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Memorial to Robert Aiken and his family, Auld Kirk, Ayr
Born	23 August 1739 Ayr, Scotland
Died	24 March 1807 Ayr, Scotland
Occupation	Lawyer or Writer

Robert Aiken was a close friend and big fan of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. He was born in 1739 in Ayr, Scotland. His father, John Aiken, was a sea captain, and his mother was Sarah Dalrymple. Robert became a lawyer in Ayr. Burns even gave him the nickname "Orator Bob" in his poem "The Kirk's Alarm." This nickname showed how good Robert was at speaking, as he was known for his powerful and beautiful speeches.

Who Was Robert Aiken?
- His Life and Personality
- Friend of Robert Burns
  - Epistle to a Young Friend
  - Robert Aiken and Burns's Marriage
See also

Who Was Robert Aiken?

His Life and Personality

Robert Aiken was a successful and friendly person. He was described as being small and round. He married Janet Hunter on March 25, 1771. Janet passed away in 1815. Robert died in 1807 when he was 67 years old. They are both buried in the Auld Kirk graveyard in Ayr. Robert was also a cousin to the Earl of Glencairn.

Robert was very famous for his speaking skills. Robert Burns called him Orator Bob in his poem "The Kirk's Alarm." Here is a part of that poem:

Town of Ayr, town of Ayr,
It was mad, I declare,
To meddle wi' mischief a-brewing;
Provost John is still deaf
To the church's relief,
And orator Bob is its ruin

Aiken was part of the Ayr Library Society. This group allowed people who paid a fee to read the newest books. He was also an officer of the society. The Aiken family memorial at the Auld Kirk in Ayr was fixed up in 1919 by the Ayr Burns Club. It was restored again in 1960 by the Robert Burns World Federation. A.H. Aiken, mentioned on the monument, was Robert's son, Andrew Hunter Aiken.

Friend of Robert Burns

Robert Aiken likely met Robert Burns around 1783. Burns once said that he didn't truly understand his own poems until he heard Robert Aiken read them aloud. In letters to their friend John Ballantyne, Burns called Aiken his "first poetic patron" and "first kind patron." A patron is someone who supports an artist.

In a letter from December 1786, Burns called Aiken his "Dear Patron of my Virgin Muse." This suggests that Aiken might have helped Burns meet William Smellie and William Creech. They were Burns's printer and publisher for his book, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Edinburgh Edition). Before this, Aiken had already helped Burns by collecting money for nearly a quarter of all the copies sold of Burns's first book, the Kilmarnock Edition.

Burns wrote that he found "honor and goodness of heart" in Aiken's friends, Creech and Smellie. In February 1786, Burns also wrote to his friend John Richmond, saying, "My chief patron is Mr Aiken in Ayr who is pleased to express great approbation of my works."

Burns dedicated his poem "The Cotter's Saturday Night" to Aiken. This poem was first printed in the Kilmarnock Edition in 1786. In the first part of the poem, Burns praises his friend:

My lov'd, much honour'd, much respected friend!
No mercenary bard his homage pays;
With honest pride, I scorn each selfish end,
My dearest meed, a friend's esteem and praise:
To you I sing, in simple Scottish lays,
The lowly train in life's sequester'd scene;
The native feelings strong, the guileless ways;
What Aiken in a cottage would have been;
Ah! tho his worth unknown, far happier there I ween!

Robert Aiken also helped his friend Gavin Hamilton in a legal dispute in 1785. Aiken successfully defended Hamilton. This event inspired Burns to write the poem "Holy Willie's Prayer."

Burns showed his admiration for Aiken in a short poem called "Epitaph for Robert Aiken Esq":

"Know thou, O stranger to the fame
Of this much lov'd, much honoured name
(For none that knew him need be told)
A warmer heart death ne'er made cold".

Robert Aiken worked as a Surveyor of Taxes. In 1786, he helped create a list of items at the Burns family farm, Mossgiel. Burns wrote a funny poem about this list for Aiken:

Sir, as your mandate did request,
I send you here a faithfu' list,
O' gudes an' gear, an' a' my graith,
To which I'm clear to gi'e my aith.

