Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

The Robert Burns Centre is situated in what was once the water mill of the Royal Burgh of Dumfries. The caul across the River Nith and the mills themselves would have been a familiar sight to Robert Burns as he went about his business as an Exciseman. The centre tells the story of Robert Burns last years, spent in the bustling street and lively atmosphere of Dumfries. Original manuscripts and belongings of the poet illuminate the exhibition.

The manuscript of the poem "The Whistle" in the poet’s handwriting can be seen here. It was written in 1789 whilst he was living at Ellisland. It tells the story of a drinking competition that took place at Friars' Carse, the home of his friend and neighbour Robert Riddell. The prize of the competition was an heirloom of the Riddell family, a small ebony whistle. It was won by Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch, as he drank the most and could still blow a blast on it.

Another poem, "Verses In Friar's Carse Hermitage" in the handwriting of Robert Burns can be seen here. The poem was written in 1788 in the summerhouse or Hermitage on the estate of Friar's Carse, just outside Dumfries.

This stylish gold cravat pin belonged to Burns. It is made from a polished agate pebble which he found at Braemar during his short tour of the Highlands in 1787. On his return to Edinburgh he had it set into this cravat pin by a goldsmith. He would have worn it with his best clothes.

The uniform jacket is of the Royal Dumfriesshire Volunteers, a local militia founded in 1795 to counter the threat from post revolutionary France. Burns, whose loyalty to Great Britain had been called into question by his support for the French revolutionaries, joined immediately.

Finally, visitors can also see a bizarre relic of the poet, a plaster cast of Robert Burns' skull. This cast was made on 31 March 1834. His wife, Jean had died and was to be buried beside him in Burns' Mausoleum. The mausoleum was opened and the cast made from the poet's remains. The cast was made to satisfy a contemporary interest in the characteristics of the skulls of great men. This was an aspect of the pseudo science of phrenology which attempted to explain differences in personality by the shape of the skull. The phrenological examination was reported to have "laid stress on the circumference of the skull, 22 1/2 inches, and what must have been an extremely active brain".

The Robert Burns Centre also displays the ceremonial ware of the Dumfries Burns Club, which was one of the earliest to be founded. At the first supper of the Dumfries Club, held in the Globe Inn on the anniversary of Robert Burns’s birthday on the 25th January 1819, it was decided to open a subscription for the purchase of a punch bowl. This bowl was made by Josiah Spode of Stoke on Trent and first used in 1820.

The pedestal of the bowl carries the names of the 35 subscribers to the purchase of the bowl and also of a silver liner, ladle, jugs and glasses. The punch ladle was made by David Gray a prominent local silversmith in Dumfries. The punch bowl and ladle are amongst the most treasured relics of Dumfries Burns Club and are still sometimes used at their annual suppers.