Alexander Pope: the scholar at Reay, who is almost forgotten

I occasionally take guests with an interest in faith or Highland history to Alexander Pope’s grave in Reay, where there is little to suggest how far the interests of this parish minister once reached. He served the community for almost half a century, yet someone passing his gravestone today could easily leave without discovering that he collected Gaelic poetry, studied ancient monuments and contributed to the wider understanding of the far north. The quietness of the setting makes an intriguing contrast with the man himself, who seems to have combined considerable learning with a willingness to get on a pony and go a very long way to satisfy his curiosity.

His most extraordinary journey took him to Twickenham to meet the English poet Alexander Pope, apparently undeterred by the distance between Reay and London or the uncertainty of his reception. Sharing a name offered an introduction, although the unexpected Highland visitor had to persevere before being welcomed, eventually returning north with books, a decorative snuffbox and the beginnings of a friendship. He brought an educated mind to that encounter, having studied at King’s College in Aberdeen before working in Dornoch as a schoolmaster, session clerk and precentor. By the time he became minister of Reay in 1734, he had acquired experience of teaching, church affairs and the Gaelic-speaking world whose traditions would occupy so much of his attention.

Living among people who carried poetry through memory and performance, Pope recognised material worth recording, including the Lay of Diarmad, while the ancient structures scattered across Caithness and Sutherland prompted questions about the people who had come before them. His curiosity carried him from listening to those around him into studying northern antiquities and translating part of the Latin history of Orkney by the Danish scholar Thormod Torfæus. Travellers coming north could therefore find in Reay someone able to help them understand what they were seeing, and his account of Caithness and Sutherland reached a much wider readership through Thomas Pennant’s influential Scottish tour. Distance from the centres of literary life had hardly prevented him from taking part.

All of which gives us rather more to consider than the stories of a physically formidable minister carrying a cudgel and keeping unruly parishioners in order. Colourful as those accounts are, I find his determination to learn about this country and share what he discovered at least as compelling, particularly standing beside a grave that offers so little indication of those connections. I wonder how many visitors would stop if they knew something of the person buried there, and whether Reay might occupy a different place in their minds afterwards. In the audio blogcast, we meet more of that remarkable character, including the minister prepared to ride south in pursuit of his famous namesake.

To learn more, listen to the blogcast or book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.