Top of page

Book/Printed Material Promissory Note to Mr. Alexr. Crombie, Mason in Dalswinton, Dated April 6th 1791, Dumfries.

About this Item

Title

  • Promissory Note to Mr. Alexr. Crombie, Mason in Dalswinton, Dated April 6th 1791, Dumfries.

Summary

  • Robert Burns (1759-96) is best known for his poems and songs that reflect Scotland's cultural heritage. He was born in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland, the first of seven children belonging to William Burnes, a tenant farmer, and his wife Agnes Broun. Burns had little formal education, but he read English literature and absorbed the traditional, largely oral Scots-language folk songs and tales of his rural environment. He began to compose songs in 1774, and published his first book, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, in 1786. The work was a critical success, and its poems in both Scots and English, on a range of topics, established Burns's broad appeal. While building his literary reputation, Burns worked as a farmer, and in 1788 he was appointed an excise officer in Ellisland. He spent the final 12 years of his life collecting and editing traditional Scottish folk songs for collections including The Scots Musical Museum and A Select Collection of Original Scotish [sic] Airs for the Voice. Burns contributed hundreds of Scottish songs to these anthologies, sometimes rewriting traditional lyrics and setting them to new or revised music. This note, which carries an official sixpenny tax stamp, indicates a loan of 20 pounds that Burns gave to a local mason. The record is exemplary of handwritten drafts and IOU's in late 18th century small towns, which substituted for more formal banking procedures. The reverse shows that Burns subsequently endorsed the IOU over for repayment to a Dumfries architect, Thomas Boyd.

Names

  • Burns, Robert, 1759-1796 Author.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1791-04-06.

Headings

  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland--Scotland
  • -  1791
  • -  Burns, Robert, 1759-1796
  • -  Promissory notes

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 item ; 8.5 x 20 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: University of South Carolina.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Robert Burns Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667620

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Burns, Robert, Author. Promissory Note to Mr. Alexr. Crombie, Mason in Dalswinton, Dated April 6th , Dumfries. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -04-06, 1791] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667620/.

APA citation style:

Burns, R. (1791) Promissory Note to Mr. Alexr. Crombie, Mason in Dalswinton, Dated April 6th , Dumfries. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -04-06] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667620/.

MLA citation style:

Burns, Robert, Author. Promissory Note to Mr. Alexr. Crombie, Mason in Dalswinton, Dated April 6th , Dumfries. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -04-06, 1791] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667620/>.