Alicia Ann Spottiswoode

Alicia Anne Scott
Portrait of Lady John Scott in the 1840s
Born1810 (1810)
Spottiswoode, Berwickshire
Died12 March 1900(1900-03-12) (aged 89–90)
Spottiswoode
Burial placeWestruther Kirk
Other namesAlicia Anne Spottiswoode Lady John Scott
Known forPoet and composer, first Lady Associate of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Notable work"Annie Laurie"
Lady John Scott

Alicia Ann, Lady John Scott (née Spottiswoode; 24 June 1810 – 12 March 1900) was a Scottish songwriter and composer known chiefly for the tune, "Annie Laurie," to which the words of a 17th-century poet, William Douglas, were set. She was passionate about preserving Scottish heritage, and was the first Lady Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.[1]

Life

Scott was born at Spottiswoode, Scottish Borders, in the former Berwickshire.[2] She was the oldest daughter of John Spottiswoode of Berwickshire and his wife Helen Wauchope of Niddrie Marischal. She had three siblings, two brothers called John and Andrew and a sister, Margaret, who she was particularly devoted to.[3]

Much of her childhood was spent in the countryside, where she was educated in Italian, French, drawing, literature, singing, and playing the harp. She inherited her father's interest in geology, botany and archaeology, and her grandfather's interest in Scottish history - being interested in the Jacobites in particular.

During nineteenth century archaeology was a popular pastime for women of means, some of whom, including Scott, became pioneers in the field.[4] In 1845 she directed the excavations of the Twinlaw cairns. She recorded that they "opened the Twinlaw Cairns and found a cist (which had been ransacked before) in each."[5]

In 1863 Scott oversaw excavations on two barrows on the Spottiswoode estate, and the subsequent paper was published in Volume 5 of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland as "communicated by Professor JY Simpson." The artefacts found during excavations are now in the collections of the National Museums of Scotland.[6]

In Volume 6 of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland a report on an excavation of the tumuli at Hartlaw was published by John Stuart. He reported that the excavation was directed by Scott, who was assisted by a Mrs. Warrender.[6]

In 1868 the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland began to discuss the admission of women as members, as several archaeological societies in England had begun to admit them as well. The Society established its first official membership category for women, then known as Lady Associate. Lady John Scott was admitted as the first Lady Associate in 1870.Lady Associates were honorary members of the Society. The number of Lady Associates permitted in the Society was limited to twenty five at a time. Lady Associates did not pay member fees and were allowed to submit communications to be read at meetings by male Fellows, although not permitted to attend said meetings in person.

Lady John Scott's illustrations of the cists discovered beneath the Twinlaw cairns, published in the History of Berwickshire Naturalists' Club

On 16 March 1836 she married Lord John Scott, a younger son of the 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and consequently become known as Lady John Scott.[1] Together they lived at his estate in Cawston, Warwickshire.[7] Lord John Scott died in 1860. Under the will of her father, she resumed her maiden name Spottiswoode in 1866, and was sometimes known as Lady John Scott Spottiswoode.[8]

Scott was a champion of traditional Scots language, history and culture, her motto being 'Haud [hold] fast by the past'.[9] One of her best known works, "Annie Laurie," was written whilst visiting her sister and brother-in-law in Marchmont, an area of Edinburgh, and was published in 1838.[3] She died at Spottiswoode, in the Borders, on 12 March 1900.[8] Scott also regularly communicated with Scottish antiquary and folklorist Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe during the 1840's, evidencing her interest in Scottish culture, history and folklore.[7]

Her compositions were published by Paterson & Roy,[10] and included:

Works

Selected works include:

  • “Annie Laurie”[10]
  • “Douglas Tender and True” [10]
  • “Durisdeer”[10]
  • “Etterick”[10]
  • “Farewell to Thee”[10]
  • “Foul Fords”[10]
  • “Katherine Logie”[10]
  • “Lammermoor”[10]
  • “Loch Lomond”
  • “Mother, Oh Sing Me to Rest”[10]
  • “Shame on Ye, Gallants”[10]
  • "Think on Me"[10]
  • “When We First Rode Down to Ettrick”[10]
  • “Within the Garden of My Heart”
  • “Your Voices Are Not Hush'd”

Selected Publications

Stuart, J.; Scott, Lady J. (1865) Account of Graves recently discovered at Hartlaw, on the farm of Westruther Mains, with Drawings by Lady John Scott.[11] Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 6, pp. 55–61. doi:10.9750/PSAS.006.55.61.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Preface by Margaret Warrender (March 1904) in Songs and Verses by Lady Jane Scott, Edinburgh: David Douglas, pp. i–lxiv
  2. ^ Rogers, Charles (1882). The Scottish minstrel: the songs of Scotland subsequent to Burns. Nimmo. p. 447. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b Thesing, William B. (2001). "Alicia Anne Scott (Lady John Scott). 1810 - 12th March 1900.". Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British women poets. Dictionary of literary biography. Detroit (Mich.): Gale group. pp. 262–267. ISBN 978-0-7876-4657-8.
  4. ^ "Women collectors, Lady Associates and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland". History blog archive. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Twinlaw, Twinlaw Cairns | Place | trove.scot". www.trove.scot. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b Davies, Mairi (Spring 2015). "The Invisible Women". The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Newsletter Spring 2015: 6–7.
  7. ^ a b "Alicia Anne Scott | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Obituary – Lady John Scott Spottiswoode". The Times. No. 36089. London. 14 March 1900. p. 6.
  9. ^ "Lady John Scott". Scottish Poetry Library.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cohen, Aaron I. (1987). International encyclopedia of women composers (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). New York. ISBN 0-9617485-2-4. OCLC 16714846.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Scott, Lady John (1865). "Account of Graves recently discovered at Hartlaw, on the farm of Westruther Mains, with Drawings by Lady John Scott". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 6: 55–61. doi:10.9750/PSAS.006.55.61. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
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