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Descendants of John
Boyd who married Margaret (Ginny)
Long in Boston, Massachusetts, 1731.
(C) 1993
richboyd"at"charter.net
THE ANCIENT BOYD FAMILY
(Skip
the ancient Boyd part and go directly to John and Margaret)
The first Boyd appeared
in
the middle 1200s in Cunningham in Northern
Ayrshire, Scotland. The
family
has been associated with Ayrshire and
other parts of southwest
Scotland
since the time of the de Moreville
family.
Our first chief was
Robert
Boyd who fought at the Battle of Bannock-
burn 24 June 1314. For his
service to Bruce he was awarded
the lands of Kilmarnock,
Dalry,
Bondington, Hertschaw, Kilbride, etc.
Kilmarnock became the family
seat. The family earned the nickname
"The Trusty Boyds" because
of their loyalty to the cause of Scottish
independence.
The Boyds of Scotland
reached
the height of their power when Lord
Alexander Boyd became Regent
during the minority of King James III.
In 1469 the family fell from
power. (see A short History of Scotland
by P. Hume Brown, 1908.)
In the 16th century, some
Boyds
moved to Ulster in Ireland and became
part of the English
settlement
of Northern Ireland. During this same
time different branches of
the family produced well known scholars
such as Mark Alexander Boyd,
poet, Zachary Boyd who translated the
bible into verse, and James
Boyd, 1st Laird of Trochrig and
Archbishop of Glasgow.
William Boyd, 4th Earl of
Kilmarnock,
fell heir to the Earldom at the
age of 13 when his father
died. He participated in the Jacobite
Rising of 1745 and was
executed
for treason on August 18, 1746. His
eldest surving son James,
became 15th Earl of Errol. Scottish law
dictated he change his name
to HAY in order to assume the title. The
Boyd line was carried down
through the Hay family for several
generations until Gilbert
Alan Rowland Hay became 6th Baron
Kilmarnock upon the death
of his brother, Josslyn Victor Hay 22nd
Earl of Errol. Gilbert
immediately
changed his surname back to BOYD,
the surname of his
ancestors.
His son Alistair Ivor Gilbert Boyd is
currently 7th Baron
Kilmarnock.
DEAN CASTLE
The Home of the Boyd
family
was in Kilmarnock. Dean Castle takes its
name from "the Dean" or
wooded
valley. Until about 1700 it was called
Kilmarnock Castle. After an
accidental fire gutted the Palace area in
1735, the Castle had almost
two centuries of neglect.
The restoration of the
Castle
was carried out by the 8th Lord Howard
de Walden who inherited the
estate in 1899. In 1975 his son, the 9th
Lord, gifted the Castle and
its magnificent collections to Kilmarnock
and Loudoin District
Council.
In 1976 Dean Castle was opened as a
museum. The Country Park in
which the Castle is situated was formally
opened in 1980.
THE LORD KILMARNOCK
Alastair Ivor Gilbert
Boyd,
7th Baron Kilmarnock, direct descendant
of William, 4th Earl of
Kilmarnock,
was born 11 May 1927. He suc-
ceeded his father in 1975.
Lord Kilmarnock was educated at Bradfield
and King's College,
Cambridge.
He is a member of Delegacy Goldsmith's
College. He is also
Vice-President of the Association of District
Councils and
a
spokesman on Health, Social Services and Social
Security. He is
author of Sabbatical Year (1958), The Road from
Ronda (1969)
and
The Companion Guide to Madrid and Central Spain
(1972).
(C) William J. Boyd, 1988
CHECK OUT THE CLAN BOYD WEB PAGES AT:
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Chapter 1
THE BOYDS OF KILMARNOCK
(The Ancient Boyds)
(Skip
the ancient Boyd part and go directly to John and Margaret)
SIR ROBERT BOYD,
who, in a charter of Sir John Erskine in
1282, is designated ROBERTUS
DE BOYD, MILES. He was a man of
great bravery,
and highly distinguished himself at the
battle of
Largs,
where King Alexander III gained a signal
victory over HACO
(Haakon)
King of Norway, A.D. 1263, for
which the king rewarded him
with a grant of lands in Cunning-
ham. He died in 1270. His
son:
SIR ROBERT BOYD,
was one of the Scots Barons who were forced
to swear fealty to
King
Edward I, when he over-ran Scotland,
A.D. 1298. In the following
year he joined Sir Walter Wallace
and did
everthing
a valiant man could do to relieve his
country from the ignomy of
a foreign yoke. He died about 1300
and was succeeded by his son:
SIR ROBERT BOYD
who was a great and worthy patriot. He was
one of the first to
join the gallant Bruce, and continued to
be the ardent
and devoted friend of that monarch.
The
generous king rewarded his
faithful services with gifts of
lands, and
Baronies,
of Kilmarnock, Bondington, Hertsham,
Kilbride,
Ardniel,
Dalny, and many others forfeited by John
Baliol. The
charters
may be seen in the Public Archives,
dated A.D. 1308, 1360,
&c.
