Chapter 1

Robert Boyd and Betsy Inglis

1797 – 1880

“Auld Kyle I’ll never see again”

Robert Boyd

O
ne of the very few incontrovertible facts about the early life of Robert Boyd is
that he was born in Ayrshire in 1797. 1 Every biographical source repeats this
basic information. Establishing a more precise location within Ayrshire has,
however, been difficult to determine because both Robert Boyd and his biographers
in various publications do not offer any additional information. In fact, the only clue
that can be found is in a single line of one of the several poems that Robert Boyd
wrote during his years in Canada.2

But oh! I fear sic hopes are vain;

Auld Kyle I’ll never see again;
Weel, since its sae, I’ll here remain
Anither year yet,
I may be blessed, for a’ that’s gane
Wi’ routh o’ gear yet.3

Kyle is the middle district of Ayrshire and is forever associated with Robbie Burns as
the first line of his poem Rantin, Rovin, Robin … “there was a lad born in Kyle.”

The District Of Kyle

Today Kyle forms part of East and South Ayrshire bordered by the districts of
Cunninghame and Clydesdale and to the south by the county of Carrick while to the
west is located the Firth of Clyde. In medieval times the districts of Cunninghame,
Kyle and Carrick were brought together to form Ayrshire. HRH Prince Charles holds
the title “Lord of Kyle” which was passed down to him through the Stewart Kings of
Scotland. In the 19th century there were 21 parishes in Kyle the largest of which in
1801 was Ayr the shire town with a population of 5492 and the smallest Dalrymple
with a population of 380. The district of Kyle was described by the General Report of

1
Historical Atlas of Wellington County 1906. Historical Atlas Publishing Company, Toronto.
Reprinted 1972 by Mika Silk Screening, Belleville, Ontario. 16.
2
A collection of Robert Boyd’s poems can be found in The Poems of Robert Boyd 1791-1880
edited with an introduction by Robert W White. This is an unpublished manuscript but a copy
is held by the Guelph Public Library and another by the Wellington County Archives and
Museum.
3
Robert W White ed. The Poems of Robert Boyd 1797-1880. The Bachelor in his Shanty, p.
45.
Scotland4 as consisting of 380 sq. miles with a population of 75 inhabitants to the
square mile..

A search of the Old Parish Records for Kyle did not uncover any information that
could be convincingly advanced as a birth record for our Robert Boyd.5 The name
Boyd is common and the full name of Robert

4
General Report of Scotland, Appendix, Volume 1. Edinburgh, 1814.
5
Official Government Source for Scottish Genealogy, Census and Family Research –
Scotland’s People. 23 Jan. 2008 http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/.
Boyd just as KYLE
common.
The Parish of
Ochiltree
located in
Kyle had a
possible
candidate
born on the
22nd
November
1796 to John
Boyd and a
Margaret
Howat.6The
year of birth
is, of course,
incorrect but
it would not
be
unrealistic,
given the
month of
November in
1796, for
Boyd to
state his

year of birth as 1797. Robert Boyd’s only son was

named John and this is in keeping with Scottish
Ayrshire
naming practices whereby the first son is named for
www.railscot.co.uk/newmaps/ayrshire.htm
the paternal grandfather. The eldest daughter was
Margaret born in 1841 and presumably named for her
maternal grandmother, Margaret Lockie. This is not
an unreasonable supposition although it should also
be taken into account that many births were not

6
Extract of entries, Parish of Ochiltree, County of Ayr, Register of Births and Baptisms, 27
November 1796, 143068, General Register Office, New Register House, Edinburgh, 22 March
2006.
registered with the parish authorities and, given this
District fact, there may be no record of
of Kyle
7
the birth of Robert Boyd.

Ayrshire in the Early 19th Century

The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volume
III published in London in 1833 offers an interesting although unflattering
description of Ayrshire.

Till about the middle of the last century the agriculture of

Ayrshire was in a wretched condition. There was scarcely a
practicable road; the farmer’s houses were mere hovels; the
lands were overrun with weeds and rushes. The arable farms
were small, for the tenants had not stock for larger occupations;
the tenure was bad and the tenant harassed by a multitude of
vexatious services to the landlord . The land, divided into the
croft or infield and outfield, was either neglected or worn out by
successive crops of oats, as long as they would pay for seed
and labour, or by an ill managed rotation of two or three
successive crops of oats, one of bear (or four-rowed barley),
followed by a year of rest. The wretched condition of the
country may be judged by the fact, that little butchers’ meat
was used by farmers, except a portion salted at Martinmas for
winter stock; porridge, oatmeal cakes, and some milk or cheese,
constituted the chief of their diet.8

The entry does not go on to suggest that agricultural conditions had improved a
great deal by the time of the publication of The Penny Cyclopaedia . It is indicated
that manufacturing was of considerable importance in Ayrshire with fuel and
building materials being readily obtainable. “The vicinity of Glasgow and Paisley
seems to have given impulse to improvement. The woolen manufacture has long
been established; and bonnets and serges [sic] were made early in Kilmarnock.”9
The entry also mentions the manufacture of linen and cotton goods and states that
roads by the early 19th century were considerably improved reaching “in almost
every direction in which they are wanted.” The Penny Cyclopaedia speaks well of
the inhabitants of Ayrshire.

The character of the people at the present day indicates their

descent from zealous Presbyterians. They are remarkable for
their regard for religion, their decency, and good conduct.
Burn’s Cotters Saturday Night may be regarded as descriptive
of the manners of many of those in humble life.10

7
See Appendix A for the details regarding John Boyd and Margaret Howat in the Old Parish
Records for Ochiltree.
8
The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volume III,
London, 1833, p. 195.
9
Ibid., 196.
10
Ibid., 197.
The Early Life of Robert Boyd

Little is known of the early life of Robert Boyd or of the particular motivations that
caused him to leave his beloved Scotland at the age of 33 years. He was certainly
old enough to have had some considerable experience of life in his native land and
a good understanding of his future prospects. The Ayrshire described by the Penny
Cyclopaedia offered little future to a landless single man if in fact he had not
already been married and perhaps lost his wife. In spite of poor conditions in the
early 19th century Ayrshire it is difficult to conjure up an image of Robert Boyd as a
destitute and homeless man who was unwillingly forced into a leaky ship to cross
the Atlantic into the wilds of Canada. This emigration was probably an act of free
will and quite possibly a great adventure. It must be assumed that by 1830 there
were no longer family ties to hold him back in that there are no references in any of
his poems to mother, father or siblings dear left behind. We shall see later in this
chapter that he could not have been destitute as it was required that he pay for his
passage as well as for the land he purchased from the Canada Company.

