The Ancient History of
the Boyd Family
Chapter One
In writing of the ancient history, we must go a very
long way back in time and history: Back
to the
invasion and occupation of
After about 3 centuries (350-360 years) of occupation,
the Romans had to pull out their armies
from
decades had
been in deep trouble.
When the last Roman Army had pulled out, the Celtic
natives of
condition militarily; for they had not been trained to fight
for the last 350 years, and the
Anglo-Saxons were now landing on their shores.
There was one group of the Celtic Bretons who took up
arms, formed an army, and fought off
the
Anglo-Saxons for about 40 years before they succumbed to the overwhelming force
of the
Saxons.
It should be noted that during the long occupation of
different Commanders in charge in
of their
Commander's occupation. None of them mentioned the native Celtic-Breton people,
except for
the last one. Before going back to
which he
thought of as strong and brave men. Their names were: Alain, Haimo, Rywallon,
and
Artoris (Arthur).
King Arthur
In French history, also Brittany (Bretange or
the
Breton influx completely revolutionized
come from
banks of
the
resist the
onslaught. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table long
remained the
heroes of legendary epic. Forced from their home, the
islanders set forth to colonize a lesser
the
estuaries of the Rance and the
When the Bretons arrived on the scene, this Province
was no less
Romanized than the rest of
and
Breton it remained. It is not certain whether the newcomers
massacred the population, drove it off, or enslaved it. It
would appear from the evidence
available that the Britons remained unchallenged in their new
home, except in the sphere of
religion (they
had already been Christainized). They changed everything. Neither language nor
customs
remained the same at a time when the Germans were busy Romanizing themselves.
They brought with them into the peninsula even their
native place names.
of the
Bretons.
become a
part of the French system. An even longer time had to elapse before the local
languages lost its position of supremacy.
The descendants of the four Bretons, Alain, Haimo,
Rywallon, Artoris, mentioned by the
historian of the last Roman Commander in
Nobles of the little country of
THE BOYD FAMILY OF
Coat of Arms
(1) The Boyd family of
the Boyd
families of Scottish origin, is a branch of the Breton family of
Dinan (or De Dinant). The identity of the families appear
in their Arms.
The family of Dinan bore a fesse indented, while that
of Fitz-Alan (from
which the
Stuarts and the Boyds are descended) bore a fesse chequey.
The Principality of Dol and Dinan was in the
(now known as Dol-De-Bretagne
in the Department of Ille-et Vilane),
Dinan (in Cotes-du-Nord), and Combourg, to
the central hills of
A tract of ninety miles by sixty. Its chiefs, of whom many Barons were
dependent, were sovereigns rather than magnates. In all probability,
they
represented the patriarchal sovereigns of the Diablintes. This
nation held
that part
of
gave it
the name of
occupied the
coast of
confined to
Arthur S. Boyd mentions in his book, The Boyd Family
of
country of
invaded
genealogy of the ancestry of Richard Plantagenet and Cecily De
Neville by Ernst-Friedrich
Kraentzler. He states in their genealogical charts that Hoel was
son of Alain II Barbetorte, who
was King
of Bretagne and count of
Now, Hoel had a granddaughter named Judith De Nantes.
She married Alan Taignard, Count De
Cournouilles, who was grandson of Butie,
Count De Cournouilles. To
carry on with this same
genealogy, Alan Taignard (the Count De Cournouille) and Judith
De Nantes had a daughter
named Agnes
De Cournouilles. She married Eudes (Eudo) Count of Bretagne. He was grandson
of Conan
I Le Torte, the Duke of
(2) From the time of the return of Hoel, the Counts of
Dol begin to appear. Frogerious is
mentioned as having possession of great power in the time of
Samson, Abbot of Dol, circa 570
A.D. Count Loiescan, his successor, granted to the
Abbey of Dol an estate in
which had
been given to Samson. Rivallon (French spelling of Rywallon), who is mentioned
as a
Tyrranus, or one of great powers, Potentissimus Vir,
circa 710 A.D., restored a monastery at
the
request of Thurian, Bishop of Dol. Early in the following century, Salomon
appears to have
been Count
of Dol. His son Rivallon with his brothers, Alan and Guigan, witnessed a
charter by
Salomon, King of
Alan, Count of Dol, near the year 919 A.D., gave his
daughter in marriage to Ralph, Lord of
Riex, in
Protector of the
(3) Ewarin seems to have been the immediate successor
of Soloniouse as Count of Dol, circa
950 A.D. With him we can start the probable
consecutive line of descent. Two of Ewarin's sons,
Alan and Gotslein De Dinan, witnessed a charter of
Bertha of Chartres, mother of Conan II,
about the
year 980 A.D. Alan succeeded his father as Count of Dol and was in turn
succeeded
by his
brother Hamo I, another son of Ewarin.
(4) Hamo I succeeded his brother Alan about 980 A.D.
and was also known as Viscount of
Dinan. He
had six sons. The first being Hamo II (they were ancestors of the Viscounts of
Dinan
and the
Barons De Dinant of
(Junkeneus), Archbishop of Dol circa 1000 A.D. and
Rivallon, Seneschal of Dol, from whom the
later
Counts of Dol were descended. Gosclein De Dinan, Salomon, Lord of Guarplic,
ancestor of
the
Breton family of Du Guesclein, and Guienoc.
At this period of time, the beginning of the 11th century,
we must go back into
check out
two very important happenings in the families of the Duke of Normandy. At this
time,
there was increasing participation of the Normandy Dynasty in the affairs of
Gual
(
Ducal house of
in fact
set during the first decade of the 11th century by two notable marriages. The
former of
these was a
union between Hawisa, daughter of Duke Richard I of
Richard II of
were
children of Conan I, Count of Rennes and Duke of Brittany). These two marriages
followed closely
upon each other. There is reason to suppose that they were also connected as
part of a
common design to safeguard the welfare of the two families, which in such
events
was
usually the result.
On Geoffery's departure in 1008 on the pilgrimage to
the Crusades, during which he died, his
two sons
Alan III and Eudo, then of tender age, were left under the tutelage of their
mother. In
consequence, Richard II, who was both brother and
brother-in-law to Hawisa,
immediately began to play a dominate part in the government of
William The
Conqueror
]
Similarly, after Richard's II death, Alan III of
Brittany, the son of
Geoffery, was to find himself deeply involved and
highly influential in
Norman affairs. Particularly after Robert I, Duke of Normandy, son of
Richard II and Judith of Brittany, left for the
Crusades and died
there. For
he had left his very young son, William the Conqueror,
with his
own cousin Robert I, and Alan III as guardian.
Now we can go back to our consecutive line of descent.
(5) Since Guinoc, being ancestor of the Boyds, there
is no need to
pursue
further the descent of the Counts of Dol and Viscounts of
Dinan. We
find mention of three sons of Guinoc. They are Flahald,
Alan, Seneschal of Dol, and Rivallon.
Alan, the Seneschal of Dol in 1079, at the foundation
of the Abbey of
Mezouit near Dol, (a cell of St. Florient, Saumur, of
which William De Dol or Dinan was Abbot)
granted to
the Abbey the site on which it stood. This grant of Alan was confirmed by his
brother,
Flahald, and was also confirmed by Oliver, Viscount of Dinan, whose charter was
witnessed by Alan, Seneschal of Dol. At about the same time
Geoffery, Viscount of Dinan,
granted the
lands of Dinan to the same Abbey. This was part of the estate of Alan the
Seneschal, son of Guinoc. They were given with the consent of Rivallon, Alan's
brother, and
Rivallon is received as a monk in the Abbey.
(6) Flahald, son of Guinoc, whose name is variously
spelled as; Flaud, Fleda/das, Flathald,
Flaald, or Falud, had at least one son.
(7) Alan Fitz-Flahald, who was Baron of Oswaldestre
(now Oswestry) in Salop (now
and
invaded and
conquered
was
located from about the year 1000.
He was Sherriff of Sropshire, and married Margaret,
daughter of Tergus, Earl of Galloway.
