Scottish Literary Calendar: February
Epigraph:
Gin Candlemas-day be dry and fair
The half o’ winter’s to come and mair;
Gin Candlemas-day be wet and foul,
Half the winter’s gane at Youl.
Traditional
1|2|1506 St Bride’s Day, the Celtic Festival of Spring George Buchanan, (1506–1582), poet, historian, and administrator, was probably born on this day at The Moss, Killearn, Stirlingshire. He is brought up at Cardross in Menteith. Ref: 0201.01
1|2|1814 Lord Byron’s The Corsair, a poem in heroic couplets, sells 10,000 copies on the day of publication. Ref: 0201.02
1|2|1918 Birth of Muriel Spark, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie(1961) and many other successful novels, Edinburgh. Ref: 0201.03
2|2|1645 Candlemas Day Battle of Inverlochy, witnessed by Iain Lom (John Macdonald), Gaelic bard, who describes the victory of Montrose in a famous epic poem. Ref: 0202.01
2|2|1864 Edward Dwelly [known as Ewen MacDonald] (1864–1939), lexicographer, is born in Twickenham. He marries a Gaelic speaker, Mary MacDougall in Doune, Perthshire, and lives at Gartmore. He will individually collect material for what is still considered to be one of the best Gaelic Dictionaries. Ref: 0202.02
2|2|1958 James Bell Salmond, much-admired editor of The Scots Magazine, dies at St. Andrews. His most successful book was Wade in Scotland (1934). Ref: 0202.03
2|2|1987 Alistair Maclean, prolific popular novelist (Guns of Navarone, HMS Ullyses), dies. Ref: 0202.04
3|2|1941 The S.S. Politician goes aground on Eriskay, inspiring Compton MacKenzie’s Whisky Galore. Ref: 0203.01
3|2|1953 Joy Hendry, miscellaneous writer and editor of the literary magazine Chapman, is born, Perth. Ref: 0203.02
4|2|1746 Rev. Robert Blair, author of the sombre epic poem The Grave, dies Athestaneford, East Lothian. Ref: 0204.01
4|2|1962 William Young Darling (1885-1962), Provost of Edinburgh, and author of a Book Of Days, dies. Ref: 0204.02
5|2|1867 Henry Crabb Robinson, literary historian, who followed in the footsteps of the Wordsworths in Scotland, dies. Ref: 0205.01
**5|2|1881 Historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle dies in London at 85. “A well-written-life,” he once said, “is almost as rare as a well-spent one.” Ref: 0205.02**
6|2|1773 Sir John Stoddart (1773-1856), author of the influential Remarks on the Local Scenery and Manners of Scotland (1801), is born. Ref: 0206.01
6|2|1787 Robert Burns proposes that a monument to his predecessor poet Robert Fergusson should be erected in Edinburgh. Ref: 0206.02
**7|2|1812 The young Lord Byron, making his maiden speech before the House of Lords, denounces a measure that would provide the death penalty for rebellious labourers. Ref: 0207.01**
7|2|1837 Philologist and lexicographer Sir James Murray is born Denholm, Roxburghshire, Scotland. Ref: 0207.02
7|2|1950 D.K. Broster, novelist, author of the successful series of novels The Jacobite Trilogy, dies. Ref: 0207.03
7|2|1954 Dilys Rose, poet, is born, Glasgow Ref: 0207.04
*8|2|1819 John Ruskin, art critic, is born in London. In 1848, at the age of 29, he will marry Euphemia Gray in Perth, but the marriage, never consummated, will be annulled in1854. Ref: 0208.01*
8|2|1894 R.M.Ballantyne, author of children’s adventure stories, including Coral Island (1858), dies, Rome. Ref: 0208.01
9|2|1868 Norman Douglas, novelist, travel writer, and famous collector of limericks, is born at Tilquhillie, Deeside. In 1915 he will publish Old Calabria. Ref: 0209.01
10|2|1856 Gavin Greig, (1856–1914), folksong collector, is born near Dyce. His life’s work will be to celebrate, and collect Scottish folksongs in collaboration with James Bruce Duncan (1848–1917). Ref: 0210.01
10|2|1868 Sir David Brewster, scientist and editor of the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, dies at Allerby, Melrose. Ref: 0210.02
10|2|1894 Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister and scion of the famous Scottish publishing house, is born. Ref: 0210.03
11|2|1940 Death of John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, novelist and statesman, in Canada. In 1941 his novel Sick Heart River will be published. Ref: 0211.01
12|2|1640 William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, statesman and poet in the Court of James VI and I, dies in poverty in London. Ref: 0212.01
13|2|1896 Birth of Elizabeth Mackintosh (Josephine Tey/Gordon Daviot), detective storywriter and dramatist, London. Ref: 0213.01
13|2|1901 Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell), the leading twentieth century Scottish novelist, is born at Hillhead of Seggat, Aberdeenshire. In 1932 the first part of his trilogy A Scots Quair will be published. Ref: 0213.02
