Poet commemorated -- as a land surveyor

Robert Burns honoured for work as land surveyor

Robert Burns began his training as a land surveyor when he was a 17-year-old

The BBC reports that Poet Robert Burns has been honoured by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) - for his work as a land surveyor.

He is the first person to be granted posthumous membership of the RICS.

His honorary chartered surveyor award was presented to Planning Minister Derek MacKay, who accepted the accolade on behalf of the nation on Monday.

The only professional training ever received by Burns, a tenant farmer by birth, was as a land surveyor.

His award will be housed at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland.