| Administrative History | James Hay Beattie [1768-1790]. Eldest son of Beattie. Named, with permission, after Beattie's patron James Hay, Earl of Erroll. His childhood is lovingly recorded in many letters, which show that Beattie was always a deeply involved parent, and in the memoir Beattie wrote shortly after James Hay's death. His childhood and adolescence were marred by his mother's mental illness, and her total disasppearance from his life when he was aged about eleven. He attended Aberdeen Grammar School, and then Marischal College from 1781 to 1786. He considered entering the church, but Beattie secured his appointment on 28 Spetember 1787 as his own assistant and successor. James Hay sometimes taught the Arts class, but was already ill with tubercolosis, of which he died on 19 November 1790. His father assembled a substantial volume of his prose and verse, printed in an edition of 200 copies for circulation among his friends in 1794, and subsequently published with Beattie's own poems in 1799 |
| Description | Letter from James Hay Beattie, Aberdeen, Friday, to James Beattie, Gordon Castle, explaining that he received his father's letter late; talking about the weather, James Hay's dining and his reading of Cicero. Letter talks about Mr Copland trying to get Lord Erroll's print properly framed. According to the letter: "The Electrical machine is not yet come, but Mr Copland says that he had a letter lately from Mr Allardyce, who wrote him that it was to be put on board the ship last week; so that I think it is probably that it may be here in a few days. Mr Copland did not say any thing about the College business". Letter mentions that James Beattie has no messages and will receive two letters, one probably from Miss Valentine. James Hay writes about not getting the [fiddle] string from Mr Geddes [?possibly Alexander Geddes (1737 – 1802), Roman Catholic priest and biblical scholar] and asks to hear when his father intends to leave Gordon Castle.
Annotated on reverse: 'Ans.rd' [answered]. |