That he came from a rural agricultural background is expressed in his poem The
Herd Laddie where he states in the first stanza:

When I was a wee boy and herded the cows,

And row’d in my plaid on the bonny green knowes,
Listening the laverock’s sang mang the cluds,
And the sweet gush o’ music that rang through the woods,
Whiles catching trouts, bauldly harrying bikes,
And seeking birds’ nests ‘mang the whins and the dykes,
Amidst all my sports light-hearted and glad aye,
And few were the cares o’ the wee herd laddie.11

It seems unlikely that he was still herding sheep at the age of 33 and more likely
that he was faced by the stark reality that he was never going to own sufficient land
in a rapidly changing agricultural economy to make a decent living. The alternative,
equally unpalatable, was taking employment in the manufacturing sector of his
native Ayrshire where working and living conditions were, at best, miserable. He
was single, apparently educated and with sufficient means to opt for the prospect of
a new and better life in Canada. Because he was literate he had, no doubt, studied
the literature put forward by various emigration schemes including that of the
Canada Company. In the post Napoleonic world of early 19th century Britain
emigration was increasingly viewed by government as a necessary and practical
solution to difficult economic times so there would have been little official
discouragement. There were already many Scots who had settled on the land in
Upper Canada and many would have passed on favourable comments about this
experience. Potential emigrants, and particularly men like Robert Boyd, who were
literate relied on letters sent back to Scotland by relatives and friends already in
Canada, as well as on a variety of guidebooks and pamphlets offering advice.

11
The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 24.
 The reasons for leaving one’s homeland for foreign
lands12 were never clear cut and it is difficult to
generalize. The dream of owning land with the
possibility of bettering oneself financially, not to
mention socially, was a powerful incentive. In 19th
century Scotland this was difficult to achieve but in
Upper Canada it was possible. In Scotland in the
1830s displacement from traditional employment
was part of the industrial and agricultural revolution
which had begun in the 1750s and was reaching its
zenith by the middle of the 19th century. It mattered
not if a man was a weaver, tenant farmer or a farm
hand there was increasing unemployment. The
Scottish Diaspora of this period is not, however, to
be confused with the terrible famine of the 1840s
which impacted the Irish population so severely and
resulted in a large number of impoverished and
illiterate Irish immigrants to Canada.

Robert Boyd and the Scottish Educational

System

In the brief biographical statements that are provided for Robert Boyd it is usually
stated that he received a 'liberal education' in Scotland. This term implies that he
was the beneficiary of a well rounded education that included a great deal more
than basic literacy. We do not know how many years of education he had or where
this took place but his poetry speaks for itself. It suggests an inquiring mind and a
solid grounding in the use of the English language albeit expressed in very Scottish
dialect. Robert Boyd's connection with, Henry Scott Riddell13, the Scottish clergyman
who shared with Boyd a common interest in the poetic talents of Scotland's greatest
bard, Robert Burns, offers another small piece of evidence that both men shared a
common educational background possibly at St Andrews College or at Edinburgh
University where Riddell14 had been educated.

12
Canada was probably viewed as less foreign than many other areas because there was
such a long history of Scottish immigration to this part of British North America.
13
Henry Scott Riddell (September 23, 1798 - 1870) was a Scottish poet and songwriter. In the
"Scottish Orpheus" a collection of songs of Scotland by Adam Hamilton he is credited with
writing "Scotland Yet" and "The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow". He is of particular interest to us
because of his friendship with Robert Boyd. The evidence of this friendship is in the form of a
letter written to Boyd in 1859 and carried by hand of Thomas Laidlaw to Canada. This letter
on its original paper was preserved in the family and passed from generation to generation.
It is currently in the Wellington County Archives where it was donated so that it could be
preserved. The letter from Riddell was a response to a letter written by Robert Boyd and
carried to Scotland by Laidlaw. It is clear from the context of Riddell’s letter that the two
men were great friends and shared a common interest in Scottish songs and poems. Riddell
was educated at Biggar, St Andrews College and at Edinburgh University where he prepared
to be a clergyman.
14
See Appendix B – Letter from Henry Scott Riddell to Robert Boyd.
The advances in education in Scotland can be attributed in part to the Scottish
Enlightenment which began in the 18th century. One of the most important aspects
of this intellectual renaissance was that by the end of the century most of the
population of Scotland were literate and the educational system was superior to
that of England and most European countries. The impact of the enlightenment on
the world cannot be understated as the Scottish Diaspora carried educated Scots to
the far corners of the British Empire and beyond into many other countries around
the world. Canada was a particular beneficiary of the Scottish educational system as
many of the 19th century leaders in politics, business and education not to mention
medicine and science were displaced Scots.

By the end of the 18th century it was a legal

requirement that there was to be a school in very
Scottish parish. The onus for provision of school
as well as schoolmaster was on the landowners of
the area. Fees were to be paid by the parents of
all students to the schoolmaster but those who could not afford the fee were not
turned away but rather depended on the kirk session15 which was responsible for
poor relief. An important feature of the parish school was the fact that for the most
part the children of the landowners mixed with those of the poorest tenant farmer.
The historian Lawrence Stone stated that "for a brief period in the late 18th century
Scotland enjoyed the largest elementary system, one of the best classical systems,
and the best university system in Europe, all catering for an unusually wide range of
social classes.”16

The first function of the school was religious

John Galt instruction but this requirement easily translated
www.nndb.com/people/599/00 itself into basic literacy without which it would have
0104287/
been difficult to achieve this goal. A typical Scottish
child entered the system at the age of five although
this varied from parish to parish as well as from family to family. School days could
be as long as twelve hours and school was often carried on six days a week. In
many of the larger and more prosperous parishes the schoolmaster was able to
respond to a demand for an expanded curriculum which might include Latin, Greek
and mathematics. An expanded curriculum worked to the advantage of the
schoolmaster who could demand higher fees and to the student of any social class
who could obtain entrance to a Scottish university sometimes by the age of fifteen
or even younger. This provision, while by no means universal, provided a means
whereby the social ladder could be scaled by children that did not have the
advantage of wealth or social status. It also worked to the advantage of the Scottish
church through the creation of a pool of clergymen, there being few other
occupations available to a well educated young Scot.

15
The Kirk Session was an ecclesiastical court in Scotland composed of the minister and
elders of a parish, subject to the Presbytery of the district.
16
Robert David Anderson, Education and the Scottish People, 1750-1918, ( Oxford University
Press, 1995), 1.
The Canada Company

The Canada Company was established in 1825 by, John Galt, a Scottish novelist who
passionately believed in a system of settlement that would meet both the needs of
the investors of the company and the immigrant. Galt was originally hired by a
group of Upper Canadian farmers who had suffered losses during the war of 1812.
He was asked to plead their case for compensation to the British Parliament but had
not managed to make much headway. It was from this experience that he came up
with the idea of a land company that would buy and sell land with the profits used
to compensate Canadian Claimants of
the 1812 war. The stated aim of the Canada Company was to acquire and settle
land in Canada and to this end it purchased over a million acres between Lake
Huron and Lake Ontario an area which became known as the Huron tract.
The

condition of sale of this vast tract of land to the company was contingent on
bringing out settlers who would remain and develop the land. There was nothing
Memorandum
particularly new about ofthis
Canada Company
concept but in Sale for 100 Acre
this instance Lot in the
the Canada Huron was
Company
Tract, 1838
looking for men of some means as it intended to sell the land at fair market value. It
E.W. Banting Collection – Toronto Public Library
was left unsaid, but it was the plan, that the cost of this land would be increased
Ontario History Quest - http://ohq.tpl.toronto.on.ca/
over time as the company built roads and provided infrastructure to support rural
communities that grew up around small towns.