They had five children. He died in 1114. According to
the Scotts Peerage, he married the
daughter and
heiress of Warine, Sherriff of Shropshire. The first of these sons was William
Fitz-Alan, 1105-1160 (Fitz, meaning "son
of", for there were no surnames used at this time).
He was ancestor of the Earls of Arundel (
heiress, to
the Duke of Norfolk.
The second son was Walter Fitz-Alan (d. 1177). He went
to
David I, and had large possessions
conferred on him in Renfrewshire. Under
the reign of
Eadgar, King of Scotland (1097-1107), the Croun
authority only extended south of the
son of
King Malcolm Canmore (reigned 1058-1093), and St. Margaret, sister of Eadgar
Aetheling, who was sole representative of the Saxon
Rulers of England after the death of King
Harold and his brothers, at the battle of
(1107-1124) and David I (1124-1153) many Norman Nobles
entered the Scottish service in the
wars
against the Norwegians, being rewarded by large grants of the captured lands.
David I had been educated in
Norman customs with him to
Dapifer (Steward or Seneschal) of the Royal Household,
which title became hereditary in the
family. He
founded the Monastery of Paisley in 1160, and he and De Morville were witness
to a
charter of
David I, to the Abbey of Melrose.
The third son was Simon Fitz-Alan (8), ancestor of the
Boyds. The fourth son was unknown.
The fifth son was Adam Fitz-Alan, mentioned in a
charter, given by David I in 1139.
(8) Simon Fitz-Alan, (son of Alan Fitz-Flaald)
followed his brother, Walter, into
service of
King David I. Simon witnessed Walter's Foundation Charter to the Monastery of
Sir James Balfour Paul's, "Scottish
Peerage" (Vol. V, pp 136-7). This
charter was executed, not
at
Robert, who was surnamed Boyt, now variously spelled
Boit,Boid, Boidet, Boyd and Boyde. The
form Boyd
is the one generally used.
The first mention of the surname of Boyd in
between Boyce
de Eglinton and the town of
Boyt, nephew of Walter, High Steward of
Paisley and Lord High Steward of
bear the
same Arms as the Stuarts, denoting their descent. The Boyd Arms granted in 1206
are
Azure, A fesse cheque, Argent and Gules, crest, dexter
hand, couped at the wrist. Motto,
Confido (I Trust). In design these Arms are the same as the Stuarts
denoting their kin. The
Tartan or Plaid worn by the Boyds was known as the
Hunting Stewarts in former times, but the
Boyds now have their own Tartan which is similar to
the Royal Family Tartan. In early years in
criminal
offence for one to wear a Tartan to which he was not entitled. Robert died
prior to
the year
1240, leaving a son:
(10) Robert, Dictus Boyt, first mentioned (1262) in a
charter by Sir John Erskine, of the lands
of
Halkill, in which he is designated as Robertus de Boyd, Miles. He took part in
the
Largs, in Ayrshire,
for
possession of western
Scots. The
word Goldberry was placed on his Arms in commemoration of his services in this
battle in
the vicinity of Goldberry Hill, near Keppenburn. He also received a grant of
several
lands in
Cunninghame, Ayrshire, from King Alexander III. He died about the year 1270,
leaving
a son:
(11) Sir Robert Boyd, with the majority of the
Scottish Nobles, was, at first, loyal to King John
Baliol. He later regretted that loyalty when time
showed that Baliol was a tool of Edward of
he was
crowned in 1292 and resigned his Crown to Edward on
lower
after,
showed that it was force and not inclination that made him do so. For with his cousin
the
Steward, he joined Sir William Wallace in July, 1297, in his gallant attempt to
save
raids into
captured and
executed or exiled. His death seems to be unrecorded. He was evidently at the
Battle of Sterling Bridge on
victorious. He was also probably present along with the Stewarts
at the Battle of Falkirk in
1298 where the Scots were defeated.
He left one son:
Robert the Bruce
(12) Sir Robert Boyd, who was one of the first to join
Robert Bruce
after the
execution of Wallace. "Bruce was stripped of lands, honors
and even
of Christian dues, for he was solemnly excommunicated by
the Pope.
A circumstance which produced no effect on the mind of
House of Kilmarnock, whose descendants were, in the
utmost calamity,
to be as
true as they to the blood of Bruce...".
Here we must take time to explain the relationship of
the Boyds and
the
Stewarts to King Robert Bruce. The old Historians failed to mention
this
relationship. They only spoke of Bruce's paternal ancestry. The true
fact
remains (from
Fitz-Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland, son of
Walter Fitz-Alan, 1st High Steward of
Gilbert, who later became the first Earl
of Carrick. He died on
Steward died 1204, and was succeeded by his son Walter
Fitz-Alan the 3rd High Steward of
The 3rd High Steward had a daughter named Margaret who
married Neil Mac Duncan, who was
the son
of Aviline and Duncan Mac Gilbert. Neil became the 2nd Earl of Carrick, on the
death
of her
father. She married a Knight who took off for the Crusades and was killed at
A warrior friend of this knight, who survived the wars
and returned, met and fell in love with
Marjory and married her. His name was Robert Bruce.
They had a son named Robert Bruce,
who
became King Robert Bruce of
King Robert Bruce of
Steward of
Many joined Bruce from ill will at the English
justiciaries, by whom they had been put out of
their lands
in 1306, and became in accordance with English law, were punished by burning,
hanging, and
by being torn to pieces at the hoofs of horses. Therefore they arose like one
man,
preferring death to the laws of
Robert Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at
little Army
was broken and routed, and he was made a fugitive on the Isle of Rathlin. Sir
Robert Boyd joined him on Rathlin in February, 1307,
and shortly after, with Sir James
Brodick. Soon
Bruce joined them. The Boyds took part in the Battle of Loudon Hill, May
10,1307, and were in third
(left) division of the Scottish first line at the
English dominion in
Nostro,"...received from King Bruce, grants of
the Barony of Kilmarnock, and the lands of
Bondington and Hertschaw (Hartchaw) in the Parish of
Fenwick, Ayershire, which were the
lands of
John de Baliol; The lands of Kilbryde and Ardnele which were the lands of
Geoffry de
Ross (son of the deceased Reginal de Ross); All of the land which was William de Mora's (de
Moreville) in the tenement of Dairy: All erected into
a free Barony to be held of the King, the
charters being
dated 1308 and 1316. He also had a charter of the lands of Nodellsdale, and
another
granting Hertschaw in free forrest.
In "Robertson's Index of Charters" (1797),
among the missing charters of Robert Bruce, are five:
To Robert Boyd, of Duncoll and Clarksland in
Dalswinton; to Robert Boyd, son of William Boyd,
of the
lands of Duncoll and the Barony of Dalswinton, and the lands of Dulgarthe; to
Robert
Boyd, the lands of Glenken, the five pound land in
Trabeache, in Kyle regis, and the five penny
The Barony of Kilmarnock, (including the lands
adjacent to Bondington) comprised about 2350
acres, and
according to Pont in his "Cunninghame Topographer", 1609,
"belonged...first to ye
Locartts de Loch Ard, Lords ther of, then to Lord
Soulis...". At the time of granting to Sir
Robert Boyd, it was the property of King John Baliol.
So, Soulis must have forfeited it to Baliol,
and he
was loyal to Bruce as early as 1298, before he was crowned, therefore a rebel,
but he
later
turned against Bruce and was executed in 1320.
The Barony was in the possession of the Boyds, with
but little intermission, until the Glencairn
family
acquired it from them some time after 1752. It is situated in the heart of the
Parish of
stream known
as Marnock Water, about 21 miles south southwest from
northeast from Ayer, and 6 1/2 miles east of
St. Marnock, whose Cell (or Kil), residence, or place
of Sepulture is thought to have been
there. He
is stated to have died about 322 A.D., but
until
nearly 1000 years after, and then not as a town, but as a territorial
possession, when it
was
granted to Sir Robert Boyd.
