Who was Walter Scott?
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/Biography of Sir Walter Scott:
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
Abbotsford House
(© Anthony Blagg)
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.
Scott Monument in Princes Street, Edinburgh with detail
of statue (right)
Visitors can climb stairs inside this monument for views of the
city
(© Anthony Blagg)
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.
Scott Monument, Princes Street, Edinburgh
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.
Further Information:
The Walter
Scott Digital Archive at Edinburgh University Library.
