John Ballantine (banker)
John Ballantine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1743 Ayr, Scotland |
| Died | 1812 |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant, banker, Provost of Ayr |
| Known for | Friendship with Robert Burns; advising on Burns's poetry and editions; Provost of Ayr |
John Ballantine (1743–1812) was a prominent Scottish merchant and banker, recognized for his close friendship and admiration of Robert Burns. He played a significant role in advising Burns on poem selections for the First Kilmarnock Edition and offered valuable critique on his literary creations.
Life and character
John Ballantine, born in Ayr to William Ballantine, a baillie, and Elizabeth Bowman, established himself as a merchant and banker before becoming Provost of Ayr in 1787. His contributions during this period included helping to establish Ayr Academy and, as Dean of Guild, actively participating in the planning of a new bridge over the River Ayr. He passed away at age 68, unmarried, and was interred at the Auld Kirk in Ayr. His residence was Castlehill House—now demolished—and the surrounding Castlehill district of Ayr derives its name from this estate.
Association with Robert Burns
Burns occasionally shared drafts of his poetry with Ballantine, although their communication lessened in the poet’s later years due to declining health and limited time. In 1791, Burns expressed gratitude to Ballantine for elevating his social standing, comparing it to gaining entry into the "Court of the Gentiles" within the Temple of Fame.
Burns dedicated The Brigs of Ayr to Ballantine; despite its omission from the 1786 Kilmarnock Edition, Burns conveyed heartfelt appreciation for Ballantine’s encouragement even though a second edition was delayed. Either Ballantine or Robert Aiken likely consulted Dr. Patrick Douglas concerning Burns’s interest in employment opportunities in Jamaica.
When printer John Wilson requested payment upfront for a second edition printing, Ballantine offered financial assistance to Burns but advised him to pursue an Edinburgh publisher instead; Burns declined this monetary support. Ballantine also participated in selecting poems for the Kilmarnock Edition and backed efforts to publish the First Edinburgh Edition, receiving subscription lists and copies upon its April 1787 publication.
He introduced Burns to James Dalrymple of Orangefield, thereby facilitating Burns’s integration into Edinburgh society through Dalrymple’s influential network. It also appears that Ballantine sponsored Burns’s appointment within the Excise service.
In January 1801, Ballantine joined Robert Aiken and other admirers at the first-ever Burns Supper.
Correspondence
In letters from November and December 1783, Burns referred to Robert Aiken as his "first poetic patron" and "first kind of patron."
By October 1786, Burns had settled accounts with John Wilson, printer of the Kilmarnock Edition, but noted his lack of funds for a second edition, joking that he would only afford one "when I grow richer."
Burns sent poems such as A Winter Night to Ballantine for feedback on his early experiments with irregular verse. By late November 1786, he was planning a visit to Edinburgh to pursue a second edition and sought advice from Ballantine.
In 1786 Burns dedicated The Brigs of Ayr to Ballantine as an expression of sincere thanks rather than as a request for patronage.
By December 1786, Burns was nearing an agreement with publisher William Creech regarding printing his book. He sent Ballantine Death and Dr Hornbook for amusement, considering it too trivial for formal publication.
That same month, Burns reported gaining noble patrons such as the Duchess of Gordon and Countess of Glencairn alongside literary acquaintances including Professors Stewart and Blair. He also disclosed that an anonymous benefactor was Patrick Miller Esq.
Burns informed Ballantine that some of his works had appeared in the periodical The Lounger, indicating expanding literary recognition.
He described difficulties faced by his Edinburgh landlady due to noisy neighbors in correspondence with Ballantine, offering insight into his living conditions at that time.
By January 1787, Burns was engaged in proofreading for the First Edinburgh Edition of his poems, completing this task by March.
Also during January 1787, Burns contemplated leasing a farm at Dalswinton from Patrick Miller but expressed reservations about potential risks despite Miller’s backing.
In February 1787, he mentioned commissioning an engraving for his portrait to be featured on his book’s title page and noted that he was required to print subscribers' names, requesting bills be sent directly to Creech.
Following a knee injury caused by a coachman’s negligence, Burns asked Ballantine to forward some proceeds from book sales to assist his brother Gilbert Burns’s struggling farm near Mauchline.
In September 1787, Burns sent Ballantine a copy of The Brigs of Ayr.
Around August 1788, he forwarded The Fete Champetre, explaining that a bruised thumb had delayed his writing progress.
While traveling in March 1791, Burns wrote to Ballantine enclosing his final song Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, inspired by news received from Ayr.
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"Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird, |
In September 1791 Burns declined Lord Buchan’s invitation to attend the unveiling of poet James Thomson's bust but sent verses as an address to Thomson’s spirit.
Burns’s last recorded letter to Ballantine dates from October 1791 at the Globe Inn in Dumfries, enclosing what is likely his poem Tam o' Shanter.
See also
- Robert Aiken
- Jean Armour
- Lesley Baillie
- Alison Begbie
- Nelly Blair
- Isabella Burns
- May Cameron
- Mary Campbell (Highland Mary)
- Jenny Clow
- Gavin Hamilton (lawyer)
- Helen Hyslop
- Nelly Kilpatrick
- Jessie Lewars
- Anne Rankine
- John Richmond (lawyer)
- Isabella Steven
- Peggy Thompson
- James Smith (draper)
- John Murdoch (teacher)
References
- Notes
Further reading
- Brown, Hilton (1949). There was a Lad. London: Hamish Hamilton.
- Burns, Robert (1839). The Poetical Works of Robert Burns. The Aldine Edition of the British Poets. London: William Pickering.
- De Lancey Ferguson, J. (1931). The Letters of Robert Burns. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Douglas, William Scott (Ed.) (1938). The Kilmarnock Edition of the Poetical Works of Robert Burns. Glasgow: The Scottish Daily Express.
- Hecht, Hans (1936). Robert Burns. The Man and His Work. London: William Hodge.
- Mackay, James (2004). Burns. A Biography of Robert Burns. Darvel: Alloway Publishing. .
- McIntyre, Ian (2001). Robert Burns. A Life. New York: Welcome Rain Publishers. .
- McNaught, Duncan (1921). The Truth about Robert Burns. Glasgow: Maclehose, Jackson & Co.
- McQueen, Colin Hunter (2008). Hunter's Illustrated History of the Family, Friends and Contemporaries of Robert Burns. Messrs Hunter McQueen & Hunter.
- Purdie, David; McCue & Carruthers, G. (2013). Maurice Lindsay's The Burns Encyclopaedia. London: Robert Hale.
- Ross Roy, G. (1985). Letters of Robert Burns. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
External links
- Researching the Life and Times of Robert Burns – Site dedicated to Burns research.