House of Lynn

Lynn of that Ilk :

The Lords of Lynn, the de Morvilles, and the Boyds

A Brief History of the Lynns of that Ilk in Dalry, Ayrshire
(also known as Lords or Lairds of Lynn)
in the Thirteenth through Seventeenth Centuries

Copyright 2010 : Revised 24 April 2019
Loretta Lynn Layman, Author of "Barony of Lynn", The Scottish Genealogist,

Vol. LVII No. 1, The Scottish Genealogy Society, Edinburgh (March 2010)
L
ynneage @ comcast . net

This page includes a selection of records discovered during the author's 40-year ongoing effort to discover and document the origins of the Lynns of that Ilk, aka Lords or Lairds of Lynn, and their title to the minor barony of Lynn in Dalry.  It does not represent the entire known history of this family.  The entire 30-page history of this family, including the latest research, can be purchased on CD, along with extensive historical and genealogical accounts of other Lynn families (of various spellings) in Scotland and Ulster, some of whom descend from cadets of the Lynns of that Ilk.  See Book Excerpts on CDs.

Their Name

Their Title

Chronology

Conclusion

Maps of the Various Lynn Properties    

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Their Name

Their Name

The first step in establishing the history of the Lynns of that Ilk is to settle two questions concerning their name.  First and simplest to address is its spelling.  Simply put, there was in Scotland, as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a lack of consistency in the spelling of surnames extending even into the nineteenth century.

Not surprisingly, then, the Lynns of that Ilk are found in eleven separate charters, deeds, etc. spanning three centuries with no less than four different forms of the family name.  We know these documents all relate to the same family because they involve transactions between the Lynns of that Ilk and the Hunters of Hunterston concerning a particular Ayrshire property owned by the Lynns but conveyed or confirmed to the Hunters every time the heir in either family changed.  They are preserved in the Hunter family charter chest, and the earliest Lynn document in the chest is dated 1452 A.D. and the latest 1669.  The name is found written therein with a "y" fourteen times and with an "i" only once.  However, additional spellings of the surname for the Lynns of that Ilk appear in documents outside the Hunter papers, and their entire record spans five centuries.  The seven spellings by which the Lynns of that Ilk are found in one place or another are Lin, Lind, Linn, Lyn, Lyne, Lynn, and Lynne.  Such was the nature of spelling in centuries gone by.  Today, Lynn is the spelling memorialized in Dalry: Lynn Avenue, Lynn Bridge, Lynn Falls, Lynn Glen, and the farm of High Lynn.

 Some Family Papers of the Hunters of Hunterston, Edit. M. S. Shaw, W. S., Edinburgh (1925)

Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, Vol. II, Edit. Joseph Bain, F.S.A. Scot., London (1884)

History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton, Vol. III - Cuninghame, James Paterson, Edinburgh (1866)

History of the County of Ayr: With a Genealogical Account of the Families of Ayrshire, Vols. I and II, James Paterson, Edinburgh (1847, 1852)

Memorials of the Montgomeries Earls of Eglinton, William Fraser, Edinburgh (1859)

Protocol Book of Gavin Ros, N.P., 1512-1532, Edit. Rev. John Anderson, Curator of the Historical Department, H.M. General Register House, and Francis J. Grant, W.S., Edinburgh (1908)

A Topographical Account of the District of Cunningham, Ayrshire. Compiled About the Year 1600 by Mr. Timothy Pont, The Maitland Club, Glasgow (1858)

The second question to settle with regard to the family name is its origin.  It has long been believed by historians and genealogists alike that the Ayrshire family Lynn of that Ilk took their name from the falls by which they made their home.  That view is certainly plausible, given the common, but not universal, practice of taking place names for surnames when surnames came into use.  It is the view held by the likes of Timothy Pont and James Paterson.  Surprisingly, however, it turns out they were wrong - the place actually acquired its name from the family. Indeed, since "linn" is the Scots word for "waterfall", it would have been entirely redundant to name the barony's cascade Lynn Falls ... unless that name was intended to signify the family itself.  But what is the historical evidence that the name of the family preceded the name of the property?

