09/06/2026
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JAMES HYSLOP (as featured in the KKS News)
Part Three - The Corsebank Shepherd
James Hyslop spent the final years of his shepherd life at Corsebank, near Sanquhar, between 1816 and 1818. The farm beside the Crawick became closely connected with some of his earliest surviving poetry and the beginnings of his reputation as a writer.
People who knew Hyslop at Corsebank described him as thoughtful, quiet and rarely without a book. He spent long days on the hills with his sheep, often reading or composing poetry while watching the flock. The lonely landscape around Corsebank — the moors, burns and harsh winter weather — would leave a lasting mark on his writing.
The farmer at Corsebank, John Laidlaw, encouraged the young shepherd and treated him kindly. One friend later said Laidlaw behaved “more like a friend or brother than a servant,” support which clearly meant a great deal to Hyslop at a time when opportunities for young working men were limited.
The difficult conditions of upland farming also appeared in his poetry. One of his earliest surviving poems, written at Corsebank in 1816, describes fierce winter storms sweeping across the hills and lambs lying dead beneath drifting snow. The verses combine vivid descriptions of life on the hills with reflections on suffering, faith and death, themes which later became common in his work.
During this period Hyslop kept up a close correspondence with his friend and former teacher, Jonathan Dawson of Kirkconnel, who remained one of his strongest supporters. One surviving letter, dated April 1816, is partly written in verse and partly filled with algebra problems, showing both his poetic interests and his restless, curious mind. Dawson carefully preserved the letter for many years afterwards, recognising even then the unusual ability of the young shepherd.
The letter is also interesting for another reason — Hyslop signed his name “Hislop,” although he later adopted the spelling “Hyslop,” the version more commonly used by other branches of his family. The change seems to have taken place gradually during these early years as his writing began to circulate more widely.
An incident from this period also revealed his determination. A local minister, after noticing one of Hyslop’s books, reportedly advised his grandfather to stop the young shepherd “troubling himself with these things” and send him “to the plough.” Hyslop gave little outward reaction, but later admitted the remark only strengthened his resolve to continue.
The year after leaving Corsebank proved to be a turning point. In 1819, Hyslop anonymously sent two poems to the Edinburgh Magazine. Both were inspired by places he knew intimately — the Crawick and the little stream of Spango near Wanlockhead.
The editor was greatly impressed and published the poems in the October edition of the magazine. In a glowing introduction, he described Hyslop as a gifted young shepherd from the “upland wilds of Dumfriesshire” who had shown remarkable talent despite earning his living through hard physical labour. He also praised the young poet’s modesty, intelligence and strong moral character.
For Hyslop, this marked the beginning of wider recognition. The shepherd from Corsebank, once tending sheep on the lonely hills above Crawick, was beginning to establish a name within Scotland’s literary world.
