BOYD Lord BOYD and Earl of KILMARNOCK.
THIS great and ancient family, is descend∣ed of a younger son of the illustrious lord high stewards of Scotland.
ALAN, second lord high steward of Scot∣land,* 1.1 was son of Walter, son of Fleance, son of Banquo, thane of Lochaber, who was mur∣thered by Macbeth the usurper, anno 1043.
By Margaret his wife, daughter of Fergus lord of Galloway, he left issue three sons.
1. Walter,* 1.2 third lord high steward of Scotland, who succeeded him, and carried on the line of that family.
2. Adam,* 1.3 who is mentioned in a charter of confirmation of king David I. anno 1139.
3. Simon, who was progenitor of this noble family.
Alan the lord high steward died in 1153.
I. SIMON,* 1.4 third son of Alan, second lord high steward of Scotland, in the foundation-charter of the monastery of Paisley, is design∣ed frater Walteri filii Alani dapiferi regis Sco∣tiae, &c. anno 1161.
He lived after the 1200, and was father of
II. ROBERT, who being of a fair complexi∣on was called Boyt or Boyd, from the Galic or Celtic word Boidh, which signifies fair or yellow, from which he assumed his sirname, and from him all the Boyds in Scotland are descended.
This Robert Boyd is designed nephew to Walter son of Alan,* 1.5 lord high steward of Scotland, in the charters to the monastery of Paisley.
The same Robert, designed dominus Robertus Boyd,* 1.6 is witness to a contract betwixt Bryce de Eglington, and the village of Irvine, anno 1205.
It may here be observed, that the Boyds have always carried the same armorial bear∣ings of the lord high stewards,* 1.7 which denotes their descent from that illustrious house.
Robert died before the year 1240, and left issue a son and successor,* 1.8
III. Sir ROBERT BOYD, who in a char∣ter of sir John Erskine, of the lands of Hal∣sheil is designed Robertus de Boyd, miles, 1262.
He was a man of great courage and resolu∣tion,* 1.9 and remarkably distinguished himself at the battle of Largis, where king Alexander III. obtained a glorious victory over Haco king of Norway, anno 1263, for which good service, king Alexander rewarded him with a grant of several lands in Cunninghame, &c.
He died about the year 1270, leaving is∣sue a son,
IV. Sir ROBERT BOYD who succeeded him,* 1.10 and tho' he was one of the Scotch barons that swore fealty to king Edward I. when he over-run Scotland, anno 1296, and is then designed Robertus de Boyt miles, yet he soon made it appear it was force and not inclinati∣on made him do so;* 1.11 for he joined the great sir William Wallace, anno 1297, and did e∣very thing that a brave man could do, to free his country from foreign servitude.
He died about the year 1300, and was succeeded by his son,
V. Sir ROBERT BOYD, a great and wor∣thy patriot who, according to doctor Abercrom∣bie, was one of the first of the Scotch nobles that joined king Robert Bruce,* 1.12 as soon as he be∣gan to assert his title to the crown. The same author says afterwards, he was one of the firmest and fastest friends that great monarch had.
That king Robert had a high esteem and value for him, appears by the many lands and baronies he conferred upon him.
He got no less than three charters under the great seal from him,* 1.13 of the lands and ba∣ronies of Kilmarnock, Bondington, Hertshaw, Kilbrid, Ardneil, Dalry, and many others, then in the crown, by the forfeiture of John Baliol, the first dated anno 1308, and the last in 1316.
He was one of the guarantees of a treaty with the English,* 1.14 anno 1323.
This great man died in the beginning of the reign of king David Bruce, and left issue three sons.
1. Sir Thomas, his heir.
2. Sir Alan Boyd, a brave soldier, and steady friend to king David Bruce; Fordun