Dean Castle
Dean Castle, the ancient home of the Boyds, is
situated about
one and one half miles from the town in
a
hollow near the bank of the Marnock. It consists of
three
edifices in very different styles of building. Two
of them
are square piles of great height with very few
windows or
openings and apparently very ancient. The
other is
comparatively modern. Forming two stories in
height and
well furnished windows. It was accidently
destroyed by fire in 1735, and the family then moved
into a
large house in the town of
was all
standing a few years ago. The ruins of the castle are there, most of it still
standing. It
is now a
museum and was gifted to the town of
Lord Howard de Walden.
The first Charter erecting the town of
in favor
of Thomas, 5th Lord Boyd; A second was granted in 1672, in favor of William
Boyd,
first Earl
of Kilmarnock (our ancestor) whose grandson, the third Earl, in 1700, gave a
charter
to the
town, of the whole common good, customs, etc. By virtue of these charters the
town
holds its
present municipal constitution.
Sir Robert Boyd was one of the guarantors of the
treaty of peace with
with his
retainers, was in the first line and was taken prisoner at the Battle of
Halidon Hill on
under
Edward Baliol. In May of 1334, King David II was carried to
including the Boyds. They were either exiled or compelled to
flee for safety. Many Scotts took
service at
that time under the King of France and other foreign rulers. In 1336 they
recaptured
from the
English some of the lands that were taken. David II returned from
1341. He was then 18 years old. If the Boyds had been
deprived of their lands, they took
possession of them again without a new charter from the King, as
the Scotts did not recognize
the
forfeitures and seizures of the English. It was a maxium of the age that any
Noble might
claim as
his own any territory which his sword had won from the enemy. Great estates
were
acquired in
this way, and to these the gratitude and liberality of David II was added. By
distributing among such as adhered to him, the vast possessions
which fell to the Crown by the
forfeitures of his enemies. There is record of a charter of David
II to John Boyd, of the lands of
Gualistoun. He must have been one of the younger members of the
family.
Sir Robert Boyd, in the beginning of the reign of King
David II on about 1329 or 1330, left three
sons: Sir
Thomas Boyd (13); Sir Alan Boyd, who commanded the Scottish Archers at the
siege of
witnessed a charter in 1342.
(13) Sir Thomas Boyd had, from King David II, a grant
of the forfeiture of William Carpenter
and
accompanied that Monarch to the Battle of Durnam (or Nevill's Cross),
He was taken prisoner and sent to
was made
for David's ransom, and no doubt, Sir Thomas was ransomed at or before that
time.
He had three sons: Sir Thomas (14); William, ancestor
of the Boyds of Badenheath; and Robert
de Boyd,
ancestor of the Boyds of Portincross.
(14) Sir
Thomas Boyd, Dnus de Kylmornowe, who was one of the
sureties, or hostages, for King
James I (who had been held by the English as a
prisoner for 19 years), came to
31, 1425, to make arrangements with his
subjects for his ransom. The
King was released by the
English on the promise of the Scots to pay
a ransom of 40,000 pounds. He
then ascended the
throne in
1424. Sir Thomas was one of the hostages handed over to the English as security
for
the
payment, which was never made. The King wasted the money that was raised for it
and
the many
hostages held in the English prisons. Sir Thomas was delivered
released
delivered as hostage, his annual income was estimated at 500
marks.
Sir Thomas married Johanna Montgomery, daughter of Sir
John Montgomery of Androssan. He
died
Thomas Boyde, Dominus de Kilmarnock, qui obitt Septimo
de mensis Julii, 1432" and "Johanne
of
Kilwinning, who obtained from King James III a charter confirming grants of the
Crown to
the
Abbey. William had a dispensation from
These descended in lineal succession until sold by the
late Reverend William Boyd,
father of
the Edward Boyd of Mertin's Hall,
same as
the
(16) Sir
Thomas Boyd was arrested
appropriation of part of the Crown rents. He was placed in
confinement at Dalkeith, but was
freed on compensating
for the discrepancy. One of his most tenacious and persistent foes was
Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley, who had been
High Constable of the Scottish Army in
Having returned to his home in the Eastwood Parish of
Renfreshire, he prosecuted campaigning
against Sir
Thomas, in whom he found a foe worthy of his steel. The borderlands of
Ayershire
and
Renfreshire had good cause to remember the rapine and plunder which
distinguished the
long continued
combat. It was war to the knife, against houses and homesteads. Against
castles and
mansions, farmers and rustics, all who were anyway connected to or allied with
either of
the great families of Boyd or Stewart.
In 1439, Sir Thomas killed Sir Alan Stewart at
Polmaise Thorn, between
Linlithgow. When Sir Alexander Stewart heard of his father's
death, he prepared for his
revenge. Sir
Thomas, with a hundred men, awaited him in Dean Castle, which was well
fortified with its moat, drawbridge and battlements. Sir
Alexander had two hundred men, but
divided his
forces. The fight took place at Craignaugh Hill, in Renfreshire, on the night
of July
9, 1439, where Sir Thomas met Stewart with
part of his men. The
rest of Stewert's men fell on
the Boyd's
rear, and they were ambushed. While Sir Thomas was in personal combat with Sir
Alexander, one of Stewart's followers stabbed him in
the back with a dagger, and after a short
resistance, the Boyd forces retired. Before the fight, the wife
of Sir Thomas, Lady Isabel, had
a dream
fortelling his death in the encounter, and she swooned as his body was brought
into
Dean Castle. He then died later that night. This fight
did not end the feud, however, for
another
Stewart was slain by the Boyds, near Dunbarton.
Sir Thomas had four children: Robert Boyd (17); Sir
Alexander Boyd of Drumcol, "a mirror of
Chivalry," who was with King James II when Earl
William Douglas was killed by the King in
appointed Governor of
III in his military exercises. In 1466, a safe conduct was granted to Alexander
Boyde, Knight, as
Ambassador to
for the
same purpose,
Cathcart, son of Alan, 1st Lord Cathcart, (died 1499)
married Margaret, daughter of Sir
Alexander Boyd of Drumcoll, and died without issue.
Who Sir Alexander married is not
recorded. The
third child was a daughter, Janet, who married John Alexander Maxwell of
Calderwood. The fourth child, also a daughter, was named
Margaret. She married Alexander,
2nd Lord Montgomery, Parish of Kilwinning,
Cunninghame, Ayershire. Their eldest son,
Alexander Montgomery died before his father, and
consequently their grandson, Alexander
Eglinton. The son of Hugh, 2nd Earl, was Hugh, 3rd Earl (died
1585), whose son, 4th Earl of
Eglinton, married Giles (or Egidia), daughter of
Robert, 4th Lord Boyd. Hugh, the 4th Earl, was
murdered
under
guardianship of his maternal uncle, William Boyd of Badenheath, while his
estates were
placed in
the care of his paternal uncle, Robert Montgomery of Giffen. Hugh, the 5th
Earl,
married
Elizabeth Montgomery, the only child of this uncle, having no issue and seeing
noprobability of having any, settled his lands on a cousin, and
died in 1613. His estates and
titles
passing to the cousin aforementioned, and his widow afterwards married, (as his
1st
wife)
Robert, 6th Lord Boyd.
(17) Robert
Boyd was created a peer of Parliament with the
title of Lord Boyd prior to July 13,
1459, by King James II, and in the same year was one
of the commissioners sent to prolong the
truce with
On the death of Bishop Kennedy in July 1465-66, Lord
Boyd introduced his sons and his
brother, Sir
Alexander Boyd, to the Royal favor. On
Robert Lord Fleming (son of Malcom Fleming, who had
suffered death with the 6th Earl of
pledging
themselves to stand by each other in all quarrels and against all persons, with
sundry
other
clauses and conditions. The very qualifications they made to their bond showed
the
measure of
their power. In the case of all three there were previous pledges to other
leading
persons of
the country, and in favor of these there was to be an exception in the present
understanding. The two important clauses in the document exhibit
the spirit and the aims of
the
authors. Fleming, on his part, was to leave the King in the hands of Boyd and
Kennedy,
while they
pledged themselves to put in his way, "any large thing that should fall to
the
Crown". (This bond is in the notes to Vol. V, of "
Lord Livingston, Lord Hamilton, Crawford, Montgomery,
Maxwell, and Patrick Graham (Bishop
of
planned to
take advantage of the extreme youth of the King, James III, then only 14 years
old.
