Ward's Book of Days.
Pages of interesting anniversaries.
What happened on this day in history.
SEPTEMBER 21st
On this day in history in 1832, died Walter Scott.
Scott
was a lawyer and a poet, who also wrote romantic novels, which captured the
public imagination, and created the genre of the historical novel.
Walter
Scott was born on 15th August 1771, at Edinburgh, Old Town, the son
of a lawyer. In his childhood, he was struck by polio, leaving him lame in his
right leg. He was sent to recuperate in the Borders, where he soaked up the
local atmosphere of folk law, tales of historic struggles and battles, and
ancient warriors. His relatives took him on tours from Selkirk to Melrose. He
visited the site of the Battle of Melrose, saw Roman roads and visited rustic
farmhouses. He saw old castles with suits of armour, hunting trophies, oil
paintings and ancient heraldic coats of arms.
Scott
was educated at Edinburgh High School and at Kelso Grammar School. After
reading law at Edinburgh University, he became a legal clerk, apprenticed to
his father. Scott was more interested in Romantic poetry than in the practice
of law. He translated and published several German ballads and some works of
Goethe. His discovered corrupted versions of old Scottish minstrel songs, and
wrote poetic versions of them which, he claimed, restored them to the original
version. His work became popular and he was encouraged to create his own
original poetry in the same style. He soon emerged as the foremost poet in
Scotland, and became almost as popular as Wordsworth and Southy.
Scott
was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1792. He volunteered for the
yeomanry, and was introduced by one of his brother officers to Margaret
Charpentier, of the French royal family whom he married in 1797. They had five
children. In 1799 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Selkirk, and in 1806
became clerk to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. He also became a partner in
the publishing firm, Ballantyne’s.
By
1814, Scott’s popularity as a poet was waning, as Byron was writing
prolifically and capturing the popular market. In addition, Scott had
financial problems due to the failure of the publishing firm. Scott decided to
write something different, in order to raise some money. He wrote a romantic
novel, Waverley, set in the
aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. The plot, as observed through the
naïve eyes of a respectable English gentleman, presents the mores and
traditions of a vanished Highland society. Scott published anonymously, for
fear that being known as the author of a common novel would ruin his
reputation as a poet and a lawyer. When the novel proved successful, Scott
followed up with a series of historical novels set in Scotland. When he ran
out of themes for Scottish novels, he started to publish English novels, all
published anonymously.
The
novels proved to be more popular than the verses and, although there was no
author’s name on the volumes, it became an open secret that Scott was the
author. In 1815, The Prince Regent, later George IV, asked to dine with Scott,
to meet the author of Waverley. When
George became king in 1820, he granted Scott a knighthood and asked him to
organise his tour of Scotland of 1822. For the tour, Scott arranged solemn
spectacles and pageantry, which included the wearing of kilts by the Royal
party and guests.
Scott
actually invented the kilt in its modern form. He took the old Highland
garment, the plaid, which doubled as a blanket and an overcoat, and turned it
into a garment for everyday wear. The tour made the kilt popular and it became
a symbol of Scottish national identity. Scott also discovered the
‘Honours’ of Scotland, the Crown Jewels, which had been locked away since
the Act of Union, and had them put on public display. He petitioned for
Scottish banks to continue to be allowed to issue their own bank notes,
despite widespread opposition. Scott’s features now adorn the modern Bank of
Scotland notes. Scott readily accepted Scotland's union with England, and the
modernization that it had delivered, but he was anxious that the old Scottish
traditions should not die away, with the arrival of progress and prosperity.
Scott died on 21st September 1832, and was buried in Dryburgh Abbey. [Dryburgh Abbey, St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0RQ.]
©2006 Ward’s Book of Days