Digital Victorian Periodical Poetry

Poet, Chartist, journalist, and stonemason. Born in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire. Father was a labourer. Received limited schooling. An accident at age 9 left him lame. Became a stonemason at age 14 or 15, but quickly moved to journalism and lecturing on Chartist politics. Emigrated to Canada West in 1842, and worked as a mason in Pakenham (Bathurst District) until 1846, before turning again to journalism and writing for the Bathurst Courier. Edited the Huron Signal from 1848, and from 1852 the Hamilton Canadian, returning to the Huron Signal in 1854. Published three volumes of poems: My gloaming amusements, a variety of poems (1831), The exile; a poem, in seven books (1836), The moorland minstrel (1840). Biographical information: DCB. (AC)