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The
Boyds of Penkill and Trochrig
Seymour Clarke, 1909
(c) Electronic edition published 1995, Richard G. Boyd, all rights
reserved
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THE BOYDS
of
PENKILL and TROCHRIG
SEYMOUR CLARKE
(Major, Queens own Cameron Highlanders)
THEIR ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS
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With other notes
relating to the Family of Boyd
compiled by
SEYMOUR CLARKE
(Major, Queens own Cameron Highlanders)
William Blackwood and sons
Edinburgh and London
1909
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TO
MY SON
and
IN MEMORY OF
MY MOTHER
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| William Bell Scott's
portrait of Spencer Boyd, who rebuilt Penkill in the 1850s, and
his sister Alice, on the top of the castle tower. In the
distance is the Firth of Clyde and (to the left) Ailsa
Crag. Pictures
of the Castle, etc. |
vii
Preface
It has long appeared to me to be a matter of regret that a family which can trace its unbroken descent for the last
six hundred years should have no history of reference. With the object in view of supplying what seemed to me to be
a want, I set about to compile what I hope may prove a true and not uninteresting record of the "Family of Boyds of
Penkill and Trochrig, their ancestors and descendants." I would say that the fact of being one of the latter has
spurred me to make the attempt.
The following works have been consulted, and I beg to acknowledge having made use of them:
"The Scots Peerage"
"The Scottish Nation"
"Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage"
Chapter II of the history, which deals entirely with the Boyds of Penkill and Trochrig, I have compiled mainly from a
manuscript written by my grandmother, Mrs. Gibb (nee Alice Boyd); without this manuscript it would have been a matter
of very considerable difficulty to have bridged over this most important portion of the family history.
Among those who have been kind enough to assist me I would gratefully acknowledge help received from the following
members of the family.
Miss Boyd of Penkill.
Mrs. Spencer Gibb, Dullatur, Camberly, Surrey.
Mrs. James Gibb, Parkgate, Inverness.
Mrs. Watson, 13 Montgomerie Crescent, Kelvinside, Glasgow.
Mrs. Balfour-Kinnear, 3 Doune Terrace, Edinburgh.
Mrs. James Robertson Cameron, Park Manse, Helenburgh, Dumbartonshire.
William A. Gibb, Esquire, Whitehall Chambers, Colmore Row, Birmingham.
The Reverand Spencer J. Gibb, The Elms, Reddish, Stockport, Lancashire.
I am much indebted to Miss Boyd for permitting me to reproduce the plate of Penkill Castle which appears as the
frontispiece to the history.
I would tender my thanks to the Right Honourable the Earl of Cassillis, Culzean Castle, Ayr, who has given me much
assistance, and has supervised the first chapter.
To Dr. George Valentine, Millbank House, Girvan, and to Edward Rodger, Esquire, 1 Clairmont Gardens, Glasgow, my best
thanks are due for much valuable help.
It is hoped that the Family Trees which appear in Appendix I., and the marking of capital letters in blacker type, both
in this Appendix and in the body of the history, showing the descent of the present generation, will be found useful in
amplifying and elucidating the text.
In a history of this description inaccuracies and discrepancies are bound to exist; of this fact I am fully
aware, but I trust that my efforts will be treated leniently by those for whom the book is mainly intended.
Perhaps at no distant date some abler pen than mine will be found that will do more justice to the work of writing up the
record of a family that we, as descendants have every reason to be proud.
Seymour Clarke
Inverness, September 1909.
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CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Chapter I
The Family of Boyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter II
The Boyds of Penkill and Trochrig. . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter III
The descendants of Spencer Boyd,
12th Laird of Penkill. . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Appendices
I. Family Trees, and the Direct ancestry of the
descendants of Spencer Boyd, 12th Laird of Penkill. 35
II. The ancestry of the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock. . . 42
III. Of the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, beheaded on
Tower Hill, 18th August 1746. . . . . . . . . . . . 45
IV. How the ancient Families of Hay and Boyd
became united. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Penkill Castle, Girvan, Ayrshire .......... Frontispiece Reproduced from a Photograph by Mr. James Cully,
44 Dalrymple Street, Girvan, Ayrshire.
Sarah Wilkinson of Carlisle, who married
Spencer Boyd of Penkill. . . . . . . . . . to face p. 25
Reproduced from an oil painting by N. Hone, 1782.
