What an exciting summer it has been for Clan Hay!
Lord Hay marriage to Clementine was a charming event and special for many reasons. Alan Hay has compiled facts to give us pause for thought,
· It’s the first marriage of an heir apparent since the 1900 wedding of Lord Kilmarnock (the future 21st Earl) to Lucy Mackenzie of Glenmuick. This was a rather lavish affair, with the bridesmaids presented with mistletoe brooches made from gold and pearls.
· Clemmie is the first person to become Lady Hay in 299 years, since the 1618 marriage of the future 10th Earl to Lady Anne Lyon, a daughter of the first Earl of Kinghorne. (Remember the heirs apparent between 1831 and 1941 were titled Kilmarnock, not Hay).
· She is only the fifth person to be titled Lady Hay: in addition to Lady Anne Lyon (above), her predecessors were Christian Lyon, daughter of the third Lord Glamis and first wife of the fourth Earl of Erroll, married in 1492; Lady Jean Hay, daughter of the sixth Earl of Erroll and first wife of Andrew Hay, eighth Earl, her cousin, married in 1561; and Lady Margaret Stewart, daughter of the first Earl of Moray and first wife of the ninth earl, married in 1584.
In July, Laline followed her brother to be the next of our Chief's family to be married. Her wedding to Captain Jeremy Sudlow was at Peterborough Cathedral and was witnessed by over 650 guests!
Clan events for the summer began with our taking part in the Edinburgh Millitary Tattoo and being the first clan to emerge through the gates of Edinburgh Castle led by our wonderful Clan Hay Pipe Band and our Chief and Isabelle.
So splendid was our turn out, smartly sporting out Clan tartan, that the Tattoo organisers have used us in their official video of the tattoo for 2017. We were one of the largest clan groups taking part and those who were there, were a credit to the Clan.
Following the Tattoo, we raced back to Deeside for our Medieval Banquet which was a huge success. Our re-enactment group were first class and the music provided by Paul Anderson and Shona Donaldson was fabulous. We enjoyed a combination of a hog roast and traditional medieval food which was amazingly good although eating soup with wooden spoons perhaps needs a re-think for next year!
Saturday saw us at the Aboyne Highland Games where our pipers took part and made us very proud once again. The games were honoured by a visit from Her Majesty the Queen and our Chief was foremost amongst those to greet her.
Following the games, we gathered at the Deeside Activity Park to dine and celebrate the 51st birthday of Eddie Collins who had traveled from America with Hank and Suzanne, his brother Zander and nephew Brandon. The answers to the Grape and Pillage competition were given amid much excitement and humour.
Sunday was our Clan Lunch at Delgatie Castle where we were warmly welcomed by Joan Johnson, Melanie and Chris and enjoyed a delicious meal. No wonder Joan wins prizes for her cooking! It was the largest group for a Clan Lunch in many years.
The afternoon was filled with visits to Old Slains Castle and New Slains Castle where some clans-people were thrilled by their first visit and others renewed the experience.
We rounded off the day with supper at the Kilmarnock Arms and people took the opportunity to see the signature of Bram Stoker (Writer of Dracula) in the visitor book.
Monday found Clan Hay at Crathes Castle in Banchory where we offered people the opportunity to learn about many aspects of Scottish Heritage. Information about Gaelic, kilt making, piping and many other aspects of Scottish traditions were available and well supported by the public. Croquet was on offer and a good number of people took the opportunity to, "have a go".
Our gathering concluded with a visit to Coupar Angus Abbey to see where the early Chiefs of Clan Hay were buried. This was quite a moving experience and was enhanced by the information shared with us by the minister, Rev Andrew Graham. We proceeded to the Coupar Angus Visitor Centre and were made very welcome by the volunteers there.
This year, for the first time, Clan Hay were present at the Braemar Gathering. This was a very successful event and we were visited by large numbers of people who were interested in learning more about our Clan. The arrival of Her Majesty the Queen accompanied by Prince Phillip, the Duke of Rothsay and Princess Anne brought huge numbers of people to the vicinity of the clans' tent where many took the opportunity to come in and see us.
Next year's events are already being planned so please watch the web site and Facebook page for information. This year's events were fully booked months in advance so please don't be late or you may be disappointed.