Patrick James Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow (18 June 1874 - 14 December 1963) was a Scottish nobleman and a far right political activist.
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Boyle was trained for a naval career at the cadet ship HMS Britannia and graduated as a Royal Navy Lieutenant in 1897.[1] He was promoted to Commander in 1909 and eventually obtained the rank of Captain before retiring in 1919. He saw action during the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1915.[1] Following his retirement from active duty he was admitted to the ceremonial role of Lieutenant of the Royal Company of Archers.[1]
Boyle was also noted for his extremist views and took an active role in a number of rightist groups in the inter-war period. He was one of a number of large landowners who joined the British Fascists in the early 1920s, largely inspired by slump in agriculture and the simultaneous rise in taxation that they blamed on democracy and the rise of the left.[2] Close to General R.B.D. Blakeney, Boyle joined Blakeney's splinter group the Loyalists in 1926 in order to support the work of the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies. This group had agreed to disavow fascism in order to co-operate with the government.[3] Boyle disappeared from the political scene soon afterwards when, virtually bankrupted by the burden of his large estates, emigrated to France, remaining there until 1930.[4]
Following his return to the United Kingdom Boyle once again became involved in rightist politics and was a regular invitee to the January Club, a high society discussion club organised by the British Union of Fascists.[5] According to contemporary Labour Party documents Boyle subsequently provided funding to Oswald Mosley's party, which was one of the intentions of the January Club.[6] Boyle also joined the Anglo-German Fellowship.[7]
Boyle succeeded to the title of 8th Earl of Glasgow on 13 December 1915, also succeeding to the subsidiary titles of 8th Viscount Kelburn, 2nd Baron Fairlie of Fairlie, Ayrshire, and 8th Lord Boyle, of Kelburn, Stewartoun, Finnick, Largs and Dalry.[1] He also served as Vice-Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire from 1942 to 1963.[1]
He married Hyacyinthe Mary Bell on 29 May 1906 and had five children Rear-Admiral David William Maurice Boyle, 9th Earl of Glasgow (24 July 1910 - 8 June 1984), Lady Grizel Mary Boyle (28 April 1913 - 26 September 1942), Lady Hersey Margaret Boyle (11 July 1914 - 1993), Captain Hon. Patrick James Boyle (23 May 1917 - 4 May 1946) and Lady Margaret Dorothea Boyle (born 20 November 1920).[1]
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Boyle |
Earl of Glasgow 1915–1863 |
Succeeded by David William Maurice Boyle |