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Who was He? Novelist and Poet. Date and Place of Birth: 15th August 1771, Edinburgh, Scotland. Family Background: The son of a Solicitor. Education: High School, Edinburgh. Kelso Grammar School. Edinburgh University. Chronology: When he was a young boy he contracted polio and went to recuperate at his Grandfather’s farm at Sandyknowle and was so impressed by the beauty of the Borders country that it inspired him to start writing. 1785: Begins a five-year apprenticeship in his father’s legal practice. 1792: 11th July. Admitted to the Bar. Spends the summer in the Borders. 1793: Spends the summer in Perthshire. 1797: Goes to live in Edinburgh with his new wife. 1799: Appointed Sheriff Depute of Selkirkshire. 1804: Rents a small house at Ashetiel on Tweed. 1805: Goes into partnership with the printer James Ballantyne. 1806: Becomes a Clerk of Session. 1809: Founds the firm of John Ballantyne and Company, booksellers and publishers. Helps to found the “Quarterly Review” magazine after a disagreement with the pro-Whig “Edinburgh Review”. 1811: Moves to Abbottsford after the lease on Ashetiel expires. Spends a great deal of money on improvements to the house. 1813: Financial collapse of John Ballantyne and Company which is rescued by the publishers Constable. Refuses the title of Poet Laureate and recommends Robert Southey. 1814: The novel “Waverley “ is published anonymously as he is by now a prominent public figure. 1815: Visits London and the continent. Embarks on a productive period of novel writing after the successes of “Waverley and “Guy Mannering”. 1818: Becomes a Baronet. 1821: Attends the Coronation of King George the Fourth. 1822: Supervises King George’s official visit to Scotland. 1825: Visits Ireland. Begins a biography of Napoleon. 20th November. Begins his Journal. 1826: Faces bankruptcy after the failure of the publishers Constable, Hurst and Robinson and of the printers James Ballantyne. Death of his wife. Continues writing in an effort to clear his debts. 1831: Embarks on a Mediterranean Cruise on the Frigate Borham with his daughter and Lockhart. 1832: Returns to Abbotsford. Written Works: 1796: “The Chase”. “William and Helen” (translation of work by Gottfreid August Burger). 1797: “The Wild Huntsman” (Translation of Burger). 1799: “Goetz von Berlichlingen” (translation of a work by Goethe). 1802: “The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders”, Vol 1 and 2. 1805: “The Lay of the Last Minstrel”. 1806: “Ballads and Lyrical Pieces”. 1808: “Marmion”. 1812: “The Lady of the Lake”. (First Ballantyne book). 1811: “The Vision of Don Roderick”. 1813: “The Bride of Triermain Rokeby”. 1814: “Waverley”. 1815: “The Field of Waterloo”. “The Lord of the Isles”. 1816: “The Antiquary”. ”Tales of My Landlord”. 1817: “Rob Roy”. “Harold the Dauntless”. 1818: “The Heart of Midlothian”. 1819: “Ivanhoe”. “The Bride of Lammermoor”. 1820: “The Abbott”. “The Monastery”. “Miscellaneous Poems”. 1821: “Kenilworth”. “An Account of George the Fourth's Coronation”. 1822: “The Fortunes of Nige”. “Peveril of the Peak”. “The Pirate”. 1823: “Quentin Dunward”. 1824: “Redgauntlet”. “St. Ronan's Well”. 1825: “The Betrothed”. “TheTalisman”. 1826: “Woodstock”. 1827: “Chronicles of Canongate”. 1828: “The Fair Maid of Perth”. 1829: “Anne of Geierstein”. 1830: “Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft”. 1832: “Count Robert of Paris”. “Castle Dangerous”. Marriage: 1797: 24th December to Charlotte Carpenter. (Died 1826) Places of Interest: SCOTLAND: Abbotsford House, Roxburgh. Writer's Museum, Edinburgh. Date and Place of Death: 21st September 1832, Abbotsford, Roxburgh, Scotland. Age at Death: 61. Site of Grave: Dryburgh Abbey, Melrose, Scotland. Links: The Walter Scott Digital Archive at Edinburgh University Library.