Sir Robert died in the beginning
of the
reign
of David Bruce and left three sons, Thomas,
Allan, a brave man who
was
killed in the siege of Perth, in
1339, and James, mentioned
in a charter 1342.
SIR THOMAS BOYD
of Kilmarnock flourished in the reign of
David Bruce. He had three
sons, Thomas, his heir, William,
ancestor of the Boyds of
Badenheath,
who, obtained a charter
from King David
in 1368, and a third son Robert de Boyd,
ancestor of the Boyds of
Partincross
in Ayrshire.
SIR THOMAS BOYD,
designated Dominus de Kilmarnock, had been
guilty of the slaughter of
Neilson of Dalrymple in feud, for
which he obtained a
remission
from Robert, Duke of Albany,
who was
Governor
of Scotland A.D. 1409. He married the
daughter and
co-heiress
of Sir William Gifford, Lord of
Yester, and by her had
a
great accession of fortune, and was
a man of
distinguished abilities, who made a great figure
during the reign of James
I, and who was one of his sureties,
when he came
to
Scotland to concert measures for obtaining
his liberty
in
1421. He was also one of the hostages for
ransom, in 1424. He married
Janet
Montgomery of the family of
Ardrossan, and by her had
Sir THomas, his heir, and William,
Abbot of Kilwinning. He died
in 1432.
SIR THOMAS BOYD,
Lord of Kilmarnock succeeded his father.
He had two sons, Robert, his
heir, and Sir Alexander Boyd of
Duncan, who was
Precepter
to King James III. His eldest
daughter, Janet,
was
married to John Maxwell of Calderwood,
and his
second
daughter, Margaret, to Alexander, Lord
Montgomery. Sir
Thomas had been concerned in the murder of
Lord Darnley, and Sir
Alexander
Stewart, in revenge, murdered
him at Craignaught Hall,
July
9, 1439. His son:
SIR ROBERT BOYD,
THE GREAT LORD KILMARNOCK,
was a man of
great
parts, and eminent as a statesman. He was in
such greatfavor with King
James II, that he created him Lord of Par-
liament in 1459.
The eminent
abilities
of this distinguished nobleman claim a
more extended
notice, as they raised him to the highest
pinnacle of grandeur.
Historians
have thought it sufficient
honour to record of
his father that he had for his son THE
GREAT ROBERT BOYD. In what
manner the early years of his life
were passed,
or
of what age he was when deprived of the
guidance and
instruction
of his father, we are uninformed.
Towards the end of the
reign of King James II, he began to
make a considerable
figure,
and to attract much attention.
His great penetration and
sound judgement rendered him useful
at court. His knowledge of
mankind was unsurpassed by any of
his time. His courtesy
and affability made him a universal
favorite, so
that
he acquired the esteem and confidence of
all classes of people, as
well as the favor of his Prince, by
whom he was created a
Baron, and called to Parliament by the
name and title
of LORD BOYD OF KILMARNOCK. He added to his
grandeur
by
alliances made with many great and
noble
families, and
by the large additions which he made to his
paternal inheritance.
The first
time
we find his Lordship engaged in any public
employment was in the
year 1459, when he was one of several
Lords, Barons, and
Prelates,
who were sent to England in the
character of
Plenipotentiaries
to renew the truce with that
country, just
then expired. They prolonged it at Newcastle,
for seven years. Upon the
unhappy death, in 1460, of James II
Lord Boyd was made
Justiciary,
and was named one of the Lords
of Regency, in whose
hands was lodged the administrations of
affairs during
the young kings minority. Buchanan speaks of
him as Lord
Chancellor,
but this is a mistake, witness a
charter of James II (date
Jan 23,1461) under the Great Seal,
in which
Lord
Evandale is named as a witness, as "ANDREA,
DOMINO EVANDALE, CANCELLARIO
NOSTRO"
His
lordship's
younger brother, Alexander of Duncan, parti-
cipated in the Royal
favor,
and was knighted by the king, to
whom he
had
been appointed instructor in the ruduments of
Military disipline, in which
he was a great proficient.
As the Lord Boyd
had a great share in the administration of
affairs in virtue of
his office, so his brother Alexander by
his constant
access
to the person of the young king, as his
tutor, had great influence
over the inclinations of his Royal
pupil, insomuch that
the two brothers found means to engross
most of the places
and
preferments about the court to their
own family and friends. Sir
Alexander began to instill in the
mind of
the
young king, then 12 years old, notions of
manhood and liberty,
insinuating
that he was now old enough
to govern
without
the help of guardians and tutors, so that
he might,
and
ought to, free himself from that restraint.