So that they might broaden their power and
increase their wealth. In
June of 1466, there was
an audit
of the Royal revenue, and on July 10, while the King was at Linlithgow,
Alexander
Boyd, Somerville, Hepburn of Hailes, and Andrew Ker of
Cessford, constrained him to proceed
to
been
ordered to attend him by the states. For reasons unknown, Kennedy evidently
changed
his mind,
quarreled with the others, and was imprisoned in
Boyd. Graham then grew antagonistic, and was driven
from
On October 9th, Parliament having been summoned, Lord
Boyd knelt before the King, in the
presence of
the assembled estates and asked the King if he had been taken to
against his
will. The King replied that everything had been done by Royal
consent and as
further proof
of Boyd's loyalty, he was appointed guardian of the person of the King (along
with his
two brothers) and made keeper of the
Afterwards he was appointed one of the council chosen
to arrange the marriages of the Royal
Family. The
Act of Parliament was ratified by charter, under the Great Seal on the 25th of
October, 1466, and by another charter of the same
date, Lord Boyd was constituted Governor
of the
Kingdom until the King became of age. The honors that fell to the Boyds did not
cease
there. The
Act of Attainder which was soon to overtake them, shows the extent of the
territory they contrived to acquire, but the pride of their
house reached its limit in the
fortunes of
Thomas Boyd, eldest son of Lord Boyd. The rapid rise of the family is proof of
their
audacity and
talent. But, in the case of Thomas Boyd, we have a distinct testimony to the
brilliant qualities that led to his ascendency. Supported by
these gifts and graces, the
influence of his family did the rest, and in the beginning of
1467 he received the title of Earl
of
maintained the position which his capacity and his influence
seemed to assure him.
The supreme power of
Chamberland of Scotland for life on
the mind
of the King was alienated from the Boyds by their enemies. A Parliament was
assembled in 1469 and Lord Boyd was summoned to appear and
answer such charges as might
be brought
against him. He appeared followed by his retainers and friends under arms, but
on
learning that
the Royal favor had been withdrawn, disbanded his followers and fled to
detained by
illness, and appeared before parliament. The principal charge against the Boyds
was the
removal of the King's person from Linlithgow to
statement, was declared treas on. The Boyds were found guilty
and were condemned to be
executed.
Their estates and honors were forfeited to the Crown.
Robert Lord Boyd married Mariota, daughter of Sir
Robert Maxwell of Calderwood. They had
five
children: Thomas Boyd (18); Alexander, who carried on the succession after the
death of
his
nephew; Archibald, ancestor of the Boyds of Boneshaw; Elizabeth, who married
Archibald
Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus. They had children, one of whom was the Scottish poet
Gavin (or
Gawin) Douglas, onetime Bishop of Dunkeld (born in
Brechinabout 1474) and died of the Plauge
in
which she
is designated as Daughter of Robert, Lord Boyd, and the wife of Archibald, Earl
of
Angus: The fifth child of Robert was Annabella, who
married Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar.
The above mentioned Archibald Boyd, ancestor of the
Boyds of Boneshaw, received the estate
of
Boneshaw (or Bolinshaw), situated on the east side of Glazert in the Parish of
Stewarton,
Cunninghame, but it passed from his descendants prior
to 1592. For in that year we find it in
the hands
of a Lawson. Of Archibald's children, a daughter, name unknown, first married
Hugh
Muir of Pokelly, and then Archibald Craufurd, of
Craufurdland, whose posterity will can be
found in
Robertson's, "Cunninghame". The second daughter of Archibald was
married
Thomas Douglas, Laird of Lochleven (having a son, Sir Robert Douglas of
Lochleven,
killed at
the Battle of Pinkie, 1547), from whom the Earls of Morton are descended.
He officiated as Constablein Parliament,
on
and still
is, hereditary in the Errol family.
Full powers were granted to him and other
commissioners in 1468, to visit the courts of
select a
wife for King James III. A marriage treaty was concluded with King Christian I
of
of
Orkney and Zetland were presented as dowry. Earl Thomas Boyd proceeded with a
Noble
train to
successfully undermined the Boyds in the King's favor. When Thomas
arrived in Leith Roads
with the
Royal Bride, in July of 1469, his wife hastened on board to inform him of the
withdrawal of the Royal favor. They then fled to
to
which he
did not do. His marriage with the King's sister would be declared null and
void. The
Earl being absent and unheard, the pretext being a
claim of some legal impediment at the
time of
her marriage, said to be a prior contract to Lord Hamilton.
The unfortunate Earl Thomas wandered into
about 1470,
as appears in the "Paston Letters", wherein Paston desires his
brother, Sir John to
recommend, in his most humble wise, unto "the good
Lordship of the most courteous, gentlest,
kindest, most
companionable, freest, largest and most bounteous Knight, my Lord, the Earl of
lightest,
deliverest, best spoken, fairest archer, devotedest, most perfect and truest to
his
Lady of all the Knights that ever I was acquainted
with" and adds that he lodges at the George,
in
service of
the Duke of Burgundy, until his death in
honorable inscription was erected to him by Charles The Bold,
Duke of Burgundy.
The Princess Mary was released from confinement after
his death and was compelled to marry
in 1474,
James, Lord Hamilton, a man much inferior to her former husband. Both in point
of
birth and
fortune. The Boyd estates were forfeited to the Crown, and on the Boyd ruin
rose
the
Hamiltons, who won favor in 1455 by deserting the cause of
The Earldom of Arran was given to Lord Hamilton upon
his marriage to Mary. She had two
charters dated
Robert, Lord Boyd, and his son Thomas, her
former husband.
Thomas and Mary Boyd had two children: James (19); and
the lady Grizel who married first
Alexander, 4th Lord Forbes, and second
David, 1st Earl of Cassillis. No
children were issued in
either
marriages.
The third daughter of Archibald was Margaret, who in
her youth was mistress to King James IV
and bore
to him Alexander Stewart (Arch Bishop of St. Andrews), and Jean Stewart, later
Countess of Morton. Margaret was a great favorite at court, and as a
relative of
Boyd, whose husband Archibald, Earl of Angus (then
Chamberland), had the greatest power in
the
kingdom. By both their means, they caused the Boyds to be restored to their
ancient
patrimony, the Lordship of Kilmarnock (forfeited to the crown
by Robert, Lord Boyd), in
possession of which they continued under the protection of the
Earl of Angus until they were
again
restored by the Duke of Hamilton, Governor, after the battle of the Field of
Glasgow in
1545. Margaret married John Muir, Ward of the Laird of
Rowallan, and brought about the
marriages of her other sisters to the Lairds of Lockleven and
Craufurdland. At the time of the
marriage of
her sister to the Laird of Craufurdland, Margaret, as donator, in the presence
of
Archibald, Earl of Angus, Chamberland, "apud
Boghall prope Biggar, 17 Decemberis, 1493."
Disponeth to Archibald Craufurdland of Craufurdland
(her kinsman, as she called him) the ward
of the
lands of Craufurdland. She persuaded Elizabeth Muir, daughter of her sister,
The Lady
Pokelly, to marry Robert Craufurd, the young Laird of
Craufurdland, for which she procured
the
kindness and tack of the lands of Walston from Archibald, Earl of Angus. The
Walston lands
were part
of the Barony of Kilmarnock, and remained with Craufurd's successors.
There had also been a long feud between the Lairds of
Craufurdland Rowallan, which through
the
influence of Margarat Boyd, was settled with the surrender to the Laird of
Craufurdland by
the Laird
of Rowallan. The feud was over the lands of Ardoch.
Robert, who married Elizabeth Muir, was son of
Archibald Craufurd (who married the unknown
daughter of
Archibald Boyd). Robert died of wounds he received at the "Wylielee",
in company
of his
father, both being in attendance to James Boyd, son of Thomas Boyd, Earl of
Arran.
James was killed there by Hugh Montgomery, 4th Lord
Montgomery and 1st Earl of Eglinton. A
descendent of Janet, daughter of Sir Thomas Boyd (16).