(The original is in the possession of the compiler of this
history)
THE BOYDS OF PENKILL AND TROCHRIG
CHAPTER I
The Family of Boyd
Scottish genealogists appear at one time to have agreed that the ancestor of the BOYTS, BOYDES, or BOYDS was Simon,
brother of Walter, High Steward of Scotland.
Walter and Simon were sons of Allan, the son of Flathald. It is recorded that Simon followed his brother into Scotland,
and witnesses his foundation charter of the monastery of Paisley in
1160, (1) and in this charter Simon is designated
"Frater, Walteri, Filii, Allani"
1. According to Sir James Balfour Paul's "The Scots Peerage"
Vol V. pages 136 and 137, this charter was executed not at Paisley, but at Fotheringay; and Mr. J.H. Round appears to
have proved conclusively that this Simon was only uterine brother of Walter, and that he was the Simon "de Caisneto, "
alias "de Norfolc" who held the manor of Mileham. There is no evidence that Simon ever came to Scotland at all.
Page 2.
Simon is said to have been the father of Robert, called BOYT or BOYD, "the fair complexioned", from the Gaelic BUIDHE
(fair or yellow), or rather BUIDE, as the word was written in his time, and before the aspirate (h) came into use.
The above is more or less correct, but recent investigations as far as can be gathered, do not conclusively prove the last
paragraph regarding Simon's son being Robert, called Boyt or Boyd; but on the other hand, it would appear equally certain
that "a Sir Robert Boyd" (as we will hereafter spell the surname) did exist at the very beginning of the thirteenth
century, as his name appears in a contract in the year 1205.(1 )
From this time there is nothing recorded to throw light upon the family of Boyd until the year 1263, when a descendant of
the foregoing, also named Robert Boyd, distinguished himself for valour at the Battle of Largs on the 2nd of October of
that year. It is recorded that this Robert Boyd obtained a
grant from the Crown of lands in Cunningham, in the county of Ayrshire. He is mentioned in a charter by Sir John Erskine of
the lands of Halkhill in 1262 (The Scots Peerage, Vol V. page 137 Sir John Dalrymple in the Preface to his Scots Collection, p. 80.)
1. "Dominus Robertus de Boyd Miles was a witness to a contract between Bryce de Eglington and the village of Irvine,1205. (The Scots Peerage, vol. V)
Page 3.
There occurs the name of a Robert Boyd, recorded to have taken the oath of allegiance to King Edward I. of England on
the 28th of August 1296 (Cal. Doc. Scot. Vol. ii. p. 202.) He would appear afterwards to have joined that patriotic hero
Sir William Wallace.
(A) The next mention of a member of the family of Boyd is Sir Robert Boyd, and from him onward the descent is perfectly
clear.
This Sir Robert Boyd was the gallant adherent of King Robert Bruce in the War of Independence. He was one of that
monarch's commanders at the famous Battle of Bannockburn, fought on the 24th of June 1314. As a reward for his military
services and attachment to the Bruce, he received at his
hands the lands of Kilmarnock, Bondington, and Hertschaw, which had belonged to John de Baliol, and other lands in
Ayrshire.(1) It is recorded that he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Halidonhill on the 19th of July, 1333, and that he
died not long afterwards.
No mention is made of the name of his wife, but he had three sons, Sir Thomas Boyd, Alan Boyd, who was killed at the siege
of Perth in the year 1339, when in command of the Scottish Archers; and James Boyd.
