In 1799, Bishop Hay decided that the remote location of Scalan was no longer required and he moved the seminary to Aquhorties, near Inverurie, and he stayed here with the students when he retired in 1805. He died there in 1811 and was buried locally in St. Ninian’s Graveyard, Fetternear. Strangely, his last resting place therein is unknown.
He was regarded, especially by the clergy, as a severe individual, but there is no doubt that what he may have lacked in charisma, in the modern sense, was more than made up for in his persistent and courageous work for Scots Catholics and their freedom. We owe him a great deal. In 2019 we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of his consecration as bishop in the tiny upstairs chapel at Scalan, on Trinity Sunday 1769.