Yester House
Encyclopedia
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 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.
, an Englishman, in the 12th century. Yester Castle
, around 1 miles (1.6 km) south-east of the present house, was built by the Giffords in the later 13th century.
The heiress of the Giffords married into the Hay family
, who were raised to the peerage in 1488 as Lord Hay of Yester. In 1646 the 8th Lord Hay was created Earl of Tweeddale, and considered the building of a new house at Yester. The 1st Earl acquired his title for his support of Charles I
, but later served in two Commonwealth Parliaments. His son, the 2nd Earl of Tweeddale, was appointed to the Privy Council of Scotland
after the Restoration
. He began improvements to the estate, including the planting of over 6000 acres (2,428.1 ha) of woodland. It was around this time that the medieval village of Yester was moved to its current location at Gifford
. The Earl consulted Sir William Bruce in 1670, with a view to commissioning a new house, although nothing was done at this time. Formal gardens were established and parkland laid out through the 1680s and 1690s.
For his support of William of Orange
, the 2nd Earl was appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland
in 1692 and 1st Marquess of Tweeddale
in 1694. John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale
, who inherited the estate in 1697, appointed James Smith
and Alexander McGill to begin work on a new house in 1697. The 2nd Marquess supported the Acts of Union
and served at Westminster as a representative peer
. When he died in 1713 the building work was still underway; the main house was complete by 1715, when the 3rd Marquess died.
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
, also served as a representative peer from 1722. The interior of the house was complete by 1728, but in 1729 the 4th Marquess appointed William Adam to make alterations to the roof and main façade, and in the mid 1730s to the interiors. William was succeeded as architect at Yester by his sons Robert
and John
, who carried out alterations inside in 1761, and another redesign of the façade in the 1780s, as well as redesigning the gardens in an informal style in the 1760s. The house was altered in the 1830s, with the entrance moved to the west front, and was modernised at the end of the 19th century by Robert Rowand Anderson
for the 11th Marquess.
The estate was sold after the death of David Hay, 12th Marquess of Tweeddale, in 1967. In 1972 it was bought by the Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti
because of the acoustics of the ballroom. After Menotti's death, the house was marketed by his family with a price of between £12 million and £15 million. According the sales particulars the house has a gross internal area of 3213 square metres (3,842.7 sq yd). In September 2010 the guide price was reduced to £8 million, with the exclusion of 120 hectares (296.5 acre) of woodlands from the sale, and in November 2010 it was reported that the house was being purchased by pop singer Lady Gaga
, although this was denied by the estate agent.
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...
. It was the home of the Hay family
Clan Hay
Clan Hay is a Scottish clan that has played an important part in the history and politics of Scotland. Members of the clan are to be found in most parts of Scotland and in many other parts of the world. However, the North East of Scotland, i.e...
, 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 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
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...
, the national listing of significant gardens.
History
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....
, an Englishman, in the 12th century. Yester Castle
Yester Castle
Yester Castle is a ruined castle, located south east of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The only remaining structure is the subterranean Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha' ...
, around 1 miles (1.6 km) south-east of the present house, was built by the Giffords in the later 13th century.
The heiress of the Giffords married into the Hay family
Clan Hay
Clan Hay is a Scottish clan that has played an important part in the history and politics of Scotland. Members of the clan are to be found in most parts of Scotland and in many other parts of the world. However, the North East of Scotland, i.e...
, who were raised to the peerage in 1488 as Lord Hay of Yester. In 1646 the 8th Lord Hay was created Earl of Tweeddale, and considered the building of a new house at Yester. The 1st Earl acquired his title for his support of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, but later served in two Commonwealth Parliaments. His son, the 2nd Earl of Tweeddale, was appointed to the Privy Council of Scotland
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
after the Restoration
Restoration (Scotland)
The Restoration of the monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the government of occupation that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. He began improvements to the estate, including the planting of over 6000 acres (2,428.1 ha) of woodland. It was around this time that the medieval village of Yester was moved to its current location at 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:...
. The Earl consulted Sir William Bruce in 1670, with a view to commissioning a new house, although nothing was done at this time. Formal gardens were established and parkland laid out through the 1680s and 1690s.
For his support of William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, the 2nd Earl was appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
in 1692 and 1st Marquess of Tweeddale
Marquess of Tweeddale
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 , Viscount of Walden , Lord Hay of Yester , and Baron Tweeddale, of Yester in the County of Haddington...
in 1694. John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale was a Scottish nobleman.Hay was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Jean, daughter of Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch. In 1666, at Highgate in London, he married Lady Mary Maitland, daughter of John Maitland, 1st Duke of...
, who inherited the estate in 1697, appointed James Smith
James Smith (architect)
James Smith was a Scottish architect, who pioneered the Palladian style in Scotland. He was described by Colen Campbell, in his Vitruvius Britannicus , as "the most experienced architect of that kingdom".-Biography:...
and Alexander McGill to begin work on a new house in 1697. The 2nd Marquess supported the Acts of Union
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were two Parliamentary Acts - the Union with Scotland Act passed in 1706 by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland - which put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706,...
and served at Westminster as a representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
. When he died in 1713 the building work was still underway; the main house was complete by 1715, when the 3rd Marquess died.
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale PC was a Scottish nobleman.Tweeddale was an able and accomplished statesman, and possessed considerable knowledge of law. He was appointed an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1721, the last person to hold this office. He was one of the Scottish representative...
, also served as a representative peer from 1722. The interior of the house was complete by 1728, but in 1729 the 4th Marquess appointed William Adam to make alterations to the roof and main façade, and in the mid 1730s to the interiors. William was succeeded as architect at Yester by his sons Robert
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and John
John Adam (architect)
John Adam was a Scottish architect. Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of Kirkcaldy, Fife, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam. His younger brothers Robert and James Adam also became architects.The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career...
, who carried out alterations inside in 1761, and another redesign of the façade in the 1780s, as well as redesigning the gardens in an informal style in the 1760s. The house was altered in the 1830s, with the entrance moved to the west front, and was modernised at the end of the 19th century by Robert Rowand Anderson
Robert Rowand Anderson
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson RSA was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his main work was small churches in the 'First Pointed' style that is characteristic of...
for the 11th Marquess.
The estate was sold after the death of David Hay, 12th Marquess of Tweeddale, in 1967. In 1972 it was bought by the Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
because of the acoustics of the ballroom. After Menotti's death, the house was marketed by his family with a price of between £12 million and £15 million. According the sales particulars the house has a gross internal area of 3213 square metres (3,842.7 sq yd). In September 2010 the guide price was reduced to £8 million, with the exclusion of 120 hectares (296.5 acre) of woodlands from the sale, and in November 2010 it was reported that the house was being purchased by pop singer Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, although this was denied by the estate agent.