Macskipnish the dancing master

One of the great things about the novels of John Galt is the descriptive names he gives to his characters.  Mr Macskipnish the dancing master in Annals of the Parish (Year 1761) is a perfect example.

Galt writes – 

“Mr Macskipnish, who was, to be sure, a great curiosity, with long spindle legs, his breast shot out like a duck’s, and his head powdered and frizzled up like a tappit-hen.  He was indeed, the proudest peacock that could be seen, and he had a ring on his finger, and when he came to drink his tea at the Breadland, he brought no hat on his head, but a droll cockit thing under his arm, which, he said, was after the manner of the courtiers at the petty suppers of one Madam Pompadour, who was at that time the concubine of the French king.”  

In his Literary Life (Vol I) John Galt notes that 

“… but Macskipnish is a caricature of one [dancing master] that afterwards taught me to walk minuets at Greenock.  His story, however, is a fiction.”

In Galt’s time, many Greenock youngsters attended dancing lessons at the Masons Hall at the corner of Hamilton Street and Charles Street, not far from Galt's home in West Blackhall Street.  John Williamson describes, from personal memory, local dancing master, James Crawford in Old Greenock From the Earliest times -

 “Mr Crawford, senior, was a little, broad man, with grey hair profusely powdered.  His function was to promenade the hall, and take a general supervision, while his sons showed the steps, one of them meantime playing the violin.  They were both graceful dancers.  Our masters’ pronunciation of the word “foot” always caused a titter, as they pronounced it futt.  Want of attention or careless dancing was not unfrequently visited by a whack on the shins or toes, and in this way the figures of the dances were literally whipped into us.”

Masons Hall at corner of Hamilton Street and Charles Street, Greenock

Galt gives Macskipnish and his arrival in Dalmailing, town in which the Annals of the Parish is set, in 1761 a back story - 

“But a thing happened in this year, which deserves to be recorded, as manifesting what effect the smuggling was beginning to take in the morals of the countryside.  On Mr Macskipnish, of Highland parentage, who had been a valet de chambre with a major in the campaigns, and taken prisoner with him by the French, he having come home in a cartel, took up a dancing school at Irville, the which art he had learnt in the genteelest fashion, in the mode of Paris, at the French court.”

Dancing proved to be a popular pastime with young boys and girls in Dalmailing -

“For such a thing as a dancing school had never, in the memory of man, been known in our countryside; and there was such a sound about the steps and cotillions of Mr Macskipnish, that every lad and lass, that could spare time and siller, went to him, to the great neglect of their work."

Williamson also explains the dancing lessons in Greenock and how the Masons Hall – 

“When not required for the business of the Lodge, the Hall was let for lectures, public exhibitions, or auction sales.  It was also hired for a dancing school, and here for many years Messrs James Crawford & Sons, the fashionable dancing masters from Paisley, had classes for instruction in the terpsichorean art, dubbed “heel philosophy” by our sarcastic grammar school master, Dr Brown.  The classes were largely attended by the pupils of the English, writing, grammar, and other day schools.  They met in the afternoons of winter and spring.  Great attention was devoted to the pointing of the toes and the carriage of the pupils, the latter being the chief object of many of the parents in sending their children to the dancing school, rather than the learning of “steps” and “dances”."

Masons Hall, Charles Street, Greenock (later Crawfords Restaurant)

However, dancing masters were not always popular.  Williamson continues - 

“At the end of the season, sometimes before it, the grand gathering for the ball took place in the new Assembly Rooms, Exchange Buildings, when our positions and partners were assigned to us – sometimes to our no small disgust, when separated from the partners of our choice!”

Mr Macskipnish would appear to embody a lot of what John Galt remembered from his boyhood dance teacher in Greenock and provides us with a wonderful, almost visual character strutting about the dancefloor.

A Rich Man, Rev Cowal Kilmun and the Landlady

In 1925 William Roughead (1870-1952) issued an edition of A Rich Man and Other Stories by John Galt.  It was published by T N Foulis Ltd of Edinburgh and London.  The book contains three works by Galt which had previously been serialised in various publications. 

John Galt

The volume contains the following tales by John Galt -A Rich Man; or He Has Great Merit described as being the Autobiography of Archibald Plack Esq, Late Lord Mayor of London in a series of letters to his grandson, the Honourable George Spend.  First published in Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine in 1836.  A review of Roughead’s edition in the Edinburgh Evening News on 4 November 1925 describes  the story - “with pawky humour, Galt traces the meteoric career of a penniless Scot in London.” 

From Edinburgh Evening News 1925

The second work is The Tribulations of the Rev Cowal Kilmun which was also first published in Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine from November 1835 until January 1836.  Roughead describes Kilmun as – “a simple, kindly childlike soul, whose knowledge of human nature and acquaintance with life are bounded by the narrow confines of his rural charge.”  He compares him with Rev Balwhidder from Galt’s Annals of the Parish.

The third tale is My Landlady and Her Lodgers which was published in Blackwoods Magazine between August and November 1829.  In a letter to Blackwood, Galt describes the work - “It embraces something of satirical remark on London.” 

Roughead’s edition also comes with a glossary of Scots words which the Edinburgh Evening News review notes – “It will doubtless be in much use, as Galt often uses the Scots vernacular.  It is most interesting to study the quaint old words.”  It certainly is a useful addition.

