The names in this country reflect a myriad of influences and changing languages – Brythonic/Brittonic, Cumbric, Gaelic, Pictish and eventually English and Scots, to name but a few. It can be difficult to determine the exact origin of some of the names that have since been “adopted” as a new language evolved, but some of the possible origins are fascinating.
Flemish in Friockheim The village of Froickheim (pronounced Freek-um) in Angus translates literally as “Heather Home”, but from a mash of two completely different languages. “Froick” comes from the Gaelic “ fraoch” for heather, but “heim” actually comes from the German for home! In the early 1800s, many Flemish weavers had moved to the village to develop the flax-spinning process at the mill, and they requested that their heritage and new home be recognised. The mill owner was only to happy to oblige, and in 1824 the sanction and charter was passed.