The Scottish Place-Name Survey was established as part of the remit of the School of Scottish Studies when it was set up in 1951. It was to include the collection of place-names from both documentary and oral sources and the organisation of a place-name archive. Image In the early years, a project was undertaken to create a slip index of place-name forms extracted from historical documents and maps. Many of the original documents have now been digitised and made accessible online. In the mid-1950s, fieldwork commenced with a focus on the Gaelic speaking areas, including the Western Isles, Inverness-shire and Argyle. Work was also undertaken in the Northern Isles and the Borders. There are now over 500 audio recordings including pronunciation of place-names and associated information and lore, many with accompanying OS maps. Additional resources include a Field Name Survey containing a record of field names from farmers during the 1970s and 80s with corresponding maps. This mainly took place in lowland Scotland including Galloway, the Borders, Dumfries, Galashiels, Midlothian. The Place-Name Survey is undergoing appraisal and some of the textual material is not currently available for consultation. However, recordings and associated maps can be accessed in the Search Room. This article was published on 2024-08-21
