Our Haig Crest, based on the artwork of Romilly Squire. 


The crest of the chief of the Haigs is a Rock with the motto ‘Tyde What May’.


The rock and ‘tyde what may motto’ were recorded for Haig of Bemerside in Nisbet’s 1720s System of Heraldry, although there was an additional motto ‘Sola Vitus Invicta’. They were not recorded in Sir George MacKenzie’s writings of the 1680s, so were perhaps devised in the interval between the two authors.


The founder of the family was always recognised as ‘Petrus de Haga’ of Bemerside in the reign of Malcolm IV (both MacKenzie and Nisbet mention him for example). This probably informs the origin of the rock: Peter as a name means ‘rock’. So, the crest is presumably referring to the founder of the family, and the solid foundation of the line.


The motto likewise has deep symbolism, and refers to a 13th-century poem by Thomas the Rhymer: 'Tyde what may betyde / Haig shall be Haig of Bemersyde'. This essentially speaks to the notion that there will always be a Haig at Bemerside.


So although the crest may have been devised in the years around 1700, it refers to a much deeper history. 


MKP 21 October 2025