This advice
was
readily accepted by the young king, who
resolved to take the
government
upon himself, which was, in
effect, to take it out of
the hands of regents, and transfer
it to the
Boyds. The king was at this time in Linlithgow,
where Lord Kennedy,
one of the regents, kept a watchful eye
on him. It
thus became necessary to take the
king
to
Edinburgh, that
he might assume the Royal government, and
this was effected by the
Boyds
in the following manner. They
ordered a hunting party for
the King on July 20, 1466, and
instead of pursuing the
chase,
they turned towards Edinburgh.
Lord Kennedy speedily
overtook
them, and, laying his hand on
the bridal of the
King's
horse, requested him to return to
Linlithgow, and
bade him beware of those guides who thus
treasonably attempted to
take
him away, as, by a statute then
recently passed, it had been
made high treason to remove the
King's person without
the
consent of the State in Paliament
first obtained. But the
Boyd's
thought that the King's person
would shield them from
harm,
and that an after statute would
cancel the former. In
this
assurance, Sir Alexander Boyd, as
if he
meant
to resent the insolence offered to the King,
after some
angry
words, gave Lord Kennedy a blow to his
hunting staff,
who thereupon left them, and they proceeded
unmolested to
Edinburgh. Lord Boyd then began to prepare
for his own safety, and to
avert the danger which threatened
him and his friends.
They
therefore prevailed upon the King
to call a parliament
at Edinburgh, which convened (in 1466)
the Lord Boyd fell upon his
knees before the throne where the
King sat, and,
in a long and elaborate harangue, complained
of the hard
construction
put on the King's removal from Lin-
lithgow, and
how
ill his services in bringing the King to
Edinburgh were
interpreted by his enemies, who threatened
that the
instigators
should one day suffer for it, and he
humbly begged
the King's opinion thereon. The King, after
advising a
short
time with his Lords, made answer that the
Lord Boyd was
not his advisor but rather his companion on
that journey and
therefore more worthy of a reward for his
courtesy than of punishment
for his compliance, and that this
he was willing to
declare
in a public decree of the Estates,
and thereby
silence
his enemies, and in the same decree
provision should be made
that
the matter should never be made
prejudicial to the Lord Boyd
or his companions. His lordship
then desired that the decree
might be registered in the Acts
of the Assembly, and
confirmed by letters patent
under the Great Seal.
This was complied with;
the
declarations were recorded and an
instrument was granted
to his Lordship under the Great Seal,
(which is still extant
in the King's archives in Edinburgh).
At the same time by
the advise of the council, the King gave
him letters patent,
constituting
him as sole Regent, and com-
mitting to him the entire
keeping and safety of the King, his
Royal brothers and sisters,
and all the jurisdiction over all
his subjects till the
King should arrive at 20 years of age.
The nobles
present
immediately promised their assistance to
Lord Boyd and
his brother in all their public actions, and
agreed to
be
liable to punishment if they should fail to
fulfill their promise. This
stipulation and covenant the King
also subscribed.
Lord Boyd's nomination to
so
great a dignity was not effected
by a private
junto,
but in full and open Parliament and, as
the King
himself
declared, "CONSENSII CAETERORUM
DOMINORUM NOSTRI CONCILLII"
Great as
his
Lordship now was, he had not yet reached the
summit of
his
glory. The honours which he had already re-
ceived paved the
way for still greater. Having now the sole
administrations
in
his own hands, it was not long before he
had opportunity
of getting into the highest offices in the
kingdom. On
August
25, 1467, he was appointed Lord high
Chamberlain of
Scotland. His commision, (which the Crawfurd
had seen) was
issued, bearing the Great Seal of the above
date and was "Provit".
Some matters
of
high concern were taken out of the hands of
the high
Chamberlain
and reserved for a commission. Of this
class were the
marriages
of the king, his sisters, and his
brothers the
Duke
of Albany and the Earl of Mar. This,
however, did not hinder the
Lord Chamberlain from obtaining
the hand of the Lady Mary
Stewart, the King's eldest sister,
in marriage for his son:
SIR THOMAS BOYD.
This young nobleman was most accomplished
and his marriage
and near alliance with the Crown, added to
his own distinguished
merit,
raised him to a nearer place in
the affection as well as
confidence
of his sovereign, by whom
he was,
soon
after, created Earl of ARRAN. With his Royal
bride he
obtained
many lands, and was himself esteemed the
fountain from which all
honours
and preferments must flow.
The Lord
Chamberlain,
by this great accession of honour to
his family, seemed to have
arrived at the highest pinnacle of
pomp and grandeur, and this,
in appearance, too well based
to be easily shaken.
The King was
declared
friend and patron, a great part of the
nobility in league
with
him, the administration of the whole
government in
his hands, his brother in no less esteem and
favour with
the
King, and future greatness of his family
secured by his son's
marriage
with the King's sister.
