Clan Hay

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Clan Hay
Garadh, MacGaradh
Motto	Serva jugum ("Keep the yoke")
Slogan	"A Hay! A Hay!"
Profile
Plant badge	Mistletoe
Animal	Falcon
Chief
The Rt. Hon. Merlin Sereld Hay
The 24th Earl of Erroll
Seat	Woodbury Hall
Historic seat	New Slains Castle Old Slains Castle
Septs of Clan Hay Alderston, Ayer, Bagra, Beagrie, Conn (Aberdeenshire only), Constable, Delahaye, Delgaty, Du Plessis, Dupplin, Errol, Garadh, Garrow, Geary, Gifford, Hayden, Haye, Hayes, Hayle, Haynes, Hays, Hayton, Hayward, Hey, Hye, Kinnoul, Laxfirth, Leask (though bond of Manrent in 15th century), Leith, Locherworth, Logie, Macara, MacGaradh, McKester, Peebles, Phillips (Aberdeenshire only), Slains, Turriff, Tweeddale, Yester, Zester[1]
Clan branches Hay, Earl of Erroll (chiefs)[2] Hay of Pitfour Hay, Baronet of Linplum Hay, Baronet of Alderston Hay, Baronet of Restalrig (in the Jacobite Peerage) Hay of Seton House and of Mapes Hill House[3] Hay of Belton[4] Hay of Newhall, Gifford[5] Hay of Spott and Lawfield[6] Hay of Drumelzier[7] Hay of Duns Castle[8] Hay of Nunraw[9] Hay, Baronet of Smithfield and Haystoun[10] Hay of Lochloy Hay of Delgatie Hay, Baronet of Park Hay of Cardeny Hay of Hayfield, Lerwick Dalrymple-Hay baronets
Allied clans Clan Comyn

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Clan Hay is a Scottish clan from the Grampian region of Scotland. The clan has played an important part in Scottish history and politics. Today, people with the surname Hay (or its variants) can be found in many parts of Scotland and around the world, but their heartland remains in the northeast—especially Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Morayshire, and Nairnshire.

The name Hay comes from the Norman name de la Haye, meaning “of the hedge” or “hedged enclosure”. The first Hays in Scotland came from Normandy around the 12th century. One of the earliest known was William de Haya, who served King William the Lion and became the Baron of Erroll.^[11][12]

A famous legend tells of a battle called Luncarty (around the year 980), where a man named Hay saved the king by standing his ground in a narrow pass. In return, the king reportedly gave him land that a falcon freed over six miles — this land became Errol. Though this story may be more legend than fact, historians still note the long and distinguished standing of the Hays in Scotland.

In real history, Gilbert de la Hay, a later clan leader, fought for Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn and was rewarded with lands and the office of Lord High Constable of Scotland. Since then, the Hays of Erroll have held that high role.^[12]

The title Earl of Erroll was created in 1453 for a member of Clan Hay, and since then, the Earls of Erroll have been chiefs of the clan. Their family seat is now in England, but their connections to Scotland remain strong.

The clan held many castles over the centuries. Some are still standing (like Delgatie Castle), while others, like Old and New Slains Castles, are now ruins. These places reflect the clan’s power and presence in different regions of Scotland.

During turbulent times like the Reformation and the Jacobite risings, the Hays stayed loyal—first to Mary, Queen of Scots, and later, to the Stuart cause.^[13]

Clan Hay has a motto in Latin: "Serva Jugum", meaning “Keep the yoke.” Their crest badge often shows a falcon in flight, and the clan’s plant badge is mistletoe.

Now, the chief of Clan Hay is the Earl of Erroll, who also holds the hereditary title of Lord High Constable of Scotland—a rare office still recognized today. The clan is alive in Scotland and among Scots worldwide, celebrated in societies, gatherings, and cultural memory.