Home / Scottish Clans - Histories, Tartans Crests and much more / Clan Haig (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

Clan Haig (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

By ScotsTee Shop

Haig

Clan Crest: A rock, Proper

Clan Motto: Tyde What May

Origin of Name: Derived from the Norman surname 'de Haga'

Region: Lowlands

Historic Seat: Bemersyde House, Borders

Clan Chief: The Rt. Hon. 3rd Earl Haig

⇨ View All Haig Tartan Products

Haig Clan History

The surname 'Haig' is derived from the Norman surname 'de Haga'. There were theories that the Haigs were of Pictish ancestry, but these have since been debunked. 'Petrus de Haga, proprietor of the lands and barony of Bemersyde,' according to a charter signed in 1162 to the Monastery of Dryburgh. Alexander II later charged him with the murder of the Earl of Athol at Haddington in 1492. The Barons of Bemerside quickly rose to prominence in the area, and it is not surprising to find their signature alongside that of other Scottish nobles on the Ragman Roll in 1296. They were soon to join the cause of Scottish independence, fighting for Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, like so many others who signed this document swearing fealty to Edward I.

At the age of seventeen, the sixth Laird demonstrated his devotion to the Scottish cause by fighting alongside Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. He remained a supporter of Scottish independence until his death in the battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.

Gilbert Haig stood in opposition to the powerful Douglas family. James III was supported by his son, James. After the king's assassination in 1488, he went into hiding before making peace with James IV.

Among the many Scottish nobles killed at Flodden in 1513 was William Haig of Bemersyde. When the 14th Laird captured Lord Evers, English commander at Ancrum Moor in 1544, he was able to exact some measure of vengeance for his father's death. Evers died in Bemeryside and was interred at Melrose Abbey.

During the reigns of James VI and Charles I, William Haig, the nineteenth Laird, served as King's Solicitor for Scotland. Anthony Haig, the twenty-first Laird, was persecuted for his membership in the Society of Friends, or Quakers.

When the succession fell to three unmarried daughters in the nineteenth century, the line of succession appeared to be in jeopardy. However, before their deaths, they signed a deed transferring the succession to a cousin Colonel Arthur Balfour Haig, a descendant of the seventeenth Laird. Their cousin was appointed as the twenty-eighth laird.

Earl Haig, commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Forces in France from 1915 to 1919, was possibly the most well-known of the Haig line. His military career began with the 7th Hussars in 1885, and he was decorated for his service in the Second Battle of Khartoum in 1898, as well as the Boer Wars. However, it was during the Great War that his name became most well-known. His policies, while ultimately effective, came at a high cost in terms of allied forces' casualties. In 1919, he was made Earl Haig, Viscount Dawick, and Baron Haig of Bemersyde, and he was later made a Knight of the Thistle. The citizens of the British Commonwealth were no doubt grateful for his contribution to the end of World War I, and they rewarded him by contributing to Arthur Balfour Haig's purchase of Bemeryside in 1921.

The current chief is his son and heir, the 2nd Earl Haig, a distinguished artist and Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy who served as page of honour to George VI at his coronation in 1937. Bemersyde has been in the Haig family's possession for an astonishing eight hundred years. Thomas the Rhymer predicted in the thirteenth century, 'Tyde what may, what'er betyde, Haig shall be Haig of Bemersyde'.

Haig Places & People

Clan Haig Individuals

Ned Haig ( 1858 – 1939)

Haig, the founder of Rugby Sevens, was born in Jedburgh and raised in Melrose. Following his participation in the annual Fastern's E'en Ba game, he became interested in the similar game of rugby, joining the local Melrose RFC side in 1880, initially playing for the seconds before making the first team and also representing the South.

With the club in need of funds in 1883, Haig proposed holding a tournament as part of a sports day to raise funds. Because it would be impossible to play multiple rugby games in one afternoon with a full squad of 15, teams for the tournament were reduced to seven men, and match time was reduced to 15 minutes.

The first Melrose Sports were held on April 28, 1883, and featured foot races, drop-kicks, dribbling races, and place kicking, as well as the main attraction of the rugby tournament, which drew eight teams. Haig was a member of the Melrose team that defeated Gala in the final, receiving a cup donated by the ladies of Melrose (now known as The Ladies Cup). Because of the tournament's immediate success, other clubs in the Borders region established their own Rugby Sevens competitions.

After retiring from competition, Haig remained active in club administration, serving on the General and Match committees for several seasons. He died on March 28, 1939, in Melrose.

Douglas Haig, Field Marshall

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC (1861 - 1928)

During World War I, he was a British soldier and senior commander. During the Battle of the Somme and the Third Battle of Ypres, he led the British Expeditionary Force. Haig's tenure as BEF commander made him one of the most divisive military commanders in British history.

John Haig, the son of the family's successful Haig & Haig whisky distillery, was born in Edinburgh. Haig attended Clifton College and studied at Oxford's Brasenose College. Haig then enrolled in the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1884, where he was commissioned into the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars the following year and quickly promoted to lieutenant. He first served in India in 1887, and was appointed adjutant of the regiment in 1888, giving Haig his first administrative experience. In 1891, he was promoted to captain.

When war broke out in August 1914, Haig helped organize the British Expeditionary Force, which was led by Field Marshal John French. On 14 August, the BEF landed in France and advanced into Belgium. Following defensive victories at the Battles of Mons and Ypres (1st Battle of Ypres), Haig was promoted to full General and appointed second-in-command of the British forces in France, reporting to Sir John French. Haig succeeded French as BEF Commander-in-Chief in December 1915. He oversaw several British campaigns, including the British offensive at the Somme, in which the forces under his command suffered over 300,000 casualties while gaining little ground but inflicting casualties on a German army that couldn't afford them. Many people, including then-Prime Minister Lloyd George, believe Haig's tactics in these battles were unnecessarily harsh, resulting in unnecessarily high casualties for little tactical gain. Haig was appointed field marshal in 1917.

Haig was created Earl Haig after the war, with a subsidiary viscountcy and a subsidiary barony, and a grant of £100.95,000. He was the commander-in-chief of the British home forces until his retirement in 1920. He devoted the rest of his life to ex-servicemen's welfare, traveling throughout the British Empire to promote their causes. He was instrumental in establishing the Haig Fund for ex-servicemen's financial assistance and the Haig Homes charity to ensure they were properly housed; both continue to provide assistance many years after they were established.

Haig died at the age of 66 in 1928. Even among ex-servicemen, he remained a hugely popular public figure until his death, and his state funeral was attended by over 100,000 people. He was laid to rest at Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders.

Haig Tartans

Tartan Haig

The Tartan shown below is also appropriate.

The District of Roxburgh

Haig Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Haig Crest:

Proper description of the crest: a rock

Coats of Arms of Haig:

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.