From their humble beginnings, the Boyds - in the space of
only a few generations - would be made Knights, Lords and then
ultimately hold the Regency over the entire realm, only
to lose it spectacularly under accusations of treason. This would
have spelled the end of the aspirations of most families, but the
Boyds would just as spectacularly rise again to become the Earls of
Kilmarnock.
Their story is one of battles, kings, plots and politics which
rivals any other in scope and intrigue and which covers every arena
of Scotland's past from Stirling Bridge, to
Bannockburn, to Culloden and involves every personage of
Scottish historical note from William Wallace, to Mary
Queen of Scots, to Bonnie Prince Charlie. A new exhibition charting
the History of the Boyds can now be seen as part of the tour of
their ancestral home of Dean Castle.
This online exhibition was curated by Abigayle Brown and Megan
Stamper as part of the Dean Castle Restoration Project supported by
the National Lottery Heritage Fund and East Ayrshire Leisure.