The 1852 Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland relates that the barony of Lynn once was part of a larger property owned by Hugh de Morville, which was divided and bequeathed to four heritors about 1200 A.D.  By this time, surnames were already well established, particularly among families of property.  One of the heritors to de Morville's property was described as a kinsman bearing the name Walter de Lynne.  Certainly, an heir of a man as prominent as de Morville had a family name.  The other heritors were William de Blair, the Boyles of Kelburne, and  William Kerr.  The resulting baronies were called Lynn, Blair, Kelburne, and Kersland [Kerr's Land], the last of which obviously was given the family name of the man who inherited it and not vice versa. 

Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland : "Old Dalry", Edit., Rev. John Marius Wilson, Edinburgh (1852)

While the gazetteer does not provide documentation for its account, it gains some credibility in light of a 1795 history and genealogy by Sir Robert Douglas, genealogist and author of the 1764 volume, "The Peerage of Scotland".  In his 1795 work memorializing the Lynn family, Douglas provided certain forebears who were named Lynne before Walter acquired his Ayrshire barony.  Douglas identified one such forebear as Robert de Lynne and reported that Robert: (1) lived during the reign of Scotland's King William I, which began in 1165; (2) witnessed a 1207 gift to the Monastery of Kelso in Roxburghshire; and (3) sired the line which became the Lynns of that Ilk.

The Genealogy of the Family of Lind, and the Montgomeries of Smithton*, Sir Robert Douglas, Baronet, Windsor (1795)

Notably, in the county of Peeblesshire, which borders Roxburghshire, Robert de Lyne was a twelfth-century landowner who died between 1175 and 1198 and left sons named David and Walter, as well as a grandson named Robert who was of age in 1200.  The Peeblesshire barony owned by Robert, then by his son David, and finally by his grandson Robert was called Lyne.  It may be no coincidence that a mere six miles separates that barony from Eddleston, a property owned in the twelfth century by Richard de Morville, son of one Hugh de Morville and father of another.  There is little room for doubt that the younger Robert de Lyne was the Robert de Lynne whom Douglas reported as witnessing a 1207 gift to the Monastery of Kelso.  Can it be that Walter de Lyne, son of the elder Robert de Lyne, is the very man who inherited the barony of Lynn in Dalry?  The de Lyne family of Peeblesshire - including their possession of the barony of Lyne there - was memorialized by the noted 18th-19th century antiquarian and author, George Chalmers.

Caledonia: Or, an Historical and Topographical Account of North Britain, from the Most Ancient to the Present Times, George Chalmers, London, New Ed., Vol. II (1887)
Caledonia, Ibid., New Ed., Vol. IV (1889)

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*  After establishing the earliest generations of the family, Douglas focused entirely on a branch which moved to Edinburgh and settled on the spelling "Lind"; hence, the use of Lind rather than "Lynn" in the title of his book.

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Their Title

Their Title

The next step in establishing the history of this family is to establish their title.  Additional long-held but faulty traditions are that the Lynns lived on the Dalry property merely as vassals of the Boyds and/or were a sept of "Clan Boyd".  To the contrary, not only did the Lynns of that Ilk bear the name Lynn, Lyne, or Lynne before acquiring the Dalry property; they in fact owned that property for some generations before selling it to the Boyds in 1532.  Furthermore, the Boyds were not Lords of Cunningham, the district in which the Lynn barony was situated, until some years after the Lynns sold to the Boyds.

Nevertheless, in order to correctly understand the nature of the Lynns' ownership of the barony, certain premises need to be established.  Primarily, the very title "of that Ilk" proves that: (1) their family's name was indeed Lynn; and (2) they acquired their property directly from the King.  First, as defined by a certain Scottish government website, "Ilk" means "Same, used after surname to indicate person is of the estate of the same name as the family".  Second, as explained by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, the right to bear the title "of that Ilk" was attained only by royal charter directly from the king.  While countless charters of the period in question, including royal charters, either have not survived or have not been made readily available, a few have come to light just in recent years and offer the hope of eventually discovering that charter by which the Lynns obtained their title.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/of-that-ilk
The Tartans and the Clans and Families of Scotland
, 8th Edit., Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, Edinburgh and London (1971)

The record as currently established, and in light of the above understandings, proves at least two facts: (1) the Lynns held the barony of Lynn and were Lords thereof for perhaps three centuries, and certainly one, before selling it to the Boyds in 1532; and (2) while conveying the barony to the Boyds, the Lynns retained sixteen acres of the "dominical lands of Lynn", those acres being called Over Lynn and constituting the "mains" of the estate (in all likelihood, that ground now occupied by High Lynn Farm).

