{\b Sir Alexander Boswell}.

{\b Date of Birth}.: 1775

{\b Date of Death}.: 26 March 1822

{\b Works}.

Scottish poet, song writer and folklorist. His poetry includes An Epistle to 
the Edinburgh Reviewers (1803) and Edinburgh, or the Ancient Royalty, (1810), 
but he is best known for his songs such as Songs chiefly in the Scottish 
Dialect (1803). Some of his best songs were included in Thomson's Select 
Collection (1817).

{\b Featured Works}.

'Jenny's Bawbee', 'Good-Night, and Joy Be Wi' Ye A''.

{\b General Comment}.

Born at Auchinleck, Scotland, Alexander Boswell was the eldest son of James 
Boswell, Samuel Johnson's famous biographer. He was educated at Oxford and 
returned to settle in the family home at Auchinleck in 1795. He became Member 
of Parliament for Plympton in 1818, Devonshire. His chief interests included 
the reprinting of ancient works, for which he established a private printing 
press at his home. He became popular among his people for the way he worked to 
honour the memory of Robert Burns for whom he secured the erection of a famous 
monument. He was honoured by the Harveian Society of Edinburgh who named him 
poet laureate. However, in spite of his many accomplishments, Alexander 
Boswell is now remembered for the tragic fate he met at the hands of Mr Stuart 
of Dunearn, whose bullet killed him during a duel. His brother, James Boswell, 
had just died and he had gone, immediately after the funeral, to fight the 
duel with Mr Stuart when he was murdered.