Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland
Ormiston (from Orme's Tun - Orme's Settlemen't) is near Edinburgh, East Lothian, Scotland.
Some believe that Ormiston took its name from 'Orm of Abernethy' in the 12th century, but the area was settled by Norwegians before that time and the Norse place-name 'Orme's Tun' suggests an earlier date.
In 1127, Robert; Bishop of St. Andrews, claimed that "all the churches of the whole of Lothian in common owe obedience to the Bishop of St. Andrews," and among those present on the occasion of this declaration was Orm, Priest of Houm (Hume).
Hugh, hereditary Abbot of Abernethy (Culdee Monastary), died in 1150 (or near to that date). He was succeeded by his son Orm de Abernethy, and he in turn was succeeded by his son Lawrence. The house of Abernethy was a branch of the Clan MacDuff, and the head of the house was known by the title of Lord Abernethy. As the ecclesiastical representatives of the House of Fife branch of the Kindred of Saint Columba, the House of Abernethy held the right to inaugurate Kings of Scotland.
In the late 12th century, King William the Lion gave the church of Abernethy to the Abbey of Arbroath. During the reign of Robert the Bruce the transaction was completed and Lawrence of Abernethy (Orm's son) passed the right of inaugurating Kings to the Abbey of Arbroath, retaining his lands and the title of Dominus or Lord of Abernethy.
The “model village” — John Cockburn
Ormiston is famous as Scotland’s first planned (or “model”) village. In the 1730s John Cockburn of Ormiston laid out a new village (around 1735–36) with housing for artisans, mills and linen/bleaching works as part of agricultural and industrial improvement schemes. The linen/bleachfield and a distillery were tried but the linen venture largely failed and the estate was later sold to the Earl of Hopetoun.
Industrial & later history
After the 18th-century experiment Ormiston’s economy shifted: there were bleachfields, a brewery, and later coal-mining on the East Lothian coalfield (small pits and the Ormiston Coal Company). Ormiston Hall (the laird’s seat) survives in ruined form, and the parish tree known as the “Great/ Cathedral Yew” is a notable ancient survivor nearby.
People & cultural notes
Notable associations include the missionary Robert Moffat (born locally) and links to literary figures (e.g., connections with the Cockburn family). The mercat cross on the Main Street is a surviving medieval feature and is cared for as a listed historic monument.