On this day in 1832 - Scots novelist Sir Walter Scott dies

THE famous Scottish Novelist Sir Walter Scott has long been considered the inventor of the historical novel.

Sir Walter Scott. Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Best known for publications such as Waverley, Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, Sir Walter Scott was said to have inspired future historical writers.

Scott was born in Edinburgh on 15 August, 1771, and died 21 September, 1832, in Abbotsford, Roxburgh.

His mother, Anne Rutherford, was the daughter of Dr. John Rutherford, a physician who was one of the founders of the medical school of Edinburgh.

Scott spent much time with his grandparents, but it was an aunt Jenny who influenced him to write.

His visits to an uncle, Dr. Rutherford, professor of botany at the University of Edinburgh, also brought him into contact with scholarly people.

His first novel, Waverly, was published anonymously under the name Laurence Templeton. His publishers persuaded him to allow further novels to be designated as “by the author of Waverly”.

He published biographies of Swift and Dryden, as well as poems and novels, but his main claim to fame was for the historical novel.

He was married in 1797 to Margaret Charlotte Carpenter. they had three sons and two daughters.

Scott received his title and baronetcy from King George IV in the spring of 1820.

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