Robert Burns
Created | Updated Jan 24, 2005
Accross Britain, special Burns Suppers commemorating the Scottish bard's birthday will be enjoyed by fans of the romantic 18th century auther. A real heart throb in his day, Robbie was known for his roving eye, and hands!
Born on January 25th 1759, the silver-tongued charmer died in 1796, aged just 37. And, just like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, early death transformed him into a cult icon.
Today, the Robert Burns legend lives on, with countless annual Burns Suppers honouring his "immortal memory". These events have been part of scottish culture for about 200 years. But, celebrations as far south of the border as our region. The ritual was started by the poet's close friends, just a few years after his death.
Since those times, the Burns Supper format has remained unchanged. Proceedings kick off with a formal welcome by the chairperson. Next comes the entrance of the Haggis, accompanied by a piper.
The chairperson then recites Buns' own "Address to the Haggis", cutting open the Haggis with a sharp knife. Everyone applauds, and taosts the Haggis with whisky.
Next comes the section entitled "The immortal memory", where a selected speaker gives a short speech about Burns. This is swiftly followed by a "toast to the lassies", involving humorous banter aimed at the females.
The women get to have their say in the "Responce", letting fly with their opinions on the male species! Throughout the evening, songs and poems accompany the food, and the Supper traditionally ends with a rendering of "Auld Lang Syne".
Family Background:
William Burnes - the poet's father - was born in Dunnottar near Stonehaven in 1721 and became, like his own father, a gardener. He had to leave his native county in search of work and, after a period spent in Edinburgh, arrived in Ayrshire in 1750.
He began to build a cottage in Alloway in 1757, the year in which he married Agnes Brown.
The Early Years:
Burns spent his first seven years at Alloway, before moving to Mount Oliphant farm in 1766.
In 1777, when he was 18, the family moved to Lochlea (or Lochlie) farm. During these formative years Burns had to turn his hand to farm work.
But, following the established Scottish tradition, his education was not neglected. He attended a local school set up by his father and four neighbours, with the 18-year-old John Murdoch as teacher, and also received additional instruction in Latin, French and mathematics.
These years saw his social life developing, and it was also during this time - when he was about 15 - that, according to his own account, he first turned his hand to poetry.
Burns became a freemason of St David's Lodge, Tarbolton, in 1781. His lifelong connection with freemasonry provided a constant social support for him.
Early Manhood
Burns remained at Lochlea until his father's death in 1784, after which the family moved to Mossgiel farm, near Mauchline.
In Burns's day the Kirk played a central spiritual role in rural society, but it also functioned as the guardian of public morality. Burns's womanising and choice of friends brought him into frequent conflict with the Kirk, but his criticism of the Kirk was largely reserved for the double standards of some of its leading members.
The years 1784 to 1785 were one of Burns's most prolific periods. In these years he wrote such well-known poems as Holy Willie's Prayer, To A Mouse, The Jolly Beggars and The Holy Fair.
Kilmarnock Burns
Burns had farming and personal difficulties. Mossgiel was not profitable, and his willingness to marry Jean Armour, who was pregnant by him, was opposed by her father. The only way out, it seemed, was to emigrate.
His plans to sail for Jamaica were well advanced when events took an unexpected turn. He had been advised by Gavin Hamilton - a local lawyer - to finance the voyage by publishing some of his poems, but the success of that volume - the 'Kilmarnock edition' - caused him to reconsider his plans to emigrate.
Printed by John Wilson of Kilmarnock in July 1786, Burns's Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect cost three shillings and the entire print-run of 612 copies sold out within a month, justifying his belief in his abilities and in the merit of his poems.
Edinburgh
Following the success of the Kilmarnock edition, Burns decided to further his literary ambitions by visiting Edinburgh. Soon he was being fêted by an Edinburgh society eager to meet the man described by Henry Mackenzie as the 'Heaven-taught ploughman'.
For the next 18 months he stayed frequently in Edinburgh to arrange the publication of a second edition of his poems, and to join in the social round.
