Dugald Moore (1805-1841)
Born in the city centre, Moore is another Glasgow poet who is underrepresented in contemporary Scottish literary studies. He did not attend the grammar schools or University, spending his youth as an apprentice to a tobacco manufacturer and, later, worked under James Lumsden & Sons, booksellers in Glasgow. It was the latter employment which led to the publication of his first major volume, The African: a Tale, and other Poems (1829).
His prolific career in the late Georgian era saw the publication of five more major collections, all published in Glasgow. They were Scenes from the Flood (1830); The Bridal Night (1831); The Bard of the North (1833); The Hour of Retribution (1835); and The Devoted One (1839). In The Bridal Night Moore included a sonnet about Glasgow Cathedral, while his Bard of the North – drawing praise from John Wilson (Christopher North) – included descriptive scenes of the river Clyde. By this point, the Glasgow tradition of writing about the Clyde was established, clearly serving as a strong, linking motif between the city’s ancient past and its importance to foreign trade and commerce.
For almost ten years before his death, Moore worked as a bookseller in Queen Street. It is unfortunate that his life, like Burns’ and Tannahill’s, was cut short. While he is an obscure figure today, his presence in late-Georgian Glasgow was clearly above average; as is revealed by a large monument erected to his memory in the Glasgow Necropolis.