Tibbie Shiel (1783–1878) was a Scottish figure who ran Tibbie Shiel's Inn on

St Mary's Loch St Mary's Loch is the largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders, and is situated on the south side of the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about south of Edinburgh. Description It is long and wide, and was created by glacial actio ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...

and was known to many authors and poets, and the subject of numerous literary works.

Life

Bridge carrying the road to Tibbie Shiels Inn - geograph

She was born Isabella Shiel in 1783, in Ettrick to Walter Shiel and his wife Mary. She was generally known by the pet name "Tibbie". She received only basic schooling and was employed generally on farm work in the

including working on the Ettrick sheep farm of Robert Hogg (1729-1820), where she certainly first encountered his son,

James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many o ...

, later to become a famous poet. In 1806 she married Robert Richardson, a molecatcher by trade. They had three sons and three daughters. In 1823 the family moved to the idyllic spot of St Mary's Cottage at the south end of

. The lands were owned by

Lord Napier Lord Napier, of Merchistoun, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for Sir Archibald Napier, 1st Baronet. Earlier that year, he already held the Napier Baronetcy, of Merchistoun in the County of Midlothian, created in ...

. Her husband died in 1824, soon after the move, and Tibbie was forced to support her family by taking in travellers. As the house stood close to the old coach road from Selkirk to Moffat, in an appealing location, this proved successful. The inn served ale and food and had 13 guest bedrooms. Its fame quickly grew for its hospitality and the beauty of its surroundings. Although occasionally referenced as "Mrs Richardson" she was generally known by her maiden name, Tibbie Shiel. As a close friend of James Hogg she said of him "he wrote a deal of trash but was a sensible man". Her son William ("Wullie") Shiel lived with her in her old age at the Inn, and appears with her in 19th century postcards. She died on 23 July 1878 at age 95. She is buried near her parents in Ettrick churchyard to the south-east. Her ghost allegedly haunts the inn.

Modern survival of the Inn

The old coach road is now the A708. It is supplemented by the

Southern Upland Way The Southern Upland Way is a coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland. The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands. The Way is designated as one of Scotland's ...

and so is a frequent calling point for hikers. In 1985 a dinner at the inn marked the 150th anniversary of James Hogg's death. From 1986 to 2007 the Inn was run by Jill Brown. Since 2008 the Inn has been owned by the Moody family. In 2015 the family threatened to close the Inn due to anti-social behaviour from a nearby campsite. The inn is currently (2018) closed to the public.

Known Visitors

(frequent) *

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

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', '' Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, ...

and his wife

Jane Welsh Carlyle Jane Baillie Carlyle ( Welsh; 14 July 1801 – 21 April 1866) was a Scottish writer and the wife of Thomas Carlyle. She did not publish any work in her lifetime, but she was widely seen as an extraordinary letter writer. Virginia Woolf ca ...

Thomas Stoddart Thomas Tod Stoddart (1810–1880) was a Scottish angler and poet. Life He was born on 14 February 1810 in Argyle Square, Edinburgh, the eldest son of Frances (née Sprot), daughter of James Sprot, and Captain (later Admiral) Pringle Stoddart RN ...

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...

* Robert Chambers * Christopher North Less reliable sources state that

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

was a visitor, but as Burns died in 1796 this is physically impossible.

Literary Recognition

Many of Christopher North's 71 ''

Noctes Ambrosianae The ''Noctes Ambrosianae'', a series of 71 imaginary colloquies, appeared in '' Blackwood's Magazine'' from 1822 to 1835. The earlier ones had several different authors, including John Gibson Lockhart, William Maginn, James Hogg and Professor J ...

'' in ''

Blackwood's Magazine ''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine''. The first number appeared in April 18 ...

'' mention Tibbie Shiel's Inn and St Mary's Loch, and did much to further promote its fame. Robert Chambers' "Picture of Scotland" (1827) also recommends the Inn. Hogg refers to it in multiple works and his statue now stands nearby overlooking the loch.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiel, Tibbie 1783 births 1878 deaths People from the Scottish Borders