David Macbeth Moir (5 January 17986 July 1851) was a Scottish

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and writer.

Biography

Moir was born at

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

on 5 January 1798, the son of Elizabeth Macbeth (1767–1842) and Robert Moir (''d''. 1842). He was educated at Musselburgh Grammar School. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the medical practitioner Dr Stewart, studying with him for four years while also attending classes at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, from where he graduated in 1816. In 1817 he entered into a partnership with Dr Brown, a Musselburgh doctor, practising there until his death. He was a contributor of both prose and verse to the magazines, and particularly, with the signature of Delta, to ''

Blackwood's Magazine ''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine''. The first number appeared in April 1817 ...

''. His life is featured in the book, ''The "Blackwood" Group'' by Sir George Douglas, Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, 1897. A collection of his poetry was edited in 1852 by

Thomas Aird Thomas Aird (28 August 180225 April 1876) was a Scottish poet, best known for his 1830 narrative poem '' The Captive of Fez''. Early life and education Aird was born in 1802 at Bowden, Roxburghshire. His parents were James Aird, a builder, an ...

. Among his publications were the famous ''Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor'' (1828), which shows his gifts as a humorist, ''Outlines of the Ancient History of Medicine'' (1831), and ''Sketch of the Poetical Literature of the Past Half Century'' (1851). He is one of several writers who are claimed as the author of the " Canadian Boat-Song". On 22 June 1851, while away from home, he was seriously injured when dismounting his horse. He died in on 6 July 1851 at

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

as a result of his injuries. He was buried on 10 July 1851 at Inveresk Church, Musselburgh. He is commemorated by a memorial statue, which was erected in Musselburgh in 1853. There are also several street names in the town which make reference to him, and a branch of the pub chain

Wetherspoons J D Wetherspoon plc (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It op ...

opened in February 2012 is named The David Macbeth Moir.

Family

In June 1829 he married Catherine Elizabeth Bell at Carham Church,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, and together they had 11 children. Their daughter Annie Marie Moir married Rev

William Milligan William Milligan (15 March 182111 December 1893) was a renowned Scottish theologian. He studied at the University of Halle in Germany, and eventually became a professor at the University of Aberdeen. He is best known for his commentary on th ...

and their children included the church historian

Oswald Milligan Oswald may refer to: People * Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canter ...

and Rev.

George Milligan George Milligan may refer to: * George Milligan (physician) (?-1799), American surgeon *George Milligan (moderator) (1860–1934), Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland * George Milligan (politician) (born 1934), American politician in the ...

References

External links

His entry in ''Significant Scots''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moir, David Macbeth 1798 births 1851 deaths 19th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Musselburgh Scottish medical historians People educated at Musselburgh Grammar School 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish historians