Robert Burns Homecoming collection goes on display in Alloway
The Homecoming collection includes 12 original Burns manuscripts - some of which haven't been in the public domain since the 19th century.
Twelve original manuscripts written by Robert Burns are being shown to the public for the first time in over a hundred years.
The collection has just come into the care of conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland and includes some of the rarest documents of the famous Scots poet.
It will go on display from today in Alloway’s Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, and the exhibition is entitled ‘Homecoming’.
Burns First Commonplace Book - 1 of only 3 in the world
The important pieces include letters, poems ‘Donocht Head’ and ‘Queen of the Lothian’ and songs ‘As I was walking up the street’ and ‘O wat ye wha's in yon town’ giving further insight into the creative process of Scotland’s most famous poet.
They were donated to the National Trust for Scotland from the Blavatnik Honresfield Library by the Friends of the National Libraries in 2022 following a successful campaign to raise funds to secure these, and other important literary pieces, including works by Sir Walter Scott and the Brontës, for the public which were part of a private collection that was put up for sale in 2021.
Also part of the exhibition is the Burns First Commonplace Book, which is one of only three left in the world – all of which are now in Scotland.
The book was last displayed in Scotland in 1896 at the major Burns exhibition held in Glasgow and provides an insight into the mind of the man behind the world’s most famous poems.
Sarah Beattie is the curator for the exhibition and had a huge input into the display’s appearance and the information that accompanies it.
'There couldn’t be a better place for it to go on display.'
She’s telling Clyde 1 it’s an exciting time to be a burns enthusiast.
She said “They’ve essentially been hidden away from the public for the last 100 years. We always knew the collection was there, and knew what it contained, but to be able to actually have full access and see the documents up close is invaluable and will completely change how we look at the work.
“There couldn’t be a better place for it to go on display. A lot of this was either written in Ayrshire, in various farms around Ayrshire that burns lived and worked in or it was influenced by his surroundings in Ayrshire.
“It’s very much a homecoming which is why we called it that.
“But it has so much more to offer than just his connection to Ayrshire. He also lived in Edinburgh, and Dumfries and Galloway for a while. So there are lots of different things about his work that have that connection to different areas in the rest of Scotland that will encourage more people to see it.
“I also think that Burns’ material has topics and themes that resonate with everyone. It’s about love and the surroundings like nature and some things can even be quite silly so it’s just things that people could relate to.”
National Trust for Scotland Chief Executive Philip Long OBE added: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.
“Burns was inspired by nature, beauty and heritage and his work is of deep significance to Scotland.
“As the custodians of the place where Burns was born, and many of his most important works, the National Trust for Scotland is honoured to add these important pieces to our collection and to share these with the public through our new exhibition.”
The homecoming exhibition will be in Alloway until March. As the documents are now centuries old, they are sensitive towards light and must be kept under constant maintenance to assure their survival. After it’s time in the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum it will be put back into storage.