Genealogical memoirs of the family of Robert Burns and of the Scottish house of Burnes

8 GENEALOGICAL MEMOIRS OF
Barnes, 1715." Then
follow the initials I. B., W. B., 1. B, R. B., with these words,
"And here lies his son, John Burnes, who departed the 10th
April 17 — , heing of age 3- ." At the base is the date
of erection, "1719," engraved between sculptured cross-bones.
The wife of William Burnes, " C. F." of the inscription, was
Christian Fotheringham. Of the house of Fotheringhani, the
founder proceeded to Scotland from Hungary in the train of
sainted Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore; the
family headquarters have long been Powrie, in Forfarshire, but
some of the younger branches settled in the county of Kin-
cardine.
The initials I. B., W. B., I. B. ; and R. B., on William
Burnes' tombstone, seem to denote the names of his children,
who had died young. Of these, John Burnes, who is specially
commemorated, died at or subsequent to the age of thirty.
Considerably before his death, William Burnes seems to
have surrendered his farm of Bogjorgan to his sons, William
and James. These, after some time holding that farm on a
joint lease, separated in 1705, when William remained at
Bogjorgan, and James proceeded to rent the farm of Inches,
in the same county. The inventory of the home-steading of
Bogjorgan at the time of the separation was discovered by
the late Dr Robert Chambers, 1 and, as published by him, pro-
ceeded thus:
"Ane note of the biging off Bogjorgine, belonging to Wil-
liam Stuart, heritor thereoff, given up lie William Burnasse,
present tenant of the sd. rowm, and James Burnasse, late
possessore of the halff theroff, upon the seven tainth day of
Jully, 1705 years.
1 Life and Works of Robert Burns, edited by Robert Chambers, Edin.
1S53, 8vo, i vols., vol. i., p. 333.