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RBWF Burns Chronicle 2016 Robert Burns World Federation Limited www.rbwf.org.uk The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by Dr Peter T Hughes OBE, Past President of the Robert Burns World Federation 2015/16 The digital conversion was provided by Solway Offset Services Ltd by permission of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited to whom all Copyright title belongs. www.solwayprint.co.uk The mission of the Chronicle remains the furtherance of knowledge about Robert Burns and 2016 its publication in a form that is both academically responsible and clearly Edited by BILL DAWSON communicated for the broader Burnsian community. Bill Dawson EDITOR BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY ALSO AVAILABLE. Distillery & Visitor Centre, Lochranza, Isle of Arran KA27 8HJ Tel: +44 (0) 1770 830264 robertburnswhisky www.robertburnswhisky.com No. 125 Price: 25th January, 2016. £30.00 Arran BurnsAd DRAM 210x265mm 090914.indd 1 ISBN 978-1-907931-52-909/09/2014 11:53 www.rbwf.org.uk DUMFRIES Price SOLWAY PRINT ISBN 978-1-907931-52-9 9 781907 931529 BURNS CHRONICLE £30.00 Burns Chronicle founded 1892 The Robert Burns World Federation ©Burns Chronicle 2016, all rights reserved. Copyright rests with the Robert Burns World Federation unless otherwise stated. The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd does not accept responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in the Burns Chronicle, contributors are responsible for articles signed by them; the Editor is responsible for articles initialled or signed by him and for those unsigned. All communications should be addressed to the Federation office. The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd. Email [email protected] Web www.rbwf.org.uk Tel. 01563 572469 Editorial Contacts & addresses for contributions; [email protected] [email protected] Books for review to the office ISBN 978-1-907931-52-9 Printed in Scotland by Solway Print, Dumfries 2016 Burns Chronicle Editor Bill Dawson The Robert Burns World Federation Kilmarnock The mission of the Chronicle remains the furtherance of knowledge about Robert Burns and its publication in a form that is both academically responsible and clearly communicated for the broader Burnsian community. In reviewing, and helping prospective contributors develop, suitable articles to fulfil this mission, the Editor now has the support of an Editorial Advisory Board. Articles submitted for consideration will normally be read both by the Editor for general suitability and by a relevant Advisory Board member or other specialist, who can provide any needed feedback about the submission. Academic contributors whose institutions require that publications be formally refereed should notify the Editor at the time of submission so he can ensure the regular review procedure is appropriately implemented. To allow time for appropriate feedback, contributors are asked to submit articles before June 30 each year for the forthcoming volume. The Editor is always pleased to discuss proposals for articles with potential contributors. The preferred length for full articles is between 1500 and 5000 words, and the Editor also welcomes shorter notes, especially when based on primary source materials. References should be kept simple, and as far as possible included in the text. Contributors are asked to contact the Editor ahead of submission if their proposed article differs significantly from these guidelines. Editorial Board Dr. Corey Andrews Prof. Liam McIlvanney Prof. Murray Pittock Prof. D. Purdie Bill Dawson, Editor 2 Burns Chronicle 2016 CONTENTS Manuscript of “Grizzle Grim” Discovered ...................................................4 Pamela McIntyre Mysterious “WR”, an early critic of Burns works ............................................8 Patrick Scott The First Publication of “Tam o’ Shanter” December 1790 .................15 Bill Dawson Burns North and South, in mid 19thC American Newspapers ...............26 Joseph Durant The AJ Law Burns Collection and Davidson Cook ................................34 Patrick Scott The Kilmarnock Manuscript of “Tam o’ Shanter” ...................................50 Bill Dawson Manuscripts at Auction ..................................................................................54 Burns and the Covenanters ..........................................................................58 David Murray The McKie Collection ......................................................................................69 Ross McGregor The Monklands Friendly Society Library ..................................................77 Donald Urqhart At Whigham’s Inn ..............................................................................................81 Patrick Scott Working on the Scots Musical Museum: behind the scenes ............87 Vivien E Williams The Scottish Album, Burns Federation presentation to John Gribbel ............................................................................93 Frank Brown Burns Chronicle 2016 3 Irvine Conference Seminar, Engagement with a younger generation ......................................................................................101 125 years of the Burns Chronicle .............................................................106 Descendants of Robert Burns ...................................................................109 Editorial .............................................................................................................110 William Montgomery, a forgotten Editor, ................................................111 Scottish Fire Service Burns Club ...............................................................113 Joe Harkins A Burnsian Opinion, letter to the Editor ...................................................116 John Hanlon Thomas Burns, Lakeland Poet .....................................................................118 Christine Seal Innerpeffray Library .....................................................................................130 Lara Haggerty Liverpool Burns Club ....................................................................................136 Reviews .............................................................................................................138 David Smith BEM. Honour for services to the heritage of Robert Burns .....................................................................142 Obituary, Joe Kennedy ...................................................................................143 The President ..................................................................................................144 2015 Conference ............................................................................................147 Membership ....................................................................................................152 4 Burns Chronicle 2016 “note to Robert Burns” Discovered Pamela McIntyre The Houison-Craufurd family trace their ancestry back to 900AD. The First Laird of Craufurdland is known in 1245, when the lands of Ardoch, now known as Craufurdland near Fenwick, were gifted to Sir Reginald de Craufurd, 1st Sheriff of Ayr. The family also held title to land at Braehead, Cramond near Edinburgh. They continue to own and manage the estate at Craufurdland, run by the present Laird, Simon, and his family. In 2004 Simon’s father, Peter Houison-Craufurd, deposited estate and family papers with Ayrshire Archives and volunteers began slowly working through them. Archivist Pamela McIntyre, began working on the collection in 2011, and was delighted when volunteer Nan Henry identified letters in the collection from James Boswell of Auchinleck. Gordon Turnbull of Yale University, Editor of the Boswell Papers, confirmed that the letters shed an interesting light on Boswell’s political aspirations (or famous lack thereof) in the elections of 1788 for the County of Ayr. Intrigued, Pamela began investigating the whereabouts and content of other collections of Houison- Craufurd records in other repositories, and working alongside Alison Rosie of the NRAS, established that there had been a survey completed at Craufurdland Castle in 1971. The survey list that existed in typed format only; permission had never been granted to make it public. On looking through the contents of the survey, tantalising descriptions were identified, such as ‘note to Robert Burns...’ Initially, it was hoped that the survey would support the descriptions created by the volunteers of the 2004 deposit of records. However, it was soon established that the items noted in the survey could not be cross referenced to the collection in the Archive. It was suggested to the family that more documents were still at Craufurdland and a week later Peter came to the Archive with 14 carrier bags. On emptying and sorting through the bags, many wonderful records were identified including: records from the family branch of Walkinshaw from the 1690s, further correspondence regarding James Boswell, interesting correspondence relating to military activity in North America 1758-1762, details of the family’s service in the Austro-Hungarian Army in the 1830s, an account of life on the front line in the First World War, and correspondence received by the family from eminent explorers, politicians, aristocracy and writers, including a letter dated 1750 from Tobias Smollett. There was indeed a ‘note to Robert Burns’, a letter written to Burns as Officer of Excise in 1792 – and, even more importantly, on the reverse, an Burns Chronicle 2016 Pamela McIntyre 5 epitaph in Burns autograph. Pauline MacKay and Jonathan Henderson
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