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KILMARNOCK--A GLANCE AT ITS
HISTORY, PROGRESS, AND APPEARANCE--KILMARNOCK HOUSE--THE LADY’S
WALK--BURNS IN KILMARNOCK--FRIENDS, AND PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH HIS
NAME--THE TOWN OF HIS DAY--THE LAIGH KIRK--THE CHURCHYARD--THE HIGH
CHURCH--”BLACK JOCK RUSSELL” AND BURNS--THE SOULIS MONUMENT--”WEE JOHNIE”--THE
KAY PARK--THE BURNS MONUMENT.
At this stage it will be as
well to pause and say a word about Kilmarnock, for it is not only as
intimately associated with the Poet’s name as any spot visited, but the
centre from which these Rambles are taken. The town is beautifully
situated in a valley through which the rivers Marnock and Irvine flow, and
is, as Chambers’ describes it, “the largest and most elegant town in
Ayrshire.” Two centuries ago it was a mere hamlet under the jurisdiction
of a baronial lord who dwelt in Dean Castle, a now ruinous stronghold in
its vicinity. In 1591 it was created a burgh of barony, and in 1672 a
second charter was conferred upon it which endowed it with further
privileges. In 1700, the Magistrates received a grant of the whole Common
Good and Customs of the burgh from the superior, and from the date of that
transaction it prosperity has been marked beyond all precedent. For a long
period it was celebrated by the manufacture of the broad, flat worsted
bonnets and striped cowls at one time universally worn throughout
Scotland; and also for tanning, shoemaking, weaving, calico-printing, and
the manufacture of carpets-- but now the snort of the steam engine, and
the roar of machinery in numerous workshops and factories, proclaim a new
era in its history, and announce that these crafts are superseded by
engineering and other mechanical industries. With an increase of trade
came the remodeling and extension of the town. Old streets were
reconstructed or swept away altogether--in fact, as its historian
(Archibald M’Kay) states, “so numerous are the additions which have been
made to Kilmarnock since about the year 1816, that it may now be
considered an entirely new town when compared with what it was at that
period.” True, and I may be added that it now exhibit’s a series of broad
modern streets little inferior to those of Glasgow and other cities, and
that its 24,000 of a population are noted for industry and thrift. To
facilitate the various businesses carried on, it has seven banking
establishment; and, consistent with its old character, it abounds with
“the means of grace,” there being no fewer than nineteen churches within a
short distance of each other. Verily, the words of Burns are as applicable
as ever--
“Now, auld Kilmarnock,
cock thy tail,
And toss thy horns fu’ canty;
Nae mair thou’lt rowt out owre the dale,
Because thy pasture’s scanty;
For lapful’s large o’ gospel kail
Shall fill thy crib in plenty,
An’ runts o’ grace, the pink and wale,
No given by way o’ dainty,
But ilka day.”
The modern buildings
throughout the town are of a superior order, but those which may be termed
“public” are few, and contain little to interest the stranger. The Corn
Exchange, however, is a most imposing structure, and in an antiquarian
point of view Kilmarnock House is worth attention. It is situated in what
is now St. Marnock Street, and is easily distinquished by its quaint
old-fashioned appearance; but before the town encroached on its privacy it
was surrounded by extensive well wooded policies, and was the residence of
the Boyds, Earls of Kilmarnock, after the destruction of Dean Castle by
fire. The fourth and last Earl crossed its threshold one blustery December
morning to join the standard of Prince Charlie, but never returned to the
quietude of its baronial shade. He fought at the battle of Falkirk, and
materially assisted the Prince in gaining the victory, but at the
disastrous battle of Culloden his brief career of adventure was brought to
an abrupt close. When the army of the Prince had been to an abrupt close.
When the army of the Prince had been defeated, and was seeking safely in
flight, “the Earl of Kilmarnock, being half blinded with smoke and snow,
mistook a party of Dragoons for the Pretender’s horse, and was accordingly
taken. He was soon after led along the lines of the British Infantry, in
which his son, then a young man, held the commission of ensign. The Earl
had lost his hat in the strife, and his long hair was flying in disorder
around his head and over his face. The soldiers stood mute in their lines,
beholding the unfortunate nobleman. Among the rest stood Lord Kilmarnock,
compelled by his situation to witness, without the power of alleviating,
the humiliation of his father. When the Earl came past the place where his
son stood, the youth unable to bear any longer that his father’s head
should be exposed to the storm, stepped out of the ranks, without regard
to discipline, and taking off his hate, placed it over his father’s
disordered and wind-beaten locks. He then returned to his place without
having uttered a word, while scarcely an eye that saw his filial affection
but confessed its merits by a tear.”* It is only necessary to add that he
was convicted of high treason, and was beheaded on Tower Hill, London, on
the 18th August, 1746. A portion of a shady avenue, know as “The
Lady’s Walk,” may still be seen in the vicinity of this sad memento of the
fallen house of Boyd, which is said to have been a favourite resort of
Lady Kilmarnock after the tragic and melancholy end of her lord. There she
said to have wandered and given vent to the grief which ultimately broke
her heart. A strolling player, named Ashton Carle, composed the following
highly meritorious lines during a visit to the locality:--
“THE LADY’S WALK
“A wild, weird look has the ‘Lady’s Walk,’
And the trees are stripp’d and old;
They solemn bend in mute-like talk,
In the twilight grey and cold.
