Longformacus
{{Short description|Village in Scottish Borders, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = Scotland
|official_name= Longformacus
|scots_name=
|gaelic_name=
|population =
|coordinates = {{coord|55.808|N|2.492|W|region:GB_type:city(300)|display=inline,title}}
|os_grid_reference = NT693572
|civil_parish=
|unitary_scotland= Scottish Borders
|lieutenancy_scotland= Berwickshire
|constituency_westminster = Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
|constituency_scottish_parliament = Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
|post_town = DUNS
|postcode_district = TD11
|postcode_area = TD
|dial_code=
|static_image_name= Longformacus, Scottish Borders - geograph.org.uk - 699118.jpg
|static_image_caption= entering the village
|london_distance=
|edinburgh_distance=
}}
Longformacus ({{langx|gd|Longphort Mhacais}}) is a small village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.{{cite web|title=OS 25 inch Map 1841-1952|url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=55.8085&lon=-2.4925&layers=168&b=1|website=zoomable map with Bing transparency overlay|publisher=National Library of Scotland|access-date=10 October 2017}} It is around {{convert|10|km}} north-west of Duns, in the Lammermuir Hills. The Dye Water runs through the village, flowing east towards its confluence with the Whiteadder Water nearby.
In the vicinity are traces of an ancient fortification at Runklie or Wrinklaw{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townhistory238.html|title=Longformacus|last=Groome|first=Francis H.|work=Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland|publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland|access-date=27 March 2018}}{{cite book|title=First Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Berwick|url=http://orapweb.rcahms.gov.uk/wp/00/WP003901.pdf|year=1909|publisher=HMSO|page=43}} and the Mutiny Stones cairn.
The opera Lucia di Lammermoor, written by Gaetano Donizetti and based on Sir Walter Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor, was set in the Lammermuirs and an old form of the village's name, Lockermachus, is mentioned in Scott's novel.{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Walter, Sir |title=The heart of Midlothian; The bride of Lammermoor |date=1800 |publisher=Dana Estes & company |location=Boston |page=[https://archive.org/details/midlothia00scotheartofrich/page/380 380] |url=https://archive.org/details/midlothia00scotheartofrich |access-date=31 December 2019 }}
The Southern Upland Way, a Long Distance Route which crosses southern Scotland, passes through the village, and the Sir Walter Scott Way from Moffat to Cockburnspath passes through Longformacus.
Etymology
Longformacus derives its name from the Gaelic Longphort Mhacais, meaning 'Macas's camp'.{{cite web |title=Scottish Parliament - Placenames K-O |url=http://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesK-O.pdf}} Derivation from Lann Fothir Maccus, meaning 'church on the land of Maccus' has also been suggested.{{cite web |title=Place-names of Scotland |year=1892|url=https://archive.org/stream/placenamesofscot00johnuoft/placenamesofscot00johnuoft_djvu.txt}}
History
File:Longformacus House (geograph 2359689).jpg
File:Longformacus Church - geograph.org.uk - 489075.jpg
The church of Longformacus was dedicated by Bishop David de Bernham, 11 March 1243. In 1667 the choir was in ruins, the church itself being "very ruinous." It was rebuilt on the old foundations in 1730, and a thorough renovation was made, in 1895. Our Lady's Well is on the Dye Water, about a quarter of a mile east of the village. The parish was long united to Mordington, but was disjoined in 1666. Longformacus and Ellem were united in 1712; and Ellem church was disused.{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1917 |publisher=Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd |page=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc02scot/page/24 24] |volume=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc02scot |access-date=15 April 2019 }}{{PD-notice}}{{cite book |last1=Rutherfurd |first1=J. and J. H. |title=The southern counties' register and directory; containing much useful and interesting information, and very complete lists connected with the counties of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Selkirk. |date=1866 |publisher=J. and J.H.Ruthderfurd, etc. |location=Kelso |pages=662–666 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hwg1yb&view=1up&seq=353&size=125 |access-date=31 December 2019 }} There was some copper ore in the area which a former minister smelted but large scale production was not successful.{{cite book |last1=Ord |first1=Selby |title=The statistical account of Scotland |date=1791 |publisher=Printed and sold by William Creech |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b21365799_001/page/69 69]-71 |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/b21365799_001 |access-date=31 December 2019 }}{{cite book |last1=Francis Hindes |first1=Groome |title=Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland : a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical and historical |date=1895 |publisher=W. Mackenzie |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazette04groo/page/555 555] |volume=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazette04groo |access-date=31 December 2019 }}
People from Longformacus
- Prof Alexander Christison FRSE{{Cite web |url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |title=Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1783–2002: Part 1 (A–J) |author=C D Waterston |author2=A Macmillan Shearer |website=Royal Society of Edinburgh |isbn=090219884X |date=July 2006 |access-date=18 September 2015 |archive-date=24 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124115814/http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |url-status=dead}}
- Thomas Ord, circus horseman, son of the Longformacus minister.{{cite book |last1=Baird |first1=William |title=Annals of Duddingston and Portobello |date=1898 |publisher=Andrew Elliot |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annalsduddingst00unkngoog/page/n361 329]-332 |url=https://archive.org/details/annalsduddingst00unkngoog |access-date=31 December 2019}}
See also
Places nearby include Cranshaws, Abbey St Bathans, Bonkle, Preston, Scottish Borders, the Whiteadder Water, and Duns.{{cite book |last1=Slater |first1=Isaac |title=Slater's (later Pigot and Co's) Royal national commercial directory and topography of Scotland |date=1886 |publisher=Isaac Slater |location=Manchester |pages=[https://archive.org/details/slaterslaterpigo1886unse/page/331 331]-332 |url=https://archive.org/details/slaterslaterpigo1886unse |access-date=31 December 2019 }}
- List of listed buildings in Longformacus, Scottish Borders{{cite web |url=https://canmore.org.uk/search/site?SIMPLE_KEYWORD=longformacus |title=Longformacus |access-date=2010-05-11 |last= |first= |work=CANMORE |publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland}}
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Longformacus}}
- [http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst238.html Gazetteer for Scotland: Longformacus]
- [http://bordersfhs.org.uk/longformacus.asp Borders Family History Society: Longformacus]
{{Berwickshire towns and villages}}
{{authority control}}