Playwright John Home, 1722-1808, author of

Douglas

, was a key figure for the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a member of the Select Society with David Hume, Adam Ferguson, and Adam Smith. He was a distant relative of David Hume, and they quarreled good-naturedly throughout their friendship about the spelling of their surnames, which they pronounced the same but spelled differently.

Home was born in Leith on September 22nd 1722 (OS). His father, Alexander Home, was town clerk; his mother, Christian Hay, was the daughter of an Edinburgh writer. Home attended the University of Edinburgh, where he studied to be a minister. In 1745, he volunteered in the College Company to defend Edinburgh against the Highland rebels. After the Highlanders routed the Whig forces, Home returned to reconnoitre

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Citation: Owen, Jim. "John Home". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 October 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2189, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2189 John Home 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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