Did Burns send cannon to France in 1792? – a new theory of the narrative

Carruthers, G. and McLean, R. (2022) Did Burns send cannon to France in 1792? – a new theory of the narrative. Burns Chronicle, 131(2), pp. 139-155. (doi: 10.3366/burns.2022.0054)

Abstract

The story of Burns sending carronades to revolutionary France in 1792 first appears in the biography by John Gibson Lockhart (1828). An analysis of the extant evidence, including documents in the National Library of Scotland, suggests the unlikelihood of the narrative and it may be that its origins lie in the real-life events surrounding Professor John Anderson (1726–96) who did take ordnance to France in 1791.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Some of the research for this article has been undertaken in the course of work by Gerard Carruthers as Principal Investigator on the Arts and Humanities Research Council grant, ‘Editing Robert Burns for the Twenty-First Century: Correspondence and Poetry’ [AH/P004946/1].
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Carruthers, Professor Gerard and McLean, Dr Ralph
• Authors: Carruthers, G., and McLean, R.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Scottish Literature
• Journal Name: Burns Chronicle
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• ISSN: 1365-7518
• ISSN (Online): 2634-7059
• Published Online: 30 August 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Edinburgh University Press
• First Published: First published in Burns Chronicle 131(2): 139-155
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
173717		Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century: Correspondence & Poetry	Gerard Carruthers	Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)	AH/P004946/1	Arts - Scottish Literature