William Burnes (1721 - 1784)

William Burnes or William Burness (11 November 1721 – 13 February 1784) was the father of the poet Robert Burns. He was born in Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, and trained as a gardener at Inverugie Castle, Aberdeenshire, before moving to Ayrshire and becoming a tenant farmer. His parents were Robert Burnes and Isabella Keith. He retained the spelling 'Burnes' throughout his life; however, his son favoured the Ayrshire spelling of 'Burns'.