 The name Pinkie, first recorded in the 12th century as "Pontekyn", may derive from the Welsh words "pant" (valley) and "cyn" (wedge), referring to its situation at the end of the valley of the Esk.Pinkie was formerly the country seat of the abbots of Dunfermline, and the tower house was built some time in the 16th century on the site of the Battle of Pinkie.In 1597, following the Reformation, it passed to Alexander Seton.