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Ghosts of Dean Castle, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire
by Kyle Young ©
Since then it is said that his head has been seen by many visitors to the castle - caked in mud or clean as was his last wish, no-one has said. The head apparently tumbles down the stairs of the main building (no doubt becoming a wee bit dusty in its travels) and rolls away from the startled sightseers - presumably it’s equally startled.
This is a stark reminder that ‘taking the wrong side in a civil war can lead to unfortunate consequences’. My advice, just don’t enlist in the first place. There’s safety in cowardice.
The Dean Castle is host to several other ghosts. A restored medieval walkway runs along one side of the building. This was used for exercise in bad weather so that the ladies of the castle did not get their clothes dirty.
It is said that a lady in white is seen drifting along this walkway from time to time. She then vanishes from sight. As ghosts are inclined to do.
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The Dean Castle on the outskirts of Kilmarnock has its own share of ghost stories. Robert the Bruce gifted lands of Kilmarnock to the Boyds in 1316 as a reward for their support during the War of Independence. Sir Robert Boyd commanded troops at the Battle of Bannockburn.
It’s the Fourth Earl of Kilmarnock, known as Lord Boyd, who was said to have been in his study when he had a grisly vision of his own head rolling on the floor. He was later arrested for supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie. True to his unwelcome vision, he was beheaded for his part in the Jacobite rebellion. Before he went to the block he pleaded for his head to be caught in cloth, so that it did not become mired in the dirt below.
As to what difference this would have made to the deceased Boyd, one can only guess at. Besides, one must wonder at his inner hope, as his murderers were showing little enough respect for his head whilst he was alive.
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Near the bridge to the left of the castle, as you approach from the main path, is a bridge that leads across the Kilmarnock Water. From time to time a ‘grey lady’ can be seen drifting across the path towards the bridge. No-one has done any research - any volunteers? - but it could be that she was a Victorian lady who drowned herself in the fast-flowing Kilmarnock water after an unhappy love affair.
From time to time, a little boy in rags can be seen in the castle courtyard. This is near the restored stone well, which now has a metal cover, and the hypothesis here is that the child is a young lad who died when he fell into the well and drowned before he could be rescued.
Many of these ghosts went unseen for years. This is because the castle was rarely seen until modern times when it was restored and opened to visitors. They come from all around the world to see this almost perfect reproduction of a medieval castle, with the bonus of a few ghosts to chill the soul!
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