From Michael Ansell – 9 October 2020
It’s an interesting question Alan, at first I took the -goosie/goosey place-names to be indicators that pine survived in Galloway (there is supposed to be a surviving small stand, engulfed in the Sitka of Kielder that might represent a survival) but the peaty nature or our goosies persuaded me it was stumps showing up from under the peat. At the moment if you go to Clatteringshaws you can see these as the water level is rather low. But that implies the Gaels could tell it was a pine versus an oak or whatever, maybe not that easy after several thousand years. The Clatteringshaws roots/stumps look like pine to me and commentators such as Derek Ratcliffe describe the stumps emerging from Loch Dungeon peat banks (Kells) as pine.
I also cant think of any Gaelic reference to juniper in Galloway but maybe unlikely Juniper would be growing at Bagbie? Not impossible.
It seems to me that the wood there might date back to Gaelic speaking times and that a proprietor had planted pine. On Google earth there are three larger trees with darker green foliage on the south edge of the wood that look like they might be old pines.
Interesting that one of the names on the farm óf Bagbie is Knockninchock, NX 493 554 probably G cnoc nan uinnseag, knoll of the ash trees. I suppose it might also be cnoc nan seabhag (of the hawks). Would need to check pronunciation.
By the way noticed on the OS Ist ed 6’’ that Daffin was a small farm at NX 497 548 so I would probably agree with you that one is at least a potential peighinn place-name
Kind Regards
Michael