Clan Hannay
Encyclopedia
Origins of the clan
Although the modern surname Hannay is likely derived from the place name Hannethe, the precise identity of the place is unknown. The family can be traced back to GallowayGalloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
in South-West Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The name 'Gillbert de Hannethe' appears on the Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
of 1296, submitting to King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. The Hannay's lands of Sorbie
Sorbie
Sorbie is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.It is located mid-way between Wigtown and Whithorn on the A714 road. Formerly served by the Wigtownshire Railway branch of the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, Sorbie once boasted a creamery some of whose produce was exported...
in Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
were reportedly acquired by the same Gillbert de Hannethe.
Unlike many Scottish nobles and clans the Clan Hannay did not support Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
but instead supported John Balliol because he was more local to them.
15th & 16th centuries
In 1488 the Clan Hannay fought at the Battle of SauchieburnBattle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles...
. Later in 1513 the Clan Hannay fought at the Battle of Flodden Field
Battle of Flodden Field
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
which was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars
Anglo-Scottish Wars
The Anglo-Scottish Wars were a series of wars fought between England and Scotland during the sixteenth century.After the Wars of Scottish Independence, England and Scotland had fought several times during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In most cases, one country had attempted to...
.
In 1532 Patrick Hannay was acquitted of the murder of Patrick McClellen as he had killed him in self defense.
James Hannay, the Master Gunner in the reign of James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
led the clan at the Battle of Solway Moss
Battle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
in 1542 and the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
in 1547 which were part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars
Anglo-Scottish Wars
The Anglo-Scottish Wars were a series of wars fought between England and Scotland during the sixteenth century.After the Wars of Scottish Independence, England and Scotland had fought several times during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In most cases, one country had attempted to...
. The family began to spread and a tower
Sorbie Tower
Sorbie Tower is a fortified tower house 1 mile east of the village of Sorbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The ancient seat of the Clan Hannay, it is in an L-shaped format, rubble-built in the late sixteenth century, possibly by Patrick Ahannay....
built at Sorbie in 1550 which commanded views their ever increasing territory.
17th century
Patrick HannayPatrick Hannay
-Life:He was probably the third son of Alexander Hannay of Kirkdale in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Early in the reign of James I of England Patrick Hannay, with a cousin Robert , came to the English court and was favourably noticed by Queen Anne...
had a distinguished military career and was patronised by Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
, daughter of James VI and sister of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. After the death of Queen Anne
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
who was the wife of James VI in 1619 Patrick Hannay composed two eulogies and in return had many published on his own death, one of which said: 'Go on in virtue, aftertimes will tell, none but Hannay could have done so well'.
Sir Patrick (3rd) Privy Councillor of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Master of the Chancellery in Ireland, died at sea in 1625.
Possibly the best known Hannay was James Hannay, the Dean of St Giles' in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
who had the claim to fame of being the target of Jenny Geddes
Jenny Geddes
Jenny Geddes was a Scottish market-trader in Edinburgh, who is alleged to have thrown her stool at the head of the minister in St Giles' Cathedral in objection to the first public use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer in Scotland.The act is reputed to have sparked the riot which led to the...
' stool. In an infamous incident in 1637 the Dean had begun to read the new liturgy when with a cry of "Thou false thief, dost thou say Mass at my lug?" was heard and a stool came flying from the congregation, thrown by an incensed Jenny Geddes. The incident began a full scale riot which took the town guard to control. Sir Robert Hannay of Mochrum
Mochrum
Mochrum is a small agricultural parish in Wigtownshire on the west of the Machars peninsula, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It has a population of about 125 which is considerably lower than the population of about 150 years ago. It lies 3.1 km north of the small fishing village of Port...
was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
In 1630, and from the Sorbie roots the Hannays of Grennan, Knock, Garrie and Kingsmuir also evolved.
Clan conflicts
The fortunes of the original Hannays of Sorbie were seriously dented in the seventeenth century when a long running feud with the powerful Clan MurrayClan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
of Broughton resulted in the Hannays being outlawed. The clan has also had previous feuds with the Clan Kennedy
Clan Kennedy
Clan Kennedy is a Scottish clan and an Irish surname.-Origins:The Kennedys had their home territory in Carrick in Ayrshire, in southwestern Scotland. Originally they were of Pictish/Norse stock from the Western Isles. In the fifteenth century, one Ulric Kennedy fled Ayrshire to Lochaber in the...
and Clan Dunbar
Clan Dunbar
-Origins of the Clan:The Clan Dunbar descends from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria, grandson of Crínán of Dunkeld and Seneschal of the Isles and nephew to King Duncan I of Scotland, who became Earl of Northumberland after his father’s death. William the Conqueror deprived Gospatric of the title in...
. After the feud with the Clan Murray
Clan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
the famous tower at Sorbie fell into disrepair and was lost along with the neighbouring lands around 1640. Many Hannays moved to Ireland, in particular Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
and the name can still be found there and in many surrounding counties, particularly in the form "Hanna".
Another form of the name, "Hannah", is particularly common amongst the descendants of those that remained in Scotland.
Another variation of Hannay is "Hanney". In Oxfordshire, England, there are two villages called East Hanney
East Hanney
East Hanney is a village and civil parish on Letcombe Brook about north of Wantage. Historically East and West Hanney were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney...
and West Hanney
West Hanney
West Hanney is a village and civil parish about north of Wantage. Historically West and East Hanney were formerly a single ecclesiastical parish of Hanney. East Hanney was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.-Archaeology:In September...
.
Yet another version of Hannay is "Hanner". Although less common, Hanner, like Hanna, is found amongst the descendants of those who moved to Ireland.
The modern Clan Hannay
Sir Samuel Hannay, who had served within the Habsburg Empire. He returned to Scotland having amassed a considerable wealth and built a great mansion house which was said to be the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Guy ManneringGuy Mannering
Guy Mannering or The Astrologer is a novel by Sir Walter Scott, published anonymously in 1815. According to an introduction that Scott wrote in 1829, he had originally intended to write a story of the supernatural, but changed his mind soon after starting...
. Sir Samuel's baronetcy became dormant on his death in 1841 and the estates passed to his sister, Mary, then further to her nephew, William Rainsford Hannay, on her death in 1850. From this direct line comes the present chief Hannay of Kirkdale and of that Ilk.
One branch of the family begun by a younger son of the Sorbie Hannays, Alexander Hannay took lands at Kirkdale
Kirkdale
Kirkdale is the name of several places in the United Kingdom:*Kirkdale, Merseyside, an area of Liverpool, England**Kirkdale **Kirkdale *Kirkdale, North Yorkshire, England...
, by Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
. The line established by his son John Hannay of Kirkdale is now recognised as the chiefly one.
Clan Chief
Clan chief: Chief Ramsay William Rainsford Hannay Died 10 January 2004 – Gatehouse-of-Fleet, Scotland and was succeeded by his son, Dr. David R Hannay.Clan Seat
In 1965 the ancient clan seat, Sorbie TowerSorbie Tower
Sorbie Tower is a fortified tower house 1 mile east of the village of Sorbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The ancient seat of the Clan Hannay, it is in an L-shaped format, rubble-built in the late sixteenth century, possibly by Patrick Ahannay....
is owned by the members of Clan Hannay International and has received grants from Historic Scotland.