Letter of invitation to Robert Burns' funeral

This letter is from Robert Burns' eldest son, Robert, inviting the recipient to the funeral of his father on the 25th July 1796.  Robert Burns junior was only nine years old at this time.   Robert Burns died on the 21st July 1796 at the early age of 37. On the day of his funeral, his wife, Jean Armour Burns, gave birth to their ninth child whom she named Maxwell after William Maxwell, the doctor who attended her husband during his last illness.  The poet was a popular and respected figure in Dumfries and his funeral attracted enormous crowds into the streets.  His coffin was taken in a procession through the town and he was then buried in St Michael's Churchyard.