The Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club

At tonight's Annual General Meeting of the Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club, members elected The Rt Hon Lord Woolman FRSE as our new President.

Lord Woolman enjoyed a distinguished legal career as a Senator of the College of Justice and later served as President of the Scottish Tribunals. A lifelong advocate of scholarship, education and public service, he also has strong interests in Scottish history, literature and culture.

We look forward to hearing his Toast to the Memory of Sir Walter Scott at our 116th Annual Dinner in May 2027.

https://www.walterscottclub.com/2026-Lord-Woolman

A fascinating lecture by Professor Alison Lumsden entitled "'Twas thus the Latest Minstrel Sung': The Making of Scott the Poet".

Video: https://www.walterscottclub.com/blog/twas-thus-the-latest-minstrel-sung-the-making-of-scott-the-poet

Drawing on her work for the Edinburgh Edition of Walter Scott's Poetry, Alison explored the origins and creative evolution of "The Lay of the Last Minstrel", showing how the poem developed from an imitation Border ballad into a groundbreaking work that helped shape Scott's future career as both poet and novelist.

Particularly interesting was the discussion of the "minstrel frame" – a late addition to the poem that transformed it into something entirely new, allowing Scott to create a dialogue between past and present. Alison argued that many of the techniques we associate with the Waverley Novels were already being developed in "The Lay of the Last Minstrel".

The lecture also highlighted Scott's collaborative approach to writing, his sensitivity to criticism, and the importance of the extensive notes that accompany the poem. Far from being an afterthought, these notes form part of Scott's wider conversation with history, folklore and literature.

An engaging and thought-provoking evening which reinforced the importance of Scott's poetry in understanding his literary achievement as a whole.

Tickets are still available for our next lecture: "‘’Twas thus the Latest Minstrel Sung’: The Making of Scott the Poet" with Prof. Ali Lumsden. Tuesday, 16th June 2026, 7pm, Edinburgh.
Apply online here: https://www.walterscottclub.com/events
This paper will draw on research being undertaken for the forthcoming edition of The Lay of the Last Minstrel for the Edinburgh Edition of Walter Scott’s Poetry, including recently recovered manuscript evidence. It will discuss the creative evolution of the poem and explore the ways in which Scott works out theories of poetry in it. It will suggest that a younger and more tentative Scott grapples with how best to capture the past through verse and in doing so discovers the concept of a layering of historical moment that will inform his later narrative poems and indeed his fiction. In doing so Scott ensures his place not at the ‘last minstrel’ but the ‘latest’ poet.

Some recordings wait a very long time to be heard again.

In 2005, our Hon. Treasurer, Lee A. Simpson was entrusted with a box of old reel-to-reel tapes and C90 cassettes containing recordings from Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club events. Over the years he digitised many of them, including a series of Presidential Addresses which are now preserved on the Club website.

One tape, however, remained untouched.

It contained a recording of a special evening at Abbotsford on 30th September 1994, hosted by Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott and Patricia Maxwell-Scott, with guest artists Margaret Bennett and a young Martyn Bennett.

Now, more than thirty years after the event took place, it is finally seeing the light of day.

What makes the recording especially remarkable is hearing Martyn Bennett at the age of 23, long before he would become one of Scotland's most influential and innovative musicians. Alongside Margaret, he performs a programme of traditional songs, Border ballads and music associated with Sir Walter Scott, all recorded within Scott's beloved home at Abbotsford.

It feels fitting that this hidden recording should finally find an audience.

Listen to the recordings and explore the story behind the evening here:
https://www.walterscottclub.com/blog/an-evening-at-abbotsford

Abbotsford The Home of Sir Walter Scott (Image Credit: Ian MacKenzie)

Dr. Stuart Allan's lecture on "David Stewart of Garth" from 2018 is currently trending on the Club website:

David Stewart of Garth, Scott’s “Highlander of the Old Stamp” Dr. Stuart Allan - David Stewart of Garth, Scott’s “Highlander of the Old Stamp”

A fascinating online colloquium today exploring Scott’s "Journal" (1825–1832) from three rich perspectives: its creation and publication history, its deep connections to landscape and wellbeing, and its legal and constitutional context.

We heard from David McClay on how the Journal emerged during a period of personal upheaval for Scott, yet became one of the most remarkable literary records of his life. It charts not only financial crisis and family loss, but also a remarkable consistency of thought, observation, and reflection across more than 2,300 days.

Prof. Ali Lumsden's perspective highlighted Scott’s enduring relationship with the natural world at Abbotsford, where walking, tree planting, and landscape design were not just aesthetic choices but central to his sense of wellbeing. Long before modern language around mental health and nature therapy, his journal reveals a lived instinct for the restorative power of the outdoors.

Lord Stewart's paper explored how Scott’s legal and political awareness may have shaped revisions to The Bride of Lammermoor, linking journal reflections on Scottish appeals and the House of Lords to wider questions about national identity and legal authority.

Taken together, the session offered a compelling reminder of how Scott’s "Journal" sits at the intersection of literature, lived experience, and historical change.

Watch the video here:
https://www.walterscottclub.com/blog/a-colloquium-on-scotts-journal

FREE PUBLIC EVENT a Colloquium on Scott’s Journal, Saturday 16th May 2026, 12.00pm, Online. Apply to join the meeting here:
https://www.walterscottclub.com/tickets

Tonight our President for 2025/26, Professor Peter Garside, proposed the Toast to Sir Walter with a speech that was thoughtful, witty, and deeply engaging. Drawing on his long involvement with the Club and his lifetime of Scott scholarship, he reflected not only on Scott’s extraordinary achievements, but also on the human story behind the legend.

One of the most fascinating parts of the address was Prof. Garside’s discussion of John Gibson Lockhart’s "Life of Scott", and his insight into why this complex and much-debated biography still matters. Particularly exciting was his announcement that he has just completed a newly edited edition of Lockhart’s work, now submitted to Edinburgh University Press.

A fitting tribute to Sir Walter, and a reminder of why his writing, legacy, and presence in Edinburgh continue to inspire such loyalty and fascination.

A memorable night in great company.

Video: https://www.walterscottclub.com/2025-professor-peter-garside

Tonight's lecture by Dan Mulhall is now available to view online:
https://www.walterscottclub.com/blog/king-dan-and-the-kings-man-daniel-oconnell-and-sir-walter-scott

Daniel Mulhall’s lecture offered a fascinating comparison between two towering nineteenth-century figures: Daniel O’Connell in Ireland and Sir Walter Scott in Scotland. While O’Connell became known as “King Dan” for his role in securing Catholic Emancipation, Scott helped shape Scotland’s public image and cultural identity, not least through George IV’s visit to Scotland in 1822.

The talk explored the similarities between the two men, but also the crucial differences. Both were internationally known, both were lawyers, and both understood the power of public influence. But where Scott helped preserve and define Scottish identity through history, literature and tradition, O’Connell was above all a practical political reformer, focused on emancipation, parliamentary change and peaceful agitation. Daniel Mulhall showed how those different approaches help explain why Ireland and Scotland followed such different paths in the nineteenth century and beyond.

A particularly striking point was that O’Connell greatly admired Scott’s novels, yet never used Irish history and culture in quite the same way that Scott used Scotland’s past. That contrast gave the lecture its real force, showing how two near-contemporaries could shape their nations in very different ways.

Club members at Blackie House last night.