Isabella Steven facts for kids

Isabella Steven, also known as Tibbie Stein, was a young woman who lived in Scotland during the time of the famous poet Robert Burns. Her family were farmers from a place called Littlehill, which was very close to Burns's own farm. Tibbie also lived in the village of Tarbolton.

Life and Character of Isabella Steven

Isabella, or Tibbie, was known for being very good looking. When she was about 17 years old, Robert Burns was very attracted to her. He thought their relationship was going well. However, Tibbie received a large sum of money, about £75, as an inheritance. After that, she felt she was too important for a farmer's son like Robert. She soon married someone who was richer.

Robert Burns's sister, Isobel, was young at the time. She later said that Isabella Steven was the "Tibbie" mentioned in one of Robert's songs. People in Tarbolton say Tibbie lived in the village, and her father was known as a wealthy farmer.

Robert Burns and Tibbie: A Story of Young Love

A famous painting of Robert Burns from 1787.

One evening, Robert Burns visited Tibbie's home. He was politely told that Tibbie was busy with another admirer. Burns was upset and never visited her again. Tibbie married her boyfriend and became Mrs. Isabella Allan. After this, Robert Burns started to pay attention to another woman named Elizabeth Paton.

Robert Burns wrote a song about Tibbie called "O Tibbie, I Hae Seen The Day." It was a bit harsh because he felt she had rejected him. The song's chorus says:

O Tibbie, I hae seen the day,
Ye would na been sae shy,
For lack o' gear ye lightly me,
But, trowth, I care na by.

This song was one of Burns's first love songs. It was set to a tune called "Invercauld's Reel" and appeared in a music book in 1788. Another part of the song says:

Yestreen I met ye on the moor,
Ye spak na, but gaed by like stoure;
Ye geck at me because I'm poor,
But fient a hair care I!

Even though the song was critical, Tibbie was proud to say it was about her. She even told her grandson that she was the girl in the song. She admitted that she once had some feelings for the poet.

In the song, Burns makes fun of Tibbie for being proud of her money:

There lives a lass beside yon par',
I'd rather hae her in her sark
Than you wi a' your thousand mark,
That gars you look sae high.

A "thousand marks" was a lot of money back then, about £56. This was close to the £75 Tibbie received. It is thought that the "lass beside yon park" might refer to Elizabeth Paton, but Burns never confirmed this.

Tibbie's Belongings

The National Trust for Scotland keeps some of Isabella Steven's personal items. These include her wedding spoon and her spectacles (glasses). You can see them at the Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway.

See also

• Jean Armour
• Lesley Baillie
• Alison Begbie
• Nelly Blair
• May Cameron
• Mary Campbell (Highland Mary)
• Jenny Clow
• Kate Kemp
• Nelly Kilpatrick
• Jessie Lewars
• Elizabeth Paton
• Anne Rankine
• Peggy Thompson