Born in a small cottage in Alloway on the 25th January 1759,
Robert Burns was destined to become Scotlands best loved poet
Burns had humble origins. His father William a gardener from Kincardinshire
built the two room cottage or "but and ben" on a modest plot of land he leased from a local landowner
Roberts mother Agnes Broun would entertain her young son by singing him traditional
Scottish songs and a distant cousin would spellbind him with tales of ghosts and witches
The wildlife that features in much of Roberts poetry were inspired by the many
animals and birds he encountered as he roamed the countryside around his childhood home
Robert wrote his first song at the age of 15, Handsome Nell which
was based on Nellie Kilpatrick, his partner in the fields at harvest time. Nellie was to be the first of many women who were
an inspiration for Roberts poetry
