Francis Wallace Burns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francis Wallace Burns
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Francis Burns's birthplace, Ellisland Farm
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| Born | 18 August 1789 Ellisland Farm, Nithsdale
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| Died | 9 July 1803 (aged 13) Dumfries
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| Parent(s) | Robert Burns Jean Armour |
Francis Wallace Burns (1789–1803) was the second son of the poet Robert Burns, born when the poet was 30 and his wife Jean Armour was 24. Francis was born at Ellisland Farm in Dunscore parish, Nithsdale on the 18 August 1789. His first and middle names were added in honour of Frances Dunlop of Dunlop, Robert's friend, patron and mentor. Her maiden name was Frances Anna Wallace and what is known of his early life comes from the many letters to Frances in which he was mentioned. His father died in 1796 and little is known of Francis's short life after this date.
Contents
Life and background
Born at Ellisland Farm at 6.45am on 18 September 1789, as recorded in the family register in the Burns family Bible. Francis and the family moved to the Wee Vennel in Dumfries on 11 November 1791. In late spring 1793 the family made the move to a larger house in Millhole Brae, now Burns Street.
Francis's siblings were Robert Burns Junior (b. 3 March 1788); Jean (b. 3 March 1788); William Nicol (b. 9 April 1791); Elizabeth Riddell (b. 21 November 1792); James Glencairn (b. 12 August 1794) and Maxwell (b. 25 July 1796). Short lived un-named twin girls (b. 3 March 1788).
After his father's death Francis and his three brothers, Robert, William and Maxwell, were cared for by a close family friend and sister of John Lewars, Robert Burns's excise colleague. Her name was Jessie Lewars and she had also previously nursed the boys' father in his final days.
Career
James Shaw, when Sheriff of London, arranged for Francis to become a cadet in India in the spring of 1804 with the military service of the Honourable East India Company, however he died before he could take up the place. A rare letter written by his mother in 1804, probably to Maria Riddell, was found by chance in New York in 2009 that records this assistance from James Shaw who was a relative of Robert Burns.
Death
Francis was only thirteen when he died of an unrecorded illness in the family home at Millhole Brae (Burns Street) in Dumfries on 9 July 1803. He was first buried in the family lair, next to his father, in the north-east corner of the churchyard of St Michael's Kirk, Dumfries. Francis was re-interred together with his father and his brother Maxwell in the vault of the newly erected mausoleum on 19 September 1815.
In 1803, an account for the coffins of Robert Burns, Maxwell and Francis Wallace was presented to the Trustees of Robert Burns by Thomas Boyd, coffin maker. Robert had died seven years previously in 1796. Francis Wallace's death may have prompted the issue of the account, the coffin manufacturers possibly having deferred the payment out of appreciation of the financial difficulties Jean Armour Burns was facing at the time of Robert Burns's death and sympathy for her family situation. Francis's coffin cost five pounds and five shillings on July 11, 1803, possibly his burial date.
See also
- Agnes Burns (aunt)
- Annabella Burns (aunt)
- Isabella Burns (aunt)
- John Burns (uncle)
- Gilbert Burns (uncle)
- William Burns (uncle)
- James Glencairn Burns (brother)
- Dr William Maxwell
