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Scottish literary papers in the Laing Collection, including manuscripts by Lady Anne Lindsay, Henry Mackenzie, James Macpherson, Elizabeth Melville, Alexander Montgomerie, and Allan Ramsay.

Alexander Laing (1787-1857)

  • Letter(s) and/or poem(s) in La.II.585

John Lapraik (1727-1807)

  • Letter from Lapraik to John Richmond, 1787 (La.II.210/18)

Sir Thomas Dick Lauder (1784-1848)

  • 2 letters from Lauder to Sir Walter Scott, 1822, transcripts (La.III.584/49-50)

John Leyden (1775-1811)

  • Songs from a 17th-century MS cantus, transcribed by Leyden for Richard Heber, 1800, La.II.333/2
  • Letter from Leyden to Alexander Campbell, 27 October 1797 (La.II.333/1)
  • Letter[s] from Sir Walter Scott to Leyden (La.III.585)

Lady Anne Lindsay (1750-1825)

  • MS copy of ‘Auld Robin Gray’ (La.II.331)
  • Letter from Lindsay to Henrietta Cumming (La.II.81)

William Lithgow (1582-1645?)

  • ‘The Gushing Tears of Godly Sorrow’, undated (La.III.817)

John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854)

  • 'Ye President’s and Samy’s Men', song to the tune ‘The Mariners of England’, 1821 (La.III.743, pp. 221-223)
  • Letter from Lockhart to J. L. Adolphus, 1852 (La.II.646/141)
  • Letter from Lockhart to W. Frazer, 1827 (La.II.422/133)
  • 4 letters from Lockhart to David Laing, 1825-1851 (La.IV.6 Loc. 3-6)
  • Letter from John Wilson Croker to Lockhart, 27 March 1851 (La.IV.6 Loc. 6x)

John Logan (1748-1788)

  • 13 letters from Logan, 11 to Alexander Carlyle, 1 to Dr McCormick and 1 to G. Stuart, 1779-1788 (La.II.419)

David Love (1750-1827)

  • 3 letters from Love to George Chalmers, 1792, with an account by Love of his father’s life to 1740 (La.II.451/2)
  • Letter from Love (?) to George Chalmers, 1790 (La.II.453/2)

John Lowe (1750-1798)

  • A 'Morning Poem', 1772?, with an account of Lowe in a letter from Robert Muter to George Chalmers (La.III.519, ff. 150-163)

Thomas Lyle (1792-1859)

  • Letter from Lyle to David Laing, 1840 (La.IV.17)

Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount (c. 1490-c. 1555)

  • Chalmeriana; Collections on Sir D. Lyndsay of the Mount, no date (La.III.520)
  • Notes of a glossary for Lyndsay’s Works by James Chalmers (La.II.449)

William MacDowall (1815-1888)

  • 7 letters from MacDowall to David Laing, 1834-1877 (La.IV.17)

Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831)

  • Financial papers, 1800-1802 (La.II.103; La.II.178)
  • Letter from Mackenzie to Robert Dundas, Lord Advocate, 1792, with a letter to Mackenzie from James Sibbald, a letter from Sibbald to the Lord Advocate, and a letter recommending Mr Heron to the Lord Advocate, signed by Mackenzie (La.II.500)
  • 2 letters from Mackenzie to David Laing, 3 September and 13 December 1821 (La.IV.6 Mack. 1-2)
  • Letter from Mackenzie to Sir Walter Scott, enclosing a poem ‘The Highlander’, 1824 (La.III.584/54)
  • 2 letters from Mackenzie, 1 to a publisher and 1 to George Chalmers, 1793-1805 (La.II.267; La.II.589/15)
  • Letter from Thomas Blacklock to Henry Mackenzie, 1787, copy (La.II.110)

Hector Macneill (1746-1818)

  • ‘On the Death of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Ralph Abercromby Killed at the Battle of Alexandria, 21 March 1801, poem (La.II.142/2)
  • ‘Present Times: A Dialogue in Scottish Verse’, not autograph, revised by Macneill (La.II.213)
  • Letter from Macneill to Dr Anderson, 1801 (La.II.142/1)
  • Letter (from Macneill?) to G. J. Thorkelin, 1787 (La.III.379/645)

James Macpherson (1736-1796)

  • 2 letters from Macpherson, 1 of them to Mr Cadell, 1775-1784 (La.II.169; La.II.326)

