Major Malcolm Vivian Hay of Seaton | |
|---|---|
 Malcolm Vivian Hay in 1914 | |
| Born | (1881-01-21)21 January 1881 |
| Died | 27 December 1962(1962-12-27) (aged 81) Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Education | St Basil's grammar school, St John's preparatory school |
| Occupations | Cryptographer and historian |
| Spouse(s) | Florence de Thiene, Alice Ivy Hay |
| Children | James Malcolm Hay, Elizabeth Hay, Georgiana Hay, and Peter Brian Hay |
| Parent(s) | James Gordon Hay and Elizabeth Forbes |
Major Malcolm Vivian Hay of Seaton (1881–1962) was an officer in theGordon Highlanders, a cryptographer during theFirst World War, a historian of Catholic and Jewish history, and the last Laird of Seaton House inAberdeen, Scotland. The grounds of the estate are nowSeaton Park.
Malcolm Hay was born in London to James Gordon Hay and Mary Catherine Cox, and was the grandson of Lieutenant-General James Hay (1786–1862) and Elizabeth Forbes. He had an elder brother, Gilbert, who died in infancy, and a younger brother, Cuthbert. At the age of two, James Gordon Hay died, and Malcolm inherited the estate.[1] He was educated first at St Basil's grammar school at Frognall Hill, and then at St John's, a Jesuit preparatory school near Windsor. Hay's mother died in 1892, and he was subsequently raised by his aunt Georgina Hay, a former abbess atSedan before the Franco-Prussian war, in France against the wishes of his father's will.[2]
As a young man, Hay did not attend a university, but was self-educated, studying Italian. He lived in Paris, but he returned to Scotland in 1907, joining the 3rd Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders as an officer and managing his estates. In 1911, he travelled to Ireland to gather information on the Republican movement for Parliament. He also engaged in politics, defending the Catholic Church's interests in Quebec.[3] Unlike other members of his class, Hay was a liberal and a Scottish nationalist.[4]
Hay was transferred from the Militia to the 1st Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, and saw action early in theFirst World War in Belgium. At theBattle of Mons, he was severely wounded in the head and taken prisoner by the Germans and imprisoned atWurzburg. His wound caused his right side to be paralysed, and he had to re-learn how to walk. In 1915,Evelyn, Princess Blücher, whose brother knew Hay, arranged for his release and he became the first British officer to be released and returned to theUnited Kingdom in the war. In 1916, he publishedWounded and a Prisoner of War based on his experiences.[5]
After recovering from his wound, Hay joined the War Office as head of the MI1(b), the cryptography department in 1915. Although the department was small at the time, consisting of only three members, Hay greatly expanded it to include many professors and other intellectuals across theUnited Kingdom as well as theUnited States of America. He also developed new codes for the British Army that remained in use until the beginning of theSecond World War.[6][7]
On the conclusion of the First World War, Hay returned to Aberdeen; however, he also spent much of his time in London researching in the archives of theBritish Museum. He befriended BishopGeorge Bennett, Bishop of Aberdeen, who allowed him access to the historical archives ofBlairs College. Hay published the archive asThe Blairs Papers in 1929.[8]
In 1927, Hay publishedA Chain of Error in Scottish History, which alleged that much of Scottish historiography at the time reflected severe anti-Catholic prejudices. In particular, he focused many of his arguments on the historiography ofCeltic Christianity, and accused historians of distorting historical data to fit the notion of an independent Celtic Church which was the forerunner of the Presbyterian Church. The book proved controversial for its iconoclasm, and journals such as theTimes Literary Supplement and theScottish Historical Review condemned it in equally controversial reviews.[9] In July 1928, the Scottish Historical Review was forced to publish an apology for its review of theChain of Error after receiving numerous complaints from historians who believed the editors to have misjudged Hay.[10] Clifford Williamson (2016) notes that much of its negative reception came from the anti-Catholicism which Hay criticised, and that Catholic intellectuals such asHilaire Belloc considered it to be an important work of scholarship. In 1931, Hay had an audience withPope Pius XI for his contributions to Catholic historiography, where he presented the Pope with a copy of theChain of Error.[9]
In 1934, Hay publishedThe Jesuits and the Popish Plot, which centred around thePopish Plot, a nonexistent but widely believed Catholic conspiracy to assassinateCharles II of England and to install his brother, the futureJames II and VII to the throne. The scandal resulted in the execution of 35 people, including the five Jesuit priests indicated in the title. The book was widely read and received many positive reviews in contrast to theChain of Error.[11][12]
In theSecond World War, Hay supported relief efforts for Scottish prisoners of War inNazi Germany, and metAlice Ivy Paterson, who was also engaged in charity. Paterson introduced him to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, such asChaim Weizmann, and it was from these humanitarian activities that he became a committed philosemite and Zionist. In 1950, Hay publishedThe Foot of Pride (later retitledEurope and the Jews) about the history ofanti-Semitism in Europe. In the book, he condemned the Pope for his silence on the genocide of the Jews.[13]
In 1903, Hay married his first cousin Florence de Thiene (d. 1943), and had four children. He married his second wife, writer, philanthropist and public speaker Alice Ivy Hay (née Wigmore) in 1956. After his death, she published his biography,Valiant for Truth, in 1971.
In 1947, he sold the grounds of Seaton House to the City of Aberdeen, which becameSeaton Park. The abandoned house was severely damaged by fire and was demolished in 1963.[14]
In September 1962, Hay underwent an operation for aprostate gland condition. Although the operation was successful, he died on December 27 from complications from the surgery.[15]
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