But, such is the
instability
of human affairs, and so deceit-
ful the smiles of
fortune,
that what seemed to be a prop and
support for the
establishment of the power and greatness of
this family proved to
be the very means of its overthrow, by
stirring up the
most
bitter and jealous enemies. About this
time a marriage having
been concluded by ambassadors sent to
Denmark for that purpose,
between the young king of Scotland
and Margaret, daughter
of
the king of Denmark, the Earl of
Arran was pitched
upon,
as a nobleman in every way qualified
for so honourable and
magnificent
an embassy, to go over to
that kingdom and espouse
the
Danish princess in the name of
his brother-in-law the
King,
and to conduct her to Scotland.
The Earl of Arran, judging
all things at home safe, willingly
accepted this honour,
and,
in the autumn of 1469, sailed for
Denmark with a
proper convoy, and a noble train of friends
and followers.
This was a fatal step. For the Lord Chamber-
lain, the Earl's
father,
being necessarily absent from court
a large part of the time,
in discharge of his office, as well
as through age
and infirmity, -which was also the case with
his brother Alexander,
- the Earl of Arran had scarcely set
out on his jounney before
his enemies began to plot for his
ruin, and the
downfall
of his family. The Kennedy's were
powerful, and
exceedingly bitter in their hostility. Every
art that malice could
suggest
was tried to alienate the King.
Every public
miscarriage
was laid at their door, and the
Kennedy's spread about
reports to inflame the people against
them. They
represented
that the Lord Chamberlain was an am-
bitious and
aspiring
man, guilty of the higest offences and
capable of
contriving
and instigating the worst villanies;
that he had stained
the Royal blood by marrying his son to
the Princess Mary.
The
King, weak, credulous, and wavering,
and naturally prone to
jealousy,
began to alarmed, and at
length, giving way to his
new counsellors, and flattered with
the prospect of
filling
his coffers with the confiscated es-
tate of the
obnoxious
Lord, sacrificed not only the Earl of
Arran, but all
his
family, to the malice and resentment of
their enemies.
Notwithstanding
their own and their ancestors
great service
to the crown, and in spite of those ties of
blood which united them
so
closely to each other, James sum-
moned a parliament to meet
at Edinburgh on the 20th November
1469, before which
the
Lord Boyd, the Earl of Arran (though
in Denmark) and Sir
Alexander
Boyd of Duncan were premptorily
summoned to give
an account of their administration, and to
answer to such charges as
should be brought against them.
The high
Chamberlain
was astonished at this sudden blow, and
betook himself
to
arms, or at least, appeared with such an
attendence of armed men as
obliged the government to call out
the Royal
forces.
So unequal a contest the weaker party de-
clined, and his
Lordship,
distrusting Parliament, escaped to
England. But
his
brother, Sir Alexander, being sick, and
trusting in his own
integrity, was brought before Parliament
where he, the Lord
Boyd,
and the Earl of Arran were, at his
majesty's instance,
indicted for high treason for carrying
the King from
Linlithgow
to Edinburgh in 1466. Sir Alexander
alleged in
his
defense that they had not only obtained the
King's pardon for that
offense, in public convention, but it
was declared by a subsequent
parliament to be a good service
and he desired a
copy of that act might be transcribed, but
this was denied him,
and it was alleged that the King only
forbore his
personal
resentment, which did not exempt them
from the punishment
of the law. They were found guilty by a
jury of noble Lords and
Barons
and condemned. Sir Alexander,
being present, was sentenced
to lose his head, which sentence
was speedily
executed,
in Edinburgh. Lord Boyd, who had es-
caped into England,
avoided a like fate, but did not long
survive his downfall. He
died
at Ainwick in 1470. The Earl of
Arran, though
absent, and that on the King's and public
business
of
great importance, was, without a hearing,
declared a public enemy, and
all his estates confiscated.
Things were
in
this situation when he arrived from Denmark,
in the firth of
fourth,
with the espoused queen. Before he
landed he received
inteligence
of the ruin of his family,-
for his lady, on
the
first news of the approach of the Dan-
ish fleet, made immediately
to her beloved Lord, and informed
him of the calamity.
Thinking it unsafe to land, he resolved
to return to Denmark; and
without waiting for the ceremony of
the Queen's landing,
he embarked to Denmark with his lady in
one of the Danish
vessels,
and sailed to Denmark, where he
met with a
noble reception suitable to his high birth and
real merit. He
traveled thence through Germany into France,
where he prevailed on
Louis XI to attempt his reconciliation
with his Royal
brother-in-law, but without success. He then
left the French court,
and went to Charles, Duke of Burgundy
who received him graciously,
and accepted his services in the
war he was then
waging with his rebelious subjects. Finding
him a brave and wise man,
he honoured and supported him and
Lady Mary in
a
manner becoming their rank; -whereupon King
James wrote over
to Flanders, and recalled his sister.
Knowing, however, the great
affection she had for her husband
and fearing
she
would not leave him, he caused others to
write to her and
give her hopes that if she would come over
and sue for
pardon
for her husband, she would be graciously
heard and he be restored to
favour. Flattered with these fair
promises, the
countess of Arran resolved to try if her
presence and entreaties
could
move her brother to compassion.
