Sir Walter Scott’s original manuscript for his narrative poem, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, is to be displayed for the first time at Abbotsford, his home near Melrose.
It is the only surviving part of his first long narrative poem and reveals some of his working methods as he transitions from ballad-collecting to writing poetry.
The poem, set in various locations in the Borders, most famously Melrose Abbey, contains all the hallmarks of his popular style: history, martial exploits, minstrelsy, and magic.
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Kirsty Archer-Thompson, Collections and Interpretation Manager at Abbotsford, said: "Ultimately, this is the most famous poem ever written about or set in our region and it would go on to transform the life of one of its most famous sons".
The fragment of handwritten compositional manuscript will be displayed in a spotlight exhibition at Abbotsford between November 1 and 19.
The manuscript was acquired by Abbotsford as part of the Blavatnik Honresfield Library, a collection containing important British literary manuscripts, work by the Brontes, Jane Austen, Lord Byron, and Robert Burns as well as Sir Walter Scott.
The success of the Friends of National Libraries campaign meant that the previously private collection will now remain in the public domain.
The homecoming and exhibition of The Lay of the Last Minstrel manuscript at Abbotsford represents a key cultural moment for the Scottish Borders and its literary heritage.
This was the poem that established ‘Scott country’ as a tourist destination for the very first time, as thousands of readers flocked to Melrose Abbey, and later to Scott’s home at Abbotsford, which was first opened to the public in 1833, just months after his death.
Rosslyn Chapel also saw an explosion of interest as a result of The Lay. Many of Scott’s author’s manuscripts were sold as due to the financial turmoil in his final years, making this display a rare chance to see an example of a famous work in his own hand and displayed in the house where many of his literary classics were penned.
Kirsty Archer- Thompson, added: “The significance of this manuscript fragment cannot be overstated, not just in terms of Scottish literary history, but also in the context of the cultural heritage of the Scottish Borders.
"It has been a joy and a privilege to work with Friends of the National Libraries and the National Library of Scotland to bring it home to Abbotsford so it can be enjoyed and appreciated by our visitors, utilised in community and learning engagement projects, and accessed by researchers.”
"It allows us to examine Scott’s creative process at this early and pivotal point in his career and provides insight into his thinking on the connections between history, memory and storytelling.
Literary scholar and authority on the works of Sir Walter Scott
"Abbotsford is the ideal home for this manuscript given the poem’s intimate connections to the Borders and to the wonderful collections on folk belief in Scott’s library. The work of the Friends of National Libraries to bring this manuscript and others home is an impressive example of collective endeavour and is greatly appreciated.”
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