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The village of Gifford grew
up around the Estate of the Marquess of Tweeddale.
A settlement
called Bothans developed around the main dwelling but was
demolished
in
the late 17th century when the present village was established.
The village initially developed in
association with textile and paper mills and
had two annual fairs.
The paper mill, which closed in the 1770s, produced Bank of Scotland
notes.
The
name "Yester" figures large in the village and this word derives
from "Ihestrith"
which means a valley, in this case, the course
of the local river.
The name Gifford stems from one
Hugo Giffard
of Yester.
The now ruined Yester
Castle was built in the 13th century and what little remains
form the
celebrated Goblin Ha', a very strange underground
chamber
said to have
been built using supernatural powers.
The
present Yester House was built and improved between 1699 and 1728 with
architect
William Adam and his son Robert making a significant
contribution.
The
High St. is the oldest part of the village with buildings dating back to
the 17th century,
most notably perhaps, the Tweeddale Arms Hotel,
originally referred to
as "The Great Inn at Gifford".
The
beautiful and impressive Avenue was first planted with Lime trees in the
late 17th century and some of the originals are still to be seen.
The ancient parish of Yester, from the
Statistical Account, published in 1835,
is essential reading for those
interested in the history of Gifford,
providing a wealth of information.
For more information about the origins of the
village, see
" The Origins of Gifford" by John Simpson,
published in the
Transactions of the East Lothian Antiquarian and Field
Naturalists' Society,
18th volume (1984), pp.5-21.
This includes lots of
references to inhabitants living here around 1700,
sketch plans showing the
development of the village, names of feuars,
and
a great many references
to
original documentary records from the time.
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