Quote:
IMPORTANT CHANGE OF NAME.
The name of the celebrated qualities of Hone Stone produced from the “Water of Ayr Stone Quarry and Hone Works,” and esteemed and known in the market as “Water of Ayr Stone,” “Snake Stone,” and “Scotch Hone,” and exclusively supplied by me and my predecessors for about 100 years past, is now changed to the distinctive name “TAM O’SHANTER” Hone or Stone, and some of the grades of quality suited for special purposes will be known as “DALMORE HONE,” “MONTGOMERIESTONE HONE,” and “SOUTAR JOHNNY HONE.” Every Stone will bear a Label or Stamp with one or other of these names, and the public are earnestly requested to ask for it accordingly, as only the very inferior sorts and those hitherto rejected at the Quarry will now be sent out by me as “Water of Ayr Stone” or “Snake Stone.”
JOHN C. MONTGOMERIE, “The Tam O’Shanter” Hone Works, Dalmore, Tarblton Station, R.S.O. Ayrshire
Of the new names, apparently only "Dalmore" stuck. And in due course "Water of Ayr Stone," far from designating rejects and seconds sold presumably at a discount, came instead to designate the very finest of the Scotch hones. I wonder if there are any Montgomeriestone's or Soutar Johnny's out there to be found. Soutar Johnny by the way was another character in the "Tam O'Shanter" poem by Robert Burns.