Duncan McNaught LL.D., J.P., (1845 – 1 June 1925) was born in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire () or the County of Dumbarton is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbar ...

in 1845. He was the parochial school teacher at

Kilmaurs Kilmaurs () is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which lies just outside of the largest settlement in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock. It lies on the Carmel Water, southwest of Glasgow. Population recorded for the village in the 2001 Census record ...

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

from 1867 and served at the school for over fifty years, having served as assistant from 1865. He founded the Kilmarnock Conservative Association, jointly founded the

Robert Burns World Federation The Robert Burns World Federation is a literary society based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, aimed at educating the public about the life, poetry and works of the poet Robert Burns.

, acted as the editor of the "''Burns Chronicle''" and was the president of what became the

Life and background

In 1870 McNaught was approached by Sir William Montgomerie Cunninghame of Corsehill with a request for assistance with the restoration of the 1600 AD monument to the 7th Earl of Glencairn, his countess and their children that stands in the

Glencairn Aisle The Glencairn Aisle or Glencairn Vault at Kilmaurs, East Ayrshire is a Category B Listed vaulted sepulchral chapel. Built as a place for private contemplation and prayer, it also contains a large memorial monument, as well as the burial crypt o ...

. The crypt beneath the aisle was first excavated and portions of the monument were recovered. The monument was extensively restored by Robert Boyd, an employee of Messrs. Boyd and Forrest of

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

.McNaught, P.124 He had a great interest in history and archaeology. The crannog at Buiston, locally known as the 'Swan Knowe',Arch Hist Coll, Page 19 lay around 70 m from the northern shore of the Buiston crannog and was first identified in December 1880 from 'worked' timbers located within the drainage 'gote' or ditch on the siteMcNaught, Page 41 by Duncan McNaught, who was familiar with the Lochlee crannog site. The crannog was first excavated in 1880 and more thoroughly in April 1881.McNaught, Page 40 In 1921, in recognition of his distinguished services as a parochial school teacher, editor of the ''Kilmarnock Herald'', 'Burns Chronicle' editor and

parish historian, Duncan in 1921 was honoured by the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, which conferred upon him an honorary doctorate of law, and by the Burns Federation, which on two occasions presented him with tokens of recognition for services rendered. Duncan was also a Justice of the Peace. In his book 1912 book "''Kilmaurs Parish and Burgh''" Duncan McNaught recorded many local events such as that thanks to the introduction of a 'gravitation water supply' the Maak's or Monk's Well had recently been 'closed up' as it was no longer required. In 1921 it is recorded in

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official printe ...

that questions were asked of the Secretary for Scotland in regard of the education authority for Scotland refusing to pay the lump sum payable under their superannuation scheme to Duncan and three other parochial teachers who had retired after the age of 65. One of the questions read "''Is the Hon. Gentleman aware that Mr. Duncan McNaught is the greatest living authority on the important subject of the life of Robert Burns, and was it not greatly to the public advantage in Scotland that he should have gone on for this extra number of years teaching the children of Scotland?''" Hansard 8 November 1921
/ref> He died suddenly from a heart attack in 1925.

Family

Duncan married Martha Morton (b.1848. d. 31 Oct. 1923) and had six offspring, Duncan (b.1870), Jane (b.1871), George (b.1873. d.23 Nov 1920), John (b.1875. d. 13 Nov. 1919), William David (b.1879. d.16 July 1940) and James Mcgeoch (b.1881. d.13 Nov. 1919) who were all born in

. Martha died aged 75 and is buried with her husband in Kilmaurs.

Death and memorials

Duncan died of heart failure at his home, Benrig, in

on 1 June 1925 at the age of 81.Burns Chronicle. 1925. p.1
/ref> The funeral of Duncan was on 4 June 1925 and he was buried in the Kilmaurs 'new' churchyard. "''Over 200 people attended his funeral with the cortege passing from his house to the graveside. All business in the village was suspended while the funeral was taking place. Shops were closed and their windows shuttered and the blinds of dwelling-houses were drawn. Several flags were flown at half-mast and at a local factory the staff was lined up in front of the building as the funeral procession passed. Little groups of the villagers stood at various points on the route paying homage in respect-full silence to the memory of a well-loved teacher and friend. It was a striking and spontaneous tribute. The Burns Federation was represented by Sir Robert Bruce, LL.D., President; Mr. Alexander Pollock and Mr. J. Taylor Gibb, Vice-Presidents; Mr. Thomas Amos, Hon. Secretary; Major G. A. Innes, Hon. Treasurer; Mr. J. C. Ewing, Editor of the Burns Chronicle; and by members of Burns Clubs at Kilmarnock, Ayr, Dumfries, Glasgow, and Liverpool. A wreath of flowers sent by the Burns Federation was placed upon the grave by the President.''"Burns Chronicle. 1925. p.3
/ref> The following are recorded on Duncan and Martha's gravestone in the new cemetery at Kilmaurs : James McGeoch McNaught died on the 13 November 1919 aged 38 and was buried at Old

Knebworth Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Wald ...