The Canada Company purchased 1,000,000 acres of the Huron Tract, all land that
was designated Crown Reserve, at 3s 6p per acre at a total cost of £2,484,413 to be
paid back over a period of twenty years.17 The Canada Company’s first major project
was to settle the Township of Guelph. This township comprised one of the largest
vacant blocks of land remaining within trading distance of York.18 Galt established
sales offices in York and was quickly overwhelmed by offers to purchase land. By
1827 a road was under construction to the site where he proposed to establish the
town of Guelph. The project was followed by the construction of buildings within the
town site for the use of blacksmiths, bakers, wagon makers and other small support
businesses. By August of 1827 thirty lots had been sold although progress after that
point was slow. In keeping with Galt’s plan the price of land rose steadily between
1827 and 1828 as improvements were made to the township. These prices quickly
increased even further when it was found that income was insufficient to cover
company expenses. The issue of expenses soon cost Galt his job as the company
directors did not all share his enthusiasm for the provision of roads, saw mills, grist
mills brick kilns and other support services.

A company circular released in February, 1828 stated that “an agriculturist of

industrious habits may in all cases, and more especially if he have some capital
wherewith to begin, look forward to the possession, in a few years, of comfort and
independence as a landed proprietor.”19 To make clear the company’s desire for
immigrants of some means the circular goes on to state that “The company will not
defray, or contribute towards defraying, the expense of embarking emigrants from
the United Kingdom, or of conveying them to their place of location in Canada.”20
This is not to suggest that deals and arrangements were not made to allow early
settlers to pay back some of their debt to the company by working on projects such
as roads and buildings.
Many emigrants did, however, have sufficient means to establish themselves but
this did not make life that much easier. Adam Fergusson, an early occupant of
township land stated that in his first year his costs were:

Chopping or clearing land, ready for sowing, [will cost]

sometimes 12 dollars, or £3 per acre; the first return will be 15
or 20 bushels of wheat, worth at present 5s. [$1.20] per bushel.
The usual mode of clearing timbered land is to cut down

17
In 1791, the Colonial Office and the Government of Upper Canada made the decision to set
aside one-seventh of all unoccupied land as “Clergy Reserve” and an additional one-seventh
as “Crown Reserve”. It was the intent that these lands would be leased rather than sold. The
revenue from the Clergy Reserves was intended to support a “Protestant Clergy”, which for
all practical purposes, was the Church of England. The revenue from the Crown Reserve was
to finance government expenditures. In those areas of Upper Canada where settlement had
not begun, the reserve lands were laid out in a checkerboard pattern so that their value
would be representative of the average value in the township. Obviously, this pattern could
not be followed in areas already settled and to compensate, entire townships had to be set-
aside in new areas to make up for the lack of reserves in settled areas.
18
York later became the city of Toronto.
19
Canada Company Circular, February 1, 1827, copy in the archives of the Guelph Historical
Society.
20
Ibid.
 Canada Company Advertisement – 1847
Http://ohq.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

Elizabeth Andrews, Ellen Elliott: A Pioneer, (Ginn and

Company Ltd., 1972), p.13
 The Guelph Evening and Advertiser, Wednesday, July 20, 1927
LATEST PRICES CURRENT

Ancaster, Dundas, Hamilton and Flamboro’

Gore Gazette Published at Ancaster In 1827 Carried Information
The Canadian £ Requirements
Concerning was worth aboutof four dollarsCompany – Foodstuffs Sold
Canada
at Low prices and £ Whiskys. Quoted
d. at One Shilling and Sixpence
per Gallon
Wheat, cash, per bushel 2 9¾
The following
do Goods, cr on acct… are the terms on which
3 the1 Canada
½ Company will sell lands
Corn………………………….
in the Township of Guelph, from this date 2 until2notice
¼ to the contrary is
Oats………………………….
give by public advertisement. 1 3
Barley………………………. 2 6
1 st
. Town
Rye…………………………… Lots, 40 dollars in cash. Purchasers
2 are
2 ¼required to commence
Black Salys, perfor
preparations cwt…. 12 months,
building, within three 6 and to have their homes
Pot Ashes, within
finished per ton……
12 months of22 10 of0purchase.
the date
Pearl, do. ………………… 22 10 0
2 . Sprf.
Flournd
FarmPer Lots of 25,
bbl. …. or 50 100 acres,18 paid9 in cash, 2 dollars per acre. On
Docredit
fine…………………….
(that is, one fifth in advance, and 3the remainder in four equal
16
Pork,
annual Pr’minstallments,
per bbl. …. with interest),
2 10Two and
0 one half dollars per acre.
Beef, do. ……………….. 2 10 0
3rd. Farm
Butter. Lots
p., lb. from 100 to 200 acres, two
…………. 7 dollars
½ and a half per acre; one
Whiskey, per gallon.. 1 6
third in advance, and the remainder in two years with interest; or two
Tallow…………………….
dollars and a quarter cash. 7½
Bees Wax………………. 1 3
4 Persons purchasing Farm Lots are
th.
Feathers………………… 2 not 2 required
¼ to purchase Town Lots.
Honey……………………. 6
Nor are purchasers of Town Lots required to purchase Farm Lots.
Hay, p. ton…………….. 2 10
5th. Purchasers
Firewood, per cord of Farm Lots are required
5 7to
½commence improvements
thereon within 12 months from the date of purchase. Those who have
purchased Town Lots are not required to build houses on their farms, but
they must, where lots front the road, enclose them with a complete
fence. Those who have not purchased Town Lots are required to
commence preparations for building houses on their farms, within three
months, and to have them finished and inhabited within 12 months from
the date of purchase.

Guelph, 25th Sept. 1827

THOMAS BLAIR HUSBAND
The Guelph Evening Mercury and Advertiser, Wednesday, July 20, 1927
 and burn all the wood of one foot in diameter, and under that.
The larger trees were only girdled. Clearing, in this way, costs
about 8 dollars, or 40s. per acre. When this is done, a crop of
wheat can be harrowed in, to be followed by two or three years
of pasture or hay, when the plough may be used, and, during
Stump Puller

Shanty
 which time, the girdled trees are either cut into fencing stuff or
burnt.21

Robert Boyd was among the early settlers to take up land in the third concession,
Division B of Guelph Township part of which came to be known as the Paisley Block;
Paisley being the place of origin of many of the new inhabitants. He purchased 100
acres consisting of lot 14, concession 3 on the 3rd of November 1830.22 The deed to
this property was granted on full payment by the company in September of 1845.23
The land record states that this was transaction No. 25 and the purchaser was Rob
Boyd.24 He made a down payment of £1525 and the remainder of the purchase price
of £75 was to be paid annually. The record suggests that the company anticipated
an annual payment of £12 for five years although actual payments varied from year
to year.26 There does not appear to be any payment made between 1836 and 1844
but a final payment of £4 2s. 10d, probably of interest on the loan, was made on the
29th of August 1845.27 By 1833 most of the land in Guelph Township had been sold
and the population had increased to nearly 1000. The price of land had risen from
1s. 3d. to nearly 15s. an acre and the Canada Company was making large profits.

