John Hay, 1st Earl of Tweeddale (1593–1653) was a Scottish aristocrat. Hay was the son of James Hay, 7th Lord Hay of Yester and Margaret Kerr or Ker, eldest daughter of Sir John Ker of Ferniehirst. He became

Lord Hay of Yester Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

in February 1609. The family home was Bothans at Yester. He married Jean Seton, a daughter of

Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline (1555–1622) was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He served as Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622 and as a Lord High Commiss ...

and Grizel Leslie. The courtier Robert Kerr came to Scotland in June 1629. He brought a gift from Charles I to Lady Yester as a wedding gift, a jewelled hair-dressing described as a "head busk", a band of small diamonds set in

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

to wear at the forehead from ear to ear. He mentioned Charles' gratitude to her mother Lady Seton for looking after him as a child at

Dunfermline Palace Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It is currently, along with other buildings of the adjacent Dunfermline Abbey, under the care of Historic Environment ...

. They had a son,

John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale John Hay, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl of Tweeddale (c. 13 August 1625, Yester, East Lothian – 11 August 1697, Edinburgh) was Lord Chancellor of Scotland. Early life Hay was born in 1626. He was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Earl of Tweeddale ( ...

, who married Jean Scott. Jean Seton, Lady Yester died eight days after the birth. Lord Yester opposed the Act anent Apparel in 1633 and in 1639 was supporter of the National Covenant and had a regiment at Duns Law. John Hay married secondly, in 1642, Margaret Montgomerie (1617-1665), a daughter of

Alexander Montgomerie, 6th Earl of Eglinton Alexander Montgomerie, 6th Earl of Eglinton (1588–1661) was a Scottish aristocrat and soldier, originally known as Sir Alexander Seton of Foulstruther. Life He was the third son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton by his wife Lady Margaret ...

and

Anne Livingstone Anne Livingstone, Countess of Eglinton (died 1632) was a Scottish courtier and aristocrat, and lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth and Anne of Denmark. Anne Livingstone was a daughter of Alexander Livingstone, 1st Earl of Linlithgow and Heleno ...

. Their son was William Hay of

Drumelzier Drumelzier (), is a village and civil parish on the B712 in the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders. The area of the village is extensive and includes the settlements of Wrae, Stanhope, Mossfennan and Kingledoors. To the north is Broughton an ...

. He married Elizabeth Seton, a daughter of

Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston Sir Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston (13 March 1620 – 21 October 1691), a Cavalier, was the first dignity Charles II conferred as King. Family Alexander was the son of George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (1584–1650) by Anna Hay, da ...

in 1694. He acquired Duns Castle and a part of a necklace or girdle associated with Mary, Queen of Scots which had descended in the Seton family from a royal gift to

Mary Seton Mary Seton (1542 – 1615) was a Scottish courtier and later a nun. She was one of the four attendants of Mary, Queen of Scots, known as the Four Marys. She was a sister at the Convent of Saint Pierre les Dames in Reims at the time of her death. ...

or Anne Livingstone. The necklace is now displayed at Holyrood Palace. John Hay was made Earl of Tweeddale in 1646. After his death in 1653, his widow Margaret Montgomerie married

William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn ( gd, Uilleam Coineagan) (1610–1664), was a Scottish nobleman, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and a cavalier. He was also the chief of Clan Cunningham. The eldest son of William Cunningham, 8th Earl of ...

.William Fraser, ''Memorials of the Montgomeries'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1859), pp. 82-3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tweeddale, John Hay, 1st Earl 1593 births 1653 deaths Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630