The Boyd Clan has had a turbulent past, with both moments of glory and times of despair. But throughout it all they have prevailed and still stand proud amongst the Scottish Clans.
The Boyd Clan has had a number of leaders through out it’s time, in fact 24 Earls, Countesses and Lords and 7 Barons of Kilmarnock. Even more interesting in this is that 9 of these were under the name of Hay not Boyd.
The current chief is Alastair Ivor Gilbert Boyd, who is by title the 7th Baron of Kilmarnock. Before him was Gilbert Allan Rowland Hay, who changed his name to Boyd after receiving the title of 6th Baron of Kilmarnock . Gilbert Hay (Boyd ) was the first chief of the Boyd Clan with the Boyd name since 1758.
It might seem strange that the Chief of the Boyd Clan was named Hay. The reason behind this has its roots in the life of William Boyd, the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock. He was a strong supporter of the Jacobite Uprising, and was captured at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and executed. With his execution all of his honorary titles in the Boyd Clan such as Earl of Kilmarnock were void. William Boyd’s eldest son, James Boyd, succeeded his fathers position and regained the tiles, whereupon he sold Kilmarnock to the Earl of Glencairn, and became the 15th Earl of Errol (in the county then known as Perth), and mostly importantly he changed his name to Hay. The leaders of the Boyd Clan continued to hold the Hay name until 1941.
Another interesting point in the history of the Boyd Clan since then is the creation of the Baron of Kilmarnock title. The title was created in 1831, and more unusual is that it is not a Scottish title, but one given by the peerage of the United Kingdom. The fact that it is not a Scottish title, was one of the causes that led the Boyd Clan, to have a Boyd chief.
In 1941 the chief of the Boyd Clan was Josslyn Victor Hay, who was the 22nd Earl of Errol and the 5th Baron Kilmarnock, was murdered on trip to Kenya. Unfortunately, Josslyn Victor Hay had left only female heirs. The eldest daughter of Josslyn Victor Hay, Diana Denise Hay, inherited the title of 23rd Countess of Errol, but because of its United Kingdom origin, the title of Baron of Kilmarnock could not be passed to her. Instead it went to Gilbert Allan Rowland Hay, who was the next closest relative; he soon changed his name to Boyd, to reflect his ancestry.
Before 1454, the Boyd Clan did not have an official honorary title for their leader. The 1st Lord of the Boyd Clan was created when Robert Boyd, who at the time was a tutor for the young King James III, kidnapped the King, and under an official signature created the title for himself. Although, this lead to the exile of Robert Boyd, and one of his brothers, along with the execution of another.
The kidnapping is a stark contrast to the honor in which the lands of the Boyd Clan were gifted. Sir Robert Boyd was granted the lands of Kilmarnock, Kilbride, Bodington and Hertschaw in 1314, for his support and loyalty towards Robert The Bruce.
All our Boyd Clan Jewelry is handmade by our Goldsmiths in full three dimensions, with the Boyd Clan motto, “Confido”, meaning “I trust”, and also has the approval of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs in Edinburgh.
Your ancestral
Boyd Clan Crest ring is a very powerful emblem of your heritage.
A true family heirloom, to be cherished for centuries by Your descendants.
