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Letter from Robert Burns to Captain Richard Brown, 7 March 1788
Robert wrote this letter to Captain Richard Brown, of the Ship 'Mary and Jean', on 7 March 1788.
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Burns takes on the lease at Ellisland, the farm he and Jean will live in from 1789 to 1791.
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Burns receives his Excise commission and begins his traineeship.
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The formal marriage of Jean Armour and Robert Burns is registered in Mauchline, although they likely married in March 1788.
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Jenny Clow, the maid of Agnes Maclehose in Edinburgh, gives birth to a son, Robert Burns Jnr.
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Burns sends the first version of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to Mrs Dunlop. During his time at Ellisland Farm, Burns writes over 130 songs and poems, nearly a quarter of his total output.
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Robert Burns formally takes up Excise work with a salary of £50 per annum.
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William Blake writes Songs of Innoncence.
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George Washington becomes the first President of the United States of America.
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Jean Armour and Robert Burns move into Ellisland Farm.
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The fall of the Bastille in Paris marks the beginning of the French Revolution.
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Francis Wallace Burns is born to Jean Armour Burns.
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Letter from Robert Burns to Captain Richard Brown, 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.