To mark 250 years since Robert Fergusson’s death, Project Fergusson organised a one-day symposium focused on the poet’s life, works, and textual legacies. A key Scottish poet of the eighteenth century, Fergusson’s career was prolific: despite having only six creative years, Fergusson’s output of over one hundred poems and songs is substantial. His poems were written in English and Scots, and often heavily influenced by the reality of his Edinburgh surroundings. His most famous poems include Auld Reikie, ‘The Ghaists: A Kirkyard Eclogue’, ‘Leith Races’, and ‘The Daft-Days’.

Taking place on 6^th September 2024, the symposium re-examined lines of literary transmission from Fergusson through to writers, poets, and creatives of the present day. Featuring a mix of academic papers and creative contributions, the day covered a variety of topics and genres.

The symposium began with Rhona Brown, Professor of Scottish Textual Cultures at the University of Glasgow and the project’s Principal Investigator, welcoming attendees and introducing the Fergusson project. The first academic paper was given by Amy Wilcockson, the project’s Research Assistant, who discussed Fergusson’s Romantic legacies. These include, of course, the influence of Fergusson on Burns, but also on other poets of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries including William Wordsworth and Thomas Campbell, who also wrote creative or critical works about Fergusson.

The next papers looked at Fergusson in the twentieth century, with Charlotte Lauder’s (University of Stirling) paper considering ‘“Periodicals Poet(s)”: Robert Fergusson, Robert Garioch and the Textual Legacies of Scottish Magazine Culture’. Alongside Garioch, Charlotte looked at The Scots Thistle, began by six young women in Kilmarnock in 1885, and how this magazine fed into Scottish culture in much the same way as the Weekly Magazine did during the 1770s.

Alan Riach (University of Glasgow) then delivered his paper on ‘Fergusson, Hugh MacDiarmid and Samuel Johnson’s English: Direct Language and Insidious Implications’. Alongside several gripping readings of Fergusson’s verse, he discussed the correlations between Fergusson, MacDiarmid and language, with particular focus on Fergusson’s poem in English ‘To Dr Samuel Johnson – Food for a New Edition of His Dictionary’.

Following a comfort break (with excellent pastries!), we journeyed to Ireland, with two papers on Fergusson’s influence on Irish poets. Frank Ferguson (Ulster University, and potentially a relation – or so he claimed!), and Jennifer Orr (Newcastle University) both examined the Ulster-Scots tradition. Frank’s paper, ‘Which Rabbie is oor Rabbie?: Robert Fergusson and Ireland, Influence, Legacy and Afterlives’ put forward the idea of a ‘Fergusson test’ for checking whether Fergusson had influenced poets (markers included a focus on the urban, Enlightenment, and on the form of the epic or song). He also noted modern poets who can be considered as influenced by Fergusson including Steve Dornan and Scott McKendry. Jennifer’s paper, entitled ‘Robert Fergusson and Ireland’ discussed Fergusson in the works of Luke Mullan and Samuel Thomson, tracing direct comparisons between the works of the poets and using epistolary evidence to demonstrate their knowledge of Fergusson’s work.

An extensive lunch buffet followed, before we were treated to an exclusive reading of Chris Tait’s excellent poem ‘A Scots Bethlehem’, written specially to mark the 250^th anniversary of Fergusson’s death.

Ainsley McIntosh (University of Edinburgh) then gave her paper ‘“Myself, and the other fellow”: Robert Fergusson, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Literary Representations of Disability’. In this paper, Ainsley discussed illness and disability within Fergusson and Stevenson’s lives and works, noting the connection between the two poets through Stevenson’s claim that Fergusson ‘lives in [him]’.

 

The final academic paper of the day was delivered by Mhairi Lawson (The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London). Uniquely, Mhairi interspersed her scholarly findings with wonderful song, singing solo and in a group with the wonderful Kirsteen McCue and Lorna Anderson. With her paper exploring ‘Singing Fergusson: Robert Fergusson’s Songs in The Royal Shepherd, Artaxerxes (Edinburgh 1769), and The Scots Musical Museum (1787-1803)’,  it was a real treat to hear the poet’s words being sung and to explore this alternative facet of his creative work. For many of our attendees, this was a highlight of the day!

Following a final comfort break and chocolate snacks, the symposium closed with talks from  two of our amazing project partners, beginning with Clare Thompson, Librarian at the Mitchell Library. Her talk ‘Celebrating the Scottish poet Robert Fergusson (1750-1774): An Exhibition’, gave an introduction to the exhibition that is currently running at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library which has been co-curated with the Fergusson project team. The Mitchell has a huge collection of Fergusson items, including rare copies of his poems, early magazines in which his first poems were published, and the incomparable Edwin Morgan collection, which also features many Fergusson items. Clare discussed the various aspects and challenges of creating an exhibition like this before the curatorial team shared their favourite items included in the display.

Finally, Martin Travers, Kieran McKenzie, and Clare Yuille came together for a question and answer session and group discussion surrounding their recent play Crown of Straw, which was based on Robert Fergusson’s life and death. Creative Director of Braw Clan (the Scots Language Theatre Company) Clare Yuille, asked Martin Travers (Playwright and Creative Producer) and Kieran McKenzie (Actor, Robert Fergusson), how the creative process, rehearsals, and performances of Crown of Straw went. Audience questions included querying the inspiration behind the play, and whether it will be performed again soon (hopefully!)! Rhona Brown then thanked all speakers and attendees before the day drew to a close.

This lively day symposium was enjoyed by all attendees, with lots of very positive feedback. Anonymous attendees noted that the symposium was a ‘brilliant’ day, with a ‘welcoming and inclusive’ atmosphere. The structure was also praised with the balance of academic papers and ‘more relaxed talks in the afternoon’ working well. All of the attendees who answered the feedback questionnaire now want to know more about Fergusson too!

We would like to thank our wonderful speakers for an excellent, inspiring, and informative range of talks, discussions, and presentations, and thank our attendees for taking the time to join us and celebrate Robert Fergusson in 2024. We would also like to thank The Leverhulme Trust and the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies for their financial support.

The Fergusson fun does not stop with the symposium either – we have an array of talks, tours, and whisky pours available for everyone to get involved with! Please find out more and get your tickets (many of which are FREE) from our events page here: https://robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk/events/

Project Fergusson