Allan Ramsay

Born in Leadhills, Lanarkshire, in 1686, Allan Ramsay became one of the key literary voices of 18th-century Scotland. He settled in Edinburgh, worked for a time as a wigmaker, and gradually built a reputation as a poet, editor, and bookseller.

Ramsay played an important part in preserving and popularizing Scottish verse and song. His work drew on Scots language and rural life, and his pastoral drama The Gentle Shepherd became especially influential and widely loved.

Beyond his own writing, he helped create a literary culture in Edinburgh through bookselling and publishing. He died in 1758, leaving a legacy as one of the writers who gave Scottish literature a stronger public voice.