John Galt's Southannan

Southannan (Galt writes as Southennan) in Ayrshire is a place that seems to have sparked the imagination of John Galt ever since he was a young boy.  Each year in his childhood the Galt family travelled by coach from Irvine to Greenock to visit relatives.  In his Autobiography, published in 1833 John Galt writes –

“I have continued to this day to cherish my early dreams about Southennan, undisturbed by any matter of fact; pausing occasionally in the journeys of my juvenility between Irvine and Greenock, to ponder of strange things amidst the solitude of the ruins.”

He goes on to describe the area – “The situation is lone and picturesque, at the foot of a green mountain, on a little plain spreading to the sea, with a garden extending southwards, which in my imagination is still in blossom as if I saw it in the spring of the year.  I could draw the landscape still, though years and days and sadder thinks have happened to me since I was there.”

Southannan (Southennan) Ayrshire map.

While the name Southannan can still be seen in maps of Ayrshire, the area has changed considerably since John Galt’s day.  Little remains of what must have been the romantic ruins seen by Galt in the early 19^th century.  An idea of what could be seen can be found in “The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland” (1897) by MacGibbon & Ross.  Southannan Castle is described – 

“It has been an extensive structure having had a high enclosing wall, with a courtyard and an arched entrance porch to the west, defended with shot-holes.  There has been a considerable range of dwelling-house accommodation, two stories in height, along the north side, and smaller buildings on the east side, leaving a large courtyard in the centre, now forming the garden of the adjoining farmhouse.”

 In his Autobiography Galt writes -

“The origin of Southennan, is, to myself at least, interesting.  At a short distance on the south side of the village of Fairlie in Ayrshire, stands the ruins of the ancient house of Southennan.  I know nothing whatever of its history, but was told in my boyhood a vague tradition, which had something mysterious about it, and which still lingers in my recollection; namely, that the house belonged to a branch of the ancient noble family of Semple ; that the last inhabitants had been Roman Catholics, who went away into Spain at the period of the Reformation, and that they were never more heard of.”

MacGibbon & Ross write -   “The castle was much enlarged by Robert, fourth Lord Sempill, ambassador to the Court of Spain in 1596.” As Galt says, Southannan did belong to the Semple family, they had been granted the lands in 1504 by James IV.  

The Semples built a chapel dedicated to St Annan (Ennan, or Innan – patron saint of Irvine).  However Southannan fell into disrepair and as the report goes on to explain – “The old mansion was dismantled towards the end of last century, and the materials used in the erection of farm-buildings and dykes.  What remains are chiefly the outer walls to the north of the courtyard and some more ancient looking remnants at the east.” 

Galt also mentions Southannan in his 1821 novel The Ayrshire Legatees in the description of a journey by coach which the Pringle family take from Irvine to Greenock.  In a letter to her friend, Miss Rachel Pringle describes the journey from Kilbride on the road with views of the island of Cumbrae and writes:- “On the other side of the road, we saw the cloistered ruins of the religious house of Southennan, a nunnery in those days of romantic adventure, when to live was to enjoy a poetical element.”

In 1830 Galt published his novel Southennan - the story of a young man of that name and place who visits Edinburgh to witness the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots from France.  In that novel Southennan is described – 

“It was a quadrangular building, with an embattled gateway in the wall, which connected the two wings.  The orchard and garden lay along the south side of the green hills of Fairlie, at the bottom of which it stood, and on which a computable number of the beech and sycamore shook their heads few and far between.  About a score of the meagre and naked ash marked out where an avenue might have been.  On the northern side of the mansion a little sparkling brook ran, whispering from its rimples peace and felicity to the genius of the place.”

Passing these old ruins as a very young child obviously had a profound effect on John Galt.  With his fertile imagination it is easy to see how they led him to speculate and write about them many years later.

A Provost in poor clothing

“I have complained to you before of the shabby appearance of my things.”

This is a quote from a letter John Galt wrote to William Blackwood from London on 18 May 1822.  He was complaining about the quality of the edition of his novel The Provost which had just been issued by Blackwood.

Galt's main concern was the quality of the paper on which the book had been printed and he goes on to tell Blackwood that he is sending part of The Steamboat and makes a suggestion about its printing –

“I hope you will not grudge to give it better paper, for I am mortified to see The Provost in such poor clothing compared with Pen Owen.”

William Blackwood, Publisher

Quite an indignant response from John Galt in comparing the quality of paper of his own novel with that of another novel published by Blackwood the same year – Pen Owen.  Pen Owen is thought to have been written by either James or Theodore Hook, the sons of composer James Hook (1746-1827),  

Blackwood's edition of The Provost by John Galt

Read more about John Galt's novel The Provost and a real life Provost of Irvine here.

(Provost in Scotland is the equivalent of a Mayor.)

