LONGFORMACUS-AND-ELLIM, a parish, in the
county of Berwick, 7 miles (\V. N. W.) from Dunse;
containing 390 inliabitants. The name of Longformacus
has been variously written at different periods, and its
derivation is involved in much obscurity. In 1384, the
place is called Longfordmakehouse in a charter by the
Earl of Orkney to his cousin " James de Santae Clairo";
while in a charter of 1395, the lands of Lochirmackehous
are conveyed by the Earl of March to James Sinclair.
In 1505, the spelling had changed to Loehirmacus, which
variation it kept till about 1556, vvhen it assumed its
present form of Longformacus. The name of Ellim
has also been spelt differently, sometimes being written
Ellim, and at other times Ktm and Ellem: its derivation,
too, is uncertain, hke that of Longformacus. These two
parishes, on account of their proximity, were united on
the 18th of February 1712, when the population of
Longformacus was 200, and that of Ellim 100. There
are no striking historical events recorded; but notice of
one or two severe conflicts is handed down by tradition,
having reference to this district, which, on account of
its situation, was involved in the border warfare. The
name of Main, or Man-slaughter, Law is given to a hill
in the neighbourhood, where a bloody battle is said to
have been fought in 1402, between the Earl of Dunbar
and Hepburn of Hailes; and a large heap of stones at
Byrecleugh, called the "Mutiny Stones", about 240
feet long, marks the spot or vicinity of some early encounter
the particulars of which are unknown. There
being a place here of the name of Otterburn, the supposition
has been hazarded that this parish was the scene
of the contest between Douglas and Hotspur, fought in
the year 1388.
The PARISH is about twelve miles in length, from east
to west, and eight miles in breadth, containing 21,3.50
acres, of which 2200 are cultivated, 18,800 uncultivated,
and 350 under plantation. It lies at the extremity of
the county, and is bounded on the north by the Lammermoor
hills, which separate it from the parish of Whittingham,
in Haddingtonshire: on the south it has the
parishes of Langton, Greenlaw, and Westruther; on the
east, those of Dunse and Abbey St. Bathan's; and on
the west, the parish of Lauder. A part of the parish,
about two miles long and one and a half broad, called
Blackerstone, which belonged to the old parish of Ellim,
is locally situated in, and insulated by, the parish of
Abbey St. Bathan's: this portion is eight miles distant
from the church. The surface of the parish, in its general
appearance, is hilly, being situated near the great
Lammermoor ridge; it is mostly covered with heath,
and traversed by large flocks of sheep. But though the
hills are uncultivated, some of them are of great beauty,
such as the two Dirrington Laws, which are conical in
form, and one of which rises 1145 feet in height. The
most elevated part of the parish is Meikle Cese, or Sayrs
Law, in the line of division between Berwickshire and
East Lothian; it is nearly 1500 feet high. The climate,
on account of the peculiar situation, and in many parts
lofty site, of the district, is cold and piercing, but by no
means unhealthy. The lands are watered by the rivers
Whitadder and Dye, the former of which cuts the
northern boundary of the parish at Duddy Law: the
Dye is a tributary to the Whitadder, and the Whitadder
to the Tweed; and both are good trouting streams.
Though the farm-houses are generally in indifferent
repair, the system of husbandry is tolerably advanced;
and the crops usually produced are barley, oats, turnips,
potatoes, rye-grass, and clover. Some of the grain and
of the potatoes is sent to the markets of Haddington,
Dunbar, and Berwick. Near the village of Longformacus,
plantations have been made to a considerable
extent, especially in the immediate neighbourhood of
the mansion-house, the seat of the principal heritor,
John Home Home, Esq., where are some very fine elm
and ash trees. On the lands of Blackerstone, also, at
the Retreat, planting has been extensively carried on.
The sheep pastured amount to about 9000 or 10,000,
two-thirds of which are of the Cheviot breed; 100 scores
are the black-faced, and fifty scores half-Leicesters.
The cattle are the common breed of the county, but not
of so fine a description as those in the southern districts;
many calves are fed. There is a vein of copper-ore in
the place where the old church of Ellim stood; it has at
different times been jjartially worked, but without success.
An English company, not many years ago, renewed
the attempt upon a larger scale; but it was shortly
abandoned, the ore not being sufliciently rich and plentiful
to cover the expenses. A vein of superior quality,
however, is supposed to exist in the same neighbourhood.
The annual value of real property in the parish is returned at £3788.
Longformacus is the only village. There are two
main roads running through the parish, one from Haddington
to Coldstream, and the other from East Lothian
to Dunse; but both are very indifferent. The crossroads,
also, are in a bad state, as the money for their
repair, which is levied upon twenty ploughs, the estimated
number kept, is found altogether insufficient for
the purpose. The Duke of Roxburghe has a shooting
or fishing cottage here; as has Lord Somerville, on
the Dye water; the Earl of Wemyss, at the Retreat;
and Mr. Smith, at Rigfoot. For ecclesiastical purposes
the parish is within the limits of the presbytery
of Dunse and synod of Merse and Teviotdale; patron,
Mr. Home Home. The stipend of the minister is about
£222 a year, with a manse, which stands three-quarters
of a mile from the church, and was built about thirty
years ago. The glebe consists of twelve acres of excellent
land, and there is a right of pasturage for forty
sheep on the farm adjoining the old church of Ellim,
this right being in lieu of a glebe for that parish: the
minister has, however, commuted the privilege for £11
per annum. The church, a plain, long, narrow structure,
was built above a century and a half ago; it has lately
been repaired, and is in good order, accommodating 200
persons with seats. The edifice is conveniently situated,
although, from the angles and curvatures of the boundaries
of the parishes in this portion of the county, which
in many parts shoot into and intersect each other, the
congregations of this and neighbouring churches are
frequently composed of persons belonging to several
different parishes. There is a parochial school, in which
the usual branches of education are taught; the master
has the maximum salary, with about £10 fees, and the
legal allowance of house and garden. The poor receive
the interest of £100. In the Lammermoor district are
several heaps of stones, or cairns, the evidences of ancient
conflicts; and on the sheep-farm of Byrecleugh,
belonging to the Duke of Roxburghe, is one, already
referred to, 240 feet long, of irregular breadth and height,
but where broadest seventy-five feet, and where highest
eighteen feet. The stones of this must have been brought
from a crag at least half a mile distant.