Edward Whigham (1750–1823) was the landlord of a coaching inn, a bailie, Provost of Sanquhar,[1] bibliophile and one of Robert Burns's close friends during his Nithsdale and Dumfries days.

[1] [5] As stated, he married Jane Osborne and the couple had seven sons: James m Elizabeth Hair (02 May 1880 - 1861) on 13 Sept 1829 in Sanquhar.

[8] In December 1794 Burns became a freeman and burgess of Sanquhar during the time that Whigham was provost, probably therefore through the influence of his friend.

[1] It is on record that on Christmas Eve 1794 Burns left Whigham's Inn well before dawn and did not arrive home at Dumfries, totally exhausted, until eleven o'clock that night having visited victuallers in Dunscore, Penpont, Cairnmill, Tynron and Crossford.

[8] Mrs Mary Oswald of Auchencruive's funeral cortege called at 'Whigham's Inn' on a severe winter night in January 1789 and this resulted in Burns, after an exhausting day's work, having to depart and travel the 12 frozen miles to New Cumnock on his young favourite 'Pegasus', to find warmth, food, drink and a bed for the night.

[1][10] This experience resulted in Burns's first enjoying a warm fire and then settling down to pen the bitter poem Ode, Sacred to the Memory of Mrs Oswald of Auchencruive,[6] beginning, "Dweller in yon dungeon dark"[7][10] which he sent a copy of to Mrs Frances Dunlop, receiving an admonition as a result.

The poem engraved was not one composed by Burns himself, but by John Hughes (1677-1720), before 1719, for a window in Wallington House, home of a Mrs Elizabeth Bridges.

[14] In the 1880s, the window pane was said to have been broken or removed during repairs to the house, but in the 1880s Miss Allison, a grand-daughter of Edward Whigham,[15] recited the lines from memory for the author of a local guidebook.

Through this window chance to pry, To thy sorrow thou shalt find, All that's generous, all that's kind Friendship, virtue, every grace, Dwelling in this happy place.

[17][18][1][12] On 7 February 1789 Burns wrote to Mrs Jane Whigham "I received the books safe and sound; and in return, I inclose you the Poem you wanted.

"[19] In 1793 Burns wrote "Memorandum for Provost E[dward] W[higham], to get from John French his sets of the following Scotch airs - 1.

Mr Whigham will either of himself , or through the medium of that worthy veteran of original wit and social ininquity, Clackleith, procure these, and it will be extremely obliging to.

), integral blank, paper weak at a few folds, tiny chip torn from lower edge of sheet."