“Each gaunt and rugged sinewy root
Starts up along the way--
Memento sad of the lady’s foot
That erst did mournful stray.
“Ghost-like the boughs loom in the sky,
And, skeleton-like, they meet;
The very pathway, white and dry,
Curves like a winding-sheet.
“The rustling leaves that Autumn weaves
In wither’d hillock lie,
And the chilly wind sough just behind
Like the lady’s tearful sigh.
‘Heavily rolls the evening mist,
And the rising night-winds throb
By root and shoot, just where they list,
Till they sound like the lady’s sob.
“And the nightly shadows come and go,
And the gaunt trees bow and wave,
Like weeping mourners, to and fro
Over a dear one’s grave.
“Then this is the far-famed ‘Lady’s Walk,’
And walketh she there to-night?
Holdeth her spirit silent talk
With that moon so sickly white?
“I hear no sound but the rushing bound
Of the swell’d and foaming river,
That seems to say: I cannot stay,
But must on for ever and ever.”
So much of the famous town
of Kilmarnock. Famous did I write? Yes. Well, it is famous for many
things, but more especially for being the poetical birthplace of Robert
Burns. When residing at Mossgiel he was often to be seen standing in its
Cross on market-days, and from the shop of John Wilson, the only printer
and publisher in the town at the time, the unpretentious first edition of
his poems was given to the world. In it, too , he was introduced to
individuals who were in every way superior to the rustic class amongst
whom the circumstances of his birth compelled him to mingle, and it is no
exaggeration to state that it was mainly owing to the assistance and
encouragement he received from Kilmarnock men when “skulking from covert
to covert” in is vicinity, that his poems were printed and himself
prevented from bidding “farewell to dear old Scotland, and his ungrateful,
ill-advised Jean.”
It is stated in an article
in the Contemporaries of Burns-- a now scarce work--that John Goudie, whom
Burns styles “a terror of the Whigs,” had the honour of bringing this
about. It appears that he called at Mossgiel during harvest, and that
Burns went out with him, and while setting behind a stook read to his
visitor several of his poems. “Goudie, delighted with what he heard, threw
out hints of a desire to get the poems published and invited the bard to
visit him at Kilmarnock. There, it is said, Burns met at Goudie’s table a
group of the better class of people living in the town--the town clerk
Paterson, a Dr. Hamilton, Major Parker (banker), Dr. William Moore, and
Mr. Robert Muir (merchant). He appeared amongst these respectable in his
simple hodden grey, but doubtless astonished them by his wit and verses.
As visitors of Goudie we cannot doubt that they were most of them
partisans of the new light. What immediately followed from the visit to
Goudie we cannot tell; apparently, any wish that may have been formed
either by the arch-heretic himself or any of his friends to get the poems
published did not come to any immediate effect.” John Goudie lived in the
second flat of the building now occupied by the Messrs Stewart,
ironmongers, Cross, and was next door neighbour to Bailie Gregory, father
of Mr. J.S. Gregory, registrar. Burns was on intimate terms with both
families, corrected many of his proofs in the house of the first, took
“pot luck” occasionally in that of the second, and delighted to listen to
the tones of a piano which Mrs. Gregory occasionally played for his
entertainment. This piano was the first instrument of the kind in
Kilmarnock, and probably the first Burns ever saw or heard. It is in good
preservation, and has found an asylum in the house of her now aged son,
who cherished it as a souvenir of loved ones gone before. Goudie was a man
of considerable learning, held advanced ideas, and was the author of
several heterodox publications. One of these-- Essays on various important
subjects, moral and divine, being an attempt to distinguish true from
false religion-- attracted considerable attention, and was designated,
“Goudie’s Bible.” “Happening to go into a bookseller’s shop one day in Ayr
he met a clergyman of his acquaintance at the door.” ‘What have you been
doing her?’ jocularly inquired Goudie. ‘Just buying a few ballads,”
retorted the minister, ‘to make psalms to your bible.’” He died in 1809 at
an advanced age.
The Kilmarnock friends of
Burns were all gentlemen of refined intellectual tastes and social
standing. Gilbert Burns says:--”Mr. Robert Muir, merchant in Kilmarnock,
was one of those early friends that Robert’s poetry procured him, and one
who was dear to his heart.” Seemingly his affection for this friend was
not misplaced, for he subscribed for seventy-two copies of the first
edition of his poems, and forty of the second.
Mr. Thomas Samson of
elegiac fame was another warm friend of our poet. He carried on the
business of nursery and seedsman, was an ardent sportsman, and altogether
a jolly good fellow. Burns visited at his house, sat at his table, and was
intimate with his family and friends; indeed, the glass out of which he
was in the habit of drinking is an heirloom in the family. The worthy
sportsman’s nephew Mr. Charles Samson, Turnbull the poet, William Parker,
and other early friends and patrons of Ayrshire ploughman in
Kilmarnock, might be enumerated to show how his manly worth and poetic
ability was appreciated.
