author
James M. (James Murray) Mackinlay
d. 1916
A Scottish minister and folklorist, he wrote vivid studies of holy wells, lochs, place-names, and church dedications that preserve older layers of Scottish belief and custom. His books blend patient research with a real feel for the stories people told about the landscape around them.
1 Audiobook
Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs
by James M. (James Murray) Mackinlay
About the author
Best known as a Scottish folklorist and Church of Scotland minister, James Murray Mackinlay was born in Guildford on December 17, 1850, and died on May 14, 1916. He studied at Oxford and at St. George's Hospital Medical School before entering the ministry, and he later served in rural Scottish parishes as well as in Edinburgh.
Mackinlay wrote about the meeting point of religion, folklore, and place. His best-known works include Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs (1893), Influence of the Pre-Reformation Church on Scottish Place-Names (1904), and Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland (1914). These books explore how sacred wells, saints, churches, and local traditions shaped both everyday belief and the names attached to the Scottish landscape.
What makes his work appealing now is its mix of curiosity and care. He gathered legends, customs, and historical traces in a way that still gives modern readers a window into older Scotland, especially the ways religious life and folk tradition overlapped.