Cemetery in Hertfordshire; George Morton McNaught died at Naraguta in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

on 23 Nonember 1920 aged 48; John McNaught died 29 March 1939 aged 64; William David McNaught died on 16 July 1940, aged 61 and was buried at Danehill, Sussex. A gravestone was erected by Duncan McNaught in the Vale of Leven's Bonhill Cemetery near

to commemorate various members of his family. His mother, Mary Magraw, Duncan his father, his brothers John and Colin and sisters Agnes and Cecilia are all buried in Bonhill Churchyard. The memorial is ornately decorated; a shield in the roundel above his father's name bears a monogram with a D, an M, and a small c for "Mc". In 'The Humours of Ayrshire' published by John Aitken, a song is included titled 'Duncan McNaught' with the chorus:

Publications

Duncan privately printed a volume on "''The Charters of Kilmaurs''" in 1874 and another more substantial volume on the "''Kilmaurs Parish and Burgh''" in 1912 that covered history, geology, flora, fauna, etc. with an informative bespoke map. In 1903 he produced a revised edition of "''The People's Edition of the Poetical Works of Robert Burns.''" In 1909 Duncan supervised the publication of a

photogravure Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) and ...

facsimile of an uncut copy in his possession of the 'Kilmarnock Edition' of Robert Burns's poems, printed by D. Brown in Kilmarnock (see illustration). In 1911 he edited an edition of Robert Burns's ribald "''Merry Muses of Caledonia''" under the auspices of the

but did not append his name, instead using the term ''Vindex'' as in the term 'vindicator' or simply ''Editor''. 750 copies were officially printed however many more are thought to have been printed in reality. He also published "''The Truth About Burns''" in 1921 that contained an unpublished letter to James Smith from Robert Burns and an extensive bibliography of the appearances of Burns's poems and notices in contemporary periodicals.

Association with Robert Burns

In 1885, along with Provost David Mackay and Captain David Sneddon he founded at Kilmarnock the "''Federation of Burns Clubs''", now the

. He was the president for thirteen years, from 1910 to 1923. He was the editor of the

's 'Burns Chronicle' from 1893 to 1925, thirty-three years. He contributed many articles, including one in 1894 in which he denied the possibility that Burns had been involved in any way with the writing of the ''Merry Muses'' although later he was the anonymous editor of an edition published by the Burns Federation. He had very strong opinions on publications that claimed to contain poems written by Burns and even compiled and printed a list for use by Burnsians. The Merry Muses of Caledonia

Duncan was a member and president of the Kilmarnock '0' Burns Club and in 1922 he was made an honorary member of the

Irvine Burns Club The Irvine Burns Club, based at the Wellwood Burns Centre & Museum, was founded on 2 June 1826 and is one of the world's longest continuously active Burns Clubs. At least five personal friends of Robert Burns were among the group of local gentl ...

. He had access to, or owned, many Burns letters and manuscript items that provided many new insights that he published as editor in the ''Burns Chronicle'', such as that it had been thought that

Elizabeth Paton Elizabeth "Betsey" Paton or later Elizabeth Andrew of Lairgieside (1760 – c. 1799) was the daughter of James Paton and Eleanor Helen Paton of Aird Farm, Crossroads, Ayrshire. Following an affair with Robert Burns she gave birth on 22 May 178 ...

had given birth in November 1784 to Elizabeth 'Bessie' Burns until Duncan was shown a document drawn up by Gavin Hamilton in 1786 that shows 'Bessie' to have been born on 22 May 1785. On the day in 1910 of the unveiling of the

Robert Burnes Robert Burnes or Robert Burness (1719 – 3 January 1789) was a paternal uncle of the poet Robert Burns. He left the family farm of Clochnahill or Clokenhill in Kincardineshire with his younger brother William Burnes, and found work at the The L ...

memorial at St Columba's Churchyard, the

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

Burgh Band marched through the streets and Andrew Kerr, President of the

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

Literary Society hosted the proceedings. The whole project had originally begun following a talk delivered by Duncan and the honour was given to him to unveil the memorial.Annual Burns Chronicle, Page 96 He not only made a lifelong study of Burns's poems but also was a student of the Ayrshire dialect and was credited by Sir James Wilson who wrote "''The Dialect of Robert Burns as spoken in Central Ayrshire''".

