Author: Scadlock, James
Biography:
SCADLOCK, James (1775-1818: ancestry.co.uk)
His parents were probably Susan (Logan) and George Scadlock. His father was a weaver and James was born and lived most of his life in Paisley. He was apprenticed to a weaver but gave it up for bookbinding after a year only to have his employer go bankrupt. He enjoyed drawing as well as writing verse and, at nineteen, he was indentured to a firm of copperplate engravers at Fereneze, Renfrewshire. He completed his indenture in 1801 but continued working for the firm as a journeyman. He befriended Robert Tannahill (q.v.) and, in his spare time, studied classical literature and modern languages. When an economic downturn left him unemployed he sought work in Perth before returning to Paisley after a year. There he, William McLaren (q.v.), and Tannahill were involved in establishing the Paisley Burns Club. In April of 1808 he married Mary Ewing. He was about to move to Glasgow for work when he died of typhus fever in July 1818. The posthumous publication of his works was financed by subscription and intended to benefit his widow and their four children. It was edited by McLaren, his half-brother. (PP; MSM; ancestry.co.uk 21 Sept. 2020)