The Lordship and Barony of Hailes is a

Scottish feudal lordship A feudal lordship is a feudal title that is held ''in baroneum'', which Latin term means that its holder, who is called a feudal lord, is also always a feudal baron. A feudal lordship is an ancient title of nobility. The holder may or may not be ...

feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

of higher degree). Hailes is traditionally believed to have been founded by an Englishman, taken prisoner in the reign of

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, beco ...

, who was rewarded with the grant of lands in East Lothian for having rescued the Earl of Dunbar and March from an attacking horse. Patrick de Dunbar, 9th Earl of March granted the Barony of Hailes to Adam de Hepburn (or Hibburne or Hyburne) in 1343 (thus the Hepburns held Hailes in heritage from the

Earl of March Earl of March is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or borderlands between England and either Wales ( Welsh Marches) or Scotland ( Scottish ...

, who in turn held it on behalf of the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

); Hew Gourlay of Beinstoun having earlier forfeited the lands. On 20 December 1451, James II, King of Scots, granted Sir Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord Hailes, and his heirs and assignees, the lands of the Lordship of Hailes, including

Hailes Castle Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south-west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its ...

, and other lands, to be incorporated into the free barony of Hailes. Sir Patrick Hepburn was created a peer of the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

under the title Lord Hailes in 1453. The Lordship and Barony of Hailes remained in the Hepburn family until 20 December 1567 when it was forfeited to the Parliament of Scotland by

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent Scottish nobleman. He was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband ...

. On 1 October 1594, it was granted to Sir

Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch (1565 – 15 December 1611) was a Scottish nobleman and famous border reiver, known as the "Bold Buccleuch" and leader of Kinmont Willie's Raid. Scott was the son of Sir Walter Sco ...

, remaining with the Scott family until around the time of the Cromwellian invasion 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 ...

in 1650 when it came into the possession of the

Earls of Winton The title Earl of Winton was once created in the Peerage of Scotland, and again the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now held by the Earl of Eglinton. The title was first bestowed on Robert Seton, 8th Lord Seton. His descendants held it unt ...

. In 1692, the Lordship and Barony of Hailes was disponed by James Melville of Halhill to Sir David Dalrymple, advocate

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...

Ref. GD26.3.1135 and remained in the Dalrymple family until 1876 when it was transferred to

A.J. Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the L ...

(later created The 1st

Earl of Balfour Earl of Balfour is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1922 for Conservative politician Arthur Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905 and Foreign Secretary from 1916 to 1919. The earldom wa ...

). The ''caput baronium'' (or simply "caput") of the Lordship and Barony of Hailes is Hailes Castle.

Barons of Hailes

Holders of the barony in heritage from Patrick de Dunbar, 9th Earl of March, who held it on behalf of the Crown:

Lords and Barons of Hailes

On 20 Dec 1451, James II, King of Scots, granted the Lordship and Barony of Hailes to Sir Patrick Hepburn, thereby converting the Barony that had been held in heritage from the Earl of March into a Lordship and Barony granted by the King. a: From 2003 until 2008, the Lordship and Barony of Hailes was held by the estate of the late Gerald Balfour, 4th Earl of Balfour

References

External links

Electric Scotland Website

Burkes Peerage Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lordship and Barony of Hailes Feudalism in Scotland Scottish society Hailes Hailes Titles in Scotland Lists of nobility Noble titles Scots law