The 'Other' Boyles

When English-speaking officials recorded the names of Gaelic families, they created phonetic ‘sound-alike’ names or adopted existing similar-sounding English names. In the case of the Ó Baoighill of Donegal, this usually became O’Boyle or Boyle (though many variants were in use).

Recorded instances of the Boyle surname occur in England and Scotland from at least the early 1200s. Quite likely, it was introduced to England around the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. Norman names at that time often indicated the place of origin, and the town of Beuville in Normandy is a possible source, though there are other similar placenames throughout France. And it is possible that there are a variety of unconnected origins for the name. For instance, in England the Boyle surname can derive from the French words Boileau (a watered wood) or Boille, a nickname for a short and chubby man.

Two distinct families named Boyle achieved prominence in the medieval and early modern period.

The Norman origin of the Boyles of Kelburn in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland are obscure, but by the 13th century they were prominent landowners and over the following centuries they were active members of the Scottish political elite.

A member of this family, Nina Boyle (1865-1943) was a prominent campaigner for women's rights. She was the first woman to attempt to stand for election to the House of Commons in 1918. Her nomination was deemed invalid, but the case led to legislation that enabled women to stand, and be elected, later that year.

They were given the title of Earl of Glasgow in 1703. Various branches of the family spread widely in SW Scotland, and given its proximity, some migrated to the north of Ireland. In the Plantation of Ulster, some Scottish Boyles even made it to Donegal, as there are mentions of William Boyle, Robert Boyle and James Boyle as tenants of Sir John Cunningham.

The current Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Boyle, also has the courtesy title of Chief of Clan Boyle. This is a modern concoction, as there never was a Clan Boyle, this being a Lowlands family of Norman origin, not Gaelic.

Kelburn Castle, with its street-art decorated walls - a tourist attraction

The Mediterranean Boyls

Further afield, if you ever go to Cagliari in Sardinia, you cannot fail to see Palazzo Boyl, one of the most important and representative buildings of the city both from a historical and artistic point of view. It was designed and built in 1840 in neoclassical style by the Marquis of Putifigari Carlo Pilo Boyl. The family had a second palace at Milis, also in Sardinia.

The Boyls were a noble house of the Kingdom of Sardinia, lords of Putifigari since 1364. The house was originally from Spain, where it held the lordships of (among others) Santa María de Buil, from which it took the surname Boyl. There are different stories how this came about, but one claims that the family descends from the knight Garcia Aznares, who in 712, following the Arab conquest of Spain, retreated to the Pyrenees. One of his descendants of the same name, lord of Gallan, managed to wrest the castle of Boyl, above Santa María de Buil, from the Arabs, which he obtained as a fief, thus taking the name of Boyl in the 12th century.

So, not quite as ancient a family as the Ó Baoighill, no evidence that any of them ever came to Ireland, and unlikely to be related, but it’s good to know they exist!

Palazzo Boyl, in Cagliari, Sardinia

Richard Boyle, (1566-1643 The 'Great Earl' of Cork

On the Welsh-English Border in Herefordshire another Boyle family is noted from the mid-1400s. Several members of this family came to Ireland in the late 1500s. The most significant was Richard Boyle, later Earl of Cork (1566-1643) who became a leading figure in the colonisation of Ireland. He obtained an appointment as deputy to John Crofton, the Escheator-General . This role involved the confiscation of property from rebellious Irish landowners, and left him in prime position to acquire recently confiscated lands in the aftermath of the Desmond rebellion in Munster. He bought Sir Walter Raleigh's estates of 42,000 acres for £1,500 making Lismore Castle his principal residence. Despite making many enemies, he usually came out on top and created a dynasty that dominated the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy for the next two centuries.

His youngest son was Robert Boyle, the pioneering experimental scientist and one of the founders of modern chemistry. He is best known for Boyle’s Law. As well as being a scientist, he devoted time and effort to theological and philosophical matters. A devout protestant, he spent large sums promoting the spread of Christianity in India. Having been raised by an Irish wet nurse he had Irish as well as English from the cradle, and paid for a translation of the bible into Irish to assist in the conversion of the Irish people to Protestantism.

Richard Boyle’s brother John (1563-1620) and cousins Michael (1580-1635) and Richard (1574-1645) all were appointed to prominent episcopal positions in the (Anglican) Church of Ireland, through the influence of their cousin. The two Richards between them had about thirty children, many of whom went on to occupy positions of influence in the church and state, and married into other families of the aristocracy.

A wily political operator and opportunistic adventurer, Richard Boyle is reputed to be “the first colonial millionaire” having amassed a great fortune from the conquest of Ireland. He also ensured that his sons and daughters were placed in positions of power and influence. Believing that his Irish possessions and interests should be matched by English ones, he acquired much property in England. After the Act of Union in 1801, his descendants focussed their attention there, so that in the Irish censuses of the early 20th century few, if any, of his Boyle descendants remained in Ireland. His career is outlined here

https://www.dib.ie/biography/boyle-richard-a0853

Sculpture of a young boy, thought to be Robert Boyle, on his parents' monument in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford. Home of Richard Boyle and birthplace of Robert Boyle

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