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Letter from Robert Burns to the Earl of Glencairn, 13th January 1787

Key details

Archive number
NTS/02/25/BRN/01/10
Alt. number
3.6036
Date
13 January 1787
On display
No
Creator
Burns, Robert (Author)
Recipient
Cunningham, James, Earl of Glencairn

Explore correspondence between the creator and recipient

Description

Letter from Robert Burns to the Earl of Glencairn, dated Lawn Market, 13th January 1787.

Letter written from Lawn Market in Edinburgh on 13th January, 1787 enclosing a poem titled "Verses Intended to be Written Below a Noble Earl's Picture". The letter conveys his gratitude to the Earl for his generous patronage.

Burns is indebted to the Earl who with his mother has subscribed to 24 copies of the Edinburgh Edition of Burns's poems, and has influenced his fellow members of the Caledonian Hunt to take another hundred. Robert acknowledges his debt to Glencairn but describes the weight of his obligation as a 'pleasing load' and goes on to justify his desire to 'celebrate' Glencairn's patronage as being a practice regularly adopted by others in his situation.

He also says that he intends to purchase a portrait of the Earl and below this to display a suitable verse which he has written. He encloses 'Verses Intended to be Written Below a Noble Earl's Picture', asking for the Earl's approval to publish it.

Archive information

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Hierarchy

  1. Letters from and to Robert Burns ( )
  2. Letter from Robert Burns to the Earl of Glencairn, 13th January 1787

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