On the 26th October, 1786,
Burns was honoured by being elected an honorary member of St. John’s
Masonic Lodge, Kilmarnock, and from the circumstance there is little doubt
of his having spent many “festive nights” with the brethren. The following
extract from a chapter in Mr. M’Kay’s History of Kilmarnock, which is
entirely devoted to “Burns and his Kilmarnock friends,” is quite
appropriate:--”The house of Nanse Tinnock, in Mauchline, has been much
talked of; and the Edinburgh taverns of Johnnie Dowie and Lucky Pringle,
where he (Burns) often met Nichol of the High School and others, have also
been noticed by some of his biographers; but nothing has been said, so far
as we are aware, respecting the house of Sandy Patrick, in which the poet
was wont to spend many merry evenings in Auld Killie, with the hero of one
of this happiest poems, namely--Tam Samson, and other boon
companions. Sandy, who was married to a daughter of Mr. Samson, brewed his
own premises the cap ale which the old gentleman used to drink with
Burns and other social cronies after a day’s shooting. Sandy’s Public,
which consisted of two storeys, and which was famed
‘Thro’ a’ the streets an’
neuks o’ Killie’
for its superior drink, was
situated at the foot of Back Street (at the time one of the principal
thoroughfares of the town), and was called ‘The Bowling-green House,’ from
being near the old Bowling-green, which lay immediately behind it, in the
direction of the present George Inn. But like Sandy himself, and other
jolly mortals who were accustomed to assemble within its walls, the house
which the presence of genius had hallowed, and which would have been an
object of interest to many at the present day, is now no more, having
taken down about the time that East George Street was formed. In our
humble opinion, however, the name of Sandy Patrick is worthy of a place in
the biographies of the poet, along with those of Nanse Tinnock, Lucky
Pringle, and Johnny Dowe.”
When Burns frequented
Kilmarnock it had only some 6000 of a population, and its streets were
few, narrow, and intricate. Indeed, according to the History already
quoted, “the town presented a mean and inelegant appearance,” and the
Cross was “somewhat contracted in form compared with the spacious
appearance it now presents.” At the widening of the Cross many old
buildings were removed, and amongst them the one which contained the shop
of John Wilson, the printer of the first edition of the poems of Burns. It
is stated in the above work that it stood “where Portland Street now opens
into the Cross,” and that “the printing-office in which the poems were
first put into type was in the attic storey of that land on the left of
the Star Inn Close, as entered from Waterloo Street.” The writer goes on
to say that “the property then belonged to Mr. James Roberson of Tankardha’,
whose sister, the late Mrs. Buntine, used to tell his informant that ,
when living in the Star Inn Close, she noticed frequently the visits of
Burns to the printing premises when his work was in the press.” The
premises of Mr. James M’Kie, the enterprising publisher, who has done so
much for the literature of Burns, and who lately issued a perfect fac-simile
of the unpretentious firs edition of the poet’s works, are within a few
yards of the humble tenement referred to, in which the wooden press of
“Wee Johnie,” with many a jolt and creak, gave out printed sheets which
were destined to make Kilmarnock famous, and waft the name of Burns over
the world.
As Mr. M’Kie is an
enthusiastic admirer of the Poet and collector of Burnsiana, and as his
name is inseparably associated with the Burns Monument movement in
Kilmarnock, a brief notice of his career may prove acceptable, seeing that
he is in every sense of the word a self-made man, and that the position he
has attained is wholly due to indomitable appearance. On the 7th of
October, 1816, he made his appearance on the stage of life, but not having
been gifted with the proverbial “silver spoon,” he was at the tender age
of eleven-and-a-half years apprenticed to Mr. Hugh Crawford, Printer and
Bookseller, Kimarnock, at the munificent sum of one shilling weekly for
the first year. At the conclusion of his apprenticeship he set off to
Glasgow, and there received a six months’ engagement to work at his trade
in Elgin. At its fulfilment he removed to Saltcoats to manage a
bookselling establishment, and remained there for nine years, during which
time he succeeded to his employer’s business, and entered into the married
state; but like most Kilmarnock men, he sighed for his native town, and
upon the old-established business of Messrs Hugh Crawford & Son coming
into the market he purchased it and settled in the place of his birth in
November, 1844. In October, 1839, Mr. M’Kie commenced a periodical,
consisting almost wholly of poetry, entitled the Ayrshire Inspirer, and in
1843, a meritorious annual, entitled the Ayshire Wreath. In October, 1856,
he started the Kilmarnock Weekly Post, and sustained if for several years.
In May, 1878, he was entertained to dinner by a large number of friends on
the occasion of his having completed the fiftieth year of his active
business life, and was highly complimented on it success. Few men have
done more to disseminate Burns literature than Mr. K’Kie, He is at all
times zealous in everything concerning the memory and fame of the Bard,
and may be said to have been the life and soul of movement so successfully
carried out for the erection of a monument to the Poet’s memory in
Kilmarnock.
The spacious Cross of
Kilmarnock is the great point of attraction to strangers and residents.
Seven streets branch off it, and in its immediate neighbourhood are the
only antiquities and places associated with the name of our poet of which
the town can boast.
