Robert Davidson (1778- 6 April 1855) was a Scottish

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

labourer A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries e ...

, whose writings give a rare glimpse into the life of the rural labouring poor at the beginning of the 19th century. He was born at

Lempitlaw Lempitlaw is a hamlet, former parish and former feudal barony in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, as well as the historic county of Roxburghshire. History The parish was joined with Sprouston in the 16th century. The former parish form ...

in the historic

County of Roxburgh 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 Berwi ...

(the modern

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

), later moving to the village of

Morebattle Morebattle is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B6401, seven miles south of Kelso, Scottish Borders, beside the Kale Water, a tributary of the River Teviot. The St. Cuthbert's Way long distance footpath passes through the ...

. Despite the harsh existence of agricultural labour and having to support a family, Davidson managed to publish three collections of poems during his lifetime. His third collection, ''Leaves from a Peasant's Cottage Drawer'', was published 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 ...

in 1848 by James Hogg, the son of the ' Ettrick Shepherd' author. In June 2008 a memorial plaque was unveiled in Morebattle churchyard where Davidson is buried, and ''Leaves from a Peasant's Cottage Drawer'' was republished, 160 years after its first edition.http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/Morebattle-honours-its-poet-son.4198024.jp

References

External links

Robert Davidson Committee websiteThe Morebattle Poet
1778 births 1855 deaths People from the Scottish Borders Scottish poets {{UK-poet-stub