Mary Campbell (Highland Mary)

Mary Campbell also known as Highland Mary, she was the daughter of a sailor in a revenue cutter named Archibald Campbell of Daling, whose wife was Agnes Campbell of Achnamore or Auchamore, by Dunoon, in 1762. Mary was the eldest of a family of four. Robert Burns had an affair with her after he felt that he had been deserted by Jean Armour following her move to Paisley in March 1786. The brief affair started in April 1786, the parting took place onMay. Her pronunciation of English was heavily accented with Gaelic and this led to her becoming known as Highland Mary.

Mary lived with her parents, first, near Dunoon, in 1768 the family moved to Campbeltown, and finally at Greenock. Her three siblings, Robert, Annie and Archibald, were born at Campbeltown. She is said to have spent some time at Lochranza on Arran, living with the Rev. David Campbell, minister of that parish and a relative of her mothers. She was described as a ...sweet, sprightly, blueeyed creature. In her early teens, she went to Ayrshire and became a nursemaid in Gavin Hamiltons house in Mauchline. She is said to have worked as a young servant girl in Irvine.

Source: Wikipedia