CHIEF:  Alastair Ivor Gilbert Boyd 7th Baron Kilmarnock

Richard G. and Jerri Lynn Boyd

568 W. Friedrich Street

Rogers City, Mich. 49779

BOYDS OF BALLYCASTLE, COUNTY ANTRIM
W.P. Boyd, 1912

On our investigation, another family of Boyds of note in Ireland were those of Ballycastle in the County of Antrim in the Northern part.  This place was settled in 1736, consisting of two parts known as the Upper and Lower Quay. Both of these villages were connected by a fine avenue of trees along the way.  The first settlement of this town was made by one Hugh Boyd, to whom Alexander, Earl of Antrim, granted in 1736 a lease in perpetuity of all the coal mines, etc from Bonamargy to Far-hean.   He built here a church, erected coal furnaces, iron foundries, salt pans, glass furnaces, breweries, tanyards, and in a short time obtained for the settlement the reputation of being the most flourishing town in Ireland.   Mr. Hamilton Wright in 1786 described the town as having gone completely to decay.  Its founder Hugh Boyd established here an excellent machine, but unfortunately left it without any permanent principal of motion.  The dark shadows of the picture are today pointed out of large stone houses and factories and of the dwellings he contemplated places in a complete state of utter decapitation.  The custom house has been constructed into barracks and even the collieries, a source of immense wealth, are worked but at intervals with a little revenue.

In 1724, six of the eight mines were worked by an English company.  They were succeeded by Mr. Boyd for several years afterwards, until rendered useless by the sea.  He received grants from the Irish Parliament to the amount of 23,000 pounds to improve the harbor and quay.  Mr. Boyd died in 1780, and left his estate to his sons.  They did not follow him with the business.  Who his descendants were or if any of them came to America is not known to the writer.

From the book "The Boyd Family" by W.P. Boyd 1912

 The family below is of Islandview, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.

Hugh Boyd
                                        ]
Alexander Boyd,  born 1791, died 3 Oct 1886, married Mary McCloy, dau
James McCloy, of Lagavar, Ballintoy, Co. Antrim,  died  26 Aug 1881, and
had issue:-

Hugh Boyd, born 14 April 1826, died 30 March 1891, married  3 Sept 1863,
Marianne McKinley, eldest dau of James McKinley, of Carneatly, Ballycastle, by his wife Jane McKinley, dau of James McKinley of Carneatly and Marianne Boyd,  died 13 Aug 1923, and had issue:-

Alexander Boyd, born 18 Jan 1865, died 19 Dec 1952,  married  2 June 1903,
Leititia Nicholl, 5th dau of John Nicholl, of the Orchard, Ballycastle,  died
30 June 1918, and had issue:-

Hugh Alexander Boyd, born 17 Jan 1907, died  ? married  4 Nov 1939, Margaret Boyd McClure, only dau of Samuel Patterson McClure, of Islandview, Ballycastle, by his wife Isabella Dora Boyd, 3rd dau of William Boyd of Benvarden, Co. Antrim, had issue:-

Alexander John Boyd, born 19 Nov 1940

Hugh Desmond Nicholl Boyd, born 15 Feb 1944

Elizabeth Margaret Anne Boyd, born 27 Jan 1949

William Francis David Boyd, born 12 Jan 1955, died 12 Jan 1955.

a dau. Boyd,

Harriet Boyd,  married 22 Sept 1818,  Sir John Boyd, 3rd Baronet of
Danson Hill, born 5 June 1784, died 30 May 1815. 

Boyd/Nicholl Site  http://freespace.virgin.net/robert.starrs/

"John Boyd (1750 - 1815) of Danson Park, near Bexley, Kent; in 1800
succeeded his father John Boyd (London merchant and a director of East
India Co.), as 2nd Baronet; Oxford from 1768, m. (1784) Margaret, dau. of
Thomas Harley and grand-daughter of the 3rd Earl of Oxford. In 1780 he
secured a seat, almost certainly with the help of the Treasury and supported the North ministry until its fall in March 1782. He then supported Shelburne through 1783, voting against Fox's India bill in November 1783. In early 1784 he voted largely with Pitt. M.P. for Wareham 1780 - 84." 

I don't have the exact citation for this quote, but know I was working with reference books on House of Commons members in the 18th c. as well as in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Arms - Azure a fesse chequy arrgent and gules between four crescents argent
Crest -A hand raised in benediction ppr., charged with a cross crosslet azure
Motto - Confido.

More Ballycastle Boyds

NOTE: Use this data as a finding tool, just as you would any other secondary source. When you find the name of an ancestor listed, confirm the facts in original sources.

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