Burns and rape
Sir: I anticipate that the article in your Scottish Special Issue 'Drink and worship When we choose' by Richard West (26 April) will produce various complaints about its numerous historical and literary inaccuracies. For example, 'Robert Bruce Plunged a dagger into the heart of the Red Coro.,n , an act that led to the war with As author of several studies dealing with the life of Robert Burns, I am surprised that a journal of your standing should allow to be included a statement that Burns actually did rape the wife or sister of his host'. Your contributor suggests that 'the unseemly affair was kept as quiet as possible', which really means that he has no evidence that such an unlikely incident as he alleges ever took place.
John Strawhom
51 Connel Crescent, Mauchline, Ayrshire
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