Robert Bisset

Born in Perthshire around 1759, he was the son of a minister and studied in Edinburgh with the church in view, but his career took a different turn. He later moved to England, became a Doctor of Laws, and worked as editor of The Historical Magazine; or Classical Library of Public Events in the late 1780s and early 1790s.

He is remembered chiefly as a writer of biography and history. Among his best-known works are a life of Edmund Burke and biographical sketches of Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and other contributors to The Spectator. He also wrote a substantial history of the reign of George III, along with novels and political works that reflected the debates of his time.

His career seems to have combined literary ambition with strong public interests, making him a useful guide to the political and cultural world of late eighteenth-century Britain. He died on May 14, 1805.