Gay Genealogy
"Super astra spero"
The first mention of the family "Gay" (Gear, Gair, Gayre, et.) is in the records of the tax collection of William the Conqueror in 1086.
In 1066, after the Battle of Hastings, Duke William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) unified England and was crowned King. Most of the lands of the English nobility were soon granted to his followers. The Domesday and the Saxon Chronicles states that in 1085, "at Gloucester at midwinter, the King had a deep speech with his counselors.......and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder held in land and livestock, and what it was worth", with the results to be brought to him before he left for England for the last time, late in 1086.
The lands of GEARR (old Gaelic) were held by Bricmer (another possible last name of de Dayres) before 1066, and had paid taxes of 1 furlong; 1 'V" or vergata of land (A guarter of a hide, reckoned at 30 acres). There was land enough for 2 ploughs and 3 slaves to work, pasture land of 5 acres, woodland of 12 acres. These lands were formerly valued at 25 shillings; now valued at 5 shillings. While the senior line became extinct, the history books tell us that not long after the chronicle, the second line of GEAR migrated to Yorkshire and was involved "in the destruction of a castle, and had to flee to Scotland!". This was a branch of the Gear line which did not die out in Cornwall, but involved in the destruction of Yorkshire castle. The family lands were located in Cornwall under the name of Otys Gayre of the manor Gayre near the estuary of the sea, and one of his cadets moves to Rosshire around 1649. They will later appear in the historical records at the sea ports of Cromarty Bay and Nigg Firth in Northern Scotland where the Gayre clan takes over the Maccullochs through a wedding.
The Coat-of-Arms are traceable to the 14th Century. Over time, this branch took over the chiefship of all branches of the House Gayre whether they were in Scotland, England, or Ireland.
In the later 16th and 17th Centuries they were on the Scottish Borders and intermarried with the Lairds of Mowe. A generation later, the representative of Gayre appeared in Nigg as the incoming husband of the MacCulloughs of Nigg, derived from Plaids and the possessors of the Girths of St. Duthace. Here they became a numerous clan and took part in the affairs of Nigg, and Fort rose of the Black Isle. Later, with the passing of the estates into three co-heiresses (whose husbands did not take the name of Gayre or Gair) the chiefship passed to the line of the present chief of the Name's line.
The arms were matriculated as Gayre or Gayre and Nigg in 1957 with a special compartment and recorded that the name was that of an ancient house of the realm. The Lairds of Gayre are also Barons of Lochore and hold the superiority of the ancient castle of Lochore in Fife.
In 1992, with a letter from the Chief of the name, Lt. Colonel Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg, the American Clan Gayre came into being. Lt. Col. Gayre appointed Malley Lee Gay of Jonesboro, Georgia as his first High Commissioner and Malley Lee Gay, in turn appointed Melvin Benjamin Gay of Moultrie, Georgia as his Deputy High Commissioner.
The tartans of the clan may be worn by all of the clan as members of the blood of the House of Gayre. In addition, it may also be worn those whose name may have similarity to Gayre (although not necessarily of the blood), such as Garrison, Garson, etc., besides those derived from Gayres on their female lines of descent.
The current Chief has declared that the home of the Clan is at Minard Castle on Argyll, Scotland. The discovery of oil on the former clan lands made that location undesirable as a place to live though this is rumored temporary. At Minard Castle there are records, a library, a small armoury and a family portrait gallery. Genealogical records with an unbroken line go only back to 1638, when Henry Gay arrived in the New World aboard the good ship "Safety".
The Surname "Gay", itself, is a nickname describing our ancestor's face, figure, temper, morals, or habits-- generally, meaning ""Gay, cheerful". The name which appears is Orkney and Shetland may derive from the Norse, "geirr", meaning "spear". This surname has been recorded in England, Scotland, Wales, France, and Belgium since the earliest times.
Dress Motto: Super astra spero (I hope beyond the stars)
Arms: Quarterly 1st $ 4th, Argent, a fleur de lis Sable, in the dexter chief point a mullet Vert (Gayre); 2nd & 3rd, Ermine, a fret engrailed Gules (McCulloch of Nigg)
Badge: None Available.
Crest: Issuing from a crest coronet Or, of four (three visible) strawberry leaves, a mount Vert
Plant Badge: Vegitated bay or noble laurel Proper berries Purpure
DeKalb County, Tennessee A Story of the Gay Family