Robert Burns
National Bard of Scotland
Robert Burns' Birthday January 25th
"At the height of his literary celebrity, Robert Burns proudly informed a correspondent: 'I was born a very poor man's son'. Yet he became a legend in his short lifetime and an enduring international institution after his death."
Robert Burns was born on January 25th, 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the eldest of seven children of William Burnes and Agnes Broun (Burnes' children later removed the 'e' from their name). The family was close-knit and happy, although they were often exposed to hard-times and poverty.
William Burnes was an industrious and intelligent man. However, he never had much luck at farming, partly due to poor soil conditions in this area of Scotland. But, no matter where they lived or what their circumstances William made sure that his children were educated. Robert's mother, Agnes Broun, although she could not read, knew many old songs which she often sang to her children.
William Burnes rented a small farm, in 1766, in Mount Oliphant, about 2 miles from the Alloway Cottage. The farming was no better here, and these years were dominated by hardship and poverty. In 1777 the family moved to Lochlea Farm, Tarbolton. Robert was 18, and helped to found the Tarbolton Bachelors Club, a monthly debating society, whose membership was limited to sixteen bachelors.
In 1784 William Burnes died and was buried in the churchyard of Kirk Alloway. Robert, now the head of family, and his brother Gilbert took over the farm, moving the family to Mossgiel, near Mauchline. While here, Burns met Jean Armour who became his wife. Then, although Jean was now pregnant, her father annulled the marriage. Robert then turned away from Jean and became infatuated with a young highland lass living in Greenock, Mary Campbell. Robert was experiencing financial difficulties and urged Mary to emigrate to Jamaica with him. Mary and Robert were secretly "married" in a gaelic ritual at Stairaird Craig.
Mary left her work in Ayrshire and sailed from Greenock to Campbeltown shortly after this meeting. In the autumn, she returned to Greenock with her father for a celebration in honour of her brother Robert, who had been an apprentice carpenter at Scott's Shipyard and had just completed his Indenture. They lodged with their relations, the MacPhersons. In October, Mary's brother Robert developed typhus, which was prevalent in the Greenock area. While nursing him, Mary caught the disease and died on 20th or 21st October 1786.
Robert tried to make the farm work, but his real love was for writing. In April 1786, in order to raise some money, Burns sent his poems to John Wilson, a printer. On July 30, 1786 the Kilmarnock Edition of "Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect" was published, and the first issue of 612 copies was sold out in one month. Burns traveled to Edinburgh in November 1786, where his poems were already creating a stir. He was welcomed as a literary and social phenomenon, and in April 1787 an Edinburgh Edition of his poems was published. On May 4, 1787 Burns sent his first song to the engraver, James Johnson, for Johnson's Scottish Musical Museum, a collection of traditional songs.
During the summer and fall of 1787 Burns made three tours of Scotland, with various companions. His tours included the Borders, the West Highlands and the Highlands. During his last tour Burns met Peggy Chalmers, who refused his proposal of marriage. This refusal brought Burns 'back to earth', and he returned from his tours ready to seek some real security. Determined to settle down, he rented Ellisland farm, near Dumfries. He collected the money due him from the Edinburg Edition of his poems. He also became employed in a position in Excise, in which he did very well, eventually being promoted to Acting Supervisor. It was also during this time that Burns acknowledged Jean Armour as his wife, and became a respectable married man.
Burns still spent most of his time writing songs for Johnson's Scottish Musical Museum, and also for George Thomson, the editor of A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs. He wrote more than 300 lyrics in the last ten years of his life. In 1793 a new edition of Burns' poems was published, and he moved from Ellisland farm to a red, sandstone house in Dumfries.
By April 1796 Burns was emaciated with illness and unable to work. His illness was caused by heart disease, which had been brought on by rheumatic fever he had suffered in early years. He died on July 21, 1796, at the age of 37.
More than ten thousand people came to join Burns' funeral procession to the north east corner of St. Michael's Churchyard, where Burns' was buried.
At the end of the eighteenth century, a considerable number of Ayrshire born merchants were living in the Inverclyde area. These men, some of whom knew Burns, founded the Greenock Ayrshire Society in 1795. The Society provided education for able children from poor homes and helped the needy financially.
Members of the Greenock Ayrshire Society were responsible for forming the first Burns Club in Greenock in 1801.
The first Burns Supper was held on January 29,1802, to celebrate what the club believed was Burns' birthday. However, in 1803, a search the Ayr parish records resulted in the bard's date of birth being confirmed as January 25, 1759.
Robert Burns is often called The National Bard of Scotland, however this is not an official title.
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