Kilmarnock Castle, now called Dean Castle, is located just outside the town of Kilmarnock, Scotland.  It was built around the 14th c., not long after the lands of Kilmarnock and West Kilbride were given by King Robert the Bruce to Sir Robert Boyd.  The lands were given as a reward to Sir Robert for his faithful service in the fight against, Edward I and Edward II of England, for Scottish Independence.

  Dean Castle was the seat of the Boyd's for over 400 hundred years.  Dean meaning "Wooded Glen", an old Scottish term.  It is now owned by the Kilmarnock and Louden District Council, whom bought the property in 1977 after it was extensively restored by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden.  It had previously fallen in disrepair from a fire caused by a careless maid in 1735.