The Lords of Yester tells the story of the Hays who lived at Yester House in East Lothian until 1970.  It traces their ancestors who came over to England in 1066: the Giffards, who were granted the lands of Yester in 1166 by King Malcolm IV; and the de Hayas, who married into the Giffard family in 1373 and from which marriage descended the Marquises of Tweeddale. 

The book describes the key individuals of these two families over a thousand years of history, focussing on their personal stories as well as on the historical events surrounding them. Many achieved great prominence: three were Lords Chancellor of England and one of Scotland; two were directly involved in the deaths of English kings; one was directly involved in the Darien scheme and another played a major role in the Union with England.  

From private and public sources, the book seeks to draw out the personalities of the key individuals: their careers and families, their loves and ambitions, their triumphs and tragedies, the building of Yester House, considered one of the most beautiful in Scotland, and the economics underlying all of these.  It shows how the Hays of Yester prospered when so many of their peers suffered from treachery, greed and selfish ambition but how, ultimately, the family had to leave Yester after 800 years.

The book has 352 pages , including 15 pages of illustrations and four pages of genealogical tables.  It is written by Charles Nettlefold whose grandmother was the last Marchioness of Tweeddale to live at Yester.  He was christened at Yester in 1951 and spent much of his first twenty years there.  He read History at Cambridge and this is his first book.  The retail price is £15, before postage, and £5 of every book sold goes to The Clan Hay Society.

Contact the Treasurer, Pam Rotheroe-Hay, on pam.rotheroe-hay@Hotmail.co.uk to secure your copy.  Please enclose a sterling cheque payable to the Clan Hay Society.