William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll (12 March 1772 – 26 January 1819), known as Lord Hay until 1778, was a Scottish peer.
Contents
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 (the first wife George Boyle, 4th Earl of Glasgow), 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 (a daughter of James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow).
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 (Whig) 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 (d. 1793), the second daughter of Matthew Bell of Wolsingham, in 1792. Before her death in 1793, they had one child together:
Lady Dulcibella Jane Hay (21 March 1793 – 10 January 1885), who married The Ven. Charles Nourse Wodehouse, Archdeacon of Norwich, second son of the Rev. Philip Wodehouse, Prebend of Norwich (brother of John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse, and second son of Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baronet) and Apollonia Nourse (daughter and co-heiress of John Nourse), in 1821.
Secondly, he married Alicia Eliot (d. 1812), the third daughter of Samuel Eliot, Esq. of Antigua, and Alice (née Byam) Eliot (a daughter of Col. William Byam of Antigua), in 1796. Alicia was the sister-in-law of Sir Thomas Stapleton, 6th Bt. (also the 16th Baron Le Despencer). Together, they were the parents of seven children, including:
James Hay, Lord Hay (1797–1815), who was killed at the Battle of Quatre Bras.
Lady Alicia Hay (12 December 1798 – 21 January 1799), who died young.
Lady Isabella Hay (24 February 1800 – 28 July 1868), who married Lt.-Gen. William Wemyss, second son of Lt.-Gen. William Wemyss MP and Frances Erskine (a daughter of Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet) in 1820.
William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll (1801–1846), who married Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, an illegitimate daughter of King William IV by his mistress Dora Bland ("Mrs Jordan").
Lady Harriet Jemima Hay (20 January 1802 – 8 February 1837), who married Daniel Gurney, the High Sheriff of Norfolk, in 1822.
Lady Caroline Augusta Hay (11 May 1804 – 19 August 1877), who married John Morant of Brockenhurst in 1823.
Hon. Samuel Hay (9 January 1807 – 25 November 1847), who married Louisa Pleydell-Bouverie, the only daughter of Vice-Admiral Hon. Duncombe Pleydell-Bouverie (second son of Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 2nd Earl of Radnor) and Louisa May (second daughter of Joseph May of Hale House), in 1832.