“Switch to the Laigh Kirk
ane and a’.
And there tak’ up your stations;
Then aff to Begbie’s in a raw,
An’ pour divine libations
For joy this day.”
“Begbie’s” is now the Angel
Inn. It is situated in Market Lane, is an attractive as ever, and presided
over by as accommodating a host as it was in the days of Burns; but the
Laigh Kirk, to which he refers, and in which the “Ordination” which
provoked his satire took place, was taken down, and the present edifice
somewhat enlarged occupies its site. The massive square tower which
belonged to the old church, however, still stands, and bears date 1410.
The church- yard is of peculiar interest, and the rambler will find much
in it to cause him to linger. At the north-west corner of the church will
be found the graves of Mr. Thomas Samson, the Rev. Dr. Mackinlay, and the
Rev. John Robinson, dramatis personae of our poet, who curiously enough
liewithin a few inches of each other, and are mentioned together in the
first stanza of the worthy sportsman’s elegy.
“Has auld Kilmarnock seen
the Deil?
Or great M’Minlay thrawn his heel?
Or Robinson again grown weel
To preach an’ read?
‘Na, waur than a’?’ cries ilka chiel,
‘Tam Samson’s dead.’”
These worthy clergymen rest
side by side, and the “weel-worn clay” of Mr. Samson at the head of their
graves under a freestone tablet on which the epitaph by Burns is graven.
Near to the graves of these contemporaries are the resting places of
several local martyrs. A stone behind the church bears the
following:--”HERE LIE THE HEADS OF JOHN ROSS AND JOHN SHIELDS, WHO
SUFFERED AT EDINBURGH, DEC. 27TH, 1666, AND HAD THEIR HEADS SET UP IN
KILMARNOCK.”
“Our persecutors mad with
wrath and ire,
In Edinburgh members some do be, some here;
Yet instantly united they shall be,
And witness’ gainst this nation’s perjury.”
These martyrs were found
with arms in their possession, and were executed on suspicion of being in
town to watch the movements of the King’s troops.
Another stone of like
interest, which was renewed by the inhabitants in 1823, is to the memory
of John Nisbet, the only martyr executed in the town. The particular spot
in the Cross where the gallows stood was for many years marked by
the initials of his name, but during the recent repairing of the causeway
the white stones which formed the letters were removed and a circular
block of granite substituted. It was indented into the causeway by
Mr.Charles Reid, road surveyor, a gentleman whose antiquarian taste
was prompted him to preserve many old landmarks and nick-nacks at once
interesting and curious. It will b found near the kerbstone a little to
the east of Waterloo Street. It bears the follow- ing:--”JOHN NISBET WAS
EXECUTED HERE ON 14TH APRIL, 1683.”
The humble memorial to the
memory of this martyr bears this inscription:--”HERE LIES JOHN
NISBET, WHO WAS TAKEN BY MAJOR BALFOUR’S PARTY, AND SUFFERING AT
KILMARNOCK, 14TH APRIL, 1683, FOR ADHERING TO THE WORD OF GOD AND OUR
COVENANTS.”
“Come, reader, see, here
pleasant Nisbet lies,
His blood doth pierce the high and lofty skies;
Kilmarnock did his latter hour perceive,
And Christ his soul to Heaven did receive,
Yet bloody Torrence did his body raise,
And buried him into another place;
Saying, ‘Shall rebels lie in graves with me?
We’ll bury him where evil doers be.’”
The only other martyrs’
stone is close to the former, and in the following simple language tells
the mournful tale of those whom it commemorates:--
“SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
THOMAS FINDLAY, JOHN CUTHBERSTON, WILLIAM BROWN, ROBERT AND JAMES ANDERSON
(NATIVES OF THIS PARISH), WHO WERE TAKEN PRISONERS AT BOTHWEILL, JUNE
22ND, 1679, SENTENCED TO TRANSPORTATION FOR LIFE, AND DROWNED ON THEIR
PASSAGE NEAR THE ORKNEY ISLES. ALSO, JOHN FINDLAY, WHO SUFFERED MARTYRDOM
15TH DEC., 1682, IN THE GRASSMARKET, EDINBURGH.”
“Peace to the church!
when foes her peace invade,
Peach to each noble martyr’s honoured shade!
They, with undaunted courage, truth, and zeal,
Contended for the church and country’s weal;
We share the fruits, we drop the grateful tear,
And peaceful altars o’er their ashes rear.”
The stones referred to are
the most noteworthy, but there are others to the memory of the honored
dead which will also prove interesting.
Tradition has it, and
excavation has proved, that this graveyard was of much greater extent, and
included part of the ground now forming surrounding streets. Indeed, the
writer has seen human bones exhumed in the centres of the now populous
thoroughfares on its west and south sides.
In 1731, the Low Church
became too small, and a new church or chapel-of-ease was erected to
accommodate the increasing population. It is also situated, within a short
distance of the Cross, and deserves the rambler’s attention, as it was the
building in which the Rev. John Russell, a well-known Burn’s hero who
figures in The Holy Fair, The Twa Herds, and The Kirk’s Alarm, officiated.
