15 Facts About John Lewars

John Lewars was an excise officer and land surveyor.

John Lewars was one of Robert Burns's colleagues and friends during his Nithsdale and Dumfries days.

Jessie John Lewars was a very close Burns family friend and helped the family by nursing Robert in the days leading up to his death, doing the domestic chores and caring for the children.

In 1799 John Lewars married Barbara Howe of Gretna and the couple had two children.

John Lewars was buried in St Michael's cemetery in Dumfries, close to the original burial place of Robert Burns, later the lair of Mrs Agnes Eleanor Perochon, daughter of Frances Dunlop.

The poem has John Lewars bewitched by the young women and his heart is stolen and Burns links this the heroines supernatural powers.

John Lewars wrote to William Nicol to inform him of Burns's death.

John Lewars spotted the girls, hammered on the door and upon the women refusing to unlock the door he put his shoulder to it and entered the wash house.

When Jean asked Janet to fetch Wellwood, John Lewars knocked her head against a wall and threatened to duck them both in the cauldron of boiling water.

John Lewars was charged with "crimes of a heinous nature" and was defended against the charges by Francis Shortt, Town Clerk of Dumfries.

John Syme, Burns and Lewars were part of the Second Company of the volunteers.

In 1799 John Lewars was transferred to the lst Itinerancy, Burns' old circuit, involving some two hundred miles per week on horseback.

Records reveal that John Lewars was reprimanded in 1795 with no reason given.

Those written by John Lewars detailing the carronade story have not been recovered however a search of the Abbotsford archives revealed a ship's inventory written by John Lewars, listing the sails, spars, rigging and furnishings, with a brief summary of the amounts realised in the auction.

When Burns was serving as an Acting Supervisor of Excise John Lewars covered Burns stead and Adam Stobie covered John Lewars' division.