Robert Burns was christened Burnes and his father's grave in Alloway kirk is Burnes. His father originated in the Howe of the Mearns between Aberdeen and Dundee and was a gardener. He moved to Edinburgh first and worked on the Meadows there before finishing up in Alloway where he built the cottage which still stands today. The end wall of it collapsed when Robert was new born and he described it as a "hansel" which is a Scots term for the gift we traditionally give to a new baby.