1. These lands, according to "The Scots Peerage" were as follows; The lands of Kilbryd and Ardnell (Portincross),
which were Godfrey de Ross's, son to the deceased Reginald de Ross. All the land which was William de Mors's, in the
tenement of Dalry; with seven acres of land, which were Robert de Ross's, in the tenement of Ardnel; all erected into
an entire and free barony to be held of the King. He had also a charter of the lands of Nodelles dale, and a third granting
Hertschaw in free forest.
Page 4.
(B) Sir Thomas Boyd of Kilmarnock, who succeeded his father, was present at the Battle of Neville's Cross, on the 17th
October 1346, where he was taken prisoner. No mention is made of the name of the lady he married. He left three sons, Sir
Thomas Boyd, William Boyd, and Robert Boyd.
(C) Sir Thomas Boyd of Kilmarnock, who succeeded his father,
married Alice, the second daughter of Hugh Gifford, Esquire of Yester, in the shire of Tweeddale. By this marriage he had
one son, another Thomas Boyd.
William Boyd, the second son of Sir Thomas Boyd (B) was the ancestor of the Boyds of Badenheath, and Robert Boyd, the
third son, was ancestor of the Boyds of Portincross.
D) Sir Thomas Boyd of Kilmarnock, who succeeded his father, held important posts under the Crown, and was evidently held
in high esteem, as he was received by the English as one of the hostages for the ransom of King James I. He married
Joanna, a daughter (1) of the family of Montgomerie. He died on
the 7th July 1432, his issue being two sons, Sir Thomas Boyd, and William Boyd, Abbot of
Kilwinning.
1. She is said to have been a daughter of Sir John Montgomerie of
Androssan, by his wife Margaret Maxwell, daughter of Sir Herbert Maxwell of Carlaverock; but the
evidence of this statment is not wholly conclusive. (The
Scots Peerage vol. iii pp. 430 and 431, article "Eglinton")
Page 5.
(E) Sir Thomas Boyd, the eldest son, succeeded his father. It is recorded that this Sir Thomas Boyd and Sir Walter Stewart,
the eldest son of the Regent, Malcolm Fleming of Cumbernauld, were arrested on the 13th of May 1424 by order of King James
I for having wasted the Crown rents. Sir Thomas was confined at Dalkeith, but was subsequently liberated on payment of
certain fines.
The following interesting passage occurs in "The Scots Peerage" (taken from Lindsay of Pitscottie's "Chronicles"
vol. i. p. 16, and Martial Achievements of the Scots Nation, by Patrick Abercrombie, 1711-15, vol ii. p. 324) regarding
this Sir Thomas Boyd:
Early in 1439 "Sir Thomas Boyd slew Sir Allane Stewart of Gartullie, Knycht at Pawmath Horne (Polmais Thorne), thrie
myllis from Falkirk, for old feud that was betwixt thame, the third yeir after the death of King James I. Quhilk death was
soone revenged thaireefter, for Alexander Stewart to revenge his brother's slauchter, manfullie sett vpoun Sir Thomas Boyd
in plaine batle", at Craignaught Hill in Renfrewshire, :quhair the said Sir Thomas was crullie slaine with manie
valient men on everie syd," 9th July 1439. This Sir Thomas
left the following issue:
(F) 1st, Robert Boyd, who was afterwards the first
Page 6.
Lord Boyd,(1) a man who figured very much in Scottish history. 2nd, Sir Alexander Boyd of Drumcol (knighted circa 1448-49),
who with his elder brother, Lord Boyd, played a leading part in the narrative of the family of Boyds, which is given anon.
3rd, Marion Boyd, who married before 20th of July 1454 John Maxwell of Calderwood (The Scots Peerage, vol v.)
4th, Margaret Boyd, who married Alexander, 1st Lord Montgomerie, and had issue. She was still living on the 16th
of September 1453 (The Scots Peerage, vol. v.)
To follow matters at this period it is essential to turn to the history of Scotland and understand, in a general way, the
events that were taking place in the country. The condition of Scotland, far from being turbulent as was its wont, was
enjoying a time of unusual tranquillity. She was at peace with England, and her relationship with the Powers on the
Continent was of the most friendly character; her trade was in the ascendant, and her national independence stood on a
firmer basis than probably it had ever done before.
