John Lapraik facts for kids

John Lapraik (born 1727, died 1807) was a Scottish farmer and a poet. He was also a good friend of the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

About John Lapraik's Life

John Lapraik was born in 1727, near a place called Muirkirk in Ayrshire, Scotland. His family name, Lapraik, came from French words. His ancestors had moved to Scotland a long time ago.

John went to the local school. When he grew up, he took over his family's large farm, as he was the oldest son. He also rented other lands and a mill nearby.

In 1754, John married Margaret Rankine. She was the sister of John Rankine, who was a friend of Robert Burns. Margaret and John had five children together. Sadly, Margaret passed away around 1762.

Later, in 1766, John married Janet Anderson. They had nine children. Janet lived for many years after John passed away. John owned several pieces of land and also leased more land and a mill.

Hard Times and New Beginnings

In 1772, a bank called the Ayr Bank failed. This caused John Lapraik to lose a lot of money. He first had to rent out his farm, and then he had to sell it. For several years, he tried hard to keep his mill and other farms, but he eventually lost them too.

Because he owed money, John was put in prison in Ayr. He was released in 1785. After leaving prison, he rented lands and the mill at Muirsmill again. He lived in another place for a couple of years. Finally, in 1798, he opened a public house in Muirkirk. He also ran the village post office from the same building. John Lapraik died there on May 7, 1807, when he was 80 years old.

John Lapraik and Robert Burns

In early 1785, Robert Burns heard a beautiful song called "When I upon thy bosom lean." He heard it at a social gathering at his home. When he found out that John Lapraik wrote the song, Burns wanted to meet him.

Burns sent John Lapraik a special poem, like a letter, in April 1785. Burns didn't know that the song was actually based on an older poem. Lapraik wrote a poem back to Burns. Then, Burns sent a second poem to Lapraik. Burns wrote three of these poem-letters to Lapraik in total, and they were published in 1786.

Because Robert Burns showed interest in his work, John Lapraik decided to publish his own book of poems in 1788. It was called Poems on Several Occasions. People helped pay for the book by subscribing (pre-ordering it). The book was printed by John Wilson, who had also printed Burns's first poems. However, Lapraik's book did not sell very well. John Richmond, a close friend of Robert Burns, helped Lapraik find people to subscribe to his book.

Images for kids

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  A memorial to John Lapraik, by the River Ayr near Muirkirk. It was put up in 1914 by the Lapraik Burns Club of Muirkirk.