Robert Burns and his legacy in Angus

Montrose Museum unveils a new permanent display on Robert Burns and his legacy in Angus from Friday 29 March.

Robert Burns (1759-96) is remembered as Scotland’s greatest poet and needs little introduction. His literary legacy is celebrated across the world each year on his birthday, 25 January, with the hosting of Burns Suppers.

William Burnes, Burns’ father, originally came from a farm near Glenbervie. The Burnes family was well-known in Montrose and included lawyers, teachers, and a provost. Their house can still be seen in Bow Butts. Despite living in Ayrshire and Dumfries, Burns corresponded regularly with his cousin James Burnes until his untimely death in 1796.

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.  On 12 September 1787, Burns and his friend William Nicol crossed the North Esk and arrived in the ‘finely situated handsome town’ of Montrose, where they visited James Burnes. The next day, the pair had breakfast at Auchmithie and sailed along the ‘wild rocky coast’ to explore the ‘Gairiepot’ Cavern. Their final stop in Angus was the ‘stately ruins of Arbroath Abbey’.

Burns’ legacy can still be seen across Montrose today. On 7 August 1912, the Robert Burns statue was unveiled at Melville Gardens, directly across from Montrose Museum. In 1930, sculptor Adam Christie created a memorial plaque at Rosemount in Hillside, commemorating where Burns watered his horse. In 2023 a new memorial cairn to Burns was built at Rosemount and financed by the Montrose Burns Club to preserve the original plaque.

Objects on display include a new sculpture of Burns. Created by local artist Brian Wyllie, this stone sculpture was auctioned in February 2024 to support the new memorial cairn and Montrose Burns Club, allowing them to continue to promote and enhance the legacy of Burns in Angus.

Dave Ramsay from Montrose Burns Club said: “The sculpture was put up for auction on the 5th February, with the goodwill of Taylor’s Auction Rooms, Montrose, and supported by the Robert Burns World Federation. The sculpture was secured locally in Montrose, and donated to Montrose Burns Club and now on display at Montrose Museum. A perfect ending.”

Also on display from the collection is a wooden piece said to have formed part of Burns’ cutty stool, an Imperial Measure Tankard he drank from at the Turks Head Inn when he visited Montrose, and even his autograph!

Emma Gilliland, Museums & Galleries Collections Lead, 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 and it has been fascinating to research these and bring out some unusual objects that aren’t normally on display.”

Drop into Montrose Museum from Friday 29 March to see the display. Museums in Angus summer opening hours from Monday 1 April are 10:30-16:00, Wednesday to Monday.