Robert Jamieson (antiquary) facts for kids

Robert Jamieson (born 1772 – died September 24, 1844) was a Scottish antiquarian. An antiquarian is someone who studies and collects old things, especially old stories, songs, and traditions from the past. Jamieson was very good at finding and saving these old pieces of history.

Who Was Robert Jamieson?

Robert Jamieson was born in a place called Moray in Scotland. He became known for his deep interest in old Scottish and Scandinavian stories and songs. He spent a lot of time collecting these traditional pieces.

Collecting Old Songs and Stories

In 1806, Robert Jamieson published a special book. It was a collection of 149 traditional songs and ballads. He also included two of his own songs in the book. The full title of his book was Popular Ballads And Songs From Tradition, Manuscripts And Scarce Editions With Translations Of Similar Pieces From The Ancient Danish Language. This book helped to save many old songs that might have been forgotten.

Working with Walter Scott

Robert Jamieson was highly respected by Walter Scott, a very famous Scottish writer. Walter Scott even helped Jamieson get a job in Edinburgh. Scott admired Jamieson's special talent for finding links between old stories from Scandinavia (like Denmark and Norway) and Scotland.

Walter Scott also published some of Jamieson's translated works. For example, he included a piece called The Ghaist's Warning in the notes of his famous poem, The Lady of the Lake.

Why His Work Was Important

Jamieson's work was very important because it helped to save many "oral traditions." Oral traditions are stories, songs, and poems that are passed down from person to person by speaking, rather than by writing them down. Without people like Jamieson, many of these old traditions might have been lost forever.

He also worked with Henry Weber and Walter Scott on another book called Illustrations of Northern Antiquities in 1814. Later, in 1818, he and Scott edited a book together called Burt's Letters from Scotland.