author
James Miller
1792–1865
A self-taught Scottish printer, poet, and local historian, James Miller turned the legends and history of East Lothian into poems, dramas, and enduring regional studies. His life combined literary ambition with a remarkable knowledge of printing and Scottish antiquity.
1 Audiobook
About the author
James Miller was a Scottish printer, poet, and historian associated with Dunbar and Haddington. He began writing verse as a young man and published works inspired by local legends, including St. Baldred of the Bass and The Siege of Berwick. His poems also appeared in periodicals and in pamphlets celebrating local people and events.
Miller’s best-known historical work was The Lamp of Lothian, a history of Haddington published in 1844. He also wrote a history of Dunbar and compiled material on East Lothian’s past, drawing on local records and the help of antiquarian David Laing. His work was valued for preserving details of regional life that might otherwise have been forgotten.
His later years were marked by poverty and instability. He died at the Edinburgh Home of Refuge on May 21, 1865, leaving behind a body of writing that remains closely connected with the history and traditions of East Lothian.