Robert BurnsLimited World Federation Limited www.rbwf.org.uk 1973 The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by Professor Patrick Scott The digital conversion service was provided by DDSR Document Scanning by permission of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited to whom all Copyright title belongs. www.DDSR.com ROBERT BURNS CHRONICLE 1973 THE BURNS FEDERATION KILMARNOCK Price 40p-Paper bound: 6Sp-Clotll bound: Pritt to Noo-Memben 50p-Papu bound: 75p-Clotb boUDd. 'BURNS CHRONICLE' ADVERTISER Scotch as it used to be BURNS CHRONICLE CHARLES C. EASTON, F.S.A. President, Burns Federation BURNS CHRONICLE AND CLUB DIRECTORY INSTITUTED 1891 PUBLISHED ANNUALLY THIRD SERIES: VOLUME XXII THE BURNS FEDERATION KILMARNOCK 1973 Published by The Burns Federation Kilmarnock Printed by William Hodge & Company Limited Great Britain - LIST OF CONTENTS PAGE John Wilson, 1759-1821 by Farquhar McKenzie .. The Spoken Word by R. Peel 6 Bums's Other Tale. A New Look at 'Death and Doctor Hornbook' by Donald A. Low 8 Samuel W. Love. Tribute by A. Neil Campbell . 19 Book Review by Alice V. Stuart 20 Glaumerie. Poem by John Kirk 24 A Memorial to McGonagall by Jane Burgoyne 25 Auguste Angellier. Translation by Jane Burgoyne 26 First Lady President 53 The Trip To Liverpool by Robert D. Thornton 54 All Square. Poem by Kate Y. A. Bone 77 Mirk. Poem by L. M. Stirling 78 The Bums Federation- (a) List of Hon. Presidents, Executive Committee, Office-bearers and District Representatives, Sub- committees, Auditors and Associate Members . 79 (b) List of Past Presidents 85 List of Places at which the Annual Conference of the Council has been held 86 (c) Constitution and Rules 87 (d) List of Districts 92 (e) Minutes of Annual Conference, 1972, incor­ porating the Hon. Secretary's Report, Financial Statement, Bums Chronicle and Schools Compe- titions reports 100 <n Club Reports 117 (g) Numerical List of Clubs on the Roll 155 (h) Alphabetical List of Clubs on Roll 183 List of Advertisements 187 I I ~- ILLUSTRATIONS Charles C. Easton, President, Bums Federation frontispiece Portrait of John Wilson facing Editorial Note John Wilson Tombstone facing page 1 Mrs. Jean Anderson facing page 32 J EDITORIAL NOTE The Burns Federation does not accept responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in the Burns Chronicle. Writers are responsible for articles signed by them: the Editor undertakes responsibility for all unsigned matter. - Manuscripts for publication should be addressed to the Editor and each must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. The Editor cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. JAMES VEITCH. Ni!WBtGGINO, Twl!l!DSMUIR, BIGGAR, LANARKSHIRI!. --~' Portrait of John Wilson, Publisher of the Kilmarnock Edition of Burns's Poems (1786), from the original in the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock. JOHN WILSON, 1759-1821 On the 25th of October, 1752, Kilmarnock Town Council agreed to wall off the river and build new foot-paths on either side of what was a mere passage or close running from the Cross to the Town Green. Despite these important alterations the street remained un­ named until after the Napoleonic Wars when, to balance the newly opened Nelson Street, the older passage was named Waterloo Street. Approaching from Kilmarnock Cross there was, midway down on the left, a building comprising ground floor, two upper floors and a garret or attic floor. Entrance to the building was by a narrow close, or hole-in-the-wa', along the far gable end at whose extremity the close gave entrance to an open courtyard. Looking to the left, a covered stairway gave access to the building, on the third floor of which John Wilson housed his printing press. Crossing the court­ yard one came to the Star Inn which, in later years, was to give its name to the entry. Born in the same year as Robert Bums, Wilson started printing about 1780. The son of a shop-keeper variously described as keeping a general store or a barber's shop, John Wilson at an early age showed good business acumen. The first printing press in Ayrshire was set up in Kilmarnock in 1780 by a jobber named Peter McArthur; no proof is available of Wilson's taking over McArthur's press and types but this would seem likely. As a bookseller with premises in the Foregate, it would have been more convenient to print there rather than for Wilson to instal his press three floors up in a separate building. But, so soon after his venture into printing, Wilson was fortunate enough to be visited in the summer of 1786 by Robert Burns whose desire was to see his verse in 'guid black prent'. They must have made a contrasting pair-the small, cautious business man, off-setting possible losses by requiring materials and sponsors, and