One of the people he met was Mrs Agnes McLehose, with whom he established a platonic relationship. Their ensuing correspondence - using the pseudonyms 'Clarinda' and 'Sylvander' - is one of the most famous examples of stylised romantic letter-writing. But even more famous is Ae fond kiss, the parting song which Burns sent to Mrs McLehose after their final meeting in December 1791.
Travels and Music
In May 1787 Burns set off on what he described as a 'slight pilgrimage to the classic scenes of this country'.
His travels took him first to the Borders and later to central Scotland and the Highlands.
Burns's perceived status as the national bard gave him a strong commercial motive to visit rural subscribers to the second (Edinburgh) edition of his poems. Some of the gentry and members of the learned professions who fêted him nurtured his interest in traditional ballads.
From 1787 Burns became involved in a project of the Edinburgh music-seller James Johnson, to collect and publish the words and music of all Scottish songs. Johnson had published the first volume of The Scots Musical Museum in 1787, and thereafter Burns made a major contribution to the rest of the collection. Largely due to him, the publication eventually ran to six volumes of 100 songs each.
Burns also collaborated with the musical enthusiast George Thomson in publishing 'classical' arrangements of Scottish folk-songs. The first 'set' of A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs was issued in 1793.
Tom O'Shanter
Reckoned to be one of the greatest narrative poems in the language, Burns wrote Tam O' Shanter to accompany Captain Grose's drawing of Alloway Kirk in his collection Antiquities of Scotland.
The themes and imagery which the poet deployed drew heavily on the folk-lore of witchcraft which he learned from his childhood nurse, Betty Davidson.
Final Years
Burns spent the final years of his life in Dumfriesshire. From 1788 he attempted to farm at Ellisland, but the ground was so exhausted that this ultimately proved fruitless. In September 1789 he began work for the Excise at Dumfries. Though he performed these duties diligently and compassionately, charges of political disloyalty were raised against him.
At the same time failing health, which he sought to remedy by sea-bathing, overshadowed his literary and musical output. Years of hard physical labour working on a series of unproductive farms aggravated his long-standing heart condition. This lead to his premature death at the age of 37 on 21 July 1796.
On the day of his funeral, his wife gave birth to their youngest son, Maxwell.
Hope you enjoyed reading this!
FireWalker
Born on January 25th 1759, the silver-tongued charmer died in 1796, aged just 37. And, just like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, early death transformed him into a cult icon.
Today, the Robert Burns legend lives on, with countless annual Burns Suppers honouring his "immortal memory". These events have been part of scottish culture for about 200 years. But, celebrations as far south of the border as our region. The ritual was started by the poet's close friends, just a few years after his death.
Since those times, the Burns Supper format has remained unchanged. Proceedings kick off with a formal welcome by the chairperson. Next comes the entrance of the Haggis, accompanied by a piper.
The chairperson then recites Buns' own "Address to the Haggis", cutting open the Haggis with a sharp knife. Everyone applauds, and taosts the Haggis with whisky.
Next comes the section entitled "The immortal memory", where a selected speaker gives a short speech about Burns. This is swiftly followed by a "toast to the lassies", involving humorous banter aimed at the females.
The women get to have their say in the "Responce", letting fly with their opinions on the male species! Throughout the evening, songs and poems accompany the food, and the Supper traditionally ends with a rendering of "Auld Lang Syne".
Family Background:
William Burnes - the poet's father - was born in Dunnottar near Stonehaven in 1721 and became, like his own father, a gardener. He had to leave his native county in search of work and, after a period spent in Edinburgh, arrived in Ayrshire in 1750.
He began to build a cottage in Alloway in 1757, the year in which he married Agnes Brown.
The Early Years:
Burns spent his first seven years at Alloway, before moving to Mount Oliphant farm in 1766.
In 1777, when he was 18, the family moved to Lochlea (or Lochlie) farm. During these formative years Burns had to turn his hand to farm work.
But, following the established Scottish tradition, his education was not neglected. He attended a local school set up by his father and four neighbours, with the 18-year-old John Murdoch as teacher, and also received additional instruction in Latin, French and mathematics.
These years saw his social life developing, and it was also during this time - when he was about 15 - that, according to his own account, he first turned his hand to poetry.
