A Noble Scottish Legacy · Est. 1694
Chancellors, soldiers, ornithologists, and stewards of the ancient lands of Yester: tracing fourteen generations of the Hay family through Scotland's most turbulent and triumphant centuries.
Explore the TimelineThe Marquessate of Tweeddale was created on 17 December 1694 by King William III for John Hay, 2nd Earl of Tweeddale, a reward for his steadfast support during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Since that day, fourteen men of the Hay family have borne this title, serving Scotland and Britain as Lord Chancellors, Secretaries of State, Field Marshals, colonial governors, and pioneering naturalists.
Their story is woven into the very fabric of Scotland: from the mysterious Goblin Ha' beneath Yester Castle to the corridors of Westminster, from the battlefields of the Peninsular War to the jungles of the Philippines.
Fourteen Marquesses across more than three hundred years
Lord Chancellor of Scotland who backed the Glorious Revolution and ordered the inquiry into the Glencoe Massacre.
Lord Chancellor and leader of the Squadrone Volante who ultimately supported the Acts of Union in 1707.
Held the title briefly during the turbulent years surrounding the first Jacobite rising of 1715.
Secretary of State for Scotland whose handling of the 1745 Jacobite Rising led to the abolition of his own office.
A quieter custodian of the title during the Age of Enlightenment, stewarding the Yester estates in East Lothian.
Oversaw the family estates through the era of agricultural improvement that was transforming the Scottish Lowlands.
Father of the celebrated 8th Marquess, who presided over Yester during the upheavals of the French Revolution.
Field Marshal and Governor of Madras, a Peninsular War hero who served alongside the Duke of Wellington.
Grenadier Guards colonel and pioneering ornithologist who catalogued the birds of the Philippines.
Bengal Civil Service veteran and Liberal MP who managed the transition of the estates into the modern era.
Soldier and landowner who bore the title through both World Wars and the sweeping social changes of the 20th century.
Naval officer awarded the George Cross for extraordinary bravery during the Second World War.
Oxford-educated insurance broker and House of Lords member: elder of twin sons of the 12th Marquess.
The current holder of the title, younger twin brother of the 13th Marquess, continuing the legacy into the 21st century.
From the mist-shrouded ruins of the Goblin Ha' to the present day, the story of the Marquesses of Tweeddale is a mirror of Scotland itself: revolution and union, war and peace, tradition and change. Explore their world.