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1745
The Jacobite Uprising attempts to restore a Stewart king to the British throne
1748
The Burnes(or Burness) family leave Kincardineshire - William to Edinburgh
1750
Burns' father moved to Alloway
1757
William Burnes marries Agnes Brown of Kirkoswald
1759
Robert Burns born in Alloway, 25 January
1760
Birth of Robert's brother Gilbert: other children follow
1766
The Burnes family move to Mount Oliphant, near Alloway
1772
James Murdoch employed to teach Burns
1776
The American War of Independence begins. The Burns family move to Lochlie farm
1777
William Burnes moved family to Lochlie
1780
Bachelors' Club formed
1781
Robert Burns becomes a Freemason. Burns moves to Irvine to learn the trade of flax-dressing
1784
Death of William Burnes. Robert moves his family to Mossgiel and changes the spelling of the family name to Burns; probably meets Jean Armour in this year
1785
Burns completes many of the poems for the Kilmarnock edition including The Cotter's Saturday Night
1786
The Kilmarnock edition of Burns' poems is published; Jean Armour gives birth to twins; death of Highland Mary; Burns goes to Edinburgh
1787
First Edinburgh edition of poems published by William Creech; first volume of the Scots Musical Museum (edited by Burns) published - five more follow
1788
Burns returns to Dumfriesshire and takes lease on Ellisland; marries Jean Armour
1789
Storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution; Burns becomes an Exciseman
1791
Burns gives up Ellisland and moves his family to Dumfries (11 Bank Street)
1792
Burns promoted to Dumfries Port Division; on 29 February the smuggling ship Rosamond is seized
1793
The Burns family move to Mill Vennel, now 24 Burns Street; The Second Edinburgh edition of his poems published by William Creech - this includes Tam o'Shanter; Thomas Muir of Huntershill is sentenced to 14 years' transportation; King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are executed in France
1794
Burns promoted to Supervisor; re-issue of the Second Edinburgh edition
1795
Burns joins the Royal Dumfries Volunteers; in September his daughter Elizabeth dies and Burns becomes gravely ill with rheumatic fever
1796
Meal Riots in Dumfries; Burns continues to work until June in rapidly deteriorating health; on 3 July goes to Brow on Solway on medical advice but fails to revive; dies in Dumfries on 21 July
1817
On the night of 19 September, Burns' remains moved to the Mausoleum in St Michael's Kirkyard from their original resting-place
1834
Death of Jean Armour, who is buried beside Burns in the Mausoleum
All information courtesy of Goblinshead, publishers of the Wee Guide To Robert Burns
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