Lord of Halydean or Baron of Halydean is a nobility title in the

Baronage of Scotland In Scotland, "baron" or "baroness" is a rank of the ancient nobility of the Baronage of Scotland, a hereditary Imperial, royal and noble ranks, title of honour, and refers to the holder of a barony, erected into a free barony by Crown Charter, ...

(a lordship of higher nobility than barony). Halydean (pronounced "Hollydeen," and also spelled "Holydean") is a Scottish Crown Barony and Lordship in

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

in the neighbourhood of Kelso, in the Borderlands of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, along the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...

. This area along the Tweed is home to the Scottish border clans, including the Armstrongs, Douglases, Elliots, Johnstones, Kers, Moffats, and many others. The Barony and Lordship of Halydean (Holydean) is one of the oldest Norman feudal baronies in Scotland with a living claimant. Lord of Halydean

The first Lord Halydean was created by King David I of Scotland when he erected the Barony and Lordship of Halydean in 1128. The

Abbot of Kelso The Abbot of Kelso (later Commendator of Kelso) was the head of the Tironensian Order, Tironensian monastic community at Kelso Abbey in the Scottish Borders. The Abbey was originally founded at Selkirk in 1113 by David I of Scotland, David, Prince ...

from

Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbeys, Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scottish Borders, Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the reign of Alexander ...

was the local lord, who ruled one of the most powerful ecclesiastical burghs in all of Scotland. This burgh was rivaled only by St. Andrews (another burgh). David I brought the monks from Tiron in Picardy, whom he transferred from Selkirk. The monks were part of the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

until 1545 when the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

reduced the abbey to ruins. The next Lord of Halydean was made in 1602 when the Barony and Lordship of Halydean was infeft to Sir Rober Ker of Cessford, who was made 1st Earl of Roxburghe. One of his heirs became the

Duke of Roxburghe The Duke of Roxburghe () is a title in the peerage of Scotland created in 1707 along with the titles ''Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford'', ''Earl of Kelso'' and ''Viscount Broxmouth''. John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe became the first holder ...

, and eventually the Lordship and Barony of Halydean were disponed in the traditional Scottish manner to a member of

Clan Moffat Clan Moffat is a Border Scottish clan of ancient origin. The clan was leaderless and obscure from the mid 16th century until 1983, when Francis Moffat of that Ilk was recognised as the hereditary chief of the clan by Lord Lyon King of Arms.Way ...

, another Scottish border clan. Taylor Moffitt of Halydean is the present Lord Halydean, the 15th baron since secularisation in 1602. The incumbent is Ewan Moffitt of Halydean, yr, according to the customs of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

References

{{Reflist Feudalism in Scotland History of the Scottish Borders Society of Scotland

Halydean Lord of Halydean or Baron of Halydean is a nobility title in the Baronage of Scotland (a Lords in the Baronage of Scotland, lordship of higher nobility than barony). Halydean (pronounced "Hollydeen," and also spelled "Holydean") is a Scottish Cro ...

Lists of nobility Scots law

See also

References