Galt had no illusions about the difficulties involved in establishing a viable farm in
an environment that could be unspeakably harsh. He made it clear that this life was
for the young and, he hoped, an educated class of immigrant. He believed that it
was important that settlers were as fully informed as possible about the conditions
that they were to encounter. He pointed out that there was no official source of
information on lands open for settlement, no maps, and no consistent policy of
support and back-up. New arrivals were often dependent on anecdote and
happenstance for information. Galt advised that they should always seek out those
with local knowledge and experience. The system wasn’t perfect and there were

21
Adam Fergusson, Tour in Canada…in 1831 (London, 1833), pp. 281-3. Leo A. Johnson.
History of Guelph (Guelph Historical Society, 1977), p. 30.
22
Canada Company Land Papers, RG CC, 028 031, Archives of Ontario.
23
Ibid.
24
Canada Company Land Papers, No. 25, 3 November 1830, Rob Boyd, MS 729, Archives of
Ontario.
25
The use of money in Upper Canada at this time is confusing because of the overlap
between the British pound and Spanish dollars. A scarcity of British coinage led to the use of
Spanish dollars. The value of these was roughly converted into pounds, shillings and pence.
The York rating of 1 Spanish dollar = 8 shillings was used in Upper Canada, officially until its
outlawing in 1796, and unofficially well into the 19th century. On notes issued by the
chartered banks, denominations were given in dollars as well as in pounds and shillings, with
1 dollar = 5 shillings. Many banks issued notes, starting with the Bank of Montreal in 1817.
In 1841, the Province of Canada adopted the gold standard. Under this system the pound
was equal to 4 U.S. dollars (92.88 grains gold), with the gold sovereign equal to 1 pound 4
shillings 4 pence. Thus, the Canadian pound was worth 16 shillings 5.3 pence sterling.
26
Canada Company Land Papers.
27
Ibid.
those who were disappointed as well as those who were unsuited to the task but
“Galt probably genuinely believed he could combine profit with benevolence.”28

John Kenneth Galbraith, the noted Canadian economist, pays tribute to the
resourcefulness of the Scots immigrant in his book The Non-potable Scotch (1967).
Although his comments relate to settlers from the Scottish Highlands they were
equally applicable to most Scots who arrived to settle in the Huron Tract.

… the Scotch must have displayed a phenomenal capacity

for innovation and adaptation in their farming methods.
The transition from the spare, wet, and treeless crofts of
the Highlands and the Western Isles to the lush forests,
deep soil and strong seasons of the land by the Lake
could scarcely have been more dramatic. It is true that
they had always lived in intimate association with their
cattle and sheep; to understand these in Scotland was to
understand them in Ontario. But the soils, crops, crop
rotation, the insects and plant diseases, the problems of
farm architecture, machinery and drainage, even the
wagon that went to town, were all different. Within a
matter of a few months men made the transition from an
agricultural system in which they were guided by the
experience of centuries to one where a very great deal
depended on a man's capacity to figure things out for
himself or imitate with discrimination those who could.29

Susanna Moodie, the wife of a pioneer in Hastings County, wrote of her experiences
in two books30 that are still read today and are considered to be excellent accounts
of life in early 19th century Upper Canada. In her opinion settlement in Upper
Canada was for “the poor, [but] industrious working man” and “not for the poor
gentleman.”

The former works hard, puts up with coarse, scanty fare, and
submits, with a good grace, to hardships that would kill a
domesticated animal at home. Thus he becomes independent,
inasmuch as the land that he has cleared finds him in the
common necessaries of life; but it seldom, if ever, in remote
situations, accomplishes more than this. The gentleman can
neither work so hard, live so coarsely, nor endure so many
privations as his poorer but more fortunate neighbour.
Unaccustomed to manual labour, his services are not of a
nature to secure for him a profitable return. The task is new to
him, he knows not how to perform it well; and, conscious of his
deficiency, he expends his little means in hiring labour, which
his bush-farm can never repay. Difficulties increase, debts grow

28
Jenni Calder, Scots in Canada, (Edinburgh, Luath Press Ltd., 2003), 60.
29
As quoted in, Scots in Canada, 66.
30
Roughing it in the Bush (1852) and Life in the Clearings versus the Bush (1853).
 upon him, he struggles in vain to extricate himself, and finally
sees his family sink into hopeless ruin.

In her terms Robert Boyd was probably not a gentleman but neither was a poor
working man. He echoes some of her sentiments in his best known poem The
Bachelor in His Shanty.

‘Tis something strange a chiel like me

Should frae his native country flee,
And leave his freens o’ social glee-
And loves sae dear,
And cross the braid Atlantic sea
In quest o’ gear.31

In a subsequent verse in the same poem he states.

A farmer too I’m called by name,

Nay-even a Laird – so much for fame,
Which makes me blush with shame
The truth to tell,
For a’ my craps scarce fill my wame
And nane to sell.32

Some, if not most, of the new settlers to the Huron Tract were not farmers in the
traditional sense although they may have had some experience in an Ayrshire
context but this would not have been easily translatable to Upper Canada. Farming
could not, however begin until the new settler had built a home and cleared land.
Primitive tools combined with little skill in their use made land clearance an almost
overwhelming task. Home construction and land clearance would be followed by the
construction of a barn and the acquisition of livestock. Robert Boyd makes all this
clear in more lines from his poem, The Bachelor in his Shanty.
Twa-three bits o' potato hills,
For stumps are sworn foes to drills
Some pumpkins big as cadger's creels,
Is a' my crop;
For aught I raise, markets and mills
Might a' gie up.

I hear o' farmers bien and braw,

Who're proud their horse and kye to shaw,
And servants ready at their ca',
And this and that;
As for my stock I've only twa--
A dog and cat.

31
The Poetry of Robert Boyd, p. 40.
32
Ibid.
 But if there's breed my collie has 't--
My cat's the real Muskovy cast;
But if the future's like the past,
I fear and dread
We'll soon a' sleep in quiet rest
Among the dead.33

His crops are not for market or mill and his stock consists of a dog and cat,
although, we are assured that they are well bred..

Galt found himself increasingly at odds with the directors of the Canada Company
regarding the creation of a viable town with services for the surrounding farmers.
The shareholders and directors wanted the sale of land at the best price obtainable
thereby driving up the value of the company’s shares on the London stock market.
This conflict evolved into a bitter quarrel and eventually led to Galt’s dismissal from
his position as manager He died April 11, 1839.

The Marriage and Family of Robert Boyd

Robert Boyd entered a marriage bond with Elizabeth (Betsy) Ingles34 on the 8th of
August 1840.35 In Upper Canada the groom was required obtain the assurance of
one or two people who were well known to him and who were prepared to
guarantee to the Crown that no legal impediment to the marriage existed. Once a
bond was obtained a license could be issued and the marriage would follow a few
days later.

Elizabeth or Betsy Inglis was the daughter of Robert Boyd’s neighbour John Inglis
and his wife Margaret Lockie.36 Betsy was born on the 6th of October 1811 in
Bowden, Roxburghshire.37Robert Boyd was now 43 years of age and his bride to be
29 an age most young women would already have been married. As for Rob Boyd
he had, no doubt, been searching for a wife for some time without much luck. A
further verse or two from his poem A Bachelor in His Shanty covers this point.

