- although in modern use this word usually denotes a (temporary) hut or shelter used by shepherds in high or remote areas of pasture land, in Old Scots it could also refer to the pasture land itself, where sheep and cattle were traditionally driven in summer. Both meanings are reflected in place-names, where the word often occurs in the plural, and is sometimes spelled shield. Examples include Shiels in Aberdeen, Mid Foulshiels in West Lothian and Shields Rig in Lanarkshire.
| ← Chapter intro |
| ← Shaw | Shieling → |