Scottish army officer from a noted family; he was the sixth child and third born and second surviving son of the poet Robert Burns and his wife Jean Armour.
Nine days previous to William’s birth an illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Burns was born to Robert Burns and Ann Park. William’s other siblings included Robert Burns Junior (b. 3 March 1788); Jean (b. 3 March 1788); James Glencairn (b. 12 August 1794); Elizabeth Riddell (b. 21 November 1792); Francis Wallace (b. 1789) and Maxwell (b. 25 July 1796). Short lived unnamed twin girls were born on 3 March 1788.
William attended the East India Company Military Seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey where he trained to become an officer in the company’s army.
He sailed as a midshipman aged 16 to India. Appointed in 1811 to the Army of the East India Company, William rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the 7th Madras Native Infantry. Between 1817 and 1819 he was involved in the Third Mahratta War. He had joined the 7th Bengal Native Infantry Regiment as an Ensign on 1 August 1817 and was promoted to the rank of Captain on 7 August 1828. William transferred to the Commissary Department in the Madras Presidency. On 19 January 1843 he retired.
William Nicol married Catherine Adelaide Crone, daughter of R. Crone, Esq. of Dublin, in Bangalore, in 1824. They had no children and Catherine died at Kulludghev in India on 29 June 1841. William never remarried. He died in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on 21 February 1872 at age 80.
Link to Wikipedia biography