Halydean (pronounced "Hollydeen," and also spelled "Holydean") is a Scottish feudal Crown Barony and Lordship in

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

in the neighbourhood of Kelso, in the Borderlands of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, along the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...

. This area along the Tweed is home to the Scottish border clans, including the Armstrongs, Douglases, Elliots, Johnstones, Kers, Moffats, and many others. The Barony and Lordship of Halydean (Holydean) is one of the oldest Norman feudal baronies in Scotland with a living claimant. Lord of Halydean

The first Lord Halydean was created by King David I of Scotland when he erected the Barony and Lordship of Halydean in 1128. The

Abbot of Kelso The Abbot of Kelso (later Commendator of Kelso) was the head of the Tironensian monastic community at Kelso Abbey in the Scottish Borders. The Abbey was originally founded at Selkirk in 1113 by David, Prince of the Cumbrians (r. 1113–1124), and t ...

from

Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed ...

was the local lord, who ruled one of the most powerful ecclesiastical burghs in all of Scotland. This burgh was rivaled only by St. Andrews (another burgh). David I brought the monks from Tiron in Picardy, whom he transferred from Selkirk. The monks were part of the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

until 1545 when the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

reduced the abbey to ruins. The next Lord of Halydean was made in 1602 when the Barony and Lordship of Halydean was assigned to Sir Rober Ker of Cessford, who was made 1st Earl of Roxburghe. One of his heirs became the

Duke of Roxburghe The Duke of Roxburghe () is a title in the peerage of Scotland created in 1707 along with the titles ''Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford'', ''Earl of Kelso'' and ''Viscount Broxmouth''. John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe became the first holder ...

, and eventually the Lordship and Barony of Halydean were assigned in the traditional Scottish manner to a member of

Clan Moffat Clan Moffat is a Lowland Scottish clan of ancient origin. The clan was leaderless and obscure from the mid 16th century until 1983, when Francis Moffat of that Ilk was recognised as the hereditary chief of the clan by Lord Lyon King of Arms.Way ...

, another Scottish border clan. Taylor Moffitt of Halydean is the present Baron and Lord of Halydean, the 15th Baron and Lord of Halydean since secularization in 1602. The incumbent is Ewan Moffitt of Halydean, yr, according to the customs of

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

References

{{Reflist Feudalism in Scotland History of the Scottish Borders Scottish society Halydean Halydean Titles in Scotland Lists of nobility Noble titles Scots law

See also

References