The title of Earl of Erroll was created for the Hereditary High Constable of Scotland, Gilbert Hay, who came from a family that had for a long time been closely involved in the running of the country. It seems appropriate to begin with these.

William de la Haye, b.?, d.c.1201

A Knight with the surname de la Haye accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066. From 1153, a descendant, William de la Haye, was Butler of Scotland. The word butler comes from the French boutellier, which means cup-bearer, and became the role of the chief steward of a household. William de la Haye served as Butler to King Malcolm IV. He married Juliana de Soulis, daughter of Ranulph de Soulis, Lord of Liddesdale. In 1174, their son, also William, was hostage for the Treaty of Falaise between King William I of Scotland and King Henry II of England. Around 1178 he was granted the feudal barony of Erroll in Perthshire.

David de la Haye, b.?, d.c.1241

Son of the previous and Eva (background unknown). He was Sheriff of Forfar.

Gilbert de la Haye, b.c.1237, d.c.1262

Son of the previous and Ethna Graham, daughter of Gilbert Graham, 3^rd Earl of Strathearn. He held the office of Sheriff of Perth and acted as Regent of Scotland in 1255 and 1258.

Nicholas de la Haye, b.?, d.c.1306

Son of the previous and Lady Idonie Comyn, daughter of William Comyn, 5^th Earl of Buchan.

Gilbert de la Haye, b.?, d.1333

Son of the previous and Johanna (background unknown). Gilbert Hay allied himself to Robert Bruce during the Wars of Independence, and was given the position of High Constable of Scotland, an hereditary title previously held by the Comyn family (and before that by the Lords of Galloway), with responsibility as head of the armed forces, chief judge and keeper of the peace, next in precedence only to the royal family. He was also granted lands at Slains in Aberdeenshire by King Robert I in 1309.

High Constables of Scotland (1314)

High Constable, Gilbert de la Haye, as above

High Constable, David de la Haye, b.?, a.1333, d.1346

Grandson of the previous holder, and son of Nicholas de la Haye (b.?, d.1332) (who probably died at the Battle of Dupplin Moor). He died in action at the Battle of Neville’s Cross.

High Constable, Thomas de la Haye, b.?, a.1346, d.1406

Son of the previous holder and an unknown daughter of Sir John Keith of Innerpeffer.

High Constable, William de la Haye, b.?, a.1406, d.1437

Son of the previous holder and Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of King Robert II. He was created 1^st Lord Hay following the Act of Parliament in 1428 that separated Lords of Parliament from ordinary Scottish barons.

Lords Hay (1429-1430)

1^st Lord Hay, William Hay, as above

2^nd Lord Hay, William Hay, b.?, a.1437, d.1461

Grandson of the 1^st Lord and Margaret Gray, daughter of Sir Patrick Gray of Broxmouth (progenitor of the Lords Gray), and son of Gilbert Hay (b.?, d.1436) and Alice Hay, a daughter of Sir William Hay of Yester. As Hereditary High Constable and a supporter of James II against the Douglases, he was created 1^st Earl of Erroll in 1452, with territories at Erroll in Perthshire and Slains in Aberdeenshire.

Earls of Erroll (1452)

1^st Earl of Erroll, William Hay, as above

2^nd Earl of Erroll, Nicholas Hay, b.?, a.1461, d.1470

Son of the 1^st Earl and Lady Beatrix Douglas, daughter of James Douglas, 7^th Earl of Douglas.

3^rd Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.?, a.1470, d.1506-1507

Younger brother of the 2^nd Earl. He was made a Privy Counsellor.

4^th Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.?, a.1506-1507, d.1513

Son of the 3^rd Earl and Lady Isabella Gordon (b.?, d.b.1485), daughter of George Gordon, 2^nd Earl of Huntly. He was made Hereditary Sheriff of Aberdeen. He died at Flodden along with his younger brother Thomas.

5^th Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.?, a.1513, d.1522

Son of the 4^th Earl and Christian Lyon, daughter of John Lyon, 3^rd Lord Glamis (for whom see the Earls of Kinghorne). He performed the services of Envoy to the courts of England and France, and was made a Privy Counsellor.

