Post by Elly on Jun 10, 2005 16:34:55 GMT 10
ROBERT BURNS 1759-1796 (a little about him)
Robert was born in Alloway, Ayrshire in 1759, the eldest of 7 children to William Burnes, a poor tenant farmer (Robert later dropped the `e` to the common Ayrshire spelling of `Burns) and his wife Agnes. although extrememly poor, his father engaged a tutor for Robert and his brother Gilbert.
By the age of 15,he was one of the major workers on his father`s farm, very hard manual labour which some attribute to his early death. It was around this age Robery penned his first verse, `My Handsome Nell` in honour of a young village lass, the first of many he was enamoured of.
By the time of his father`s death in 1784, the family had moved to a bigger tenanted farm, mainly being run by himself and Gilbert. However Robert was more of a romantic poet, than a farmer. He had many misadventures with the ladies resulting in him fathering 12 children of whom 7 were illegitimate including 4 by Jean Armour whom he later married. He had attested marriage with Jean but her father had refused to recognise the oath and spurned him as a son-in-law.
In 1786, Burns met and fell in love with a young woman of Highland descent, Mary Campbell. Pursued by creditors and by the family of Jean Armour, who was expecting his twins, Burns had decided to emigrate to Jamaica, bitterly recording his situation on the back of a guinea note. He invited Mary to go to Jamaica with him and, at a secret meeting at Stairaird Crag (depicted here by Midwood), the couple pledged themselves to each other in a Gaelic ritual, exchanging vows and bibles across a burn. Burns sent Mary to wait for him at Greenock, while he tried to raise money for their passage, through publishing his poems. Poor Highland Mary was to wait in vain. Burns was quite overcome by the critical acclaim and celebrity that his book won him. Furthermore, Jean gave birth to twins, with whom Robert was delighted. With the distractions of fame and his new children, Robert repeatedly postponed his departure. In October 1786, still waiting for Robert, Mary died of a fever (some speculate as a result of carrying Robert’s child although this is hotly contested by many Burns experts). It was several years before Burns could bring himself to write of the grief he felt at the sad death of Highland Mary Campbell.
Returning to Ayrshire he got caught up in other events, he succeeded in getting a book of his poems published `the Kilmarnock Edition` which became enormously successful and launched the poet into the public eye. In September Jean gave birth to twins, whom he was delighted with, and heard the fatal news that Mary Campbell had died of a fever still awaiting him in Greenock. In spite of his popularity, even after the `Edinburgh Edition` was published, Burns soon realised the fickle nature of his new found friends in Edinburgh. He returned to Ayrshire once again, where Jean`s father finally accepted their marriage and helped him obtain a job as an excise officer in Dumfries.
The last years of his life were devoted to penning some great poems, still collecting taxes for the excises and still fathering children. He died aged 37 of heart disease, on the same day his wife gave birth to his last son, Maxwell.
Robert was born in Alloway, Ayrshire in 1759, the eldest of 7 children to William Burnes, a poor tenant farmer (Robert later dropped the `e` to the common Ayrshire spelling of `Burns) and his wife Agnes. although extrememly poor, his father engaged a tutor for Robert and his brother Gilbert.
By the age of 15,he was one of the major workers on his father`s farm, very hard manual labour which some attribute to his early death. It was around this age Robery penned his first verse, `My Handsome Nell` in honour of a young village lass, the first of many he was enamoured of.
By the time of his father`s death in 1784, the family had moved to a bigger tenanted farm, mainly being run by himself and Gilbert. However Robert was more of a romantic poet, than a farmer. He had many misadventures with the ladies resulting in him fathering 12 children of whom 7 were illegitimate including 4 by Jean Armour whom he later married. He had attested marriage with Jean but her father had refused to recognise the oath and spurned him as a son-in-law.
In 1786, Burns met and fell in love with a young woman of Highland descent, Mary Campbell. Pursued by creditors and by the family of Jean Armour, who was expecting his twins, Burns had decided to emigrate to Jamaica, bitterly recording his situation on the back of a guinea note. He invited Mary to go to Jamaica with him and, at a secret meeting at Stairaird Crag (depicted here by Midwood), the couple pledged themselves to each other in a Gaelic ritual, exchanging vows and bibles across a burn. Burns sent Mary to wait for him at Greenock, while he tried to raise money for their passage, through publishing his poems. Poor Highland Mary was to wait in vain. Burns was quite overcome by the critical acclaim and celebrity that his book won him. Furthermore, Jean gave birth to twins, with whom Robert was delighted. With the distractions of fame and his new children, Robert repeatedly postponed his departure. In October 1786, still waiting for Robert, Mary died of a fever (some speculate as a result of carrying Robert’s child although this is hotly contested by many Burns experts). It was several years before Burns could bring himself to write of the grief he felt at the sad death of Highland Mary Campbell.
Returning to Ayrshire he got caught up in other events, he succeeded in getting a book of his poems published `the Kilmarnock Edition` which became enormously successful and launched the poet into the public eye. In September Jean gave birth to twins, whom he was delighted with, and heard the fatal news that Mary Campbell had died of a fever still awaiting him in Greenock. In spite of his popularity, even after the `Edinburgh Edition` was published, Burns soon realised the fickle nature of his new found friends in Edinburgh. He returned to Ayrshire once again, where Jean`s father finally accepted their marriage and helped him obtain a job as an excise officer in Dumfries.
The last years of his life were devoted to penning some great poems, still collecting taxes for the excises and still fathering children. He died aged 37 of heart disease, on the same day his wife gave birth to his last son, Maxwell.