BOYDS OF KILLYMOON CASTLE
COUNTY TYRONE, N. IRELAND
Darren J. Boyd
My GGGGGGrandfather was Charles Boyd, stated as being a farmer at Killymoon
Demesne (basically the grounds of the Castle, which were quite big).
His son, Henry Charles Boyd, was born in 1750 which is the earliest
date I have of the Boyds (it was his grandson Henry Boyd who came out
to Australia). The landowners of the Castle were the Stewarts who
were asssociated with the Boyds in Scotland. The Castle & buildings
were built
around 1650 by the Stewarts when the Plantation of Ulster occurred,
and my guess is that my Boyd ancestors came over with them. Killymoon
by the way is actually Coille Mughaine in gaelic which means
"wood of the fat pig", and is in the parish of Derryloran, near Cookstown.
The old Derryloran Churchyard had some very old and illegible headstones,
but there was a family tomb for the Stewarts of Killymoon Castle.
Most of this information is coming out of my head at the moment, so I can send a more detailed account once I sort through my Stuff at home. The reason I know a bit a about it was I have alot of pictures of Killymoon castle and surrounding buildings (where the farmers lived) as I was there last July. The two brothers who now run the farm let me run amuck with my camera around the grounds which to them I'm eternally grateful. The surrounding buildings are starting to crumble as they are 350 years old and there isn't any money to restore the buildings which is a shame, as it is the one place where I can definitely track my ancestors to.
For general information my name is Darren Boyd and I'm 30 and work as a professional photographer at the Australian National University here in Canberra, the capital of Australia.
If anyone has more information on the Boyds Killymoon Castle please contact me at the addrss below.
All the best
(long live the ClanBoyd-L digest)
Darren Boyd
Canberra, Australia
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