Author: Nevay, John
Biography:
NEVAY, John (1792-1870: ODNB)
His name is also spelled Neave although it appears as Nevay on his title pages. Born and baptised on 28 Jan. 1792 at Forfar, Angus, he was the son of a weaver, Alexander Neave, and his wife, Elizabeth Halket. He was educated at Forfar schools and became a handloom weaver. In 1810 he enlisted in the 2nd battalion of the 79th foot soldiers; the register describes him as having a round face, grey eyes, and brown hair. On 26 Dec. 1812 he married Jean Edward (1793-1863) and they had at least three children. He was a friend of Alexander Laing (q.v.) of Brechin and contributed “Mary of Avonbourne” to his Angus Album. As “John o’ ye Girnal”, Nevay also makes an appearance in John Wilson’s “Noctes Ambrosianae” in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (1835). He claimed that some of his verse had been translated into French by the Chevalier de Chatelain. Later publications include Rosaline’s Dream (1853) and Fountain of the Rock (1855). The 1851 Census shows him living at Forfar with Jean, three daughters, and a granddaughter.; their surname is given as Nevay in both 1851 and 1861. He died on 4 May 1870 at Forfar, and was buried in Newmonthill cemetery, Forfar, on 9 May. (ODNB 23 Apr. 2020; ancestry.co.uk 23 Apr. 2020, 2 Sept. 2025) SR