Advertisement for Tait's Edinburgh Magazine 1835

Two of these three works were written after John Galt had returned to Greenock in 1834 and just a few years before his death.  In the book, Roughead also includes a sample of Galt’s handwritten manuscript of A Rich Man.  He writes of the pages of the manuscript – “They are entirely and throughout in Galt’s running script, which shows that he wrote the story with his own hand, before he was disabled by the paralysis that compelled him to dictate all his later work.”

The book also contains two pictures of John Galt.  Roughead dedicated the book to J M Barrie (1860-1837), the author best known as the creator of Peter Pan.  William Roughead was a lawyer and is thought of as a pioneer of true crime fiction.  There is an excellent article about the writer on the WS Society, at The Signet Library, Edinburgh - click on blue link to be taken to site.

Happy birthday Guelph!

This plaque can be seen in the beautiful city of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. 

It reads – 

Erected by the City of Guelph April 23^rd 1927,

in honoured memory of John Galt 

its founder April 23^rd 1827.  

It marks the centenary of the founding of the city by John Galt in 1827, one of John Galt's proudest achievements.  

In A Brief Sketch of the Early History of Guelph by Robert Thomson, A First Year Settler, he describes the felling of the first tree (read previous post here) and describes how the stump of that tree -

“was afterwards fenced round, neatly levelled and dressed on the top, and a sundial placed on it, which answered as the town clock for several years.”

Galt writes about the an early view of the city before building work began (Autobiography Vol 2) -  

“The glory of Guelph was unparallelled, but, like all earthy glories, it was destined to pass away.  It consisted of a glade, opened through the forest, about seven miles in length, upwards of one hundred and thirty feet in width, forming an avenue, with trees on each side far exceeding in height the most stupendous in England.”  

Guelph, also known as the Royal City, was named in honour of King George IV.  The name Guelph refers to the Hanoverian origin of Britain’s royal family.  In his Autobiography (Vol 2) Galt writes – 

“The name was chosen in compliment to the royal family, both because I thought it auspicious in itself, and because I could not recollect that it had ever been before used in all the king’s dominions.”

The date of the founding of the city was also intentional as Galt writes -

“I returned to Upper Canada, and gave orders that operations should commence on St George’s Day, the 23^rd of April.  This was not without design; I was well aware of the boding effect of a little solemnity on the minds of most men […] at eras which betokened destiny, like the launching of a vessel, or the birth of an enterprize, of which a horoscope might be cast.”

St George's Day is the celebration of the patron saint of England - St George.  It takes place on 23 April each year.

Next year will mark the bicentenary of Guelph. Read more about how the city will be celebrating on this website - Guelph 200.

John Galt leaflet - what's in a name?

This picture of John Galt is taken from a leaflet about him published by Inverclyde Council.  It can be downloaded from the Inverclyde Council website (click on link to see).

Title page of leaflet issued by Inverclyde Council

It is available along with leaflets on other "Famous People Inverclyde".  Be aware that the actual file for the downloadable leaflet is named "James Galt"!  Fortunately the downloadable leaflet on that other well known Greenockian, James Watt is labelled correctly and he is not named "John Watt"!

The actual text of the leaflet comes from BBC2 Writing Scotland (click on link to see) section on John Galt which is well worth reading.

John Galt - "always ready"

The picture of the Galt family armorial bearings is taken from Ontarian Families by Edward Marion Chadwick, published in 1898.  The moto semper paratus means “always ready”.

Galt Family Crest

The arms could be seen as a visual description of Galt’s life.  The sailing ship could represent Captain Galt (John Galt’s father) a shipmaster who undertook many voyages to the West Indies.  It could also refer to Galt’s own travels, both to the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic to NorthAmerica.  The book between two thistles obviously represents Galt’s writing career and his pride in the land of his birth.  The archer could represent Galt’s chosen motto “ettle” to which he gives the meaning – aim. 

In John Galt’s time, having a personal seal was considered very important, especially for those who corresponded frequently – the seal would be pressed into hot wax which sealed the package of correspondence.  The seal was often in the form of a finger ring.

Galt writes about his seal in Literary Life (Vol I) – 

“I was then getting a new seal with armorial bearings, and I wrote to one of my companions that I had an intention of taking for my motto, “I will myself” or “Hope and Try”.  The former I thought rather arrogant, and took the latter.”  

In a letter to his cousin in Ayrshire, Galt’s brother Thomas writes - 

“I look for something better where I am going – it is not improbable however that I may be disappointed, but you know our Motto – “Hope and Try”. 

(This can be found in a letter in John Galt and the Lizars Collection, University of Guelph Library, on the website Electric Canadian.)

John Galt explains that he needed such a device for the side of his small carriage or cariole – 

“But on the panel of a cariole, which I bought at Quebec, 

conceiving I had attained something, 

I changed it then to “ettle” (aim)."

Ettle is a Scottish word which suits Galt admirable.  As well as aim, it can also mean – intend, plan, design, attempt or venture.  This describes especially the plans and ideas Galt had for a variety of business ventures.  He was originally going to give the hero of his novel Eben Erskine the surname Ettle as he explains in Literary Life (Vol I) – 

“My original intention was to call the book Eben Ettle, and the early sheets were so printed; but at the request of the published, I changed the name.  I thought this was something out of his line to meddle with, especially as Ettle was as good as any other name.”  

Galt uses the word frequently in his work as this example from The Provost shows.  Provost Pawkie describes a friend and neighbour – 

“Mr Kilsyth, an ettling man, who had been wonderful prosperous in the spirit line …”.

Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, John Galt's youngest son, was knighted in 1869 and his middle son, Sir Thomas Galt was knighted in 1888.  Read more about Sir Thomas Galt here.