Pitnathrene
Pitnathrene * SSL S
Pethnathrene 1165 x 1172 St A. Lib. 179
Pethnathrene 1165 x 1172 St A. Lib. 217 [= RRS ii no. 13]
G pett + ? an + ?
While the first element is clearly G pett ‘land-holding, farm’, and the second element is almost certainly the definite article, the generic element is problematical, not least because there is no later form to act as a guide as to how exactly it should be read. As it stands the generic may be a word cognate with Old Irish athrann ‘act of dividing (again) after first dividing, new division’. Alternatively it could be read *Pethnachreue ‘farm of the tree’ (pett na craoibhe). While both editors have read Pethnathrene, the MS hand sometimes makes no distinction between c and t, while the two minims between e-e could equally well represent u. If it is indeed *Pethnachreue it would have become Pittencrieff or the like, though it cannot be Pittencrieff CUP.
It is one of a list of lands, all described as being beside St Andrews, which Maolsneachda had held of Bishop Richard of St Andrews, and which the bishop now grants to St Andrews Priory. The full list of these lands, which lie up to four km from St Andrews, is in order of appearance: Priorletham CMN, Pothlin # SSL?, *Pitnathrene SSL?, *Douachredin # ?KMB, Reskes # ?KMB, Pitmullen SSL, Bassaguard SSL, *Pituwenethe SSL?, Crefmakarri # SSL? and Clasangasch #, for which see Clash Wood CMN; also included is a toft in Kilrymont SSL ‘belonging to that same land’ (again with the collective meaning of all the above lands together). It was no doubt this same Maolsneachda whose name is attached to part of Strathkinness SSL c.1220 (for which see s.n.).
Could this be Pittarthie DNO q.v.? Pittarthie is listed amongst the lands belonging to the church of St Andrews in 1452 (RMS ii no. 1444). However, there would seem to be no other land held by Maolsneachda ‘beside St Andrews’ which is in Dunino parish.
This place-name appeared in printed volume 3