The Black Bull Hotel, Moffat, was a favourite haunt of Robert Burns and his friends, and the famous “EPIGRAM TO A SCRIMPIT NATURE” was written by Burns whilst drinking in the Inn.

“Ask why God made the Gem so small and why so huge the Granite? Because God meant mankind to set the higher value on it”

Burns was an admirer of Deborah Davies, a beautiful but petite relative of the Riddels. One day while he was in the Black Bull Hotel, Moffat, he saw her ride past, accompanied by a tall and portly lady.

Someone asked him why God had made one lady so large and Miss Davies so small. Burns replied with the epigram which he etched on the adjacent window.

The etched window is no longer in the Black Bull Hotel, Moffat, but rumours have it that it was given as a present to a Tsar of Russia.

On Wednesday 17th January 1996, a replica window was unveiled by Mr Murdo Morrison, president of the Burns Federation and can be viewed in our Burns Room which has also other Burns memorabilia.

The Black Bull Hotel, Moffat is an official “Burns Place of Interest”