Allan Cunningham (author)

Cunningham gave his leisure to reading and writing imitations of old Scottish ballads.

In 1809 he collected old ballads for Robert Hartley Cromek's Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song; he sent in, however, poems of his own, which the editor inserted, even though he may have suspected their real authorship.

He wrote three novels, a life of Sir David Wilkie,[2] and Lives of Eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (1829–33),[3][4] that include biographies of William Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough and William Blake.

A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea is a sea-song; and many other of Cunningham's songs became popular.

Other works included: Cunningham was married to Jean Walker, who had been servant in a house where he lived, and they had five sons and one daughter,[1] all of whom rose to important positions, and inherited in some degree his literary gifts.