Let me share with you the intriguing history of your family name, Boyle. The Boyle surname is said to have originated from the Norman town of Beauville near Caen, which translates to ‘beautiful town’. It is also worth mentioning that there is a branch of Boyles in Ireland whose name derives from the Gaelic names Ó Baoighill or Ó Baoill, roughly meaning ‘son of the rash one’ or ‘son of the man who made good pledges’. Due to extensive emigration between Scotland and Ireland, these two names have become intertwined. In early records, you can usually differentiate between them by the prefix ‘de’ or ‘Ó’, with the former relating to the Norman place and the latter to the Gaelic ‘son of’.

Regarding the Scottish lineage, the de Boivilles arrived in Britain during the Norman Conquest of England and likely made their way to Scotland with David I. The earliest mention of the Boyles in Scottish records is David de Boivil, who appears in 1164.

The family can be found throughout Scotland, with notable figures like Henry de Boiville and his son Simon being active in the northeast of Scotland between 1203 and 1249. William de Boiville was active in the Borders between 1207 and 1249, and a man of the same name is recorded as the keeper of the castles of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown in 1291. Richard de Boyville held the lands of Kelburn in Ayrshire by 1275, and from him, the chiefly line of the family descends. Another branch of the family, believed to originate from the same stock as the house of Kelburn, settled in Ireland and rose to prominence as the powerful Earls of Cork. In 1703, David Boyle was elevated to the title of ‘Earl of Glasgow,’ likely in recognition of his efforts to promote the union between Scotland and England.

When James, the fifth Earl, passed away, he was succeeded by his half-brother, the Hon. George Frederick Boyle. The succession of the sixth Earl brought significant challenges to the family’s fortunes but resulted in notable contributions to art and architecture. A passionate art connoisseur, George embarked on an ambitious building program, and one of his enduring legacies is the Cathedral of the Isles on the Isle of Cumbrae. However, this endeavor led to the bankruptcy of the entire estate, and in 1888, all his assets were put up for sale. Kelburn itself was saved from this fate by the intervention of George’s cousin, who would later become the seventh Earl in 1890. The present head of your family and chief of the name succeeded his father as the tenth Earl of Glasgow and continues to reside at Kelburn Castle near Fairlie in Ayrshire, preserving the rich heritage of the Boyle family.