Last week my humble suit I paid

To bonnie, smirking Maggie Shade;

33
Ibid.
34
Betsy’s last name is more frequently spelled Inglis. This family will be discussed in more
detail in a subsequent chapter.
35
Upper Canada Marriage Bonds, Guelph Township, Wellington District, RG 5 B9, Vol. 40,
7646, 1840-08-08, C-6790, Library and Archives of Canada.
36
The Inglis/Lockie families will be discussed in more detail in a subsequent chapter.
37
Old Parish Registers of Scotland, A daughter Betsy was born to John Inglis/Margaret Lockie
FR184 06/10/1811 in Bowden (783/000001). Scotland’s People,
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.
 She seem'd to list to what I said,
But mark, ye fates,
Straightway wi' guessing Sam she fled
Aff to the States.

Anither lass wi' witchin e'e,

I tauld my love forth frank and free,
She pointed to my shanty wee
And bauld and crouse,
Said, "Ere ye get the like o' me,
Get a new house.38

He is certainly depressed by his failure to find a suitable mate and longs for his
home in Scotland.

To me it seems there's nae relief

Frae ills that bring me muckle grief,
A sma' respite, however brief,
Would raise my spirit;
But mischief following mischief---
'Tis hard to bear it.

Oh! were I on my native hills,

'Mong speaking rocks and prattling rills,

38
The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 44.
 Where sweet remembrace, painting, fills
Robert and Betsy
The mind and eyeBoyd
With early scenes that touching thrills
The heart with joy.39

He believes that his fortunes in the matrimonial sphere would be much improved
back in Scotland.

There 'mang those scenes where maids are rife,

I'd choose myself a virtuous wife,
And live contented, foes to strife,
Aye crouse and canty;
But ne'er again would trust my life
In any shanty.

In Per Contra a sequel to The Bachelor in His Shanty he presents a much improved
outlook on life presumably after 1840 and his marriage to Betsy Inglis.

Now, my good frien's, these tidings hear:

Of all my ills I'm maistley clear;
I've got a wife whom I lo'e dear--
A thrifty quean.
She mends my claes, and guides the gear,
And keeps me clean.

Now, I haud up my head fu' crouse,

My shanty down, I've got a house;
I lead a happy life and douce
And weel respecit,
And hae nae fear o' thievin' mouse
Or yelpin cricket.

I've sheep and oxen, horse and kye,

And fat pigs gruntin' in the stye,
And mony ither things forbye,
That lighten cares;
Nae langer noo the wolves come nigh,
Or hungry bears.

All you in this Dominion wide

With puirtith's ills are sorely tried,
Haud up your heads in manfu pride
And dreams o' plenty;
And think on me, your freen', Rab Boyd,
And his wee shanty.40

39
Ibid.
40
Ibid.
Three children were born to this marriage, Margaret about 184141, Helen about
184342, and John Inglis, 2 December 184643. The 1871 Census for Guelph Township
shows all three children still at home with their father but Betsy Boyd passed away
in 1870.44 There is also a servant as well as a labourer. Neither Margaret nor Helen45
married. Helen who predeceased both her mother and father was described as
“deaf and dumb” in the 1861 Census for Canada West, Guelph.46 This, of course, is
an archaic term but there is no other information. She died in Guelph Township at
the young age of 36 years. The death record does not indicate the cause of death.47

The passing of Betsy Boyd in 1870 must have been a cruel blow and unanticipated
given her age of 59. There is no indication of the cause of death. The following
verses provide some insight into the desolation felt by her loss.

Thoughts Suggested On Visiting The Grave Of My Departed Wife

_______

Inclosed within this narrow swound

Lies here one fondly loved and dear
To me tis sacred hallowed ground
And claims the habit of a tear.

How sad to think this turf beneath

Lies one I've clasped within my arms
Now in the cold embrace of death
Whom no kind feeling ever warms.

How does she know that here I bend

Above this lowly piece of earth
One she confessed her dearest friend

41
Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1934. MS 935, 496 reels. Archives of
Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869-1934
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data:
Margaret Boyd.
42
Ibid. Helen Boyd.
43
Ancestry.com. 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta [database on-
line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Library and
Archives Canada. Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906. Ottawa, Canada: Library and
Archives Canada. RG31, T-18353 to T-18363. Town of Medicine Hat, sub district 37, p. 16.
44
Ontario, Canada Census Index, 1871, [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations
Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Ontario, Canada. 1871 Canada Census. Ottawa, Canada:
Library and Archives Canada. Microfilm, Division 3, C-9945, p. D.
45
Some references show her name as Ellen but this must be an error.
46
1861 Canada West Census, Guelph, C-1083.
47
Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1934. MS 935. Helen Boyd.
Who knew and own'd her peerless worth.

She cares not know for winters cold

Nor does she feel the summers heat
No sun illumes death's dreary fold
No friends in social converse meet.
7 London Road, Guelph, Ontario – The Home Owned by Robert Boyd
 Woodlawn Cemetery
Guelph, Ontario
Block G, Area 84, AC, Row 6, #37
In Memory of Robert Boyd
Who Died
January 31, 1880
Aged
80 Years

Also his wife

Betsy Inglis
Who Died
August 30, 1870
Aged
59 Years

Natives of Scotland
 The spring again with joy shall come
And flowers will bloom and birds will sing
No vernal warmth doth cheer the tomb
Here comes no loving voice of spring.

Her friends, her neighbors lie around

But not a word by them is said
No tales are told beneath this ground
No kindly visits here are paid.

They laugh not neither do they weep

No one at crosses here repines
Their rest is one unbroken sleep

In Memory of Margaret
Who died
June 16, 1894
Aged
54 Years

Also

Helen
Who died
April 16, 1878
Aged
36 Years

Daughters of
Robert and Betsy Boyd
 They wake not when the morning shines.48

Margaret Boyd died in Guelph in 1894 of “cancer of the womb.”49 leaving her
brother John who was her heir and executor of her will.

The Poetry of Robert Boyd

The original manuscript for many of these poems was written on foolscap and
passed through four generations of the family before the general state of the paper
required that it be donated to an archives.50 Many of these poems were later found
published in a small anthology titled Selections From Scottish Canadian Poets
published by the Caledonian Society of Toronto in 1900 edited by Dr. Daniel Clarke.
This book was discovered by chance in the Vancouver Public Library. It is interesting
that there were no original manuscripts for any of the poems collected by the
Caledonian Society. It is possible that they were submitted to the publishers and
never returned. The poetry of Robert Boyd was also from time to time quoted in
local newspapers in the Guelph area. The poem which was most frequently
reproduced, at least in part, was The Bachelor In His Shanty. The Guelph Daily
Mercury of June 19, 1906 quotes much of this poem. This poem was again
reproduced in The Guelph Evening Mercury and Advertiser on Wednesday, July 20,
1927. One of Robert Boyd's poems, Song For The Backwoodsman, was discovered in
an anthology called The Poetry of the Canadian People 1720-1920, Two Hundred
Years of Hard Work edited by N. Brian Davis. It is not certain where Mr. Davis
located this particular poem but he tells us that many of the works in his anthology
were gleaned from old Canadian newspapers.