The term "dominical lands" is defined as "the mains or principal farm on an estate"; e.g., "dominical lands called Manis [Mains] of Scottistoun" and "Dominical Lands with the Mains of Carriestoun".  Typically, the mains of an estate was built on the higher ground; thus, the definition of the adjective "Over" when used in conjunction with a place name; i.e., "Of places or topographical features: situated higher".

http://www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/morayweb/Scottish%20Terms.htm [Scroll down to "Dominical Lands"]
http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx
 [Search for Ref. Nos. GD3/1/1/60/1 and GD3/1/11/14]
http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/index.html
[Search for "dominical" and see definition 1.]

Following now is a chronology of the Lynns of that Ilk, the Boyds of Kilmarnock to the extent the Boyds had any impact on the Lynns, and the Lords of Cunningham during the relevant period - including data from the existing historical record, citations thereto, and both explanatory and expository notes.

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Chronology

Chronology

  

1204

Walter de Lynne was a relative of Hugh de Morville and his heir to land in Dalry, Ayrshire which became the barony of Lynn.  In addition to Walter, there were three heritors of de Morville lands: Boyle of Kelburne, William de Blair, and William Kerr.

Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, Ibid

Note:  The Gazetteer does not provide documentation, and its accuracy has not been firmly established.  It is supported, however, by the Douglas account and by the following, presumably a son or grandson of this Walter de Lynne ...

 
1296

Wautier de Lynne del counte de Are [Walter of Lynne of Ayrshire] was among the clergy, knights, nobles, and gentry of Scotland who signed the Ragman Roll, essentially making an oath of allegiance to King Edward I of England.  
On the same day, Walter de Lyn sat on a jury before the sheriff of Ayr, holding inquisition as to Lady Elena la Zuche's interests in the Ayrshire town of Irvine.  Walter and the other jurors, as well as the sheriff, are mentioned at the close of the resulting document as having appended their seals thereto.

Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, Vol. II, Edit. Joseph Bain, F.S.A. Scot., London (1884): pp. 206, 216 item 6.

Notes:
 
The very fact that Walter signed the Roll and signed it as being "of Lynne" clearly indicates his status as landowner.  Walter's position is further borne out by English law, which would have prevailed in legal proceedings when the Ragman Rolls were signed: "jurors were generally drawn from the ranks of free men who held property" [Jury, State, and Society in Medieval England, James Masschaele, New York (2008)].  Finally, Walter's position is confirmed by his having a seal - although the Calendar notes, to the lament of Lynns everywhere: "Seals lost". 
 
It is uncertain whether Walter's property was, at this point in time, an actual barony; but some of his fellow jurors bore the family names of those who along with Walter de Lynne were de Morville heritors in Ayrshire: Robert de Boyvil [Boyle], Hugh de Blare [Blair], and Wylliam Ker.  These three surnames would appear again in context with the Lynns in 1315-21, below, along with the surnames of these co-jurors: Petecon [Pitcon] and More [Mure].

There is only one among the inquisition jurors who might have been a Boyd, but that is a mere possibility and has not been proven.  Jurors other than Walter de Lyn were: Huch de Blare, Rauf de Eglynton, Robert de Petecon, Adam de Hom, Rauf Fayrheych, Robert de Boyvil, Adam de la More, Wylliam Ker, William de la More, and Nel de Dunlopp.  Petecon [Pitcon] was owned by the Boyds in 1632, but when they acquired that property is unknown to this author.

1310

Elizabeth Linn, daughter of [blank] Linn of that Ilk in the parish of Dalry, was the wife of Donald Conyngham [Cunningham] of Glengarnock.

History of the County of Ayr: With a Genealogical Account of the Families of Ayrshire, Vol. II, James Paterson, Edinburgh (1852)

Note:  It is telling that the Lynns were designated "of that Ilk" fewer than twenty years after the signing of the Ragman Roll and at least five before the next item of record.

1351-21

By royal charter entered on a roll dated 1315-1321, King Robert I granted to Fergus of Ardrossan "one whole and free barony" comprised of Ayrshire lands which were described therein as "tenant lands of William of Potteconille, Richard de Boyville, Laurence de Mora, Gilbert de Cunyngburghe, William Ker, and Richard de Kelcou" and "all the lands and tenements of Lin [Lynn] within the tenantry of Dalry".

