Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?

Subject: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Ed.
Date: 04 May 04 - 03:48 PM

I'm talking about the 18th century Scottish fiddler, who knew how to turn a tune.

Both spellings are widely used. Can anyone shed further light?

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Megan L
Date: 04 May 04 - 03:55 PM

names were often spelt in different ways in the past, probably the modern standardisation to Neil would be the most common now.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 04 May 04 - 04:22 PM

He spelled his own name Niel, and it is usual to respect that.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: greg stephens
Date: 04 May 04 - 04:25 PM

Malcolm Douglas's suggestion is the most satisfactory. Ask the man himself. You couldn't apply that principle to Shakespeare though: I read somewhere that every single example of his signature is spelt differently.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Ed.
Date: 04 May 04 - 05:22 PM

Thanks, Malcolm. That's all I needed to know.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST,T Taylor
Date: 05 May 04 - 12:54 AM

Hello, thats a good question. Funny thing is I know the answer. Niel would have been a gaelic speaker comming from Inver and Dunkeld, Perthshire, (18th century)Scotland. The correct gaelic spelling is i before e, making it Niel. I hope you enjoy his music, he was brilliant.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 05 May 04 - 02:01 AM

Neil

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Neil is the Anglicized form of Niall, an Irish Gaelic name from Niul, an Old Irish name probably from "niadh," meaning "Champion."

History:
Neil has one of the more fascinating name histories. It began in Ireland as Niul (later becoming Niall). The name Niul was taken of Vikings who took it to Iceland as Njal (Njál, Njála). Njal then moved from Iceland to the rest of Scandinavia. Scandinavian Vikings spread the name to England, where it survived for a time, and into the Latin language (where it became Nigellus). About the 8th century, Scandinavian Vikings also settled in Normandy, France becoming the Normans. The Normans soon spoke French, instead of a Scandinavian language, and Njal became Nel. Nel then turned into Neil (and the surnames Neal and Nelson) and became especially popular in the Scottish-English border regions. It also continued to flourish in Ireland. In the 20th century, Neil has continued to spread to the rest of the English-speaking world.

Alternates: Neal, Nelson, Niel, Nihel, Niles, Nigel.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Niel Gow (1727-1807)
Scottish violinist.
.
.
.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Fossil
Date: 05 May 04 - 01:06 PM

In my wife's family history - which has been extensively researched by her father - the spelling is Neil.

And she is in a fairly direct line of descent from the fiddler himself via the Gow family, which later on sprouted a New Zealand branch.

She is also a musician, though a classical pianist, rather than a fiddler.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST,Mary Jo
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 09:40 AM

Niel Gow is my 6th great grandfather (direct lineage) and I have seen both spellings. I have found an article from Celtic Monthly in Glasgow dated 1899 in which there is a photograph of his tombstone where the spelling is Niel. I have personally been using Neil, but now may switch to Niel after noting this documentation. Since almost every spells my name incorrectly, I try to do my best to correctly spell others :-)

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Mar 12 - 09:50 AM

Niel Gow the elder was the more famous one. He had several musical sons, one of them called Neil.

I don't think Niel would have known much Gaelic, and Gaelic spelling was nowhere near standardized at the time anyway.

He would probably have known Cameron of Lochiel, who of course got his name from Loch Eil.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 10:55 PM

I had always been told my name was spelled wrong. I figured they were right since I hadn't ever met anyone else that spells it the same way. So tthank you all.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: meself
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 11:27 PM

Is that you, Niel? I mean, Neil? I maen .....

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 12:12 AM

It's Niel Gow. Except, of course, in situations where it's not....

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 08:51 AM

Niel Gow's Apprentice

O no more will I rove no more, it's over
O no more will I rove no more, it's done
I'll sit beneath the fiddle tree
With the ghost of Niel Gow next to me
Listen, Niel, your apprentice has begun

Written by Michael Marra about Dougie MacLean

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 01:04 PM

I once produced a handout for a concert we were doing which featured some tunes by Niel Gow: a very irate lady told me off for my spelling: I directed her to a link to the gravestone, as mentioned by Mary Jo in 2012.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 02:18 PM

I just tried to find him on findagrave.com. No luck, and not only does their dropdown not list Scotland as an option, it doesn't even list Britain or the UK - only England. Innumerable islands you never heard of whose population is entirely penguins, though.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 06:31 PM

If you search for Niel Gow on Wikipedia, you can wend your way to facsimilies of the music collections he had published. I've acquired some lovely new tunes for my repertoire that way.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 07:02 PM

Easy enough to find the gravestone on Google, here: http://www.niel-gow.co.uk

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: GUEST,Marcia Palmater
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 08:14 PM

Niel is correct and generally accepted by musicians who play his tunes.

Subject: RE: Spelling: is it Neil or Niel Gow?
From: meself
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 08:37 PM

I should think he's correct: he's the one who composed the tunes!