Information Services
Information Services
Contact us

Authors S-Z

Scottish literary papers in the Laing Collection, including manuscripts by Sir Walter Scott, Tobias Smollett, Robert Tannahill, and James Thomson.

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

  • Diploma conferring on Professor John Wilde the rank of Honorary Member of the Speculative Society, drawn up in the hand of Scott, ca. 1793 (La.II.373)
  • Epilogue, written for Mrs Siddons for a play on the subject of Queen Mary, which was not acted, 1824? (La.IV.1/17*)
  • Introduction to, and transcript of, ‘Elegy on Robert Kerr first Earl of Roxburgh’, 1827, mostly autograph (La.III.834)
  • Introductory notice to, and transcript of ‘Captain Ward and the Rainbow’, 1831, partly autograph (La.III.828)
  • 'Kenilworth', fragment, ca. 1820, 11 folios (La.III.498/1)
  • 'The Lamentation of the Faithful Wife Asan Aga: From the Morlachian Language' [translation of Goethe’s ‘Klaggesang von der edlen Frau des Asan Aga Morlaschisch’] (La.III.827)
  • 'A Legend of Montrose', fragment, 19 folios (La.III.498/2)
  • Notes on the 'Buke of the Howlat', 1823 (La.III.833)
  • Notice of his dog Camp, 1828, copy (La.II.120)
  • Preface to John Elder’s ‘A Proposal for Uniting Scotland with England’, 1824? (La.III.834, f. 36)
  • Receipt for £500 signed by Scott, 1809 (La.III.826/8)
  • 31 letters from Scott to various correspondents: including Maria Edgeworth, John Leyden, Joseph Ritson, and William Stewart Rose, 1803-1832, mostly originals, some facsimiles and a copy (La.III.585)
  • 46 letters from Scott to David Laing, 1810-1831, and undated (La.IV.1)
  • Letters to Scott, from correspondents including Joanna Baillie, Sir Alexander Boswell, George Crabbe, John Wilson Croker, Basil Hall, Francis Jeffrey, Sirs Thomas Dick Lauder, Henry Mackenzie, Thomas James Mathias, Charles Robert Maturin, Thomas Moore, Robert Southey (La.III.584)
  • Letter to Scott from James Wemyss, 20 November 1827 (La.IV.1, ff. 62-63)
  • Letter from C. Stuart to the Committee of Management of the Scott Exhibition, 18 July 1871 (La.IV.17, ff. 2777-2778)

John Campbell Shairp (1819-1885)

  • 11 letters from Shairp to David Laing, 1871-1878, and undated (La.IV.17)

Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe (1781-1851)

  • Copy of verses in Sharpe’s handwriting (La.II.280)

  • Fragments relating to Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, mostly in his own handwriting (La.IV.6 Sha. ff. 93-108x, 110-111, 113-115, 118-122)

  • List of manuscripts to be looked after by the Bannatyne Club (La.IV.6 Sha. 30)
  • Manuscript item relating to the death of James III (La.IV.6 Sha. 38)
  • Memorandum in Sharpe’s hand about the ‘Musical Museum’ (La.II.675)
  • Printed material on Scottish poetry annotated by Sharpe (La.IV.6 Sha. 57)
  • Letter from Sharpe to William Conybeare, 10 May 1822 (La.IV.6 Sha. 49)
  • 111 letters from Sharpe to David Laing, 1826-1848, and undated (La.IV.6 Sha. 1-3, 5-28, 31-37, 39-48, 50-56, 58-117)
  • Letter from Sharpe to Alexander Sharpe, 21 September 1839 (La.IV.6 Sha. 4)
  • Letter from Sharpe to ‘Archy’, 22 October 18--? (La.IV.6 Sha. 29)
  • 3 letters from William Allan to Sharpe, undated (La.IV.26, ff. 5-9)
  • 2 letters from J. Conybeare to Sharpe, undated (La.IV.17)
  • Letter from John Graham Dalyell to Sharpe, 1 September 1838 (La.IV.17, ff. 2322-2323)
  • Letter from Basil Hall to Sharpe (La.II.587/10)
  • Letter from John A. Murray to Sharpe, 18 November 1838 (La.IV.17, ff. 7013-7014)
  • Letter from John Riddell to Sharpe, 15 May 1849 (La.IV.17, ff. 8039-8041)

