Township: Kilmoluaig

Map Reference: Kilmoluaig 10

Name Type: sliabh

Meaning: The hillock of Biostadh

This name is opaque. Neither ON bólstaðr ‘farm’, or ON byggsetr ‘barley peripheral farm’ (>Bixter in the Northern Isles, Berit Sandnes, pers. comm.) suit phonologically. There is a Bister on Rousay, Orkney, which Gammeltoft regards as ‘somewhat enigmatic’ (Gammeltoft 2001, 288). There is a Biste on Coll. ‘Biste, Coll: the usual modern reflex of a simplex bólstaðr name in the Hebrides is Bosta... Therefore the safest approach is to assume that the origin is probably not ON bólstaðr and otherwise leave the interpretation open’ (Gammeltoft 2001, 302). The most compelling reconstruction is the compound name ON býr ‘farm’ + staðir ‘farm’ > Bjástad in Ski, Norway (Berit Sandnes, pers. comm.), which suits the first recorded form. A final intrusive consonant -dh is not uncommon. ‘The velar fricative [?] frequently terminates otherwise open final syllables, e.g.... Bòstadh < ON Bólstað ‘the farm’’ (Cox 2002b, 64; Gammeltoft 2001, 92). Olistadh on Islay, also with a terminal velar fricative, derives from Óláfr + staðir (Macniven 2006, 355).
There is a Beest in Harray on the Orkney mainland (SP); there is a Bysta in Rennebu, Norway (NG); Bystad is a farm name in Norway (OR); and Bæjarstæði is a farm name in Iceland (SAM).

Other Forms: Cnoc Bhiosta - ONB p73, with Cnoc Bhisteig crossed out.

Related Places: Port Bhiostadh, Beist

Information:This feature is on the south side of Loch Bhasapol, 1 km away from Port Bhiostadh.

It is a navigation point for entering Port Bhiostadh - IMcK.

Local Form:

Languages : Norse, Gaelic

Informants: Iain MacKinnon (Iain Chaluim), Kilmoluaig, 11/1993 and 4/1994

Informant 2: OS