page_title: Jessie Lewars
section_title: Association with Robert Burns and his family
hierarchical_section_title: Jessie Lewars / Life and character / Association with Robert Burns and his family
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of Jean Armour, wife of Robert Burns, in Dumfries.
context_page_description: Jessie Lewars also known as Mrs. James Thomson, was the youngest daughter of John Lewars, a supervisor of excise. Following the death of her 69-year-old father in 1789, Jessie was only 11 years old, when she and her brother John moved to a house in Millhole Brae that lay opposite that of Robert Burns in Dumfries. Jessie was a close Burns family friend and when nearly at the age of eighteen helped the family by nursing Robert in the days leading up to his death and doing the domestic chores.
context_section_description: John Lewars, Jessie's brother, was a colleague of Robert Burns in Dunfriesshire until his death in 1796 and gave official instruction to the Poet on his joining the service.
  Jessie not only nursed Robert Burns during his final illness, but also looked after his young family of four boys until his wife, Jean, had recovered from the birth of her last child, Maxwell Burns. Young Robert actually remained living with her for nearly a year. Jessie played and sang to Robert whilst he lay in his sickbed, for Burns was rarely able to leave his room from April 1796, until his death in July of that year. She is said to have had a fine singing voice that Burns compared to a Linnet (Carduelis cannabina). He became very fond of Jessie and composed his very last song for her, namely "O wert thou in the cauld blast." after hearing Jessie sing a popular song, known as "The Robin cam' to the Wren's Nest."; Felix Mendelssohn also set this to his own haunting music. He also addressed to Jessie the song "Altho' thou maun never be mine."
  When she was briefly ill or indisposed Robert offered to write an epitaph to her on a crystal goblet, saying in jest "In case of the worst, Jessy, let me provide you with an epithaph":-
  He also wrote a rhymed toast to her on another crystal goblet containing wine and water using a diamond pen and requested that she regard it as a keepsake for life:-
  Robert wrote the following tribute to Jessie on the back of a menagerie handbill that she kept for the rest of her life: –
  Jessie Lewars great granddaughter, Jessie Lewars Dove, inherited the handbill and it came back into the public sphere in Cambridge, around 1940. It was included as a reproduction in the 1940 Burns Chronicle.
  Burns also wrote to James Johnson in Edinburgh and requested a copy of "The Scots Musical Museum" for Jessie, saying "My wife has a very particular friend, a young lady who sings well, to whom she wishes to present the Scots Musical Museum, If you have a spare copy,
  will you be so obliging as to send it by the very first fly, as I am anxious to have it soon." Johnson sent three, her copy being inscribed by the poet with a heartfelt expression of his appreciation for her kindness to him: -
  A thin quarto volume by Dr. Wolcott was given by Burns to Jessie, entitled Pindarinia, by Peter Pindar, 1794," in-
  scribed "Un petit gage de Vamitie. R. Burns." (a small token from a friend)
  After Burns's death it was John Lewars who wrote on behalf of Jean Armour Burns to several of Robert's close and intimate friends, such as James Burness in Montrose. Jessie's friendship with Jean Armour Burns continued and she remained a support to the family, caring for the four small brothers.
caption: Jean Armour.
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