Flagstone to Perth poet William Soutar unveiled
Poetry preserved on Royal Mile plaque
William Soutar’s cousin, Janette, uncovers the flagstone Perth poet William Soutar has had a flagstone in his honour added to Makars’ Court in Edinburgh.
Makars’ Close in the capital’s old town is the Scottish answer to Poet’s Corner in London’s Westminster Abbey, with the words of the country’s best writers preserved in stone in front of the Writers’ Museum between The Royal Mile and The Mound.
The flagstone was officially unveiled by Soutar’s cousin, Janette Soutar, at a ceremony on Friday, April 28, to recognise the Fair City wordsmith’s key role in Scotland’s literary renaissance and his legacy in Scottish literature.
Janette said she felt privileged to unveil her cousin’s flagstone, and thanked those who had helped preserve his literary works.
A second flagstone to Renfrewshire’s George Campbell Hay (1915-1984) was also unveiled.
William Soutar lived from 1898 until 1943. His legacy in the city is carried on through a museum at his house in Wilson Street, and by the Friends of William Soutar Society who attended the ceremony in Edinburgh last week. Members of the society made speeches and read excerpts from his autobiography.
Society members were joined on the day by three schoolchildren from Perthshire who recited some of Soutar’s Bairnrhyme poems.
The winners of the 2016 Bairnrhymes competition, Leah Menzies from Moncrieffe Primary School and Charlotte Roach from Viewlands Primary School, recited The Wind and Bawsy Broon.
The pair were joined by Morgan Patterson from Strathallan School, who won the Soutar Unicorn at the 2017 Perth Club Schools’ Festival. Morgan recited An Alphabet for Caledonian Bairns.
Richard Lewis, City of Edinburgh Council’s culture convener, helped the society to uncover the new flagstones in Edinburgh’s old town.
He said: “Makars’ Court is a highlight of the old town tourist trail and the addition of these two new inscriptions celebrates these poets’ skills in their craft.
“Scotland has produced an extraordinary number of accomplished writers and Makars’
Makars’ Court is a highlight of the tourist trail
Richard Lewis
Court is an excellent place to pay tribute to them and their work.
“Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, these flagstones for George Campbell Hay and Wiliam Soutar continue the city’s longheld appreciation of great Scottish writing.”