Frances Mary Colquhoun (28 February 1836 – 29 July 1920) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

Early life

Known as Mary, she was born in Edinburgh in 1836, the eldest daughter and second child of John Colquhoun and Frances Sarah Fuller Maitland. Her father was a sportsman, author of ''The Moor and the Loch'' and former army officer. Her mother was the authoress of ''Rhymes and Chimes''. She grew up in Duddingston and then Royal Terrace, Edinburgh in a "sternly Presbyterian" and well-connected family. She and her siblings also spent time in stately homes in England and Scotland. She had four sisters and four brothers. Her sister

Lucy Bethia Walford Lucy Bethia (Colquhoun) Walford (17 April 1845 – 11 May 1915) was a Scottish novelist and artist, who wrote 45 books, the majority of them "light-hearted domestic comedies". Accurate writing was a big consideration for her. Life Walford was ...

became a popular Victorian novelist and wrote about the family in ''Recollections of a Scottish Novelist.'' Her aunt was the Scottish novelist

Catherine Sinclair Catherine Sinclair (17 April 1800 – 6 August 1864) was a Scottish novelist and children's writer, who departed from the moralising approach common in that period. She is credited with discovering that the author of the initially anonymous W ...

Clan and the Highlands

Mary was the granddaughter of Sir James Colquhoun, Baronet of Luss and Clan Chief of the Colquhouns of Luss. She was 'intensely Highland in her sympathies, and to her there is no place so romantic or beautiful as the country of her clan, stretching along "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomon'." Luss is on the west bank of Loch Lomond.

Later life and litigation

Mary never married. She was president of St. Kessog's Home, Edinburgh which was devoted to the treatment of women's diseases. By his will, her father gave her the use and possession of the family home, 1 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, so long as she remained unmarried. In 1916 she unsuccessfully bought a claim against the trustees appointed under her father's will to recover costs on repairs, insurances and fues she had spent in respect of the house.

Works

Writing under the name F. Mary Colquhoun, Mary wrote articles for

The Scots Magazine ''The Scots Magazine'' is a magazine containing articles on subjects of Scottish interest. It claims to be the oldest magazine in the world still in publication, although there have been several gaps in its publication history. It has reported on ...

, poetry, which was quoted in the 1891 book, One Hundred Modern Scottish Poets and books. She wrote several Highland sketches and collected Christian poems and songs. She also collected lost verses of The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. 1 & 2 Royal Terrace

Her works include: * ''Songs of Christian Warfare'' (1886) * ''A Communion Afternoon'' * ''John Colquhoun: The Christian Sportsman'' (1891) * ''The Wine of Life: A book of the Songsmiths'' (1894) * ''Ridley Herschel: a Jewish witness to the Gospel'' * ''St. Kessog and his home'' (1908) *
A Bit of the Tartan or Two Fragments of Romance
' - (1895) includes The Master of Rosca and Glenroysdale * ''Clan Colquhoun Society ... Constitution, office-bearers, list of members, and reports; also traditions of the Clan Colquhoun country, illustrated ... portraits and biographical sketches of prominent members of the clan'' (1897)

Reviews

Songs of Christian Warfare. "... a neat little volume of carefully selected poems which has just been issued by Miss F. Mary Colquhoun, who is already favourably known as the author of "The Master of Rosca," "Glenroysdale' and the "Communion Afternoon." The pieces have been chosen "not so much because they are favourites of the compiler as because she has found them suited to impart comfort and encouragement to others in our common pilgrimage and warfare of faith" and the book, which is beautifully printed and well bound, deserves a most kindly reception."Aberdeen Press and Journal 20 December 1886

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colquhoun, Frances Mary 1836 births 1920 deaths 19th-century British writers 19th-century British women writers 19th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish women writers Writers from Edinburgh