Robert Burns

[wini]

Did Robert Burns have any children?

wini

[johnniegarve]

wini, just Google Robert Burns, genealogy.

[Falkyrn]

12 children (9 to Jean Armour, his wife 1 to Elizabeth Paton 1 to Ann Clark and 1 to Jennie Clow)

see http://www.burness.ca/burns.html

[DavidMK]

Hi falkryn, it was Ann Park, not Ann Clark. Close though.
David (Ann's relative)

[johnniegarve]

"The kirk & state may gang tae hell & I'll gang wi my Anna" or something similar?

[Ina]

The Kirk an' State may join an' tell,
To do sic things I maunna:
The Kirk an' State may gae to hell,
And I'll gae to my Anna.

She is the sunshine o' my e'e,
To live but her I canna;
Had I on earth but wishes three,
The first should be my Anna.

Ina

[DavidMK]

my favourite line Johnnie.it was from the last two verses , added as a postcript by Burns to "The Gowden Locks Of Anna". These verses are often omitted from books of Burn's poems for reasons we can probably guess.For everybody else's benefit they are as follows.

The Kirk and State may join and tell,
To do sic things i maunna:
The Kirk and State may go to hell,
And I'll gae to my Anna.

She is the sunshine o' my e'e,
To live but her I canna;
Had I on earth but wishes three,
The first should be my Anna.

David
whoops i just noticed Ina best me to the punch.

[Ina]

Was just one step ahead of you David.......

Ina

[Falkyrn]

Hi falkryn, it was Ann Park, not Ann Clark. Close though.
David (Ann's relative)

Dyslexic fingers.

[carlineric]

When asked, by the surveyor of taxes in Ayr for a signed list of horses, servants, whether he was married or a bachelor and what children he had he replied in verse form with the Inventory referring to "dear bought Bess" the daughter by Elizabeth Paton.

I've nave in female-servant station
L—d keep me aye frae a' temptation!
I hae nae wife —and that my bliss is —
An' ye have laid nae tax on misses:
An' then if kirk folks dinna clutch me,
I ken the devils dare na touch me.
Wi' weans I'm main than weel contented,
Heav'n sent me ane mae than I wanted!
My sonsie, smirking, dear bought Bess,
She stares the daddy in her face
Enough of ought ye like but grace;
But he, my bonnie sweet lady,
I've paid enough for her already,
An' gin ye tax her or her mither,
B' the L—d!! ye's get them a' thegither

I wonder if he would get away with such a reply to the tax man today.

Eric