William Laidlaw (poet)
William Laidlaw (1780–1845) was a Scottish poet. The son of a border farmer, he became steward and amanuensis to Walter Scott, and was the author of a well-known ballad, Lucy's Flittin.
Life
He was born 19 November 1780, at Blackhouse, Selkirkshire, where his father was a sheep-farmer. After receiving an elementary education at Peebles he assisted his father for a time. James Hogg, whose mother was his distant cousin, was employed at Blackhouse for ten years, and formed a lasting friendship with Laidlaw.[1]
In 1801, Hogg and Laidlaw helped Scott with materials for the
Scott suffered financial ruin; but after an interval, Laidlaw again became his amanuensis, retaining the post till Scott's death in 1832. Subsequently he was factor to Sir Charles Lockhart-Ross, 8th Baronet, at Balnagowan, Ross. Retiring in poor health, he died in the house of his brother at Contin, near Dingwall, 18 May 1845.[1]
Works
Laidlaw is remembered only for his tender song, Lucy's Flittin, published in Hogg's Forest Minstrel, 1810. After 1817 he compiled, under Scott's management and direction, part of the
References
- ^ a b c d Bayne 1892.
- ^ "Lucy's Flittin'". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- Attribution
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bayne, Thomas Wilson (1892). "Laidlaw, William". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons – via Wikisource.