But now the
Lord’s ain trumpet touts,
Till a’ the hills are rairin’,
And echoes back return the shouts--
BLACK RUSSELL is na sparin’:
His piercing words, like Highland swords,
Divide the joints and marrow;
His talk o’ hell, where devils dwell,
Our vera sauls does harrow
Wi’ fricht that day.”
And again--
“He fine a mangy sheep
could scrub,
Or nobly fling the Gospel club,
And New-Light herds could nicely drub,
Or pay their skin;
Could shake them o’er the burning dub,
Or heave them in.”
A correspondent of Robert
Chamers wrote--”He was the most tremendous man I ever saw. Black Hugh
Macpherson was a beauty in comparison. His voice was like thunder, and his
sentiments were such as must have shocked any class of hearers in the
least more refined than those whom he usually addressed.” It is stated in
the History of Kilmarnock that “his appearance completely harmonized with
his severity of manner, for he was uncouth and robust in person,
remarkably dark-complexioned, and stern and gloomy in countenance. On
Sabbaths, during the intervals of divine services, he would frequently go
through the streets, and even to the out-skirts of the town, with a large
walking stick in his hand, watching for disorderly boys and other
stragglers; and such as he discovered, he would rebuke for their
ungodliness. In short, he was a terror to the inhabitants, especially on
the Sabbath, that the moment the sound of his ponderous staff was heard
upon the streets the doors that chanced to be opened were instantly
closed, and every countenance assumed an air of the deepest sanctity. In
theological knowledge few of his companions were more deeply versed; and,
in religious controversy, he was not easily driven from his position. Even
Burns, beneath whose strokes of satire the clergy of Ayrshire were wont to
lie prostrate, was on one occasion defeated, it is said, by his determined
mode of arguing. They had met accidentally in a barber’s shop in Fore
Street, and whether Mr Russell knew the poet and meant to chastise him for
his reputed heresy we know not, but they soon became engaged in a warm
discussion respecting some particular point of faith; and, according to
our informant, who was present, the poet, with all his ingenuity and
argumentative powers, was so baffled by his opponent that he became
silent, and left the shop in a hurried manner.”
The High Church is now a
parish church, is beautifully fitted-up internally, and contains handsome
stained-glass “memorial” windows, though externally it is a plain-looking
edifice. It is surrounded by a neatly kept churchyard, enclosed by a high
wall. In a niche in this wall, near the gateway in Soulis Street, there is
a fluted pillar surmounted by an urn, which commemorates an English
nobleman name Lord Soulis. Tradition states that he was killed by an arrow
which one of the Boyds of Dean Castle shot at him from a distance. On the
front of the pediment surmounting the niche is the following:--
“TO THE MEMORY OF LOR
SOULIS, A.D. 1444.
ERECTED BY SUBSCRIPTION A.D. 1825.
‘THE DAYS OF OLD TO MIND I CAL.’ “
The graveyard contains many
handsome tombstones; but the most noteworthy is to the memory of John
Wilson, the cautious, close-fisted printer of the first edition of the
poems of Burns. He was the son of a Kilmarnock bailie, and attained the
same civic position in the town of Ayr, where he settled and in company
with his brother Peter established the Ayr Advertiser shortly after giving
the Mossgiel ploughman’s poems to the world. The epitaph--
“Whoe’er thou art, oh
reader, know
That death has murder’d Johnnie;
And here his body lies fu’ low--
For saul he ne’er had ony”--
which Burns hurled at him,
and made him print by way of joke, has been considered too severe; but if
the statement that the poet “pocketed, all expenses deducted, nearly
twenty pounds: from the sale of his Kilmarnock edition be true, and there
is no reason to doubt it, it is not a whit. Indeed, when Wilson’s account
for printing is looked into stronger language would be justifiable. The
following facsmilie of this curious document, and the remarks appended to
it, are taken from Chamber’s excellent edition of the poet’s works:
“MR. ROBERT BURNS.
…………………………..TO JOHN WILSON…… DR.
Aug. 28, 1786.--Printing 15 sheets at 19s,…………..£14.…..5.….0
………………..19 Reams 13 quires paper at 17s,……16.…..4.….0
………………..Carriage of the paper…………………0.……8.…9
………Stitching 612 Copies in blue paper at 1 3/4d,…4.……9.…3
……………………………….....................................___________
………………………………...................................£35.…..17.…0
Aug. 19.-------By Cash,……………………………...£6.…….3.….0
“ 28.…….By Cash………………………………14.…….13.….0
By 70 Copies,…………………………….................10.…….10.….0
________________________________________£ 31.………6.…..0
………………………………................................£4.……….11.….0
By 9 copies……………………………….................1.………..7.….0
_______________________________________________
………………………………...................£3.………4.…0
October 6th By cash in full,…………………………3.…… .…4...…0
KILMARNOCK. Settled the above account.
JOHN WILSON.
“It appears that Mr. Wilson
had here, by an error in his arithmetic, undercharged the Pet Ten
Shillings, the second item in the account being properly £16 14s., instead
of £16 4s. “Six hundred Copies at 3s. ach would produce £90; and if there
were no more to be deducted from that sum the expenses of paper, print,
and stitching, there would remain upwards of £54 as profit. The Poet,
however, speaks of realizing only £20 by the speculation.”
