The Burns Paper Database

The Burns Paper Database is the first survey of the writing material used by Robert Burns on its own terms. The Centre for Robert Burns Studies is working with the manuscripts held by partner institutions in Burns Scotland to capture detail pertaining to the physical features of paper used by Burns. Our aim is to produce a searchable database for the use of partners, allowing comparison between manuscripts held both within and outside Burns Scotland institutions and acting as an aid to authentication.

paper database screenshot

The Burns Paper Database was launched for the use of Burns Scotland partners late 2017. For access to the database or for further information contact Dr Ronnie Young.

Further reading

Ronnie Young, "‘A parcel of mash’d old rags’: some provisional remarks on the Burns Paper Database", Burns Chronicle (2017): 46-58.

Fields

Searching the Database

Equipment

Watermarks and countermarks

Select Bibliography

Web resources