Rev Dr Zachariah Pringle and Rumble John

John Galt’s novel, The Ayrshire Legatees (1821) tells the story of the Rev Dr Zachariah Pringle and his family as they visit London to receive a legacy left to them by a relative.  Dr Pringle is minister in the fictional village of Garnock in Ayrshire.  Galt describes Pringle and his preaching style at the beginning of the book -

“The doctor had been for many years the incumbent of Garnock, which is pleasantly situated between Irvine and Kilwinning, and, on account of the benevolence of his disposition, was much beloved by his parishioners.  Some of the pawkie among them used indeed to say, in answer to the godly of Kilmarnock, and other admirers of the late great John Russel of that formerly orthodox town, by whom Dr Pringle’s powers as a preacher were held in no particular estimation, - “He kens our poopit’s frail, and spar’st to save outlay to the heritors”. 

[Pawkie means wily or shrewd in Scots.  In Scotland the church “heritors” were local landowners responsible for the upkeep of the church building.]

So, who was this “late, great John Russel” of Kilmarnock mentioned by Galt?  Fans of the work of Scottish poet Robert Burns might recognise the name from his a few of his works.  He appears as “Black Russell” in The Holy Fair – 

But now the Lord’s ain trumpet touts,

Till a’ the hills are rairin,

And echoes back return the shouts;

Black Russell is na sparin;

His piercing words, like highlan’ swords,

Divide the joints an’ marrow;

His talk o’ Hell, whare devils dwell,

Our vera ‘sauls does harrow’

Wi’ fright that day! 

John Russel was minister of the chapel of ease in Kilmarnock which later became the High Kirk in Kilmarnock.  Russel had been ordained in 1774 and was a strong Calvinist, described as being -

 “of the sternest type, with a visage dark and morose and a tremendous voice; both combining to heighten the effect of his messages of wrath.”

Burns describes Russel's voice in The Twa Herds or The Holy Tulyie [noisy brawl]

“What herd like Russell tell’d his tale?

His voice was heard through muir and dale,

He kenn’d the Lord’s sheep, ilka tail,

O’er a’ the height;

And saw gin they were sick or hale,

At the first sight."

Robert Burns

Russell also gets a mention in Burns’ The Ordination which refers to a controversial essay by Dr William McGill (1732-1807) who was minister at Kilwinning and Ayr and admired by Robert Burns. He appears as Rumble John in another work - The Kirk of Scotland’s Alarm -

Rumble John! Rumble John, mount the steps with a groan,

Cry the book is with heresy cramm’d;

Then out wi’ your ladle, deal brimstone like aidle,

And roar ev’ry note of the damn’d.

Rumble John! And roar ev’ry note of the damn’d.

[Aidle in Scots means dirty water or liquid manure.]

Sabbath-breakers suffered particular from Russel's wrath – 

“on Sunday afternoons, armed with a formidable cudgel, he began his wonted rounds in pursuit of Sabbath-breaking strollers, his appearance in the street was the signal for an instant breaking-up and a disappearing within-doors of gossiping groups.”  

Again Robert Burns mentions Russel  in Epistle to John Goldie, Kilmarnock – John Goldie (1717-1811) was an Ayrshire man and friend of Burns.  Known as “the philosopher”.  He was the author of the controversial The Gospel Recovered From Its Captive State (1786).  Here Burns refers to Russel as “Black Jock”. 

“O Goudie, terror o’ the Whigs,

Dread o’blackcoats and rev’rend wigs!

Sour Bigotry, on her last legs,

Girns an’ looks back,

Wishing the ten Egyptian plagues

Wad seize you quick.

 

Poor gapin, glowrin Superstition!

Wae’s me, she’s in a sad condition;

Fie! Bring Black Jock, her state physician,

To see her water;

Alas, there’s ground o’ great suspicion

She’ll ne’er get better.

What a formidable character Rev John Russel must have been!

On their return from London, Dr Pringle and his family were warmly received by the congregation.  John Galt describes the minister’s reception at church that first Sunday – 

"The moment the  doctor made his appearance, his greeting and salutation was quite delightful; it was that of a father returned to his children, and a king to his people.”

What a lovely description by John Galt of a well-liked man’s return.

John Galt - making the reader his friend

The following is part of a review which appeared in The National Standard, of John Galt’s Stories of the Study published in 1833 -

“For this is one of the great charms of Mr Galt’s works, that he makes his reader his friend; he throws so much of his own shrewd, honest, and kindly character into the pages of his romances, […] that his readers become his friends.  What a multitude of friends must Mr Galt have gained!” 

Stories of the Study is a collection of tales of vary variable type and quality.  Many reviews at the time mention “The Greenwich Pensioner” and included a passage from it with the review.  Of this particular story Galt writes in Literary Life -

“On one occasion I was at Greenwich with two friends from the country; we were taken to see a blind sailor who had reached the antediluvian age of more than fivescore.  […] This old man was literally alone in the world; his patriarchal age, his solitary condition, and the asylum assigned to him, were interesting to the imagination, and, in thinking lately, I threw together the following imaginary narrative.”

Greenwich

Naturally, Galt's home town of Greenock gets a mention in the old mariner's tale - 

"Long ago, when America belonged to England, and we had beat the French in all the four quarters of the globe, the Virginy trade was briskest in the Clyde, and my father, who was an English sailor, went to look for bread at a town called Greenock, in the west of Scotland, where he was told berths were plentiful, and sailors in request.”

Interestingly the review appeared in the National Standard, or to give it its full name - The National Standard of Literature, Science, Music, Theatricals, and the Fine Arts was owned at the time by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) best known for his novel Vanity Fair, published around 1848 .  Thackeray bought the National Standard in 1833, but it only lasted until 1834 when he ran out of money!

However, the reviewer certainly seemed to have a knowledge of Galt's works and concludes - 

Mr Galt […] seems to suffer and expire with the heroes he depicts, 

and to kindle and melt with his reader.”

There are many more interesting tales in Stories of the Study!

Find out more about the Royal Hospital, Greenwich here.

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.