The internal state of the country was, however, very different: the Scottish nobles apparently considered it a
fitting time for carrying on certain intrigues and quarrels amongst themselves. The youthful monarch, King James III was
then only about thirteen years of age; and the question
1. Created by James II a lord of Parliament, circa 1453.
Page 7.
naturally arose, who was to occupy the leadership of the affairs of the realm during the King's minority? The powerful
family of Douglas had been suppressed, at least temporarily, by the banishment of one earl and the death of another, and
the future heir of Angus was still a minor. It was therefore
necessary to select a leader from the Scottish nobility, and the choice fell upon Robert, Lord Boyd, son of Sir Thomas (E)
who had recently been raised to the peerage by the title of Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock.
In the year 1466 Sir Alexander Boyd of Drumcol, brother of Lord Boyd, was appointed to teach the young King "knightly
exercises." He also instilled into the head of his youthful charge that he was perfectly capable of governing without
help of guardians, and that he was of an age to be freed of all restraint. This was evidently done by Sir Alexander Boyd
with the view of getting rid of the other regents and retaining the King's person entirely in his own hands and
those of his brother Lord Boyd. King James agreed to this
proposal; and he was taken, partly by force and partly by strategem, (1) from Linlithgow to Edinburgh Castle, of which
fortress Sir Alexander Boyd was keeper. This occurred on the 10th of July 1466.
1. Gilbert, first Lord Kennedy, was concerned in this plot, though at the time he made a show of opposition, and
submitted to a brief imprisonment in the castle of Stirling (of which he was keeper) merely for the sake of
appearences. (The Scots Peerage, vol ii. p. 453, article "Cassillis" See
also "Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, vol v. and Tytler's "History of Scotland" Eadie's edition, vol ii. pp. 62-65,
427, and 428; also "Reg. Mag. Sig.") On the 10th of February 1465-66 Robert, Lord Fleming; Gilbert, Lord Kennedy; and Sir
Alexander Boyd of Drumcol, had pledged themselves to assist each other.
Page 8.
The Boyds had now to explain their action on this occasion, and eventually induced the King to express his approval of
what had been done; and on the 13th of October of this year James publicly declared that Lord Boyd was not his adviser,
but rather his companion in the journey from Linlithgow to
Edinburgh, and that he was more worthy of a reward for his courtesy than of punishment, and that he was prepared to make
provision that the matter should never be prejudicial either to Lord Boyd or to Sir Alexander Boyd. At the
formers desire
this decree was registered in the Acts of Assembly and
confirmed by letters patent under the Great Seal. We will have reason to see that, three years later, this decree was
not worth the paper it was written upon.
On the 25th of October Lord Boyd was made sole Regent of the realm, and had handed over to him the safety of the King, his
brothers, towns, castles, and all the jurisdiction over his subjects until His Majesty reached his majority.
It will thus be seen that Lord Boyd was now supreme, and he "seems by no means to have abused his power, but rather to
have used it for the public good, indeed some of the measures which he introduced must have been eminently salutary. Early
in 1467 he arranged a marriage between his eldest son (Thomas, Master of Boyd) and the Lady Mary, the King's sister
and 25th August following was constituted Lord Chamberlain for life. (The Scots Peerage)
Page 9.
The Master of Boyd, on the 26th of April 1469, shortly after his
marriage, (1 ) was created Earl of Arran, and was dispatched by his father as an ambassador to Christian I, King of
Denmark and Norway, to endeavor to bring about a marriage between the young King James III and Margaret, the only
daughter of that Monarch.
He was successful in his mission, (2) espoused the Princess in the name of his Royal brother-in-law, and received her in the
ships appointed for her convoy, and brought her safely to Leith Roads, where she landed. But the Earl of Arran, who had
received private information, brought him by his wife, that certain intrigues were on foot against him and his family,
decided that he was endangering his own head to disembark in his native land, instead retired to Denmark, accompanied by
his wife, the Princess Mary.
