Scottish poet and literary essayist. Born on 31 March to an old established Borders family in Selkirk. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, St Andrews University, where he started writing poetry, Glasgow University, and Balliol College, Oxford. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford from 1868 to 74, studying myth, ritual and totemism. In 1875 he moved to London, and quickly became one of the most successful and best-known men of letters of his day. He published several volumes of verse including Ballads and Lyrics of Old France (1872) and Ballads in Blue China (1880, 1881). In addition, he cooperated in the translations of Odyssey (1879) and of Iliad (1883). He also wrote a number of fairy stories including The Gold of Fairnilee (1888) and The Blue Fairy Book (1889), which enjoyed a wide popularity. He played an active role in the controversy on the ballad origin. In favour of F. J. Child and F. B. Gummere’s views, he argued that traditional ballads were originally created by peasant poets. (H. N.)