John Younger (5 July 1785–18 June 1860), of

St. Boswells St Boswells ( sco, Bosels / Bosells; gd, Cille Bhoisil ) is a large village on the south side of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, about southeast of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 road. It lies within the boundaries of the historic co ...

, was a Scottish writer on

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...

, a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

, and poet.

Early life

Younger, the youngest of the six children of William Younger, a

Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

shoemaker, by his wife, Jean Henderson. He was born at

Longnewton Longnewton (also known as Long Newton) is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The population taken at the 2001 Census was 733 increasing to 828 at the 2011 Census. It is ...

in the parish of

Ancrum Ancrum ( gd, Alan Crom) is a village in the Borders area of Scotland, 5 km north west of Jedburgh. The village — which currently has a population of around 300 — is situated just off the A68 trunk road on the B6400 which runs through A ...

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

, on 5 July 1785. His grandfather, John Younger, had put by £900 as a gardener in England, but lost it all by an unlucky speculation. He himself was put to the last when barely nine. The countryside was a poor one, even before the black famine of the closing years of the eighteenth century, and while the quartern loaf stood at 2s. John had some sharp straits to live through, the details of which are in his 'Autobiography.'

Career

He soon surpassed any

poacher Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

of the day in his knowledge of fur and feather, but, above all, he became an unrivalled angler. When things began to mend he married (9 August 1811) Agnes Riddle, and settled at St. Boswells, some three miles from

, as the village shoemaker. Having bought a copy of

Burns Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

for sixpence at St. Boswells fair, John began to feel that he too was a poet, but it was not until 1834 that he published a little volume (in the metre of '

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni (Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'), entitled 'Thoughts as they Rise' (Glasgow, 12mo). The title is a good one, suggesting, as it does, the lack of metrical finish conspicuous in work by no means devoid of inspiration. After 'sweethearting' and love lyrics, he held the next best thing in the world to be

fly-fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly differ ...

, and he turned his intimate knowledge of this last subject to good account when he dated from St. Boswells Green in September 1839 his 'River Angling for

Salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

and

Trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

, more particularly as practised in the

Tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

and its Tributaries' (Edinburgh, 1840, 16mo, two editions; revised, Kelso, 1860, 16mo, and 1864, 8vo; it was highly praised in the 'Field' for its 'practical' value). He was as keen an observer of men as of fish, and he became courted alike as the most proficient Scots angler and as the 'Tweedside Gnostic.' He laughed at the chartist movement as chimerical, but poverty was to him almost a religion; he both hated and despised the rich, nor was he at any pains to conceal his views. Of a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

to whom it was once suggested he might appeal, he said roughly, 'We have no natural sympathies, save eating, that is, when a poor man has to eat.' His perception of lyrical poetry and natural beauty was exquisite, but he had a disgust, partly envious, for 'the classics,' and he looked on the

Waverley Novels The Waverley Novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...

as 'old piper stories,' ‘

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

and

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

tales,' and monstrous caricatures of Scottish manners. The 'baronial hall' was his abhorrence. In 1847, being then sixty-two, he won a prize for an essay on 'The Temporal Advantage of the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

… in relation to the

Working Classes The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

' (published as 'The Light of the Week,' London, 1849, 12mo, 1851 and 1853, 8vo), an admirable example of the

sententious Self-righteousness, also called sanctimoniousness, sententiousness and holier-than-thou attitudes is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority derived from a sense that one's beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue ...

essay, lit up by vivid illustrations such as a practised speaker or preacher might envy. He went up to London to receive his prize of £15 at the hands of the

Earl of Shaftesbury Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his f ...

, and on his return was banqueted by the neighbourhood, in which he was extremely popular. About 1849 he was appointed village postmaster, but the routine work proved beyond his patience, and in January 1856 he threw up the post and returned to

cobbling Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen an ...

. He died very poor, but honest and industrious to the last, on 18 June 1860, and was buried beside his 'Nannie' (often celebrated in his writings; she died in 1856) in St. Boswells

kirkyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

. He left some rich materials for a 'memoir' of himself, to which he had given the title 'Obscurities in Private Life developed; or

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

untravelled.' These were recast into an 'Autobiography of John Younger,' and published at Kelso in 1881. His best thoughts are contained in this and in two bulky volumes of correspondence which remain unpublished. Good engraved portraits of Younger are prefixed both to the 'Autobiography' and to 'River Angling.’

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Younger, John 1785 births 1860 deaths 19th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish people