Editing Kirk Yetholm

{{short description|Village in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2021}}
{{for|the parish and village in Australia|Yetholme, New South Wales}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name                = Kirk Yetholm from the Mindrum Road.jpg
| static_image_caption             = Kirk Yetholm from the Mindrum Road (September 2007)
| country                          = Scotland
| official_name                    = Kirk Yetholm
| gaelic_name                      =
| scots_name                       = 
| map_type                         = Scotland
| coordinates                      = {{coord|55.5471|-2.2754|display=inline,title}}
| population                       = 
| population_ref                   = 
| os_grid_reference                = 
| civil_parish                     = Yetholm
| unitary_scotland                 = [[Scottish Borders]]
| lieutenancy_scotland             = [[Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale]]
| constituency_westminster         = [[Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)|Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire]]
| post_town                        = KELSO
| postcode_district                = TD5
| postcode_area                    = TD
| dial_code                        = 01573 
}}

'''Kirk Yetholm''' ('kirk yet-ham') is a village in the [[Scottish Borders]] region of [[Scotland]], {{convert|8|mi|km|abbr=off}} southeast of [[Kelso, Scotland|Kelso]] and less than {{convert|1|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} west of the [[Anglo-Scottish Border|border]]. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century.  Its sister town is [[Town Yetholm]] which lies {{convert|1/2|mi|m|abbr=off}} across the [[Bowmont Water]].  The population of the two villages was recorded as 591 in the 2001 census.<ref>[http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainLevel=Locality&mainText=Kirk+Yetholm&mainTextExplicitMatch=null&compLevel=CountryProfile&compText=&compTextExplicitMatch=null Scotland's Census Result OnLine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322053807/http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainLevel=Locality&mainText=Kirk+Yetholm&mainTextExplicitMatch=null&compLevel=CountryProfile&compText=&compTextExplicitMatch=null |date=2012-03-22 }}</ref>

== Etymology ==

Yetholm means either:

* the goats' island from [[Old English]] ''gat'' '[[goat]]' and Old Norse ''holmr'' (island, ''holme'')
* village with a gate &ndash; from [[Old English]] ''geat-ham'' ‘gate village’

== Romani People ==

Kirk Yetholm was the headquarters of the [[Romani people|Romanichal travellers]] in Scotland, having settled in the village about 1750.<ref name=Tele1909>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article177854787 |title=Gipsy families. |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph (Brisbane)]] |issue=11,519 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=18 October 1909 |access-date=1 October 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article148108842 |title=Queen Esther Faa Blyth |newspaper=The Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser |volume=5 |issue=211 |location=South Australia |date=17 October 1884 |access-date=1 October 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>  The last King of the Gypsies, Charles Faa Blyth Rutherford, aged 70, was crowned on 31 May 1898.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44215841 |title=Coronation of the Gipsy King. |newspaper=[[The Barrier Miner]] |volume=11 |issue=3194 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 July 1898 |access-date=1 October 2021 |page=1 (Second edition) |via=National Library of Australia}}</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>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88087192 |title=Scotland's Gipsy King. |newspaper=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |volume=III |issue=809 |location=Western Australia |date=9 July 1898 |access-date=1 October 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>  The king died just four years later on 21 April 1902.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128450647 |title=The Gipsy King dead. |newspaper=[[The World's News]] |issue=27 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=21 June 1902 |access-date=1 October 2021 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</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>[http://www.discovertheborders.co.uk/places/213.html The Gypsy Memorial, Kirk Yetholm, Scotland<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

<gallery class="center" >
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm gypsy stone-2018.jpg|Gypsy stone and plaque (May 2018).
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm gypsy stone text-2018.jpg|Gypsy plaque (May 2018).
</gallery>

== Saint Cuthbert's Way and Pennine Way ==

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>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-way/services/border-hotel|title=The Border Hotel {{!}} Services on the Pennine Way {{!}} National Trails|website=www.nationaltrail.co.uk|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref>

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

<gallery class="center" >
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way map-2018.jpg|Saint Cuthbert's Way map (May 2018).
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way sign-2018.jpg|Signpost (May 2018).
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm Saint Cuthbert's Way path-2018.jpg|Way near youth hostel (May 2018).
</gallery> 

== Youth hostel ==

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>{{Cite web|url=https://independenthostels.co.uk:443/members/kirkyetholmfriendsofnaturehouse/|title=Kirk Yetholm Friends of Nature House {{!}} IHUK|website=Independent Hostels UK|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref>  It provides accommodation for tourists, particularly walkers and cyclists, being located on [[St Cuthbert's Way|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">{{cite web | title=Kirk Yetholm | website=SYHA Hostelling Scotland | url=https://www.syha.org.uk/where-to-stay/lowlands/kirk-yetholm.aspx | accessdate=1 August 2016}}</ref>

== Activities ==

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>{{cite web |last1=WALKER |first1=Angela |title=Border Shepherd's Show |url=https://www.yetholmonline.org/yetholm-show.html |website=Yetholm Online |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shepherd's delight: The story of the Yetholm Border Shepherds' Show |url=https://www.scotlandmag.com/yetholm-border-shepherds-show/ |website=Scotland Magazine |access-date=1 October 2021}}</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 [[William Henry Ogilvie|Will H. Ogilvie]] (1869–1963) wrote 'The gipsies' (c. 1910; and later put to music by British composer [[Graham Peel]]), having been raised {{convert|8|mi}} away.  Ogilvie also wrote a song for the 'Coronation of the Gipsy King at Yetholm' by July 1898 whilst in Australia.  

== Gallery ==

<gallery class="center" >
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm housing-2018.jpg|Housing near the green (May 2018).
File:Sco-Borders-KirkYetholm kirk-2018.jpg|Kirk at Kirk Yetholm village (May 2018).
</gallery> 

==See also==

*[[Town Yetholm]]
*[[List of places in the Scottish Borders]]
*[[List of places in Scotland]]

==Further reading==

''The Kirk Yetholm Gypsies'' is available from the ''[[Hawick]] Archaeological Society'' website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airchieoliver.co.uk/books.php |title=Hawick Archaeological Society |accessdate=2010-05-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903125647/http://www.airchieoliver.co.uk/books.php |archivedate=2011-09-03 }}</ref>

==References ==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage}}

* [https://archive.today/20121224014700/http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/results/?sitename=&site_type_term=&site_discipline=&numlink=&mapno=&site=&council_code=&parish=YETHOLM&region_code=&district_code=&county_code=&ngr=&locat_xy_radius_m=&collection_name=&biblio_surname=&biblio_inits=&biblio_title=&biblio_date=&biblio_journal=&submit=search Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120328164226/http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=59319 Scotland's Places]
* [http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-190-759-C SCRAN image: Roy map of Kirk Yetholm]
* [http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townmap3506.html Gazetteer for Scotland: Map of Kirk Yetholm]
* Yetholm Community Council website [http://www.yetholmonline.org Yetholm Online]
* Yetholm Parish Church website [https://www.cheviotchurches.org Cheviot Churches]

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Historic Romani communities]]
[[Category:Villages in the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Romani communities in the United Kingdom]]