b. 7 March 1807. d. 27 December 1863. Nationality: Scottish. VIAF.
Working-class poet and salesman. Pseudonym: “James Wilson, druggist, Paisley.” Born
in Renfrew and orphaned at an early age. Attended parish school and then the University
of Glasgow. Worked in a Paisley commission warehouse at age fifteen, at age twenty
became a hat salesman for a Glasgow firm, at then started a business for himself that
ultimately failed. Lived in London and attempted to earn a living by writing. He was
back in Glasgow by 1841, where he continued to try to become a professional writer
but suffered worsening financial distress. Author of *The Bridegroom and the Bride,
and other Poems* (1834), *Silent Love* (1845), *Veritas* (1849), and *Egypt and the
East* (1856). Biographical information: *ODNB*. (AC)