John Craufurd, son of the aforementioned Robert
Craufurd, settled the feud between the
Boyds and the Montgomerys by arbitration, and married
Janet Montgomery, daughter of the
Laird of Giffen. A later John Craufurd (who died
Nicholson, widow of the honorable Sir Thomas Boyd,
advocate, son of William Boyd, 2nd Earl
of
(18) Sir Thomas Boyd, son of Lord Robert Boyd, married
Princess Mary (Stewart), eldest
daughter of
King James II and sister to King James III, in 1467. In order that his rank be
appropriated to that of his wife, he was created Earl of Arran in
the same year. The island of
charter dated
father, Lord
Robert Boyd, he received the lands of Stewartoun, Tarrinzean, Turnbery, and
Rosedalemure in Ayershire; Meikle Cumray in
Forefarshire; Polgavy Dalry, Kilbride, Nodisdale,
Monfodd, and LeFlat in Ayrshire; Nairstoun in
Lanarkshire.
(19) James Boyd was restored to the property of the
family by two charters dated October 14,
1482. To his mother in
life-rent and to himself in fee. Of the lands of
Kilbride, Nodisdaill, Muirfoid, (Monfode, Parish of
Androssan, Ayreshire) Rivisdailmure,
Railstoun, Le Flatt, Gandhill, Warnokland, Ormisheweh,
(Armsheugh, Parish of
Ayershire) Dollywra, Pottertoun, Dryrig, Corshill, and
half of Robertland, all in Ayrshire; Tyling
and
Brechty in Forfarshire; Cavertoun in Roxburghshire; Nairstoun in Lanarkinshire;
and
Polgavy in Perthshire.
He met his death in 1484 at the hands of Hugh, 4th
Lord Montgomery, Earl of Eglinton, at the
"Wyllielee", in a feud between
the Glencairn and Eglinton families.
(Hugh, Lord Montgomery
was his
uncle.) He died childless and the estates returned to the Crown.
(20) Alexander
Boyd, second son of Lord Robert Boyd (17),
had
charters of the lands of Ralestoun, in the Barony of
Parish of Dunlop, Ayrshire). In 1494 he was designated as
Filius Roberti, Quondam Domini Boyd, and was made
Bailie and Chamberland of
1505. He seems to have been appointed with Alexander
Dunlop, by parliament in 1489, to collect the bygone
rents
and casualties
of the Crown in Stewarton and
He married a daughter of Sir Robert Colville of
Ochiltree
and had
six sons: Robert (21); Thomas, ancestor of the
Boyds of Picton; Adam, ancestor of the Boyds of
Penkill
and
Trochrig;
There were three others, names unknown, mentioned in
the
Scottish Peerage.
The Arms of the Boyds of Picton are the same as the
My hope is heaven. Their principal estate was Picton,
in
the
Parish of Dalry in Cunninghame. This was in their
possession until 1770 when Thomas Boyd, the last of the branch,
sold it to George Macrae.
The third son of Alexander Boyd (20),
was Adam, ancestor of the Boyds of Penkill and Trochrig.
He had a son Robert Boyd of Penkill, who had two sons,
William and Mark Alexander Boyd.
Another son of Adam Boyd was James Boyd, Archbishop of
Glasgow (died 1581), who was
father of
Robert Boyd of Trochrig (born 1578, died 1627).
(21) Robert
Boyd, eldest son of Alexander Boyd (20), was
restored to the title of Lord Boyd in
1536 and had a grant from King James V, whom he served
faithfully at home and abroad, of
the
Lordship of
of
Cambusnethan. He received charters as "Robert Boyd olim de
lands of
Chapelton (near Boneshaw, in the Parish of Stewarton, Ayrshire), and the lands
and
He was called the 4th Lord Boyd and was served heir of
James Boyd (19), his father's, brother's
son. This
included the lands and Baronies of
1544. He received confirmation from Queen Mary of all
estates, honors and dignities that
belonged to
the deceased Robert, Lord Boyd, his grandfather, with a novadamus in 1549. He
died in
1550, leaving a son, Robert, 5th Lord Boyd (22), and a daughter Margarat, who
married
Sir John Montgomery, son of Sir Neil Montgomery of
Lainshaw, Parish of Stewarton (who was
son of
Hugh, 4th Lord Montgomery and 1st Earl of Eglinton, and great grandson of
Alexander,
2nd Lord Montgomery, who married Margarat,
daughter of Sir Thomas Boyd (16)). This
marriage seems
to have reopened the feud between the two families for her father, Robert
Boyd with Mowatt of Busbie and others,
killed Sir Neil Montgomery at
This was done in revenge for the killing of Robert
Boyd's cousin, James Boyd (19), by Hugh, 4th
Lord Montgomery in 1484. Robertson says that this feud caused much blood to be
shed
throughout the district before it was settled through the
mediation of the Earls of Eglinton,
Cassilis, Argyle, and other mutual
friends.
(22) Robert,
5th Lord Boyd, was born in 1517, and married Margarat
(or Mariot), daughter and
heir of
Sir John Colquhoun of Glins. He had charters of the Lordship of Kilmarnock,
etc... ,
He assisted the Regent Arran in suppressing
Queen-Regent with the Lords of
Congregation in 1559. In
1560, he signed the treaty of
Berwick, joining the English at
Prestonpans. There is record of his subscription to
the "Book of
Disipline of the Kirk" in 1561. According to some accounts, he was privy to the
murder of Henry
Stewart, Lord Darnley, husband of Queen Mary, on
jury
acquitting the Earl of Bothwell of the deed in the same year. Later, he joined
a band of
Nobles to protect the young Prince from supposed
designs, and then took Bothwell's part
again. He
was made a member of the Privy Council in 1567. He was one of the Queen's
commissioners at York and Westminister where he entered into an
association to support
Queen Mary at
made one
of the Nobles to form round the Queen's person after her defeat.
For espousing the Queen's cause, he was compelled to
leave the country with his two sons.
They were in the conflict, too, but evidently returned
after a short time. Because, he was
made a
member of her council again in 1569, being employed by her on various missions.
One
of them
being to obtain her divorce from Bothwell.
Lord Boyd was suspected of complicity in the murder of
Murry in 1570, and joined the party of
1571, under The Great Seal to
Robert, Lord Boyd. Thomas, Master of Boyd, and Robert Boyd of
Badenheath, and his sons, received remission
for fighting against the King at Langside. He
had
charters of
the office of Bailiary and Justicary of the Regality of Glasgow, dated January
2,
1573 or 74, and of Giffartland, dated
Lord of Sessions on
negotiating an alliance with
He took part, with the Earls of Mar, Glencairn, and
others, in the Raid of Ruthven at Ruthven
Castle on
actions. Lord
Boyd was banished, but soon returned to become Warden of the
Then in 1589, he was a commissioner to enforce the
statutes against the Jesuits. He died on
An epitaph may still be found on a stone in the
interior of the Low Church in
had been
a part of the old church, and was preserved by being put in the wall of the
present
building when
it was erected in 1802. It reads:
1589
Heir lyis godlie Noble wyis Lord Boyd
Quha Kirk and King Commin weil
decoir'd
Quhilke war (quhill they yis jowell all injoyed)
Defendit, counsailed, governd, be that lord
His ancient hous (oft parreld) he restoired
Twyis sax and saxtie zeirs he lived and syne
By death (ye third of Januare) devoird
In anno thrys fyve hundreth auchtye nyne.
Lord Boyd granted a charter of the lands of Law to his
wife in life-rent,
He had a charter of the lands of Bedlay, Molnays,
etc... ,
February 1601. They had seven children: The first Robert,
Master of Boyd, who had a charter
of the
after; The
second son was Thomas, 5th Lord Boyd (23); The third was William Boyd of
Badenheath, (miss named Robert in "Peerage")
who was tutor to his nephew, Hugh, 5th Earl of
Eglinton, and died in July, 1611. Robert, 6th Lord
Boyd (25), was served heir of him March 20,
1617.
Four daughters were: Egidia (Giles), who married Hugh,
4th Earl
of Eglinton; Agnes, who
married Sir
John Colquhoun of Luss; Christian, who married Sir James Hamilton of Evandale;
and
Elizabeth, who married John Cunninghame of Drumquhassell.
