Ayrshire > Volume 2

330 HISTORY OF AYRSHIRE
of Irvine and Ralph of Eglintoun ; of whom descended,
there is reason to believe, Robert, or Sir Robert de
Boyd, who came into prominence as a strong fighter for
the Bruce in the wars which he waged for the
independence of Scotland, and who was rewarded,
according to tradition, " for the merit of his good
services " to King Robert, with the lordship and barony
of Kilmarnock upon the forfeiture of the Lord Soulis,
1320. How this may have been is more than doubtful ;
and the tradition is not borne out by the charter granted
by Robert the Bruce.
This Robert Boyd, none the less, was, as we have
said, conspicuous for the work he did in the War of
Independence. When Bruce took the field in 1306, he
was among those who rallied to his standard. In his
" Life of Bruce," Harvey thus alludes to him in his
description of the battle of Bannockburn : —
Ranged on the right, the Southern legions stood,
And on their front the fiery Edward rode.
With him the experienced Boyd divides the sway,
Sent by the King to guide him through the day.
The " Southern legions " here were the Scottish
troops who had joined the standard from the south
country, and " the fiery Edward " was the King's own
gallant brother. Boyd, thus distinguished and helpful
in the hour of need, was naturally held in high esteem by
the Bruce ; and in recognition of his services he gave him
the lands of Kilmarnock, Bendington, and Hertschaw,
which had formerly been held by the family of John de
Baliol ; the lands of Kilbryde and Ardnel, which were
Godfrey de Ross's ; all the land in Dairy that had
belonged to William de Mora — all erected into an entire
and free barony to be held of the King. He had also a
charter of the lands of Noddesdale ; and Hertschaw
was granted to him in free forest. Boyd was one of the
guarantors of a treaty of peace with the English, 1323.
He was taken prison at the battle of Halidon Hill, July 19,
1333, and he died not long afterwards.