The Hay clan descends from Norman-born knight
Guillaume de la Haye, who was
pincerna (cup bearer or butler) to
Malcolm IV and
William the Lion.
Charles I advanced
Sir George Hay to the peerage on 4 May 1627 under the titles of
Lord Hay of Kinfauns and
Viscount Dupplin. On 25 May 1633, Hay was created the
Earl of Kinnoull by King
Charles I. The Hay family share a common ancestor with the
Earls of Erroll.
Gilbert de la Hay (died April 1333), ancestor of the Earls of Erroll, was the older brother of William de la Hay, ancestor of the Earls of Kinnoull. In 1251, William received a charter of two
carucates of land from his brother, which was confirmed by King
Alexander III. This gave him and his successors an automatic seat in the
House of Lords, which the earldom did not entitle them to until the
Peerage Act 1963 extended that right to all holders of Scottish peerages. In 2026,
the 16th earl was created
Baron Kinnoull of the Ochils for life. This will allow him to continue to sit in the House of Lords after the
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 comes into force. The family seat is
Dupplin Castle, just outside
Perth, Scotland, and Kinnoull is a neighbourhood of Perth. ==Earls of Kinnoull (1633)==