Exhibitions

'I have not been idle’ – Robert Burns’s farewell

This exhibition highlights an exciting new discovery in the National Archives of Scotland: an eyewitness account that sheds fresh light on the character and spirit of Robert Burns in his last days. The letter from his superior officer, John Mitchell, Collector of Excise, tells the touching story of the poet’s visit to collect his salary and bid farewell to his colleagues and friends in the Excise Office in Dumfries in July 1796. Burns was ‘reduced & shattered … in the extreme’ but retained his ‘wit and humour’.

The letter, which gives us fresh insight into Burns the man, is presented for the first time, using documents from the collections of the National Archives of Scotland, against the background of his work as an Exciseman. Also on show are his Exciseman’s gauging rod and a beautiful scale model of the Burns Mausoleum in Dumfries.

West Register House, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, 9 August - 3 September, Monday to Friday, 9.00-4.30. Admission free

Read more about Robert Burns in The National Archives of Scotland

Recent exhibitions

An Open Secret (2009-2010)
An exhibition about changes in government attitudes to record and information closures. Using images of records from the 15th to 20th centuries, it showed how successive governments initially sought to keep information secret and from the public gaze, while later recognising the need to satisfy increasing public demand for freer access.

Read more about 'An Open Secret' exhibition.

Famous Scots (2009)
The family roots of six famous living Scots were unearthed in turn as part of a rolling exhibition to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009. Rarely-seen original documents, a beginner’s interactive guide, and a film helped tell the stories of our featured Scots: Billy Connolly, Sir James Black, Shirley Manson, Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton and Sir Jackie Stewart. For more information visit the ScotlandsPeople hub website (whose link is on the left side of this page).

Loans from NAS collections The NAS considers requests from organisations wishing to borrow items from our collections for exhibition. Six months’ notice is required. For details visit our exhibition support page.