John Smith (1747-1807)

  • Letter, 7 June 1790 (La.II.272)

Tobias Smollett (1721-1771)

  • ‘The Tears of Scotland’, transcript in an unidentified hand (La.II.83)
  • Letter from Tobias Smollett to John Moore, 19 August 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)

John Stewart of Baldynneis (c. 1545–c. 1605)

  • ‘Ane Schersing out of Trew Felicitie, composit in Scotis Meiter, be J.Stewart of Baldynneis’, transcript, no date (La.III.477)

Peter Still (1814-1848)

  • ‘The Cotter’s Sunday’, original MS of poem (La.II.350)

Andrew Symson (1638-1712)

  • Poems of Andrew Symson, A.M., 1660-1691 (La.III.432)

Robert Tannahill (1774-1810)

  • 'The Worn Soldier’, poem, and ‘Calor [sic] Herring’, Scottish song, 1808 and undated, mostly autograph, with letter from Tannahill to James Barr (1808?) and a ‘Life of Tannahill’ by James King, 1843, with a song by King (La.II.189)
  • Letter to James Clark, 4 April 1809 (La.IV.6 Tan. 2)

James Telfer (1800-1862)

  • Letter from Telfer to R. White, 1850 (La.IV.17)

William Tennant (1784-1848)

  • Extracts in Greek, Latin, English, Italian, etc., copied by Tennant (La.III.531)
  • MS poem (La.IV.6 Ten. 9)
  • Testimonial handwritten by Tennant supporting David Laing's application for the post of Signet Librarian (La.IV.6 Ten. 5)
  • 7 letters from Tennant to David Laing, 1823-1845 (La.IV.6 Ten. 1-4, 6-8)

William Thom (1798?-1848)

  • Memorandum by Thom, 12 October 1844 (La.II.347)

 James Thomson (1700-1748)

  • ‘The Castle of Indolence’, autograph, an alternative version of Canto II, stanza xliii, here beginning ‘As when in Vengeance of his pilfer’d Cheese’, in a slip of paper pasted into a copy of The Seasons (London, 1730), presented, as from Thomson, by Andrew Millar to the Earl of Buchan. With a letter from Thomson to George Ross, 1736; transcripts of 8 letters from Thomson to William Cranstoun, 1725-35; and original and transcripts of letters concerning Thomson, 1791-1792 (La.II.330)
  • ‘To Miss Young, my dearest Amanda’, transcript in an unidentified hand in a copy of 'The Seasons' (London, 1730), presented, as from Thomson, by Andrew Millar to the Earl of Buchan (La.II.330)
  • ‘To Miss Young, my dearest Amanda’, further transcript in an unidentified hand (La.II.417/4)
  • Letter from Thomson to William Cranstoun, 172[-] or 173[-], copy (La.II.330)

Margaret Tytler (19th century)

  • Original poem, ‘Lady Helen’, said in a note by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe to be by Margaret Tytler, daughter of Colonel Tytler (La.II.341)

David Vedder (1790-1854)

  • Letter from Vedder to David Laing, 29 September 1848 (La.IV.6 Ved. 1-2)
  • Letter from Vedder to J. Mitchell, 28 June 1841 (La.II.143)

Alexander Watson (18th century)

  • Virgil literally translated, by Alexr. Watson, A.M., 1717 (La.III.446)

Robert White (1802-1874)

  • 11 letters from White to David Laing, 1847-1862 (La.IV.17)

William Wilkie (1721-1772)

  • Original MSS of poem and dedication (La.II.327)

John Wilson (1785-1854)

  • Notice that he cannot meet his classes, 1827, with a sketch of his course in moral philosophy (La.II.511)
  • Letter from Wilson to David Laing, undated (La.IV.6 Wil. 1)

John Mackay Wilson (1804-1835)

  • Letter from Wilson [to William Tait], 1833 (La.II.589)
This article was published on