(23) Thomas,
6th Lord Boyd, joined with his father in the
association in behalf of Queen Mary,
May 8, 1568, and was engaged in her Army at Langside,
conduct (or
passport) reading as follows: "Thomas Master of Boyds, to depart and pass
our realm
to the partis of France, Flanderis, wall of the spa, and othens partis quhare
he
pleasis,
thair to remain for seeking for cure and remed of his saidis diseasis, for the
space of
three
zeiris after the date hereof...Providing always that our said cousin do not
attempt
nothing in
prejudice of us our realm and religion publiclie prechit and profeist within
our
realim or
otherwais this our licence to be null and of none availe force nor effect.
Given under
our
signit and subscrivit with our hand at our castell of steivliny the XIII day of
July and of our
reign the
twelth zeir-1.5.7.9. JAMES R."
Thomas married Margaret, second daughter of Sir Mathew
Cambell of Loudon and his wife,
Isabel, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Innpeffery
and his wife, Janet, natural daughter of
King James IV. Thomas died in June, 1611, and had
seven children: Robert, Master of Boyd
(24); Sir Thomas Boyd of Bedlay; Adam Boyd, who
married Margarat, sister of Robert Galbraith
of
Kileroich; John Boyd of whom we have no record; Marion, who married James, Earl
of
Abercorn; Isabel; and Agnes, who married
Sir George Elphinstone of Blytheswood. The
aforesaid Isabel, according to Robertson, married John Blair,
but Collin's Peerage states that
James Stuart of
Auchinbrick and Isabel his wife, daughter of Thomas,
Lord Boyd, which must mean that Isabel
married
twice.
(24) Robert,
Master of Boyd, married Lady Jane Ker (descended from
Sir Andrew Ker) of
Cessford, and from King Robert Bruce (see Robertson)
they had two children: Robert, 6th Lord
Boyd (25), and James, 8th Lord Boyd (27). Robert,
Master of Boyd, died in May, 1597, before
the death
of his father. His widow remarried David, 10th Earl of Crawford.
Robert, 6th Lord Boyd, was born in November, 1595, and
was served heir male in general of
his
father on
(son of James, son of Adam,
son of Alexander, son of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd). He was served
heir male
in special of his father, in the Barony of Kilmarnock, etc..., October 12,
1614; Heir
of
Thomas, 5th Lord Boyd, his grandfather, in the lands in the counties of
Kanark, and
Earl of Arran (18), who was the uncle of Robert, 3rd
Lord Boyd (21), who was great great
grandfather of Robert, 6th Lord Boyd.
He had charters of the Barony of the Gruger in
Ayrshire dated
the
Also the Lordship of Kilmarnock, to him his son
Robert, Master of Boyd, dated
The Barony of Grugar passed from the Boyds about 1699.
Robert, 7th Lord Boyd married
first, Margarat, daughter of Robert Montgomery of Giffin. Relict
of Hugh,
5th Earl of Eglinton without issue. His second marriage was to Lady Christian
Hamilton, eldest daughter of Thomas, 1st
Earl of Haddington.
Relict of Robert, 10th Lord
Lindsay of Byris, by whom they had seven children.
Robert died in August of 1628. He was only
33 years old. The children were: Robert, 8th Lord Boyd
(26);Helen, who died unmarried, and
her five
sisters were served heirs portioners of her,
Morison of Dairsie in
of
Haddington; Marion, who married as his first wife, Sir James Dundus of
Arnistoun; Isabel,
who
married first John Sinclair of Stevenson, and second, to Sir John Grierson,
Friar of Lag.
She was his wife when served heir of her sister;
Christian, who married Sir William Scott of
Harden.
(26) Robert,
8th Lord Boyd, was served heir of his father on
Fleming, second daughter of John, 2nd Earl
of Wigton. He died of fever on
He was about 24 years of age. They had no children.
His widow married George, 2nd Earl of
Dalhousie.
His uncle:
(27) James,
9th Lord Boyd, second son of Robert, Master of Boyd
(24), was served heir male of
Robert, 8th Lord Boyd on
1638, in Greyfriar's Church, Edinburgh. He was a steady Royalist. He joined the Association
in
favor of
Charles I in January, 1641, and was fined 1500 pounds by Cromwell's Act of
Grace and
Pardon, 1654.
It was during his life that part of Dean Castle, on
which the Boyd Arms are sculptured, was
erected. It
is located on the wall of the lower tower along with the inscription,
"James, Lord
of
He married Catharine, Daughter of John Craik, Esq., of
leaving;
William, 10th Lord Boyd and 1st Earl of Kilmarnock (28), (our Boyd Ancestors);
and
Eva, who after the death of Sir David, married Bryce
Blair. Their son John Blair married Lady
Isabel, Daughter of Thomas, 6th Lord Boyd,
(see 23).
William Boyd, 10th Lord Boyd
1st Earl of
(28) William,
10th Lord Boyd, was served heir of his father in
the
Barony of
created 1st Earl
of Kilmarnock on
issued a
charter from King Charles II, of the Barony of
1591 to Thomas, 5th Lord Boyd (23).
William died in March of 1692. He married Lady Jean
Cunninghame, eldest daughter of William, 10th Earl of
Glencairn, High Chancellor of
William, 2nd Earl of
James Boyd, (from whom our Boyd families are
descended);
The Honorable Captain Charles Boyd. He died in
September of 1737; The Honorable Robert Boyd, (from
whom
the
married Sir
Alexander MacLean; and Catherine, who married Alexander Porterfield of
Porterfield.
This completes the direct line of our ancestors up to Captain James Boyd, 2nd
son of William,
Lord Boyd, 1st Earl of
will now
skip over William, 2nd Earl (29) and his son, William, 3rd Earl (30), and go to
William,
4th Earl (31), son of William, 3rd Earl.
(31) William, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, the last of the
family to reside in Dean Castle, was born
in 1704.
He joined forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, also known as "Bonnie
Prince
Charlie", (Note, Stuart is French spelling for
Stewart) in his attempt for the British Crown in
1745. He was captured at the Battle of Culloden,
executed on
Tower Hill,
He married Lady Ann Livingstone, the only surviving
child and sole heir (and heir presumptive
of the
Earldom of Errol), of James, 5th Earl of Linlithgow and Callender and his wife,
Lady
Margaret Hay, second daughter of John, 12th Earl of
Errol. Lady Ann Boyd died on September
16, 1747. They had three children: James, Lord Boyd (32) and
13th Earl of Errol; The
Honorable Charles Boyd; and Honorable
William Boyd. The Honorable Charles Boyd was with
his
father at Culloden, but escaped captured and fled to the Isle of Arran, where
he concealed
himself. He
later went to
about
twenty years until a pardon was granted all rebels. He then returned to
residing with
his brother in Aberdeenshire until his death in
While in
married in
Charles Boyd also had a daughter, who married Charles
Gordon of Wardhouse on April 22,
1783. The Honorable Charles Boyd married, secondly,
Ann daughter of Alexander Lockhart,
having no
children by her. The Honorable William Boyd, third son of William, 4th Earl,
was
with the Royal
Forces at Culloden, later in the Royal Navy, and in 1761, transferred to 114th
Regiment of Infantry.
(32) James, Lord Boyd, 13th Earl of Errol, was born
Regiment of Foot of the Royal Forces at
Culloden. After his father's execution, he claimed
the
estate which
had reverted to the Crown, on the strength of a trust deed dated 1732. The
claim
being
allowed by the Court of Session in 1749, and by the House of Lords in 1752, in
the latter
year
selling the lands to the Earl of Glencairn, who sold them to the Duke of
Portland in 1785.
He commanded a Company in
Pepperell, who lived in
to
Arbin's Regiment of Foot on
accession to the Earldom of Errol.
On the death of his great aunt, Lady Margarat Hay,
Countess of Errol (the daughter of the 12th
Earl of Errol, and who had married James, 4th Earl of Callender
and 5th Earl of Linlithgow,
their
daughter having married William, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock). James, Lord Boyd,
succeeded
to the
title of Errol in 1758, and took up residence in
have
united in his own person the four Earldoms, of Errol,
Callender, had the three last ones not
been attainted.
in 1715.
