John Gibson Lockhart and Sir Walter Scott

Dr. Thomas Richardson

Thursday 20th June 2019

Summary of the Talk:

This talk provided a detailed overview of John Gibson Lockhart’s life, career, and relationship with Sir Walter Scott, emphasizing Lockhart’s role as Scott’s biographer, son-in-law, and literary executor. The discussion covered Lockhart’s early life, literary career, political involvement, personal controversies, and his lasting legacy through The Life of Sir Walter Scott.

1. Lockhart’s Early Life and Education

Born in 1794, son of Rev. Dr. John Lockhart, a Church of Scotland minister.
Brilliant student, excelling in languages and Classics.
Entered Glasgow University at 11 years old; later won a Snell Exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford.
Mastered multiple languages, including German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and even "dabbled" in Danish, Swedish, and Anglo-Saxon.
Initially attempted to publish literary translations but was unsuccessful.

2. Early Literary Career and Edinburgh Life

Moved to Edinburgh in 1815 to study law and briefly practiced as an Advocate.
His literary breakthrough came through his association with Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, where he became a major contributor.
Notable Works for Blackwood’s:
Over 200 articles on literary criticism, Greek tragedy, and contemporary poetry.
The satirical and controversial "Chaldee Manuscript" (1817)—a biblical-style parody that mocked rival publishers.
Four novels, including Valerius (1821), Adam Blair (1822), Reginald Dalton (1823), and Matthew Wald (1824).
Peter’s Letters to His Kinsfolk—a fictionalized account of Edinburgh's cultural and political elite.

3. Marriage to Scott’s Daughter and Personal Relationship with Scott

Met Scott in 1818 at Abbotsford and quickly became part of Scott’s close circle.
Married Scott’s daughter Sophia in 1820, which significantly shaped his life and career.
Scott had mixed feelings about Lockhart:
Praised his intelligence, literary ability, and gentlemanly character.
However, Scott disapproved of Lockhart’s sharp satire, which led to legal disputes and personal controversies.
Lockhart became Scott’s literary partner, political ally, and future biographer.
Scott saw Lockhart as essential in managing his literary estate, given his sons’ lack of literary inclination.

4. Career as a Literary Editor and Controversies

1825: Became editor of the Quarterly Review in London, a leading Tory journal.
Wrote extensively on politics, literature, and history, producing nearly 120 articles.
Lockhart’s personal satire caused scandals, including:
The Chaldee Manuscript (1817) – a biting satire that led to lawsuits and financial penalties.
The Cockney School Articles – vicious critiques of Leigh Hunt and John Keats, accusing them of literary incompetence.
His editorship of Blackwood’s Magazine involved bitter literary feuds, leading to a fatal duel between his friend Jonathan Christie and John Scott (editor of The London Magazine).
Scott personally urged Lockhart to abandon Blackwood’s Magazine due to the scandal.

5. Lockhart’s Political Involvement and Views

A staunch Tory, active in political circles and debates.
Considered standing for Parliament in 1830 but ultimately chose to focus on writing.
Regularly reported to Scott about Westminster politics, particularly the Reform Bill debates.
Attended Parliamentary sessions and socialized with influential political figures.
Expressed skepticism about political unity within the Tory Party.

6. Personal Life and Tragedies

Lockhart’s letters reveal a deeply personal side, showing his concern for family:
His son Johnny’s prolonged illness and early death.
The birth of his daughter Charlotte in 1828.
His generosity in helping struggling writers and artists, including James Hogg and William Maginn.
Despite his acerbic reputation in print, Lockhart was described by Thomas Carlyle as "kind and affectionate" in private life.

7. The Life of Sir Walter Scott (1837) – His Masterpiece

Lockhart’s greatest legacy was his biography of Scott, The Life of Sir Walter Scott (1837).
Written in a novelistic style, focusing on Scott’s character rather than strict factual accuracy.
Some critics (e.g., Thomas Carlyle) felt Lockhart idealized Scott, but others praised it as the definitive biography.
The famous "last words" of Scott ("Be a good man, be virtuous, be religious...") are disputed by modern scholars as embellished but capture Scott’s moral character.

Key Takeaways and Interesting Points

Lockhart was an extraordinary linguist and scholar, with a passion for literature and history.
His sharp wit and satirical writing made him feared but also got him into trouble—leading to lawsuits, scandals, and even a fatal duel.
His marriage to Scott’s daughter secured his place in literary history, making him Scott’s biographer and literary executor.
His political reports to Scott offer a valuable Tory perspective on the Reform Bill debates.
The Life of Sir Walter Scott (1837) remains one of the greatest literary biographies, despite accusations of over-idealizing Scott.

Final Thoughts

Dr. Richardson’s talk shed light on Lockhart’s multifaceted life—his brilliance, controversies, loyalty to Scott, and ultimate legacy as Scott’s biographer. While Lockhart’s satire made him enemies, his deep respect for Scott shaped his final and most enduring work.

Download the [transcript]

Speech introduction by Louise Gardiner:

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is lovely to see so many of you here.

You may be slightly surprised to see me here, rather than our new chairman, Prof. Iain Torrance, who sends his apologies. Wearing one of his other hats, Iain is presiding over the graduations at the University of Aberdeen all this week, in his role as pro-chancellor of that institution.

When we were first planning the programme for 2019, we did not, in fact, know that Iain Torrance was going to be the new chairman, and that he would not be in Edinburgh during the third week of June.

He very much regrets not being able to be here this evening and thereby missing what promises to be a particularly interesting talk.

We will do better with our dates for next year!

The name of Dr. Thomas Richardson, who has kindly agreed to talk to us this evening, will be familiar to many of you. He is currently Eudora Welty Professor of English at the Mississippi University for Women which, in spite of its name and slightly confusingly, is a public co-educational (have I got this right?) university in Columbus, Mississippi. Dr. Richardson has only fairly recently stepped down as provost and vice president for academic affairs of that university, in order to be able to bring to completion a long-term research project which I will come back to.

Dr. Richardson’s publications have mainly focussed on the contributions which various 19th century authors have made to contemporary literary magazines, such as James Hogg and Robert Louis Stevenson, and one of these publications is, in fact, a chapter in a book edited by Caroline McCracken-Flesher who is, of course, well known to this Club, both as a speaker and as a regular visitor.

Given Dr. Richardson’s interest in 19th century literary magazines, it may not come as a great surprise that the ‘long-term research project’ which I have just mentioned, is the first scholarly edition of the works of John Gibson Lockhart, of which Dr. Richardson is the series editor. This edition is due to be published shortly here in Edinburgh by the Edinburgh University Press.

And how who could we possibly have anyone who is better qualified to talk to us tonight about Scott and his son-in-law and biographer John Gibson Lockhart?