14|2|1810 Thomas Tod Stoddart, the angler-poet who lived in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland is born. Ref: 0214.01
15|2|1819 Scott attended first performance of the revised adaptation of Rob Roy at Edinburgh Theatre Royal. Ref: 0215.01
15|2|1841 Harriet Campbell, the Stirling-born novelist, dies. Ref: 0215.02
16|2|1793 Publication of the Edinburgh Edition of Burns’ poems. Ref: 0216.01
16|2|1817 William Thomson (1746-1817), Perthshire-born miscellaneous writer, dies. Ref: 0216.02
16|2|1934 Tom Gallacher, playwright and novelist, is born Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Ref: 0216.03
16|2|1954 Iain Banks, novelist, is born, Fife. Ref: 0216.04
17|2|1796 James MacPherson, dies Balavil, Invernessshire. His Fragments of Ancient Poetry have created the ‘Ossian controversy’. In his will he leaves a sum of money to enable him to be buried in Westminster Abbey. Ref: 0217.01
17|2|1865 W.J.Watson, the erudite author of Celtic Place-names of Scotland, is born Inverness. Ref: 0217.02
17|2|1968 Sir Alexander Gray, poet, dies Ref: 0217.03
18|2|1851 George Thomson, song-collector who encouraged Robert Burns to write many of his lyrics, dies Ref: 0218.01
18|2|1914 Fanny Osbourne (1840-1914), R.L.Stevenson’s American wife, and guardian of his literary reputation, dies Ref: 0218.02
19|2|1780 Mrs Elizabeth Scott, ‘the Guidwife of Wauchope House’, poetess, to whom Burns dedicated an ‘epistle’, dies. Ref: 0219.01
19|2|1972 John Grierson (1898-1972), the Stirling-born filmmaker, dies. One of hi documentary films is Night Mail, the memorable commentary for which was provided by his friend W.H.Auden, dies Ref: 0219.02
20|2|1784 Adam Black, Edinburgh publisher, is born. Ref: 0220.01
21|2|1755 Ann(e) Grant [MacVicar] of Laggan is born, Glasgow. Her Letters From The Mountains (1803), describing Highland life, will enjoy enormous success. Ref: 0221.01
21|2|1942 Magnus Linklater, writer and editor, is born Ref: 0221.02
22|2|1845 (Rev) Sydney Smith (1771-1845), wit, who with Jeffrey, Horner and Brougham had founded the Edinburgh Review, dies London. Ref: 0222.01
22|2|1922 William Neill, vernacular poet, is born Prestwick Ref: 0222.02
22|2|1973 Marian McNeill, Orkney-born writer on Scottish folklore and author of The Silver Bough, dies. Ref: 0222.01
23|2|1827 Sir Walter Scott reveals his identity as the ‘Great Unknown’ Ref: 0223.01
23|2|1851 Death of Joanna Baillie, dramatist and poet, at Hampstead, London Ref: 0223.02
23|2|1874 Shirley Brooks, editor of Punch, dies. His novel, Sooner or Later, published in three volumes with illustrations by Gerald Du Maurier, was set at Dhivach, Inverness-shire. Ref: 0223.03
24|2|1774 Archibald Constable, publisher, is born Ref: 0224.01
24|2|1931 Ada Goodrich-Freer, medium, plagiarist, and investigator of “second sight” in the Highlands, dies. Ref: 0224.02
24|2|2005 Death of Robin Jenkins, author of some thirty novels, the most well known of which is The Cone Gatherers. Ref:0224.03
25|2|1908 Robert Kemp, dramatist, is born, Hoy, Orkney. In 1948 he will adapt Sir David Lyndsay’s play Ane Pleasant Satire of the Three Estaits for a stunning production by Tyrone Guthrie staged at the Edinburgh Festival. Ref: 0225.01
26|2|1811 James Johnson, engraver and music seller of Edinburgh, dies. He has done much to popularise Burns’ songs Ref: 0226.01
26|2|1939 John Hume, lecturer and author of the Industrial Archeology of Scotland, is born, Glasgow | Ref: 0226.01
26|2|1955 Agnes Mure MacKenzie (1891-1955), novelist and author of A Scottish Pageant dies Ref: 0226.01
27|2|1735 Kincardineshire-born John Arbuthnot, wit, friend of Swift and Pope, and author of John Bull, dies. Ref: 0227.01
27|2|1821 John Scott (1783-1821), the Aberdeen-born editor of the London Magazine dies from gunshot wounds received in a duel (with Jonathan Henry Christie) over a literary dispute with John Gibson Lockhart. Ref: 0227.02
27|2|1903 George Birkbeck Hill, one of the first writers to follow in the footsteps in Scotland of Johnson and Boswell, dies Ref: 0227.03
27|2|1970 Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart, Scottish journalist, dies. His Scotch (1951) is one of the most successful books ever written about whisky. Ref: 0227.04
28|2|1825 Grace Kennedy (1782-1825), Ayrshire-born novelist, dies. Ref: 0228.01
28|2|1830 Robert Anderson (1750-1830), editor of the works of Smollett and others, dies. Ref: 0228.02
29|2|1792 Gioacchino Rossini, one of whose operas will be La Donna del Lago (1819), adapted from Scott’s Lady of the Lake, is born. Ref: 0229.01
29|2|1848 William Thom, poet, dies in poverty in Dundee. Ref: 0229.02
Louis Stott Database: 68 entries
Updated: 311009
