Author: Barbour, John
Biography:
BARBOUR, John (c. 1330-95: ODNB)
Ecclesiastic and verse historian. He likely grew up at Dunkeld, and his name suggests that his father was a barber, likely to the Bishop of Dunkeld. He was named precentor of Dunkeld in 1355, a post he held for just a year before becoming archdeacon of Aberdeen in 1356. Barbour is associated with Robert Stewart, later Robert II, rather than with David II; when David II returned to Scotland in 1356 from captivity in England, Barbour sought permission to study at Oxford and in France. He likely wrote The Bruce for Robert II after he ascended the throne in 1371; the poem has been lastingly influential in Scottish history and culture. From about 1378 until the end of his life, Barbour alternated living at Aberdeen and at court where he was one of the auditors of the exchequer. He is probably buried in the cathedral at Aberdeen. His editors, John Jamieson and John Pinkerton, were poets in their own right (qq.v.). (ODNB 21 Feb. 2018)