Stewarton, (population c.6700) is situated in open countryside 6 miles north of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire. It has a long connection with the wool trade and has been a major centre of bonnet manufacture for over 4 centuries, hence being known as the "Bonnet Toun". 

The Bonnet Court of Corsehill dates from 1549. During the 18^th and 19^th centuries, blanket-making and the weaving of cotton and muslin were important industries, though they were largely superseded by knitwear and hosiery in more recent times. Light engineering was established during the Second World War.

David Dale, the creator of the model town at New Lanark, was born in Stewarton in 1739.

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