William Hay, 15th Earl of Kinnoull

Known as William, the 15th earl was born in 1935, the third born but first surviving son of the 14th earl and his second wife, Mary Ethel Isobel, daughter of Dr. Ferdinand Richard Holmes Meyrick and Kate Meyrick. At age 3, he succeeded his father in the earldom upon the latter's death at aged 35, of an unspecified illness.[2]

He was educated at Eton College and Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.[3] At age 22, he took his place in the House of Lords.[4]

He was the junior conservative whip in the House of Lords in 1966-68[5] and opposition party spokesman on aviation. He was also an assembly member of the Council of Europe, working at cooperation on fishing and agriculture; president of the National Council on Inland Transport, and vice-president of the National Association of Local Councils.[4]

He worked for Langley Taylor Surveyors in London, where he was a senior partner for more than 30 years, and was a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.[3] He was also an active sportsman, playing squash and tennis, and was a member of the Royal Company of Archers.[4]

He married Ann Gay Lowson, daughter of Sir Denys Lowson, 1st Baronet, on 1 June 1961.[6] They had three children: Charles, Melissa, and Iona.[4] Lady Kinnoull died in 2016.

• Obituary: the Earl of Kinnoull at ClanHay.org
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Arthur William George Patrick Hay, 15th Earl of Kinnoull