[Correspondence of Lady Nairne and her sisters]

  • Women's Voices and Life Writing
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Title
[Correspondence of Lady Nairne and her sisters]
Author
  • Oliphant, Caroline (Lady Nairne)
  • Keith, Margaret
  • Steuart, Amelia Ann
  • Stewart, Marjory Ann
Document Type
  • Diary
  • Correspondence
Date
1763-1876
Biography
Caroline Oliphant, Lady Nairne (1766-1845) was a Scottish songwriter. She was born in Perthshire, one of seven children of Jacobite Laurence Oliphant and Margaret Robertson. Her parents had been exiled to France for 19 years after the failure of the 1745 Jacobite rising and Caroline’s childhood was filled with reminders of the family’s Jacobite allegiance. She grew up well-educated and an accomplished musician. In 1806, she married William Murray Nairne, who later became the 5th Lord Nairne. The couple moved to Edinburgh and had one son, also William Murray Nairne. Caroline was a contemporary of poet and songwriter Robert Burns, and like him, her songs were influenced by Jacobite heritage. They both established a distinct Scottish identity through national songs. Throughout her life, however, Caroline hid her achievements as a songwriter, fearing the public popularity of her songs could be jeopardised if it was known the author was a woman. Her success only became known after the posthumous publication of Lays from Strathearn. Caroline suffered a stroke in her later years and died in October 1845.
Copyright and Source Archive
Material sourced from the National Library of Scotland