He could have also attained the ancient dignity of Lord High Constable of
it had
not been abolished by parliament in 1784.
He died
referred to
the British Peerage. He had ten daughters and two sons. The sons were, George,
14th Earl of Errol and William, 15th Earl
of Errol.
George, 14th Earl of Errol, died in 1798, leaving no
issue. His brother William, succeeded as
15th Earl of Errol, assumed the additional surname of
Carr, and was made Baron of
resides in
The Boyd Family and their cousins the Stewart Family,
fought, bled, and died for
over 400
years. The Stewart family descendants are still represented in the Monarchy of
THE CLAN STEWART
King David I of
Renfrew about the year 1138. He also brought Walter's brother Simon, who became
the
ancestor of
the Boyds, Earl of
William Fitz-Alan stayed in
The purpose of that settlement is tolerably clear. The
burning question of the hour for the
Scottish Monarch was the menace of Norse invasion in
the Firth of Clyde. To oppose the
invasion,
David planted Walter Fitz-Alan where he could best bar the way to the heart of
the
Kingdom, and made him Steward of Scotland. Most
efficiently, that guardian of the gate
justified his appointment, driving the Norsemen out of Cowlal
and
Somerled of the Isles brought army to force the
passage, overthrowing and slaying him at
Renfrew in the year 1164. It it possible that as a thank-offering for this
victory, Walter the
Steward founded Paisley Abbey in that year.
For exactly another hundred years the great struggle
went on. Not until 1263, Walter's great
grand son,
Alexander, now Lord High Steward of
under their
King Hakon, at the
Alexander's son James, who died in 1309, was the 5th
High Stewart of Scotland. From his
Brother, Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl, who fell fighting
along with Wallace for the cause of
Scottish independence at the Battle of Falkirk in
1208, a number of famous Scottish families
took their
origin. The line of the eldest son, Sir Alexander, became Earls of Angus, and
ended
in a
female who carried the earldom to the
Hamearldom at this present day. From his second son, Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley,
descended
the
Stewart Earls of
became
ancestor of the later Stewart Kings. From Sir Alan also descended the Earls of
Galloway, who are chiefs of the Stewarts
presently. From Bonkyl's fourth son came the
Stewarts of Innermeath in Strathearn, from whom
descended the Stewart Lords of Lorn, the
Stewarts of Murthly and Grandtully, the
Stewart Earls of Athol, and the Stewarts of Appin.
From Bonkyl's sixth son, Sir Robert, came the Stewarts
of Allanton and their cadets.
Meantime, Bonkly's nephew, Walter, the sixth High
Stewart, had greatly distinguished himself
in the
cause of King Robert the Bruce (a cousin of both the Stewart and the Boyds), at
the
great Battle
of
the hand
of Bruce's only daughter, the Princess Marjory. Their married life was short:
as she
rode by
the knock between Renfrew and
killed. She
was with child at the time of the fall, but the child was saved by the
Caesarean
operation. The spot was long marked by a monolith known as
Queen Bleary's Stone. The boy
lived,
however, and though he inherited his mothers weakness of the eyes, played a
heroic
part in
Scottish history.
From that old possession of his family, the
Norsemen, he sailed forth to attack Dunoon to
overthrow the entire conquest of Edward
Baliol. When he came to the throne as King Robert II,
in 1317, he had earned it by his sword
almost as
heroically as his grandfather Robert the Bruce.
A point which has not been sufficiently noted by
Scottish historians, is that from the two
marriages of Robert II, a large proportion of the later
troubles of the Stewart Kings and of the
Murr of Rowallan, had ever
been legitimized. In consequence, the descendants of his second
wife, Euphemia
Ross, again and again made claim to the throne. From this cause arose directly
the
murder of King James I, in 1437. Stewart and the
James I, was slain by the descendants of King Robert's
second wife, whom he had dispossessed
of the
Royal Earldom of Strathern. The ambition of the Earls of Douglas was directly
stimulated by the fact that they had inherited the claims of the
family of Euphemia Ross and
of the earlier great house of Comyn.
Another problem of
way. One
of his daughters, Margarat, he married to John, Lord of the Isles, and as John
was
already
married to his cousin Amy, he made him put her away, and granted him a charter
of
her lands
and titled great possessions of the Lord of the Isles to descend to his own
grandchildren, Margaret's sons. From this arrangement came endless
trouble. Not yet has it
been
settled absolutely that Glengarvy or Clanranald, the descendant of John's first
wife, or
Macdonald of the Isles, the descendent of his second
wife, is the rightful Chief of the
Macdonalds. From the first there was trouble among the sons and
grandsons of Robert II. His
eldest son, King
Robert III, whose real name was John, was practically displaced by his
brother, Duke
of Albany, who first starved the King's eldest son to death at
secured the
capture and imprisonment of the second son in
he returned from his captivity, that second son, King
James I, sent to block the Duke's son and
grandsons who had succeeded to
been laid
waste by the wars between the Duke of Albany and his sister's son, Donald of
the
Isles, for possession of the rich Earldom
of Ross. Wars which came to an end with the
terrific
and
bloody Battle of Harlaw, fought near
The leaders in the conflict were Donald of the Isles
and his cousin Alexander Stewert, Earl of
Mar. The
latter had obtained his Earldom by slaying the husband of Isabel, countess of
Mar,
and
marrying the Lady. He was a natural son of the fierce "Wolf of
Badenoch", Alexander
Stewart, Earl of Buchan, third son of King Robert II,
He is remembered solely by his lawless
deeds in
the north. The burning of Forres and
many
illegitimate children, and many of the name of Stewart in Atholl and Banffshird
are his
descendants.
A notable Stewart family in the south,
that of
succeeding to the throne, that King appointed his natural son,
Sir John Stewart of Dundonald,
known as
Red Stewart, to be Constable of Rothesay Castle and Hereditary Sheriff of Bute,
thus
handing his
son and that son's descendants in perpetuity the islands which had been
captured
by the
sword of his ancestor, Walter Fitz-Alan, the first of the Stewarts. After the
execution of
Murdoch, Duke of
who had
escaped, took vengeance by burning Dunbarton, and in it this same Red Stewart
of
Dundonald, uncle of the King. But Sir John Stewart's present direct descendant is
Marquess of
Two of the sons of Murdock, Duke of Albany, also left
natural sons. Of them, Walter Stewart of
Morphy, son of Sir Walter Stewart, beheaded at
Castle Stuart in
Regent Earl of Moray, half brother of Mary Queen of
Scotts, who became ancestor of the Earls
of Moray
of today. Another of Duke Murdoch's sons, Sir James Mohr Stewart, had a natural
son,
James "Beg" Stewart of Baldorran, who became
ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on
Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by Sir
Walter Scott in, "A Legend of Montrose".
Most romantic of all the memories of the Stewarts is
probably that connected with the
settlement of the race in Lorn, Appin, and Atholl. On the death
of Ewen, Lord of Lorn, of the
days of
Robert II, his estates passed to his daughters and co-heiresses. These
daughters had
married two
brothers, John and Robert Stewart of Bonkyl, (already referred to). These two
brothers made
a bargain. Robert gave up his wife's share of Lorn in exchange for his
brother's
share of
Innermeath. Sir John Stewart who thus relinquished his share of Innermeath and
became Lord
of Lorn, had a second son, Sir James, known as the Black Knight of Lorn. After
the
assasination of James I at the Charterhouse of Perth in 1437, this Black Knight
married the
widowed Queen
Joan, and they had a son, John, who was of course half brother to the King,
James II. When that King in 1450 finally overthrew the
last Earl of Douglas, he found a fair
lady
on his
hands. This lady, known from her beauty as the Fair Maid of Galloway, was the
heiress
to all
the great
Earl of Douglas, whom James stabbed in
overthrown at Arkinholme. While Earl James fled into exile in
returned to
die a monk at Lindores), the King procured a divorce for his fair young wife,
and
married her
to his own half brother, John, son of Queen Joan and the Black Knight of Lorn.
