Kirk Yetholm
Encyclopedia
Kirk Yetholm is a village in the Scottish Borders
region of Scotland
, 8 miles (12.9 km) south east of Kelso
and less than 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the border
. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm
which lies half a mile across the Bowmont Water
. The population of the two villages was recorded as 591 in the 2001 census.
The Border Hotel public house
is the official end of the Pennine Way
. Kirk Yetholm was for centuries the headquarters of the Romani people (Gypsies) in Scotland. The last king of the Gypsies was crowned in 1898 and the Gypsies have been integrated and are no longer a separate ethnic minority. A memorial stone can be found on the village green.
A song referring to Kirk Yetholm called "Yetholm Day" was written and composed by Gary Cleghorn of Kelso for the "Kelso Civic Week" celebrations in 2008.
Archaeological Society website.
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 8 miles (12.9 km) south east of Kelso
Kelso, Scotland
Kelso is a market town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies where the rivers Tweed and Teviot have their confluence...
and less than 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm
Town Yetholm
Town Yetholm is a small village in the Scottish Borders in the valley of the Bowmont Water opposite Kirk Yetholm. The centre of the small village is made up of the village green surrounded by the village shop, the Plough Hotel Public House a few houses to the south and a row of terraced dwellings...
which lies half a mile across the Bowmont Water
Bowmont Water
Bowmont Water is a river in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland . It rises in the Cheviot Hills and passes by Mowhaugh, Town Yetholm, and Kirk Yetholm...
. The population of the two villages was recorded as 591 in the 2001 census.
The Border Hotel public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
is the official end of the Pennine Way
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
. Kirk Yetholm was for centuries the headquarters of the Romani people (Gypsies) in Scotland. The last king of the Gypsies was crowned in 1898 and the Gypsies have been integrated and are no longer a separate ethnic minority. A memorial stone can be found on the village green.
A song referring to Kirk Yetholm called "Yetholm Day" was written and composed by Gary Cleghorn of Kelso for the "Kelso Civic Week" celebrations in 2008.
Place-name meanings
Yetholm means either:- the goats' island from Old English gat 'goatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
' and Old Norse holmr (island, holme) - village with a gate - from Old English geat-ham 'gate village'
See also
- Town YetholmTown YetholmTown Yetholm is a small village in the Scottish Borders in the valley of the Bowmont Water opposite Kirk Yetholm. The centre of the small village is made up of the village green surrounded by the village shop, the Plough Hotel Public House a few houses to the south and a row of terraced dwellings...
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
Further reading
The Kirk Yetholm Gypsies is available from the HawickHawick
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
Archaeological Society website.