John Malcolm (1795?-1835)

  • Autograph letter and poem (La.II.346)

David Mallet (1705?-1765)

  • ‘Epitaph on Mr Aikman and his Son’, ca. 1731, possibly autograph (La.II.325)

John Martin (18th Century)

  • Some Odes of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, Englished by Mr. Laurence Dundas, Professor of Humanity in the College of Edinburgh, and also by Mr. John Martine, schoolmaster in Perth', 18th Century (La.III.459)

Theodore Martin (1816-1909)

  • Letter to David Laing, 3 April 1877 (La.IV.6 Mar. 1)

John Mayne (1759-1836)

  • Letter from Mayne to W. Grierson, 1819, with an autograph song ‘Logan Water’ by Mayne (La.II.344)

Elizabeth Melville (c.1578–c.1640)

  • 11 autograph letters to the Presbyterian minister John Livingstone (8), to her son James (2) and to the Countess of Wigton (1). c.1625-1631 (La.III.347)

Metrical Society

  • Album of the Metrical Society, Edinburgh, Vol 1, 1821 (La.III.471)

Hugh Miller (1802-1856)

  • Letter, undated, from Miller to David Laing (La.IV.6 Mill. 1)

Mitchell, Joseph (1684-1738)

  • 2 letters from Mitchell to W. Scott, includes a verse ‘Epilogue to the Spanish Fryar’ (La.II.322)

David Macbeth Moir (1798-1851)

  • 4 letters from Moir to David Laing, 11 March 1850 and undated (La.IV.6 Moi. 1-4)

Alexander Montgomerie (c. 1550?–1598)

  • Old Scottish Poems, including 'The Cherry and the Slae', 16th Century (La.III.447)

James Montgomery (1771-1854)

  • ‘Night’, poem, [182-?], with 3 letters from Montgomery to David Laing, 1821-1823 (La.IV.6 Mon. 1-4)

James Moor (1712-1779)

  • Commonplace book, probably belonging to Moor, 1770, containing verses (La.III.567)

John Moore (1729-1802)

  • 6 letters from Moore to John Davidson W.S., 1752-1788 (La.II.304)
  • Letter from Tobias Smollett to Moore, 1762, with a drawing of Smollett’s grave at Leghorn, 1856, and a printed letter from Graham of Gartmore to James Cumming concerning a fund for Smollett’s widow (La.II.263)

William Motherwell (1797-1835)

  • 25 letters from Motherwell to David Laing, 1820-1830 (La.IV.6 Mot. 1-25)

William Mure (1594–1657)

  • Dido and Eneas, etc., by Sir William Muir of Rowallane (La.III.453)
  • ‘Conflict betuix Love and Reasson’, with other pieces (La.III.454)

William Henry Murray (1790-1852)

  • Letter from Murray to Alexander Young, 1839 (La.II.509)

Lady Carolina Nairne (1766-1845)

  • Notarial instrument certifying that she is alive, signed by Nairne, 1838 (La.II.70)

Neaves, Charles Neaves, Lord (1800-1876)

  • 47 letters from Neaves to David Laing, 1839-1876 (La.IV.18)
  • 2 letters from Neaves, 1 to David Laing, 1 to Mr Darling, 1859 and undated (La.II.141; La.II.178/8)

Robert Nicoll (1814-1837)

  • Letter from Nicoll to Mr Watson (La.II.345)

John Ogilvie (1733-1813)

  • Letters and MS poems (La.II.595)
  • Letters by Alexander Chalmers, chiefly regarding Ogilvie’s poems (La.II.596)

Mungo Park (1771-1806)

  • Endorsement on a promissory note, by Park, 1805 (La.II.306)

James Philp (1656 or 1657-1713?)

