Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Earl of Erroll
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Member of the House of Lords | |
| as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 |
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| Election | 1999 |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| as a hereditary peer 16 May 1978 – 11 November 1999 |
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| Preceded by | The 23rd Countess of Erroll |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Lord High Constable of Scotland Chief of Clan Hay |
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| Assumed office 16 May 1978 |
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| Preceded by | The 23rd Countess of Erroll |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay
20 April 1948 |
| Spouse |
Isabelle Astell
(m. 1982; died 2020) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
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| Residences | Woodbury Hall, Sandy, Bedfordshire |
| Occupation | Programmer |
Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay, also known as the 24th Earl of Erroll, was born on April 20, 1948. He is a special member of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament. He is also the leader, or chief, of a Scottish family group called Clan Hay. On top of that, he holds an old family title as the Lord High Constable of Scotland.
Contents
Early Life and School
Merlin Hay is the older son of Diana Hay, who was the 23rd Countess of Erroll, and Sir Iain Moncreiffe. When he was young, in 1956, he was a Page to the Lord Lyon. This is a special role in Scotland.
He went to Eton College, which is a famous school. After that, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, a well-known university.
Becoming the Earl of Erroll
In 1978, Merlin became the Earl of Erroll after his mother, the Countess, passed away. This title is passed down through families. In 1985, he also inherited a different title, a baronet, from his father.
He is now part of the Council of the Hereditary Peerage Association. This group helps people who have inherited special titles. While he became the chief of Clan Hay through his mother, his father's family leadership went to his younger brother, Peregrine.
Family Life
In 1982, he married Isabelle Jacqueline Laline Astell Hohler. She was born in Brussels in 1955 and passed away in 2020.
The Earl and Countess had four children together:
- Harry Thomas William Hay, Lord Hay (born August 8, 1984). He married Clementine Travis in 2017.
- Lady Amelia Diana Jacqueline Hay (born November 23, 1986).
- Lady Laline Lucy Clementine Hay (born December 21, 1987). She married Major Jeremy Sudlow in 2017.
- Hon. Richard Merlin Iain Astell (born December 14, 1990). He changed his last name to "Astell" in 2015.
Military and Business Roles
The Earl of Erroll has been involved in the military. Since 1974, he has been a Lieutenant in the Atholl Highlanders. He is also a member of the Royal Company of Archers.
From 1975 to 1990, he served in the 21st SAS Artists Rifles. This was a part of the British Army's reserve force. He was also an Honorary Colonel for the Royal Military Police from 1992 to 1997.
Outside of the military, Lord Erroll has worked as a consultant. He helps businesses with marketing and computer systems. He is also a Freeman of the City of London. He was a leader, called Prime Warden, of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers from 2000 to 2001. This is an old and important group in London.
He still leads the Puffin's Club, which his father started. He is also the President of ERADAR, a company that helps with online business. He is also the President of the Digital Policy Alliance (EURIM). This group works on rules and plans for digital technology.
He used to be a director at LASSeO. This was a group that helped set up technical rules for smartcard technologies.
His Work in Politics
Lord Erroll is one of 90 special hereditary peers who were chosen to stay in the House of Lords. This happened after a law change in 1999. He works as a computer programmer and system designer.
In the House of Lords, he is a crossbencher. This means he does not belong to any main political party. He often talks about cybersecurity, which is about keeping computer systems safe. He also speaks about information technology, which includes computers and the internet.
He was part of the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Lords. He spoke out against the government in 2008. He said they were not doing enough to stop cybercrime, which is crime done using computers. This was after several government groups lost a lot of important data.
More recently, he was a member of the Information Committee from 2007 to 2012.
In 2023, Lord Erroll served as the Lord High Constable of Scotland. He had this important role at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
See also
