William Nicholson was born in 1783 at Tannymas in the parish of Borgue, the youngest of eight children. His father was a carrier, then a farmer and finally a publican in Ringford, or Red Lion as it was known then. William went to school there but he was a very reluctant pupil. He suffered a defect of vision which, when reading, obliged him to hold the book almost to his nose which led to mocking by other pupils. The consequence was, that after simply learning to read indifferently, and gaining a very slight knowledge of the commonest rules of arithmetic, a subject which he hated, he bade farewell to school altogether, never to return. By the age of fourteen, Nicholson had taken up the trade of packman which involved him in selling his wares from town to town and farm to farm. Apparently he was extremely handsome as we can perhaps gauge from the painting by the Gatehouse of Fleet artist John Faed RSA and, at 5ft 10in, he was tall for the period. (Image reproduced courtesy of the Stewartry Museum)
His story-telling ability and affable personality probably helped him persuade customers to purchase his goods. Trade was very much affected by the price of muslin which fluctuated greatly.
In much the same way as in the case of Robert Burns, Nicholson’s mother used to tell him stories and he credits her with being his poetic inspiration. He absorbed ballads, songs, and penny histories in fact every kind of mental food, in short, which came within reach was eagerly seized upon. Long before he was attracted to poetry he contacted a great fondness for music and was in the habit of enlivening the families who hosted him on his travels with his wood notes wild. His ear was excellent and his voice passingly melodic and strong, and he purchased a set of bagpipes when he was 20. This enable him to give additional zest to his minstrelsy. His talent for wit and observation made him a favourite. It was said he could have journeyed 100 miles at a stretch without being at a loss for a meal or a lodging or putting himself to almost a farthing of expense.
However, he was always busy composing tunes so he did not give full attention to his packman duties. Alex Trotter in an article on Nicholson in his East Galloway Sketches records the occasion when a Mr Johnstone from Kirkcudbright found Oor Wull piping away in a quarry with half a dozen colts “capering about like mad to the sound of the bagpipes throwing their heels and snorting out their applause at the performance.”
However, in his late twenties he was encouraged by the Rev Henry Duncan of Ruthwell (famous for starting the world’s first savings bank) to publish some of his poetry which he did in 1814 at the age of 31. One of his poems The Brownie of Bladnoch was the inspiration for a painting by the Kirkcudbright artist Edward Atkinson Hornel now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow (reproduced courtesy of Glasgow Museums).
He was also greatly helped and encouraged by James Hogg, the eminent Scottish poet known as the Ettick Shepherd when they met whilst William stayed in the capital. He encouraged him to construct a narrative poem and the result was one of his best, A Country Lass. A long poem in eight parts it tells the story of the wooing of a country lass by various men about the parish all based on well-known local folk. Donsie Davie, a farmer’s eldest son, he was beef without and blank within so he was dispatched; the Kirkless priest who had too strong carnal desire and overstepped the mark; then Sandy the shepherd who looked the most likely but he was being edged out in favour of the wylie merchant who had a big hoose and plenty money and was charming Betty’s mother but then Betty discovers he has an illegitimate child by a young beggar woman who had been tricked by him. So she eventually returns to the arms of Sandy the shepherd. The poem provides a fascinating commentary on life at the beginning of the nineteenth century – religion, mercantile trade and agriculture.
He had managed to raise an incredible 1500 subscribers for the work. So the same pack that had been filled with bobbins and needles cotton and threads was now filled with a different kind of ware and after supplying Edinburgh and Glasgow he wended his way homeward through Ayrshire and Galloway “delivering copies and hauling in the siller.” The collection of poems raised a very welcome £100. He promptly lost it all when the price of muslin nosedived.
However, his fame spread as his poems gained critical acclaim. Perhaps not surprisingly, when we reflect on his topsy-turvy life to this point, this success played on his weaknesses and drinking became a major problem. He began seeing demons and obtained from them the answers to the world’s problems. So what does our Wull do? Armed with these earth-shaking revelations entitled ‘Universal Redemption’, and his poetry, he traveled to London to inform the King of what needed to be done to save the world. He failed in his request to meet the King but left a copy of his writings on the subject for the King to read later.
His time in London was not a happy one and he was mugged on several occasions and got lost even more frequently. Fortunately a group of Gallovidians, including another Borgue boy John Mactaggart secured a passage to Leith from whence he returned home. A second edition of his poems appeared in 1828. Little is recorded about what happened to him after this except that he is supposed to have led a quiet, contemplative life accepting the charity of his loyal Gallovidian friends and accepting poor relief until he died at Kildarroch, Borgue, on 24th May 1849 at the age of 65.
His gravestone can be seen in the graveyard at Kirkandrews. The inscription set on it by his brother John reads, ‘No future age shall see his name expire’ so we can consider ourselves as helping to prevent his name from expiring.
In 1900, some 51 years after his death, a plaque was erected outside Borgue Academy as it was known then. Still prominent on the wall around what is now the Borgue Primary School, the bronze plaque was sculpted by Mr. Shannon of Glasgow and is based on the portrait by John Faed.
