Walter Ruddiman facts for kids

Walter Ruddiman was a Scottish printer and publisher who lived from 1719 to 1781. He owned a newspaper business in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was born in a place called Alvah, near Banff. Walter was the youngest son of a farmer named James Ruddiman. His uncle, Thomas Ruddiman, was also a printer in Edinburgh.

Who Was Walter Ruddiman?

Walter Ruddiman moved to Edinburgh after 1745. He became an official citizen of the city on September 11, 1754. Around the same time, he married Janet Bradefute. They had four children: Thomas, John, Walter, and Janet.

Starting a Popular Magazine

Walter Ruddiman's most important project was his Weekly Magazine. He started it on July 7, 1768. This was a weekly publication, like a newspaper, but it was called a "magazine." It said it would share news from "all the Magazines, Reviews, Newspapers, &c. published in Great Britain." This description helped Ruddiman avoid a special tax called "stamp duty" that newspapers had to pay. Magazines did not have to pay this tax.

The Weekly Magazine was very successful. It was popular in Edinburgh and other places too. Throughout the 1770s, about 3,000 copies were sold every week. Walter's oldest son, Thomas, joined the business as a partner in April 1772.

Featuring Famous Poets

Between 1771 and 1774, the Weekly Magazine published new poems by a young poet named Robert Fergusson. People really liked his work, especially the poems written in the Scots language. Because of this, Ruddiman and his son decided to publish a book of Fergusson's poems. This book, called Poems by Robert Fergusson, came out in January 1773. Ruddiman's magazine also featured a poem called Hallowe'en by the poet John Mayne in 1780.

Changes to the Magazine

In the late 1770s, the government in London noticed that the Weekly Magazine was printing news articles. This meant it should have been paying the newspaper tax. So, in 1777, Ruddiman created a new publication just for news. He called it Ruddiman's Weekly Mercury. The Weekly Magazine then stopped printing news. This meant it did not have to pay the stamp duty anymore.

In December 1779, the Weekly Magazine changed its name again. It became the Edinburgh Magazine, or, Weekly Amusement. These changes caused some readers to choose one publication over the other. However, when you added the sales of both publications together, they still sold a lot. They sold between 3,000 and 3,500 copies each week.

Later Life and Legacy

Walter Ruddiman's wife, Janet, passed away five years before him. They are both buried in Greyfriars kirkyard in Edinburgh. After Walter died on June 6, 1781, his son Thomas took over the family business.