For the most part, Robert Boyd wrote with a fine legible hand notable for bold and
rounded strokes of the pen. Some of the sheets of poetry were quite faded and
these presented problems but the greatest difficulty encountered was reading and
correctly recopying some of the Scots dialect. Robert Burns wrote in the Ayrshire
dialect of Scots with some English mixed in and this seems to be the dialect
favoured by Robert Boyd and many other poets of the Paisley Block area. Today, as
well as in Robert Boyd’s day, common speech in lowland Scotland varied from
speaker to speaker and in the case of the poet probably depended on the audience.
It is not clear when the manuscripts were written or if they represented an attempt
to recopy poems written over the course of Robert Boyd's life. In several places
there are deletions and corrections which would suggest that at the time of writing
he was still refining his work.

48
Ibid., p. 26.
49
Registrations of deaths, 1869-1934, Archives of Ontario, MS 935, Margaret Boyd.
50
The manuscripts are held bythe Wellington County Museum Archives not far from the city
of Guelph.
A reading of the poetry suggests that Robert Boyd was a poet of considerable talent
but it is doubtful that this work represents a new Canadian literary discovery. There
are places where the poetry clearly does not work very well but there are also lines
which were a considerable source of delight. Robert Boyd was representative of his
times and of the immigrant group which settled the farms of Upper Canada in the
early to mid 19th century. He expressed the trials and tribulations encountered by a
homesick immigrant in a new and often difficult land

A few of the poems make very specific reference to other pioneers who lived in the
Paisley Block or the township of Guelph. One which caused some difficulty was titled
Verses Suggested on the Death of an Old Friend J.C. It is probable that J.C. was John
Cleghorn who lived on lot 15, concession III, division B of the Paisley Block. The
poem offers little in the way of genealogical insight but speaks very eloquently
about the inevitable passage of time. A similar poem is the Epitaph on Mr John
Black. There is no reference to John Black in the records consulted but the poem is a
sympathetic portrait of a man obviously much loved and sadly missed. A more
cheerful poem but no less heartfelt is To Mrs. John Davidson. One of the best poems
of this group is, however, Epistle to Thomas Laidlaw. This is a delightful work which
effectively employs repetition of the phrase “my frien Tammy” and reflects on life,
death and the bonds of friendship. Thomas Laidlaw was himself a poet and is
particularly remembered for his work The Old Concession Road. Laidlaw was born in
Roxburghshire, Scotland in 1825 and came as a child to Canada in 1831. He and
Robert Boyd had much in common and it is not surprising that the letter from Henry
Scott Riddell refers to Thomas Laidlaw as the bearer.

Robert Boyd was obviously an observer of the political scene and makes his Whig
views known in A Rhyme for the Times. “Chieften Mac” (John A. MacDonald), Dr
Tupper and others are taken to task for their failings. The other names mentioned in
the poem are all prominent local men who either leaned politically in the direction of
Sir John A. and the Tories or to the Whigs. As a mill owner James Goldie was
concerned about the monopoly of the Grand Trunk Railway and looked to the
Conservatives for relief. Acton Burrows is singled out as a Tory 'scribbler' and a man
to be watched with caution. Donald Guthrie a businessman appears to be more
favored and it is to the Whigs that Boyd lends his support and places his hopes for
the future. The only other poem which allows some political insight and possibly
provides us with a time frame is A Welcome to the Marquis of Lorne and His
Beloved Princess. The Governor-General and his wife Princess Louise visited Guelph
in September of 1879. The visit which was to help Guelph celebrate its
establishment as a city had been delayed a year at the urging some local
businessmen because of the depressed state of the economy. It was hoped that a
year would allow the National Policy of Sir John A. Macdonald's government to
rebuild the economic circumstances of the community. The visit would then be well
received by the citizens and help to vindicate Conservative policies. Robert Boyd
does not go into the politics of this visit but his poem is a hymn of praise to the
Governor-General and his wife
As fond as he is of Canada and all of its natural beauty many of Robert Boyd's
poems reflect a strong sense of nostalgia for Auld Scotia. This feeling is particularly
powerful in a poem named very simply Song. The first three verses express his
yearning for the land that is far awa but as the poem goes on it is to Canada that
the focus shifts and the hope that some bard will arise to sing praises to this dear
land. It is not surprising that a similar sentiment can be found in a poem called
Verses Spoken at a Meeting of the Sons of St Andrew 9th Dec. 1878. In verse six he
states “Lov'd Caledonia dear is thy name” but as the poem progresses it is from his
“lov'd forest home” in Canada that his prayer will rise for the future and security of
Scotland. Two other poems continue with the theme of yearning for a homeland he
never expects to see again. The first was also written in 1878 and is called The
Scottish Gathering 1 October 1878. The second which is a very short poem is called
To Mr. John Anderson on Receiving From Him Two Sprigs of Heather. This poem has
a lilting quality to the use of language and an effective rhyme scheme. In four short
verses it touches on Boyd's love of nature, his attachment to old friends and, of
course, the nostalgia for “dear auld Scotland's hills.”
… even those who felt most positively about their new lives in Canada
did not necessarily want to lose their Scottishness, nor did it seem that
becoming Canadian required that. Indeed, as the many Scottish
societies suggest, the more deep-rooted the transplantation, the more
important it became not just to preserve a Scottish identity (which
might not have much to do with an individual's personal origins), but to
maintain links with other Scots. An important part of the role of
Scottish societies in Canada was to look after their own, in a way that
might not have seemed appropriate or necessary in the old country.51

The poem which appears to have been most frequently quoted is The Bachelor in
His Shanty. This is a poem of twenty-eight verses followed by another six in
Additional Verses to the Shanty and a conclusion, Per Contra. This poem covers all
of the evils which are likely to befall the struggling pioneer in a new and hostile
land. These are not easy times for Rab Boyd but better times are also very much a
part of the process of putting down roots in Canada. In Per Contra he tells us that he
is free of most of his problems. He has found a wife, “a thrifty quean” and now has
house and livestock. We are left with the impression that when all is said and done
the experience has been worth the suffering. Life has not been easy but along the
way there has been much for which to be thankful. He has established himself as a
respected member of the community and raised three children. Although his wife
has predeceased him he is comforted in his last years by his faith in an afterlife and
his God.

The Growth and Development of the Boyd Farm

51
Jenni Calder, Scots in Canada, 147.
Using data gleaned from census and assessment records for Guelph Township It is
possible to follow Robert Boyd’s progress as he clears the land and begins to turn
his property into a working farm. By 1832 he has 96 acres of uncultivated land but
has managed to cultivate 4 acres.52 He is alone on the property. He has no livestock
and appears not to be living there as no dwelling is indicated. The following year he
is assessed by the Township of Guelph and has put under cultivation 10 acres. In
addition he has acquired 2 oxen. His property is valued at £38. He does not appear
again in the assessment rolls until 1837and is still alone on the property. He now
has 28 acres under cultivation, 2 oxen and 2 cows. The 1838 assessment shows the
same acreage under cultivation but he has been joined by a female over the age of
16. We know he was not married until 1840 so this is a little confusing given the
times and mores. He is assessed at £40.

