Gill (ravine)

For other uses of "Gill", see Gill (disambiguation).

A gill or ghyll is a ravine or narrow valley in the North of England and parts of Scotland. The word originates from the Old Norse gil.^[1] Examples include Dufton Ghyll Wood, Dungeon Ghyll, Troller's Gill and Trow Ghyll. As a related usage, Gaping Gill is the name of a cave, not the associated stream, and Cowgill, Masongill and Halton Gill are derived names of villages.^[2]

In South East England, the High Weald gills are deeply cut ravines, usually with a stream in the base^[3] which eroded the ravine. These gills may be up to 200 feet (61 m) deep, which represents a significant physiographic feature in lowland England.^[4]

The stream flowing through a gill is often referred to as a beck: for example in Swaledale, Gunnerside Beck flows through Gunnerside Ghyll. Beck is also used as a more general term for streams in Yorkshire, Cumbria, south Durham and north Lancashire – examples include Ais Gill Beck, Arkle Beck and Peasey Beck. There are also examples in Norfolk, including Hagon Beck, Scarrow Beck and Gur Beck.

In the North Pennines, the word sike or syke^[5] is found in similar circumstances. This is particularly common in the Appleby Fells area where sikes significantly outnumber the becks and gills; it can also be seen in the name of Eden Sike Cave in Mallerstang.

See also

• List of generic forms in British place names
• Cumbrian placename etymology

References

1. Anderson, G. K. (1938). "Two Ballads from Nineteenth Century Ohio". The Journal of American Folklore. 51 (199): 38–46. doi:10.2307/535942. JSTOR 535942. "I suggest-and it is only a tentative suggestion-that "g(u)ile" is "gill," spelled by Wordsworth "ghyll," a ravine or valley inclosing a small water-course."
2. Daelnet placenames index Archived 15 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 1 April 2012
3. Natural England (2013). National Character Area profile:122: High Weald. Natural England. ISBN 978-1-78367-068-0.
4. Rose, F.; Patmore, J. M. (1997). Weald Gill Woodlands. English Nature, Sussex and Surrey Team, Lewes.
5. Ferguson, R.S. (1885). "The earthworks and keep, Appleby Castle" (PDF). TCWAAS.