Geograph - photograph every grid square

These falls on the Overtoun Burn are called Spardie Linn. The photograph was taken from the top of the falls (which are located almost on the OS grid line). From below, they are a more impressive sight (see NS4276 : Spardie Linn and NS4276 : Spardie Linn), but they are not well seen from the footpath downstream of the falls on account of the intervening trees (see NS4276 : Path near Spardie Linn; it is also worth noting that the footpath is fenced, and for good reason: it overlooks a precipitous drop into the gorge).

The name Spardie Linn is an old one; in a charter of 1609 by James VI, the boundaries of the common land of the burgh of Dumbarton are set out at length, and Spardie Linn is mentioned. The relevant part of the charter is as follows, where I have added links to some of the places named: "... northward be the lands and Mains of Colquhoun to the burnhead, and in lair of the common miln land and water of the said burgh, and therefrae up the said burn east and north-east to the place called the Spardie Lynn, and therefrae to the Black Craigs (possibly the feature now called NS4377 : Black Craig, but see that item for further comments – the name may refer instead to NS4376 : The Long Crags), and therefrae to the Black Lynn (NS4477 : The Black Linn), and therefrae to the cairn of stanes called Darnycaip (NS4477 : Rock outcrop at Darnycaip)"

As just one example of later use of the name, John Stoddart mentions Spardie Linn in his travel writings of c.1800.

[As for the remaining place mentioned in the charter, "Mains of Colquhoun", it is shown, with that name, on Roy's Military Survey of Scotland (1740s-50s); it appears as "Mauns" on the Pont/Blaeu map of the Lennox (published in 1654, and based on surveys in the 1580s-90s). It was later divided into East Mains of Colquhoun, High Mains of Colquhoun, at c.NS41367510 (High Mains Avenue in Dumbarton East preserves the name), and Low Mains of Colquhoun, at c.NS40807486. High and Low Mains are shown on the first-edition OS map (c.1860). On those lands, see also NS4673 : Memorial to the Colquhouns of Carcaston.]

Around 1892, John Campbell White, the occupant of nearby NS4276 : Overtoun House, set to work in using the Overtoun Burn to provide electricity for the house; the scheme paid for itself within a few years. The NS4276 : Remains of a turbine house are still visible nearby (not far downstream of the waterfall), although the equipment that was inside is now long gone. (In the following year, John Campbell White was created first Baron Overtoun, of Overtoun; he is better known as Lord Overtoun: NS4076 : The White Memorial.) In connection with this scheme, a dam was formed further up the course of the burn: NS4276 : Former dam and lily pond.

Louis Stott, in his book "The Waterfalls of Scotland" (1987) provides some additional information; he mentions that Dr Ian MacPhail (a local historian) suggested that the name Spardie Linn was derived from the Gaelic "spairteadh" ("splashing"). Stott also says that, in Scots, Spardie Linn means Sparrow Linn(*). The tables in the same book give the height of the falls as about 8 metres.

[(*) Among the words for "sparrow", the Dictionary of the Scots Language does not give the form "spardie", but it does include the very similar "spurdie". Nevertheless, while this suggested Scots origin for the name of the falls is plausible, I do not think that the earlier suggestion of a Gaelic origin should be discounted.]