[2][3] He was a teacher, a gardener later in life[4][5] and a land steward on the nearby Robertland Estate, possibly through the influence of his nephew.

[8] Robert is said to have gone to England or Southern Scotland at first, working for some time as a gardener,[3] having supposedly parted from his brother on the summit of Garvock Tap.

[9] He then lived for several years, arriving around 1748,[10] certainly by 1781,[11] in a cot house at Titwood Farm in Dreghorn Parish,[1] where he worked in the summer months[1] as a quarryman and possibly being apprenticed at some point as a stonemason.

[14] Caldhame Farm on the Robertland Estate was the home of Robert, his wife Agnes Craig and their family whilst he was a land steward between at least 1774 and 1784.

Agnes, however, died in October 1786[24] and was buried in Stewarton, probably in the Burnes family lair, but she is not recorded on the 1910 memorial itself.

[17] Janet Dean's mother worked with Fanny and recollected that Robert Burns gave her a holograph copy of 'The Holy Fair' which the family treasured, but its wheareabouts now is unknown.

[26] On 17 July 1792 she likewise wrote that she had just seen Fanny who had given her a piece of her wedding-gown and that she would keep this as an important relic of her friendship with Robert Burns who had done so much to help his 'orphan' cousin.

[27] Fanny (b. circa 1772, d. 23 Apr 1839)[24] moved to Ellisland Farm when her father died and married at Mauchline on 5 June 1792.

[1] The couples children were James; Jean; Robert; Fanny; Adam; Mary Smith; John and William.

[14] Adam was an adherent of the 'Auld Licht' persuasion and as such was in direct opposition to Robert Burns whose poem relates an incident regarding an Agnes Wilson, a maid at Poosy Nancy's, who was thought to be a prostitute.

Adam Armour and a group of associates placed her on a pole and rode her out of town, injuring her private parts in the process.

George Gibson, the landlord, attempted to take legal action and Adam hid until things quietened down.

he is known to have helped guard the Stewarton St Columba Church graveyard against the activities of body snatchers or resurrectionists,[30] although it is not known if this was as a volunteer or in paid capacity.

[31] John Burnes may have worked as a farm labourer or as a weaver, but in his final years from 1843 he was a recipient of poor relief from the Stewarton parish as noted in the Heritors Records.

[33] Jean Wyllie of Mid Buiston Farm near Kilmaurs recalled that John or Jock worked for her father Hugh as a ploughman and that he was clever, good looking, but a bit of a rascal.

23 Mar 1769, d. 1850)[24] was intended to become a mason or building worker, working with James Armour, Robert Burns's father-in-law.

[35] This Robert had died before 1781 as his Uncle William does not list him in a letter that he wrote that year to his nephew James Burnes.

[38] Robert was a popular and much respected figure in the area[39] and he is buried in a prime location in Stewarton's St Columba Church cemetery[40] where in 1910 the Stewarton Literary Society erected a memorial obelisk made of Ballochmyle red sandstone to him and to his eldest son John who had died on 17 February 1846 and is buried next to him.

The whole project had originally begun following a talk delivered by Duncan McNaught of Kilmaurs and the honour was given to him to unveil the memorial.

In February 1789 Robert Burns wrote from Ellisland Farm to his cousin, James Burnes in Montrose from Ellisland, saying: "We have lost poor uncle Robert this winter... His son William, has been with me this winter, and goes in May to bind himself to be a Mason with my father in law who is a pretty considerable architect in Ayrshire.

His other son, the eldest, John, comes to me, I expect in Summer.... His only daughter, Fanny, has been with me ever since her father's death and I purpose to keep her in my family til she be quite woman grown, and be fit for better service.

1774 to 1784 – William Logan, Robertland Estate factor appoints Robert Burnes (aged 54/55) as a land steward.