Memorial to Rev James Grahame, Glasgow Cathedral

Rev James Grahame (22 April 1765 – 14 September 1811) was a Scottish poet. His best-known poem, ''The Sabbath'', combines devotional feeling with vivid description of Scottish scenery.

Early life

He was born at Whitehill House in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the son of Thomas Grahame, a successful lawyer. His elder brother was Robert Grahame of Whitehill. He attended

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

Career

After completing his literary course at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, Grahame went in 1784 to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, where he worked as a legal clerk, and was called to the Scottish bar in 1795. However, he had always wanted to go in for the Church, and when he was 44 he took

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

orders, and became a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

first at Shipton,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, and then at Sedgefield,

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. His works include a dramatic poem, ''Mary Queen of Scots'' (1801), ''The Sabbath'' (1804), ''The Birds of Scotland'' (1806), ''British Georgics'' (1809), and ''Poems on the Abolition of the Slave Trade'' in a joint volume on the subject with

Elizabeth Benger Elizabeth Ogilvy Benger (baptised on 15 June 1775 at West Camel, Somerset, died on 9 January 1827 in London) was an English biographer, novelist and poet. Some of her poetry had a strong social message. Early life and education Elizabeth was th ...

and James Montgomery (1809). His principal work, ''The Sabbath'', a sacred and descriptive poem in

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and P ...

, is characterized by devotional feeling and by happy delineation of Scottish scenery. In the notes to his poems he expresses enlightened views on popular education, the criminal law and other public questions. He was emphatically a friend of humanity—a philanthropist as well as a poet. A satirical reference to "Sepulchral Grahame" is found in

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

's ''

English Bards and Scotch Reviewers ''English Bards and Scotch Reviewers'' is an 1809 satirical poem written by Lord Byron, and published by James Cawthorn in London. Background and description The poem was first published anonymously, in March 1809, and a second, expanded editio ...

''.

Personal life

James Grahame was married to Janet Grahame, eldest daughter of Richard Grahame, Esq. They had two sons and a daughter.Mansion Chapters.
/ref> James Grahame died at Whitehill House, his brother Robert's home in

, on 14 September 1811.

Memorials

A memorial to Grahame lies on the inner north wall of

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbishop ...

References

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grahame, James 1765 births 1811 deaths Scottish poets People associated with Glasgow