377
which has been changed to Mordington, remained with the Earldom of Dunbar
till Earl George, in 1372, gave it in marriage with his sister Agnes, to James
Douglas of Dalkeith. In this family it continued till Queen Mary's days. In
October 1564, she confirmed to the well-known James, Earl of Morton, the
barony of Mordington, with the advowson of the churches of Mordington and
Longformacus, and such other churches and chapels as to them might belong.
Mary's liberality to her unworthy servant was confirmed by the parliament in
April 1567 (d). We may easily suppose that the forfeiture of this guilty Peer
for being privy to the murder of Darnley, may have made some change as well
in the property of the barony, as in the patronage of the church. The name
of the parish of Elleme is obscure. It is obviously, however, a contraction of
El-ham, which is nearly allied to El-botle, the ham and botl being almost
synonymous (e). El in the Saxon is a frequent prefix, as we may know from
Somner. But there is a reason to suspect that the prefix El in the names of
places in Scotland and in England, may be a contraction of Eld, old; so Eld-
ham would be the old tun or vill in opposition to New-bigging. The parish is
ancient, and the name was easily barbarized. The advowson of the church be-
longed of old to the Earls of Dunbar, who also were lords of the manor (f).
After the forfeiture of the Earl of Dunbar in 1400, Robert III. granted to
Thomas Erskine, the lands of Ellam, with the teinds within the earldom (g). As
this parish lay in the midst of the Lammermuir, it was neither populous nor
opulent. The church was valued in the ancient Taxatio at 26 marks. In
Bagimont's Roll, the tenth of the rectory was rated at £6 6s. 8d. The rectory
of Ellem appears in the archbishop's Tax Roll, 1547 (h). Thomas Brown, the
parson of Ellem swore fealty to Edward III. after the battle of Halidonhill,
and in return received a protection for his person and his parsonage (i). The
ruins of the ancient church and the hamlet of Ellem, stand on the north side of
the Whitadder, near a ford, whence the place has been recently called Ellem-
ford. The old church was still used for spiritual rites during the reign of
Charles I. The two parishes were united some time before the year 1750.
The church of Longformacus now accommodates the whole parishioners who
(d) Parl. Rec., 763 ; Roberts. Index, 136 ; Dougl. Peer., 490.
(e) They both signify a villa, donicilium, a village, a farm, a hamlet.
(f) There appears to have been formerly a family of Ellem, who probably were tenants of the
manor under the Earls of Dunbar. Henry de Ellem swore fealty to Edward at Berwick, on the 28th
of August 1296. Prynne, iii., 657. Richard de Ellem witnessed a charter of Earl Patrick, at his
castle of Dunbar, on the 24th of May 1367. Roberts. Index, 82.
(g) Ib., 147.                     (A) Reliq Div. Andreae, 57.                     (i) Rym., iv., 570.
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