Clan Boswell
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Scotland Project > Scottish Clans > Clan Boswell
Contents |
Welcome to Clan Boswell
| Clan Boswell Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team Leader | TBA | |
| Team Members | J Salsbery | |
- Clan Chief:
- Crest: A falcon Proper, hooded Gules, jessed and belled
- Motto: Vraye foi (True faith)
- Slogan/War Cry: Vraye foi (True faith)
- Region: mostly in Fife and Ayr
- Historic Seat:
- Plant badge:
- Pipe music:
- Gaelic name:
Clan Team
Team Goals
The focus of this team's work is to identify, improve and maintain profiles associated with the Lairds and Chiefs of Clan Boswell together with members bearing the name Boswell, the related families and those recognised as septs of Clan Boswell.
Team To Do List
This list will be developed by the Team. If you are working on a specific task, please list it here:
- promoting the entries of those bearing the name Boswell on Wikitree.
- ensuring entries appearing on Wikitree are as accurate as possible, correcting mistakes once spotted.
- encouraging interest in and study of Clan Boswell.
Septs
Clan History
Clan Boswell is a Lowland Scottish clan and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. However the clan does not currently have a chief and is therefore considered an Armigerous clan.
The chiefs of the Clan Boswell are universally accepted to have been of Norman or French origin. The historian, Black, gives two variations of the name, from either a vill or manor near Yvetot in Normandy or from Beuzevill near Bolbec. The Lord de Bosville is said to have been one of the Norman commanders in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. Robert de Boseuille witnessed several charters in the reign of William the Lion and is believed to have been among the knights who accompanied David I of Scotland back to Scotland after he had stayed at the English court.
During the Wars of Scottish Independence chief Walter de Bosville was taken prisoner by the English at the Battle of Dunbar (1296). In the same year William de Bosville rendered homage to England. His son was Richard de Bosville and received lands near Ardrossan from Robert the Bruce.
During the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century chief Sir Alexander Boswell of Balmuto was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
Many Boswells fell fighting for the royalist cause at the Battle of Worcester during the civil war in 165, while others were officers in the Parliamentary army, such as Godfrey Boswell of Gunthwaite and Wroxall (1596-1658) who was JP and Member of the Long Parliament for Warwick, and Colonel of a regiment of Foot in the Parliamentary Army, his son William, and son-in-law Geo James Sedascue of Bohemia.
Alexander Boswell (judge), the 8th Laird of Auchinleck, was elevated to the Bench in 1756 and assumed the title ‘Lord Auchinleck’. His son, James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, was the famous biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson. Sir Alexander Boswell, 1st Baronet, 10th Laird of Auchinleck, the biographer’s son, was created a baronet in 1821. Another distinguished Boswell was Robert Boswell, Writer to the Signet, who held the post of Interim Lord Lyon, King of Arms, from 1795 to 1796.
Clan Branches
Other Names Associated with the Clan
Variants, Boswell, Bosswald, Bosswall.
Allied Clans
Clan Research and Free Space Pages
Source Material
- McIan, R. R. THE CLANS of the Scottish Highlands. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.
- Electric Scotland
- Wikipedia, Clan Boswell
- Scots Web, Clan Boswell
Image Credits and Acknowledgements
- Login to request to the join the Trusted List so that you can edit and add images.
- Private Messages: Contact the Profile Managers privately: Scotland Project WikiTree and Amy Gilpin. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
- Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)
- Public Q&A: These will appear above and in the Genealogist-to-Genealogist (G2G) Forum. (Best for anything directed to the wider genealogy community.)