If you have ever journeyed down the A7 between Hawick and Langholm, you have likely caught sight of this striking monument. Rising 13 meters into the sky, this monument stands as a lasting tribute to the poet and songwriter Henry Scott Riddell, who lived from 1798 to 1870. Henry Scott Riddell was a poet, lyricist, shepherd, and lecturer. He is credited with writing 'Scotland Yet' and 'The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow.'
He was born on 23 September 1798 in Sorbie, near Langholm, Dumfriesshire. His father was said to be a friend of the Scottish poets James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, who sometimes visited their home and read his own poems to the children, and Walter Scott, as well as Sir Pulteney Malcolm.
Sleep on gentle bard for, though silent forever,
thy harp in the hall of the Chieftain is hung.
No time from the memory of Mankind shall sever
the tales that it told and the strains that it sung.
In 1841, he began acting melancholy and showing signs of insanity. He was confined for a time in an asylum at Dumfries. After his release, the Duke of Buccleuch allowed him to retire while keeping his cottage. He lived quietly, occasionally lecturing in Hawick or nearby, but mostly focused on improving his home, his property, and his literary work. He died at Teviothead in July 1870 and was buried in Caerlanrig churchyard. A monument to his memory was erected near his birthplace in Sorbie, and in 1894 a tablet inscribed with an appropriate quatrain was affixed to it.
Geographic coordinate: 55°21'00.7"N 2°55'54.4"W