John Gribbel

In 1920 the American businessman and antiquarian collector

John Gribbel John Gribbel (March 29, 1858 – August 25, 1936) was an American businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. He is best remembered for his donation of the Glenriddell Manuscripts to the National Library of Scotland.''American Biography'' (1919 ...

visited Duncan's house at Benrig,

who had been on the 'Scots Committee' that sought to take legal action to return the

Glenriddell Manuscripts The ''Glenriddell Manuscripts'' is an extensive collection written in holograph by Robert Burns and an amanuensis of his letters, poems and a few songs in two volumes produced for his then friend Captain Robert Riddell, Laird of what is now ...

to Scotland, a task that became null and void when John Gribbel purchased them and gave them to the Scottish people. Duncan presided over the presentation and ceremony at Glasgow's Grand Hotel, 27 July 1920, when John Gribbel was able to visit Scotland. In July 1920 McNaught presented Gribbel with a copy of the 1909 facsimile edition of the 'Kilmarnock Edition,' the printing of which he had supervised. This copy is now in the Smith College library. Duncan was acknowledged as one of the world's greatest experts on

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

and had put together what

regarded as being the finest and most extensive collection of Burnsiana, artifacts with over 600 publications,Burns Chronicle. Winter 2005. 'Chronicle Editor had Two Kilmarnock Editions in His Collection'. p.30
/ref> owning no less than two copies of the Kilmarnock Edition, an uncut example of his having alone been valued at £1000 in circa 1920. John said that he would not leave Ayrshire without these items and made Duncan an offer that was accepted, the amount unknown, on the understanding that they would be kept together under the name ''The McNaught Collection.'' Sadly when

died in 1936 his estate was broken up and 'The McNaught Collection' sold at auction. One copy of his

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect ''Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect'', commonly known as the Kilmarnock Edition, is a collection of poetry by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, first printed and issued by John Wilson of Kilmarnock on 31 July 1786. It was the first published ...

's is now held by

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and the second is at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

. A recent estimate is that only 86 copies survive of the 612 'Kilmarnock Editions' that were printed. To recognise Gribbel's generosity, the then Burns Federation, arranged for a bespoke album, bound in levant morocco, to be created that featured scenes of Burns's life and poems as well as a historical note outlining the story of the 'Glenriddell Maunuscripts'. McNaught was the president of the 'Album Committee' and the album was presented at a tribute dinner held at Glasgow in 1920.

The McNaught Collection

Duncan had one of the finest and largest collections of Burns related items in existence at the time that included "''600 volumes, including old magazines from 1780 to 1810, pamphlets and magazines relating to Burns, 20 portraits and engravings of the Poet, a number of superb photographs of scenes in the Burns country; and 65 letters from descendants of Burns, 50 of which were from the grand-daughter, Mrs Sarah Burns Hutchinson, and the remainder from Mrs Burns Scott, Adelaide, Australia, daughter of Mrs Hurchinson and from Colonel James Glencairn Burns. The Collection included the following copies of rare editions, all published during the Poet’s lifetime:- 1st Kilmarnock Edition, 1786 (Uncut), 1st Kilmarnock Edition, 1786 (Cut), 1st Edinburgh Edition with original boards (Uncut), 1st London Edition, with original boards (Uncut), Edinburgh Edition, 1793 (2 vols), Edinburgh Edition, 1794 (Uncut), Edinburgh Edition, 1794 (Cut), 1st Philadelphia Edition, 1788, 1st New York Edition,1788, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belfast Editions, 1787, 1790 and 1793, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dublin Editions, 1787, 1789 and 1790, etc. etc.''"

The McKie Collection

The James McKie (1816-1891) collection of Burns books, paintings, manuscripts and general Burnsiana grew to become one of the world's largest collections of the bard's published works, with between 600 and 700 volumes and at least one important holograph manuscript. The Kilmarnock Corporation purchased the 'McKie Collection' and it was displayed in the Burns Monument Museum in the 1880s. Following a fire at the Burns Monument Museum it is now housed by East Ayrshire Council Arts and Museums ServiceFuture Museum : James McKie
/ref> and parts of it are viewable online.

The 1896 Burns Exhibition

The Burns Exhibition of 1896 was held in the galleries of 'The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts' in Glasgow and McNaught was a member of the Executive Committee, writing the forward to the 'Memorial Catalogues' section on 'Burns Relics'.