Lord Boyd, who had been entirely instrumental in bringing about the union of King James and Margaret, daughter of
Christian I, proved that he was a statesman of no ordinary ability. This act, however, was the keynote of his undoing,
as the remainder of the Scottish nobility were jealous of
1. The Earl of Arran, when Master of Boyd, had been contracted on the 20th of January 1465 to Marion, youngest
daughter of Gilbert, Lord Kennedy, but the marriage does not appear to have taken place. (The Scots Peerage, vol ii, p.
456, article "Cassillis" and vol v. p. 148, article "Kilmarnock"; Culzean Charters, No. 76 and note in inventory,
and No. 96; also "Reg Mag Sig")
2. The Orkney and Shetland Islands were ceded to Scotland as this Princess's dowry, and the annual tribute of 100 merks,
still nominally payable to Norway, abolished. The marriage took place at Holyrood on the 13th of July 1469.
Page 10.
His power, and, taking advantage of the absence of the Earl of Arran, were able to play upon the King's fears, declaring
that the Lord Chamberlain was an ambitious man and was capable of the lowest form of villany. They succeeded in
poisoning the mind of the youthful monarch against the Boyds,
with the result that he assembled a Parliament, November the 22nd, 1469 (see Acta Parl. Scot.,) vol. ii. pp. 186 and
187.), before which Robert, Lord Boyd, and his son the Earl of Drumcol, were summoned to appear, to give an account of
their administration and answer for their conduct in having seized his person in 1466, three years previously. Old Lord
Boyd, naturally astonished at the turn events had taken, had recourse to arms, but finding the attempt futile he fled to
England.(1) His son the Earl of Arran, as has been already stated, after disembarking the King's newly found consort,
had considered it unsafe to land, and had retired to Denmark.
Sir Alexander Boyd of Drumcol was the only one of the three who stood his trial, and though ill at the time, stated in
his defence that he and his brother Lord Boyd had not only obtained the King's pardon for the offense, but that by a
subsequent Act of Assembly it was declared a loyal service on their part. It was of no avail; and the gallant Sir Alexander
was found guilty of high treason, condemned to death, and
1. The date of Lord Boyd's death is not quite certain: it
most probably took place in 1481 or 1482. (For an account of
Robert, first Lord Boyd, vide Crawfurd's "Officers of State,"
pp. 313-318)
Page 11.
executed on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh in November 1469. Lord Boyd and the Earl of Arran, though absent, were both
found guilty of high treason, and also condemned to death. The peerage of the former was forfeited and his estates
annexed to the Crown. Lord Kennedy had been too cautious to
get involved too much with the Boyds. He and Lord Fleming got off on payment of certain fines. Having now giving a brief
sketch of the internal state of Scotland at this period, we can return to the more immediate history of the Boyd family.
(F) Robert, first Lord Boyd, of whom so much has just been said, succeeded his father on the 9th of July 1439, married
Mariota (or Janet), daughter of Sir John Maxwell of Calderwood, and had issue.
1st Thomas, Master of Boyd, (1) created Earl of Arran, who married the Princess Mary, sister of King James III. His name
has already been frequently mentioned in this history.
1. The movements of the Earl of Arran after he retired to Denmark with his wife are not quite certain. It is supposed
that he traveled through Germany into France, and that he took service with Charles of Burgundy. His Royal consort, the
Princess Mary, who had proved herself a devoted wife, was
later summoned to Scotland by her brother the King; she, buoyed up with the hope that she would be the means of
procuring her husbands pardon, obeyed the summons. She, however, had no sooner arrived in her native country than the
King had her confined at Kilmarnock pending the return of the Earl of Arran, who was cited to make his
appearance within
sixty days, and if he failed to do so the marriage was to be declared null and void. The Princess was afterwards compelled
by the King to marry James, Lord Hamilton; but it is not certain whether this marriage was celebrated before or after
the Earl of Arran's death, which took place at Antwerp in 1473 or 1474. At Antwerp a superb monument was subsequently
erected to the memory of the Earl of Arran.
