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Boyd Clan
Boyd Crest: A dexter hand erect with the last two
fingers bowed inwards.
Boyd Clan Motto: Confido (I Trust).
Boyd Clan History: The Boyd surname is almost
certainly Norman, though it has been suggested in the past by some
historians that the name has Celtic origins.
The first Boyd’s in Scotland were vassals of the
Norman family De Morevilles, in the regality of Largs, and it’s most
probable they came north in their train from England.
The Boyd surname is first recorded in 1205 when
Dominus Robertus de Boyd, a nephew of Walter the first High Steward of
Scotland, witnessed a contract between Bryce de Egluntune and burgh of
Irvine.
Robert Dictus Boyd, son of Robertus, is mentioned
in a charter by Sir John Erskine of the lands of Halkhill in 1262. In
1263 Robert is said to have distinguished himself against King Haakon's
Viking forces at the greatly exaggerated Battle of Largs.
Robert de Boyt is mentioned in the Ragman Roll of
1296, rendering homage to Edward the first. As Sir Robert de Boyt he
was taken prisoner in 1306. Duncan Boyd was hanged by the English in
the same year for aiding Robert the Bruce in the wars of Independence.
Sir Robert Boyd commanded the right wing at the
Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
In a Royal charter of 1316 Robert the Bruce granted Boyd the former
Balliol lands of Bondington, Hertschaw along with the Barony of
Kilmarnock.
Sir Robert died after being taken prisoner by the
English at the battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. Robert’s son, Alan Boyd,
was killed at the Siege of Perth, 1339, whilst in command of the
Scottish Archery.
Sir Thomas Boyd, another son of Robert’s, was
captured and imprisoned along with King David II and other Scottish
nobility after the disastrous battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346. His
eldest son, also Sir Thomas, had a remission from Robert Stewart, Duke
of Albany, Governor of Scotland, in 1409, for the slaying of Neilson of
Dalrymple.
Robert Boyd was created ‘Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock’
by James II in 1454. Upon the death of James II, at the siege of
Roxburgh castle, when a cannon accidentally exploded, Lord Boyd was
appointed as a regent for the infant King James III.
Lord Boyd also held the office of Great
Chamberlain between 1466 and 1469, his brother, Sir Alexander Boyd of
Drumcol, was appointed as instructor of knightly exercises to
the young King, and Robert’s son, Thomas Boyd, married the Kings
sister, Mary and received the title ‘Earl of Arran’.
In 1469 Thomas arranged the marriage of the
eighteen year old king and the ten year old Margaret, princess of
Denmark and Norway. The Orkney and Shetland Islands passed to Scotland
as part of the dowry.
The Boyd’s had truly become one of the most
powerful and influential families in all of Scotland. The rise to power
also made them some powerful and envious enemies amongst the Scottish
nobility.
As James III grew older the Boyd’s enemies
conspired against them, eventually persuading the young King that the
Boyd’s ambitions lay with the throne of Scotland itself. In 1469 all
three were summoned to appear before the King and parliament in
Edinburgh on charges of treason. Alexander answered the charges, was
found guilty and beheaded. Robert fled to England and was sentenced to
death in his absence, his peerage and lands were forfeited, Thomas who
was in Europe at the time of the summons, stayed in exile. His marriage
to the Kings sister was annulled by James III.
The only son of Thomas, James, was briefly the second Lord Boyd, and
many of the Boyd’s lands, including the Barony of Kilmarnock were
restored to him. Two years later, at the age of 16, he was killed by
Hugh Montgomery of Eglinton, and the Boyd lands again passed to the
state.
A great grandson of the first Lord Boyd, Robert,
was appointed the forth Lord Boyd, by Mary Queen of Scots, and the
former lands of the Boyd family were restored. He is said to have
killed several of the Montgomery family in the ongoing feud between the
families which lasted over 70 years. He fought for the Catholic army of
Queen Mary at the battle of Langside.
William Boyd, the tenth Lord supported the king
during the civil war, and after the restoration, was created the first
Earl of Kilmarnock in 1661. His son, William, third Earl of Kilmarnock,
supported the treaty of the Union, raising 500 men in opposition to the
Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, supported
the Jacobite cause. A general at Culloden, William was taken prisoner,
and beheaded at the tower of London in 1746. The Boyd estates were
forfeited. William’s son, James, succeeded in 1758 to 15th Earl of
Erroll. James took the name of Hay and moved to Slains castle in North
East Scotland.
Kilmarnock Castle, or
Dean castle, as it became known as, was built by the Boyd’s around the
mid 1300’s and continued as their main seat for the next 400 years.
The defensive keep had three meter thick walls and
no doors or windows on the ground floor. Access to the keep was by a
ladder to the first floor entrance. A Great Hall, with a high vaulted
stone ceiling and a minstrels’ gallery lay within. In event of attack,
the castle had battlements for crossbow men and archers. In the
guardroom a hatch leads down to the dungeon. The upper floor with its
own hall, living quarters, and chapel, were for the use of Lord Boyd
and his family.
A palace was added at the height of the Boyd’s
prosperity in the 1460’s. Although the palace was built for comfortable
living, defense was still a major consideration. The palace courtyard
was protected by a large barmkin and a tower with battlements defended
the palace.
The ground floor of the palace housed the kitchen
with a large oven and fireplace. The first floor had a large banqueting
hall. The living quarters and bedrooms for the Lord and his family were
on the second floor.
An accidental fire at the palace in 1735 left it
in ruins for the next 200 years. Restored in the first half of the 20th
century, the palace is now a museum housing an impressive collection of
arms, armour, medieval tapestries and musical instruments.
Click
here for Boyd Tartan.
Click
here for Boyd Clan crests.
Click
here for Boyd Kilts and Highland Dress.
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