Bonar and Creich
Gaelic, Norse, Brittonic? A look into the history and origins of place names in and around our area
By Silvia Muras
The origins of the name of Creich parish are unclear. The fortress at Dun Creich was a notable place in Caledonian-Pictish times. The first church – the only one in the district for centuries – was built nearby, so the fort might have given its name to the church, and the church to the parish, formed in 1225. Other explanations, perhaps less plausible, link Creich to the Gaelic crìoch meaning ‘boundary’, or Craobhaich, meaning ‘place full of trees’.
Bonar Bridge has similarly obscure etymology. Recorded as Bunnach in 1275, le Bunnach in 1575, Bona in 1730 and Bonar (Ferry) in 1744, the name can be explained as related to a ford (àth in Gaelic), since the site provided a good point to ford the water. Bonar can come from Am bàn àth, meaning ‘white or fair ford’ or Bonn-àth, ‘bottom ford’, the lowest ford on the Kyle. The current site of the village was known as Baile na Croit, ‘hump-stead’, before the building of the Telford bridge in 1812.
