John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale

John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale PC (1645 – 20 April 1713) was a Scottish nobleman.

The Marquess of Tweeddale
Portrait by Gerard Soest.
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
In office
1704–1705
MonarchQueen Anne
Preceded byThe Earl of Seafield
Succeeded byThe Earl of Seafield
Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
In office
1704–1704
MonarchQueen Anne
Preceded byThe Duke of Queensberry
Succeeded byThe Duke of Argyll
Personal details
Born
John Hay

1645
Died20 April 1713(1713-04-20) (aged 67–68)
Political partySquadrone Volante
SpouseLady Mary Maitland
ChildrenCharles, John
Parent(s)John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale
Lady Jean Scott
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Scotland
Years of service1668–1689
RankColonel

Early life

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Hay was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Lady Jean Scott, daughter of Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch. His younger brothers were Lord David Hay of Belton (who married Rachel Hayes, daughter of Sir James Hayes), Lord Alexander Hay of Spott (who married Catherine Charters, daughter of Laurence Charters), Lady Margaret Hay (wife of Robert Ker, 3rd Earl of Roxburghe), and Lady Jean Hay (wife of William Douglas, 1st Earl of March).[1]

His paternal grandparents were John Hay, 1st Earl of Tweeddale and, his first wife, Lady Jean Seton (only daughter by his second wife of Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline). His maternal grandparents were Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch and Lady Mary Hay (third daughter of Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll).[1]

Career

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He was Colonel of the Militia Regiment of Foot in Co Haddington (1668–1674) and Linlithgow and Peebles (1682). He was Burgess of Edinburgh (1668), Commissioner for the Borders (1672–1684), Commissioner of Supply for Haddington (1678, 1685, 1690, 1704), Peebles (1678, 1685), Edinburgh (1690, 1704), Fife (1695, 1704), Berwick (1704); Colonel of the East Lothian Regiment (1685), Captain of the Militia Horse for Haddington and Berwick (1689), Privy Councillor of Scotland (1689), Sheriff of Haddington from 1694 to 1713, and Commissioner of the Admiralty (Scotland) (1695). He was also Lord Treasurer in 1695. He succeeded his father in the marquessate in 1697.[2]

Tweeddale was elected to the court of directors of the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies in March 1698. He was one of the principal leaders of the Country Party and used his involvement in the affairs of the Company to pursue his political agenda. On 25th March 1699, he and John Haldane of Gleneagles presented a National Address on behalf of the Company to William III & II in London. He was suspected of being an instigator of the Toubacanti riot in Edinburgh on 20th June 1700.[3]

He was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the Scots Parliament in 1704, and was Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1704 to 1705. He led the Squadrone Volante, but ultimately supported the Union. In October 1706, he was appointed to the Scottish parliamentary committee which scrutinised the Equivalent, the compensation to be paid to Scottish beneficeries under the Union settlement, the largest group of which were the shareholders and creditors of the Company of Scotland.[3] He was appointed one of 16 Scottish representative peers in 1707.[4]

He had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1666 but was expelled in 1685.[5]

Personal life

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In 1666, he married Lady Mary Maitland at Highgate in London. Lady Mary was a daughter of John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale and the former Anne Home. However, Lauderdale set himself against Hay, who was forced to leave for the continent and did not regain his position until Lauderdale's death in 1682. Together, they were the parents of:

Lord Tweeddale died on 20 April 1713. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, Charles.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cokayne, George Edward (1916). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom: Dacre to Dysart. St. Catherine Press, Limited. p. 528. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 12 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b Watt, Douglas (2024), The Price of Scotland: Darien, Union and the Wealth of Nations, Luath Press Limited, Edinburgh, pp. 164, 176 & 199, ISBN 9781913025595
  4. ^ Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1891). "Hay, John (1645-1713)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 25. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  5. ^ "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 12 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
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Political offices
Unknown Treasurer of Scotland
1695–?
Unknown
Preceded by Lord High Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament
1704
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Chancellor of Scotland
1704–1705
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Marquess of Tweeddale
1697–1713
Succeeded by