A Cottage near Alloway in Ayrshire

A copper plate engraving from a painting by James Sargant Storer of  the cottage where Robert Burns was born.   Robert Burns was born at Alloway near Ayr on the 25th January 1759, the eldest of seven children of Agnes and William Burnes. His father was a market gardener who, having acquired a small holding of land, had built this cottage with its whitewashed clay walls and thatched roof with his own hands.   The poet's father sold the cottage in 1781 and it was used as a public house until May 1881. By this time it had become a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from around the world. It was purchased for £4,000 by the Trustees of the Burns Monument and opened to the public.   This view of the cottage was published only eleven years after the death of  Robert Burns. Copper plate engravings were produced in relatively small editions as the engraving plate was soft and only a limited number of engravings could be printed before the image became degraded.