Alexander Laing facts for kids
Alexander Laing (born 1787, died 1857) was a Scottish writer known for his poems. People often called him the Brechin poet because he was from the town of Brechin.
A Poet's Life
Alexander Laing was born in Brechin, a town in Angus, Scotland, on May 14, 1787. His father worked on farms. Alexander didn't go to school for very long, only two winters. When he was just eight years old, he started working as a herdsman, looking after animals.
At 16, he began training to be a flax-dresser, which is someone who prepares flax fibers for making cloth. He did this job for 14 years. Unfortunately, an accident made it impossible for him to continue this work.
After his accident, Laing earned a living as a pedlar, which means he traveled around selling small goods. He passed away in Brechin on October 14, 1857.
His Writings
Alexander Laing wrote his poems in Lallans, which is another name for the Scots language. He shared his work with local newspapers and also contributed to several collections of poetry.
Some of the books he contributed to include:
- The Harp of Renfrewshire, published in 1819.
- John Struthers's The Harp of Caledonia, also from 1819.
- Robert Archibald Smith's The Scotish Minstrel, from 1820.
- Alexander Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Song, published in 1844.
- The collection called Whistle Binkie, which came out between 1832 and 1847.
Laing also shared interesting stories for a Scottish storybook called The Laird of Logan in 1835. In 1846, he published his own collection of poems titled Wayside Flowers. A second edition of this book was released in 1850. He also helped edit popular books of poems by famous Scottish poets like Robert Burns and Robert Tannahill. He added notes to Allan Cunningham's Scottish Songs in 1825 and wrote short biographies for the Angus Album in 1833.