The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland A.D. 1306-1424., New Edition, John Maitland Thomson LL.D., Edinburgh (1882)

Notes

Potteconille is Pitcon, Boyville is Boyle, Mora is Mure, Cunyngburghe questionably is Cunningham, Ker clearly is Kerr, and Kelcou is Kelso.  The names Boyle and Mure later appeared among tenants in the barony of Lynn, and a much later William Kelso was a burgess of Ayr.
 
The name of the new barony was not set out in this charter but likely was "Lynn".  If the 1852 Gazetteer is correct, the original Lynn property was itself an existing barony and was simply incorporated into the new and larger barony by charter to Fergus.
 
Several questions arise from the 1315-21 transaction.  Exactly who was Fergus, and what became of him and his heirs?  Was it one of his progeny, or one of the Lynns of that Ilk, who was described as the Laird of Lyne in one document dated 1385 ... or was Fergus himself in fact a Lynn?  The name Fergus - a rather uncommon forename among Scots of the period - does appear in one later branch of the Lynns of that Ilk.  Furthermore, only one mention of Fergus or anyone designated "of Ardrossan" appears in extracts of medieval period documents at the National Archives of Scotland.  Finally, if Fergus was of another family entirely, exactly when and in what manner did the barony of Lynn revert to the Lynns of that Ilk?  Was it by the extinction of Fergus's line?  The next date on which a Lynn was described as Lord thereof is 1452, but several notable events occurred in the interim ...

1363

On 10 December, Robert - later, King Robert II - was Stewart of Scotland, Earl of Stratherne, and Lord of Cunningham.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx  [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/1/64/1]

Note:  The Lord of Cunningham, who would have had jurisdiction over all lands in that district, was then the Prince, a Stewart.

1385

The Laird of Lyne in Dalry rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for a reddendo of one silver penny.  "Reddendo" is defined by a Scots language dictionary as "the duty, either in money, kind or service, to be paid by a vassal to a superior as set forth in a feu-charter".

Scots Peerage Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Vol. IV, Edit. Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms, Edinburgh (1907)

http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/index.html

Note:  While no first name was recorded for the 1385 Laird of Lyne, a 1452 document clearly establishes the Lynns themselves as then Lords thereof.  First, however ...

1451-54

Sometime during these years, Robert Boyd was created a Peer of Parliament, being called thereafter "Lord Boyd" and taking his seat in Parliament in 1454.

Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, Vol. II, George Edward Cokayne, London (1912)

Note:  The date on which Robert Boyd became Lord Boyd can be further narrowed by a 1452 charter of "Robert Boide, lord of Kilmarnock and of Dalry".  That charter is of particular interest when compared to the following 1452 Lynn charter, which predates the Boyd charter by nearly four months ...

1452

On the last day of February, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, granted a charter for Heleiss [Highlees] in Ayrshire to the Hunters of Hunterston.

Some Family Papers of the Hunters of Hunterston, Edit. M. S. Shaw, W. S., Edinburgh (1925)

Note:  Given the definition of "Lord of that Ilk", it cannot be doubted that Andrew Lynn was Lord of the barony of Lynn.  However, a substantial portion of the barony soon would be conveyed by the newly created Lord Boyd to another Robert Boyd, apparently residing in Lynn ...

1452

On 15 June, the King confirmed the charter of Robert Boide, lord of Kilmarnock and of Dalry, by which Robert conveyed to Robert Boide of Lyn one-third of Lynn.

The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland A.D. 1424-1513, James Balfour Paul, Edinburgh (1882)

Notes:
Lynn was known as a "town and territory" at least as early as 1522 (and apparently before), as described in one charter of that date [http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx   [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/8/11/1].
In his 1452 charter, Lord Boyd asserted lordship over not only Kilmarnock but also Dalry, the parish in which the barony of Lynn was situated, and transferred a substantial part of the barony to a kinsman of his own.  The conveyance is reminiscent of a less than favorable description of Lord Boyd in Norman MacDougall's biography of King James III.

1466-76

In the former year, Lord Boyd, through political maneuvering, took sole guardianship of then six-year-old King James III.  Boyd subsequently married the king's sister to his own son, Thomas Boyd.  James was not pleased with Boyd's grasping at power and, after attaining majority, had Boyd tried and convicted of treason in the latter year.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Ed., Vol. IV, Cambridge (1910).

