Angus Burns aficionados have once again stood on the spot where the Bard stopped in the county 235 years ago.
In an annual celebration of the historic event, they also remembered the four men of Hillside who helped keep the historic link alive.
And the Montrose Burns Club ceremony saw the laying of a single red rose in memory of the Queen.
It comes as developers of the former Sunnyside Hospital confirmed two streets on the estate will be named in honour of the connection, and a new cairn put in place to mark it.
Highland tour
In 1787 Burns and his pal Willie Nicol stopped to water their horses on the drove road at Rosemount, north of Montrose.
They were heading south after visiting the ancestral home of Burns’ father and family at Clochnahill in the Mearns.
The highland tour continued on to the Angus fishing village of Auchmithie and then home.
But the historic tie might have been lost were it not for the efforts of four men at the old Sunnyside asylum, and the detective work of a contemporary historian.
Sunnyside superintendent C J Shaw and hospital orderlies Joseph Harris and Willie Herd, along with artist Adam Christie are also honoured in the gathering, first held in 2009.
‘Outsider artist’s’ tribute
Christie was the ‘outsider artist’ who hailed from Cunningsburgh in Shetland.
He is remembered for his sculpture, painting and fiddle-making over 50 years as a patient in Sunnyside hospital.
And he used only rudimentary tools such as nails and glass for his work,
Christie carved a memorial stone to Burns in 1930.
This year’s event was the first to be organised by Montrose Burns Club.
Former organiser Dave Ramsay of Mearns Heritage Services was a special guest.
Montrose club chairman Dave Clark said it was tinged with sadness through the passing of the Queen and two people closely connected to the local commemoration.
“Our good friend Dave Ramsay lost his wife Dorothy and Ann, the wife of Ken Keddie, also sadly died recently,” he said.
Mr Keddie was a psychiatrist at Sunnyside and wrote a book about Adam Christie, titled The Gentle Shetlander.
‘’If it was not for Dave Ramsay, I’m sure this story would have remained shrouded in the mists of time.
“Montrose Burns Club will continue to hold a commemoration each September and remember both Robert Burns and the ‘four good men of Hillside’ in equal part.
Street naming
The memorial stone is now under threat from erosion from tree roots.
But plans are in place to incorporate it in a new cairn using stone from the old Sunnyside building.
There are hopes Historic Environment Scotland might designate the new memorial a site of historic interest.
“We have received a huge amount of support for our application and are very grateful to all who have provided written support,” said Dave Clark.
“Jamie Pert , a director of the Sunnyside development company, is a past club president.
“He has ensured two of the main roads in the development have been named Adam Christie Avenue and Robert Burns Drive.
“It is as a lasting and fitting tribute to these two fine men.”
