The Clan History

Variants, Boswell, Bosswald, Bosswall. This name is of French origin from a village near Yvetot, Normandy. The name is found in many ancient manuscripts in Scotland. Examples of such are Robert de Boseuille, the first of the name in Scotland, who witnessed several charters in the earlier part of the reign of William the Lion.Henry de Boysuill witnessed a charter by John, earl of Huntington to Norman, son of Malcolm in the year 1225. Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. Other examples of this name were found in the person of Walter de Boseville who was taken prisoner at Dunbar in 1296 and Roger de Boswell was the first of the name to settle in Fife.