Amt Ellar, Amt Mengerskirchen,

and combinations thereof

Herrschaft Ellar was probably founded in the 13th century and was briefly in the possession of the House of Nassau in the 14th century. At that time, it consisted of the parishes of Lahr, Bleseberg (later Frickhofen), Niederzeutzheim. and Elsoff. It was returned to Ottonian-Nassau in 1557 and in 1561 became an Amt in the unified county. When the Ottonian lands were partitioned in 1607, Amt Ellar was assigned to the County of Hadamar.

 

Amt Mengerskirchen was formed in 1620, when the Beilstein line, which controlled the Mengerskirchen parish, died out. Like Amt Ellar, the new Amt was part of the County of Hadamar and originally consisted of the parishes of Mengerskirchen and Elsoff.

 

The Hadamar line died out in 1711 and its lands were redistributed six years later. Neither Amt Ellar nor Amt Mengerskirchen survived that redistribution intact. The parish of Niederzeutzheim moved from Amt Ellar to Amt Hadamar and was awarded to the Catholic County of Siegen. The parish of Elsoff was reassigned to Amt Stuhlgebiet in the County of Dietz. The parishes of Mengerskirchen, Lahr, and Frickhofen were combined into Amt Mengerskirchen-Ellar in the County of Dillenburg.

 

When the Dillenburg line died out in 1739, Amt Mengerskirchen-Ellar joined the County of Dietz. For one year, beginning in 1742, all formerly Hadamar territory held by Dietz, including Amt Mengerskirchen-Ellar, was traded to the Catholic County of Siegen. However, all of that territory reverted to Dietz when the Siegen count died in 1743, thereby creating a unified Ottonian county.

 

The following year, Amt Mengerskirchen-Ellar was abolished, as all former Hadamar lands were administered as a single unit. That lasted until 1775, when Ämter were again created. This time, the parishes of Lahr, Frickhofen, Elsoff, and Mengerskirchen were combined into Amt Ellar-Mengerskirchen. In 1782, they were joined by the Nenderoth and Niedershausen parishes from the former Herrschaft Beilstein, and the Neunkirchen parish from the Herrschaft zum Westerwald.

 

Finally, in 1790, Ellar and Mengerskirchen were again split into separate Ämter, with Ellar receiving the parishes of Lahr and Frickhofen and Mengerskirchen receiving the parishes of Mengerskirchen, Elsoff, Nenderoth, Niedershausen, and Neunkirchen.