The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Fair Maid of Perth was figment of Sir Walter Scott’s imagining
Historian debunks legend which has grown up around the Maid and her home at North Inch
Scotland is known worldwide for its folklore and legends but a Perth historian has debunked the myth behind one of the city’s most famous tales.
The Fair Maid of Perth, made famous by Sir Walter Scott’s novel of the same name, is believed by many to have lived in the house which now bears her name. It is the oldest secular structure near the North Inch.
However, Dr Nicola Cowmeadow, a history officer for Culture Perth and Kinross, has set the story straight as part of Local and Community History Month.
She said: “The first thing to understand is that the Fair Maid didn’t really exist. She was a character, Catharine Glover, created by Mr Scott.
“He was adept at weaving historical truth with fiction and was clearly inspired by the building’s history in creating the Fair Maid.”
The old building has changed hands over the years, having been, for two centuries from 1622, the meeting place of the Glover Incorporation. It is now the headquarters and visitor centre for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
Placed in the hands of the city at the beginning of the 1800s, it was named the
“The first thing is that the Fair Maid didn’t exist. She was a character, created by Mr Scott. DR COWMEADOW
Fair Maid’s House, due to Mr Scott’s novel. The building was owned by Alyth solicitor William Japp. Around the 1890s it was renovated and, in 2011, was taken on by the RSGS after more than 15 years unoccupied.
Dr Cowmeadow said: “Scott’s novel created a narrative around the Glovers and this property and it was an immense and immediate success. The entire tale lives on as an intrinsic part of Perth’s history and one that put the city on the international map.
“However, with so many coming to visit both the historic sights of Perth and those places which featured in The Fair Maid Of Perth, it has become difficult to separate myth from reality.”
The History Month in Perth runs until the end of May. Talks, workshops and drop-in sessions at libraries across the city are continuing, with a screening of two 1950s short films being shown at AK Bell Library on May 31 to round it off.
Even with the best will in the world it can sometimes be tricky to tell apart myth and reality. The story of the Fair Maid is inextricably linked to the Fair City of Perth, yet not everybody knows she is an entirely fictitious construct.
That is just one of the myths set to be busted by historians as part of local and community history month.
Some fascinating insights are sure to be provided — for locals and visitors alike.