Violet Jacob

1863 - 1946

Poet and author. Born Violet Kennedy-Erskine at Dun, near Montrose (Angus), the daughter of the 18th Laird. In 1894, she married Major Arthur Jacob and went with him to India. Their only son died from wounds received at the Battle of the Somme (1916). She wrote an historical novel Flemington (1911), set at the end of the Jacobite Rebellion, and this was followed by other novels and short stories. She travelled widely and travel diaries are amongst her works. However, it is for her poetry, written in the Angus dialect for which she is best known. Her works included The Wild Geese and Tam i' the Kirk and collections such as The Songs of Angus (1915) and The Northern Lights (1927). She wrote in Scots ahead of its revival in literature, later notably used by her friend Hugh MacDiarmid (1892 - 1978). Jacob also wrote Lairds of Dun (1931), a history of her family estates and the notable Adam mansion in which she was born.

Jacob returned to live in Kirriemuir only after her husband died in 1936 and she died in the town.

Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry