Kirk Yetholm
| Kirk Yetholm | |
| Roxburghshire | |
|---|---|
 Kirk Yetholm from the Mindrum Road | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT827281 |
| Location: | 55°32’49"N, 2°16’32"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Kelso |
| Postcode: | TD5 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Scottish Borders |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk |
Kirk Yetholm is a village in Roxburghshire, close by the boundary with Northumberland, a mile down the lane and footpath southward. It is eight miles south east of Kelso.
Kirk Yetholm is best known as the northern end of the Pennine Way, and thus the destination for many a weary hiker, or the starting point for many an eager one. Its sister town is Town Yetholm which lies half a mile across the Bowmont Water.
The first mention of the place is of its church in the 13th century. The population of Kirk Yetholm and Town Yetholm together 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.[1]
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.
Name
Yetholm means either:
- "Gate village", from Old English geat ham
- "Goat island" from Old English gat ("goat") and Old Norse holmr ("island")
Books
The Kirk Yetholm Gypsies is available from the Hawick Archaeological Society website.[2]
Outside links
- Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
- SCRAN File: Roy map of Kirk Yetholm