Cunningham, Allan

(1784-1842)

   A stone mason poet from Dumfriesshire who became clerk of works to the London sculptor Francis Chantery (1781-1841). Cunningham was inspired by hearing Burns recite "Tam o' Shanter" and by his friendship with James Hogg, "the Ettrick Shepherd" (see entry). His biographies of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns helped to popularize these poets. His Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects ran to six volumes (1829-1833). Many of his poems were included as songs in Cromek's Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song (1810). Two of his poems were set to music by Peter Warlock (pseudonym of Philip Heseltine): "Gone were but the winter cold" and "The spring of the year." His other main publications are: Sir Marmaduke Maxwell, 1822. Traditional Tales of the English and Scottish Peasantry, 1822 (two volumes). The Songs of Scotland, Ancient and Modern, 1825 (four volumes, which includes "A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea," said to be one of the best sea songs). Some of his other poems: "Gone Were but the Winter Cold," "The Maid I Love," "The Poet's Bridal-Day Song," "The Sun Rises Bright in France."

   Sources: Come Hither. Walter de la Mare, ed. Knopf, 1957; Dover Publications, 1995. Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition, 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. ChadwyckHealey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Significant and Famous Scots (http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/cleland_william.htm). The Burns Encyclopedia (www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.