Martin, many thanks for the info!!
You are right about Adam Wallace Elmslie's wife. She was Sarah Ann Lloyd. Interestingly, Adam was a witness at the wedding of one of my Gordon ancestors and an executor in the Will of another.
Alexis was Adam and Sarah 10th child [!!!] and she was born 16.10.1838 in Kennington, London. I have some details of each of the other children if you haven't got them.
Sadly, the book by Veronica Maude Bates isn't available at the British Library but I may find it in a second hand bookshop here.
As for John Foster Elmslie, thanks for the tip re The Scotsman. As it happens I have just spent a week in Scotland where I could easily have searched The Scotsman for free....just my luck!!
I have also discovered from the 1875 Will of John Glenny Gordon, one of 'my' Gordons, that he bequeather John Foster Elmslie 1000 pounds and his wife 100 pounds. He also bequeathed them two paintings “the life size portraits in oil of my late aunts Helen Forbes Stuart and Caroline Elmslie.” I wonder where they are now ?? Mrs Elmslie's portrait that you saw for sale in 1900 might be that of Caroline Elmslie. She was John Foster Elmslie's mother.
The hunt goes on....
Alistair