Note:  As a result of his downfall, Boyd lost his title and lands.

1479

On 31 May, James Stewart, son of King James III, was Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of Cunningham, and Stewart of Scotland.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx   [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/1/41/11]

Note:  The Lord of Cunningham continued to be of the royal household of the Stewarts.

1484

On 8 August, James Stewart, son of King James III, continued as Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of Cunningham, and Stewart of Scotland.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx  [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/1/63/5]

Note:  While the Lynns continued to have possession of the "mains" or manor place of the barony during this period, they later were reinstated to or confirmed as owners of the barony in its entirety by Hugh Montgomery, Earl of Eglinton ...

1508

On 20 January, Hugh Montgomery was made Earl of Eglinton.  On 31 May, John Lyn, as heir of his father Andrew Lyn, received from Hugh Montgomerie, Earl of Eglintone, sasine for lands of Lynn and Heleis [Highlees].

A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire, Vol. I, John Burke, Esq., London (1832)

Hunter Family Papers, Ibid.

Note:  A sasine essentially was a deed, being the document by which the giving of possession of a property was legally recorded.  Further ...

1522

John Lynn of that Ilk gave a charter to John Lyne of Bourtreehill and Jonet Montgomery, his spouse, for sixteen acres of the dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll, all situated in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham, and sheriffdom of Ayr.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx  [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/8/11/1]

Note:  Here, the Lynns continued as owners of the mains of the barony of Lynn.  In ten years more, however, a portion of the barony was actually sold to the Boyds, who by this time had regained favor ...

1532

On 11 May of this year, King James V confirmed a charter of "Johannis Lyn [John Lynn] de Croftfute" by which Lyn for a sum of money to him paid, sold to Thomas Boyd, brother of Robert Boyd of Kilmarnock, his heirs and assigns, forty-shilling land of the "old extent" [under former valuation] of Lyn in the dominion of Kilmarnock, Cunningham, County Ayr.

The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland A.D. 1513-1546, James Balfour Paul, F.S.A. Scot., and John Maitland Thomson, M.A., Advocates, Edinburgh (1883)

Notes
 
While selling forty shillings of the barony of Lynn, the family continued to retain the sixteen acres of dominical lands thereof, later called Over Lynn, as seen in records listed below.
 
Notably, the 1532 charter is the only known reference to anyone in the family being "of Croftfute" while more than two dozen documents prove that the family had taken up residence at Ayrshire's medieval estate of Bourtreehill 26 years earlier (in 1506) and continued therein for another 74 years (until 1606).  One notable document is a 1550 deed which describes John Lynn as "John Lyn of that ilk and Lord of Bourtreehill" [
Ref. No. GD3/1/8/1/5 (Montgomery family papers) at the website of the NAS].
 
However, the Lynns, like many of the gentry, did own several properties concurrently.  Croftfute has been identified as Croft Foot, which lies less than four miles northeast of Bourtreehill and apparently was a second residence at the time John sold to Thomas Boyd.

1540

On 3 June, James Stewart, son of King James V, was Prince of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of Kyle, Cunningham, and Kilmarnock, Baron of Renfrew, and Stewart of Scotland.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx  [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/1/64/15]

Note:  Here, eight years after the Lynns sold to the Boyds, a prince of the Stewart household was called Lord not only of Cunningham but also of Kilmarnock.

1583

Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] gave sasine to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent, for dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr.

http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx  [Search for Ref. No. GD3/1/8/11/3]

Note:  Nine other documents dated between 1550 and 1592 indicate that Laurence Lyn, like his father John, was "of Bourtreehill"; and yet he continued to hold the mains of the barony of Lynn.

1609

Andrew Lynn was proprietor of Overtynn [sic] in Ayrshire.

History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton, Vol. III - Cuninghame, James Paterson, Edinburgh (1866)

Note:  Overlynn or Over Lynn is the name then given to the manor place of the fomer barony of Lynn.

1641

On 10 April, James Boyd was served heir of the eighth Lord Boyd.  Shortly thereafter, Andrew Lynn, as heir to his father John Lynn in the forty-shilling land of Over-Lynn and twenty-shilling land of Highlees, received a charter for said lands from the new Lord Boyd.

History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton, Vol. III, Ibid.

