Alicia Ann Spottiswoode

Alicia Ann, Lady John Scott (née Spottiswoode; 24 June 1810 – 12 March 1900) was a Scottish songwriter and composer known chiefly for the tune, "Annie Laurie," to which the words of a 17th-century poet, William Douglas, were set. She was passionate about preserving Scottish heritage, and was the first Lady Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.^[1]

Scott was born at Spottiswoode, Scottish Borders, in the former Berwickshire.^[2] She was the oldest daughter of John Spottiswoode of Berwickshire and his wife Helen Wauchope of Niddrie Marischal. She had three siblings, two brothers called John and Andrew and a sister, Margaret, who she was particularly devoted to.^[3] The three children were close in age and were close companions. Alicia and Andrew were much bolder than John and Margaret, and thus acted as leaders of the group. Together they were adventurous; they were confident horseback riders, and would often gallop over the moors. They often joined their neighbour, Lord Lauderdale, in coursing hares.^[1]

Occasionally the children would be taken to their mother's former home in Niddrie. While there they would speak to her grandfather, a passionate Jacobite who would tell the children stories about the Jacobite rising of 1745. Scott was fascinated by these stories, and they stuck with her throughout her life.^[1]

Much of her childhood was spent in the countryside, where she was educated in Italian, French, drawing, literature, singing, and playing the harp. She inherited her father's interest in geology, botany and archaeology, and her grandfather's interest in Scottish history - being interested in the Jacobites in particular.^[1]

On 16 March 1836 she married Lord John Scott, a younger son of the 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and consequently become known as Lady John Scott.^[1] Together they lived at his estate in Cawston, Warwickshire.^[4]

In 1839 Scott's sister, Margaret, died. She had never been particularly strong, and had developed a "great delicacy of chest," and was told to winter abroad for her health. On her way to Italy in the winter of 1839, she and Sir Hugh stopped in Paris. Unbeknownst to them, the previous tenant of the room they stayed in had scarlet fever. Margaret caught it, and died a few days later. Scott received the news of her sister's illness and death almost simultaneously. This was deeply shocking to Scott, and she was deeply affected by her sister's passing.^[1]

During nineteenth century archaeology was a popular pastime for women of means, some of whom, including Scott, became pioneers in the field.^[5] In 1845 she directed the excavations of the Twinlaw cairns. She recorded that they "opened the Twinlaw Cairns and found a cist (which had been ransacked before) in each."^[6]

In 1863 Scott oversaw excavations on two barrows on the Spottiswoode estate, and the subsequent paper was published in Volume 5 of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland as "communicated by Professor JY Simpson." The artefacts found during excavations are now in the collections of the National Museums of Scotland.^[7]

In Volume 6 of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland a report on an excavation of the tumuli at Hartlaw was published by John Stuart. He reported that the excavation was directed by Scott, who was assisted by a Mrs. Warrender.^[7]

Lord John Scott died in 1900. Under the will of her father, she resumed her maiden name Spottiswoode in 1866, and was sometimes known as Lady John Scott Spottiswoode.^[8]

In 1868 the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland began to discuss the admission of women as members, as several archaeological societies in England had begun to admit them as well. The Society established its first official membership category for women, then known as Lady Associate. Lady John Scott was admitted as the first Lady Associate in 1870. Lady Associates were honorary members of the Society. The number of Lady Associates permitted in the Society was limited to twenty five at a time. Lady Associates did not pay member fees and were allowed to submit communications to be read at meetings by male Fellows, although not permitted to attend said meetings in person.

Scott was a champion of traditional Scots language, history and culture, her motto being 'Haud [hold] fast by the past'.^[9] Scott also regularly communicated with Scottish antiquary and folklorist Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe during the 1840's, evidencing her interest in Scottish culture, history and folklore.^[4]

One of her best known works, "Annie Laurie," was written whilst visiting her sister and brother-in-law in Marchmont, an area of Edinburgh, and was published in 1838.^[3] Years after writing "Annie Laurie" she recounted to a friend that "I made the tune very long ago to an absurd ballad, originally Norwegian, I believe, called 'Kempie Kaye,' and once, before I was married, I was staying at Marchmount, and fell in with a collection of Allan Cuningham's poetry. I took a fancy to the words of 'Annie Laurie,' and though they would go well to the tune I speak of. I didn't quite like the words, however, and I altered the verse, 'she backit like a peacock,' to what it is now, and made the third verse ('like dew on the gowan lying') myself, only for my own amusement; but I was singing it, and Hugh Campbell and my sister liked it, and I accordingly wrote it down for them."^[1]

She died at Spottiswoode, in the Borders, on 12 March 1900.^[8]

Her compositions were published by Paterson & Roy,^[10] and included:

Selected works include:

• “Annie Laurie”^[10]
• “Douglas Tender and True” ^[10]
• “Durisdeer”^[10]
• “Etterick”^[10]
• “Farewell to Thee”^[10]
• “Foul Fords”^[10]
• “Katherine Logie”^[10]
• “Lammermoor”^[10]
• “Loch Lomond”
• “Mother, Oh Sing Me to Rest”^[10]
• “Shame on Ye, Gallants”^[10]
• "Think on Me"^[10]
• “When We First Rode Down to Ettrick”^[10]
• “Within the Garden of My Heart”
• “Your Voices Are Not Hush'd”

Stuart, J.; Scott, Lady J. (1865) Account of Graves recently discovered at Hartlaw, on the farm of Westruther Mains, with Drawings by Lady John Scott.^[11] Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 6, pp. 55–61. doi:10.9750/PSAS.006.55.61.

• List of places in the Scottish Borders
• List of places in Scotland

• Works by or about Alicia Ann Spottiswoode at the Internet Archive
• Free scores by Alicia Ann Spottiswoode in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Free scores by Alicia Ann Spottiswoode at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Lady John Douglas Scott recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.