Wilson died at Ayr on the
6th May, 1821, and by his will left a share in a property in Kilmarnock,
to accumulate until there was sufficient funds to build a school in which
poor children were to be taught “reading, writing, and arithmetic only.”
In the vicinity of the
Cross also is the Kay Park--an ornamental piece of ground well adapted for
recreation and healthful enjoyment, which was gifted to the town by the
late Alexander Kay [born March 1795, did January 1866] --a Kilmarnockonian
who amassed a fortune of £70,000 in Glasgow as an insurance broker.
Of the £16,000 bequeathed to his native place £6000 was set aside by the
trust for the erection and endowment of two schools, and the remainder for
the purchase and maintenance of this place of public resort. On a height
within these grounds, overlooking the town, stands the handsomest tribute
to the poet’s memory yet erected. It is built of red sandstone hewn from
rock on the banks of the Ayr near to the spot where the poet viewed
the bonnie lass of Ballochmyle, and towers to a height of sixty-five feet.
It is Gothic in design, and represents a baronial tower of the olden time.
At its front, stairs lead up to an alcove fifteen feet in height, in which
stands a chaste statue of the poet cut from a block of the finest Sicilian
marble by the eminent sculptor, W.G. Stevenson of Edinburgh. The
figure--which is eight feet from foot to head--represents the poet,
attired in a tight-fitting coat and knee-breeches, leaning against the
trunk of a tree, with a book in the one hand and a pencil in the other.
The head is turned slightly to the right, which gives the spectator in
front of the figure the view of the features as they are shown in the now
familiar portrait by Naysmith. Round the base is a walk three feet, and in
the interior of the building is a room devoted to relics and articles
associated with the life and writings of the poet. From the top of the
tower--which is reached by a winding stair--a most gorgeous and extensive
view of the land of Burns is witnessed. At the spectator’s feet is the
town of Kilmarnock hemmed in as it were by verdant slopes and distant
rugged hills, which rigorously preclude a glimpse of
“Auld Ayr, wham ne’er a
toun surpasses
For honest men and bonnie lasses.”
To the north is the ruin of
Dean Castle--a sad memento of the fallen house of Boyd--nestling in a
beautiful vale through which the Marnock glides; and beyond it the moors
of Fenwick and Eaglesham, famed lurking place of the Covenanters during
the era of the Persecution. To the east, there is a fine far-stretching
view backed by Loudoun Hill, “Loundoun’s bonnie woods and braes,” and the
moors of Galston, on which the poet witnessed the glorious light of the
rising sun on the morning of “The Holy Fair”--a pleasing reminiscence; but
they also recall a sad passage in his history, for when traversing them on
a bleak blustry afternoon he measured the last song he ever expected to
measure in Caledonia. A little to the southward the position of the farm
of Mossgiel can be indicated with considerable distinctness, as also other
places which the poet loved and celebrated in song. There is also, when
the weather is clear, a magnificent prospect of Arran and the Frith of
Clyde. On the whole, the view is one of great natural beauty; but no word
picture can convey an adequate idea of the hills, woods, plains, and fells
which lie around in panoramic magnificence.
It was long considered a
blemish on the reputation of Kilmarnock that it contained no memorial of
the poet. Although a statue to his memory was long talked of by the town’s
people, no practical step for its erection was taken until the movement
received an impetus by the unveiling of a statue to the poet’s memory on
the 25th of January, 1877, in Glasgow. “On the evening of the day
following a public demonstration was held in the George Inn Hall,
Kilmarnock --Provost Sturrock in the chair, and Mr Andrew Turnbull
(president of the Burns Club), croupier--at which it was proposed, and
unanimously agreed to, that a statue be erected in some suitable place in
Kilmarnock in honour of the poet. The following were appointed a committee
to carry out the proposal:--Provost Sturrock, Bailie Craig, Bailie Muir,
Bailie Wilson, Dean of Guild Andrews; Messrs John Baird, John Gilmour,
Thomas M’Culloch, George Humphrey, James Stirling, John A. Mather,
Alexander Walker, William Mitchel, John G. Hamilton, James Roberson, Hugh
Shaw, David Phillips, Andre Christie, James Arbuckle, Ninian Anderson, Dr
M’Alister, Andrew Turnbull, James M’Kie, and James Rose--Andrew Turnbull,
convener; Hugh Shaw, treasurer; James Rose and James M’Kie,
joint-secretaries. At a meeting of the committee on February 23rd, 1877,
the Convener, Treasurer, and Secretaries, with Messrs John Baird, Ninian
Anderson, Thomas M’Culloch, and James Arbuckle were appointed a
sub-committee to carry out the details of the movement, and it was
intimated that the sum of six hundred and fourteen pounds (£614) had
already been subscribed. At a meeting of the general committee on April
6th, 1877, a report from the sub-committee recommending open competition
by sculptors was agreed to--two premiums, one of £50 and one of £25, being
offered for the best and second best models. The amount of the
subscriptions at this date was twelve hundred and eighty--two pounds
(£1282). On June 7th, 1877, it was suggested at a meeting of the general
committee that, as the subscriptions had far exceeded expectations, an
ornamental building and a marble statue of the poet in it should be
erected. At a general meeting of the subscribers held in the Town Hall on
September 8th, 1877, the sub-committee recommended that a marble statue to
cost eight hundred pounds (£800), and an ornamental building estimated at
fifteen hundred pounds (£1500), should be erected in the Public Park--a
site for the building having been granted by the Kay Trustees. This was
agreed to, and the sub-committee instructed to carry out the decision. At
a meeting of sub-committee on October 9th, 1877, Mr Robert S. Ingram,
architect, on behalf of Messrs J. & R.S. Ingram, submitted amended design
of ornamental building, which was accepted, and hew was instructed to
prepare drawings and specifications of the same. On December 6th and 7th,
18777, the compet- ing models, 21 in all, were publicly exhibited in the
George Inn Hall, and on December 14th the committee awarded the commission
for the statue to Mr W.G. Stevenson, 2 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh; the
premium of fifty pounds (£50) to Mr D.W. Stevenson, 2 Castle Terrace,
Edinburgh; and the premium of twenty-five pounds (£25) to Mr Chas M’Bride,
7 Hope Street, Edinburgh. On the Burns Anniversary, Jan. 25th, 1878, a
Burns Concert was held in the Corn Exchange Hall, which was crowded to
overflowing. On March 29th, 1878, the contract between the sub-committee
and Mr. W. G. Stevenson, Edinburgh, for the marble statue was duly signed.