No sooner was she arrived
in
Scotland than the faithless king
began to urge a
divorce
from her husband; cruelly detaining
her, and causing citations
to be fixed up at Kilmarnock, com-
manding Thomas Boyd
of Arran to appear within sixty days, on
his failing to do
which,
his marriage with the King's sister
was declared null and void,
and a divorce made, (according to
Buchanan), the Earl
now being alive, and unheard (1474). The
Lady Mary was then
compelled
to marry James Lord Hamilton, a
man inferior
to
her former husband, both in birth and
fortune.
The Earl,
borne
down by the weight of his misfortunes, died
soon after, at
Antwerp, where he was honourably interred at
the expense of
the Duke of Burgundy, in 1474. The Duke also
erected a superb
monument
to his memory, with an inscription
suitable to the great
character
he left behind him.
Some writers affirm
that
the Earl of Arran died in 1470, but
this is an error.
It
was his father, Lord Boyd, who died in
that year, at Ainwick,
(whence,
probably, the mistake arose).
The Earl of
Arran
did not return from the Danish expedition
till 1470; he
then went to Denmark, Germany, and France; at
each of
which
Courts he must have stayed some time. After
that, he
entered
into service with the Duke of Burgundy
and served in his wars.
During
his residence in that court,
the Lady Mary bore him a son
and a daughter before returning
to Scotland. All of
this could not have been accomplished
earlier than 1474. The
Earl did not die till the Lady Mary
had arrived
in
Scotland, whither she had
been
lured
ostensibly that
she might obtain favor for him, and she
arrived there in 1474. It
is evident from King James conduct
that he had determined to
give his sister another husband at
any cost and he must
either have forced her into an adult-
erous marriage,
with Hamilton, or else have effected the
marriage in
the
very earliest days of her widowhood. Her
affectionate
behaviour
to the Earl of Arran forbids our
supposing that
she would have married again quickly except
under compulsion. Now,
if her husband were already dead, why
did King James clamor for
divorce.
While these papers
were
in course of revision, a friend sent
in the following interesting
note.
"Authorities
are
all agreed that the ballad of Sir Patrick
Spens is of uncertain date;
it does not answer, in all parti-
culars to any one
authentic
incident in Scottish history. A
note in Allingham's
"ballad Book" tells us that "Mr. Finlay"
thinks it (the ballad) more
likely to have to do with James
3rd's marriage with
Margaret,
daughter of the King of Denmark
and I
don't
see why not. The changed catastrophy need not
surprise us. A
national ballad is not a chronicle, nor a
police report."
Its function
is
not to embalm details of a crime, but to
express and encite noble
emotions,
and the bard may sing not
what was but what should
have
been. The ballad in question is
a tale of pity
and
terror; it hints, indeed at treachery
(which is
an
ingredient in most tragedies; but we are at
least spared the shameful
record of Royal dishonour. If this
were done designedly, it
rather
neatly emphasises the moral
that fifty
fathom
water is more merciful than a corrupt
court".
After the terrible
disaster
which befell the house of Boyd at
the time of the king's
marriage
with the Danish Princess, the
fortunes of the family were
not long in reviving; thus The
Lord high Chamberlain,
Robert Boyd, had, besides the Earl of
Arran, two sons
(by his former wife Marion, daughter of Sir
Robert Maxwell of
Calderwood),
named Archibald and Alexander;
also a daughter;
married
to the Earl of Angus (Chancellor
under James IV). After the
downfall of the Boyds, the Barony
and Lordship
of
Kilmarnock fell to the crown, and there
continued till 1492, when
the King, taking compassion on his
nephew, the
son
of the late Earl of Arran, and out of the
love which
he
bore to his sister, restored her son to the
Barony of
Kilmarnock
and other lands belonging to his
ancestors; also
to the title of Lord Boyd. But, he dying
without issue, (being killed
by Lord Montgomery) the Lordship
returned again
to the Crown; and the line was carried on by
Alexander,
second
son of the late Lord Chamberlain, and
brother to the late Earl of
Arran. In a grant which he had of
land in 1494, he is styled
FILIUS ROBERTI, QUONDAM DOMINI.
ALEXANDER BOYD
the second son of the late Lord Chamberlain
(the great Robert
Boyd)
had, as already told, a sister
married to the Earl of
Angus,
Chancellor to James IV. Partly
through the interest of that
nobleman, and partly through his
own dutiful behaviour, he
was, by James IV, made "Baillie"
and Chamberlain of
Kilmarnock
for the Crown, and was restored
to part of
that Lordship, with a grant of the lands of
Bordland. He was
a great favorite of James IV, and by him
advanced to many honours.
He married a daughter of Sir Robert
Colville of Ochiltree, and
had three sons, Robert, Thomas the
ancestor of
the
Boyds of Picton, and Adam, from whom the
Boyds of Pinkhill and
Trochrig
are descended.
