Agnes Lyon (1762–1840) was a Scottish humorous poet of the 18th and 19th century.

Biography

Born in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

in early 1762, Lyon was the eldest daughter of Agnes (née) Hamilton and John Ramsay L'Amy of Dunkenny,

Forfarshire Angus (; ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals ...

. Her younger brother

James L'Amy James L'Amy of Dunkenny (8 July 1772 – 15 January 1854) was a Scottish advocate and amateur phrenology, phrenologist. He served as Sheriff of Forfar from 1819 until death. Life L'Amy was born on 8 July 1772 the son of Agnes (née) Hamilton an ...

was an advocate and Sheriff of Forfar. She was an accomplished verse-writer and poet filling four manuscript volumes, which she directed at her death to remain unprinted, unless her family needed financial support. Her poetry was frequently humorous,J. C. Hadden, ‘Lyon , Agnes (1762–1840)’, rev. Sarah Couper, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 31 Jan 2015
/ref> for instance, her 1821 verse ''Glammis Castle'' tells of a drunken episode involving

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. ''Within the towers of ancient Glammis Some merry men did dine,'' ''And their host took care they should richly fare, In friendship, wit, and wine.'' ''But they sat too late, and mistook the gate (For wine mounts to the brain).'' ''Oh, 'twas merry in the hall, when the beards wagg'd all, Oh, we hope they'll be back again,'' ''We hope they'll be back again.'' The song beginning "You've surely heard of famous Niel", by which she is remembered, was written at the request of

Niel Gow Niel Gow (22 March 17271 March 1807) was a Scottish fiddler in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Early life Gow was born in Strathbraan, Perthshire, in 1727, as the son of John Gow and Catherine McEwan. The family moved to Inver in P ...

for his air, "Farewell to whisky". In some collections it is incorrectly printed; in Charles Rogers' ''Scottish Minstrel'' it is given from the original manuscript. It is, according to Hadden, of no great merit, and only survives because of its subject and the air to which it is set. In 1786 she married Rev. Dr James Lyon of

Glamis Glamis is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located south of Kirriemuir and southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. History The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric t ...

, Forfarshire, and died 14 September 1840.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

* 1762 births 1840 deaths 18th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish poets 18th-century Scottish women writers 19th-century Scottish women writers Scottish women poets Poets from Dundee {{scotland-poet-stub