page_title: Glenriddell Manuscripts
section_title: The Manuscripts and their contents
hierarchical_section_title: Glenriddell Manuscripts / The Manuscripts and their contents
caption_attribution_description: English: Robert Riddell of Glenriddell (Friars' Carse) coat of arms. 1914 Glenriddell Manuscript facsimile.
context_page_description: 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 Friars Carse in the Nith Valley, Dumfries and Galloway. The two volumes of the manuscript were handsomely bound in calf leather. The first volume of poems and songs was completed by April 1791 and was presented to Robert Riddell, however their friendship ceased due to the unfortunate 'The Rape of the Sabine Women' incident and Robert Riddell died shortly after before any reconciliation could take place. The first volume is partly in Burns's hand with one main amanuensis contributing much of the text in a far neater hand than the author himself and a possible third person contributing to the text. The second volume is entirely in Burns's hand.
context_section_description: The first volume contained what at the time were fifty-three unpublished poems and twenty-two letters were in the second volume. Egerer however records fifty-seven and twenty-seven possibly as a result of Burns's having also added extra stanzas or updates that have sometimes been counted as free standing poems. The autobiographical letter to Dr Moore was also included in the first volume, written almost entirely in the hand of the unnamed amanuensis. Burns added various footnotes throughout the work, such as the detailed notes where he disowns the spelling, punctuation, incorrect titles, etc. in the Dr Moore letter. Burns mentions that the amanuensis was a clergyman whilst chiding him for the errors he had made. A few notes such as "Printed II 247" on  "The Whistle - A Ballad" have been added in another hand.
  Three different hands are evident in the volumes and it has been noted that Robert Heron the writer had visited Burns at Ellisland Farm in the autumn of 1789 whilst a divinity student. Burns started work on the first volume in May of that year.
  Burns wrote in the manuscript that "...If my Poems which I have transcribed into your book were equal to the grateful respect and high esteem I bear for the Gentleman to whom I present them, they would be the finest Poems in any language."
  The first volume contained several significant unpublished examples of Burns's work such as the "Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn"; "Epistle to John Goldie"; "Elegy on the Death of Sir James Hunter Blair"; "Tam o'Shanter" and "Holy Willie's Prayer".
  Burns also added the lines "Let these be regarded as the genuine sentiments of a man who seldom flattered any, and never those he loved."
  The pages have been numbered with the number placed in the centre of the top of the page and bracketed on the amanuenis's work and unbracketed on the top right or left of the page on those with Burns's writing, but not always on the fore-edge side. On page 164, in a new hand, is a contents page that lists the categories of the works, their length in pages used and the identity of the writer as 'Burns' or 'Amanuensis'. In Volume 2 the first six pages are blank although numbered an throughout all 103 pages Burns placed the bracketed page number at the top centre.
  The volumes were disfigured in Liverpool for these unique works carry at least two library stamp designs, both with the wording "ATHENAEUM LIVERPOOL" at the start and near the finish of the first volume, etc. The page opposite Mrs Currie's letter is covered with mainly crossed out numbers that may relate to the 'calculations' for the aforementioned 'Contents' page.
caption: Robert Riddell's coat of arms and armorial crest
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