ROBERT BOYD
suceeded
his father and became a great favorite
with King James V,
whom
he faithfully served, both at home
and abroad,
so
that the King bestowed upon him the whole
lordship of
Kilmarnock
(May 20, 1536). He also had, by a
grant of the Earl of Arran
(Governnor of Scotland during the
minority of Queen Mary)
many
other lands; formerly belonging
to his ancestors. In
1536, he was restored to the title and
and honours as well
as the estate of Lord Boyd, and in March
1544 he was served and
returned heir to his cousin James. He
married Helen,
daughter
of Sir James Summervail of Canmethan,
by whom he had
Robert, and Margaret who married Neil Mont-
gomery of Landshan. He died
in 1550.
ROBERT LORD BOYD
succeeded his father, and was the fourth
bearing the title.
During
his lifetime the family revived
again. He was
a nobleman of great parts, possessing in an
eminent degree
all those hereditary qualities that had
rendered the
name
of Boyd illustrious. The trouble of the
times during the hapless
reign
of the unfortunate Queen Mary
gave him sufficient
opportunities
of exercising his talents.
That Princess
in
1549, had been graciously pleased to re-
cognise his title to the
honours
of Lord Boyd, under letters
patent of the Great
Seal;
and he retained her confidence by
faithful adherence,
maintaining
his loyal service even in the
worst of
times,
till the almost total supression of her
interests;
assisting
her with his counsel, and risking his
own life in her
defence on every occasion; although, at the
same time,
he
condemned the imprudence which involved the
Queen in her
difficulties,
as well as the violent measures
taken by
her
subjects against her. Upon her marriage with
Bothwell he entered
into
an association with other Lords to
punish the King's
murderers;
to disolve the Queen's marriage
and at the
same time to defend the infant Prince from his
mother and
step-father.
He, however, continued to serve the
Queen and was made one of
the Lords of the privy-council, and
selected by
her
to treat with the rebel lords; they having
refused to treat with her.
Lord Boyd then commanded a part of
her army at the
battle of Longside, where she was defeated.
Upon the Queens
retirement
into England, Commissioners were
appointed by Queen Elizabeth
and Lord Murray (Regent of Scot-
land) to hear and determine
the controversy between Mary and
her subjects; and Lord Boyd
was chosen to be a commissioner,
on behalf of Queen Mary. He
was also employed in the fatal
affair of her intended
marriage
with the Duke of Norfolk. He
was, in short, one of
her
chief defenders on all ocassions,
until 1571, when the
Earl of Morton, then regent; persuaded
Lord Boyd and the Earl of
Argyle to desert the Queen's party;
bestowing on the former a
large grant of land, at the same
time that the Earl of
Argyle
was divorced from his wife, and
married Lord Boyd's
daughter.
After this Lord Boyd was one of
the commissioners who
subscribed
the treaty of Perth. In 1578
he was on the
Commission
to treat with England for suppres-
sing the border
incursions.
In 1581 he conspired with other
Lords to remove the Duke of
Lennox, (a Papist) from court. To
do this, they seized the
King,
confined him to Ruthven house,
and compelled him to banish
the duke. For this Lord Boyd came
near losing his life, but
escaped to France. Returning thence
in 1585 he was pardoned, and
in the same year was sent ambas-
sador to
England,
together with the Earl of Bothwell, to
arrange a treaty for the
defence
of the protestant Religion,
as well as a firm and
lasting
peace between the two realms;
a treaty which they
concluded
and signed.
This league was
formed
in consequence of the one made by the
Kings of France
and Spain with the Pope for the extirpation
of the
Protestant
cause. Lord Boyd died in 1589, and was
buried among his
ancestors
in the church of Kilmarnock under
a fair tomb,
with
the following strange verse by way of an
epitaph.
Here lies that godly noble, wise Lord
Boyd
Who Kirk and commons all record
Which were while they this jewel all enjoyed
Maintained, governed, and councill'd by that Lord
His ancient house oft peril'd, he restored
Twice six and sixty years he lived and syne
By death the 3rd of January devoured
In anno thrice five hundred eighty nine
His wife was Margaret,
daughter and sole heiress of Sir
George Colquhoun of
Glins. By this marriage he made additions
to his paternal
inheritence; and had children, Robert, who
died without issue;
Thomas, who succeeded him, William, who
married the
heiress
of Badenheath; also daughters; Giles
married to Hugh, Earl of
Eglinton;
Agnes, to James Colquhoun
of Luss; Christiana,
to Sir James Hamilton of Avendale; and
Eliza, to Cunningham of
Drumquhassel.
His son:
THOMAS BOYD, the
5th
Lord of Boyd, suceeded him, and obtained
charters of many
lands and Baronies between 1595 and 1599,
and married Margaret, daughter
of Sir Matthew Campbell of Lon-
don (ancestor to the Earl
of that name) by whom he had a son,
Robert, who was
Master 1. of Boyd, and a daughter who
married
James Hamilton, Earl of
Abercorn.
