Walter Sholto Douglas[1][2] (1790–1830), born under the name Mary Diana Dods, was a Scottish writer of books, stories and other works.
[7] Douglas, communicating as Lyndsay, admitted to admiring Byron for his writing, but adamantly denied that he plagiarized his work.
[3] He explained his use of a pseudonym to his father in a letter of 26 June 1822: "I sometimes, about once a quarter, write a criticism for the Reviewers upon some popular work, any that happen to be the fashion, for which, I am esteem'd one of the cleverest and keenest of that race of Vipers.
As a young man, his wealthy father had often ignored his petitions for money – his sister Georgiana was typically given a larger sum and more often.
[11] This shows that Douglas' father did not trust his financial responsibility in the same way as his sister's, a limitation that kept both young children in perpetual debt.
The debt receipts and bills, however, provide much evidence for the research on Douglas in relation to his personae – Lyndsay and Dods.
[11][3] Writing as Lyndsay, Douglas developed his literary ingenuity and avoided the constraints of working in the more socially acceptable role of a governess.
[3] The letters of Mary Shelley, the original focus of Bennett's research, reveal details of the identities Douglas adopted in his life and career.
[3] Douglas' writing pseudonym was David Lyndsay, for the purpose of supporting himself as a writer while living with his sister Georgiana Carter.
[3] In 1822, letters began to make mention of a liver disease that occupied Lyndsay and prevented his work from being completed on time.
Douglas, writing as Lyndsay, relates details such as his Scottish heritage, his linguistic prowess, and his skill in theatre critique.
[16][3] Walter Sholto Douglas was an aspiring diplomat, scholar, husband to Isabella Robinson, and friend of Mary Shelley.
[22] One clue comes in a letter Shelley wrote with a large blank space originally indicating to critics that she had simply discontinued one sentence and begun another.
[24][25] Though a contemporary, Mary Elizabeth Clarke, speculated that Douglas was trying to impress the jailers, in truth it was likely an effort to conceal a lack of natural beard growth, and potentially to maintain a male self-image.