Gifford (pronounced [ˈgɪfəd], with a hard g as in gift) is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude A hard g vs a soft g is a feature that occurs in many Languages including English, in which two East Lothian ( Lodainn an Ear in Gaelic) is one of 32 Unitary council areas in Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It lies approximately 4 miles south of Haddington and 25 miles east of Edinburgh. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.
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. The first Hugo or Hugh de Giffard (or Jiffard was an influential feudal baron in Scotland, and was one of the hostages for the release of King William the Lion in Morham, East Lothian, sometimes spelt Moram Morum Morhame etc East Lothian ( Lodainn an Ear in Gaelic) is one of 32 Unitary council areas in Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. Perthshire ( Siorrachd Pheairt in Gaelic) officially the County of Perth, is a Registration county in central Scotland. Forfar is a town and former Royal burgh of approximately 13500 people located in the Unitary authority of Angus in Scotland. Fordun (vol. John of Fordun (d c 1384 was a Scottish Chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. 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. The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and Clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. 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. A mercat cross is a Market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life There are two inns in the village, the Tweeddale Arms and the Goblin Ha'. The Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha(Goblin Hall, lying 1 1/2 miles south east of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland, is all that remains The latter is named after an underground chamber which is the only remain of Sir Hugh Gifford's castle of Yester, in woodland to the South East of the village. The Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha(Goblin Hall, lying 1 1/2 miles south east of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland, is all that remains The Hobgoblin Hall featured in the novel Marmion by Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout There is also a golf course and a large park (The Bleach Field) which is near the Gifford Water (river).
Gifford was the terminus on a branch railway which was originally intended to extend to Garvald and was built by the Gifford and Garvald Light Railway Company. The Company seal, which features the Gifford Cross, is in The Glasgow Museum of Transport. The line closed in 1947 following the loss of a bridge washed away by flooding. The line operated as far as East Saltoun until the "Beeching" cuts of the 1960s.
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Famous Residents
- Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), composer. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. An owner of Yester House.
- Reverend John Witherspoon, was born in Gifford in 1723. John Witherspoon ( February 15, 1723 &ndash November 15, 1794) was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence 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. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Beith is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. One of its various claims to fame is that a signatory of the American Declaration of Independence Ayrshire (Siorrachd Inbhir Àir ʃir̴əxg̊ iɲiɾʲˈaːɾʲ is a Registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. He was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on 4 July 1776. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
- Willie Wood MBE, Double Commonwealth Games Bowls Gold Medallist, is from Gifford. William "Willie" Wood MBE (b 1938 in Haddington, East Lothian) is a Scottish professional 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.
- Archie Chisholm one of the pioneer speedway riders in Scotland who raced regularly at Marine Gardens between 1928 and 1930 lived in Gifford.
Industries
Whilst mostly within a farming area, a pottery operated at Gifford for a short time in the 1950s.
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
See also
- List of places in East Lothian
- List of castles in Scotland
- Lists of buildings and structures in the United Kingdom
External links
| East Lothian Towns & Villages |
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| Aberlady | Athelstaneford | Auldhame & Scoughall | Bolton | Cockenzie and Port Seton | Dirleton | Drem | Dunbar | East Linton | East Saltoun and West Saltoun | Gifford | Gullane | Haddington | Humbie | Innerwick | Kingston | Longniddry | Macmerry | Musselburgh | North Berwick | Oldhamstocks | Ormiston | Pencaitland | Prestonpans | Tranent | Whitekirk and Tyninghame | Wallyford |
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