Jean Adam (or Adams) (30 April 1704 – 3 April 1765) was a Scottish poet from the labouring classes; her best-known work is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose". In 1734 she published a volume of her poetry entitled ''Miscellany poems'', but the cost of shipping a substantial number to the British colony of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in North America, where they did not sell well, forced her to turn first to teaching and then to domestic labour. She died penniless in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

's Town's Hospital

poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...

at the age of sixty.

Early years

Born in

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

into a maritime family, Adam was orphaned at a young age."Adam, Jean (1710–1765)." '' Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages'', edited by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, vol. 1, Yorkin Publications, 2007, pp. 7-8. ''Gale eBooks''. Accessed 14 Sept. 2021. Her most famous work (though the authorship was for some time in dispute) is "There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose", a tale of a sailor's wife and the safe return of her husband from the sea. It is reported that

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

remarked on its quality in 1771, some years after Adam's death. Adam had a limited education in reading, writing, and sewing. She first encountered poetry when she read extracts from Sir Philip Sidney's romance ''The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia'' (1590) while working in domestic service with the minister of West Kirk, Greenock. There she also became acquainted with John Milton's work and translations of the classics.

Writing career

Inspired by her reading, she started writing poetry herself and was aided by one Mr Drummond, a collector of customs and excise, in raising subscriptions for the publication of her volume of ''Miscellany poems'', which was printed by James Duncan in 1734. There were some 150 subscribers, including customs officers, merchants, clergymen, local artisans, and the magnate Thomas Craufurd, the Laird of Cartsburn, to whom the book was dedicated. It was prefaced with a sketch of her status and background and consisted of 80 poems, virtually all on religious and moral themes. But sales were disappointing, and Adam's financial situation worsened after she used her savings to ship a substantial number of copies to British colonial

in North America, where they also did not sell well. Adam went on to work for many years at a day school in Cartsdyke, her place of birth. After 1751 she turned to domestic labour for the rest of her life. Unable to recapture her fleeting success, Adams died penniless in Town's Hospital, a

, on 3 April 1765, after it was reported that she had been wandering about in the streets.

Works

*''Miscellany poems. By Mrs Jane Adams in Crawfordsdyke'' (Glasgow, 1734) *"There's Nae Luck Aboot The Hoose" (song; attrib.)

Early years

Writing career

Works

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading