Earl of Erroll facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Earldom of Erroll |
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Coat of arms of Hay, Earls of Erroll:
Argent, three escutcheons gules |
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| Creation date | 1453 |
| Monarch | James II of Scotland |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | William Hay, 1st Earl of Erroll |
| Present holder | Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll |
| Heir apparent | Harry Thomas William Hay, Lord Hay |
| Remainder to | heirs general of the body of the grantee |
| Subsidiary titles | Lord Hay, Lord Slains |
| Seat(s) | Woodbury House |
| Former seat(s) | New Slains Castle |
The Earl of Erroll is a special title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first given in 1453 to Sir William Hay. This title comes with other smaller titles, like Lord Hay (created 1449) and Lord Slains (1452). These are also part of the Scottish peerage system.
The Earls of Erroll also hold a very old and important job called Lord High Constable of Scotland. This job used to have a lot of power. They are also the traditional Chief of Clan Hay, which means they are the head of the Hay family group.
The Earl of Erroll is one of only four Scottish nobles who can choose their own special messenger, called a pursuivant. This messenger is known as the "Slains Pursuivant of Arms". "Earl of Erroll" is also the name of a lively Scottish highland dance. You can see this dance performed at Highland games all over the world today.
The main home of the Earls of Erroll is Woodbury House. It is located near Everton in Bedfordshire.
Contents
History of the Erroll Title
The Hay family, or "Clan Hay," comes from a knight named Guillaume de la Haye. He was a Scoto-Norman knight, meaning he had both Scottish and Norman roots. His name first appeared in records around the year 1160.
Gilbert de la Hay was an important ancestor of the Earls of Erroll. He passed away in April 1333. Gilbert was the older brother of William de la Hay, whose family later became the Earls of Kinnoull. In 1251, William received some land from his brother. King Alexander III later confirmed this gift of land.
How the Earldom of Erroll Was Passed Down
Sometimes in Scottish law, a noble could ask the King for a "regrant" of their title. This meant they could choose who would inherit their title after them. This was a unique part of Scottish noble law. Some very high Scottish titles were passed down this way.
Gilbert Hay, 11th Earl of Erroll, received such a special permission on November 13, 1666. This allowed him to name his future heirs. In 1674, Gilbert chose his cousin, Sir John Hay of Keillour, to inherit the title. If Sir John had no male heir, then his female heir would get it. If neither of those happened, other Hays from Tweeddale were next in line.
The 11th Earl of Erroll passed away in 1674 without any children. So, Sir John Hay of Keillour became the 12th Earl of Erroll. When Sir John died in 1704, his son, Charles, became the 13th Earl. Charles died in 1717 without marrying or having children. The title then went to his sister, Mary.
Mary Hay, 14th Countess of Erroll, died in 1758, also without children. Mary's sister, Margaret, had passed away earlier in 1723. However, Margaret had married James Livingston, who was the 5th Earl of Linlithgow. They had children, and the current Earl of Erroll is a descendant of Margaret.
This special way of passing down the title was questioned in 1797. The Earl of Lauderdale wondered if George, the 16th Earl of Erroll, had the right to vote. This was because his title came from a "nomination" (being chosen as an heir). After a full review, the House of Lords decided that the 16th Earl of Erroll did have a clear right to the title. This confirmed that the Earl of Erroll holds his family's honours without any doubt.
Earls of Erroll (since 1453)
- William Hay, 1st Earl of Erroll (died around 1462)
- Nicholas Hay, 2nd Earl of Erroll (died 1470)
- William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll (died 1507)
- William Hay, 4th Earl of Erroll (died 1513)
- William Hay, 5th Earl of Erroll (died 1522)
- William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll (born around 1521–died 1541)
- George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll (died 1573)
- Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll (died 1585)
- Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll (died 1631)
- William Hay, 10th Earl of Erroll (died 1636)
- Gilbert Hay, 11th Earl of Erroll (died 1674)
- John Hay, 12th Earl of Erroll (died 1704)
- Charles Hay, 13th Earl of Erroll (died 1717)
- Mary Hay, 14th Countess of Erroll (died 1758)
- James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll (1726–1778)
- George Hay, 16th Earl of Erroll (1767–1798)
- William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll (1772–1819)
- William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll (1801–1846)
- William Harry Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll (1823–1891)
- Charles Gore Hay, 20th Earl of Erroll (1852–1927)
- Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll (1876–1928)
- Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll (1901–1941)
- Diana Denyse Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll (1926–1978)
- Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll (born 1948)
The heir apparent is the current Earl's son, Harry Thomas William Hay, Lord Hay (born 1984).
See also