Lingo's Wedding - Galt's version

John Galt loved the theatre.  He wrote several works intended for the stage but perhaps the best known was actually a non-starter - he was too afraid of his mother's reaction to have it presented on stage!  It was a version of Lingo's Wedding.  The original Lingo's Wedding (1784), was a follow up to the Agreeable Surprise, a comic opera written by Irish playwright John O’Keffe (1747-1833).  The music for the work was written by composer and organist Samuel Arnold (1740-1802).  The Agreeable Surprise was written in 1781 and was a great success.  Lingo, a Latin teacher and parish clerk, was one of the characters in the comedy.  He was played, with great acclaim by William Henry Moss (1748-1817), actor and theatre manager.

William Henry Moss by John Kay

Galt writes in his Literary Life -

“Moss, so famous in London as Lingo, then an old man, came to Greenock with a company.  I became intimate with him, and being then reading of the prolific Lopez de Vega, wrote a farce in one day for him, exhibiting Lingo as a lover.  It was called Lingo’s Wedding, and he expressed himself much amused with it; but the fear of my mother came over me, and I prevented the performance, interdicting all mention of the subject in the most judicious filial manner.”  (Lope de Vega (1562-1635) was a Spanish playwright and poet.)  

From the Caledonian Mercury, April 1784

William H Moss came to Greenock in 1802 while Galt was still living at home.  At that time theatrical productions were performed at the Assembly Hall at the eastern end of Cathcart Street in Greenock.  

Galt continues to describe his version -

"Part of the original manuscript, since I commenced this work, has been recovered; and without any personal feeling on the subject at all, I do say that, as an effore to excite laughter at the expense of the understanding, it is not entirely a failure.  The character of Lingo seems to have been well preserved; and he has a rival in a Mr Ipsy Dixy, a lawyer, who is conceived with some drollery, and whom he characteristically always speaks of as Manylaws.  The charm of the piece, however, is a Miss Girzy, a Scotch cousin of Dominie Felix, to whom Lingo and the lawyer are paying their addresses.  Lady Grippy in “The Entail”, is a sound and sober personage compared to Miss Girzy.”  (Ipsy Dixy - from the Latin ipse dixit can be translated as a dogmatic or unproven statement.)

While his version of Lingo's Wedding was not produced on stage, Galt later went to to write several other works, some of which made it to various theatres, but with not much success.

Old Quarter Days

One of the interesting details in many of John Galt’s works are the different terms used which signify important times of the year.

Quarter days were important in the past.  Those four days, roughly three months apart, signified when rent was due, when servants were hired, term times and other important occasions.  They were also the days on which ministers stipends would be due. 

Candlemas – 2 February

Whitsunday – 15 May

Lammas – 1 August

Martinmas – 11 November

Originally these were Christian holy days – Candlemas was the feast of the purification.  Whitsunday was the feast of Pentecost, sometimes called White Sunday.  Lammas celebrated the first fruits of the harvest and Martinmas was the feast of St Martin of Tours.

In a letter to published William Blackwood dated June 1822, Galt writes -  

“Owing to the Whitsuntide holidays the printers have been all idle for the greatest part of this week”.

Other words are used for important dates, for example the time around Christmas was termed Yule and Pace was the word for Easter.

In Irvine, where John Galt was born, the feast of Marymass is still celebrated each year in August with a festival and procession.  Marymass was originally a celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August).  After the Reformation it continued in a different form.

The Last of the Lairds

In a letter dated 11 September 1825 written from Eskgrove, John Galt wrote to publisher William Blackwood concerning his latest work The Last of the Lairds.  Mentioning that he would be in Edinburgh that week –

“I think you may announce The Last of the Lairds or the life and opinions of Malachi Mailings Esq of Auldbiggings.  I would not announce it as by the author of The Annals, at least in the first instance …”.

However in October 1825 the following advertisement appeared.  Obviously Blackwood did not think that Galt was correct!

Galt returned to London and continued writing and amending the novel over the next few months.  However in early 1826, his business with the Canada Company meant that he had to leave for North America.  He gave the draft to his good friend David Macbeth Moir to finish for him.  Galt had lived for a while at Eskgrove House near Musselburgh which is probably where he met Moir, a doctor and fellow writer.  The Last of the Lairds with Moir's additions was published in November 1826.   

In Life and Miscellanies Galt writes of the Last of the Lairds –

“I meant it to belong to that series of fictions of manners, of which the Annals of the Parish is the beginning; but owing to some cause, which I no longer remember, instead of an autobiography I was induced to make it a narrative, and in this respect it lost that appearance of truth and nature which is, in my opinion, the great charm of such works.  I have no recollection how this happened, nor what caused me to write it as it is, but the experiment was a very unwise one, and some day I will try to supply what is wanted, namely, the autobiography of one of the last race of lairds.”

