2024 is the 250th anniversary of Fergusson’s death in an asylum, providing unique opportunities for dissemination of the project’s research, thereby giving Fergusson’s textual, biographical, linguistic, medical, cultural and literary legacies the timely recognition they deserve. We will explore further over the course of this project Fergusson’s legacies in the twenty-first century.
Fergusson in the media:
BBC Radio Scotland, 25 January 2024: Segment on Fergusson and Scots. Listen to Rhona here (from 1:34).
Click the Imp to view Rhona’s article!
Rhona Brown, (June 2014) ‘Memorialising The Death And Legacy Of Robert Fergusson: Romantic Sympathy And Enlightenment Medical Improvement’, The Bottle Imp, Issue 15.
Rhona Brown and Amy Wilcockson, (2024) ‘Robert Fergusson: Scotia’s Bard’, History Today, Volume 74 Issue 10 October 2024.
Amy Wilcockson, (November 2024) ‘Oysters and Aqua Vitae: Food and Drink in Robert Fergusson’s Poems’, The Bottle Imp, Issue 35.
Over the course of the Robert Fergusson 250 celebrations in October 2024, there were:
- 185 worldwide articles relating to Fergusson, including ‘Legacy of poet who inspired Robert Burns to be celebrated’, indy100, 13 October 2024 & The Scotsman, 13 October 2024
- 141.5 million impressions (eg a simple representation of how many people are seeing the news story online)
Braw Clan: Crown of Straw by Martin Travers
Project Fergusson had the privilege of working with Braw Clan, the Scots language theatre company, on their new play Crown of Straw, based on Robert Fergusson’s life. Professor Rhona Brown and Dr Amy Wilcockson served as Research Consultant and Research Assistant respectively.
Please see the link to Braw Clan’s website, and see below to watch highlights from the performances of the play given in June 2024.
With thanks to Braw Clan, film made by Urbancroft Films.
Banner image: The Poet’s Headstone, courtesy of Kim Traynor, Creative Commons License.
