Walter Reading Bishop Percy, Smailholm Tower

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This is a costumed figure of Sir Walter Scott reading Bishop Thomas Percy’s ‘Reliques of Ancient Poetry’. This collection of popular ballads and songs was published by Bishop Percy in 1765. It inspired Scott when putting together his own Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border in 1802.

This is part of a series of costume figures created by local artist Anne Carrick to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth in 1971. They depict scenes from Scott’s ‘Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border’, first published in 1802. The Minstrelsy is a collection of historical and romantic ballads that tell the stories of Border heroes and fairy tales.

The figures are on display at Smailholm Tower in the Scottish Borders. To learn more about Smailholm, go to our website.

Rae Project | SML039