Promisory note for 100 guineas, William Creech to Robert Burns, dated 23 October 1787

Key details

Archive number: NTS/02/25/BRN/01/70
Alt. number: 3.6116
Date: 23 October 1787
On display: No
Creator: Creech, William
Recipient: Burns, Robert

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Description

Promisory note for 100 guineas granted by William Creech to Robert Burns, dated 23 October 1787.100 guineas was the purchase price paid by Creech to the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement of the copyright of the volume of Burns' "Poems," 1787 ( the Edinburgh Edition).

In November 1786 Robert travelled to Edinburgh to organise the publication of a second edition of his poems. There he used his personal connections to meet with William Creech, a popular bookseller and printer. By December, they had nearly agreed on a deal.

The Edinburgh Edition of Burns’s poems was published in April 1787. This book included a new dedication and a few new poems in addition to those published in the Kilmarnock edition.

Creech had agreed to pay Burns 100 guineas for the copyright to the poems in April 1787. By the autumn, Creech still had not made good on his promise. Robert returned to Edinburgh and extracted this promissory note from Creech on 23 October.

Robert did not receive this payment until 30 May 1788 during yet another subsequent visit to Edinburgh.

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