Yester Castle

Originally known as Yestred (from the Brythonic Ystrad, meaning strath or dale), the barony of Yester was granted by King William the Lion to Hugo de Giffard, a Norman immigrant given land in East Lothian during the reign of King David I. Latin language documents note the location as Zester in vital records. The original stone keep, built before 1267, is generally considered to be by Sir Hugo de Giffard. A grandson of the first Laird of Yester, he served as a guardian of the young Alexander III of Scotland, and was by repute a magician and necromancer. Alexander III is known to have been at Yester on and around 24 May 1278, where he corresponded with Edward I of England. Following the Scots…

Sir Hugo de Giffard was known as the "Wizard of Yester", and was considered to be a powerful warlock and necromancer. It is in the undercroft of the castle that he was thought to practise his sorcery. The 15th-century chronicler Walter Bower mentions the large cavern in Yester Castle, thought locally to have been formed by magical artifice: <blockquote>"The death occurred of Hugh Gifford, lord of Yester. Old tales tell that his castle, or at least his cellar and keep, were wrought by witchcraft, for there is there a marvellous underground cavern wonderfully constructed and extending under a large area of ground. It is popularly called Bo' Hall."</blockquote> Legend supposed that Hugo was…