Glenbervie Burns Memorials
Burns Plaque at Hillside, Montrose
On Sunday 11th September 2011, the third commemorative service took place at a plaque dedicated to Robert Burns.
The Father of the Bard project uncovered some new research into the history of a plaque dedicated to Robert Burns, which is located in the village of Hillside outside Montrose, and commemorates the place where the poet stopped to water his horse.
The Father of the Bard Project was a two – year project which researched the life and times of William Burnes, the father of Robert Burns, and particularly his Kincardineshire links.
While Burns’ work is known the world over, it is not so commonly known that William Burnes, Robert’s father, was a native of Kincardineshire.
With support form the Heritage Lottery Fund, the research was carried out alongside people with learning disabilities from across Aberdeenshire, supported by social work staff.
When Burns was returning to Edinburgh from his Scottish tour in 1787, which included visiting relatives and the graves and farms of his ancestors in the Mearns, his journey took him from Laurencekirk to Montrose.
Robert Burns was on the return leg of his Highland tour of 1787, visiting the farms and graves of his ancestors in Kincardineshire, when he and his travelling companion Willie Nicol, stopped to water the horse at this spot in Hillside.
The simple sandstone plaque in the wall carries the date 13th September 1787, and the date 1930 indicates the origin of the plaque.
There has always been a mystery about the origins of the Hillside plaque.
The research team of the Father of the Bard project have uncovered new information which brings to light a fascinating history.
Glenbervie Burns Memorials Association, who maintain the memorials and plaques dedicated to Burns and his ancestors, already have a commemorative plaque to record the fact that Robert Burns spent a night at the Boars Head Inn in Laurencekirk, latterly the Gardenston Hotel, which has since been demolished.
As to the Hillside plaque, the research proved to be elusive. Gary Wiseman as part of the Father of the Bard research team had drawn a blank about the origins of the plaque. Despite exhaustive museum, archive, and newspaper research, no records or photographs could be found, which would indicate who donated the funds for the plaque, or who dedicated the plaque once it had been laid in position.
A letter to the editor was placed in the Montrose Review, and as a result the remarkable story began to unfold.
Harry Harris, ninety years of age from Yorkshire, formerly of Montrose, and who still receives the Montrose Review every week, telephoned to provide the missing information.
Harry recalls that as a young boy, his father Joseph Harris worked as a ward orderly at Sunnyside Hospital in Hillside, along with another ward orderly called Willie Herd.
The Superintendent of the hospital was C. J. Shaw, a Burns enthusiast along with Joseph and Willie.
A decision was made to commemorate the event at Hillside where Robert Burns stopped on his journey south.
In Sunnyside Hospital at that time was a patient called Adam Christie, a Shetlander, who hade come from Shetland to the hospital in Hillside for treatment.
Adam came to Sunnyside Hospital in 1901 at the age of 32 and spent the remainder of his life there and died in 1950 and was buried in a pauper’s grave in Montrose.
During his time in the hospital Adam developed his skills as a sculptor using only a six inch nail and a heavy old file, and began to carve countless faces and figures in stone. He made fiddles from old tea chests, painted, and wrote poetry.
The description given to people like Adam who have had no formal training, but can demonstrate great artistic abilities, is “artist extraordinaire”
The late Ken Keddie, whoa was a consultant psychiatrist at Suunyside in the 70’s was so fascinated by this history he researched the life and times of Adam Christie, and found that William Lamb the Montrose sculptor had taken Adam under his wing, as he was so impressed with his sculptures. Ken produced a book called the Gentle Shetlander, describing Adam’s work and artistic life.
(Coincidentally, as a singer / songwriter I had researched the life of Adam Christie, and written an recorded a song dedicated to the Gentle Shetlander.
I was totally amazed when as a separate piece of research I uncovered the story of the plaque!)
Harry Harris recalls that his father came home one evening from his hospital work, and told the young Harry that “ another good job had been done” What was that good job?
Joseph Harris, Willie Herd, C.J. Shaw, and Adam Christie who sculpted the plaque, went out one night in 1930, removed some stones from the wall, and inserted the plaque.
No ceremony, no dedication that we know of, no prominent citizen, no subscriptions involved, hence no record of that wonderful moment in 1930, which has defied research until today.
Dave Ramsay who was Project Officer for the Father of the Bard said “The work of the Project team certainly provided a real legacy, and The Glenbervie Memorial Association now have an additional piece of Burns heritage, and the remarkable story behind it. Who knows what would have happened had Harry Massie not responded to that letter, as we may have been left to speculate about the origins of the Hillside plaque.”
The Glenbervie Memorial Association, along with other related Burns organisations met at the plaque in Hillside on the 13th September 2009 for the first time to formally commemorate this event, and met again on Sunday 11th September 2011
Dave Ramsay, said “This is an important part of the story of the Mearns and Robert Burns, and we intend to keep the 13th September as a day to remember the four men who first commemorated Burn’s visit to Hillside. It is eighty one years exactly since Joseph Harris, Willie Herd, C.J. Shaw and Adam Christie paid their tribute to the Bard, and we shall do the same.”
Five red roses were laid at the plaque as part of the commemorative service
A photo opportunity took place at the Burns plaque in Hillside on Sunday 11th September 2011 at 2.00pm
Report by Dave Ramsay
