Ellemford & Rigfoot

Ellemford and Rigfoot are two small hamlets on either side of the Whiteadder. This was the key crossing place over the Whiteadder on the road between Duns and Edinburgh. Prior to the bridge being built in 1860 travellers relied on ‘steppy stones’ and a ford. The Ellem Old Inn, which still survives, provided accommodation.

There are remnants of copper mines on either side of the river.

The highlight of each year is the Ellemford Show, always held on the last Saturday in September.

The Ellems of Ellemford – History

Joyce Richardson, who lived at Ellemford for over 20 years, stayed at no 6 Ellemford Farm Cottages and somehow visitors that were looking for their ‘Ellem roots’ would find her. This led to her doing a lot of digging into the origins of the name Ellemford and over time she collected this impressive collection of historical facts and references.

She has passed away, but now and then an ‘Ellem’ stops in front of our house, looking for the origins of their forefathers, often trying to piece together their family tree, often from far-away places like Canada or Australia. Thanks to Joyce their travels aren’t in vain.

When Joyce moved away from Ellemford she gave me her Ellems file for safe keeping. I eventually scanned them in to e-mail to yet another Ellem. So, for anyone interested in where Ellemford may have got its name you can download the files here.