Alicia Ann, Lady John Scott (née Spottiswoode; 24 June 1810 – 12 March 1900) was a Scottish songwriter and composer known chiefly for the tune, " Annie Laurie", to which the words of a 17th-century poet, William Douglas, were set.
She was the oldest daughter of John Spottiswoode of Berwickshire and his wife Helen Wauchope of Niddrie-Mains. On 16 March 1836 she married Lord John Scott, a younger son of the 4th Duke of Buccleuch, and consequently was known as Lady John Scott. [1] Lord John Scott died in 1860. Under the will of her father, she resumed her maiden name Spottiswoode in 1866, and was sometimes known as Lady John Scott Spottiswoode. [2]
Lady John Scott was a champion of traditional Scots language, history and culture, her motto being 'Haud [hold] fast by the past'. [3] One of her best known works, "Annie Laurie," was published in 1838. Scott was born at Spottiswoode, Scottish Borders, in the former Berwickshire [4] and died there on 12 March 1900. [2]
Her compositions were published by Paterson & Roy, [5] and included:
Selected works include:
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