SF,
I've had some fun recently chasing down the 17thC history of the BOYDs in Ayrshire & Count Down. Powerful stuff.
[Felt the hand of history on my shoulder as I chased it through!]
The BOYD power base was at Deans Castle (Kilmarnock).
However, they also had a commanding seaside fort at Portencross (West Kilbride).
A natural son of the family (legitimised later), Colonel David BOYD, was granted lands at Tourgill near Largs, Ayrshire, in 1598 by King James VI.
[His stronghold was in the Brisbane Glen (Noddesdale Water) just a couple of miles NE of Largs.
Hmm, the hamlets of Whittlieburn lie there ...]
The BOYDs had fought a more-than-100-year-long local feud with the MONTGOMERYs.
This was finally resolved, and a mutual protection pact agreed.
Col. David BOYD had served in Holland, supporting William I of Orange against King Louis of France.
Hugh MONTGOMERY, of Braidstane (near Beith, Ayrshire), had also served with the Dutch forces at the same time.
[He was to become the famous big pal of King James.
The family held their lands in the barony of Giffen, such dating from Norman times.]
When Arthur CHICHESTER at Carrickfergus imprisoned Conn O'NEILL (looking to benefit from being granted his lands in Upper Clandeboye), Hugh MONTGOMERY engineered his clandestine release, bringing him over the water to Braidstane, promising to intercede with King James.
The upshot was that Conn was granted a royal pardon, but had to give up 2/3rds of his lands.
One third part went to MONTGOMERY.
The other third to his rival HAMILTON.
[He originated from the nearby village of Dunlop,
where his father was the first Protestant minister.]
There is a nice old map of the area.
[Ref:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Robertsonscunn2.jpg You can see Beith, Dunlop, and Eglinton (a later MONTGOMERY seat) there.
Also Portencross, Largs and Skelmorlie (a 20thC MONTGOMERY seat).]
MONTGOMERY went in to County Down in 1606, creating Port MONTGOMERY (Donaghadee) and "New Toun, Ards" (Newtownards).
He was accompanied by several gentlemen, including Hugh HAMILL (of Roughwood, near Beith) and David BOYD.
David BOYD had been granted lands in Ballycastle townland, South of Newtownards.
[This is just to the North of present-day Mount Stewart.
His seat is reckoned to have been where the impressive Ballycastle B&B is now located.]
Just to the North lay the Ballyblack and Crossnamuckley townlands, in which BOYDs and WHITLEYs are known to be extant later.
[Griffith's Valuation, 1864.]
The MONTGOMERY estates in Co. Down passed out of the family in 1770, transferring to the Hugenot De La CHEROIS family of Lisburn (cousins of Louis CROMMELIN), who eventually built Carrowdore castle in 1818.
[Situate on the spine of the Ards peninsula, roughly mid-way between Greyabbey and Millisle.
A large quarry is a major feature of the village.]
Perhaps as a result of these timings and costs, some turmoil may have ensued w.r.t. land tenures and rents.
?Enough to make some tenants up stakes and move (e.g. to Carnmoney!).
[Especially ones with stone quarrying/building skills ...]
'Tis only a theory, but the evidence is growing ...
[Thanks for inspiring me!]
Any MONTGOMERY ancestry would be interesting to chase down.
They were co-controllers of Normandy with Willie the Conq in 1066!
[Hmm, some such folks lived beside the railway at the Moss ...]
Here followeth the usual Blight of the URLs:
http://www.clanboyd.info/outsideusa/scotland/http://clydesburn.blogspot.com/2010/11/colonel-david-boyd-of-tourgill.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Boyd,_5th_Lord_Boydhttp://www.clanboyd.info/outsideusa/scotland/kilmarnockboyds2/index.htmhttp://www.discovernorthernireland.com/Ballycastle-House-Newtownards-P3609http://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch/view/?sid=74933242http://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch/view/?sid=74933236http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Montgomery,_1st_Viscount_Montgomeryhttp://www.scotsconnection.com/clan_crests/Montgomery.htmhttp://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2010/11/earldom-of-mount-alexander.htmlhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/1289541/Skelmorlie-Original-Walter-Smart-History-1968... and of course, the marvellous source of migration flow & settlement maps ...
http://www.HamiltonMontgomery1606.com/Capt. Jock
P.S. Wednesday is "locals" night at the pub! Knowledge might be encouraged to flow ...
