death_place death_date birth_place birth_date article_title name occupation
new cumnock , scotland 1843 scotland circa 1759 anne rankine
 anne rankine housewife and inn-keeper
anne rankine

anne rankine was the youngest daughter of a tenant farmer , john rankine from adamhill farm that lay two miles from the robert burns 's family farm at lochlea .
she married john merry , an inn-keeper in cumnock on 29 december 1782 , and is buried in cumnock old churchyard .
she maintained she was the ` annie ' of robert burns ' song ` the rigs o ' barley ' , however some maintain that she was merely trying to encourage business at their inn at cumnock .
her father was brother-in-law to john lapraik the poet .
