We did promise we would shed light on who exactly Robert Burns was and why we celebrate him every single year, so here is a quick history lesson from The Countryman Inn – we’re not just a Sussex country pub you know!
Robert Burns (1759-1796) was the eldest of seven siblings and was born into a farming family in Scotland. Despite spending his youth working his father’s farm, he was well read, due to his father’s insistence who employed a tutor for Robert and his younger brother Gilbert.
At the age of just 15, Burns started writing to find a counter-balance to his work on the farm and at this age he wrote “My Handsome Nell” a poem about the other things in his life, such as Scotch and Women.
When his father died, Robert and his brother became partners in the farm but Robert wasn’t interested in labouring in the farm, more so in the ‘romantic nature’ of poetry and women. He had already in fact, had some misadventures with the ladies leaving him with several illegitimate children. He aimed to leave Scotland for the West Indies to pursue the life he dreamt of.
However, at the point of leaving the farm, his poetry collection “Poems- Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect – Kilmarnock Edition” was published and received great acclaim. This fact, coupled with his pride of parenthood left him to stay in Scotland.
Robert Burns then spent the rest of his life as a celebrity, and contributed to numerous songs such as James Johnston’s “Scot’s Musical Museum” and George Thomson’s “Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs.” In all, more than 400 of Burns’ songs are still in existence.
He died aged 37 of heart disease exacerbated by the hard manual work he undertook when he was young. His death occurred on the same day as his wife Jean gave birth to his last son, Maxwell. On the day of his burial more than 10,000 people came to watch and pay their respects.
So now, Scots both at home and abroad celebrate Robert Burns with a supper, where they address the haggis, pamper the ladies and drink whisky - a true reflection of the man himself.
Well, there you have it, now you know who Robert Burns is and why we celebrate him, why not come along and celebrate with us. The cost of the four course meal is just £35 per person, which of course includes all of the entertainment for the evening, so make sure you book your table now before we sell out. Call us on 01403 741383 or book online.
