On August 15th 1771 saw the birth Sir Walter Scott the poet and novelist.
Born in a small third floor flat in College Wynd in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Walter was the ninth child of Anne Rutherford and Walter Scott, a solicitor and member of the private Scottish society known as the Writers of the Signet, so called for their entitlement to use the Scottish King’s seal – known as the signet – when drawing up legal documents.
Whilst the Scott’s home near the University was a popular area for lecturers and professionals like Scott’s father to live, in reality the small, overcrowded alleyway saw little natural light and clean air and suffered from a lack of proper sanitation. Unsurprisingly perhaps then, that six of Anne and Walter’s children died in infancy and the young Walter (or ‘Wattie’ as he was affectionately known) when he was just two years old, Scott became afflicted with polio. Though he survived the illness, his right leg would be unusable for the rest of his life.
Writing was not Scott’s first career choice. He studied law, which he practiced after completing his studies. He later served as sheriff-deputy of his county, for our US friends a sheriff in this instance doesn't have a star and six shooters but was a judge in the Scotlands courts, a term still used to this day.
Scott’s narrative poems about the stirring events in Scottish and medieval history were immensely popular in the nineteenth century, and in fiction he created the genre of the historical novel. It's no exaggeration to say during his lifetime he was the most famous author in the world.
Raised on the old Border tales and ballads that would later influence his historical novels, Scott was a clever and active child. Unfortunately, poor health interrupted his studies at Edinburgh University, and after being apprenticed to his father's legal firm for a year, Scott decided to study law. While visiting the Highlands on business in 1786 and 1787, he met not only Alexander Stewart of Invernahyle (who once fought a duel with Rob Roy MacGregor) but also the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns.
After his first love broke his heart by marrying another man, Scott married a Frenchwoman, Charlotte Charpentier, on Christmas Day, 1797, after a whirlwind romance. They remained happily married until her death in 1826.
Scott began writing poetry at an early age, and so distinguished himself in this that he was offered the Poet Laureateship in 1813, which he turned down. He published his first novel, "Waverley," in 1814, and it quickly became one of the most successful English language novels ever published. Scott chiefly concentrated on novels in his latter years, putting aside his poetry to publish "Ivanhoe" in 1819 and "Rob Roy" in 1817.
After suffering a stroke and apoplectic paralysis in 1831, Scott died on 21 September 1832.
Even those who have not read any of Walter Scott's works, almost everyone in Edinburgh, if not Scotland, knows of him due to the monument built in his memory, the biggest in the world dedicated to a writer, The Sir Walter Scott Monument dominates the the southside of Princess Streey.
Sitting proudly at the base of the monument is Sir Walter himself, carved in Carrara marble by Sir John Steell. This monumental statue, fashioned from a single piece of marble weighing 30 tons, took the sculptor six years to complete. It features Scott and his beloved hound Maida.
The Foundation stone was laid on the 15th August 1840 and was completed in Autumn 1844. It is 200 feet 6 inches (61.1metres) high, is made of Binny sand-stone from West Lothian, and cost just over £16,154 (approx. £712,000 today). There are 287 steps to the top where there are magnificent views of Edinburgh and beyond.
There are 64 statues on the monument, mostly characters from Scott's novels, with some figures from Scottish history.
You can find a list of the characters here https://sites.scran.ac.uk/.../hisnovels/hisnovels_list.htm
