The first Hugh de Giffard (or Jiffard) was an influential feudal baron in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and one of the hostages for the release of King

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

in 1174. It is said that this family came to Britain with

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

in the person of Walter, Count de Longueville. However, Barrow states the family were dependents of de Varenne (or de Warenne) and simply came from Longueville-la-Gifart in

Seine Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Infé ...

. The East Lothian village of Gifford and a nearby stream, Gifford Water, both take their names from this family. Two of this family appeared in Scotland in the train of

Ada de Warenne Ada de Warenne (or Adeline de Varenne) ( 1120 – 1178) was the Anglo-Norman wife of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria and Earl of Huntingdon. She was the daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey by Elizabeth of Vermandois, an ...

, daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey (she married in 1139 Prince Henry (d.1152) son of

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Mal ...

(d.1153): Hugh (1) and William, a

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, who became "ecclesiastical advisor" to King David I. Hugh (whom Martine calls "an Englishman") obtained lands in East Lothian, where he settled. William perambulated with King David in Perthshire and was a witness on many important charters, notably the foundation charter of

Jedburgh Abbey Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century, is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders north of the border with England at Carter Bar. History Towards the middle of the 9th century, when ...

and others for Countess Ada. He and Hugh witnessed a charter of King David granting lands at

Crail Crail (); gd, Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018). Etymology The name ''C ...

. From

Malcolm IV of Scotland Malcolm IV ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Eanric, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 11419 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest ...

he obtained lands at Yester (''Jhestrith'') in the parish of St. Bothans, East Lothian., Hugh appears in further royal charters until after 1189, and appears to have witnessed many of the charters of King

(ruled 1165–1214), under whom he rose to distinction. His son and heir was William de Giffard of Yester, who was sent on a mission to England in 1200 and who also witnessed several charters of William, 'The Lion'. In 1244 he was one of the guarantees of a treaty with England,Anderson, Alan O., ''Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers AD500 – 1286'', London, 1908: 355. when he must have been a good age. His son, Hugh de Giffard of Yester (2), was one of the Guardians of

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. His ...

and his Queen; and one of the Regents of the Kingdom appointed by the Treaty of Roxburgh dated 20 September 1255. According to the practice of those feudal times, he had his own sheriff. This Hugh de Gifford built a castle, or

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

, at Yester (half a mile south-east of the present-day

Yester House 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 late 1960s. Construction of the present house began in 1699 ...

) on a promontory between the Hopes Water and a little tributary, the Gamuelston Burn. To the north is one side of a high curtain wall with an offset base. Beneath it a stair descends to the cavern called Bohall or Hobgoblin Hall, ( Goblin Ha'), featured in Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's '' Marmion'', which Gifford was said to have constructed by magic.

Walter Bower Walter Bower (or Bowmaker; 24 December 1449) was a Scottish canon regular and abbot of Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, who is noted as a chronicler of his era. He was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian, in the Kingdom of Sc ...

thus speaks of him in noting his death in 1267: "Hugo Giffard dominus de Zester moritur, cujus castrum, vel saltem caveam et dongionem, arte demoniacula antiquae relationes fuerunt fabricatas," (

Scotichronicon The ''Scotichronicon'' is a 15th-century chronicle by the Scottish historian Walter Bower. It is a continuation of historian-priest John of Fordun's earlier work '' Chronica Gentis Scotorum'' beginning with the founding of Ireland and thereb ...

, Liber X, cap. 21). Anderson states he left three sons: * William de Giffard of Yester * Hugh (3), ancestor of the Giffards of Sheriffhall. * James, who, with Hugh (4), swore fealty to King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

in 1296. Burke also gives four daughters, (although it is possible they belong to a later generation) of whom: * Euphemia, who married Sir Archibald Macdowall, Knt., of Makerstoun, Roxburghshire. * Johanna, married Sir Robert Maitland of Thirlestane, to whom she conveyed

Lethington Lennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands half a mile south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington Castle, and has been extended several times, principally in ...

. Ancestors of the Earls of Lauderdale * Jonat, who married Adam de Seton, Master-Clerk.

Notes

References

* ''History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland'' etc., by John Burke, London, 1836, vol. 3, pps: 434–5. * ''The Scottish Nation'' by William Anderson, Edinburgh, 1867, vol.V, pps: 297–8. * ''Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington'', by John Martine, Edinburgh, 1890, pps: 292–5. * ''The Normans in Scotland'', by R.L.Graeme Ritchie, Edinburgh University Press, 1954, p. 276. * ''The Buildings of Scotland – Lothian'' (except Edinburgh), by Colin McWilliam,

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, Oxford, 1980, p. 43. * ''The Origin of the Gifford Family in Scotland'' by G.Charles-Edwards, in ''The Scottish Genealogist'', vol.XXVII No.4, Edinburgh, December 1980, pps: 152–161. {{DEFAULTSORT:Giffard, Hugh De 1267 deaths Scoto-Normans Lord Chamberlains of Scotland Year of birth unknown