John William Cousin, A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature… (1910)
“ Of her songs -- 87 in number -- many first appeared anonymously in The Scottish Minstrel (1821-24) ; a collected ed. with her name, under the title of Lays' from Strathearn, was pub. after her death. Although the songs, some of which were founded on older compositions, had from the first an extraordinary popularity, the authoress maintained a strict anonymity during her life. For direct simplicity and poetic feeling Lady N. perhaps comes nearer than any other Scottish song-writer to Burns, and many of her lyrics are enshrined in the hearts of her fellow-countrymen. ”
