John Armstrong (1771–1797) was a Scottish journalist and poet from Leith.

Biography

Armstrong was born of humble parents, at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, in June 1771. After attending Leith Grammar School and the

High School of Edinburgh The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

, he entered 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 ...

, where he graduated with and MA. In 1789 he published ''Juvenile Poems, with remarks on Poetry, and a Dissertation on the best means of punishing and preventing Crimes''. Their publication obtained for him the honour of being invited to compose the words of the songs used in connection with the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the University of Edinburgh buildings. While tutor in a family in Edinburgh, Armstrong pursued the theological studies necessary to qualify him to become a preacher in the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

, but in 1790 he removed to London, where he obtained employment on one of the daily papers at a small weekly salary. Armstrong used the nom de plume of "Albert" and for that reason he was at one time thought to have been the author of "A Confidential Letter of Albert; from his first attachment to Charlotte to her death" which was published in 1790, but this was reassigned to a novelist named Anne Eden. Few details are known of her life. In 1791 he published a collection of poems, under the title ''Sonnets from Shakspeare''. His literary prospects continued gradually to improve, and he was in receipt of a considerable income, when his health began suddenly to give way. He retired to Leith, where he died of a rapid decline, 21 July 1797.DNB

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, John 1771 births 1797 deaths Scottish journalists 18th-century Scottish writers 18th-century Scottish poets People from Leith Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century British journalists Writers from Edinburgh