John Hay, 12th Earl of Erroll (died 30 December 1704) was a Scottish nobleman and Lord High Constable of Scotland. Among his titles was Lord of Slains, but he had previously been known as John Hay of Kellour.

Marriage and issue

Hay was a son of Sir Andrew Hay of Killour and his wife Margaret, who was the first Lord Kinnaird's sister. Kinnaird was a royalist, supporting the claims of Charles II. He had a younger sister, Jean. He became the 12th

Earl of Erroll Earl of Erroll () is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay. The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are ''Lord Hay'' (created 1449) and ''Lord Slains'' (1452), both in the Peerage of Scotland. ...

and 16th

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 ...

in 1674 after the 11th Earl, Gilbert Hay, died without issue. Prior to this inheritance he had been known as John Hay of Kellour. Hay's wife was Lady Anne Drummond (b. January 1656) and their marriage contract was dated 1 October 1674. She was the daughter of James Drummond, the 3rd Earl of Perth and sister of the Jacobite Dukes, James Drummond and John Drummond. The couple had five children: three sons,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, James and Thomas; and two daughters,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and Margaret. Margaret married

James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow, 4th Earl of Callendar (died 25 April 1723) was a Scottish nobleman who was convicted of high treason and forced to forfeit his estates and all his titles to the Crown. Early life Livingston was the only ...

Life

Hay became a Burgess of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

from October 1672 and was the

Sheriff principal In Scotland a sheriff principal (''pl''. sheriffs principal) is a judge in charge of a sheriffdom with judicial, quasi-judicial, and administrative responsibilities. Sheriffs principal have been part of the judiciary of Scotland since the 11th ce ...

of Aberdeen from the beginning of May 1685. The Earl supported the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...

and as his brother-in-law, James Drummond, was Lord Chancellor and head of the Scottish government at the time of the 1688 Revolution, the Earl and his wife took great notice of the events. However, the Earl was described as acting with "singular moderation and judgment". He was also Chancellor of

King's College, Aberdeen King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Universi ...

from February 1700. Papers of William II give an indication of the extensive lands owned by the Earl of Erroll in October 1700. The ratification includes areas of land at

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 ...

, Banff, Slains,

Pitmedden Pitmedden is a rural village in the parish of Udny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated midway between Ellon and Oldmeldrum, and approximately distant from Aberdeen. In addition to local shops, primary school, church, village hall and parks, t ...

Crimond Crimond is a village in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland, located northwest of the port of Peterhead and just over from the coast. Geography The main A90 road runs through Crimond and is lined by Crimond Church with a villag ...

including

Crimonmogate Crimonmogate is an estate near Crimond, Aberdeenshire. The estate formed part of Lonmay parish, dates back to the 14th century, and was included in the lands owned by the powerful Earls of Erroll. The estate was sold by Mary Hay, 14th Countes ...

and several other places.

Slains Castle Slains Castle may refer to one of two ruined castles in Aberdeenshire, Scotland: * Old Slains Castle, a 13th-century castle was originally the property of the Comyn Earls of Buchan, near Collieston *New Slains Castle, a 16th-century tower house, b ...

is recorded as the principal family residence.

Death and legacy

The 12th Earl of Erroll died on 30 December 1704. The estate was formally inherited by his son, Charles, on 24 April 1705. Charles, 13th Earl, took his Parliamentary seat at the end of June 1705 but was a prisoner in Edinburgh Castle from 1708; he died aged 40 years on 16 October 1717. As he was unmarried and without issue, the title fell to his sister, Mary, who became

Mary Hay, 14th Countess of Erroll Mary Hay, 14th Countess of Erroll (died 19 August 1758) was a Scottish noblewoman and ''suo jure'' Countess of Erroll. As 18th Hereditary Lord High Constable and Knight Marischal of Scotland, she was the Senior Great Officer among the Royal Offi ...

References

Citations Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erroll, John Hay, 12th Earl Of 1704 deaths 12 17th-century Scottish people Year of birth unknown Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689