Author: Riddell, Henry Scott
Biography:
RIDDELL, Henry Scott (1798-1870: ODNB)
The son of Agnes (Scott) and Robert Riddell, a shepherd, he was born at Sorbie, Dumfriesshire. From a young age, he worked as a herder in the summers and gained his education when and where he could but chiefly in the winter, at home or by boarding in a nearby village. When the family lived at Eskdalemuir, James Hogg (q.v.) was a visitor and fed his interest in poetry and song. After his father’s death in 1817, he attended the parish school in Biggar; by then he was writing verse and contributed to the Clydesdale Magazine. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and spent a year at St Andrews before becoming a licentiate for the Church of Scotland in 1830. In 1833 he was appointed the incumbent at Caerlanrig Chapel. In the same hear he married Eliza Cook; they were to have three sons, two of whom survived him. The family lived at Hawick until the Duke of Buccleuch supplied cottage accommodation at Caerlanrig. In 1841-44 he suffered from mental illness and was confined to the Chrichton Royal Institution at Dumfries. After his release, he resigned his living and led a quiet but productive life: his Christian Politician was published in 1844 and his Poems, Songs and Miscellaneous Pieces in 1847. He wrote a biography of James Hogg, issued in Hogg's Instructor (1847); translated parts of the Bible into lowland Scots; and wrote articles about farming. He died at Teviothead Cottage and was buried in the churchyard at Caerlanrig. (ODNB 15 Sept. 2020) SR
Other Names:
- Henry S. Riddell