Clan Boyle
Encyclopedia
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan
from Ayrshire
in Scotland
. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co. Donegal.
following the Norman
conquest of 1066. They settled in Wales
and Cumberland
initially, though some of the Welsh line later travelled to Ireland
and are the ancestors of the Earls of Cork
and Shannon
.
In 1124 Hugh de Morvile
was granted the lands of Cunningham and Largs
from King David
, part of which was subdivided and gifted to his relatives. The de Boyvilles thus gained the lands of Kelburn. The male line failed in 1196 and the family property passed to the Lords of Galloway
. However, in 1234 that male line also failed and the land passed to the Crown.
The family aided Alexander III
in repelling Viking
invaders in 1263 at the Battle of Largs
. and the lands of Kelburn were returned to the family. In 1291 Henry de Boyville was keeper of the Castles of Dumfries
, Wigton
and Kirkcudbright
.
as barons submitting to Edward I of England
. However the Boyles fought at the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314 in support of Robert I of Scotland
.
for James III
. The family lands were forfeited following the battle of Sauchieburn but were restored by James IV
.
During the Anglo-Scottish Wars
the Boyles also fought at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
in 1547 under the regent, the Earl of Arran
.
The family supported Mary, Queen of Scots, and later in the 17th century they supported Charles I
.
also became a Commissioner of Parliament and Privy Counsellor
. In 1699 David was raised to the Peerage
as Lord Boyle of Kelburn, and then in 1703 was created Earl of Glasgow
. After the Union
he sat as a Scottish Representative peer
from 1707 to 1710. He was appointed Lord High Commissioner
to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1706 and in 1707 to 1710. He was also Lord Clerk Register
prior to 1714. A staunch supporter of the Hanoverian
cause, he raised and armed troops at his own expense when the 'Old Pretender
' raised the clans against the Crown.
John Boyle, 3rd Earl of Glasgow
was a military man, wounded at the Battle of Fontenoy
in 1745 and again at the Battle of Lauffeld
in 1747. He, like the 1st Earl, was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and held the office for nine consecutive years.
, a grandson of the second Earl, was a distinguished solicitor and was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland
in 1807. He was raised to the bench, and in 1841 was appointed Lord Justice General
. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1820 retiring in 1852 after forty-one years of legal service.
George Boyle, 4th Earl, also took up military service, rising to colonel and Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
in 1810. His eldest son, John, was a naval officer captured by the French off Gibraltar
in 1807. He died, unmarried, in 1818. His brother, James, succeeded as the fifth Earl in 1843. He had also served in the Royal Navy
and was also made Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire. He died, married but without issue.
James was succeeded by his half brother, George Frederick Boyle, which proved to be a disaster for the family. George Boyle had been educated at Oxford
and was passionately interested in art and architecture. He became obsessed by the Pre-Raphalite
notions of form and beauty and began a monumental building program, renovating Kelburn and funding churches across Scotland. In 1888 he had bankrupted the estate and the assets were sold, Kelburn was only saved by the purse of his cousin, David, later to become the 7th Earl
.
David Boyle, succeeded as Earl in 1890 and was Governor of New Zealand from 1892 to 1897. In 1897 he was created Baron Fairlie and was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom
(the Earldom of Glasgow and all other titles being in the Peerage of Scotland
. This was done to ensure him a seat on the House of Lords
as, at that time, only a small number of Scottish peers could sit, known as Representative peers.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
from Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co. Donegal.
Origins of Scottish Clan Boyle
There is little doubt that the de Beauvilles (or de Boyville) came to BritainBritain in the Middle Ages
England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Medieval period — from the end of Roman rule in Britain through to the Early Modern period...
following the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
conquest of 1066. They settled in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
initially, though some of the Welsh line later travelled to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and are the ancestors of the Earls of Cork
Earl of Cork
Earl of the County of Cork, usually shortened to Earl of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for the Anglo-Irish politician Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle...
and Shannon
Earl of Shannon
Earl of Shannon is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1756 for the prominent Irish politician Henry Boyle, who served as Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer. He was made Viscount Boyle, of Bandon, and Baron Castle Martyr at the same time,...
.
In 1124 Hugh de Morvile
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was granted the lands of Cunningham and Largs
Largs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
from King David
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
, part of which was subdivided and gifted to his relatives. The de Boyvilles thus gained the lands of Kelburn. The male line failed in 1196 and the family property passed to the Lords of Galloway
Lords of Galloway
The Lords, or Kings of Galloway ruled over Galloway, in south west Scotland, for a large part of the High Middle Ages.Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically had kings or subkings, similar to those in Ireland during the Middle Ages. The Scottish monarch was seen as...
. However, in 1234 that male line also failed and the land passed to the Crown.
The family aided Alexander III
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
in repelling Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
invaders in 1263 at the Battle of Largs
Battle of Largs
The Battle of Largs was an engagement fought between the armies of Norway and Scotland near the present-day town of Largs in North Ayrshire on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland on 2 October 1263. It was the most important military engagement of the Scottish-Norwegian War. The Norwegian forces were...
. and the lands of Kelburn were returned to the family. In 1291 Henry de Boyville was keeper of the Castles of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Wigton
Wigton
Wigton is a small market town and civil parish outside the Lake District, in the administrative county of Cumbria in England, and traditionally in Cumberland. It is the bustling and thriving centre of the Solway Plain, situated between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast...
and Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
.
