John Colquhoun (6 March 1805 – 27 May 1885) was a sportsman and

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Life

He was born in

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 ...

to James Colquhoun, 3rd Baronet of

Luss Luss (''Lus'', 'herb' in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. History Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its origina ...

Dumbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders P ...

and

Janet Colquhoun Janet Colquhoun ( ; ; also known as Lady Colquhoun of Luss; 17 April 1781 – 21 October 1846) was a British religious writer. She was a philanthropist who was involved with several good causes. She believed that the "fruits of faith will be evi ...

(born Sinclair). Together with his elder brother he was educated first at a school in Edinburgh, subsequently at a private school in Lincolnshire (Rev. Mr. Grainger's of Winteringham), and finally 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 ...

. In 1828, he joined the 33rd Regiment in

Connaught Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbh ...

, Ireland. In 1829, he was promoted to the Fourth Dragoon Guards. He retired from the service after his marriage in 1833, 'and commenced what was termed later by a friend his "Residential tour of Scotland."'Recollections of a Scottish Novelist by L. B. Walford 1910 https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008661468 He was always a keen sportsman and an accurate observer of nature, and during his long life he acquired an experience in matters of sport and natural history that was quite exceptional, for the summer quarters were changed almost every year, and the list of places rented by him embraces nearly every district of Scotland, so that his opportunities for observation were especially favourable. In 1840, he embodied his experiences in ''The Moor and the Loch,'' which speedily took a high rank among books on Scotch sport. In 1851, the third edition was published, and the fourth, which was not issued until 1878, contained many additions, notably the most valuable portions of some other books he had written in the meantime, ''Rocks and Rivers,'' 1849 ; ''Salmon Casts and Stray Shots,'' 1858; and ''Sporting Days,'' 1866. Besides these works he wrote two lectures, "On the Feræ Naturæ of the British Islands,' and 'On Instinct and Reason,' which were published in 1873 and 1874 respectively. It was not until the fifth edition of ''The Moor and the Loch'' appeared that the autobiographical introduction, which now forms not the least interesting portion of the book, was prefixed to the text, and a sixth edition was issued in 1884, the year before the author's death. He died on 27 May 1885 at Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, after a short illness.

Family

On 29 January 1834, he married Frances Sarah Fuller Maitland daughter of Ebenezer Fuller Maitland and Bethia Ellis. John and Frances had four sons and five daughters. His daughter

Lucy Bethia Walford Lucy Bethia (Colquhoun) Walford (17 April 1845 – 11 May 1915) was a Scottish novelist and artist, who wrote 45 books, the majority of them "light-hearted domestic comedies". Accurate writing was a big consideration for her. Life Walford was ...

, became a well-known Victorian novelist, while F. Mary Colquhoun became a poet and writer.

Principal works

*''The Moor and the Loch'' 1840 *''Rocks and Rivers'' 1849 *''Salmon Casts and Stray Shots'' 1858 *''Sporting Days'' 1866

Notes

;Attribution *

References

*"Colquhoun, John" ''British Authors of the Nineteenth Century'' H.C Wilson Company, New York, 1936.
thepeerage.com
Retrieved 28 January 2009 * 1805 births 1885 deaths Writers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish sportswriters 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers Younger sons of baronets {{Scotland-writer-stub