6^th Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.c.1521, a.1522, d.1541

Son of the 5^th Earl and Elizabeth Ruthven, daughter of William Ruthven, 1^st Lord Ruthven (for whom see the Earls of Gowrie). He married Lady Helen Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 3^rd Earl of Lennox, and had one daughter. The title reverted to the heir-male. However, as it given below, this daughter, Jean, married the 8^th Earl.

7^th Earl of Erroll, George Hay, b.?, a.1541, d.1573-1574

Grandson of the 3^rd Earl, and son of Thomas Hay (b.?, d.1513) and Margaret Logie. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Central Scotland. In 1567, he refused to officiate as Hereditary High Constable at the Coronation of James VI, in support of Mary, Queen of Scots.

8^th Earl of Erroll, Andrew Hay, b.?, a.1573-1574, d.1585

Son of the 7^th Earl and Margaret Robertson.

9^th Earl of Erroll, Francis Hay, b.?, a.1585, d.1631

Son of the 8^th Earl and Lady Jean Hay (b.c.1540, d.1570), daughter of the 6^th Earl. He was a convert to Roman Catholicism, and involved in conspiring against James VI of Scotland and Elizabeth I of England. He joined the earls of Huntly and Crawford in open rebellion in the north of Scotland, only to be surrender when the king arrived in Aberdeen. Though treated leniently, he continued to conspire against the king, and in 1593 he was sentenced to renounce his Catholicism or be considered a traitor. The following year, he defeated a force sent under Argyll to capture him, though he was badly injured and his family seat at Slains Castle razed to the ground. He left Scotland for a time, but returned and finally made his peace with the king. However, he was still at odds with the Church of Scotland and imprisoned for a time at Dumbarton Castle. Several of his daughters married other earls.

10^th Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.?, a.1631, d.1636

Son of the 9^th Earl and Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 6^th Earl of Morton. He was a favourite of Charles I, but his extravagance forced him to sell of his estates.

11^th Earl of Erroll, Gilbert Hay, b.1631, a.1636, d.1674

Son of the 10^th Earl and Lady Anne Lyon (b.?, d.1637), daughter of Patrick Lyon, 1^st Earl of Kinghorne. A committed Royalist, he fought for Charles I and Charles II. Knowing that he had no direct heirs, he obtained a regnant regarding the disposition of his titles after his death.

12^th Earl of Erroll, John Hay, b.?, a.1674, d.1704

Great-grandson of the 8^th Earl and his second wife Lady Agnes Sinclair, daughter of George Sinclair, 4^th Earl of Caithness, grandson of George Hay and Isabel Cheyne, daughter of Sir Patrick Cheyne of Esselmont, and son of Sir Andrew Hay and Margaret Kinnaird, daughter of George Kinnaird, 1^st Lord Kinnaird of Inchture.

13^th Earl of Erroll, Charles Hay, b.?, a.1704, d.1717

Son of the 12^th Earl and Lady Anne Drummond, daughter of James Drummond, 3^rd Earl of Perth. In the traditions of his family, he was a noted Jacobite and was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle after the first uprising. He died unmarried.

14^th Earl (Countess) of Erroll, Mary Hay, b.?, a.1717, d.1758

Younger sister of the 13^th Earl. She married but also had no children.

15^th Earl of Erroll, James Hay, b.1726, a.1758, d.1778

There being no close male relatives, the earldom passed down the female line via Lady Margaret Hay (b.?, d.1707), sister of the Countess. She married James Livingston, 5^th Earl of Linlithgow. Though his titles were forfeit after the 1715 Uprising, their daughter Lady Anne Livingston (b.?, d.1747) married William Boyd, 4^th Earl of Kilmarnock. Though Boyd was attainted and executed after Culloden, which meant that his own titles were forfeit, his son James inherited the earldom of Erroll, and changed his name from Boyd to Hay. He officiated as High Constable at the Coronation of George III and was a Representative Peer from 1770 to 1774. In 1773 he hosted Boswell and Johnson at Slains Castle.