In the months to of March, April, and May the sub-committee got working
plans and estimates for the erection of the ornamental building in the Kay
Park. These, after modifications, were finally agreed to, and at a meeting
of June 4th, 1878, Mr Ingram, architect, intimated that Mr. Andrew
Calderwood had signed contract for the erection of the building, the
entire cost of which was estimated at fourteen hundred and fifty pounds
(£1450).” [From “Short Sketch of the Monument Movement,” deposited in the
Memorial Stone of the Monument.]
When the building was
partly constructed it was agreed that the Memorial Stone would be laid
with full Masonic honours by R.W. Cochran-Patrick, Esq. of Woodside,
Depute Provincial Grand Maser for Ayshire, and on the 14th of September,
1878, about fifteen thousand people of all classes and conditions of life
assembled to do honour to the Poet’s memory. Kilmarnock was moved to its
depths, and excitement ran high as a highly imposing procession moved
along the streets to the scene of operations in the following order:--Body
of Police, the Burns Monument Sub-Committee, Carters, Town Council and
County Gentlemen, Burns Monument General Committee and Burns Club, 5th
Battery Ayrshire Artillery Volunteers, 1st Ayrshire Rifle Volunteers, Iron
Trades, Good Templars, Oddfellows, Tailors, Free Gardeners, Foresters,
Joiners and other Wood Workers, Operative Masons, Chimney Sweeps,
Operative Gardeners, and one hundred Masonic Lodges.
The following account of
the processions taken from the report of the proceedings in the Kilmarnock
Standard of September 21, 1878:--”The procession was exceedingly well
organized and presented a most imposing appearance. Immediately behind the
pioneers, as usual, came the carters, who undoubtedly formed the most
note-worthy feature of the display. They numbered no less than 106--the
largest turn-out of the kind ever seen in Kilmarnock--and were mounted on
strong, well-built, and gaily-decorated horses. Each man wore a Kilmarnock
bonnet, decked with blue ribbons, and also a blue rosette on the breast of
his coat. The calvacade as it passed along the streets attracted great
attention, and the hearty cheers which greeted the men showed how
favourable was the impression they created Another noted group was the
Foresters. Each lodge was preceded by three mounted men dressed in the
picturesque garb of the craft, having the bow slung over the shoulder with
the quiver by the side. The Free Gardeners also appeared in a very
pleasing costume. Foremost among the trades by rightful position, though
the order of them had been determined by the accident of the ballot,
marched the iron trades, which now form the chief element of our local
industry………….. They carried some beautifully finished models, including a
locomotive, two carriages and a van, forming a railway train with every
appliance complete. The joiners excited the interest of the crowd by
appearing with a lorry which had been fitted up with a double bench, at
which two men in white aprons carefully planed away at a piece of wood,
and seemed to be so intent on their work as to be altogether ignorant of
the panorama of which they formed a part, or of the thousands of eager
eyes under whose gaze they were passing. The Oddfellows as usual presented
a highly respectable appearance, and the Good Templars also turned out
well, among them being a goodly sprinkling of females. Almost hid in the
general mass was a small band of chimney-sweeps, whose presence would have
passed unnoticed had it not been for the banner which they carried and on
which was inscribed in large letter, ‘By dirt we live.’ Their appearance
did not bear out the motto, as for once, at least, they had cleaned all
the dirt away from themselves, and come out in presentable fashion like
the others to honour the Ayrshire bard. It is impossible to notice
in detail all the component parts of the procession, but it may not be out
of place to refer to the presence among the Freemasons of the Lodge
133--St. David’s of Tarbolton. This is the mother lodge of the poet, which
from some cause lay dormant for 42 years, and was only resuscitated by the
Mauchline brethren in January of last year in order that it might take
part in the Burns demonstration in Glasgow. Alongside of this lodge was
135--the St. James Kilwinning of Tarbolton--which the poet joined on his
leaving the St. David, and in which he occupied the second highest post.
