Yester Chapel
Encyclopedia
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 .
in the 12th century by King Malcolm IV of Scotland
and his mother Ada de Warenne
. Confirmation of that grant was made at Durham, by Malcolm's brother, William I of Scotland
between 1198 and 1202 to Hugo's son William de Giffard. The king referred to Yester as Jhestrid. The church served the parish until 1421 when the new owners of Yester, the Hay family, applied to the Archbishop of St. Andrews to erect the kirk to college status. The proprietors of the church, William de Hay, Thomas Boyd, Eustace Maxwell and Dougal McDowel made that application. At that time Sir John Richardson was Rector of Bothans Kirk. The new status of the church, The Collegiate Church of St. Cuthbert at Bothans now served the Hay family to pray for their souls. It was attended by a Provost, four prebenaries, a chaplain and singing boys. In 1539, Robert Watherstone was the Provost and the college now had six prebenaries.
, and clear the village of Bothans. They also built a new church, Yester Kirk in 1708, spelling the end for the old kirk at Bothans. Bothans Kirk, now known as Yester Chapel, became the burial aisle of the Hay family. The church has had much restoration and necessary repairs over the years.
Bothans is from the Gaelic, Bothans or Welsh, Bwthyn, both words meaning, a group of small dwellings
Yester House
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 1970s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of...
, at the south-east edge of the village of Gifford
Gifford, East Lothian
Gifford 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.-History:...
in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The chapel is situated at .
History
It is not known when the first church was built but is thought to have been erected by the de Giffard family in the early 13th century, the church having been consecrated by David de Bernham, Bishop of St. Andrews in 1241. Bothans was the original name of the church and village. The lands of Yester were granted to Hugh de GiffardHugh de Giffard
The first Hugo or Hugh de Giffard was an influential feudal baron in Scotland, and was one of the hostages for the release of King William the Lion in 1174....
in the 12th century by King Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
and his mother Ada de Warenne
Ada de Warenne
Ada de Warenne was the Anglo-Norman wife of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria and Earl of Huntingdon. She was the daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey by Elizabeth of Vermandois, and a great-granddaughter of Henry I of France...
. Confirmation of that grant was made at Durham, by Malcolm's brother, William I of Scotland
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
between 1198 and 1202 to Hugo's son William de Giffard. The king referred to Yester as Jhestrid. The church served the parish until 1421 when the new owners of Yester, the Hay family, applied to the Archbishop of St. Andrews to erect the kirk to college status. The proprietors of the church, William de Hay, Thomas Boyd, Eustace Maxwell and Dougal McDowel made that application. At that time Sir John Richardson was Rector of Bothans Kirk. The new status of the church, The Collegiate Church of St. Cuthbert at Bothans now served the Hay family to pray for their souls. It was attended by a Provost, four prebenaries, a chaplain and singing boys. In 1539, Robert Watherstone was the Provost and the college now had six prebenaries.
After the Reformation
After the reformation in 1560, the church returned to being the Parish Church of Bothans or Bothanis as it was sometimes known, with the Hay family still the principal proprietors. That situation continued until the Hays, now the Marquesses of Tweeddale, decided to build a new village, Gifford, East LothianGifford, East Lothian
Gifford 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.-History:...
, and clear the village of Bothans. They also built a new church, Yester Kirk in 1708, spelling the end for the old kirk at Bothans. Bothans Kirk, now known as Yester Chapel, became the burial aisle of the Hay family. The church has had much restoration and necessary repairs over the years.
Word Meanings
Yester from Yestryd, Cymric for strath or daleBothans is from the Gaelic, Bothans or Welsh, Bwthyn, both words meaning, a group of small dwellings