John Lapraik

Gerard Lee McKeever (University of Stirling)

Ed. by Daniel Cook, University of Dundee
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Gina Lyle (University of York), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 1727
Died 7 May 1807
Activity 1788-1807

Places

Born in Scotland
Active in Scotland

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Lapraik's Works

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John Lapraik was born in 1727 at Laigh Dalquhram (now Dalfram) in the parish of Muirkirk, Ayrshire. He published a single volume of poetry in 1788, titled

Poems, on Several Occasions

. The work had minimal success and he is remembered principally for his connection to Robert Burns, who was a friend and professed admirer of Lapraik’s verse. Lapraik began life as a freehold farmer, inheriting the lands of Upper and Nether Dalfram, along with the tenancy of nearby Muirsmill. Yet the failure of the Ayr Bank during the credit crisis of 1772 effectively ruined him, and after a period of struggling to repay his dues, in 1785 he was sent to prison in Ayr for debt. Later in life, Lapraik ran the post office in Muirkirk, where he died on the 7th of May, 1807.

There are competing theories regarding

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1543 words

Citation: McKeever, Gerard Lee. "John Lapraik". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13765, accessed 24 November 2024.]