|
Note: The original author of this article
wanted it taken down as he no longer owns the title. That being the
case I have edited it somewhat so that the historical information in it is
retained.
The original owners,
the Boyds, one of Scotland’s noble families, and their involvement with the
greatest figures of the times – including William Wallace, Robert the Bruce,
Mary, Queen of Scots, and King James III. Dean Castle (Kilmarnock Castle
until 1700), was the ancestral home of the Boyd family for almost 400 years.
When the Lordship was sold by the Boyd family – and later
inherited by Lord de Walden - the castle and an area of land were gifted to
the Kilmarnock & Loudoun District Council in 1976. The remaining baronial
lands were sold to property investment companies, after which in 2002 the
Lordship and baronial titles were acquired by the Ayre family, a sept of
Clan Boyd. Persons of the lowland regional Ayre surname – variations include
de Ayr, de Are, Ayr - are recorded in Scotland since 1281. |