In many ways the Last of the Lairds is similar to the Annals of the Parish, showing the changes in a small Scottish community over the years.  The central character, the laird Malachi Mailings lives alone in his old house - 

"The mansion house of Auldbiggings was a multiform aggregate of corners, and gables, and chimneys … no two windows were alike, and several of them, from the first enactment of the duty on light, had been closed up, save where here and there a peering hole with a single pane equivocated with the statute and the tax-gatherer."

As with many Galt’s other works, the reader is introduced to a wonderful range of characters from the grumpy old Laird himself, to his servants and neighbours.  If you haven’t already read this book, then please do.  It is available to read free online.

Dr David Macbeth Moir
Dr David Macbeth Moir was born at Musselburgh in January 1798 and graduated from the University of Edinburgh.  He practiced as a doctor in Musselburgh while writing contributions to Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine where he was known by the name Delta.

He wrote and published a selection of verse and other works including the novel Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor.  He was travelling in Dumfries when he became unwell and died in 1851.  Each year in January, the Old Musselburgh Club lay a wreath at a statue erected in Moir’s memory in the town in 1853.  The statue was made by sculptor  Alexander Handyside Ritchie (who was also born in Musselburgh). It was paid for by public subscription.  The inscription on the pedestal of the statue reads - "In memory of David Macbeth Moir.  Beloved as a Man, Honoured as a Citizen, Esteemed at a Physician and Celebrated as a Poet.  Born 5th January 1798.  Died 6th July 1851."

The Last of the Lairds on Stage

In the 1990s Scottish playwright Allan Sharpe (1949-2004) produced a work for the stage based on John Galt's The Last of the Lairds.

It certainly seems to have been popular.

John Galt Fountain, Greenock

The John Galt Memorial Fountain can be found on Greenock's scenic Esplanade.  

The fountain was first put in place in 1871 providing drinking water for many of those enjoying a lovely walk along the Esplanade.

In 2015, Galt's head had vanished from the fountain and was replaced by that which can be seen today.  It is the work of sculptor Wayne Darnell.  Fortunately John Galt's new head is still there, but unfortunately something else is now missing.

This rusty square was once the home of a beautiful lion's head.

Photo source - the Greenockian

Hopefully Inverclyde Council will repair the damage in the near future.

Elizabeth Gaskell - John Galt knew her father!

In John Galt’s Autobiography (Volume 1) he mentions his friend Mr Stevenson.  Galt writes - 

“Many years after, my friend Mr Stevenson, the brother in law of Mr Holland, compiled a work about voyages and travels, I forget the name of it, but I expected he would have noticed the Statistical Account of Sicily, not because it was mine, but because it was truly valuable.”

Here Galt is probably referring to William Stevenson’s work – Historical Sketch of the Progress of Discovery, Navigation and Commerce published in 1824 and seems a bit annoyed that his own work Voyages & Travels published in 1812 was ignored.  Galt continues -

"But he [Stevenson] said nothing of it; not, however, being a man of practical ideas, although I noticed to him the omission it did not surprise me, for I had long before observed that bookish men are not very good appraisers of facts; they have no adequate conception of the cost and care which such compilations require.”

Quite a put down!

William Stevenson (1772-1829) is perhaps best known as the father of Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson, the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell.  Stevenson was born at Berwick upon Tweed and had a variety of careers including tutor, farmer at Saughton, and boarding house keeper in Edinburgh before moving to London, where he  obtained a government post at the Treasury.  He also wrote for various publications including Blackwoods in Edinburgh and for a while was editor of the Scots Magazine.  In 1797 he married Eliza Holland, and had two children.  Eliza died in 1811 and he married Catherine Thomson, sister of Dr Anthony Todd Thomson, a great friend of John Galt..

“Mr Holland” mentioned by Galt was Swinton Holland, a partner in the Barings Bank.  He had been in business in Trieste and Malta and had built up a considerable fortune.  He died in London in December 1827.

Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson (1810-1865) married Rev William Gaskell in 1832.  She is the author of many well loved works including Mary Barton and Cranford.

Elizabeth’s middle name, Cleghorn was possibly given in memory of Robert Cleghorn, farmer at Saughton Mills.  This farm was tenanted by her father, William Stevenson after Cleghorn’s death in 1797.  Robert Cleghorn was a friend of Scottish poet Robert Burns.  There is a very interesting article on Robert Cleghorn, Robert Burns, Saughton Mills and the Stevenson family here.

John Galt - "that magnificently picturesque figure"

In an article in The Week (Volume XIII, No 51)) dated 13 November 1896 and published in Toronto, there is an article about John Galt.  The Week was a Canadian political and literary magazine which ran from 1883 until 1896.  

Part of the article is entitled John Galt as a Novelist and describes some of Galt’s literary works reviewed by Howard J Duncan, a lawyer from Woodstock, Ontario.  That article is followed by a review of In the Days of the Canada Company – The Story of the Settlement of the Huron Tract and a View of the Social Life of the Period 1825-1850” by Robina and Kathleen Macfarlane Lizars - a fascinating read!

