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Robert Burns: Why Montrose celebrates a special connection to the Bard

The unveiling of the first global memorial to Rabbie Burns since the millennium has been followed up by the opening of a new exhibition at Montrose Museum.

A new Montrose memorial celebrates Robert Burns and 'gentle Shetlander' artist Adam Christie. Image: Paul Reid
A new Montrose memorial celebrates Robert Burns and 'gentle Shetlander' artist Adam Christie. Image: Paul Reid

Rarely seen items from Rabbie Burns’ time in Montrose have gone on show in a new celebration of the Bard at the town’s museum.

And it comes just after the unveiling of the first global memorial to the poet since the millennium.

On Friday, Angus Alive opened the display it hopes will heighten awareness of Burns’ local links.

Renowned local family

It’s a name which has a proud history in the Angus town.

William Burnes, Burns’ father, originally came from a farm near Glenbervie just up the coast in Aberdeenshire.

The Burnes family was well-known in Montrose and included lawyers, teachers and a provost.

Their house can still be seen in Bow Butts.

And despite living in Ayrshire and Dumfries, Burns corresponded regularly with his cousin James Burnes until his untimely death in 1796.

The ribbon is cut on the new cairn at Hillside. Image: Paul Reid

In 1787, Burns embarked on four tours of Scotland.

His final tour, the ‘Highland Journey’, started in August 1787, lasting 22 days and covering 600 miles.

And on September 12 1787, Burns and his friend William Nicol crossed the North Esk to arrive in the ‘finely situated handsome town’ of Montrose.

The next day, the pair had breakfast at Auchmithie – home of the Arbroath Smokie.

Robrt Burns tankard at Montrose museum
Robert Burns’ tankard is part of the Montrose museum display. Image: Angus Alive

They sailed along the ‘wild rocky coast’ to explore the ‘Gairiepot’ cavern.

Their final stop in Angus was the ‘stately ruins of Arbroath Abbey’.

The Montrose exhibition includes an imperial measure tankard he drank from at the Turks Head Inn on the visit to Montrose.

A piece of what was thought to be his cutty stool, and the Bard’s autograph also feature.

Robert Burns Montrose legacy

Burns’ legacy can still be seen across Montrose today.

In August 1912, the Robert Burns statue was unveiled at Melville Gardens, directly across from the museum.

And this month, Montrose Burns Club unveiled a new cairn at Rosemount in Hillside, close to where he stopped on the 1787 Highland tour.

It incorporates a plaque carved in 1930 by ‘gentle Shetlander’ Adam Christie.

Christie was the ‘outsider artist’ who spent much of his life at the former Sunnyside Hospital. But his Burns plaque went undiscovered for decades.

The club has also just launched a Burns Trail on its website.

It stretches from the memorial cairn to the old drove road south where Arbikie distillery now stands.

And another new addition is a sculpture of Burns by local craftsman Bryan Wyllie.

Robert Burns sculpture at Montrose museum.
Brian Wyllie’s sculpture of Robert Burns. Image: Angus Alive

It was auctioned earlier this year to support the memorial cairn project.

Dave Ramsay from Montrose Burns Club said: “The sculpture was donated to the club and is now on display at Montrose Museum. A perfect ending.”

Emma Gilliland of Angus Alive said: “We are delighted to have this new display for visitors and to care for Brian Wyllie’s fantastic new sculpture.

“Burns had family connections in Montrose.

It has been fascinating to research these and bring out some unusual objects that aren’t normally on display.”


Other reads:

6 easy Burns poems

Burns Night: A ‘living tradition’ or relic of a bygone ‘biscuit tin’ Scotland?

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