Poet and artist; born at Edinburgh in 1808; died in 1877. He learned the trade of a house-painter, but studied drawing under Sir William Allen, and turned his attention to staining glass, taking a prominent part in the revival of that art, and was employed to furnish the House of Lords with windows. His work on Glass-Staining, published in 1845, was translated into German. Among his works are One Hundred Songs, with Music (1865); Life of David Roberts, R.A. (1866); Lilias Lee (1871); and numerous poems written from 1856 to 1865. He also wrote two volumes in prose, The Gaberlunzie’s Wallet (1843) and Miller of Deanhaugh, in which are contained some of his best songs and ballads. See also “Ilka blade o’ grass keps its ain drap o’ dew” and “Muckle-Mou’d Meg.”