Note:  This charter to Andrew Lynn is the earliest known record held by the National Archives of Scotland in which the Boyds had jurisdiction over lands in Cunningham.

1643

On 10 November, Andrew Lin vested his future spouse, Ann Blair, daughter of Gavin Blair of Auldmuir, in the forty-shilling land of Over-Lynn.  Sasine was registered in Ayrshire this date.

Index to the Secretary's Register of Sasines for the Sheriffdom of Ayr and Bailliaries of Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham, Vol. 2, 1635-1660, Scotland Record Office, Edinburgh (1935).

1657

Andrew Lin of Over Lin and Ann Blair, his spouse, held sasine.

Index to Secretary's Register of Sasines for the Sheriffdom of Ayr and Bailliaries of Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham, Vol. 2: 1635-1660, Scotland Record Office, Edinburgh (1935)

1659

Andrew Lin of Over Lin held sasine.

Index to Secretary's Register, Ibid.

1670

Andrew Lin of that Ilk, indweller [resident] of Irvine, Ayrshire, died about this year; his testament was registered in Glasgow in 1671.

Commissariot Record of Glasgow. Register of Testaments 1547-1800, Edit. Francis J. Grant, W.S., Rothesay Herald and Lyon Clerk, Edinburgh (1901)

Note:  With the death of Andrew, the Lynns ceased to be known as "of that Ilk".  See Lynns of Londonderry, Donegal, and Tyrone.

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Conclusion

Conclusion

Thus it is shown that: (1) the Lynns of that Ilk, or Lords of Lynn, owned the lands or barony of Lynn at least as early as 1296; and (2) even when they sold to the Boyds in 1532, they retained possession of the manor place for another century more.  It is hoped that future research may yet reveal the precise date the Lynns first acquired the Lynn property.

By 1609, men who appear to be cadets or younger sons of the family had settled in Counties Londonderry, Donegal, and Tyrone in Northern Ireland as part of the first plantation of Ulster. William Lynne, gentleman, is found there in 1609.  He was accompanied, or soon followed, by John Lynn and David Lynn, at least one and probably both of whom were William's brothers.  The seventeenth century history of these Ulster Lynns is outlined, with sources, at Ulster Chronology.

The migration to Ulster accounts in part for the "extinction" of the Lynns of that Ilk in Ayrshire - sixty years after their departure, the chief of the family who remained in Ayrshire died without issue.  His property passed to William Blair, presumably a relative of his wife, Ann Blair [Hunter Family Papers, Ibid.].

The entire known history of the Lynns of that Ilk constitutes 29 pages of the 500-page book "Lynneage - The Lynns, Linns, and Linds of Scotland and Ulster".  Also included are 16 pages of the history of Lynns of Londonderry, Donegal, and Tyrone and 13 pages about Lynns elsewhere in Ulster, with the remainder of the book taken up with other Lynns of Scotland.  While the book is now out of print, it is available on CD.  See also Endorsements.

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maps of the various lynn properties

Lynn, including the former barony and all its parts:
High Lynn (formerly Over Lynn; before that, Burnside and Lynn Knoll), as well as

Lynn Glen, Lynn Falls, and some portion of the present village of Dalry
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=228492&Y=649002&A=Y&Z=115

Lynn and Merksworth Avenues, in the village of Dalry
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=229245&Y=649180&A=Y&Z=110

Baidland, northwest of Lynn
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=226897&Y=650282&A=Y&Z=115

Highlees, south of Dundonald
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=236980&Y=633830&A=Y&Z=120

Bourtreehill, in the east of Irvine
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=234510&Y=639505&A=Y&Z=120 

Loretta ~ 2010, 2019

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Gate to Lynn Manor

Andrew Lynn and Ann Blair

Margaret Lynn Lewis and
The Valley Manuscript


Widney-Woodney-Udny

Lynns of Londonderry,
Donegal, and Tyrone


Lynn or Linn?

  Dr. William Lynn
of Ulster and Virginia


Bard Pa Lein of Norway -
A Word of Caution


Lynn History - Main

   

Scenes from the
 
 
Barony of Lynn

The Caaf Water        Rocks on the Caaf Water        Lynn Glen        More Rocks on the Caaf Water        The Caaf Water

For details and additional photographs of the Barony of Lynn, see house-of-lynn.com/LandsOfLynn

    

U P

House of Lynn

Contact

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