The Kilmaurs Case

Duncan figured in the 'Kilmaurs Case' that involved the Reverend Alexander Inglis, minister of Kilmaurs Parish who was accused in 1885 of behaving inappropriately towards Elizabeth Mackie, née Dunlop, the 36 year old wife of the Kilmaurs miller, John Mackie. The events covered the years 1876 to 1884. At first Quarry House near Kilmaurs Mill was the scene of the accusations, however by late 1877 the couple had moved to Kilmaurs Place. Elizabeth informed her husband of the minister's approaches and reluctantly they both wrote letters asking the Rev Inglis not to call upon them and to desist. Eventually John felt it necessary to employ a Mr Alexander Morton, a private detective, and in due course a trap was set with the detective hiding in a press or wardrobe in a room occupied also by Elizabeth, into which the minister entered and upon his inappropriate behaviour taking place the detective revealed himself. The shocked minister threatened suicide and begged for mercy, eventually signing a letter of resignation. Later however the minister denied his inappropriate actions and stated that he had been forced to sign the letter under duress. The case was placed before the Presbytery of Ayr and the minister was suspended. After due process the Presbytery found him guilty on three counts, however he appealed to the Synod who reversed the decision of the Presbytery, who then took it to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and here the minister was found not proven on all counts and he was reinstated. Duncan and his wife Martha were close friends of the Mackie's and had shared a home on the Isle of Arran for a year. Duncan was a frequent visitor and an unsuccessful attempt was made by the defence to tarnish Elizabeth's name through suggestions that Duncan had acted with impropriety towards her.Prebytery of Ayr v Alexander Inglis. May 1885. The Kilmaurs Case. Church of Scotland Papers. p.44

References

;Notes ;Sources & Bibliography # Aitken, John (1904). "The Humours of Ayrshire or Travels With a Bookstall". Kilmarnock : D.Brown & Co. # Annandale, Charles (Editor) (1890). ''The Works of Robert Burns''. London : Blackie & Son. # Annual Burns Chronicle & Club Directory. No.XIX. January 1910. Kilmarnock : Burns Federation. # Annual Burns Chronicle & Club Directory. No.XX. January 1911. Kilmarnock : Burns Federation. # Barclay, Alastair (1989). ''The Bonnet Toun''. The Stewarton Bonnet Guild. # Boyle, A. M. (1996), ''The Ayrshire Book of Burns-Lore''. Darvel : Alloway Publishing. . # Chalmers, Alexander (1995). ''The Parish Church of Stewarton 1696-1996.'' # Dougall, Charles E. (1911). ''The Burns Country''. London : Adam and Charles Black. # Hogg, Patrick Scott (2008). ''Robert Burns. The Patriot Bard''. Edinburgh : Mainstream Publishing. . # Jackson, J. R. (1996). ''Can You Help Find "Poor Uncle Robert"''. Burns Chronicle. Bicentenary Edition. # Mackay, James (1985). ''The Burns Federation 1885-1985''. The Burns Federation. # Mackay, James. ''A Biography of Robert Burns''. Edinburgh : Mainstream Publishing. . # McNaught, Duncan (1912). ''Kilmaurs Parish & Burgh''. Paisley : Alexander Gardner. # Noble, Andrew and Hogg, Patrick Scott (Editors). (2001). ''The Canongate Burns''. Edinburgh : Canongate Books Ltd. # Purdie, David; McCue Kirsteen and Carruthers, Gerrard. (2013). ''Maurice Lindsay's The Burns Encyclopaedia''. London : Robert Hale. . # Strawhorn, John ''Letters from a Land Steward. Was he 'Poor Uncle Robert. Annual Burns Chronicle & Club Directory. # Westwood, Peter J. (2004). ''The Definitive Illustrated Companion to Robert Burns.'' Scottish Museums Council. # Wood, J. Maxwell (1922). ''Robert Burns and the Riddell Family''. Dumfries : Robert Dinwiddie.

External links

Video footage of Buiston and other crannogs in AyrshireVideo footage and the history of the Glenriddell Manuscripts.Researching the Life and Times of Robert Burns
Researcher's site. {{DEFAULTSORT:McNaught, Duncan Robert Burns 1845 births 1925 deaths History of East Ayrshire People from Kilmarnock People from Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire People from Stewarton People from Kilmaurs

Life and background

Family

Death and memorials

Publications

Association with Robert Burns

John Gribbel

The McNaught Collection

The McKie Collection

The 1896 Burns Exhibition

The Kilmaurs Case

See also

References

External links