A comhdhail or couthal was a

popular court Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

in medieval Scotland. The word derives from

Old Gaelic Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

''comdal'', "tryst" or "assembly".McNeill and MacQueen, ''Atlas of Scottish History'', p. 191 Distinct from courts of the king, mormaers and senior

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

s, such courts were organized at a lower level of society, by peasant communities for themselves. It was probably similar to the English hundred or

tithing A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...

court. Although most of the details of how it functioned are lost, enough evidence of it exists to be sure of its importance. In 1329, Geoffrey, abbot of Arbroath, made an agreement with one of its senior tenants, Fergus mac Donnchaidh (Fergus son of Duncan).Barrow, ''Scotland and its Neighbours'', p. 220 Abbot Geoffrey leased the land of Tulloes and

Craichie Craichie (previously Craquhy) is a hamlet in the parish of Dunnichen, Angus, Scotland. Craichie is three miles south-east of Forfar and two miles south-west of Letham, at a junction on the B9128 Carnoustie to Forfar road. History The hamlet w ...

(near Dunnichen) to Fergus, allowing him to introduce his own men. The agreement specified the abbot's legal rights, but allowed that "the aforesaid Fergus and his heir ... have the court which is called ''couthal'' for the men residing within the said land, to deal with the countless acts arising amongst themselves only, and they shall have the fines arising therefrom". Historian Geoffrey Barrow also noted that in a charter of 1317, by which Robert "janitor of

Kincardine Kincardine may refer to: Places Scotland *Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland **Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth *Kincardineshire, a historic county **Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned **Kincardi ...

" granted Donnchadh ''Kymbdy''

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Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

land at ''Achichdonachy'' ("Donnchadh's field") ''cum curia et conthal'', "with court and comhdhail". Barrow further noted that

Andrew of Wyntoun Andrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun (), was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and, later, a canon of St. Andrews. Andrew Wyntoun is most famous for his completion of an eight-syllabled metre entitled, '' ...

appears to have translated the Latin word ''lucos'' ("groves"), as ''kwthlys''.Barrow, ''Scotland and its Neighbours'', p. 222 Gavin Douglas' translation of Virgil used ''cythyll'' and ''cuthyll'', implying that the word connoted a woodland clearing as well as an assembly. Records of such assemblies are preserved in place-names. Over thirty modern place-names deriving from ''comhdhail'' survive in

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1:50,000 maps, with a similar number recorded in pre-modern documentary sources, but now lost.McNeill and MacQueen, ''Atlas of Scottish History'', p. 191, for map Examples come almost entirely from eastern and lowland Scotland, stretching from

Peeblesshire Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lan ...

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

. Instances include various locations called "Cothill", "Cuttyhill", "Cuthill", and others like Glenquithle and Cuttieshillock.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Comhdhail Medieval Scots law Institutions of Scotland in the High Middle Ages