May Cameron facts for kids

May Cameron, also known as Margaret, Peggy, or Meg Cameron, was a servant in Edinburgh, Scotland. She worked in a house near where William Creech, the publisher for the famous poet Robert Burns, lived.

May Cameron's Early Life and Work

May Cameron worked as a servant in Edinburgh. After a difficult time, she needed help from the poet Robert Burns. She later married her cousin, Mungo Forbes, in September 1788. May was from the Highlands of Scotland.

May Cameron and Robert Burns

A portrait of Robert Burns from 1787, found in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

In June 1787, Robert Burns received a letter from May Cameron. The letter was likely written by a friend, Mrs. Hog, an innkeeper. May asked Burns for help, saying, "I beg... you will write and let me know how I am to do. You can write to any person you can trust to get me a place to stay till such time as you come to town yourself." She needed a safe place to stay.

Burns quickly wrote to his friend, Robert Ainslie. He asked Ainslie to give May some money and help her find a place with friends in the countryside. Burns wanted Ainslie to help her right away, saying, "Call immediately... lest the poor soul be starving."

May Cameron had taken a legal step to make sure Burns would help her. This legal action was settled by August 15, 1787. Burns kept the document from this time. Some historians believe the legal action was a way to make sure he provided support.

Another historian, Lindsey, suggests that Burns met May again in Edinburgh. He promised her that things would be okay.

See also

• Jean Armour
• Alison Begbie
• Nelly Blair
• Jenny Clow
• Jean Gardner
• Jean Glover
• Helen Hyslop
• Kate Kemp
• Nelly Kilpatrick
• Jessie Lewars
• Agnes Maclehose
• Peggy Thompson