Burnsian’s Dock Park cannon hunch

Feb 5 2010 by Kieran Westbrook, Dumfries Standard Friday

Burnsian’s Dock Park cannon hunch

A ROBERT Burns enthusiast reckons the Dock Park cannons could hark back to the days of the bard.

Ian Millar of Thornhill has been researching the history surrounding the cannons after a debate started on a Burns website blog.

Mr Millar believes the two cannons are part of a four-set originally set aboard a smuggling vessel called The Rosamund that Burns helped seize during his excise days.

He said: “I was speaking to a fellow Burnsian who brought up the cannons.

“It seems strange that no-one seems to know the true history of them. There must be people out there who know where they came from and that’s what I’m after.

“Hopefully someone will come forward with some information that will help.”

A fierce debate has always raged as to whether Burns sent two of those guns to France.

If this was true it would show a clear act of defiance against the crown while working as an excise man.

“If these are the two remaining guns, it would be incredible,” added Mr Millar.

“To think they are out there in the Dock Park – they’re next to a mini maze!

“I’m just saying where I think they come from and would like to hear if people have a better idea or any other information.

“If they are indeed the cannons from back then, they will have been touched by Burns and probably very valuable.”

The Burns website Mr Millar has been contributing to is www.robertburnsfederation.co.uk

The site contains a forum entitled “Did Burns send four guns to France?”