Cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them or accept our recommended settings. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

Options
Necessary cookies enable core functionality on our website. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
We use marketing cookies to personalise your visit to our website and show you tailored advertising based on your likes and interests.
We use analytics cookies to monitor visitor behaviour patterns and improve our website performance.

Your preferences have been set. If you wish to change your preferences, you may do so on our cookies page.

Search My Trust
Join now
Join
Close

Looking for places? Use our place search to find them by name, town or postcode.

Search

Certificate of character for William Burnes

Key details

Archive number
NTS/02/25/BRN/03/03/02
Alt. number
3.6003
Date
1748
On display
No
Creator
Stewart, John (Author)
Schank, Alexander (Author)
Recipient
Burnes, William

Description

Certificate of character for William Burnes. This certificate of good character of William Burnes was written by 2 of his employers Sir William Ogilvy and John Stewart in 1748.

William Burnes (1721-84) was born in the north east of Scotland and trained as a gardener. In 1748, he obtained a certificate of good character from three local landlords, Sir William Ogilvy, John Stewart, and Alexander Schank testifying that he was 'a very well inclind lad'.

William took this character reference with him when he travelled to Edinburgh where there was a need for gardeners. For two years he worked in landscaping in the city, with part of his work including The Meadows. He later travelled on to Ayrshire, where he met his future wife Agnes Broun.
Show more

Archive information

Hierarchy

  1. Letters, documents and ephemera regarding the family of Robert Burns ( )
  2. Letters and Documents Related to William Burnes ( )
  3. Certificate of character for William Burnes

Caring for collections

A gift of £5 a month can help us ensure collections like the Robert Burns Collection receive ongoing care and are shared with as many people as possible.

Donate today
Back to top