at Glasgow in April 1787; his father was originally of Buchlyvie, Stirlingshire (‘Biographical Sketch’ to Carrick's Laird of Logan, p. ix). Carrick was early put into the office of Nicholson, a Glasgow architect, which office he left about 1805 for a clerkship in a counting-house (ib. x). In 1807 he ran away, and walked to London, where a Scotch tradesman gave him a trial as shopboy. In 1809 he obtained employment with Spodes & Co., potters in Staffordshire, who had extensive warehouses in London; and with them he acquired sufficient knowledge of china to return to Glasgow, 1811, and set up business in Hutcheson Street. There he also took to writing, producing several humorous Scotch songs, and his ‘Life of Wallace’ for the young; but in 1825 a prolonged litigation led to his insolvency. As agent to manufacturers he subsequently visited the highlands, and acquired the Gaelic language. On returning to Glasgow in 1828 he was engaged as sub-editor of the ‘Scots Times;’ contributed articles to the ‘Day,’ a Glasgow daily paper, which lasted only six months; and produced, 1830, his extended ‘Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie,’ 2 vols., this forming vols. liii. and liv. of Constable's ‘Miscellany.’ In 1832 he edited and partly wrote ‘Whistle-Binkie, or the Piper of the Party,’ a collection of humorous songs. In 1833 he accepted the full editorship of the ‘Perth Advertiser,’ but quarrelled with the managing committee in a year, and in February 1834 started the ‘Kilmarnock Journal.’ Carrick again fell out with the proprietors, and was attacked by paralysis of the mouth; in 1835 he returned to Glasgow, his health completely shattered. He edited and contributed to the ‘Laird of Logan,’ a collection of Scotch tales and witticism, which appeared in 1835. From Rothesay he contributed some papers to the ‘Scottish Monthly Magazine,’ and announced a new work, ‘Tales of the Bannock Men;’ but he died 17 Aug. 1837, aged 50. A comedy was left by him in manuscript, with the title ‘Logan House, or the Laird at Home.’ A new edition of the ‘Laird of Logan,’ accompanied by an anonymous ‘Biographical Sketch,’ came out in 1841; and ‘Whistle-Binkie’ has appeared in numerous issues in 1838, 1839, 1842, 1845, 1843, 1853, and as late as 1878, much enlarged.
[Biographical Sketch to the Laird of Logan, ed. 1841. pp. 9–12, 14, 20–23, 26, 27; Preface to Carrick's Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, ed. 1830, p. vi.]
CARRICK, THOMAS (1802–1875), miniature painter, was born on 4 July 1802 at Upperby, near Carlisle in Cumberland. He was the second child of John Carrick, cotton-mill owner of that city, by his wife, Mary Anderson. He was educated at the Carlisle grammar school, and by his uncle, the Rev. John Topping. As an artist Carrick was entirely self-taught; his skill in portraiture was evidenced at an extraordinarily early age. Having quarrelled with one of the members of his family, he suddenly quitted his home, and was taken into the employment of a chemist in Carlisle named Brunel, who soon began to take great interest in his advancement. Carrick eventually became himself a chemist in his native city. His heart was so entirely given over to painting, however, that he much neglected his business. He had been painting miniatures for several years before he had ever seen a miniature from any hand but his own. The first that then came under his notice was one from the easel of Sir William Charles Ross. Carrick had already painted the likenesses of many well-known persons in the north country; among these was Charles Kean when he was just beginning to win popularity as a provincial actor. Carrick in 1829 married Mary Mulcaster, by whom he had five children. Being by that time in thoroughly good repute at Carlisle as a miniature painter, he soon afterwards gave up his business, and in 1836 moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In November 1839 he removed with his family to London. Two years afterwards he began to exhibit at the Royal Academy. Among his most remarkable sitters were Sir Robert Peel and Lord John Russell, the poets Rogers and Wordsworth, Caroline Norton and Eliza Cook, Farren and Macready, Lablache and Longfellow. He was painting at the same time (in the early part of 1844) Daniel O'Connell, Blomfield the bishop of London, and Robert Owen the socialist. His vivacity as a conversationalist, and his store of anecdotes, enabled him to awaken the interest of his sitters and seize the characteristic expression. His miniature of Thomas Carlyle was notable as one of his most brilliant successes; yet while it was in progress Mrs. Carlyle more than once exclaimed that she was sure it would never be like her husband, seeing that she had never heard him laugh so much or so heartily as when he was sitting to Mr. Carrick. Carrick was simple-minded and unambitious. Though more than once offered an associateship in the Royal Academy, he invariably declined it. From 1841 to 1866 he annually exhibited the full number, eight, of his miniatures. Photography having virtually annihilated the art of miniature painting, Carrick in 1868 abandoned his profession, and withdrew to Newcastle. There, seven years later, he died on 31 July 1875. Thirty