His other children were Sir
Thomas Boyd of Bedlay;
Adam, who married Margaret, sister of
Robert Galbraith
of Kilkroich, also John Boyd Esq.,
a
daughter married to Blair
of Blair, and one to Elphinston of
Blythesrood. He
died in 1616, and was succeeded by his
grandson.
ROBERT BOYD,
6th
Lord Boyd, was served and returned heir to his
father in
1612,
and succeeded his grandfather in 1619. He
married Christiana,
daughter of Thomas Hamilton Earl of Mad-
dington, by whom he had a
son
and four daughters, one of whom
married Morrison of
Prestonrange,
one, Sinclair of Stevenston
one Scott of Marden,
and one Dundas of Armiston. He died in
1622, and was succeeded by
his son:
ROBERT BOYD,
7th
Lord Boyd, who married a daughter of the second
Earl of Wigton,
and
died without issue 1640, being greatly
regretted as a
man of much promise. He was succeeded by his
uncle:
1.
The eldest son of a Scottish Baron, who, if he had sur-
vived his father, would have inherited the title, is
called "Master of &c".
JAMES BOYD,
8th
Lord Boyd, 2nd son of Robert, Master of Boyd. He
was a man of great worth and
honour, and a steady supporter
of the unfortunate Charles.
(For this, the usurper fined him
1500 Pounds Sterling). He
married Catherine, daughter of John
Craik of York, by
whom
he had a daughter, Eva, who married
Sir David Cunningham
of
Robertland. He died in 1654, and was
succeeded by his son:
WILLIAM BOYD,
9th Lord Boyd, who gave early proofs that he in-
herited all
the
abilities and shining qualities which had
rendered his ancestors
so
illustrious. He was esteemed a man
of great wit and
learning, which recommended him to the gay
court of Charles
II. He had been remarkedly active in the
interest of
that
monarch's restoration, for which, and for
some services
to the Crown, he was, by letters Patent, Aug
7th, 1661, created EARL
of KILMARNOCK.
Images of 1st Earl, William Boyd
He married Lady Jane,
daughter of William Cunningham, Earl of
Glencairn. He died in
1692, leaving four sons and two daugh-
ters. Of the latter,
one,
Lady Mary, married Sir Alexander
Mclean, the
other,
Lady Margaret, married Porterfield of
Porterfield. The
sons were William, Robert,1
Captain James,
and Charles.
1.
Robert Boyd was born in August 1689, and baptised on
the 24th of August. He died at Kilmarnock in 1760 aged
72. He married Margaret Thompson and had four sons and
a daughter. John settled in London, William, northern
Scotland, James* at Newburyport, MA. Alexander, born
about 1720 at Kilmarnock and Margaret who
married
Fairservice of Kilmarnock. *This
claim
is disputed by Sir
James Balfour Paul, in his edition of Robert Woods "Peerage
of Scotland".
WILLIAM BOYD, 2nd
Earl of Kilmarnock suceeded his father, (1692),
and married Lettice,
daughter of Thomas Boyd, Esq., an emi-
nent merchant
of Dublin, by whom he had William, his heir,
and Thomas, the
advocate. He survived his father but a few
months, and was suceeded by
his son:
WILLIAM BOYD, 3rd
Earl of Kilmarnock, whose charter bears date
July 20, 1699. He
married
Eupheme,
daughter of Lord Ross, by
whom he
had
a son and successor. This nobleman was no less
distinguished
for
his abilities than were his predecessors.
He was a zealous member of
the Parliament of Scotland, though
wavering in
his
conduct with regard to the Union of the
Crowns, and
ultimately
joining with those who favored that
measure.
In
the rebellion of 1715, he was active in the
service of the government.
He died in 1717.
WILLIAM BOYD, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock succeeded his
father
when but
13 years of age.
Images of 4th Earl, William Boyd
He married
Lady
Ann
Livingstone, daughter and sole heir of
James, 5th Earl of
Linlithgow
and Callander, by Lady Mary Hay
(daughter of John, 12th Earl
of Errol) and had sons, James,
Lord Boyd, born
April 20, 1725, also Charles and William.
Lady Ann Livingstone, wife
of the Earl of Kilmarnock, died,
at Kilmarnock, September
1747.
Of her three sons the eldest
had been educated in
principles
of loyalty, so that he was in
the army of the King,
opposed
to his father in the battle of
Culloden.
In
the rebellion of 1745, in favour of
the
pretender, the unfortunate
Earl of Kilmarnock, deviating from
the principles of his
illustrious
ancestors, fell a sacrifice
to the justice of his
country.