He
conferred upon the pair the Douglas Lordship of Balveny, and
they became presently Earl and
Countess of Atholl. The Earl played a distinguished role in the three
reigns. On the death of
the fifth
Stewart Earl of Atholl in 1595, the title passed first to Stewart of
Innermeath, and
afterwards, on the Innermeath line becoming extinct, to John
Murray, son of the eldest
daughter of
the 5th Earl, by his marriage with the Second Earl of Tullibardine. The direct,
present day
descendent of that union is the Duke of Atholl. Meanwhile, through Robert,
elder
brother of
the Black Knight of Lorn, the line of the Stewart Lords of Lorn was carried on.
The line ended in two heiresses who married Cambells,
when this family secured the Lordship
of Lorn.
A natural son of Stewart of Lorn, however, with the help of his mother's
people, the
Clan MacLaurin, succeeded in seizing and retaining the
district of Appin, and founded the
family of
the Stewarts of Appin. In the days of James IV, Duncan Stewart of Appin built
an Islet
in
During the Jacobite rising in 1745 under Prince
Charles Edward, the Appin Stewarts, led by
Stewart of Ardsheal, played a
conspicuous part. Sir Walter Scott tells in "Waverly", how
Stewart of Invernahyle saved the life of Colonel
Whiteford of Ballochmyle, and how, after the
overthrow at Culloden, Colonel Whiteford returned the
obligation by obtaining a pardon for
Invernahyle by a special and chivalrous
interview at
behind a
waterfall, in which Ardsheal hid for a time from the red soldiers, as well as
the
follow in
the top of a great boulder in which he was afterwards concealed. As a result,
the
management of Cambell of Glenure the famous Appin murder took
place which forms the pivot
of R. L.
Stevenson's famous story, "Kidnaped ". The spot where Glenure was
shot is marked by
a cairn
behind Kentalen. The supposed murderer was Alan Breck Stewart, who escaped to
Inveraray, and hanged in chains on the little
The chief of the Appin Stewarts is now Robert Bruce
Stewart, a Lawyer in
From Alexander, younger brother of the Black Knight of
Lorn, are ascended the Stewarts of
Grandtully below Aberfeldy in Perthshire. It was Sir James Stewart of Grandtully who, before
he
succeeded to the family title and estates, ran away with Lady Jane, sister of
the first and
last Duke
of Douglas, and whose son by her was the claimant in the great
House of Lords declared Archibald Stewart to be really
Lady Jane's son, and he accordingly
came into
possession of the great
Of the main line of the Stewarts, as represented by
the kings of that name, the history is to
well known
to need recounting here. Of two of its members, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie
Prince Charlie, the careers are among the most
romantic and moving in the worlds annals.
From first to last these Stewart Kings were
consistently unfortunate, yet their lives give a
brilliance and glamour to history that is entirely lacking from
the sedate annals of other
dynasties. Their legitimate male line came to an end with
Henry, Cardinal York, the younger
brother of
Prince Charles, who died in 1807, but three of the great ducal houses of the
country,
those of Buccleuch,
from
natural sons of King Charles II.
The spelling of the name Stuart, used by the Royal
Family and Maruess of Bute, was probably
introduced by Queen Mary on her return from
all the
Royal families in all the countries in
THE COUNTS OF DOL AND DE DINAN OF
ANCESTORS OF THE STEWARTS, BOYDS AND
FITZALLENS
FROGERINS
Count of Dol, circa 570 A.D.
||
RIVALLON
Count of Dol, circa 710 A.D.
||
SALOMON
"Protector" and Count of Dol circa 810
||
RIVALLON, ALAN, GUIGAN } all
three witnessed a charter of
||
SALOMON, King of
||
ALAN Count of Dol 919
||
SALONIONAS Count of Dol circa 930
||
EWARIN Count of Dol circa 950 (wife was an heiress De
Dinan)
||
ALAN COUNT OF DOL
Alan & Gotselein De Dinan
witnessed a charter of
BERTHA, mother of Duke
Conan II circa 980. Viscount
of De
Dinan.
GOTSELEIN DE DINAN
HAMO
Count of Dol circa 980
&Viscount of De Dinan
SIX SONS OF HAMO
HAMO II JUAHOEN RIVALLON GOTSELIEN DE DINAN SALOMON
GUIENOC
Ancestors of Dinan Archbishop, Ancestor of Lord of
Garplic & the Barons De of Dol c 1000 the
ater
counts Dinan of England A.D. of Dol.
||
THREE SONS OF GUIENOC
ALAN RIVALLON FLAAD
||
||
Alan Fitz-Flaad
Ancestors of the Boyds, Earls of
Margaret, daughter of Fergus, Earl of
Golloway. Issue 5 sons.
WILLIAM
FITZ-ALAN
Ancestor of the
earls of
Arundel.
WALTER
FITZ-ALAN
Ancestor of the
Stewarts & royal
Stewarts
SIMON FITZ-ALAN
Ancestor of the
Boyds earls
of
ADAM FITZ-ALAN
The Boyd Tartan
ALAN
(Lord High Chancellor of
daughter of
Fergus, Lord of
||
||
WALTER FITZ ALAN
High Steward, Baron of Kyle,
Strathgrief. d. 1177
WILLIAM FITZ-ALAN
SIMON FITZ-ALAN
(Progenitor of the Boyds)
|| || ||
ALAN (2nd Steward) The Earls
of Arundel ROBERT BOIDH (Robert the
Fair) d. 1240
|| ||
Walter II, app'd Justiclary of
Robert Boyd, awarded lands of
Cunningham for bravery at
Largs battle 1263. d. 1270
|| ||
Alexander 4th Steward d.
1283. Married Margaret Robert Boyd, d. 1300
|| ||
James 5th Steward, Regent of
Margaret Nigel, dau of Earl of
Carrick
Sir Robert Boyd, Granted lands
of
by
Robert the Bruce
|| ||
Walter III, 6th Steward, age
22 at
Married Marjorie, dau. of King
Robert the Bruce and Isabel
de Mar.
Sir Thomas Boyd, 1st Lord of
|| ||
Robert II (King 1371-1390) m.
Elizabeth Mure 2nd Euphemia
Ross dau. 5th Earl of Ross
Sir Thomas Boyd
|| ||
Egidia Stuart m. Wm. Douglas,
Lord of Nithsdale, son of
Archibald, 3rd Earl of
Sir Thomas Boyd, 2nd Lord of
|| ||
William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of
Orkney and 1st Earl of
Sir Thomas Boyd, 3rd Lord of
|| ||
Marjorie Sinclair m. Andrew
Leslie Master of Rothes
Sir Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd.
d. 1476
|| || ||
William Leslie, 3rd Earl of
Rothes Thomas Boyd, Earl of
Boyd. Chamberlain of
|| || ||
George Leslie, 4th Earl of
Rothes, Commendater and in
1546 Abbot of Newbattle
James Boyd, 2nd Lord Boyd Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd
d.
1557
|| ||
Helen Leslie m. Mark Kerr Robert Boyd, 5th Lord Boyd
d.
1590
|| ||
Mark Kerr, Earl of Lothian
1606
Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd d.
1611
|| ||
Jean Kerr <==married==> Robert Boyd, Master of
Boyd
d. 1597
||
||
Robert Boyd, 7th Lord Boyd James Boyd, 9th Lord Boyd
d.
1654
|| ||
Robert Boyd, 8th Lord Boyd
William Boyd, 10th Lord Boyd,
1st Earl Of
1692
||
Hon. Captain James Boyd
SEPTS OF THE ROYAL STEWART FAMILY
BOYD FRANCE
GARROW
MENTEITH MONTEITH
SEPTS OF THE STEWARTS OF APPIN
CARMICHAEL COMBICH
MacCOMBICH MacKINLAY
MacLAE MacLAY
MacLEA MacLEAY
MacMICHAEL
SEPTS OF THE STEWARTS OF ATHOLL
CROOKSHANKS CRUICKSHANKS
DUILACH GRAY
MacGLASHAN
The lands of Clan Boyd in