Page 12.
He had two children, 1. James, second Lord Boyd, killed in a feud with a member of the family of Eglinton, when only about
sixteen years of age. 2. Grizel (or Margaret), who married 1st, Alexander, fourth Lord Forbes, who died without issue
before 16 May 1491; she married 2nd, as his second wife,
before 9th August 1509, David, third Lord Kennedy, then created first Earl of Cassillis, who was killed at the Battle
of Flodden on the 9th of September 1513. She was still alive 9th February 1515-1516. (The Scots Peerage, vol ii. p. 461,
vol v. p. 149; and "Boyd Papers, Ayr Arch. Coll., vol. iii. p. 159.
(G) 2nd Alexander Boyd, who succeeded his nephew James, son of the Earl of Arran, and was, but for the attainder of 1469,
de jure third Lord Boyd:
THE DESCENT OF THE FAMILY, OF WHICH THIS HISTORY
TREATS, COMES THROUGH THIS ALEXANDER BOYD.
3rd Archibald Boyd of Nariston had issue, two sons and three daughters. The youngest of the latter, named
Margaret, (1) had a certain amount of influence with King James IV., and was
1. When very young she became the mistress of King James IV, by whom she was the mother of Alexander Stewart, Archbishop
of St. Andrews and Chamberlain of Scotland (born circa 1499), and of Catherine, wife of James, third Earl of Morton. She
afterwards married John Mure of Rowallan, of whose wardship and marriage she had a grant, 1494-95, and died a widow
shortly before 31st August 1559. (The Scots Peerage, vol. i. p. 22; also "Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer, vol i. p.
220; and "Exchequer Rolls, vol xix p. 163. This John Mure of Rowallan was killed at the Battle of Flodden on the 9th of
September 1513.
Page 13.
instrumental in assisting the family of Boyd to recover their inheritance, which had been forfeited in 1469.
4th John Boyd, alive on the 22nd October 1482, (See Boyd Papers). 5th Elizabeth Boyd who married, on the 4th of March 1467-68,
Archibald Douglas, fifth Earl of Angus, known as "Bell the
Cat", and had as his wife a charter of the Lordship of Abernethy, dated the 21st of May 1468. She died before 1498,
leaving issue. (Reg. Mag. Sig.) 6th Annabella Boyd,1 first wife of Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar. (The Scots Peerage)
7th Margaret Boyd, who married a distant relative of her own, Robert Boyd of Badenheath, before 15th December 1490. She was
still alive in August 1502. (See Exchequer Rolls, vol. x p. 697, and vol. xii p. 647.
(G) As far as this history is concerned, it will only be necessary to follow the genealogy of Alexander Boyd (who, but
for the attainder of 1469, was "de jure" third Lord Boyd, and hereinafter he will be so described.) He married Janet, a
near relative of his own, daughter of Sir Robert Colvill of Ochiltree. On the 23rd of November 1505 dispensation was
granted for the marriage already contracted between them and
legitimizing the children already born.
1. Annabella Boyd, according to Burke's Peerage married Sir
Edmund Hay of Talla and Linplum.
Page 14.
(Boyd Papers. pp. 150 and 151.) They had issue: 1st Robert Boyd, who succeeded his father as fourth Lord
Boyd, and was restored to the title and estates; from him were descended the Earls of Kilmarnock. (Vide Appendix II. of
this history.)
2nd Thomas Boyd, the ancestor of the Boyds of Pitcon. It is recorded that the eighth laird of Pitcon, Robert Boyd, sold
the property in 1770 to George Macrae, merchant in Ayr. He had issue, but the male line, so far as is known, is extinct.
(The Scots Peerage, vol. v. p. 151, and Paterson's "History
of Ayr" 1847, vol. i. p. 421.)
