The earliest known possessor of the land where our tower house stands was a powerful family of Norman origins. That family name was spelled in several ways one of which was Vipont and they are recorded as Lords of Westmoreland who received the lands and manor of Sorbie in 1185. A mound or "motte" on the property is all that remains of their physical tenure.

But what of the Hannay/Hanna/Hannay/Hanney name itself? Stewart Francis in his book The Hannays of Sorbie speculates that HANN may be a place name and that the suffix, spelled in whatever way, represents the old word for "island". Indeed, the word "island" itself contains in its first syllable the sound to which he refers. The "pont" in Vipont undoubtedly is the old Latin root meaning "bridge". Perhaps there is some symbolism at work in the word play.

Exactly when and how the Hannays or Ahannas, as the name was formerly spelt, succeeded the Viponts is a matter of conjecture as the records of the 13th Century are very sparse.  But the similarity of mottos, Viponts--"per Aspera ad Alta", Ahannas--"Per Ardua ad Alta", suggest that succession could have been a peaceable one as by marriage.

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