A centuries-old crest from the pub where the Bard wined and dined has become the latest significant addition to a collection celebrating Robert Burns’ links to Montrose.
In 1787, the Turk’s Head was a welcome stop for the poet on his return to Edinburgh from a Highland tour.
The tankard he drank from is already part of a Burns collection in the town museum.
Detective work by Montrose Burns Club has now led to the gift of the crest from the long-gone George Street hostelry.
Cutty Sark conservator restored Montrose plaque
Club archivist Graeme Newton traced the original Turk’s Head to the former home of a local antiquarian, James G Low.
When current owners Raymond and Julia Colla bought the property, artefacts which came with it included the ancient plaque.
The couple set about saving it, at significant cost to themselves.
They appointed a professional conservator whose previous work included the restoration of the famous Cutty Sark figureheads at the ship’s museum in Greenwich.
Mr Newton, a past president of MBC, said: “A member of the Montrose Society, Raymond Sutton, told me he had secured the plaque to a house in the town.
“I met the current owners, who, having had it restored, now had it in their dining room.”
An exact replica was funded and gifted to Raymond and Julia in return for their generous gesture to the club.
The couple said: “Being unaware of the full significance of the sign, we simply felt that if Mr Low had deemed it important enough to save and hang over the door of his own house, then we should act to preserve it.”
Turk’s Head sign above Montrose pub door
Emma Gilliland of Angus Alive said: “We are excited to display the Turk’s Head plaque for visitors.
“Not only is it a tangible local connection to Robert Burns and his wider family, but the inn was a prominent meeting place in 18th-Century Montrose and tells us much about society at the time.
“Like many businesses, the inn hung a pictorial sign above their door so they could be easily identified at a time when most people were illiterate.”
MBC secretary Dave Ramsay said, “Due to the generous donation of this unique piece of heritage from Raymond and Julia, the club is again at the forefront of bringing new knowledge to the connections between Montrose and Robert Burns.
Burns’ father, William Burnes, came from a farm on the Aberdeenshire coast north of Montrose.
The Burnes family was well known in Montrose and included lawyers, teachers and a provost.
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