author
D. M. (David Macbeth) Moir
1798–1851
A Scottish doctor who wrote with wit, warmth, and a strong sense of place, he is best remembered for blending literary life with a busy medical career. Writing under the pen name "Delta," he became a familiar voice in early 19th-century magazines and won lasting notice for Mansie Wauch.
2 Audiobooks
The Life of Mansie Wauch tailor in Dalkeith
by D. M. (David Macbeth) Moir
The Life of Mansie Wauch Tailor in Dalkeith, written by himself
by D. M. (David Macbeth) Moir
About the author
Born in Musselburgh, Scotland, on January 5, 1798, David Macbeth Moir trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh and went on to practise as a doctor in his hometown for the rest of his life. Alongside that steady professional life, he built a strong reputation as a writer.
He published poetry, essays, and sketches in leading periodicals, especially Blackwood's Magazine, where he often used the pseudonym Delta. His best-known book is The Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor in Dalkeith (1828), a humorous and sharply observed work that helped secure his place in Scottish literature.
Moir died on July 6, 1851. He is remembered as a figure who moved comfortably between medicine and letters, and whose writing carries both lively humor and an affectionate eye for everyday Scottish life.