| Boyd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Buidhe [1] | |||
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| Motto | Confido (I trust) [1] | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Lowlands | ||
| District | Ayrshire | ||
| Plant badge | Laurel leaves [1] | ||
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| Boyd no longer has a chief, and is an armigerous clan | |||
| Seat | Kilmarnock | ||
| Historic seat | Dean Castle, Ayrshire | ||
| Last Chief | Alastair Boyd, 7th Baron Kilmarnock | ||
| Died | 19 March 2009 | ||
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Clan Boyd is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. [3]
The name Boyd is said to be descriptive, being derived from the Scottish Gaelic buidh which means fair or yellow. [3] It could also be the genitive of hailing from the Isle of Bute—Bhoid in Gaelic. The progenitor is said to have been Robert, son of Simon and nephew of Walter fitz Alan, the first High Steward of Scotland. [3] This theory however is challenged by genealogist, William Anderson, who points out that most of the friends and dependents of the High Stewards were of Norman origin and it is therefore unlikely that they would use a Celtic nickname for one of their own family. [3] Anderson believed the name to be of either Norman or Saxon origin. [3] The historian, George Fraser Black, asserts that the first Boyds were vassals of a Norman family, the de Morvilles, for their lands around Largs and Irvine. [3] [4] Black also states that the surname Boyd may be derived from the Scottish Gaelic for the Isle of Bute which is Bòd. [4] Black gives an example of the Marquess of Bute in Scottish Gaelic being Morair Bhoid. [4] Modern sources give the Isle of Bute in Scottish Gaelic as Eilean Bhòid. [5]
In 1205 Robert de Boyd (or Robertus de Boyd) [4] witnessed a contract between the Lord of Eglinton and the burgh of Irvine. [3] [4] Robert de Boyte is listed on the Ragman Rolls, giving homage to Edward I of England in 1296. [3]
The prominence of the Boyds in early Scottish history began with the Battle of Largs in 1263, when Robert Boyd was given a key assignment to take a detachment of men and clear Vikings from the high ground overlooking the beach—as Robert departed to the north, King Alexander III [6] called out "Confido!" (I trust) and indicated the same with his first two fingers of his right hand raised and thumb crossing the palm—a royal gesture and utterance, that subsequently became the clan motto and symbol according to clan history. The high ground the Boyd detachment took as part of a flanking action at Largs was called Gold Berry Hill. [7] Robert Boyd and his infantry were successful in surprising the detachment of Norsemen and caused them to retreat in such haste and panic it helped lead to the disastrous melee at the beach for King Haakom's men. The name "Gold Berry" was often written beneath the early heraldic family shield for this reason. [8] In the 1290s, the Boyds began their association with another Ayrshire legend, William Wallace, fighting alongside other independence-seeking Scots clans to dislodge the English during the dark days following the death of Alexander III with no clear royal successor. [9] In 1306 Duncan Boyd was executed for supporting the cause of Scottish Independence. During the later years of the Wars of Scottish Independence, Sir Robert Boyd, probable grandson of the Robert Boyd from the Battle of Largs fame, who survived as a trusted commander of William Wallace, was a strong supporter of King Robert the Bruce and was one of the key commanders at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. (The clan's Bannockburn Shield, a field of cobalt blue with a red and white checker medieval counting board originated at this time and is one of the relics of Dean Castle) [3] He was rewarded for his gallantry, with lands that had been confiscated off the Balliols, including Kilmarnock, Bodington and other substantial lands in Ayrshire, adding to the ancestral lands earned at Largs a half century before. [3]
Sir Thomas Boyd, 8th chief of Clan Boyd is recorded as having killed Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley in a feud that was in its third year. [10] Boyd himself was killed in revenge by Alexander Stewart, brother of Alan, on 9 July 1439 at Craignaucht Hill in the parish of Dunlop. [10] Stewart had set upon Boyd in open battle in which Boyd was killed along with many men on either side. [10] Boyd's force consisted of only 100 men, where as Stewart's force consisted of three detachments each of seventy men. [11] Boyd's scout only saw one of the Stewart detachments and so the Boyds were expecting their enemy to be inferior in number. [11] However the battle was joined by the other two Stewart detachments which meant that the Boyds were outnumbered by more than two to one. [11] The battle was so fierce that both sides would retire only to re-counter again at the sound of a trumpet. [10] The battle eventually went in favour of the Stewarts of Darnley, however it did not end the feud as another of the Stewarts was later killed in revenge by the Boyds in the town of Dumbarton. [10]
