| Administrative History | John Burness was a cousin of Robert Burns, and was also a poet. He lived in the North East of Scotland, and was not an educated man. His most famous work was ‘Thrummy Cap’, written in Doric. 'Charles Montgomery' was first performed at the Masons' Hall, Lerwick, Shetland in 1799. 'Thrummy Cap' was published in Dumfries in the same year. |
| Source | The manuscript was presented in 1933 by Dr. Charles Murray, (1864-1941), author and poet. Murray was born in Alford in 1864 and married in South Africa whilst there as mining manager and inspector. He returned to Scotland, to Duff House in Banffshire, in 1919 for treatment for digestive problems, and retired there permanently in 1924. 'Hamewith', the work for which he is best known, appeared in 1900, though he also wrote other novels and poetry, all in Scots. He died in Banchory in 1941. |
| Description | 'Charles Montgomery, a Tragical Dramatic Tale', 1799; 'Thrummy Cap', 1799, and other works, original manuscript with later notes by James Rettie and William Walker, (1840-1931), bibliophile, 1799. |
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