Clan Crest & Coats of Arm, Clan Infomation
Clan Boyle Places & People
Jul
Clan Boyle People
Jimmy Boyle (born 1944, Glasgow)
Once reputed to be the most violent man in Scotland, in 1967 he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of another gangland figure, William “Babs” Rooney, although Boyle denies that he committed this killing. Whilst incarcerated in the special unit of Barlinnie Prison, he turned to art, and wrote an autobiography, A Sense of Freedom, which has since been filmed. On his release from prison he moved to Edinburgh to continue his artistic career. He designed the largest concrete sculpture in Europe called “Gulliver” for The Craigmillar Festival Society in 1976.
Boyle has also published Pain of Confinement: Prison Diaries, and a novel, Hero of the Underworld. The latter was adapted for a French film, La Rage et le Reve des Condamnes (The Anger and Dreams of the Condemned), and won the best documentary prize at the Fifa Montreal awards in 2002.
Clan Boyle Places
Kelburn Castle
The lands of Kelburn in North Ayrshire have been in the Boyle family since the 12th century, and have had a stronghold on these grounds since at least the mid 1250s. The current Kelburn Castle was initially built in the 1500s, with additions being made over the coming centuries, most notably in the 1700s and 1800s. The castle is still the seat of the Boyle Earls of Glasgow.
Rowallan Castle
Rowallan Castle is a 16th century castle in East Ayrshire that was a one-time strong hold of the Boyles. However, the castle is now under the control of the Campbells.
