| Yester Parish Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Churchmanship | Reformed |
| Website | Yester, Bolton and Saltoun Church website |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Yester, Bolton and Saltoun |
| Presbytery | Lothian |
Yester Parish Church is a church of the Church of Scotland in the village of Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland. The village forms part of Yester, Bolton and Saltoun parish, and is a linked charge with Humbie Parish Church.
Several church buildings have been used during the history of the parish. The earliest record of a church in the area (St Bathan's Chapel) is from 1241. Its ruins lie in the woods beside Yester House, to the south-west of the village centre. A church also once stood at Duncanlaw, a former settlement to the south-east of the main village.
The present building dates to 1708, and stands towards the north of the village, at the main road junction, just behind the village war memorial. The church is a Category A listed building. [1]
Rev. John Witherspoon was born in Gifford manse in 1723, the son of Rev. James Alexander Witherspoon, the local minister. John Witherspoon emigrated and became a major leader of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was the only clergyman to sign the United States Declaration of Independence.
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was also known as Haddingtonshire.
Marquess of Tweeddale is a title of the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1694 for the 2nd Earl of Tweeddale. Lord Tweeddale holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Tweeddale, Earl of Gifford (1694), Viscount of Walden (1694), Lord Hay of Yester (1488), and Baron Tweeddale, of Yester in the County of Haddington (1881), all but the last in the Peerage of Scotland. As Baron Tweeddale in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, Lord Tweeddale sat between 1881 and 1963 in the House of Lords. The Marquess's eldest son uses Viscount Walden as a courtesy title.
Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Peebles in the Borders of Scotland. The castle is both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by appointment.
Colonel Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale,, known before 1862 as Lord Arthur Hay and between 1862 and 1876 as Viscount Walden, was a Scottish soldier and ornithologist.
Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale was a Scottish soldier and administrator. He served as a staff officer in the Peninsular War under Arthur Wellesley and was with Wellesley at the Second Battle of Porto when they crossed the Douro river and routed Marshal Soult's French troops in Porto. Hay also saw action at the Battle of Bussaco and at the Battle of Vitoria. He later served in the War of 1812 and commanded the 100th Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Chippawa when he was taken prisoner of war. He went on to become governor of Madras and, at the same time, Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, in which role he restored the discipline of the army, which had been allowed to fall into a relaxed state.
Bolton is a hamlet and the third smallest parish in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Haddington and 20 miles (32 km) east of Edinburgh, and is an entirely agricultural parish, 6 miles (9.7 km) long by about 1.25 miles (2.01 km) wide. The most notable buildings in the hamlet are the Parish Church, an 18th-century dovecote or "doo'cot" and the former Bolton Primary School, which now serves as the village hall.
Gifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Haddington and 25 miles (40 km) east of Edinburgh.
Yester Castle is a ruined castle, located 1+1⁄2 miles southeast of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The only remaining complete structure is the subterranean Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha' . It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, recorded as such by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).
George Hay, Earl of Gifford was a British Liberal Party politician.
John Hay, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl of Tweeddale was Lord Chancellor of Scotland.
Garvald is a village south-east of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies on the Papana Water south of the B6370, east of Gifford. The combined parish of Garvald and Bara, borders Whittingehame to the East, Morham to the North, Yester to the West, and Lauder to the South. It is mainly an agricultural parish. The red freestone once constantly mined in this parish was well known throughout the whole country.
Humbie Parish Church is a church in the small village of Humbie, East Lothian, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland, and is a linked charge which joins the parishes of Bolton & Saltoun, Yester and Humbie.
Saltoun Parish Church is a church in East Saltoun, East Lothian, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland, and serves the parish of Yester, Bolton and Saltoun, which includes the villages of Gifford, Bolton, East Saltoun and West Saltoun.
Yester Chapel is situated on the estate of Yester House, at the south-east edge of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The chapel is situated at grid reference NT544671. It is a Category A listed building.
Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the late 1960s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of building phases. It is now protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds of the house are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens.
William Montagu Hay, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale KT DL, known before 1878 as Lord William Hay or Lord William Montagu Hay, was a Scottish landowner, peer and politician. He was born at Yester House, near Gifford, East Lothian, and served in British India as a member of the Bengal Civil Service and later as a Liberal Member of Parliament.
William George Montagu Hay, 11th Marquess of Tweeddale JP was a Scottish aristocrat, land owner and soldier.
James Hay, 7th Lord Hay of Yester (1564-1609) was a Scottish landowner and courtier.
Peter Hay Hunter (1854–1909) was a minister of the Church of Scotland and a prolific author.