FOUNDER MEMBERS
The twenty original members of Dalry Burns Club:
Hugh Morris
The first Chairman. He was born in the Kirk
Close, Dalry in January 1786.
He was a weaver, and was extremely
sensitive and refined with agreeable manners,
and an inexhaustible fund
of anecdote. His company was always welcome at gatherings.
He was
acquainted with Tannahill, the Paisley Poet, to whom he gave the toast
in Dalry Bums Club
many a time. He had always taken a lively interest in
all things affecting the welfare, literature,
art and musical science
of his native town.
Andrew Crawford
The first Croupier and Secretary. Born in
Courthill Street, Dalry in 1772,
he was a Wright and had a good library,
delighted in literature,
and was noted for antiquarian and archæological pursuits.
Andrew Crawford's Kilmarnock Edition of Burns was
sold at Sotheby's in London in July 1957 for £580.
It had his name
"Andrew Crawford, Wright, Dalry" on it.
John Montgomerie
A native of Dalry born in 1790. He was a weaver, but afterwards
became a vintner,
and inspector of Poor in Dalry. Burns Anniversary
Suppers were always held in his inn.
Hugh Kerr
A native of Dalry, he was also a weaver, and was for many years a manufacturer of shawls in Paisley.
John Barbour
A native of Dalry, he was a weaver. He was fond of all things that belonged to
antiquity. He had a good library, and was a great reader. He had a tenacious
memory, was extremely eccentric and careless of dress.
John Murray
A native of Dalry and another weaver.
John Blair
From Dalry and orginally a weaver; later he became a house- and sign-painter in the town.
John Hamilton
A Dalry weaver, later a teacher in Kilwinning. He went to America, where he died.
Hugh Reid
A native of Largs, was another weaver. Afterwards he became an intinerary dealer in tea.
John Kenyon
A native of Rothesay, was another weaver. Afterwards he became a deliverer in books.
James McNair
A native of Elderslie was another weaver. He was a cheerful and intelligent man.
Afterwards he became a vintner in Dalry.
John Kerr
A native of Rothesay, was another weaver in Dalry. He was a fine fat fodgel wight o' short stature.
Lively and
intelligent, and sang a good song. Afterwards he became a vintner.
James Steel
A native of Dalry, he was a clerk. He was a son of Archibald Steel,
at one time parochial schoolmaster of
Dalry. Afterwards he was a clerk at Hariet Colliery.
Malcolm McDougal
A native of Irvine, he was a shoemaker in Dalry.
He always sang a
good song, and was very agreeable and lively at the meeting of the
club.
John McMillan
A native of Stirlingshire, he was a wool spinner to Mr. Biggart. He died of cholera about 1836.
John Smart
A native of Douglas, Lanarkshire. He was very eccentric, and at
one time unsettled in his habits.
He married in Dalry. Afterwards he
became a wool carder at Whitehill in Largs.
William Swan
A native of Beith, he was employed in Mr. Biggart's wool factory. Afterwards he became a grocer.
William Speir
A native of Dalry, where he kept a school. He seemed to have
excelled in calligraphy.
In the latter part of his life he was emploved
in a lithographic establishment in Paisley.
His taste was extremely
refined and he had a natural dexterity for copying pictures.
He always
sang a good song.
William Hamilton
From Dalry, he was a tinsmith and a very skillful tradesman.
Thomas Smith
From Irvine, another weaver in Dalry.