Leighton, Robert

(1822-1869)

   Scottish poet, born in Dundee and educated at the academy, he started working for his brother William, a Dundee ship owner, in 1837. In 1842-43 he sailed the world in one of his brother's ships, then worked for the London and North-Western Railway at Preston. He spent much of his life traveling at home and abroad on business for a seed merchant in Liverpool. Following an accident in 1867 near Youghal, County Cork, Ireland, he became a helpless invalid and died at Liverpool. Before 1843 he had contributed "Ye Three Voyces" to Jerrold's Shilling Magazine, and his popular song "Jenny Marshall's Candy, O," was said to improve the confectionery business of that lady. Some of his publications: Poems by Robin, 1861. Scotch Words and the Bapteesement o' the Bairn, 1868. Poems, 1869. Reuben and Other Poems, 1875. Records and Other Poems, 1880. Some of his other poems: "Abraham Lincoln," "The Guid Gray Cat: A Witch Story of the Sea," "My Mither's Grave," "The Auld Gaberlunzie is Dead and Awa'," "The Drunkard's Sonnet," "The Duke of Brunswick's Diamonds," "The Lonely Isle."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry, Second Edition Bibliography (http://collections.chadwyck.co.uk/html/ep2/bibliography/g.htm). Poems by Robert Leighton. George Routledge and Sons (1869). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (http://library.stanford.edu).