Clan Hay congratulates the Flemish Caledonian Society, which this month celebrates its 45th anniversary, still under the leadership of its founder John Wembridge, and supported by Tom Hye, Clan Hay’s long serving convenor for Europe, and many Belgian Hays. They celebrated this milestone birthday on Saturday 2 April with a concert in Ghent, led by […]

The Clan Hay Society’s next lecture will take place on Saturday 23 April at 7.00 pm UK time, via Zoom.   The speaker will be tartan historian, Lt. Col. Peter MacDonald. Peter is the leading tartan historian of our age and the Honorary Head of Research & Collections for the Scottish Tartans Authority. He has been […]

The late Captain John Hay of Hayfield was a force of nature.  He was, as he described himself, a “soldier, farmer, engineer, sculptor and Scottish patriot.”  The words are on the magnificent gravestone he carved for himself, in Turriff churchyard.  There is ample evidence of his activity in all of these spheres, but there are […]

The Clan Hay Pipe Band is grateful for the generous donation towards its funding – for the second consecutive year – from our Canadian member Beverly  Getzlaf. Beverly describes herself as a “newcomer” to the clan, although she in fact joined 15 years ago, her interest sparked while exploring the life of her grandfather, James […]

Clan Hay’s lecture series continued on Saturday 19 March with an enlightening session from Professor Gillian Black on the theme of succession to hereditary titles and coats of arms. Gillian Black is Professor of Scots Private Law at Edinburgh University, specialising in family law and contract law. Her work in family law brings together her […]

The Hays of Erroll first arrived in North East Scotland in 1308, in the lands that would become and remain their principal seat, down to the present day. Originating in northern France, the Hays were by the 14th century a well established Scottish baronial family, although they then belonged to the minor gentry: they had […]

The gaunt and forlorn ruin of Slains Castle at Cruden Bay is perhaps one of the most recognisable images of the Aberdeenshire coast, still proudly standing on its precipitous cliff edge and dominating the skyline for miles around.  Tales of Bram Stoker basing Dracula’s castle on it, and recent publicity about the controversial plan to […]