Author: Paterson, Walter
Biography:
by
Ragaz, Sharon (SR)
PATERSON, Walter (1790-1849: ancestry.co.uk)
Born at Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbrightshire, and baptised on 28 Apr. 1790, he was the son of Walter, a stonemason, and his wife, Mary Lock. His grandfather, Robert, was “Old Mortality” whose history is given in the introduction to Walter Scott’s (q.v.) novel of that name. Few details about his education have been located but N&Q says that he spent some time as a professor in a Prussian university. (An obituary confirms that he lived in Europe prior to entering the church.) He was ordained at Kirkurd, Peebleshire, on 9 Aug. 1837 and married Elizabeth (surname unknown); they seem not to have had any children. The 1841 Census shows them living in the Kirkurd manse with a servant, a stable boy, and a pupil boarder, the Honourable Walter Charteris. One of the notes in Paterson's book thanks Walter Scott for encouragement, and he corresponded with Scott. In an 1815 letter he sought Scott’s help in finding work as a tutor. He died of influenza on the 22 Aug. 1849 after attending a meeting of the church General Assembly. Paterson was buried on 27 Aug. in the churchyard at Kirkurd where there is a memorial to him. An obituary comments on his genius, his striking appearance, and his wholehearted commitment to the evangelical wing of the Church of Scotland. (N&Q [1870]; NLS MS 3886, ff. 70-71; ancestry.co.uk 18 Aug. 2020, 22 Sept. 2025; Perthshire Courier 24 Aug. 1837; Witness [Edinburgh] 30 June 1837) SR