George Brander wrote: > I am looking for some guidance in determining the location of Oyn in the > parish of Cairnie and whether or not it still exists. It would have been a > farmsteading, probably with not more than a couple or so dwellings. > > ... > > I found Oyn on Robert Gordon's 17th century map of Strathbogie and Aenzie. > It is on the NLS website. > > http://www.nls.uk/maps/counties/detail.cfm?id=10 > and it appears to be south southeast of Smallburn not far from Brakleys > (Brackley?) and Shyncarne (Shynsharnie?) but cannot find any trace on a more > modern map, possibly the farm is no longer in existence. Intriguingly there > is a "Een" shown not far from Smallburn. > > Could Een be an alternative spelling for Oyn based on the local Strathbogie > pronunciation of Oyn. I am thinking of the Scots pronunciation of the > numeral one! That was the conclusion I came to. The official "Index to Places" produced to accompany the first edition of the large-scale Ordnance Survey maps (surveyed 1871) does not have "Oyne" but does offer "Ean". The transcription of the 1851 Census for Cairnie held by ANESFHS does not have "Ean" (or "Een" or anything similar) - but does have "Oyne", which appears in the enumeration between Sinsharnie and Drumfold. So I am fairly sure these are two spellings for the same place. Sheet 425 of today's "Explorer" 1:25000 OS map has "Een" at NJ47504425 Gavin Bell