Memorialisation and legacy

Only a year after his death, the first biography of Robert Burns appeared – one that regrettably set in motion the myth of him being a drunken womaniser. This depiction of a ‘flawed genius’ endured for a number of years until the Victorians, who were fanatical in their adoration of Burns, shifted the balance somewhat with works that recognised his universal appeal. This was also the era of rather macabre memento collecting, with wooden souvenirs made from Burns’s coffin, death bed and rafters of Alloway Auld Kirk … and even a plaster cast of his skull.

For many, the focus for Burns will always be his birthplace, and it was here that people first came to pay homage. From Keats and Tennyson to Muhammad Ali, Clark Gable and Queen Elizabeth, there have been many famous visitors to Burns Cottage. His literary influence is equally wide-ranging, from books like Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck to the lyrics of musicians like Bob Dylan, who cites ‘My love is like a red, red rose’ as his greatest inspiration. There are few writers who have had such an enduring effect on the creative arts.

In 1801, in the cottage where Robert Burns was born, the first Burns Supper was held. Now in its third century, the tradition has grown to become one of the largest and best-known birthday parties in the world.

In 1814, a group of people in Alloway started to raise funds for a suitable memorial. The beautiful Burns Monument opened in 1823 and offers views of the surrounding landscape that was so loved by Burns. The group later acquired Burns Cottage and added a museum to house the increasing collection of manuscripts and artefacts – now considered one of the most important Burns collections in the world.