Allan Massie

The Father of Scottish Tourism

‘How do we make Scott more popular?’ The question ran round the table and none of us had an answer.

issue 10 October 2009

‘How do we make Scott more popular?’ The question ran round the table and none of us had an answer.

‘How do we make Scott more popular?’ The question ran round the table and none of us had an answer. It was a meeting of the Abbotsford Trust. I am not myself a trustee, but was there as a member of an advisory committee. The Trust itself was set up after the death of Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, Sir Walter’s great-great-great-granddaughter who, with her late sister, Patricia, had owned Abbotsford for many years and had made it the happiest and most welcoming of houses.

Scott bought it in 1812. It was then a small farmhouse called Cartley (or perhaps Clarty) Hole, and Scott bought it to comply with the requirement that as Sheriff of Selkirkshire he should have a residence in his Sheriffdom.

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