It is estimated that about 4000 took part in the procession.”
When the procession was
marshalled round the monument, the ceremony of laying the Memorial stone
was proceeded with amid a dead impressive silence. The following account
of the ceremony is taken from the newspaper report already quoted:--”The
Rev. MrInglis of Kilmaurs, Provincial Grand Chaplain, offered up a brief,
appropriate and impressive prayer, after which the Depute Provincial Grand
Master having directed the Provincial Grand Secretary (Bro. Wylie)
deposited in the cavity of the stone a glass bottle, hermetically sealed,
containing:--Short sketch of the monument movement. Alphabetical list of
subscribers showing subscriptions to the extent of tow thousand two
hundred and fifty pounds. Copy of Burns’ poems (Mr M’Kie’s fac-simile
edition.) Copy of the Kilmarnock Standard, the Glasgow Herald, N.B. Daily
Mail, Glasgow News, Scotsman, Review, Ayr and Ardossan newspapers;
all of date, September 14th, 1878. Registration statistics of the parish
of Kilmarnock for 1858; digest of census of 1871 for the parish, with
registration statistics; vital statistics from the registers of the
parish, for 1876 and 1877, by Mr James Smith Gregory, registar. The
current coins of the realm from a farthing to a sovereign. Standard
measure of one foot and standard weight of 1 lb. Monograph on a new genus
of rugose corals from the carboniferrous lime-stone of Scotland by James
Thomson, F.G.S. The Provincial Grand Secretary then read the inscription
on the brass plate placed over the glass bottle. The inscription in as
follows:--”BY THE FAVOUR OF ALMIGHTY GOD, ON THE 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER,
ANNO DOMINI EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT, AND THE ERA OF MASONRY
5878, AND IN THE FORTY-SECOND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF OUR BELOVED SOVEREIGN,
VICTORIA FIRST, THE MEMORIAL STONE OF THIS MONUMENT, ERECTED BY PUBLIC
SUBSCRIPTION IN HONOUR OF THE GENIUS OF ROBERT BURNS, SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL
POET, WAS LAID BY R. WM. COCHRAN-PATRICK, ESQ. OF WOODSIDE, BEITH, RIGHT
WORHSIPFUL DEPUTE PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTER FOR AYR- SHIRE (ATTENDED BY
NUMEROUS MASONIC LODGES), ACCORDING TO THE ANCIENT USAGES OF MASONRY.’
After the Kilmarnock Brass Band had played ’Old Hundred,’ the necessary
workmen were then brought forward, and these having completed the
operative part of the ceremony, the Depute Provincial Grand Master spread
the mortar in a most workman-like fashion with the silver trowel, and the
stone was lowered. The acting Provincial Grand Wardens, under orders from
the Provincial Grand Master, severally applied the level and the plummet.
The Substitute Provincial Grand Master, under like orders, applied the
square, and the Depute Grand Master then said: ‘Having, my Right Worship
Brethren, full confidence in your skill in our Royal Art, it remains
with me now to finish this work,’ whereupn he gave the stone three knocks,
saying: ‘May the Almighty Architect of the Universe look down with
benignity upon our present undertaking, and on the happy completion of the
work of which we have now laid the memorial stone, and may this monument
be long preserved from peril and decay.’ The band then played the Masons’
Athem. On the music ceasing, the Substitute Provincial Grand Master then
delivered to the Depute Grand Master a cornucopia, and to the acting
senior and junior Provincial Grand Masters, silver vases with wine and oil
The Depute Provincial Grand Master then spread corn on the stone, and
poured theron wine and oil, conformably to ancient custo9m,
saying:--”Praise be to the Lord, immortal and eternal, who formed the
Heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and extended the waters beyond
it: Who supports the pillars of the nations, and maintains in order and
harmony surrounding worlds. We implore thy aid: and may the Almighty Ruler
of events deign to direct the hand of our gracious Sovereign, so that she
may pour down blessings upon her people: and may that people, living under
sage laws in a free Government, ever feel grateful for the blessings they
enjoy.’ Three hearty cheers on the part of the crowd, and ‘Rule Britannia’
by the band, completed the Masonic part of the ceremony.”
After an eloquent address
had been delivered by Mr. Cochran-Patrick, and a few remarks made by
Provost Sturrock, the procession re-formed and marched back to town, where
it dispersed. In the evening a public dinner was held in the George Inn
Hall, at which Provost Sturrock presided. It was numerously attended, and
amongst those present were several distinguished personages and local
celebrities.
More need not be said
regarding the quiet town of Kilmarnock, so I will conclude this chapter by
reiterating the wish of George Campbell, a local poet, who flourished
about 1787:--
“O! happy Marnock,
lasting be thy peace!
May trading flourish and thy wealth increase!
Still may the loaded axle press the sand,
And commerce waft thy wares to ev’ry land!
Happy returns fill every heart with joy,
And poor industrious never want employ!”
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