  • 'Poemata Jacobi Philp, sub nomine Panurgi Philo-Caballi', 1688 (La.III.461)
  • Another copy (La.III.462)

John Pinkerton (1758-1826)

  • 'Notes on the history of Scotland to 1371' (La.III.625)
  • 4 letters from Pinkerton to David Erskine, Earl of Buchan, 1791-1793 (La.II.588)
  • Letter from Pinkerton to A. Stuart, 1797 (La.II.509 Stuart)
  • 9 letters from Pinkerton to G. J. Thorkelin, 1787-1792, with a letter to W. Buchan introducing Thorkelin (La.III.379/664-672)
  • 7 letters from Pinkerton to various correspondents, 1794-1810, with a copy by Pinkerton of part of a letter to him by Mr Percy; ‘Observations, corrections and additions for a new edition of my Geography’ by Pinkerton (8 folios, undated) and 2 engraved portraits of Pinkerton (La.II.597)
  • 2 letters from Pinkerton, 1778-1795 (La.II.266)
  • Letter from Pinkerton to W. Blackwood, 1824, copy (La.IV.17)

Archibald Pitcairne (1652-1713)

  • 'The Assemblie, or Scottish Reformation: A Comedy', and 'The Whigg Comedy', with related MS materials (La.III.456; La.III.798; La.III.799)
  • 'Epistola Archimedis ad regem Gelonem Albae Graecae reperta anno aerae Christianiae', 1688 (La.II.36)
  • Poems in Latin by Pitcairne, transcripts, including: 'In Jacobum 2dum Britanniae regem' – 'Upon the Anniversary of the Pretender’s Birthday' – 'In Maii 29 & Junii 10, 1712' – 'Ad G. Burnet espicop. Salisburensem' (La.II.89, f. 251)
  • Poems by Pitcairne, 1703, 56 p., in Latin, with a printed sales catalogue of the library of A. Pitcairne (La.III.629)

Thomas Pringle (1789-1834)

  • 3 letters from Pringle, 1 to A. Cooper, 1 to Mrs Watts and 1 to R. Ainslie, [182-?]-1831 (La.II.585/6)

Allan Ramsay (1686-1758)

Poems
  • ‘Answer [to Lady Somerville’s Poem] (‘Thus honourd by a Muse divine’), autograph (La.II.212, f. 25)
  • ‘Answer [to the forgoing Epistle] (‘That mony a thriftless Poet’s poor’), transcript in an unidentified hand (La. II.212, f. 30 [a-b])
  • ‘Babband and Tittypow’, autograph lacking lines 103-59 (La.II.212, f. 17 [a-f])
  • ‘The Clock and Dial’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 18)
  • ‘Elegy on Maggy Johnson’, transcript, probably in the hand of ‘George Buchanan’ (John Fergus), with additional stanza between second and third stanzas (La.II.212, f. 10)
  • ‘An Epistle to James Clerk, Esq. of Pennycuik’, calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, f. 37 [a-b])
  • ‘Epistle to the Honourable Duncan Forbes, Lord Advocate’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 18)
  • ‘An Epistle Wrote from Mavisbank’, calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, f. 38 [a-d])
  • ‘Frae twenty-five to five-and-forty’, transcript possibly in the hand of Allan Ramsay the younger (La.II.212, f. 33)
  • ‘The Happy Man’, calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, f. 35 [a-b])
  • ‘The Lamentation, November 9. 1715’, transcript, probably in the hand of ‘George Buchanan’ (John Fergus) (La.II.212, f. 8)
  • ‘Lass with a Lump of Land’, autograph, with four additional lines between second and third stanzas (La.II.212, f. 21)
  • ‘The Nuptials: A Masque on the Marriage of his Grace James Duke of Hamilton and Brandon &c’, autograph of variant version (La.II.212, f. 20 [a-j])
  • ‘On Alexr Mitchell Butler to the Earl of Wigtoun’, autograph, corrected (La.II.212, f. 25v)
  • ‘On Andrew Brown Hanging himself’, transcript, probably in the hand of ‘George Buchanan’ (John Fergus) (La.II.212, f. 12)
  • ‘On Wit’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 13)
  • ‘A Pastoral Epithalium’, transcript, probably in the hand of ‘George Buchanan’ (John Fergus) (La.II.212, f. 14)
  • ‘A Prologue to The Gentle Shepherd’, autograph, revised, and beginning at line 8 (La.II.212*, f. 37)
  • ‘A Rebuke to Antony Uneasy’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 5)
  • ‘Song to the Tune of Busk ye, busk ye, my bony Bride’, autograph, revised (La.II.212, f. 22v)
Songs from 'The Gentle Shepherd'
  • [Auld Lang Syne] (‘A Knight that for a Lyon fought’), autograph (La.II.212*, f. 47)
  • [Auld Lang Syne] (‘A Knight that for a Lyon fought’), another autograph (La.II.212*, f. 13v)
  • [Bauldy’s Song] (‘Jenny said to Jocky, Gin ye winna tell’), four-line draft in Ramsay’s hand, beginning ‘Tis Jocky said to Jeny’ (La.II.212*, f. 20v)
  • [Corn-riggs are bonny] (‘My Patie is a Lover gay’), autograph draft (La.II.212, f. 22)
  • Sang X. 'Winter was cauld, and my Cleathing was thin', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 43)
  • Sang X. 'Winter was cauld, and my Cleathing was thin', further autograph (La.II.212*, f. 8)
  • Sang XI: 'By the delicious warmness of thy mouth', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 9)
  • Sang XII: 'Happy Clown', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 44v)
  • Sang XII: 'Happy Clown', further autograph (La.II.212*, f. 10v)
  • Sang XIII: 'Leith-Wynd', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 15v)
  • Sang XIV: 'O’er Bogie', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 16)
  • Sang XVI: 'Kirk wad let me be', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 23)
  • Sang XVII: 'Woes my heart that we shou’d sunder', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 25)
  • Sang XVIII: 'Tweed-side', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 25v)
  • Sang XIX: 'Bush aboon Traquair', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 25v)
  • Sang XX: 'Bony gray ey’d Morn', autograph (La.II.212*, f. 27v)
  • ‘Tit for Tat’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 19 [a-b])
  • ‘To Calista: An Epigram’, autograph, corrected (La.II.212, f. 21v)
  • ‘To Sir Alexander Dick of Prestonfield’, autograph (La.II.212, f. 23 [a-b])
  • ‘To the Honourable Sir John Clerk Baronet’, calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, ff. 34-35)
  • ‘To the Whin-Bush Club, the Bill of Allan Ramsay’, transcript in the hand of Allan Ramsay the younger (La.II.212, f. 41)
  • ‘To the Whin-Bush Club, the Bill of Allan Ramsay’, further transcript in the hand of Allan Ramsay the younger (La.II.212, f. 42)
  • ‘Upon the Right Rev(eren)d Ralph Erskine', calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, f. 36)
  • ‘The Virtues of Scobie Wells’, calligraphic transcript in unidentified hand (La.II.212, f. 39)