Being but 13 when deprived of
the care and
instruction
of his father, he fell into hands
unfavourable to
integrity and honour. He manifested, in his
youth, a genius
not
inferior to his high birth and illust-
rious descent. Finding the
family estates much encumbered, he
chose retirement rather than
public life. A large portion of
the patrimony had been
alienated,
and the income was uncom-
fortably small. It was his
Lordship misfortune to be too soon
let loose among the gaieties
of youth and as he grew up, in-
stead of applying himself
to the dry assiduities of study, he
devoted his
time
to the pursuit of far more expensive
pleasures than
his fortune could support. By this course he
considerably reduced
his already emaciated estate, which may
afford a probable
reason
for his engagement in the services
of the pretender,
Charles
Edward Stuart. He did not join the
rebellion at
first,
but encouraged his tenants to serve the
King.
After
the battle of Prestonpans he joined the rebel
army, and was received with
marks of esteem and distinction.
He was made member of the
privy-council,
appointed Colonel of
the guards, and
promoted
to the rank of general in the army.
He behaved
with
courage and resolution, until at the fatal
battle of
Culloden,
he was taken prisoner, or surrendered
himself to the King's
troops,
supposing them to be FitzJames
Calvary. On July 28,
1746,
he was, with the Earl of Cromarty
and Lord
Balmerino,
conducted to Westminster Hall, where he
pleaded guilty to a
charge of treason, and submitted himself
to His Majesty's
mercy and clemancy. On Wednesday, July 30,
these nobleman
were brought from the tower to
receive
sentence. When
his Lordship was asked if he had anything to
say why sentence
of death should not be passed upon him, he
addressed
himself
to the Lord Chancellor, and the whole
august assembly, then
consisting
of his peers, and delivered
an eloquent speech, after
which, the sentence of death was
passed upon
him.
After this, he presented petitions to the
King, and Prince
of Wales, and the Duke of Cumberland,
wherein he set forth his
family's
constant attachment to the
Royal interests,
his father's zeal and activity in the
rebellion of
1715,
and also his own appearing in arms when
young, under
his
father, and the whole tenor of his life
until this occasion.
But the
services
of his ancestors could not satisfy the
demands of justice, and, in
accordance with the sentence, he
was, on the 18th of August,
1746, beheaded on Tower Hill, his
estates and honours being
forfeited to the Crown.
This dismal
catastrophe
of the last Earl of Kilmarnock did
not entirely
extinguish
the light and glory of this ancient
family, for, happily, his
eldest son and heir:
JAMES BOYD,
whose devotion to his sovereign led him
into the
army
of the King to fight against his misguided
father, has shed a lustre
upon the name which that father had
obscured.
He
became the 15th Earl of Errol on the death of
Mary, Countess
of Errol in 1758, his mother having been
heiress to that title and
estate. He then took the surname of
HAY for his own.
(Originally
published by the Boyd Family of Scotland, 1904)
THE
BOYD-HAY FAMILY
James Boyd 1
(1726-1778) eldest son of William
Boyd
4th
Earl of Kilmarnock,
after the execution of his father, due
to his fighting on
the
side of Bonnie Prince Charlie, sold
his Kilmarnock estates to
his cousin, the Earl of Glencairne.
He took up his
residence in Slains Castle, Aberdeenshire,
Scotland. In 1758 his great
aunt, Mary Hay, 14th Countess of
Errol, died and left no
issue.
James as a grandson of the 5th
Earl of Linlithgow and
Margaret
Hay, sister of Mary, succeed-
ed to the title as 15th Earl
of Errol. He thereupon changed
his name from Boyd to Hay.
James (BOYD) Hay, 15th Earl of Errol (see pages 14 & 17)
George Hay 16th Earl of Errol
William Hay 17th Earl of Errol
William-George Hay 18th Earl of Errol, 1st Baron Kilmarnock
William Henry Hay 19th Earl of Errol, 2nd Baron Kilmarnock
Charles Gore Hay 20th Earl of Errol, 3rd Baron Kilmarnock
Victor A. Serald Hay 21st Earl of Errol, 4th Baron Kilmarnock
Josslyn Victor
Hay
22nd Earl of Errol 5th Baron Kilmarnock
(died
without male issue) his daughter
Diana Denyse Hay
became 23rd Countess of Errol but could
not
succeed to the Barony of Kilmarnock.
Merlin Serald Hay
24th Earl of Errol
Gilbert Allan Rowland
Hay,
son of Victor A. Serald Hay and
brother to Josslyn
Victor
Hay,22nd Earl of Erroll, succeeded as
6th
Baron Kilmarnock and changed his name back to BOYD
the
surname of his
ancestors.
His son:
Alastair Ivor Gilbert
Boyd
succeeded
as 7th Baron Kilmarnock
on the death of his father
in 1975 and is currently chief of
the Clan Boyd.
1.
History of the Boyd Clan and Related Families by
Frederick Tilghman Boyd, Ph.D, 1962
| Index Page |
| Chapter 1 Chapter 1a | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |
| Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 |
Clan Boyd Society, International