as you may know, my surname is Groundwater.

Ha ha! what a laugh it is down here in Glasgow: 'taxi for Granddaughter?' well, you southeners...it just so happens my name is a prime example of a topograpical place name being taken as a surname.

Groundwater is a small tunship in the parish of Orphir. As you can see on the map opposite, it is situated on the banks of a small loch (lochan), the Loch of Kirbister. Look on the map at the contour lines - the depth of the water is not great. Groundwater is derived from the Old Norse “grunn(a)-vatn”, which means shallow lake. In present-day Orcadian pronounciation, the name is said “grunwaater”

Scows is from ON "skáli" meaning a hut.

Kirbister - a common placename in Orkney (at least 10 examples throughout the islands) is derived from "kirku ból-staðr/ir", meaning church farm. It is thought these farms were fairly important beacuse they could afford their own kirk.

click here to see a map from 1822 of the area