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Yester Castle is a late 13th-century stronghold situated near Gifford in East Lothian, constructed by the Hay family. The castle is particularly notable for its underground vaulted chamber, known as the Hobgoblin Ha' or Goblin Ha', which survives as one of Scotland's finest examples of medieval subterranean architecture. This barrel-vaulted chamber, built from ashlar stonework, dates to the period of the castle's original construction and likely served defensive or storage purposes within the castle's architectural scheme. The survival of both the castle's upper works and this substantial underground vault makes Yester an important surviving example of late medieval Scottish baronial fortification.
Yester Castle & Hobgoblin Ha' vaulted chamber is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM780. View the official record →
Yester Castle is a late 13th-century stronghold situated near Gifford in East Lothian, constructed by the Hay family. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM780.
Yester Castle & Hobgoblin Ha' vaulted chamber is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM780.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hare Law,fort,Yester (3.7 km), Kingside Rig,enclosure (3.8 km), Whitestone Cairn,cairn,Harestone Hill (4.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Yester Castle & Hobgoblin Ha' vaulted chamber's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Yester Castle & Hobgoblin Ha' vaulted chamber stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.