Author: Ramsay, John
Biography:
RAMSAY, John (fl 1810)
In the modest preface to his Interesting Poem (1810) about the life of Jesus, Ramsay acknowledges his want of education and claims to have consulted only his own feelings in composing it; it will have served its purpose if it helps even one soul to find salvation in Christ. It is written in simple six-line stanzas as some hymns are. No other title is attributed to the author. Library catalogues identify him as the John Ramsay MD, physician to the Infirmary at Newcastle, to whom John Armstrong (1784-1829, of Bishopwearmouth and London) dedicated an essay on puerperal fever in 1813 in gratitude for his professional encouragement. But the MD was an educated man, one of the founders of the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society in 1793 and a pillar of it thereafter. The poem makes no reference to his profession; furthermore its straightforward evangelical message seems at odds with the physician’s social status. The name “John Ramsay” was common in the area and it seems more than likely that the poet was one of the less distinguished inhabitants of the city. (“Armstrong, John [1784-1829],” ODNB 1 Jan. 2025; ancestry.com 1 Jan. 2025; findmypast.com 1 Jan. 2025) HJ