Author: MacDonald, Andrew
Biography:
MACDONALD, Andrew (1757-90: ODNB)
pseudonym Matthew Bramble
Born at Edinburgh on 27 Feb. 1757, he was the son of George Donald, a Jacobite gardener, and his wife, Janet (Elliot). (ODNB gives his date of birth as 27 Feb. but Ancestry records that he was baptised on that date.) He attended the grammar school at Leith and, sponsored by Bishop Forbes of Ross and Caithness, the University of Edinburgh. In 1775 he took Deacon’s orders in the Scottish Episcopal church and changed his surname to Macdonald. After a year working as a tutor, he was appointed to the Episcopal church in Glasgow. Unfortunately, the congregation dwindled under his ministry—particularly after he married the maidservant at his lodging. His 1782 Velina was followed in 1783 by a novel, The Independent. When his tragedy, Vimonda, met with success in Edinburgh he moved first there and then to London. His poetical burlesques, published in the Morning Post as by Matthew Bramble, were popular but in general he struggled to make a living. He died of tuberculosis in Kentish Town on 22 Aug. 1790, leaving his family destitute. A book of his sermons (1790) and his Miscellaneous Works (1791) were issued posthumously. Although Portraitures of Persons in Public and Private Life (1820) was issued under the pseudonym of Matthew Bramble, the BL catalogue identifies the author as Richard Dearman. (ODNB 4 Dec 2019; ancestry.co.uk 23 Jan. 2025) SR
Other Names:
- A. McDonald
- A[Ndrew] McDonald