The 1839 Guelph Township Assessment is more detailed and breaks the assessment
down by the value of both property and livestock. The 70 acres of uncultivated land
was assessed a 4s whereas the 30 acres of cultivated land were deserving of £1.
The horse – 3 years old – was assessed £8, the two oxen at £4 and three milk cows
£1 each for a total assessment of £138. This is a considerable increase in property
value in a single year. At this time it is indicated that he is once again alone, the
mysterious female having disappeared. Robert Boyd’s religion is mentioned for the
first time and not surprisingly he is Church of Scotland. The last of the early
assessments was made in 1840 on essentially the same land and livestock but it is
only for £63. There is no explanation for this significant reduction in the assessed
value of lot 14, concession 3.

It is not until 1861 some 20 years later that another personal and agricultural
census was taken.53 By this time Robert Boyd is 63 years of age and his wife
Elizabeth (Betsy) is 50. They live in a stone house on the 100 acre lot. There are the
three children still at home with the youngest, John, attending school. The amount
of acreage under cultivation has increased to 85 of which 55 acres were in crops in
1860 with the remaining cultivated land designated as pasture aside from ½ an acre
described as orchard. The value of the farm is set at $1000 which seems very low.
John Laidlaw and Thomas Laidlaw both have 200 acre farms which are valued at
$10,000. Thomas Cleghorn has 50 acres under cultivation which are valued at
$2000. The cash value of Robert Boyd’s implements and machinery are $200 which
appears to be about average for the area. Crops grown on the Boyd farm include 12
acres of fall wheat and 10 acres of spring wheat producing 420 and 500 bushels
respectively. He has an acre of land in peas and 7 acres in oats and his vegetable
garden produces 300 bushels of potatoes and 3600 bushels of turnips. Additionally
the farm produces 80 lbs of wool, 100 lbs of butter and 100 lbs of cheese. The
orchard earns $10 and the sale of pork and eggs $80. By 1861 he has 3 oxen, 4
heifers, 5 milk cows, 2 horses (over 5 years of age), 10 sheep and 9 pigs. The value
of the livestock is $734. It is clear from this agricultural census that Robert Boyd,
while not perhaps as prosperous as some of his neighbours, is comfortable.

52
#14 Guelph TWP Census and Assessment 1832, MS 700 (2), Gore District, Guelph TWP to
Southfleet & Benbrook TWPS #18.
53
Canada West Census for Guelph 1861, C-1083.
A decade later In 1871 Robert Boyd is still on his farm and 73 years of age.54 His
wife, Betsy, has passed on but all three children are still at home.55 Margaret is 29,
Helen (Ellen) 27 and John 25. There is one servant Elizabeth Klinger age 18 and one
laborer Rudolf Lettin also age 18. They are both immigrants from Prussia and they
are Lutherans. The Boyd family religion is now described as Canadian Presbyterian.
The agricultural inventory is relatively unchanged.

Robert Boyd’s Contributions to the Community

According to the Historical Atlas of Wellington County, 1906 Robert Boyd “from an
early date took a prominent part in the affairs of the community.” In January of 1851
he became a member of the township council although we do not know how many
years that he served in this capacity.56 He was also involved in the establishment of
a school and engaged in this activity well before he was married and had children of
his own.

It was not until the summer of 1832 that even the humblest
effort was made in the cause of education, Mr. Robt. Boyd
having met with Mr. John Craw, an individual who had no
continuing city or place of abode, but drifted on the waves of
accident or as chance directed him. He (Craw) called upon some
of the settlers the day following when it was arranged that he
should open a school in a small house, owned by Mr. Robert
Laidlaw.57

He was one of the original members of Knox Presbyterian Church and occupied the
honourary position of Bard of the St Andrew and Caledonian Societies.

Because he was a “great reader” with a keen interest in public affairs it is not
surprising that politicians of day felt the thrust of his wit and pen. In two of the
stanzas of the following poem John A. MacDonald is taken to task for accepting
bribes from Sir Hugh Allen.58

A Rhyme For The Times

54
Province of Ontario Census, Guelph Township, District No. 33, Province of Ontario,
household 94, p. 26.
55
A.E. Byerly, One Hundred Years at Knox Presbyterian Church 1844-1944, (Guelph, Ontario,
1944), 50.
56
C. A. Burrows, The Annals of the town of Guelph, 1827-1877. (Guelph, Ontario: Herald
Steam Printing House, 1877), p. 67.
57
A.E. Byerly, The Beginning of Things in Wellington and Waterloo Counties, (Guelph, Guelph
Publishing Company, 1935), p. 69.
58
In April of 1873 the government of Sir John A. Macdonald was charged with accepting
bribes from Sir Hugh Allan. In return for these payments, Allan was to be given the lucrative
contract to construct the Canadian Pacific Railway. When evidence of the agreement was
made public by the Opposition and published in newspapers across Canada, the episode
became known as the "Pacific Scandal."
 __________________

Chieftan Mac, Chieftan Mac how crowsley ye crack

When the other great chieftan's away
But to your disgrace when brought face to face
The frent a word ye can say.

Nae mair, nae mair rich pickings you share

To what great depths you have fallen
Not a cent now ye get from your old favorite pet
The wealthy, the mighty Hugh Allan.59

Robert Boyd Moves to the Town of Guelph

Robert Boyd sold lot No. 14, Division B, in the 3rd concession to James Cleghorn on
the 8th of January 1876.60 He was now nearly 80 years of age and probably unable to
continue to manage his farm. It appears that his son John was not interested in the
property or unable to raise the necessary cash to purchase it. A mortgage was
registered against this property in the amount of $4000.61 On or about the same
date he purchased a house at 7 London Road inside the city limits of Guelph. The
house was located on 1/5 of an acre of land and was valued at $700 on the 1877
City of Guelph tax assessment roll.62 He lived in this house with his daughter
Margaret and one other person, possibly, a lodger. When Robert Boyd died in 1880
he left the house, its contents and $2500 to Margaret.63 His son John received the
remainder of his estate. No inventory was located.

I GIVE, DEVISE, and BEQUEATH unto my beloved daughter

MARGARET BOYD the house and lot on the London Road in
which I now reside, to her and for her, her heirs and assigns
forever. I also give and bequeath unto my said daughter,
Margaret, all my household furniture and effects, books,
pictures, china and glassware to and for her own use and
benefit absolutely. I also give and bequeath unto my said
daughter, Margaret, the sum of two thousand five hundred
dollars to be paid to her out of my personal estate within one
year after my decease. UPON my beloved son JOHN INGLIS
BOYD I GIVE DEVISE AND BEQUEATH the rest and residue of my
estate both real and personal to and for his own use and benefit

59
The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 11.
60
Township of Guelph Land Records, Lot No. 14 Div. B in the third Concession. No. of
Instrument – 1375, 8 January 1876, Grantor – Robert Boyd, Grantee- James Cleghorn.
61
Ibid., No. of Instrument – 1376.
62
City of Guelph Tax Assessment Roll, 7 London Road, Robert Boyd, Guelph Public Library.
63
Will of Robert Boyd, 3 July 1879, G.S. Ont. 1-499, Wellington County, Guelph, Wills #493,
Archives of Ontario.
 absolutely, subject however to the payment by him of all my
just debts, funeral and testamentary expenses.64

Margaret had no other means of support and would accordingly receive what
amounted to a life estate in the house and some of the remaining capital. John, on
the other hand, could earn a living and probably did not receive an equal share of
the estate at that time. When Margaret died in 1894 her will stipulated that
everything was to be passed on to John. Margaret died on the 16th of June 1894 and
the will was dated the 15th of June and obviously made in extremis as Margaret died
the following day.