(H) 3rd
ADAM BOYD THE ANCESTOR OF THE BOYDS OF PENKILL AND TROCHRIG (1)
Alexander, third Lord Boyd, had also three other son and two
daughters.
1. This name is spelt "Trochrague" by Mr. William Bell Scott in the Auto-biographical Notes of his life. It is certainly
the phonetic spelling, but incorrect according to other authorities, who spell the name "Trochrig and sometimes
"Trochrigg.
Page 15.
CHAPTER II
THE BOYDS OF PENKILL AND TROCHRIG
(H) Adam Boyd (third son of Alexander, third Lord Boyd), the ancestor of the Boyds of Penkill and Trochrig, was the first
laird of Penkill.
He married Helen Kennedy, youngest daughter of the second Lord Kennedy,
(1) and half-sister of David, third Lord Kennedy, who was created first Earl of Cassillis, and killed at the
Battle of Flodden on the 9th of September 1513. She was the widow of Robert Graham of Knockdolian, who died in 1528,
leaving issue two daughters.
The marriage of Adam Boyd with Helen Kennedy, (2) widow of
1. John, second Lord Kennedy, married (1st), before 25th March 1459-60, Elizabeth, second daughter of Alexander, first
Lord Montgomerie; (2nd), Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Huntly, widow of Nicholas, second Earl of Erroll.
This latter marriage took place prior to 30th of June 1471.
Helen Kenedy, who married Adam Boyd, the first laird of Penkill, was the youngest daughter by the second marriage.
(The Scots Peerage, vol. ii., article "Cassillis"; Exch. Rolls, vol. xiii. p. 141; and Culzean Charters, Nos. 215 and
216.)
2. Acta Dom. Conc. et Sess., vol vi. p. 79
Page 16.
Robert Graham, would appear to have taken place at a date prior to December 1531. The issue of this marriage was:
1st Robert Boyd, the second laird of Penkill. 2nd James Boyd, the first laird of Trochrig.
3rd. A daughter (whose name is not recorded); she married James Chalmers, Esquire of Sauchrie.
PENKILL LINE
Robert Boyd, the eldest son of Adam Boyd, succeeded his father in 1554 as second laird of Penkill. He married
Catherine Gordon, by whom he had three sons:
1st Adam Boyd, who succeeded his father in 1583.
2nd William Boyd.
3rd Mark Alexander Boyd (1).
Adam Boyd, the eldest son of the above, the third laird of Penkill, married Janet Kennedy; he died in 1596 at the early
age of thirty-nine. He had a son Thomas Boyd.
1. Mark Alexander Boyd was an extraordinary genius and eminent scholar. He was born on the 13th of January 1562; it
is recorded of him that at his birth two of his teeth were discovered to be fully formed. In his early student days he
appears to have been of a turbulent disposition, but eventually took life in a more serious manner. He was a man
full of energy and war-like spirit, as evinced by the fact that at the age of twenty-five he served in the French Army
against the German and Swiss mercenaries who had invaded France in support of the King of Navarre; during the campaign
he was wounded in the ankle. He also pursued literature, and left numerous MSS., which are
preserved in the Advocates' Library in Edinburgh; there is a poem written by him in the
"Oxford Book of English Verse." He died at Penkill Castle on
the 10th April 1601. A sketch of his life, written by Lord Hailes, was published in 1783.
Fra bank to
bank, Mark Anthony Boyd
FRA bank to bank, fra wood to wood I rin,
Ourhailit with my feeble fantasie;
Like til a leaf that fallis from a tree,
Or til a reed ourblawin with the win.
Twa gods guides me: the ane of tham is blin,
Yea and a bairn brocht up in vanitie;
The next a wife ingenrit of the sea,
And lichter nor a dauphin with her fin.
Unhappy is the man for evermair
That tills the sand and sawis in the air;
But twice unhappier is he, I lairn,
That feidis in his hairt a mad desire,
And follows on a woman throw the fire,
Led by a blind and teachit by a bairn.
(c) Electronic edition published 1995,
Richard G. Boyd, all rights reserved
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