Print entitled 'Birthplace of Burns', 1808
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'Birthplace of Burns', 1808
- Introduction:
- Robert Burns was born at Alloway near Ayr on the 25th January 1759, the eldest of seven children of Agnes and William Burnes. His father was a market gardener, who having acquired a small holding of land, had built this cottage with its whitewashed clay walls and thatched roof with his own hands.
- Image Rights Holder:
- Dumfries & Galloway Museums Service
- Ref:
- 217
- Project:
- 241:Robert Burns - People and Places
- Material:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- Whole - length: 100 mm, width: 89 mm
- What:
- Print entitled 'Birthplace of Burns', 1808
- Subject:
- This engraving is originally from the collection of Dr Thomas Boyle Grierson of Thornhill, whose father, William Grierson, was a friend and supporter of Robert Burns. Dr Grierson was a prominent local antiquarian and member of the Burns movement in the later part of the nineteenth century.
- Who:
- Robert Burns (1759-1796) (his birthplace)
- Dr Thomas Boyle Grierson (1818-1889) (previous owner)
- Robert Hartley Cromek (1770-1812) (engraver)
- Thomas Stothard (1755-1834) (artist)
- When:
- 1808
- Where:
- Dumfries Museum, Dumfries & Galloway
- Background:
- This engraving is originally from the collection of Dr Thomas Boyle Grierson of Thornhill, whose father, William Grierson, was a friend and supporter of Robert Burns. Dr Grierson was a prominent local antiquarian and member of the Burns movement in the later part of the nineteenth century.
- Description:
- The poet's father sold the cottage in 1781 and it was used as a public house until May 1881. By this time it had become a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from around the world. It was purchased for ¶œ4,000 by the Trustees of the Burns Monument and opened to the public.