Cathills
Cathillis 1562 RSS v no. 1115 [ratification of gift by John, commendator of Balmerino Abbey, to David Watt, ‘the few mailis of thair fischeingis of Kilburnis and thair landis of Cathillis’]
terras de Caithillis 1592 RMS vi no. 252 [sold to David Balfour of Baledmond FGN, lands of Cathills, its fishings, both of salmon and of other fish ... between ‘the black rock [77] at the head of the harbour of Cathills’ (nigrum lapidem ad caput portus de Cathillis) on the east, and from there to Thanislak or Thornislak, and to the low-water mark of the sea on the sands, the fishing ‘not going beyond the Maw Craig’ (non transgrediendo de lie Maw-craig), which fishings are called Harvy Den # (Harvyden) and Kilburns BMO, in lordship of Balmerino]
ad caput portus de Cathillis 1592 RMS vi no. 252 [see preceding entry]
(lands and fishings of) Cathillis 1597 RMS vi no. 637 [part of Mains of Naughton; the fishings are called Harvy Den # (Harviden) and Kilburns]
Cathills 1617 Balm. Lib. App. XII (p. 79) [Cathills and fishing thereof]
Catthill 1654 Blaeu (Pont) East Fife
Cathills 1899 Campbell 1899, 641 [‘or Cattcraigs’]
? Sc cat + Sc hill
‘Hills of the cat or cats’, perhaps referring to the wild cat? It lay north-east of Kilburns (Campbell 1899, 665). The harbour of Cathills is now called Jock’s Hole, which appears as such on OS Pathf. at NO378258. Cathills originally formed part of the lands of Balmerino Abbey. According to Campbell, it was acquired by Sir Peter Crichton in 1539 (1899, 665). Campbell also notes that ‘in 1546 David Crichton of Naughton acquired from Abbot Robert and Convent the fishings of Cathills (otherwise called those of Harvieden or Helvieden) and those of Kilburns, betwixt the stone called the Black Ox or Great Black Stone at the head of the haven of Cathills on the east, and Thornyslak, or Thornyflak, at the west, not passing the Maw Craig’ (loc. cit.; italics are original). Unfortunately it has not been possible to track down either of the documents (of 1539 and 1546) from which Campbell quotes here.
This place-name appeared in printed volume 4