The review of the book states – 

“the authors plunge us into the midst of their subject, and very fittingly give us an insight into the life of that magnificently picturesque figure, John Galt”.

and goes on to state with great insight -

“men, and not facts, make history; that to know a period we must know fully the men who made the period.  Facts we forget; souls, once known, abide with us forever, and the insight into the lives of John Galt and Tiger Dunlop makes the state on which they acted more vivid to our minds than volumes of bare facts could have done.”

John Galt

The Lizars family were related to the Galts.  John Galt’s eldest son, John (1814-1866) married Helen Hutcheson Lizars (1820-1896) in 1840.  Robina and Kathleen, authors of the book, were her nieces, daughters of her brother Daniel Home Lizars.

John Galt's home in Irvine

This is the house in Irvine where John Galt was born on 2 May 1779.  The house was situated on the High Street near the Seagate.  Galt's father, also John, was the captain of a ship trading with the West Indies.  His mother was Jean Thomson.  The couple married in Ayrshire in 1776.  

The site of the building is now home to a branch of the Bank of Scotland.  There is a plaque on the outside wall showing its connection to John Galt.

The plaque was made by Robert Bryden and is dated 1903.

Robert Bryden (1865-1939) was an artist and sculptor who was born in Coylton in Ayrshire.  Many of his works showed scenes of places in Ayrshire.  See more of his work here.

Delap-cheese or Dunlop cheese?

In both The Annals of the Parish (1821) and The Ayrshire Legatees (1820), John Galt mentions Delap-cheese.  While of course the works are fiction, there was a particular type of cheese that originated in Ayrshire and would have been popular when Galt was a boy in Irvine.  It is called Dunlop cheese. 

Dunlop cheese takes its name from the Dunlop, a village in Ayrshire where it was supposedly first made.  The story goes that a woman named Barbara Gilmour, a farmer’s wife, was the first to introduce the cheese in Ayrshire.  It is said that Barbara went to Ireland to avoid the troubles around the time of the Covenanters and it was there that she saw the process which she thought improved the taste and texture of cheese.  On returning home around 1688, she applied it in her own dairy, and the cheese became very popular and was produced throughout Ayrshire and other parts of Scotland.

In The Ayrshire Legatees, Mrs Pringle in a letter from London to her friend Miss Mally Glencairn describing her preparations for her journey to London writes –

“and in the same bocks with them I packit a small crock of our ain excellent poudered butter, with a Delap cheese, for I was told that such commodities are not to be had genuine in London.” 

John Galt has his own version of the origins of the cheese.  In Annals of the Parish The Rev Micah Balwhidder describes his future wife - 

“Soon after this, the time was drawing near for my second marriage.  I had placed my affections, with due consideration, on Miss Lizy Kibbock, the well brought-up daughter of Mr Joseph Kibbock of the Gorbyholm, who was the first that made a speculation in the farming way in Ayrshire, and whose cheese were of such an excellent quality, that they have, under the name of Delap-cheese, spread far and wide of the civilized world.”

Dunlop cheese was well known throughout Scotland and thought especially good for roasting and spread on oat cakes.

Galt, Gog and Magog

The History of Gog and Magog, the Champions of London by Robin Goodfellow.  A children’s book, it was written by John Galt and published in 1819 by J Souter of London.  Galt wrote under several pseudonyms, especially his text books and children's books.

Guildhall, London - source

While many people will associate the name Gog of the land of Magog with the Bible in Ezekiel, Chapter 38, there were many other ancient myths and legends about the characters.  Gog and Magog’s mythical association with London dates back to the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth which seem to have inspired John Galt’s tale for children, as well as other works.  Gog and Magog were said to have been legendary giants, who lived in a castle on the site of London’s Guildhall.

Two large statues of Gog and Magog are displayed in the Guildhall in London and are paraded each year in the Lord Mayor’s Show.  The present statues date 1953, from but statues of these characters have been connected with London for many centuries.  The first wooden carvings were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and were replaced.  Later representations were destroyed in the Blitz during WWII.  Read more about the Guildhall carvings here.

John Galt weaves the legendary characters into a tale about giants, princesses, battles to save the city, with a little bit of the history of London thrown in for good measure.  Galt’s tale ends –

“The renowned, the munificent, the courageous, Gog, and Magog, are gone.  But their spirit will never die, it will enter into the hearts of all good citizens.”  

There was probably a reason why Galt wrote this tale under the name of Robin Goodfellow.  That name has an interesting history in British folklore, being linked with a mischievous spirit.  Shakespeare used the name in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Puck.  In 1628 a tract was published called The Mad Pranks and Merry Jests of Robin Goodfellow.