Sir Walter Scott
On this day 194 years ago, Scotland lost one of its greats. Sir Walter Scott, born 15th of August 1771 in Old Town Edinburgh, rose to be one of the most famous men to call the city home. He was the ninth child of his parents, one of only three surviving at the time, and his roots could be traced back to the Haliburton Family and Clan Swinton which made him pretty important already. His infancy was already afflicted though as at the age of two he got Polio which left a lasting impact on him. As such he was sent to live with his grandparents on the Scottish Borders as the rural landscape was thought to have improved his lame leg. Instead his aunt Jenny taught him how to read, told him legends and tales galore, and how to speak along with speech patterns. He went back to Edinburgh two years later but continued his learning/polio therapy with his aunt which also included a visit to Somerset. In 1778 it was deemed that the young Scott was well enough for school, so he returned t...