Burns became a freemason of St David's Lodge, Tarbolton, in 1781. His lifelong connection with freemasonry provided a constant social support for him.
Early Manhood
Burns remained at Lochlea until his father's death in 1784, after which the family moved to Mossgiel farm, near Mauchline.
In Burns's day the Kirk played a central spiritual role in rural society, but it also functioned as the guardian of public morality. Burns's womanising and choice of friends brought him into frequent conflict with the Kirk, but his criticism of the Kirk was largely reserved for the double standards of some of its leading members.
The years 1784 to 1785 were one of Burns's most prolific periods. In these years he wrote such well-known poems as Holy Willie's Prayer, To A Mouse, The Jolly Beggars and The Holy Fair.
Kilmarnock Burns
Burns had farming and personal difficulties. Mossgiel was not profitable, and his willingness to marry Jean Armour, who was pregnant by him, was opposed by her father. The only way out, it seemed, was to emigrate.
His plans to sail for Jamaica were well advanced when events took an unexpected turn. He had been advised by Gavin Hamilton - a local lawyer - to finance the voyage by publishing some of his poems, but the success of that volume - the 'Kilmarnock edition' - caused him to reconsider his plans to emigrate.
Printed by John Wilson of Kilmarnock in July 1786, Burns's Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect cost three shillings and the entire print-run of 612 copies sold out within a month, justifying his belief in his abilities and in the merit of his poems.
Edinburgh
Following the success of the Kilmarnock edition, Burns decided to further his literary ambitions by visiting Edinburgh. Soon he was being fêted by an Edinburgh society eager to meet the man described by Henry Mackenzie as the 'Heaven-taught ploughman'.
For the next 18 months he stayed frequently in Edinburgh to arrange the publication of a second edition of his poems, and to join in the social round.
One of the people he met was Mrs Agnes McLehose, with whom he established a platonic relationship. Their ensuing correspondence - using the pseudonyms 'Clarinda' and 'Sylvander' - is one of the most famous examples of stylised romantic letter-writing. But even more famous is Ae fond kiss, the parting song which Burns sent to Mrs McLehose after their final meeting in December 1791.
Travels and Music
In May 1787 Burns set off on what he described as a 'slight pilgrimage to the classic scenes of this country'.
His travels took him first to the Borders and later to central Scotland and the Highlands.
Burns's perceived status as the national bard gave him a strong commercial motive to visit rural subscribers to the second (Edinburgh) edition of his poems. Some of the gentry and members of the learned professions who fêted him nurtured his interest in traditional ballads.
From 1787 Burns became involved in a project of the Edinburgh music-seller James Johnson, to collect and publish the words and music of all Scottish songs. Johnson had published the first volume of The Scots Musical Museum in 1787, and thereafter Burns made a major contribution to the rest of the collection. Largely due to him, the publication eventually ran to six volumes of 100 songs each.
Burns also collaborated with the musical enthusiast George Thomson in publishing 'classical' arrangements of Scottish folk-songs. The first 'set' of A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs was issued in 1793.
Tom O'Shanter
Reckoned to be one of the greatest narrative poems in the language, Burns wrote Tam O' Shanter to accompany Captain Grose's drawing of Alloway Kirk in his collection Antiquities of Scotland.
The themes and imagery which the poet deployed drew heavily on the folk-lore of witchcraft which he learned from his childhood nurse, Betty Davidson.
Final Years
Burns spent the final years of his life in Dumfriesshire. From 1788 he attempted to farm at Ellisland, but the ground was so exhausted that this ultimately proved fruitless. In September 1789 he began work for the Excise at Dumfries. Though he performed these duties diligently and compassionately, charges of political disloyalty were raised against him.
At the same time failing health, which he sought to remedy by sea-bathing, overshadowed his literary and musical output. Years of hard physical labour working on a series of unproductive farms aggravated his long-standing heart condition. This lead to his premature death at the age of 37 on 21 July 1796.
On the day of his funeral, his wife gave birth to their youngest son, Maxwell.
Hope you enjoyed reading this!
FireWalker
