MacNeill, Hector

(1746-1818)

   Scottish poet, the son of James Macneill, a retired captain of the 42nd Regiment, was born at Rosebank, near Roslin, Midlothian. Educated at Stirling Grammar School, he then worked as a sailor in the West Indies until around 1776. From 1780 to 1787 he was assistant secretary to Admiral Geary's flagship with the grand fleet, then to the flagship of Sir Richard Bickerton in Indian waters. His attempts to make his living by writing proved unsuccessful for a time and not until 1796 did his fortunes change. He achieved popularity when living in Edinburgh, where he died. A portrait by John Henning is in the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. Some of his publications: An Advice From an Old Lover, 1798. The Poetical Works, 1806. The Pastoral, or Lyric Muse of Scotland, 1808. Town Fashions or Modern Manners Delineated, 1810. Bygane Times and Late-come Changes, 1811. Some of his poems: "Come under My Plaidie," "My Boy Tammy" (a song), "Scotland's Scaith, or the History of Will and Jean," "The Harp, a Legendary Tale," "The Links o' Forth, or a Parting Peep at the Carse of Stirling."

   Sources: Auld Scots Ballants. Robert Ford, ed. Alexander Gardner, 1889. Come Hither. Walter de la Mare, ed. Knopf, 1957; Dover Publications, 1995. Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (http://library.stanford.edu). 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 Scottish Collection of Verse to 1800. Eileen Dunlop and Kamm Antony, eds. Richard Drew, 1985.