George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll ( – 30 January 1573) was a Scottish nobleman and politician.

Biography

Hay was the grandson of

William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll ( – 14 January 1507) was a Scottish peer. He was the third Earl of Erroll and the fourth Lord Hay of Erroll. Biography William Hay was the son of William Hay, 1st Earl of Erroll and his wife, Beatrix, daugh ...

; George's father Thomas was killed alongside his older brother,

William Hay, 4th Earl of Erroll William Hay, 4th Earl of Erroll (1470 – 9 September 1513), styled as Lord Hay until 1507, was a Scottish peer and soldier. He was killed at the Battle of Flodden. Biography William Hay was the son of William Hay, 3rd Earl of Erroll. He ha ...

, at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in 1513. After his cousin

William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll William Hay, 6th Earl of Erroll (1521 – 11 April 1541), styled as Lord Hay until age 1, was a Scottish peer. Biography William Hay was the son of the William Hay, 5th Earl of Erroll. He had double royal lineage, descended from Kings Robert ...

died in 1541 leaving only a young daughter, George succeeded to the earldom and with it the family title of

Lord High Constable of Scotland The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family.p60-61, Bruce, Alistair, Keepers of the King ...

. The sixth earl, who inherited the earldom as a toddler, died under the age of 21; by the time George inherited the titles, the barony had been in the possession of the crown for 19 years, four months. The

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

allows titles to descend along the female lines; Jean Hay, the young daughter of the sixth earl of Erroll, could have inherited the earldom as Countess of Erroll. Instead, the crown negotiated for George to inherit, with the condition that he pay 4,000

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...

to Helen, Dowager Countess of Erroll and to marry one of his sons to Jean Hay "at the King's pleasure." Following the death of

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...

in December 1542 leaving six-day-old

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

as his successor, Erroll was one of the nobles who signed an agreement to support her mother

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

taking the

Regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. They argued unsuccessfully that the Earl of Arran ought to be disqualified because his father's divorce and second marriage were invalid, making him illegitimate. Arran resigned the Regency to

in 1554. He had a disagreement with his wife, Margaret Robertson, in 1554. Mary of Guise counseled reconciliation. Margaret Robertson wrote to Mary of Guise from Perth, that he had not restored her living and she might have to come and live at court in her service as a gentlewoman. Erroll claimed she had supported "broken men", landless rebels who stole his goods, but Margaret wrote it ought to be well known that she desired no harm or loss to him or their children. She sent her eldest son, Andrew, Master of Atholl to explain her case more fully. He was a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1561. He side with the Hamiltons in the interest of the captive Queen Mary in 1569, but did not forfeit his titles in his support of the queen. In April 1567, Erroll was a signatory to Ainslie's Tavern Band agreeing to the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

.Wormald, Jenny, ''Lords and Men in Scotland'', John Donald (1985), 406. He died in 1573.

Marriage and issue

In 1528, Hay married Margaret Robertson, daughter of Alexander Robertson of Struan, 5th chief of

Clan Donnachaidh Clan Donnachaidh (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Donnchaidh ), also known as Clan Robertson or Clan Duncan is a Scottish clan. History Origins There are two main theories as to the origins of the Clan Donnachaidh: #That the founder of the clan, Donn(a) ...

, and granddaughter of

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (15 September 1512), also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador. Life He was the oldest child of Joan Beaufort, widow of James I of Scotland, and her second husband, Sir ...

and by her had nine children: *Lady Elizabeth Hay (b. 1531), married firstly Sir William Keith, Lord of Keith, son of

William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (died 7 October 1581) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Family background and career William Keith was the son of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of John Douglas, ...

and secondly Cuthbert, baron Coulhart *

Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll ( – 8 October 1585) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Biography He was the son of George Hay by his first wife, Margaret Robertson. His father inherited the earldom after the death of his uncle, William ...

, married his cousin Jean Hay, daughter of the sixth Earl of Erroll *Lady Margaret Hay, married

Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant (1529–1593) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life He was the eldest son of Laurence Oliphant, 3rd Lord Oliphant and the former Margaret Sandilands. Among his sibling was Peter Oliphant (ancestor of the Olipha ...

*John Hay of Muchall *Laurence Hay, who reportedly destroyed the manse at

Findo Gask Findo Gask is a small village in Perth and Kinross in Scotland, just off the main A9 road. It is in Strathearn. There are nearby remains associated with the Roman Road to the south and the Roman Frontier on the Gask Ridge. The area was asso ...

*George Hay of Ardlethen *Lady Beatrix Hay (b. ), married William Hay of Delgatie *Thomas Hay,

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

Turriff Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is derived f ...

*Alexander Hay In 1561, the earl married Helen Bryson, daughter of Walter Bryson of Pitcullen, and had two more children: *Eupham Hay (likely died young) *Lady Elizabeth (Isobel) Hay, married Sir John Leslie of Balquhain, and divorced him for

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

; married second, James, Lord Balfour, Baron of Glenawley

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erroll, George Hay, 7th Earl of 1508 births 1573 deaths 07 16th-century Scottish people Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots George, 07