Robert Anderson (7 January 1750 – 20 February 1830) was a Scottish author and critic. Son of David Anderson, W.S., he was born at

Carnwath Carnwath ( Gaelic: ''A' Chathair Nuadh''; English: "New Fort") is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the N ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scot ...

. He studied first

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

and then medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, and subsequently, after some experience as a surgeon, took his M.D. at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 1778. He began to practise as a physician at

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bo ...

in Northumberland, but he became financially independent by his marriage with the daughter of John Gray, and abandoned his profession for a literary life in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. For several years his attention was occupied with his edition of ''The Works of the British Poets, with Prefaces Biographical and Critical'' (14 vols. 8vo, Edin., 1792–1807). His other publications were: *''The Miscellaneous Works of

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (baptised 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for picaresque novels such as '' The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), '' The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' (1751) ...

, M.D., with Memoirs of his Life and Writings'' (Edin., 1796) *''Life of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

, LL.D., with Critical Observations on his Works'' (Edin., 1815) *''The Works of John Moore, M.D., with Memoirs of his Life and Writings'' (Edin., 7 vols., 1820) *''The Grave and other Poems, by Robert Blair; to which are prefixed some Account of his Life and Observations on his Writings'' (Edin., 1826). Anderson was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1816.

Freemasonry

He was a Scottish Freemason having been Initiated in The Lodge of Holyrood House (St Luke's), No.44, in 1781.Lindsay, Robert Strathern (1935)
A History of the Masonic Lodge of Holyrood House (St. Lukes), No. 44 Holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, with Roll of Members, 1734–1934
Vol. II. T. and A. Constable at the University Press. p. 602.

References

Attribution

Freemasonry

References

Further reading