The chief of the clan was raised to the peerage under the title Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock by James II of Scotland. [3] On the death of that king, Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd was appointed as one of the regents to the young James III of Scotland. [3] Boyd's younger brother was appointed as the military tutor to the new king. [3] Lord Boyd was also later appointed as Great Chamberlain while his son, Thomas, was married to Princess Mary, the king's sister and was given the title Earl of Arran. [3] The family's success naturally brought them powerful enemies and those opposed to the Boyds began conspiring against them. [3] In 1469 Lord Boyd along with his son, Thomas, and his brother, Alexander were summoned to appear before the king and Parliament to answer charges made against them. [3] Lord Boyd realizing that he faced death escaped to England, while his brother Alexander was executed. [3] His son, Thomas, the Earl of Arran, had been on state business abroad and upon learning of the reversal of his family's fortunes accepted his exile but was well received in royal courts throughout Europe. [3]
James Boyd, 2nd Lord Boyd, 11th chief of the clan, was killed in a feud with Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton in 1484. [12] He was succeeded by his uncle, Alexander Boyd, 3rd Lord Boyd, 12th chief, who was a favourite of James IV of Scotland who made him Bailie and Chamberlain of Kilmarnock. [12]
Alexander's son was Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd who according to historian William Boyd had the estates and honours of Lord Boyd restored to him in 1536 by James V of Scotland. [12] Although according to the Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia the estates and honours were restored during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. [3] Robert had two children, Robert and Margaret. [12] Margaret married Neil Montgomery of Lainshaw, but the connection between the two families was not friendly and her father Robert Boyd, along with Mowat of Busbie, assassinated Neil Montgomery at Irvine in 1547 in revenge for the death of his cousin, James Boyd, in 1484. [12]
The Boyd family were restored to royal favour when Robert Boyd, a descendant of the first Lord Boyd received confirmation of all the family's estates and honours from Mary, Queen of Scots. [3] After the Queen's escape from Lochleven Castle, Lord Boyd was one of the first to join her and fought for her at the Battle of Langside. [3] He later made many visits to her when she was held captive in England. [3] He died in 1590. [3]
During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms the Clan Boyd supported the royalist cause. [3] They were rewarded after the Restoration (1660) when William, Lord Boyd was created Earl of Kilmarnock. [3]
The third earl opposed the Jacobite rising of 1715 and commanded a regiment of Ayrshire volunteers for the government. [3] However his son, the fourth earl, did support the Jacobite rising of 1745 and fought for Charles Edward Stuart at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, after he had made him a member of the Privy Council with the rank of general. [3] Boyd was captured at the Battle of Culloden and taken to the Tower of London. [3] He was beheaded on Tower Hill on 18 August 1746. [3] All of the Boyd titles were then forfeited, however his eldest son succeeded through his mother to the title of Earl of Erroll and changed his surname to Hay. [3] (See: James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll).
The 22nd Earl of Errol died in Kenya in 1941. [3] His daughter was entitled to succeed in the earldom of Erroll and the chiefship of the Clan Hay but was excluded from the barony of Kilmarnock which could only pass to males. [3] Consequently, the brother of the 22nd Earl resumed the surname of Boyd and succeeded to the barony of Kilmarnock. [3]
 | This article needs to be updated.(August 2017) |
Alastair Boyd, 7th Baron Kilmarnock and Chief of Clan Boyd, died 19 March 2009. [13] The barony and the chiefship pass to his brother Dr. Robin Boyd, who has not yet claimed either title.
Quarterly, 1st Azure a fess chequy Argent and Gules (for Boyd), 2nd Argent three inescutcheons Gules (for Hay), 3rd Argent three gillyflowers Gules within a double tressure flory counter flory Vert (for Livingston), 4th Sable a bend between six billets Or (for Callendar).
The crest badge used by members of House of Boyd contains the motto CONFIDO ("I trust"). The blazon of the crest is A dexter hand erect in pale having the outer fingers bowed inwards. The crest badge is the heraldic property of the chief, though any member of the clan may wear this badge to show allegiance to the chief and family.
Ayrshire is a historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety of the historic county as well as the island of Arran, formerly part of the historic county of Buteshire. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire to the north-east, Dumfriesshire to the south-east, and Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire to the south. Like many other counties of Scotland, it currently has no administrative function, instead being sub-divided into the council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It has a population of approximately 366,800.
Cunninghame is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996.
Earl of Kilmarnock was a title created twice in the Peerage of Scotland for the Boyd family. It was first created in 1454 for Robert Boyd, Great Chamberlain of Scotland. It was created a second time in 1661 for William Boyd, 10th Lord Boyd. Both titles were forfeited in 1746.
Kilmaurs is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which lies just outside of the largest settlement in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock. It lies on the Carmel Water, 21 miles southwest of Glasgow. Population recorded for the village in the 2001 Census recorded 2,601 people resided in the village It was in the Civil Parish of Kilmaurs.
Clan Bruce is a Lowlands Scottish clan. It was a royal house in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland, and a disputed High King of Ireland, Edward Bruce.
Clan Cunningham is a Scottish clan. The traditional origins of the clan are placed in the 12th century. However, the first contemporary record of the clan chiefs is in the thirteenth century. The chiefs of the Clan Cunningham supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Clan Cunningham feuded with the Clan Montgomery. Historically, the chief of Clan Cunningham held the title of Earl of Glencairn. However, in modern times the chief of the clan is Cunningham of Corsehill. On 18 December 2013, Sir John Christopher Foggo Montgomery Cunninghame, Baronet of Corsehill, was recognized by Lord Lyon as Clan Chief after the chiefship had been vacant for over 200 years.
Clan Montgomery is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
Clan Stewart is a Scottish Highland and Lowland clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Clan Chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Because the clan has no chief it can be considered an armigerous clan; however, the Earls of Galloway are now considered to be the principal branch of this clan, and the crest and motto of The Earls of Galloway's arms are used in the Clan Stewart crest badge. The Court of the Lord Lyon recognises two other Stewart/Stuart clans, Clan Stuart of Bute and Clan Stewart of Appin. Clan Stuart of Bute is the only one of the three clans at present which has a recognised chief.
Clan Muir is a Scottish clan that is armigerous. Per certain sources, holders of the surname Muir, of Ayrshire, have been noted as a possible sept of Clan Boyd, though this is not clearly identified to a reliable resource. A spelling variation More/Moore is a sept of Clan Leslie in Aberdeenshire, and, having genetic proof of Muirs in Aberdeenshire, may have roots in the Mure/Muir line of southwest Scotland.
Clan Crawford is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. The clan is of Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon origin. There was in the early 18th century a mistaken belief that the clan had Norman origins. While historically recognised as a clan by the Court of the Lord Lyon, it is now an armigerous clan as it no longer has a chief. The last chief was Hugh Ronald George Craufurd, who sold his land and moved to Canada in 1904. He died in Calgary in 1942, leaving no male heirs.
Clan Stuart of Bute is a Highland Scottish Clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Stewart.
Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran was the elder daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. King James III of Scotland was her eldest brother. She married twice: firstly, to Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran; secondly, to James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton. It was through her children by her second husband that the Hamilton earls of Arran and the Stewart earls of Lennox derived their claim to the Kingdom of Scotland.
Craigie Castle, in the old Barony of Craigie, is a ruined fortification situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Kilmarnock and 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Craigie village, in the Civil Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle is recognised as one of the earliest buildings in the county. It lies about 1.25 miles (2 km) west-south-west of Craigie church. Craigie Castle is protected as a scheduled monument.
Skelmorlie Castle stands on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, at the north-western corner of the county of Ayrshire. The structure dates from 1502, and was formerly the seat and stronghold of the Montgomery Clan. The modern village of Skelmorlie lies to the north of the castle.
Dunduff Castle is a restored stair-tower in South Ayrshire, Scotland, built on the hillside of Brown Carrick Hills above the Drumbane Burn, and overlooking the sea above the village of Dunure.
The Battle of Glasgow was fought on 16 March 1544, between Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and the Scottish Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, and their adherents, during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots. There was a second battle at Glasgow Muir in May 1544, known as the Battle of the Butts, between Arran and the Earl of Glencairn.
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present category B listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling. Pitcon lies on the outskirts of Drakemyres, now a suburb of Dalry, close to the confluence of the Rye Water, River Garnock, and the Mains Burn, standing on a low knoll. Such a marshy area would have provided a degree of protection to the old castle.
The Barony of Grougar is a Scottish feudal barony which lies in north Ayrshire in the district formerly known as Cunninghame. The earliest known family likely to have owned Grougar were the De Morvilles who were there in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries before the reign of Robert the Bruce. The De Morvilles originated in Morville, Department of Manche, Normandy, arrived in England in the wake of the Norman Conquest, settled in Burg, Cumbria, and later moved to Scotland in the early 12th century where they were granted land in Ayrshire. This land grant precedes the establishment of the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland so cannot be positively confirmed. Hugo de Morville who died in 1202 was the Constable of Scotland. By the late thirteenth century the Logan family were barons of Grougar. Thorbrand de Logan baron of Grougar is recorded in 1272 and a John de Logan of Grugar may be the John Logan described as ‘one of the king of England's enemies’ in 1307 during the Wars of Independence.
The Battle of Craignaught Hill also known as the Battle of Boyd's Hill or the Battle of Boyd's Slack, was a Scottish clan battle fought on 9 July 1439. It was fought between the Clan Boyd of Kilmarnock against the Stewart family of Darnley.
Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places: the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland. The Scottish earldom is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton, whereas the Irish earldom is a separate title held by the Gore family.
