William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll


William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll, known as Lord Hay until 1778, was a Scottish peer.

Early life

Erroll was the son of James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll and his second wife, Isabella Carr, the eldest daughter and co-heiress of William Carr of Etal in Northumberland. His elder sister, Lady Augusta Hay, succeeded to the Etal estate in 1806. From his father's first marriage to Rebecca Lockhart, he had one half-sibling, Lady Mary Hay, who married Gen. John Scott of Balcomie.
His paternal grandparents were William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock and Lady Anne Livingston.

Career

In 1798, he succeeded to the earldom of Erroll following the death of his elder brother George, who died without issue.
In 1805, he was appointed Knight Marischal of Scotland, serving until 1809. He also served as a Scottish representative peer from 1806 to 1807 and, again, from 1818 to 1819.
From 1817 to 1819, he was Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Personal life

He firstly married Jane Bell, the second daughter of Matthew Bell of Wolsingham, in 1792. Before her death in 1793, they had one child together:
Secondly, he married Alicia Eliot, the third daughter of Samuel Eliot, Esq. of Antigua, and Alice Eliot, in 1796. Alicia was the sister-in-law of Sir Thomas Stapleton, 6th Bt.. Together, they were the parents of seven children, including:
In 1816, he married, thirdly, to Harriet Somerville, sister of Mark Somerville, 16th Lord Somerville and third daughter of Lt.-Col. Hon. Hugh Somerville, by his second wife, Mary Digby. They were the parents of three children, the last of which was born after his death:
Lord Erroll died on 26 January 1819 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, William. His widow, the Dowager Countess of Erroll, died in 1864.