Melgum
Melgum # NBN S NO4403 2
Melgow 1306 Dunf. Reg. no. 590
camp<us> qui vocatur Melgum 1306 Dunf. Reg. no. 590 [also contains pasture; NBN Introduction, Med. Marches no. 2]
montis de Melgum c.1335 Dunf. Reg. no. 334 [‘of the hill of Melgum’; NBN Introduction, Med. Marches no. 3]
montis de Melgum 1542 NAS C2/28 no. 305 [see NBN Introduction, Newburnshire]
Hawhill de Melgum 1555 Dunf. Reg. no. 576
Melgum c.1560 s Assumption 24 [rental of Dunfermline Abbey; Melgum and *Lawgreens (Lawgrenis) NBN]
Melgum 1561 Dunf. Reg. p. 428 [associated with *Lawgreens; see NBN Introduction, Newburnshire]
Melgum 1563 RMS iv no. 1477 [associated with *Lawgreens; see NBN Introduction, Newburnshire, footnote]
Melgund 1594 RMS vi no. 75 (col. 3)
Melgum 1596 Retours (Fife) no. 1530 [Alexander Wood (Wod) of Lambieletham (Lambelethame) CMN, lands of Monturpie NBN; a third part of the lands of Melgum and *Lawgreens (Lawgreins)]
Melgum 1625 Retours (Fife) no. 352 [David Simpson (Sympsoun), a third part of the lands of Melgum and Lawgreens (Lawgrennes)]
? Balgan 1654 Blaeu (Pont) East Fife [possibly scribal/engraver’s error for Melgum, shown on east side of Largo Law]
Melgum 1667 Retours (Fife) no. 1017 [David Simpson (Symsone), in the lands of MonturpieNBN; and a third part of the lands of Melgum and Lawgreens (Langreines sic for Laugreines)]
(lands of) Melgume 1669 Retours no. 1057 [David Auchmuty in the lands of Lahill (Hallhill) NBN; lands of Melgum and Lawgreens (Lawgreins), in the parish of Newburn-shire (Newbirnshyre)]
Melgum 1799 RHP22853
Back Melgum 1799 RHP22853 [field-name on Monturpie LAR on north-east side of Largo Law at NO430057][271]
Back Melgund 1908 Monturpie Plan/1908 [lying north of the farm of Monturpie at NO430057]
This is a difficult name. It may contain a rare word related to OIr melg ‘milk’ (found in Dwelly as meilg m. and marked as obsolete). It appears to have no Welsh cognate, and it is not discussed in Watson 1926. The second element ends so consistently in m that this probably best reflects the original ending. It is therefore likely that the earliest recorded form Melgow (1306 Dunf. Reg. no. 59) is a scribal or transcription error for *Melgom. It is unclear whether the second element derives from a distinct word or from some kind of suffix or extension. The same element or elements underlie the names Melgam Water, Lintrathen ANG, Melgum, Tarland ABD, and Melgund, Aberlemno ANG; while the first element is found in Meldrum ABD, Melginch, the old name for St Martins parish near Scone PER and probably Megginch by Errol PER.
The name seems to have been superseded by the name Lahill, hence the above NGR. Originally Lahill was part of the lands of Melgum, as can be seen by the name Hawhill de Melgum (1555).
This place-name appeared in printed volume 2