Letters of Walter Scott, to Walter Dickson, and to Rev. Anthony Dow, which make reference to Helen Walker

Archive Collection
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  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 237 Coll-1703
  • Dates of Creation
      1827-1830
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      1 folder Items had been contained within glazed frames, and red sealing wax from one letter had collected inside one of these. The wax fragments have been retained.
      Items had been contained within frames, and red sealing wax from one letter had collected inside one of these. The wax fragments have been retained.

Scope and Content

Autograph letter signed, Abbotsford, 27 October 1827. Black wax seal. Addressed to Walter Dickson Esq.

Transcript of the above letter.

Autograph letter signed, Edinburgh, 5 March 1830. Red wax seal, degraded. Three postal handstamps, with one 'Dumfries'. Addressed to Rev. Dr. Dow, Kirkpatrick-Irongray, Dumfriesshire.

Administrative / Biographical History

The pair of letters from Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) make reference to Helen Walker (d. 1791) who had become the fictional Jeanie Deans, a character in his novel The Heart of Midlothian. In a letter to Walter Dickson, 27 October 1827, Scott refers to Dickson's mother-in-law, Mrs Goldie - Helen Goldie (nee Lawson) (1752-1829) - and the 'anonymous favour' provided by the content of a letter. This enabled him 'to produce to the public the efficient and interesting character of Jeanie Deans' as he had 'christened her most respectable friend Helen Walker'.

Scott erected a monument at Helen Walker's grave in the parish of Irongray, about six miles from Dumfries, and his letter to the Rev. Dr. Anthony Dow, 5 March 1830, indicates his intention to erect this 'simple monument'.

Access Information

Access should be unrestricted but please check in advance of any consultation.

Archivist's Note

Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie, 26 January 2016.