16^th Earl of Erroll, George Hay, b.1767, a.1778, d.1798

Son of the 15^th Earl and Isabella Carr (b.?, d.1808). He obtained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the 1^st Guards and was a Representative Peer from 1796 to 1798.

17^th Earl of Erroll, William Hay, b.1772, a.1798, d.1819

Younger brother of the 16^th Earl. He held the posts of Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland and Knight Marischal and was a Representative Peer in 1806.

18^th Earl of Erroll, William George Hay, b.1801, a.1819, d.1846

Son of the 17^th Earl and Alicia Eliot (b.?, d.1812). He served as a Representative Peer and was created 1^st Baron Kilmarnock in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He served as Knight Marischal and as Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. He was also made a Knight of the Thistle and a Knight Grand Cross of the Hanoverian Order (GCH).

19^th Earl of Erroll, William Harry Hay, b.1823, a.1846, d.1891

Son of the 18^th Earl and Elizabeth Fitz-Clarence (b.1801, d.1856), daughter of King William IV of Hanover. He fought in the Crimean War and reached the rank of Major in the Rifle Brigade.

20^th Earl of Erroll, Charles Gore Hay, b.1852, a.1891, d.1927

Son of the 19^th Earl and Eliza Amelia Gore (b.?, d.1916), grand-daughter of Sir Arthur Saunders Gore, 2^nd Earl of Arran of the Arran Islands in the Peerage of Ireland. He fought in the Boer War and First World War, and was made a Knight of the Thistle and Companion of the Bath. He held the post of Lord-in-Waiting (a government whip in the House of Lords) to King Edward VII from 1903 to 1905. He reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Horse Guards.

21^st Earl of Erroll, Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, b.1876, a.1927, d.1928

Son of the 20^th Earl and Mary Caroline L’Estrange (b.?, d.1934). He entered the diplomatic service and held the post of British High Commissioner to the Inter-Allied Rhineland Commission from 1921 to 1927. Unfortunately he died young.

22^nd Earl of Erroll, Josslyn Victor Hay, b.1901, a.1928, d.1941

Son of the 21^st Earl and Mary Lucy Victoria Mackenzie (b.?, d.1957), daughter of Sir Allan Russell Mackenzie, 2^nd Baronet Mackenzie of Glenmuick. He served as an attaché in Berlin under his father, and was expected to follow him into the diplomatic world, but was infatuated with Lady Idina Gordon, a married woman. Her divorce and re-marriage to Hay was a scandal, and they moved to Kenya, where they joined in the expatriate community. After inheriting his father’s titles, he continued to philander and indulge in a number of vices, including alcohol and drugs, divorcing and marrying again. His new wife died in 1939 and he took up with another married woman. He was murdered in Kenya in 1941, mostly probably by the husband of his latest conquest. This episode inspired the book White Mischief by James Fox. The earldom passed to his daughter, while the barony of Kilmarnock, being a UK title, passed to his brother Gilbert.

23^rd Earl (Countess) of Erroll, Diana Denyse Hay, b.1926, a.1941, d.1978

Daughter of the 22^nd Earl and Lady Myra Idina Sackville (b.1893, d.1955), daughter of Gilbert George Reginald Sackville, 8^th Earl de la Warr. She was created a Dame of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (D.St.J.).

24^th Earl of Erroll, Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay, b.1948, a.1978

Son of the Countess and her first husband Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncrieffe, 11^th Baronet Moncreiffe (b.1919, d.1985). Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he served in the Queen’s Royal Rifles, and was invested as an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, was Honorary Colonel of the Royal Military Police Territorial Army from 1992 to 1997, and is a member of the Royal Company of Archers. He was elected to the House of Lords in 1999. As well as being 24^th Earl, he is also Hereditary Lord High Constable of Scotland, Chief of Clan Hay, 25^th Lord Hay and 12^th Baronet Moncrieffe.

The courtesy title for the heir is Lord Hay.

(Last updated: 03/05/2010)