RLS fans show grave concern

Published on Friday 24 September 2004 14:12

A MEMORIAL honouring Robert Louis Stevenson’s longtime nurse which was toppled by city officials because it was deemed a danger to the public has been restored to its former glory.

The dedication of Alison Cunningham helped the Treasure Island author survive years of illness in his youth. Her devotion was such that he even grew to refer to her as his "second mother".

She was known as Cummy, and experts say her "fire and brimstone" teachings and bloody tales of the 17th-century Covenanter religious reformers fuelled the young writer’s imagination.

She spent 19 years with the Stevenson family, and is credited with playing a "huge" role in helping the author develop his knowledge of religion and Scottish history.

But Ms Cunningham’s headstone was among about 2000 at Morningside Cemetery which were laid flat by city council workers last October after it was claimed they were "unsafe".

At a ceremony yesterday, members of the city-based Robert Louis Stevenson Club reinstated the gravestone, after raising hundreds of pounds to have it cleaned.

Club member the Rev George Wilkie said a prayer at the simple rededication service, which drew about 20 people to the Morningside Drive cemetery.

He said: "We just felt this was of such great significance. The stone was put up by Stevenson’s widow and we felt she would have wanted it restored and properly bedded down so it won’t fall again.

"Cummy had a great deal to do with him in the first 20 years of his life, and Stevenson really appreciated her. Many nights she was up with Stevenson giving him cups of cold water to help his sick and fevered condition. She brought a strong Scottish Calvinist outlook, and her stories touched his imagination."

Born in Torryburn, Fife, Ms Cunningham died in 1913, aged 91.

Club secretary Alan Marchbank said many members had been "saddened" to learn that Cummy’s marker had been knocked down as part of a controversial safety drive.

Mr Marchbank said: "Cummy joined the family when Stevenson was about 18 months old to look after him. Stevenson dedicated A Child’s Garden of Verses to her, and referred to her as a second mother.

"The original gravestone was paid for by Stevenson’s wife, who knew the role she had played in his life and the high regard with which she was held."

The club was formed in 1920 by those who had known Stevenson and wanted to care for his memory, and now boasts members from around the world.