The New Student's Reference Work/Crockett, Samuel Rutherford

Crockett, Samuel Rutherford, Scottish novelist, was born at Duchrae, Galloway, Sept. 24, 1860; and was educated at Edinburgh, Heidelberg and Oxford for the Scottish Free-Church ministry, which he entered in 1886, but afterward abandoned for literature. For a time he held a traveling tutorship at Oxford, and this enabled him to see Europe, Asia and Africa. His stories, however, deal chiefly with the homely characters and scenes of his native land. Scottish peasant-life has hardly ever, since the days of Scott and Galt, had so realistic and delightful a portrayer and delineator. He, moreover, draws much of his inspiration from his love of Scotland and of Scottish romantic and religious history. His novels, The Raiders and The Men of the Moss-Hags, admirably recreate the era of the Covenanters and their martyrdom for their stern faith. The first novel to bring Mr. Crockett fame was The Stickit Minister, published in 1893. Since then he has issued, among other works, Sweetheart Travelers, Cleg Kelly and The White Plume of Navarre.