Elphinstone is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies south-west of

Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...

on the B6414, and north-west of

Ormiston Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about . The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 1735 ...

Etymology

There is a fairy story about a witch called Meg who is supposed to have been involved in the naming of the village. Meg had servants who were elves and she was cruel to them. One day she went to the burn inbetween Elphinstone and Ormiston and ate in her carriage, telling her servants not to disturb her. One elf broke into her carriage once she fell asleep and stole some of her leftovers. Meg, however, awoke and caught him. She took him back to Elphinstone and trapped him in her stone or "Meg's chuck". Hence the name Elph (elf) in stone. Other theories about the origin of the name are from the Anglo Saxon ''elfenne'' added to "stone", a reference to hard flint-like stones which were supposed to be used as shot by elves and fairies and which are found on the land around the village. A more prosaic origin is in the Gallo-Latin personal name Alphinus. The earliest mention of the village was in a deed drawn up by Alams de Swinton around 1235 which mentions ''"homines (serfs) of Elfinstun"''. It may be worth noting that Elffin was a relatively common name in the Brythonic

Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population sp ...

, with three separate people of that name appearing in the genealogies: Elfin son of

Urien Urien (; ), often referred to as Urien Rheged or Uriens, was a late 6th-century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (today's northern England and southern Scotland) of the House of Rheged. His power and his victories, ...

, Elffin son of Owain and Elffin son of Gwyddno, the last of which also appearing as Taliesin's foster father in the mythological stories of his life.

History

The

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

reformer

George Wishart George Wishart (also Wisehart; c. 15131 March 1546) was a Scottish Protestant Reformer and one of the early Protestant martyrs burned at the stake as a heretic. George Wishart was the son of James and brother of Sir John of Pitarrow, ...

was brought to Elphinstone by

Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

en route to St Andrews where he was tried and burned at the stake on 1 March 1546. Between 2011 and 2018 the population of the village increased from 520 to 590 and it has basic amenities, including a primary school, a community centre, a newsagent, and a miners welfare club.

Landmarks and economy

Remains of Elphinstone Tower (geograph 1961775)

Located half a mile west of the village, Elphinstone Tower, built in the 13th to 15th century, is a former five-storey tower, now a ruin, with only the lower level remaining. The Elphinstone clan held the lands of Elphinstone and took their name from their lands. Mines owned by the Edinburgh Colliery Company, Limited were formerly the main employer in the village. Many of the houses in the village were owned by the company. now Inveresk Research International is one of the main employers in the area. Elphinstone Tower Farm produces cereal crops.

References

External links

Website of Elphinstone Primary SchoolEast Lothian Council Report on Elphinstone village
{{authority control Villages in East Lothian