Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg | Open Library

Contents:

• ANTHONY J. CAMP - ROBERT GAYRE
• BOOKS BY ROBERT GAYRE
• ROBERT GAYRE BGRAPHY
• ROBERT GAYRE
• ROBERT GAYRE OF GAYRE AND NIGG
• GAYRE OF GAYRE & NIGG

ANTHONY J. CAMP - ROBERT GAYRE

One of the most trigug of the was the late Litenant-Colonel Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg (1907-1996), Secretary-General of the VIth Internatnal Congrs of Genealogy and Heraldry, held Edburgh 1962, whose journal of 'racial history', Mankd Quarterly, found 1960, he was donatg to the library. As early as 1939 at Hastgs County Court a se about unpaid rent a judge told the agent who had leased Gayre a ttage that he ought to have known om the length of Gayre's letters 'what kd of man he was alg wh'!

BOOKS BY ROBERT GAYRE

Many aspects of Gayre's life are ntroversial but I am here solely ncerned wh his male le anctry which he took a passnate tert.

ROBERT GAYRE BGRAPHY

No matter how tthful a man may be, his proby never seems to have stabily on that one pot', [Note 6] but the Gayre story is yet another warng, if ed another is need, never to tst what people say about their anctri unls they provi ntemporary evince for the events scribed. Robert Gayre was born as Gee Robert Gair at 4 Wtland Villas, Dubl, on 6 Augt 1907, the son of Robert William Gair, nfectner, by his wife Clara Gair, formerly Hart.

In the 1911 cens Gayre's father Robert William Gair was at Sandymount Green, Pembroke East, Dubl, aged 33, nfectner, sayg that he was born Stland, had been married 5 years and had 2 children. Gayre's parents moved to England at some time after 1911 and his mother Clara Gair died at 130 Prt Road, St Helens, Lanshire, on 13 March 1930, aged 47 [Note 8]. His will as Robert William Gayre or Gair was proved, 16 May 1957, by his son Gee Robert Gayre [Note 10].

On 19 November 1940 Gee Robert Gair, then of Telham, Battle, Ssex, Capta the Royal Artillery, Master of Arts of the Universy of Edburgh, a natural born Brish subject, had given notice (dated 12 November 1940) The London Gazette that he tend after twenty-one days om publitn 'to assume the surname of Gayre (which is the ancient spellg of the name) li and stead of his prent surname of Gair' [Note 11]. On 30 September 1948 Gee Robert Gayre obtaed a nfirmatn of arms om the Chief Herald of Ireland at Dubl, to 'the scendants of Robert William Gayre, of Dubl, and his son Lt.

ROBERT GAYRE

In Ireland the language of 'nfirmatn' was always ed even when was effect a new grant and Gayre claimed his petn that his fay had been g arms prevly unrerd Ireland. He was allowed a simplified form of the arms of Gair of Nigg rerd by Alexanr Gair, portner of Nigg, on the Public Register of Arms Stland 1672-7, Gayre retag the mullet but not the chief [Note 14]. Burke's Peerage (2003) rrectly reprents the Confirmatn of Arms as beg to Robert William Gayre.

The pedigree says that Gayre's father, Robert William Gayre, was 'born abroad', 11 (sic) December 1875, and was formerly of Dubl and now of Huyton, Lanshire.

ROBERT GAYRE OF GAYRE AND NIGG

The pedigree further says that Gayre's father was the son of William Gilli Gair, artist (the son of the above mentned Alexanr Gair), who was born 26 September 1842, 'lived London and abroad', and died 'before 1906, believed overseas', by a wife Mary O'Connor, 'married abroad or before the year 1875'.

On 13 April 1951 as of The Mead Hoe, Penzance, he was granted a Standard and Lance Pennon, by the Genealogil Office at Dubl [Note 17], but then as Robert Gayre on 27 May 1954, followg a Petn which he scribed himself as 'Reprentative of the Hoe and Fay of Gayre of Gayre and Nigg by virtue of scent and lawful posssn of the undifferenced Arms of the name' and 'elst son of the late Robert Gayre chief of the Name of Gayre and reprenter of Nigg', he had a matriculatn of the Irish arms om Lord Lyon Edburgh [Note 18]. The Arms matriculated on 27 May 1954 clud a quarterg for McCulloch of Nigg token of Gayre's alleged scent om Alexanr Gair(e) and Kathere McCulloch who had married before 1620, though documentary evince for that scent was not rerd at the Lyon Office.

Gayre's wife, Na Mary Ferry or Gayre (by petn dated 14 January 1959), matriculated Arms at the Lyon Office on 23 Febary 1967 [Note 19] and Robert subsequently had a Grant of Supporters, Standard, Badge, Psel and Guidon also at the Lyon Office [Note 20]. We have noted that the pedigree rerd Ireland and later prted shows Robert Gayre's father Robert William Gair as the son of William Gilli Gair whereas his father said at marriage on 28 July 1906 that he was the son of Robert W. Inial search for the birth of Robert William Gair Stland 1875 proved negative and was assumed that Gayre had himself ma extensive search there but whout succs, so search were ncentrated on William Gilli Gair the claimed grandfather.

GAYRE OF GAYRE & NIGG

William Gilli Gair was born at Greenock, Stland, 26 September 1842, the only son of Alexanr Gair (1810-1884) who, acrdg to the pedigree Burke, had the Gair or Gayre of Nigg scent. One nnot say if William Sutherland was the father of Jsie's child, but whatever the se, the late Robert Gayre had no male le Gair scent. Gayre's father may not have been fully aware of the circumstanc of his illegimate birth, but by the time that he ma his will January 1950 he had, perhaps at his son's suggtn, rmally adopted the surname Gayre.