Announcing the Author of the Waverley Novels

‘April 11 [1829]--Meadowbank breakfasted with us, and then went on to Edinburgh, pressed by bad news of his family. His wife (daughter of my early patron, President Blair) is very ill; indeed I fear fatally so. I am sorry to think it is so. When the King was here she was the finest woman I saw at Holyrood…’

Alexander Macanochie of Meadowbank and Walter Scott crossed paths many times, including the instance recorded in Scott’s journal on April 11, 1829.  According to the website of The University of Glasgow, where he served as Dean of Faculties between 1845 and 1847, Lord Meadowbank announced in an 1827 speech that Sir Walter Scott was the author of the Waverley novels. 

Alexander Nasmith

The painter that David Wilkie referred to as "the founder of the landscape painting school of Scotland" died on April 10, 1840.  Alexander Nasmith began his career as an artist through apprenticing for house decorator James Cummyng, and later under portraitist Allan Ramsey. Nasmith later trained other painters, including John Thomson and possibly John Ruskin's father.



Nasmith enjoyed a fair amount of success as a portrait painter.  The Scottish National Gallery owns eight Nasmith paintings, two of which are portraits of his friend Robert Burns.  But is was more for his skill in landscape painting that Walter Scott commissioned Nasmith to provide vignette engravings for the 1821 edition of the Waverley Novels.  Nasmith contributed more than 60 illustrations to Scott's works.

Saint Andrew

"By Saint Andrew, there were foul mistake though," answered the page..

This brief section is taken from The Waverley Novels, volume 21.

Saint Andrew was the son of Jonah, a fisherman of Bethsaida, in Galilee. He was Simon Peter's brother. Andrew was at one point a disciple of John the Baptist, but recognized Jesus as the Messiah when he first saw him. Andrew the apostle was martyred by crucifixion at Patras, in Achaea. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland in the middle of the tenth century. November 30 is his feast day.

Sir Thomas Gresham

Sir Thomas Gresham died on November 21, 1579. Gresham was a merchant and financier whose career included stints with King Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I. His father, Sir Richard Gresham had been knighted by King Henry VIII, for his efforts in securing foreign loans for Henry.

Sir Thomas also made his mark in financial dealings, being called in by Edward VI to restore the value of the Pound, which had fallen due to financial mismanagement. Though initially out of favor, when Mary succeeded Edward, he was soon reinstated. Elizabeth I gained the crown in 1558, continuing to rely on Gresham for financial matters. In 1559, Elizabeth asked Gresham to serve as ambassador at the court of the Duchess of Parma, and he was knighted soon before he departed on his mission.

In 1565, Gresham proposed a plan for an exchange, based on the Antwerp Bourse. This plan was adopted, and became the Royal Exchange.

Sir Walter Scott was familiar with Gresham, and among the inclusions in Scott's work is a reference in the Waverley Novels to Gresham college. The college itself was comprised largely of Gresham's own property in London. Lectures commenced in June 1597, one year after the death of Thomas' widow Anne.