John de Giffard of Yester

John Giffard is found as a witness to a charter of King Alexander II done on November 8, 1222. This was a charter concerning the son of the Earl of Dunbar and the monks of Coldingham done at Roxburgh. In a Neubotle Abbey charter of William Vallibus, #117, John Giffard appears as a co-witness along with Bernard Fraser and Adam Fraser, son of Udardi Fraser. This document can be likely dated in the period 1230-1235.

The Yester charters contain no mention of the Giffards during the period 1206 to 1240 and provide no other clues concerning this generation. A Yester charter of 1250 done by Godfrid Tyndale, concerning the return of early lands to Sir Hugh Giffard II, states that William Giffard was the ancestor (not father) of Sir Hugh Giffard. The birth date of Hugh Giffard II appears to be circa 1220, as evidence shows that he could not have been of adult age much before 1245. The fact that Hugh Giffard II names his eldest son and heir John also suggests that the John Giffard discussed above would likely be his father. We suspect that John Giffard dies at a relatively early age, perhaps circa 1235, while son Hugh was in his minority. The only written evidence of a Yester Giffard found between 1206 and circa 1244 is John Giffard, who was an adult and the apparent lord in the 1220's. Again, this period (circa 1220) is seen to contain the likely birth year of Hugh Giffard II, the next lord of Yester.

In summary, we suggest that John Giffard I was the father of the well-known Sir Hugh Giffard II,"the wizard", and that William Giffard the earlier 2nd baron was in actuality the father of John Giffard I, and thus the grandfather of Sir Hugh who becomes lord between 1245 and 1250.

Links

• http://community-2.webtv.net/NUbrubun55/GIFFARDOFYESTER/
• Wikipedia entry - Hugh de Giffard