Brownhill Inn

[1][2] In 1789 an Act of Parliament had been passed that enabled the building of a Turnpike from Auldgirth Bridge to Sanquhar through Closeburn Parish and the inn was built to serve the patrons of this new road.

[3][4] Robert Burns referred to it as 'his local'[5] and spent many an evening at the inn, which lies about 7 miles north of his once time home, Ellisland Farm.

The Ayrshire Monthly Newsletter of 1844 reported that "At the sale of the effects of Mr Bacon, Brownhill Inn, after his death in 1825, his snuff-box, being found to bear the inscription: Robert Burns - Officer of the Excise - although only a horn mounted with silver, brought £5.

[10] One summer evening in 1793 whilst at the inn with Dr Purdie of Sanquhar and another friend,[6] Burns met a weary soldier and upon listening to his story of the adventures he had lived through was inspired to write his famous song "The Soldier's Return"[11][2] His other recorded pursuits at the inn included annoying the landlord's wife by engraving a glass tumbler that became part of Sir Walter Scott's collections[12] and also engraving window panes with his diamond point pen (the lines on the panes were so crude or inappropriate that they were carefully removed by then laird of Closeburn upon the poet's death, but later destroyed by his son to save the poet's reputation).

Who has no will but by her high permission, Who has not sixpence but in her possession; Who must to he, his dear friend's secrets tell, Who dreads a curtain lecture worse than hell.

Burns frequently met Christina or Kirsty Kirkpatrick, cousin of Sir Thomas of that Ilk, at Brownhill Inn.

[16] She lived in Closeburn and was an excellent singer who assisted him by singing his songs in his presence, enabling him to alter the words to better fit the music.

The congregation at first had no place of worship however over the winter of 1843-4 the landlord of Brownhill Inn allowed them to use a large stable of twelve stalls and after cleaning and whitewashing it formed a most acceptable temporary church.

On 2 November 1860 Mary Kellock, wife of Robert Wightman, died at Brownhill aged 77 years and was buried in Dalgarnock.