Author: Johnstone, John
Biography:
JOHNSTONE, John (1761-1849: ancestry.co.uk)
He is not to be confused with John Johnstone, editor, printer, and husband of Christian Isobel Johnstone. According to Johnstone he was born in 1761 probably at Corrielaw, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, to John and Agnes Johnstone who lived in a cottage on the banks of the Corrie, a tributary of the Annan. A memorial stone on his grave in Corrie old parish burial grounds gives his year of birth as 1763; it has not been possible to confirm the date with genealogical records. As a boy, Johnstone worked as a shepherd’s assistant before apprenticing as a shoemaker. He became a master shoemaker at Craighouse, and married Agnes (maiden name was probably Wright) with whom he had three sons and four daughters. Johnstone calls him “the bard of Corrie” and his home was a popular gathering place for people from all walks of life. Johnstone is said to have asked those who came to him for shoe repair to read to him while he worked. In about 1819 he moved to Sheepknowes on the Earl of Hopetoun’s estate, and he died there. The memorial stone at Corrie gives his date of death as Apr. 1849. (“Memoir” W. Johnstone, ed., Poems and Songs by John Johnstone: A New Edition [1857]; ancestry.co.uk 9 Aug 2019, 17 July 2026) SR