Alexander Ross of Lochlee, schoolmaster and poet, was a modest and retiring man whose uneventful life was spent entirely in the hinterland of North-East Scotland; yet he is an important figure in the eighteenth-century revival of Scottish poetry, and stands at the fountainhead of the still-flourishing tradition of literature in the distinctive North-East dialect.

The frequent appearance of Ross as a family name in this area makes it difficult to identify references to the poet’s early life with certainty; but it appears that he was born into a farming family and received his education at the local parish school of Kincardine O’Neil. He obtained a bursary to study at Marischal College (one of two independent universities in Aberdeen, the other being King’s College) in 1714, graduated

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Citation: McClure, J. Derrick. "Alexander Ross". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3848, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3848 Alexander Ross 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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