Lang Syne Products Scottish Clan Crest Tartan Information History Fact Book - Hay

With some of the possible origins of their name steeped in high romance, the Hays of Errol, in Perthshire, to this day hold the hereditary title of Lord High Constables of Scotland – ranked second in importance to the holding of royal blood.

One of their imposing properties was Slains Castle, perched high on the edge of cliffs overlooking Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire. Now a brooding ruin, it is thought to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s book Dracula.

Also known as the ‘Handsome Hays’, it was Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Errol, who was the inspiration for the 1987 film White Mischief, following his mysterious death in Kenya in 1941 by a bullet wound to the head; this was while sitting in his car in the area popular with British expatriates known as Happy Valley.

Infused with high drama, the colourful tale of the Hays from earliest times is recounted here.