Ancrum

William J. Watson derived Ancrum from the river-name Alne + Cumbric or Gaelic '''', meaning 'bend of the river Alne'. ==History==

In the 13th century the Bishop of Glasgow William de Bondington had a residence here but the location is still being investigated. Much of the history of the area has been written about by Alexander Jeffrey in his paper to the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club. There is also wider background information in his 4 volume work History and antiquities of Roxburghshire and adjacent districts, from the most remote period to the present time. This latter work also has a section on Ancrum. Two local landmarks which are visible from certain areas around the village are the Waterloo Monument and the Timpendean Tower. Ancrum sits in a loop in the Ale Water which is where the name derives from (crooked land on the Ale). The Ale joins the River Teviot just to the south which in turn then flows past Monteviot House. Walter Kerr, laird of Cessford, seized the House of Ancrum in January 1544 which belonged to the Earl of Bothwell. Regent Arran sent a force against him. The area just north of the village was the site of the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545 when the village was substantially destroyed. Nether Ancrum became a burgh of barony in 1639. ==Notable people==

• William de Bondington, chancellor of Scotland • Robert Bennet of Chesters, prisoner on the Bass Rock. • Archibald Elliot (1760–1823), architect. • John Livingston (1603–1672), a leading Covenanter, was minister in Ancrum from 1648 to 1662 when he was exiled to Rotterdam. His house in Ancrum still bears a mark "The Manse of John Livingston". • Robert Livingston the Elder, (1654–1728), born in Ancrum, was the secretary for Indian affairs of the New York Province and the first lord of Livingston Manor. • William Rutherford, physiologist • John Veitch (1752–1839), the founder of the Veitch Nurseries business, was born in Ancrum. ==See also==