Kirk Yetholm

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:For Template:Infobox UK place

Kirk Yetholm ('kirk yet-ham') is a village in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, Template:Convert southeast of Kelso and less than Template:Convert west of the border. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm which lies Template:Convert across the Bowmont Water. The population of the two villages was recorded as 591 in the 2001 census.<ref>Scotland's Census Result OnLine Template:Webarchive</ref>

EtymologyEdit

Yetholm means either:

the goats' island from Old English gat 'goat' and Old Norse holmr (island, holme)
village with a gate – from Old English geat-ham ‘gate village’

Romani PeopleEdit

Kirk Yetholm was the headquarters of the Romanichal travellers in Scotland, having settled in the village about 1750.<ref name=Tele1909>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The last King of the Gypsies, Charles Faa Blyth Rutherford, aged 70, was crowned on 31 May 1898.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A second male, David Blyth, claimed he was the rightful heir, but did not attend the huge ceremony and festivities which was held between the two Yetholm villages.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The king died just four years later on 21 April 1902.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Tele1909 /> Today the gypsies have been integrated and are no longer a separate ethnic minority. A memorial stone can be found on the village green.<ref>The Gypsy Memorial, Kirk Yetholm, Scotland</ref>

Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm gypsy stone-2018.jpg

Gypsy stone and plaque (May 2018).
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Gypsy plaque (May 2018).

Saint Cuthbert's Way and Pennine WayEdit

The village is notable for being the northern terminus of the Pennine Way, and to a lesser extent the southern terminus of the Scottish National Trail. The Border Hotel public house is the official end of the Pennine Way.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint Cuthbert's Way also passes through the village, going between Melrose, Scotland and Lindisfarne (Holy Island), Northumberland.

Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way map-2018.jpg

Saint Cuthbert's Way map (May 2018).
Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way sign-2018.jpg

Signpost (May 2018).
Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way path-2018.jpg

Way near youth hostel (May 2018).

Youth hostelEdit

In 1942 the village school building was converted into a Scottish Youth Hostels Association hostel. It now continues in use as an affiliate hostel named the Kirk Yetholm Friends of Nature House.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It provides accommodation for tourists, particularly walkers and cyclists, being located on Saint Cuthbert's Way, the Pennine Way, the Scottish National Trail, the Sustrans National Cycle Route 1 and Scottish Borders Loop.<ref name="SYHA Hostelling Scotland">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ActivitiesEdit

The first Saturday in October is traditionally the Yetholm Border Shepherds' Show, held on the land between Town Yetholm and Kirk Yetholm, with the 156th show held in 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It stemmed from the old practice of farmers gathering to sort through stray sheep from neighbours' flocks.

A song referring to Kirk Yetholm called "Yetholm Day" was written and composed by Gary Cleghorn.

Scottish Border poet and Australian bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) wrote 'The gipsies' (c. 1910; and later put to music by British composer Graham Peel), having been raised Template:Convert away. Ogilvie also wrote a song for the 'Coronation of the Gipsy King at Yetholm' by July 1898 whilst in Australia.