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.

Galt and the Granny Kempock Stone

Gourock’s Kempock Stone gets a mention in John Galt’s novel Southennan the story of a young man’s journey from Ayrshire to Edinburgh to witness the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots from France.

Kempoch Stone, Gourock

In the first chapter, Galt writes about the young laird of Southennan’s parents –

“For his mother was an English lady of high rank, the daughter of the Lord Derwent, to whom his father surrendered himself a prisoner in the mutinous field of the Solway moss, and by whom he was entertained more as a guest than a prisoner.  During the period of that captivity the fair Isabel was wooed and won.”

The Battle of Solway Moss took place in 1542 between the Scots and the English.  The Scottish forces were defeated.  Many Scottish “noblemen and gentlemen” were taken prisoner and given into the custody of English gentry and landowners with pledges that they would support the English cause.  This explains Galt’s description of Southennan being “entertained more as a guest than a prisoner”.

However, the young couple returned to Scotland after Southennan’s release, but the bride – 

“before she was yet a mother, her husband was killed while hunting among the moors of Renfrewshire.  His horse bounded in the chase, close to the edge of the precipice of Kempoch, and, startled by the danger, suddenly recoiled, and threw him over the rock.  A large stone still marks the spot where the accident happened.”

Kempock Stone, Gourock

The Kempock Stone in Gourock is now surrounded by housing but did indeed once stand on the edge of a cliff facing the River Clyde.  The Rev David Macrae in Notes About Gourock, Chiefly Historical published in 1880 describes the stone - 

“It stands about six feet high, with a diameter of two, and has a faint resemblance to a mantled figure, with a shrouded head.”

For that reason, the stone is known locally as the Granny Kempock Stone.  Macrae goes on to state –

"It was chiefly in connection with the winds and the sea that the Kempoch Stane was regarded with superstitious dread.  Standing forth on the top of the rock, where there were no trees or houses or Castle walls to intercept the view, Granny Kempoch must have been a marked object to ships sailing up or passing down the Firth; and would look like someone placed there to rule the winds and the waves, and watch the ships as they came and went.”

The stone had many old tales and superstitions connected with it.  It was said that mariners would walk around the stone seven times to assure a safe voyage.  The Kempoch Stone was also associated with the storiy of Marie Lamont who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake in 1662.