |
| uachdair an shabhail | where corn is stored. |
| cùil a bhunata | where potatoes are stored. |
| cùil nan òisgean | separate part for housing this year’s lambs in winter. |
| 11. Modern implements and machines |
| [tractor, reaper, binder] | The tractor, reaper and binder are newly brought in implements and the English names are borrowed. |
