James Boyd, 9th Lord Boyd

James Boyd, 9th Lord Boyd (–1654),^[1] was a Scottish noble who adhered to the Royalist cause during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Biography

James Boyd was the younger brother of Robert Boyd, 7th Lord Boyd and inherited the title in 1641 on the death of his nephew Robert Boyd, 8th Lord Boyd.^[2]

James Boyd was a steadfast Royalist, joined the Association at Cumbernauld in favour of Charles I in January 1641, he was one of the Committee of War for the South 16 April 1644,^[3] and for Ayr 24 July 1644,^[4] and 18 April 1648.^[5]

He was included in the list of the nobility to be summoned to the Committee of Estates, in Cromwell's letter to Lieutenant-General David Leslie 17 January 1650,^[6] and was fined £1,500 under the Cromwell's Act of Grace on 12 April 1654,^[7] a sum afterwards, 9 March 1655, reduced to £500.^[8] His steady support of the royal cause appears to have financially embarrassed him, as he was obliged to wadset several portions of his estate to Sir William Cochrane of Cowdoun.^[9]

Lord James is said to have paid great attention to the trade of Kilmarnock, and to have established a school in the town for "the educatioune and learning off zoung ones"[sic].^[10] His will was confirmed at Edinburgh 23 October 1655, and he appears to have died in March 1654.^[11]

Family

Lord James married, before 1640,^[12] Catherine, second daughter and coheir of John Crayke of the city of York, the eldest, but disinherited, son of Ralph Crayke of Marton, Yorkshire. She was baptized at Bridlington 3 January 1619.^[12][13] In commemoration of this marriage the words "James Boyd and Catherine Craik", with the family arms, were sculptured on one of the towers of Dean Castle, the family seat at Kilmarnock.^[14] They had issue:^[15]

1. William, Master of Boyd, afterwards first Earl of Kilmarnock, heir and successor.
2. Mary Margaret, married Robert Beverley of Yorkshire, England. ^[16] and George Keeble of Surrey, England
3. Eva, both styled daughters lawful to the deceased James, Lord Boyd, 24 March 1659.^[17]
4. Jean, married David Cunningham, 1st Baronet of Robertland.^[18] She, died 8 May 1665.^[19]

Notes

1. Also known as Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock
2. Cokayne 1912, p. 263.
3. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot.
4. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot., vol. vi. pt. i. p. 202.
5. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot., vol. vi. pt. ii. p. 34.
6. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot., vol. vi. pt. ii. p. 587.
7. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot., vol. vi. pt. ii. p. 820.
8. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Acta Pari. Scot., vol. vi. pt. ii. p. 846.
9. Balfour 1904, p. 172 cites Boyd Charter-chest.
10. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Patterson's Ayr, vol. ii p. 180.
11. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Edin. Com. Rec.
12. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Ex inform. the Honourable Vicary Gibbs.
13. Dates used in this article follow the Julian calendar with the start of the year adjusted to 1 January (see Old Style and New Style dates).
14. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites M'Kay's History of Kilmarnock, p. 13
15. Balfour 1904, p. 173.
16. Stanard, W.G. (1895). "Major Robert Beverley and His Descendants". In Bruce, Philip A. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography III. Richmond, Virginia: The Virginia Historical Society. pp. 169–172.
17. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Glasgow Com. Decreets.
18. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Complete Baronetage, vol. ii p. 384 Where she is called Eva
19. Balfour 1904, p. 173 cites Funeral entry in Lyon Office.

References

Attribution

• Balfour, Paul, James (1904). The Scots Peerage; founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom 5. Edinburgh: D. Douglas. pp. 172,173.
• Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1912). Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct or dormant (Bass to Canning) 2. London: The St. Catherine Press, ltd. pp. 263.