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Letter from Robert Burns to Captain Richard Brown, 4 November 1789

Key details

Archive number
NTS/02/25/BRN/01/35
Alt. number
3.6062
Date
4 November 1789
On display
Yes
Creator
Burns, Robert (Author)
Recipient
Brown, Captain Richard

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Description

Letter from Robert Burns to Captain Richard Brown, dated 4 November 1789.

Captain Richard Brown, a ships captain, was a long standing friend of Burns from his Irvine flax working days. Brown has now settled down to married life in Port Glasgow and has written two recent letters to Burns to arrange a meeting with him in Ayrshire.

In the two page letter Burns acknowledges and welcomes Brown's news. Then he explains his new job with the Excise and goes on to reflect on their long friendship and invites Brown and his wife to visit him at Ellisland.

Robert’s friend Richard Brown persuaded him to take his writing seriously. Here, Robert nostalgically wishes that ‘the companions of our youth be the friends of our old age!’

Archive information


Hierarchy

  1. Letters from and to Robert Burns ( )
  2. Letter from Robert Burns to Captain Richard Brown, 4 November 1789