Dramatic Works

  • 'The Gentle Shepherd', autograph, revised, of II, i-V, iii with II, i-iv headed by Ramsay as I, iii and II, i-iii (La.II.212*, ff. 1-35)
  • 'The Gentle Shepherd', autograph, revised, of II, i-III, iii, 91, with II, i-iv headed by Ramsay as Scenes 3-6 and 8, and a space left in the MS for a Scene 7 (La.II.212*, ff. 36v-48)
  • 'The Gentle Shepherd', autograph, revised, of II, i, 1-101, headed by Ramsay as I, iii (La.II.212*, ff. 50-51)

William Richardson (1743-1814)

  • 7 letters from Richardson, 5 to R. A. Davenport, 1 to W. Craig and 1 to the Earl of Buchan, 1768-1813, and undated (La.II.251; La.II.581; La.II.588), with a summons to Richardson to appear in court (La.II.99/58)

Henry Scott Riddell (1798-1870)

  • Autograph letter with poem by Robert Archibald Smith, composer, addressed to H. S. Riddell, with memorandum by the latter, 18 February 1826 (La.II.351)  
  • Note to the Rev. H. S. Riddell by the Rev. Thomas Brydson, Minister of Kilmalcolm, with memorandum by Riddell, 18 February 1826 (La.II.352)
  • Letter from Robert Gilfillan to Rev. H. S. Riddell, with a biographical note on Gilfillan by Riddell, 1865 (La.II.353)

Alexander Robertson of Struan (c.1669-1749)

  • Holograph order, dated 23 September 1714 (La.II.300)

Alexander Rodger (1784-1846)

  • ‘Steam’, poem (La.II.349)

Charles Rogers (1825-1890)

  • Original MSS of poems submitted to Rev. Charles Rogers when he was compiling 'The Modern Scottish Minstrel' (1855-1857) (La.II.356)

  • 55 letters to David Laing, 1843-1878, and undated, with 3 letters from Laing to Rogers, 1843-1878, and 1 letter from G. A. Gling to Rogers, 6 January 1855 (La.IV.17, ff. 8111-8212)

Thomas Ross (d. 1675)

  • Translations from Claudian, etc. (La.III.458)
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