George Hay, Earl of Gifford
Encyclopedia
George Hay, Earl of Gifford (26 April 1822 – 22 December 1862) was a British Liberal Party
politician.
Lord Gifford was born at Yester House
, the eldest son of the 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
and was educated at Trinity College
and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
. In 1850, he was a Captain in the East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry
and became Private Secretary
to the Secretary of State for War
(The Duke of Newcastle
) in 1854. A year later, he entered Parliament
as MP
for Totnes
(a seat he held until his death).
In 1862, Lord Gifford was involved in an accident whilst rescuing a workman about to be crushed by a tree the latter was cutting down in the grounds of Yester Castle
. Because of the accident, the Dowager Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye
(a close friend of his who previously refused his proposals) agreed to marry Lord Gifford and they did so at Dufferin Lodge on 13 October 1862. As a result of the accident, Lord Gifford died two months later and as he and his wife did not have any children, his brother, Lord Arthur
became the heir to their father's titles and estate.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Lord Gifford was born at Yester House
Yester House
Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the 1970s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of...
, the eldest son of the 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, KT, GCB was a Scottish soldier and administrator.-Military career:...
and was educated at Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
. In 1850, he was a Captain in the East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry
Lothian and Border Horse
The Lothians and Border Horse was a Yeomanry regiment, part of the British Territorial Army. It was ranked 36th in the Yeomanry order of precedence, and based in the Scottish Lowland area, recruiting in the Lothian and along the border with England.-Origins:...
and became Private Secretary
Private Secretary
In the United Kingdom government, a Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the Secretary of State or Minister...
to the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
(The Duke of Newcastle
Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne
Henry Pelham Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne KG, PC , styled Earl of Lincoln before 1851, was a British politician.-Background:...
) in 1854. A year later, he entered Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Totnes
Totnes (UK Parliament constituency)
Totnes is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , using the first-past-the-post voting system....
(a seat he held until his death).
In 1862, Lord Gifford was involved in an accident whilst rescuing a workman about to be crushed by a tree the latter was cutting down in the grounds of Yester Castle
Yester Castle
Yester Castle is a ruined castle, located south east of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The only remaining structure is the subterranean Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha' ...
. Because of the accident, the Dowager Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye
Helen Blackwood, Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye
Helen Selina Blackwood, Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye, later Helen Selina Hay, Countess of Gifford, born Helen Selina Sheridan, , was a British song-writer, composer, poet, and author...
(a close friend of his who previously refused his proposals) agreed to marry Lord Gifford and they did so at Dufferin Lodge on 13 October 1862. As a result of the accident, Lord Gifford died two months later and as he and his wife did not have any children, his brother, Lord Arthur
Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
Colonel Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale , known before 1862 as Lord Arthur Hay and between 1862 and 1876 as Viscount Walden, was a Scottish soldier and ornithologist. He was born at Yester, Gifford, East Lothian. He served as a soldier in India and the Crimea. He succeeded his father to the...
became the heir to their father's titles and estate.