William Burnes or William Burness was the father of the poet Robert Burns. He was born at either Upper Kinmonth or Clochnahill Farm, Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, and trained as a gardener at Inverugie Castle, Aberdeenshire, before moving to Ayrshire and becoming a tenant farmer. His parents were Robert Burnes and Isabella Keith. He retained the spelling 'Burnes' throughout his life; however, his son favoured the Ayrshire spelling of 'Burns'.
William Burnes' grave in Alloway Kirk
Burns Cottage, built by William Burnes at Alloway.
The kirk ruins and William Burnes's grave
Alloway Auld Kirk at the time of Robert Burns, from The Antiquities of Scotland by Francis Grose.
Robert Burns, also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.
Portrait of Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The Burns Cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire
Inside the Burns Cottage
Title page of the Kilmarnock Edition