The Scottish Casanova

Have I told you the story of Jean, and her Scottish Casanova?  Poor Jean.  She fell in love with him, and before you know it, she's pregnant.  The guy already had at least two illigitimate children.  Her Dad fainted when she told him.  He was a big stonemason.  Dad, not the playboy.

Have a wee drop of whisky, it's single malt scotch.  Have some shortbread.  No, I didn't bake it.  I hunter-gathered it.  Picked up the Heather while I was at the market.  Lovely, at this time of year.

Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Poor Jean.  She saw him when he was out walking with his dog.  She had her laundry drying on the lawn, the way they sometimes do out in the country, and the dog walked all through it.  She met him again, at a dance.  He wrote stuff.  What is it about these sweet talking writers?

He'd already gotten Elizabeth, who worked on his parent's farm, pregnant.  His Mum, who was widowed the year before, raised the baby girl.  He and Jean were already having an affair, when the baby was born.  Next, there was Meg, who either miscarried or delivered a stillborn baby, I'm not sure.  Somewhere in there, there's Mary.

The guy offered to marry Jean, but her parents wouldn't allow it.  They sent her away, so that none of the neighbours would know she was pregnant.  They found out anyway.  So, Jean returned home.  She gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl.  She and Romeo lived apart.

The truth is, he was in love with Mary!  He wrote a famous piece about her.  Mary was going to go to Jamaica, but that didn't work out.  She died in childbirth...giving birth to his baby.

About that time, Jean's Dad was afraid that the playboy would run off to Jamaica.  He put a warrant out for him!  So, the guy takes off, and spends the Summer hiding out on his Auntie Jean's farm.  He writes, and writes, and writes, and gets another book published.  He's super famous, like a Scottish rock star.  As famous as Rod Stewart.

How's the whisky?  More shortbread?

So, the big star is touring the country, and in his travels, meets up with Jean.  Again.  Poor Jean.  She gets pregnant.  Again.  Jean's parents kick her out.  Again.  She's destitute.  So, Mr. Superstar finds her and their twins, a place to stay.  A few weeks later, Jean gives birth to twins.  Again.  Sadly, the baby girls both died when they were a few weeks old. 

After all that, Jean's parents finally gave their consent for marriage (the fact that their future Son-in-Law is really famous may have had something to do with it).  Under Scottish law, their twins, and the two previous twins are not considered illigitimate once Jean and Loverboy get married.  If you look at the marriage document, it says, "irregularly married some years ago".  Irregulary!

In the meantime, the Scottish Casanova is travelling back and forth to Edinburgh, where's he's a big celebrity.  He's got this married woman, Agnes.  She's separated from her husband, who lives in Jamaica.  The Scottish Casanova writes her passionate poetry.  Some of that gets published, making him even more famous.  He also gets Jenny, her maid, pregnant!  Jenny gives birth to a baby boy, but she gets sick, and gets fired from her job.  Casanova sends her some money. 
   

Not that he had a lot of money.  As famous as he was, he signed away the copyrights to all his work!  He had to take on work as a tax inspector.

That's how he met the barmaid.  She worked in the town where he and Jean lived.  Ann was ten years younger than him.  You guessed it, he gets her pregnant too.  She dies in childbirth.  Guess who raises the little girl?  Jean.  The woman should have a statue in her honour!

The guy had 14 children, by six women!  He died really young, at the age of 36.  Heart disease.  On the day of his burial, Jean was giving birth to little Max, their last child.  Poor Jean.  She was only 31 years old, and had lived more years than someone three times her age!

I didn't tell you her name.  Jean Armour - great name for a warrior, who has, as Shakespeare wrote, "suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."  It would have been Mrs. Burness, but hubby changed his family name when he was first climbing to fame.

By the way, there is a statue in Jean's honour.  She is afterall, the long suffering wife of Scotland's most famous poet, the Bard himself, Robert Burns.

Around the world, on January 25th, Scots and those who love them, raise a glass to Burns.  This Robbie Burns Day, give a thought to Jean, who loved him with all her heart.  She lived another 35 years after Robbie died, and there never was another man like him in her life.

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.