Nicolas Elphinstone (original) (raw)

Nicolas Elphinstone (died 1579) was a Scottish courtier and diplomatic messenger. On 1 August 1566 he obtained the lands of Schank from James Sandilands, Preceptor of Torphichen. The Place of Schank was north of the Arniston estate in Midlothian, and an image representing the house was drawn on a 16th-century estate map. The walled garden of a later house on the site of Schank can be seen at Gore Glen Woodland Park, on the higher ground between the South Esk and the Gore Water. The wooded area between these rivers is known as the "Shank Tongue" or "Shank Point".