Wars of Scottish Independence
Richard and Robert de Boyvil appear on the Ragman RollsRagman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
as barons submitting to Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. However the Boyles fought at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314 in support of Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
.
15th and 16th centuries
The Clan Boyle fought at the Battle of SauchieburnBattle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles...
for James III
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
. The family lands were forfeited following the battle of Sauchieburn but were restored by James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
.
During the Anglo-Scottish Wars
Anglo-Scottish Wars
The Anglo-Scottish Wars were a series of wars fought between England and Scotland during the sixteenth century.After the Wars of Scottish Independence, England and Scotland had fought several times during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In most cases, one country had attempted to...
the Boyles also fought at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
in 1547 under the regent, the Earl of Arran
Earl of Arran
Earl of Arran is a title in both the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places, the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland...
.
The family supported Mary, Queen of Scots, and later in the 17th century they supported Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
17th and 18th centuries
The Boyles suffered badly for their allegiances. However, the family began its restoration in 1681 when John Boyle of Kelburn was elected as Commissioner of Parliament. John's eldest son, David BoyleDavid Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow
David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow was a Scottish politician.The son of John Boyle of Kelburn, Commissioner, and Marion Steuart, he was the Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland from the Bute constituency from 1689–1699...
also became a Commissioner of Parliament and Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. In 1699 David was raised to the Peerage
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
as Lord Boyle of Kelburn, and then in 1703 was created Earl of Glasgow
Earl of Glasgow
Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle, one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain...
. After the Union
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were two Parliamentary Acts - the Union with Scotland Act passed in 1706 by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland - which put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706,...
he sat as a Scottish Representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
from 1707 to 1710. He was appointed Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner
Lord High Commissioner is the style of High Commissioners, i.e. direct representatives of the monarch, in three cases in the Kingdom of Scotland and the United Kingdom, two of which are no longer extant...
to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
in 1706 and in 1707 to 1710. He was also Lord Clerk Register
Lord Clerk Register
The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century.The Clerk-Register was from ancient times the principal Clerk in the kingdom, from whom all other clerks, whatever their government positions, and who were essentially his...
prior to 1714. A staunch supporter of the Hanoverian
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
cause, he raised and armed troops at his own expense when the 'Old Pretender
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
' raised the clans against the Crown.
John Boyle, 3rd Earl of Glasgow
John Boyle, 3rd Earl of Glasgow
John Boyle, 3rd Earl of Glasgow was a Scottish nobleman.-Origins:Boyle was the third but eldest surviving son and heir of John Boyle, 2nd Earl of Glasgow by Helenor, third daughter of William Morrison of Prestongrange, county Haddington...
was a military man, wounded at the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
in 1745 and again at the Battle of Lauffeld
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
in 1747. He, like the 1st Earl, was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and held the office for nine consecutive years.
19th century
David BoyleDavid Boyle (Privy Counsellor)
David Boyle was a Scottish judge.He became an advocate in 1793. He was Member of Parliament for Ayrshire from 1807 to 1811 during which time he was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland....
, a grandson of the second Earl, was a distinguished solicitor and was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
in 1807. He was raised to the bench, and in 1841 was appointed Lord Justice General
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1820 retiring in 1852 after forty-one years of legal service.
George Boyle, 4th Earl, also took up military service, rising to colonel and Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire
The Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire is the representative of the British Crown covering a lieutenancy area of the county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
in 1810. His eldest son, John, was a naval officer captured by the French off Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1807. He died, unmarried, in 1818. His brother, James, succeeded as the fifth Earl in 1843. He had also served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and was also made Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire. He died, married but without issue.
James was succeeded by his half brother, George Frederick Boyle, which proved to be a disaster for the family. George Boyle had been educated at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and was passionately interested in art and architecture. He became obsessed by the Pre-Raphalite
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
notions of form and beauty and began a monumental building program, renovating Kelburn and funding churches across Scotland. In 1888 he had bankrupted the estate and the assets were sold, Kelburn was only saved by the purse of his cousin, David, later to become the 7th Earl
David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow
David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, GCMG was a Governor of New Zealand.-Royal Navy:Boyle served with the Royal Navy during the Crimean and Second Opium Wars...
.
David Boyle, succeeded as Earl in 1890 and was Governor of New Zealand from 1892 to 1897. In 1897 he was created Baron Fairlie and was raised to the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
(the Earldom of Glasgow and all other titles being in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
. This was done to ensure him a seat on the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as, at that time, only a small number of Scottish peers could sit, known as Representative peers.
Clan Boyle today
The current chief of the clan and 10th Earl of Glasgow was a distinguished naval officer who succeeded his father in 1984. He resides in Kelburn Castle, which has been held by the family since the 13th century.Clan castles
- Kelburn CastleKelburn CastleKelburn Castle is a large house near Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the seat of the Earl of Glasgow. Originally built in the thirteenth century it was remodelled in the sixteenth century. In 1700 the first Earl made further extensions to the house in a manner not unlike a French château...
is the seat of Patrick Boyle, 10th Earl of GlasgowPatrick Boyle, 10th Earl of GlasgowPatrick Robin Archibald Boyle, 10th Earl of Glasgow DL is a British peer, politician and the current chief of Clan Boyle. The family seat is Kelburn Castle in Ayrshire...
. - Rowallan CastleRowallan CastleRowallan Castle is an ancient castle located near Kilmaurs, at NS 4347 4242, about north of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle stands on the banks of the Carmel Water, which may at one time have run much closer to the low eminence upon which the original castle stood, justifying the...