William Bayne

“ Two more volumes were published in 1789, with notes and illustrations. A fifth volume, completing the work, was published after his death by his nephew, Serjeant Frere. Mr. Gairdner states that Fenn's work is ‘a perfect model of care and accuracy for the days in which he lived.’ He appears to have copied the manuscript twice, first in the original spelling, then in a modern orthography. The two copies were carefully collated by a friend, Mr. Dalton, who made many suggestions, carefully considered by Fenn. ”

“ About 1764-7 he published, along with certain collaborators 'eminent in this branch of literature,' 'A General History of the World, from the Creation to the Present Time,' in twelve volumes; this was favourably noticed in the 'Critical Review,' as it was said, by the author himself. In 1767 appeared 'A General History of Scotland,' 10 vols. 8vo. It is painstaking and vigorous, but inaccurate, particularly in the early periods. ”

“ Grieve and Scott would in a very short time have been starved out of it again.’ In 1817 Grieve retired from business through ill-health. Until his death he was a well-known figure in Edinburgh literary society. ”

“ The original manuscripts presented to the king, and those of the third and fourth volumes, have disappeared. In 1865 doubts were suggested as to the authenticity of the letters, from the absence of the originals. In the same year, however, Mr. Philip Frere, son of the editor of the fifth volume, discovered the originals of that volume in his house at Dungate in Cambridgeshire. He found a few other letters of the collection, which are now in the British Museum. Twenty letters came into the hands of Francis Douce, and are now in the Bodleian. ”

“ He was an earnest advocate of the principles of the French revolution. He wrote various lyrical pieces, the best known of which, 'If doughty deeds my lady please,' is deservedly famous. In 1796 (see Foster, Members of Parliament, Scotland) , owing to the death of John Cunninghame, fifteenth and last earl of Glencairn, he succeeded to the Finlaystoun estates, and assumed the additional surname of Cunninghame. He married, first, Anne, daughter of Patrick Taylor of Jamaica, sister of Sir John Taylor, bart.; secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Buchanan of Spital. ”

“ Fenn edited and prepared these for publication in five volumes as ‘Original Letters written during the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VII, by various persons of rank and consequence, and by members of the Paston family.’ His work was encouraged by Horace Walpole and others, and the first two volumes were produced with a dedication by permission to George III. Three volumes of manuscript, containing the material of the two printed volumes, were presented, richly bound, to the king. Fenn was knighted in honour of his gift on 23 May 1787. ”

“ In 1861 he was appointed French master in Oundle grammar school, Northamptonshire. In 1865 he became assistant master of Eccleshall College, a private school near Sheffield. Subsequently he purchased a day school in Sheffield, which proved a failure, and in 1880 he had to retire from his charge penniless. From that date till his death in 1886 he acted as a private tutor in Edinburgh. He published 'Metrical Tales' at Sheffield in 1880, and 'Lays and Legends of the North' at Edinburgh in 1884. ”

“ FINDLATER, ANDREW (1810–1885) , compiler, born at Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, in 1810, was educated at the university of Aberdeen, where he graduated and for some time attended the divinity classes. On leaving college he became schoolmaster at Tillydesk, and subsequently head-master of Gordon's Hospital, Aberdeen. In 1853 he began a life-long connection with the publishing firm of Messrs. ”

“ In early life he served as an apprentice, first to a wine merchant and then to an ironmonger. In 1819 he entered into a partnership as an ironmonger in Kirkcaldy, and in 1833 began business on his own account. ”