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Local: At the hay, i.e. the haw or hedge, an enclosure. The popular form in the North of England was Haig, Haig, and Hague.
In the reign of Kenneth III, about 980, the Danes having invaded Scotland, were encountered by that king near Loncarty in Perthshire ; the Scots at first gave way and fled through a narrow pass where they were stopped by a countryman of great strength and courage, and his two sons, with no other weapons than the yokes of their ploughs, upbraiding the fugitives for their cowardice, he succeeded in rallying them, and the battle being renewed, the Danes were defeated. After the victory was obtained, the old man lying on the ground, wounded and fatigued, cried " Hay, hay," which word became the surname of his posterity, and the king, as a reward for his signal service, gave him as much land in the Carse of Gowrie, as a falcon should fly over before it settled, and a falcon being accordingly let off, flew over an extent of ground six miles in length, afterwards called Errol, and lighted on a stone, still called Falcon stone ; the king also assigned three shields or escutcheons for the arms of the family, to intimate that the father and his two sons had been the three fortunate shields of Scotland.
A hedge, an inclosure, to inclose, fence in, a protection, a place of safety. In Dutch, 'Haag;' Saxon, 'Hege;' German, 'Heck;' Danish, 'Hekke;' Swedish, 'Hagn;' French, 'Haie;' Welsh, 'Cae;' Gaelic, 'Ca;' Cornish British, 'Hay.' In the reign of Kenneth III. (says Douglass), about 980, the Danes having invaded Scotland, were encountered by that king, near Loncarty, in Perthshire. The Scots at first gave way, and fled through a narrow pass, where they were stopped by a countryman of great strength and courage, and his two sons, with no other weapons than the yokes of their plows. Upbraiding the fugitives for their cowardice, he succeeded in rallying them; the battle was renewed, and the Danes totally discomfited. It is said, that after the victory was obtained, the old man, lying on the ground wounded and fatigued, cried 'Hay, Hay,' which word became the surname of his posterity. The king, as a reward for that signal service, gave him as much land in the Carse of Gowrie as a falcon should fly over before it settled; and a falcon being accordingly let off, flew over an extent of ground six miles in length, afterward called Errol, and lighted on a stone still called "Falconstone or Hawkstone."
Hope, wish, rare.
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