the athletic farmer bubbling with enthusiasm yet, as the book went through the press, keeping a wary eye on proof-reading and for any move for his apprehension by James Armour. Despite future misinterpretations, Wilson and Bums must have worked well together-Walter Graham, Wilson's press man, stated that Burns frequently visited the print shop overseeing the printing of his poems. This close relationship between author and printer continued through the Edinburgh Edition-vide Kinnear's description of Bums in Smellie's printing house-and makes Burns rank with Ben Jonson as the leading A 2 JOHN WILSON, 1759-1821 examples of poets actively seeing their work being accurately and correctly printed. Whilst W. Craibe Angus has described the Kilmarnock Edition as the 'first really beautiful book that he (Wilson) produced', John D. Ross more realistically values it as 'poorly printed on poor paper'. In a way, both are correct. With printing not being introduced into Ayrshire until 1780, Wilson's work lacks the beauty of the printed word of the 15th and 16th centuries and, being produced on a cheap plan, was not meant to be the collectors' piece that it became. On the other hand, the variety of clear-cut type and the tasteful use of ornament and device did lead to a satisfying example of the printer's art. Wilson did afford generous and balanced proportions in the margins which gave the printed page a most pleasing appearance; the pity is that later book-binders, solely on the grounds of economy, reduced these margins to meagre and detracting sizes. With Wilson's brother, Peter, commencing book-selling in Ayr, a flood of work followed the printing of the Kilmarnock Edition. In her excellent article, John Wilson, an Ayrshire printer, publisher and bookseller (Bibliothek, vol. 5, no. 2, 1967), Frances M. Thomson provides a check-list of the work of Wilson. Two works are listed between 1783 and 1785, then follows Burns's poetry in 1786; after that, a veritable rush of publications-poems by George Campbell, John Lapraik, and David Sillar, Ramsay's Tea-table miscellany; sermons and religious tracts; and Latin syntax and classical works. The type and ornaments of the Kilmarnock Edition continue in use within these works-then, for an unexplained reason, Wilson moved his press and types to Ayr in 1790. The county town may have had additional business attractions or the Star Inn Close print shop, three floors up, may have become inconvenient for the volume of traffic and movement of materials and productions. John Wilson con­ tinued his other work in Kilmarnock and Peter attended to the printing in Ayr where in 1803 they launched the Ayr Adrertiser which, after an unprofitable beginning, has continued in production to this day. As business in Kilmarnock thrived, John Wilson undertook community work and, serving on the Town Council, was elected a bailie of the town. He was also a noted member of the Kilmarnock Kilwinning St. John's Lodge, No. 22, of which Burns was an honorary member. Although at this time Kilmarnock was one of the smaller and less important towns in Ayrshire, it was the focal point of Bums's social and business life-even when he moved to JOHN WILSON, 1759-1821 3 Ellisland he continued to order his seeds from the firm of Tam Samson. Some of his dearest and most intimate friends lived in Kilmarnock and there can be little doubt that the poet and the 'small, active and well-dressed' printer must have met on occasions other than in the Star Inn Close. Despite this, the myth has developed of Burns's indignation over Wilson's conditions for a second edition of the poems and of his composing the biting epitaph on 'Wee Johnie'. This epitaph appears in the Kilmarnock Edition long before the success of the publication could be gauged; not one shred of evidence from any source testifies to any acrimony between the author and printer; and it is beyond the bounds of decency that Burns would have thus lampooned his printer before and during the publication of his poetry, as well as beyond the realms of credulity that the business-like Wilson would have printed such a condem­ nation of himself. Reference, then, must be made to an Edinburgh Edition annotated by Burns himself and originally in the possession of Dr. Mundell ofCloseburn. The 'Wee Johnie' referred to is neither JOhn Wilson, printer, nor any other John Wilson. Rather the identity is that of the Rev. John Kennedy, perhaps he of that name of the Ochiltree assistantship and later minister at Terregles. A respected figure in Kilmarnock, then, John Wilson sold his business there and moved in 1810 to Ayr where he died in 1821. He was buried in the Old High Kirk of his native Kilmarnock and the gravestone, by Archibald Baird, was erected in 1827 by Wilson's sister, Elizabeth.