- Thomas Blacklock
Thomas Blacklock (
November 10 ,1721 –July 7 ,1791 ) was a Scottishpoet .He was born near Annan,
Dumfries and Galloway , of humble parentage, and lost his sight as a result ofsmallpox when six months old. He began to write poetry at the age of 12, and studied for the Church. He was appointed Minister ofKirkcudbright , but was objected to by theparish ioners on account of hisblindness , and gave up the presentation on receiving an annuity.During the 1750s he was sponsored by the empiricist philosopher
David Hume [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/]He then retired to
Edinburgh , where he became a tutor. He published some miscellaneous poems, which are now forgotten, and is chiefly remembered for having written a letter toRobert Burns , which had the effect of dissuading him from going to theWest Indies , indirectly saving his life since the ship sank on the voyage. He was made D.D. in 1767 from theUniversity of Aberdeen (Marischal College).He died in Edinburgh.
Blacklock is commemorated by a pub in West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, named The Blind Poet, on whose walls a number of Blacklock's poems appear.
References
cite book
last =Julian
first =John
authorlink =John Julian, D.D.
coauthors =
title =A Dictionary of Hymnology
publisher =John Murray
date =June, 1907
location =London
pages =144
url =
doi =
id =cite web
last =Electronic Scotland
first =
authorlink =http://www.electricscotland.com/
coauthors =
title =Significant Scots - Thomas Blacklock
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/blacklock_thomas.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30
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