Imprimis, then, for carriage cattle,
I hae four brutes o' gallant mettle,
As ever drew afore a pettle.
My hand-afore 's a guid auld has-been,
An' wight an' wilfu' a' his days been:
My hand-ahin 's a weel gaun fillie,
That aft has borne me hame frae Killie.
An' your auld borough mony a time
In days when riding was nae crime.
But ance, when in my wooing pride
I, like a blockhead, boost to ride,
The wilfu' creature sae I pat to,
(Lord pardon a' my sins, an' that too!)
I play'd my fillie sic a shavie,
She's a' bedevil'd wi' the spavie.
My furr-ahin 's a wordy beast,
As e'er in tug or tow was traced.
The fourth's a Highland Donald hastle,
A ...'d red-wud Kilburnie blastie!
Foreby a cowt, o' cowts the wale,
As ever ran afore a tail:
Gin he be spar'd to be a beast,
He'll draw me fifteen pund at least.
Wheel-carriages I ha'e but few,
Three carts, an' twa are feckly new;
An auld wheelbarrow, mair for token,
Ae leg an' baith the trams are broken;
I made a poker o' the spin'le,
An' my auld mither brunt the trin'le.

For men, I've three mischievous boys,
Run-deils for ranting an' for noise;
A gaudsman ane, a thrasher t' other:
Wee Davock hauds the nowt in fother.
I rule them as I ought, discreetly,
An' aften labour them completely;
An' aye on Sundays duly, nightly,
I on the Questions targe them tightly;
Till, faith! wee Davock's grown sae gleg,
Tho' scarcely langer than your leg,
He'll screed you aff Effectual Calling,
As fast as ony in the dwalling.

I've nane in female servant station,
(Lord keep me aye frae a' temptation!)
I hae nae wife-and thay my bliss is,
An' ye have laid nae tax on misses;
An' then, if kirk folks dinna clutch me,
I ken the deevils darena touch me.
Wi' weans I'm mair than weel contented,
Heav'n sent me ane mae than I wanted!
My sonsie, smirking, dear-bought Bess,
She stares the daddy in her face,
Enough of ought ye like but grace;
But her, my bonie, sweet wee lady,
I've paid enough for her already;
An' gin ye tax her or her mither,
By the Lord, ye'se get them a' thegither!

And now, remember, Mr. Aiken,
Nae kind of licence out I'm takin:
Frae this time forth, I do declare
I'se ne'er ride horse nor hizzie mair;
Thro' dirt and dub for life I'll paidle,
Ere I sae dear pay for a saddle;
My travel a' on foot I'll shank it,
I've sturdy bearers, Gude the thankit!
The kirk and you may tak you that,
It puts but little in your pat;
Sae dinna put me in your beuk,
Nor for my ten white shillings leuk.

This list, wi' my ain hand I wrote it,
The day and date as under noted;
Then know all ye whom it concerns,
Subscripsi huic,

Robert Burns.
Mossgiel.

Robert Aiken's daughter, Grace, said that a clerk in her father's office lost or possibly stole most of the letters Burns had written to him. Only seven letters survived. One of these letters, from October 1786, shows Burns's first thoughts about joining the tax service.

Aiken was very interested in the Alloway Burns Club. He often led or attended the club's 'Burns Suppers' until he passed away in 1807. These suppers celebrate Robert Burns.

Epistle to a Young Friend

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

Robert Burns wrote the poem "Epistle to a Young Friend" for Andrew Hunter Aiken. Andrew was Robert Aiken's oldest son. This poem was very inspiring. General Sam Houston even wrote to his own son, telling him to pay special attention to this poem. He said it was "one of the most salutary as well as one of the safest guides I have met with in life."

Andrew's oldest son, Peter, owned the original handwritten copy of Burns's "The Cotter's Saturday Night." Peter also led the Robert Burns celebrations in Bristol in 1859.

Robert Aiken and Burns's Marriage

In 1786, James Armour, the father of Jean Armour, went to Robert Aiken. He wanted to try and cancel the marriage between Jean Armour and Robert Burns. This marriage was not done in the usual way, but it was still considered valid. Some stories say that Robert Aiken had the marriage paper. However, earlier records suggest Jean Armour herself had it. It is said that to make Jean's father happy, Aiken cut the names of the couple from the marriage document. But this probably didn't change the marriage's legal status.

Burns wrote to Gavin Hamilton about this event. He expressed his feelings about Jean Armour's actions, but he still hoped Aiken would remain his friend. Robert Aiken's grandson later published a book about Robert Burns. In it, he said that his grandfather's friendship with Burns never broke down. He also denied that his grandfather helped James Armour with the marriage document.

In 1788, Robert Burns and Jean Armour were finally legally married. Burns was surprisingly quiet about it. Gavin Hamilton's oldest daughter, Jacobina, remembered how she only found out about the marriage at breakfast one day. Burns and Robert Aiken were there. When Jacobina apologized to Aiken for not having his usual boiled egg, Burns said, "if she cared to send over the way to Mrs Burns she might have some." This was how she learned that Jean was now "Mrs. Burns."