Lady Anne Lindsay Barnard became famous primarily because of her ballad “Auld Robin Gray”, but her letters and journals may prove her most enduring monument. Anne Lindsay, born at Balcarres, 27 November, 1750, was the eldest child of the eight boys and three girls of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres, and his wife Anne Dalrymple, daughter of Sir Robert Dalrymple of Castleton. She spent her childhood in Fife under the stern discipline of her mother. The family often wintered in Edinburgh where their social circle included David Hume, Henry Mackenzie, and Lord Monboddo. Lady Anne met Samuel Johnson when he visited Edinburgh in 1773. Later she moved to London to live with her sister, Margaret Fordyce. She was courted by, but refused, Henry Dundas who became Secretary of State for War…
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Citation: McMillan, Dorothy. "Lady Anne Lindsay". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 September 2003; last revised 02 March 2019. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=263, accessed 23 November 2024.]
