Ecclesmachan Parish Kirk lies on the West side of the B8046 from Uphall to Threemiletown, South-east of Linlithgow, on the banks of the Mains Burn.
Ecclesmachan Kirk, from the West
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The eccles element in the placename of Ecclesmachan clearly has Celtic roots, from either Old Welsh eglwys or Gàidhlig eaglais, both meaning "church". Either derivation is possible, since this area of West Lothian does have many Gàidhlig, as well as the more common Brythonic placenames.
Ecclesmachan Kirk, Looking East
The second element refers to a St. Machan, about whom very little is known, although it is thought by some that he lived in the sixth or seventh century, and was a disciple of St. Cadog of Llancarfan. Other theories suggest he was educated in Ireland, and was ordained in Rome. The form of his name, however, might suggest a Gàidhlig ethnicity, and so the placename could easily be from the later, Gàidhlig period of settlement in West Lothian, although Watson considers the Brythonic (Old Welsh) derivation to be the more likely.[1] Equally, an alternative older name for the kirk and village is Inch Machan, which would suggest Gàidhlig, rather than Brythonic provenance, inch ("island") being a common term for specifically Gàidhlig Christian sites, regardless of whether or not they are given to actual islands, whereas Brythonic ynys generally does mean an island as such. St. Machan's feast day is September 28th.
Most of the remaining kirk at Ecclesmachan dates from 1710, with some further work being carried out in 1822 and 1908.
Ecclesmachan Kirk, from the South-east
However, the original kirk was built in the early thirteenth century, and two Norman arched doorways can be found on the South wall, although the East door may in fact be a Victorian reconstruction from around 1822.
Early C13th Norman West Door
Victorian "Norman" East Door
On the North-east corner of the kirk, a medieval font can be found.
Medieval Font
thanks to Gordon from Virtual Ecclesmachan for information on the Norman doors
more to follow...
footnotes
[1] WJ Watson, Celtic Place-Names of Scotland (Edinburgh: 1926), p.153.