Gifford, East Lothian

Map sources for Gifford, East Lothian at grid reference NT5367

Gifford (pronounced [ˈgɪfəd], with a hard g as in gift) is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 4 miles south of Haddington and 25 miles east of Edinburgh. The village takes its name from Sir Hugo de Gifford of Yester, from the ancient Norman family of that name which produced the noted magician, and who possessed the baronies of Yester, Morham, and Duncanlaw in Haddingtonshire, and Tayling and Poldame in the counties of Perthshire and Forfar. Fordun (vol. ii, p.105) notes his death in 1267. An Act of Parliament in 1661 narrated various ancient Writs, amongst which is the following: "A confirmation granted by Johanna Hay, of Louchquerant, eldest daughter and one of the airs of umquhill Hew Giffart, Domini de Yester, to William Hay, of Louchquerwart [sic] her son and heir etc., of certain infeftments, etc., dated at Haddington, 1st December, 1399." Gifford became a named settlement in 1708. The initial chief industry in the town was the paper mill, which was once the source of the Bank of Scotland's bank notes. However, this mill closed in the late 18th century and since then the village has largely been residential and supported local farming communities. The town church (c.1710) has a bell which dates from the 15th century, possibly brought there from the original parish church at Yester, while the Mercat Cross was built in 1780 and is still standing in the town square. There are two inns in the village, the Tweeddale Arms and the Goblin Ha'. The latter, named after an underground chamber, the only remains of Sir Hugh Gifford's castle of Yester, in woodland to the South East of the village, on the boundary of the policies of Yester House. The Hobgoblin Hall featured in the novel Marmion by Sir Walter Scott. There is also a golf course and a large park which is near the Gifford Water (river).

Famous Residents

• Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), composer. An owner of Yester House.
• Reverend John Witherspoon, was born in Gifford in 1723. He studied at the Haddington Grammar School, gained an M.A., from the University of Edinburgh in 1739, and was a Presbyterian minister in Beith, Ayrshire, before accepting an offer from Princeton in New Jersey to be their 6th President. He was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on 4 July 1776.
• Willie Wood MBE, Double Commonwealth Games Bowls Gold Medallist, is from Gifford. He learned the sport at the Gifford Bowling Club, and as well as a large collection of medals he holds the record of competing in seven Commonwealth Games.

References

• History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, etc., by John Burke, London, 1836, vol. 3, p.434/5.
• The Princeton Connection, by David G C Burns, in The Scottish Genealogist, vol.LII, no.4, December 2005, Edinburgh, ISSN 0300-337X

External links

• Gifford at Undiscovered Scotland

Coordinates: 55°89′N, 2°75′W