Thomas Davidson

July 7, 1838 (age 31)

Oxnam, near Oxnam

Thomas"s education was at a number of village schools then - after showing an early interest in reading and poetry-writing - from 1854 at the Nest Academy at Jedburgh and from 1855 to 1859 at the University of Edinburgh. He continued to write poetry in this time (working as an assistant schoolmaster at Forres and in Doctor Douglas"s School, Edinburgh), with some works published in The Scotsman. In accordance with church regulations, he spent the first years of his ministry travelling widely to preach at various Scottish, English and Irish churches, and what he experienced on his travels inspired several more poems. These included the humorous ‘Yang-Tsi-Kiang’, which became popular as a student song and was used by Thomas Carlyle"s supporters in his bid to become lord rector of the university. However, Davidson caught a cold in June 1866 which had a severe effect on his health and he was forced to retire to Jedburgh in December that year. During his 4-year recuperation he wrote more mournful songs like the love ballad "Myspie"s Den" and "Auld Ash Tree", and continued to be published in The Scotsman, but never fully recovered and died of Tuberculosis on 29 April 1870 at Bank End, Jedburgh. He was buried at Jedburgh"s new cemetery. John Brown wrote a memoir of Davidson in 1877, and this included republication of some of Davidson"s poems.

Thomas Davidson

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poet

Education

University of Edinburgh.

Career

Thomas"s education was at a number of village schools then - after showing an early interest in reading and poetry-writing - from 1854 at the Nest Academy at Jedburgh and from 1855 to 1859 at the University of Edinburgh. He continued to write poetry in this time (working as an assistant schoolmaster at Forres and in Doctor Douglas"s School, Edinburgh), with some works published in The Scotsman. In accordance with church regulations, he spent the first years of his ministry travelling widely to preach at various Scottish, English and Irish churches, and what he experienced on his travels inspired several more poems.

These included the humorous ‘Yang-Tsi-Kiang’, which became popular as a student song and was used by Thomas Carlyle"s supporters in his bid to become lord rector of the university.

However, Davidson caught a cold in June 1866 which had a severe effect on his health and he was forced to retire to Jedburgh in December that year. During his 4-year recuperation he wrote more mournful songs like the love ballad "Myspie"s Den" and "Auld Ash Tree", and continued to be published in The Scotsman, but never fully recovered and died of Tuberculosis on 29 April 1870 at Bank End, Jedburgh.

He was buried at Jedburgh"s new cemetery. John Brown wrote a memoir of Davidson in 1877, and this included republication of some of Davidson"s poems.

Achievements

At university, in 1859, he won second prize in rhetoric for Ariadne at Naxos, a poem sent to William Makepeace Thackeray by one of Thomas"s friends and published in the Cornhill Magazine"s December issue the following year.

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Thomas Davidson

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