This is the last Will and Testament of me Margaret Boyd of the

City of Guelph Spinster. I give and bequeath all of my property
real and personal unto my brother John I Boyd subject to the
payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses and
subject to the payment of one hundred dollars to the Home
Mission fund of the Presbyterian church, one hundred dollars to
Mrs. Odowiski [sic], one hundred dollars to Arthur F Hicks,
twenty-five dollars to my friend, Mrs. Walter Ceran, ten dollars
to Mary Boulton and one hundred dollars to be paid for a
monument to be placed in my lot in the cemetery all of which I
direct to be paid within one year after my decease. The share of
Arthur Hicks I direct the same to be paid to his father whose
release therefore shall be valid and sufficient and I appoint my
brother to be Executor.65

The witnesses to the will were Hugh McMillan and Louise Hicks. John Boyd petitioned
for probate on the 19th of June 1894 and stated his address as Clifton, (Niagara Falls)
in the County of Welland.66 The total value of the estate is $3200 which was a not
anunreasonable sum of money for the times. The real estate, which was probably
the London St. house in Guelph, was valued at $1000. Household goods amounted
to $200, promissory notes, $400, moneys secured by mortgage, $750 and $140
cash in the bank. The will was drawn by the law firm of Field and McMillan. The very
impressive monument in Woodlawn Cemetery appears to have been erected at the
time of her death in 1894 as a sum of $100 was indicated for this purpose. The
actual lot had been purchased by Robert Boyd on 30 August 1870 at the time of the
death of Betsy Boyd although her name on the invoice is incorrectly recorded as
Bertha.67

The Death of Robert Boyd

64
The Will of Robert Boyd. MS 638, GS 1, Reel 500, Archives of Ontario.
65
The Will of Margaret Boyd. GS Cont. 1-521, Wellington County Wills, 3447-1894, Archives of
Ontario.
66
This is a little confusing as it was understood that by this time John was living in Manitoba.
67
Guelph Woodlawn Cemetery Lot Record, Robert Boyd, Block G, Lot 39, Area 184, 30 August
1870.
Robert Boyd died on the 31st of January 1880 at the age of 83 years.68 The record of
his death states that he died of old age which is as accurate a medical judgment as
might be expected under the circumstances. His son John Inglis registered the
death. The notice was recorded briefly in The Guelph Daily Mercury and Advertiser:

BOYD– In Guelph on the 31st ult., Robert Boyd formerly of Paisley Block, Guelph Township,
age 82 years. The funeral will take place from his late residence, London Road, tomorrow
(Tuesday) at two o’clock p.m. Friends and acquaintances are requested to attend.

A more detailed obituary was carried in the same paper:

The Death of Mr. Robert Boyd

Death is gradually but steadily thinning the ranks of the early

settlers in this District. Scarcely a week passes but we have to
announce the departure of some well known old resident or
some pioneer, who in the early days of the history of this
section was well known to all his neighbours, and became
closely identified with its everyday life. It is our sad duty today
to record the death of Mr. Robert Boyd, a very old and honoured
resident of the Paisley Block, Guelph Township, and who was
known far and wide not only as a successful farmer but as a
man of rare intelligence, and of considerable poetic talent. The
deceased who attained the ripe age of eighty-three years never
recovered the shock he received last summer when having
gone to the Preston Baths in company with the late Dr. Barrie,
he fainted while in the bath. His life then for a while hung on the
balance, but his fine constitution for a time overcame the
trouble. – only, however, to prolong his life for a few months.
Some two weeks ago his strength began to give way and
gradually but surely disease gained the mastery until Saturday
night when he calmly breathed his last.

Mr. Boyd was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and came to

Canada in 1830, and found his way to the Paisley Block, which
became his future home. Along with the other early settlers in
that section he experienced the hardships and vicissitudes of
the early settlers life and yet these were intermingled with so
much genuine happiness and friendly intercourse of neighbours
that the trials and troubles of a pioneer life were to a great
extent forgotten. Mr. Boyd from an early date took a prominent
position among the pioneers of the Paisley Block and his poetic
talent was more than once laid under tribute to illustrate the
primitive life of those days. To this mainly we owe the
production of “The Shanty” one of the ablest and best known
productions which was a truthful and humorous picture of these
unsophisticated times.

Some four years ago, the infirmities of age led the deceased to
give up farming in the Paisley Block, and he came into Guelph.

68
Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The
Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: (523223/GK – Office of the Registrar General,
Toronto ON)
 Previous to his leaving the old homestead his old friends and
neighbours, as an evidence of the high esteem in which he was
held, presented him with a handsome easy chair which he
highly prized. After his removal to Guelph, he continued to take
the same interest in public affairs as he had done in his most
vigorous days, and was always a welcome visitor at the St
Andrews and Caledonian Societies’ gatherings having been
appointed to the honorary position of Bard of these Societies.

Mr. Boyd was possessed of more than ordinary intelligence. He

was a great reader and to the last kept himself fully informed on
all of the great questions of the day. The poetic fervour which
he brought from his native Ayr to Canada in all its power and
purity he cherished to the last. The pages of the “Mercury” have
during the past few years often been made more interesting by
his contributions which always breathed a pure and elevated
spirit. Among his friends and acquaintances there was no one
more agreeable, or more open to all sociable and innocent
recreation. He was liked by old and young and now that he has
gone his memory will be held in fond remembrance by all who
knew him, and in profound respect by those who knew him best
and loved him most. He leaves a son and daughter to mourn
their loss.69

It is appropriate to end this chapter on the life of Robert Boyd with verses from one
of his last poems.

On The Near Approach Of Death

______________________

I've been a pilgrim long on earth

An I have Travers'd far and wide
And now in all my wandering forth
Have reached dark Jordan's swelling tide.

And how to cross its turbid stream

My courage fails, I'm sore afraid
For should I sink an fail to swim
There's no one near can give me aid.

Kind friends are standing on the side

Absorb'd in sad dismay and grief
For should I sink beneath the tide
Their not the power to give relief.

I see the billows foaming high

The stream looks dreary, lone and wide
And no kind pilot standing nigh
To hand one safe on Canaan's side.

But there is One it's waves can still

69
The Guelph Daily Mercury and Advertiser, Vol. X111, No. 176, City of Guelph Monday
Evening, February 2, 1880.
 Though wild and boisterous they be
And we his kind words will fulfill
That they shall not come nigh to me.

O then lov'd Father kindly come

And safely me conduct and guide
That I may reach your blissful home
And with you ever there reside.70

The life of Robert Boyd in Canada underscores the success of the Canada Company
as well as the determination and hard work of Scottish settlers in Upper Canada. He
did not return to his beloved Scotland but rather lived out his days on the land he
worked for fifty years in his new homeland.

All you in this Dominion wide

With puirtih’s ills are sorely tried
Haud up your heads in manful pride
And dreams o’ plenty
And think of me, your freen, Rab Boyd,
And his wee shanty.71

70
The Poetry of Robert Boyd, p. 48.
71
Ibid., p. 48.
Robert Boyd – Centre Front Row