Clan Haig
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clan Haig is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan's motto is "Tyde What May". The origin of the name is the Norman name "de Haga".
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins of the Clan
The first known person of the name was Petrus de Haga, who is mentioned in documents from 1162. However, the Clan Haig are traditionally said to descend from Druskine, the King of Picts, who was killed at the Battle of Camelon by Kenneth, the King of Scots, in 839.
His son, Hago, escaped to Norway and it was his descendant, Petrus de Hago, who served with the Viking forces of King Harald IV of Norway. Hago, who was shipwrecked off Eyemouth, befriended the Earl of March. He later married the Earl's daughter and the Earl gave him the lands of Bemersyde near Dryburgh in Roxburghshire, Scotland.
The Haigs became the Barons of Bemerside and rapidly gained a position of some influence in the area. Their signatures are on the Ragman Rolls of 1296 swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England.
[edit] Wars of Scottish Independence
In the 14th century during the Wars of Scottish Independence the Clan Haig fought alongside William Wallace against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1296. The next chief and sixth Laird continued this support by fighting alongside King Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, where he was killed.
[edit] 15th Century & Clan Conflicts
Chief Gilbert Haig opposed the powerful Clan Douglas. Gilbert's son James supported King James III of Scotland. After the King was murdered in 1488 he fled into hiding before making peace with King James IV of Scotland.
[edit] 16th Century & Anglo-Scottish Wars
During the Anglo-Scottish Wars, chief William Haig led the Clan Haig at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he was killed in 1513.
His son, the 14th Laird of Bemeryside was able to effect some revenge for his father's death when he captured Lord Evers, an English commander at the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1544. Evers later died at Bemeryside and was buried at Melrose Abbey.
[edit] 17th Century
Chief William Haig, the 19th Laird was the King's Solicitor for Scotland during the reign of James VI and Charles I. The twenty-first Laird, Anthony Haig was persecuted for his membership of the Society of Friends and suffered a long period of imprisonment.
Four sons of the chief were killed while fighting in the service of the King of Bohemia between 1629 and 1630.
[edit] Tower of Bemersyde
The Tower of Bemersyde was originally built in 1535 when its principle purpose was defense. It was improved in 1690 when large windows and fireplaces were introduced. The house was extended in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 1960 further alterations were carried out by the present chief to improve the overall design and proportions of the house.
[edit] Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
The father of the present chief was the first Earl Haig who was commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force in France between 1915 to 1919. On leaving Oxford University, Douglas Haig underwent his officer training and entered the 7th Hussars in 1885. He served in the Nile expedition of 1898 and fought at the Battle of Khartoum. He saw service throughout the Boer Wars where he served with distinction and was decorated for bravery. During World War I, Haig was responsible for the policy of attrition followed by the British forces on the Western Front, a policy which made little real strategic impact until 1917 and has been the subject of great controversy since. He successfully halted the German offensive by July 1918 and launched the Allied counter attack which ended the war four months later. He was created Earl Haig, Viscount Dawick and Baron Haig of Bemersyde on 29 September 1919. He was a Knight of the Thistle, a Member of the Order of Merit and received many other British knighthoods and foreign orders. Bemersyde was purchased from Arthur Balfour Haig in 1921 with money contributed by the people of the British Empire and presented to Lord Haig in recognition of the services he had rendered in the cause of freedom.
[edit] Clan Chief
The current chief of Clan Haig, George Alexander Eugene Douglas Haig the 2nd Earl Haig, who was page of honour to George VI at his coronation in 1937, is a distinguished artist and an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy.
