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Turnbull, Gavin
Employed in a carpet factory at Kilmarknock Turnbull wrote verses which included an ode to David Sillar, based on the style of Burns's 'Epistle to Davie'. Later, he accompanied his family to Glasgow, where he worked as a labourer. In 1789, he published from the press of David Niven, a Glasgow publisher, his Poetical Essays. This book included a poem, 'The Bard', inscribed to Mr R(obert) B(urns). Burns, incidentally, had some difficulty in transmitting the money for five of the six copies he distributed of the book by his 'brother Poet'. Turnbull abandoned labouring and turned to the stage, becoming a member of Sutherland's Company at Dumfries. Burns was a frequent visitor to the theatre, and writing to George Thomson in October 1793, commended to him Turnbull's songs — 'O condescend, dear Charming Maid' to the air 'John Anderson, My Jo', 'The Nightingale' and 'Laura'. The opening stanzas of 'The Nightingale' give a fair idea of Turnbull's entirely conventional Augustan style: "Thou sweetest minstrel of the grove
That ever tried the plaintive strain.
Awake thy tender tale of love,
And soothe a poor forsaken swain;
Who though the Muses deign to aid,
And teach him Smoothly to complain
Yet Delia, charming, cruel maid
Is deaf to her forsaken swain."
Thomson replied: 'Your friend Mr Turnbull's songs have doubtless considerable merit, and, as you have the command of his manuscripts, I hope you will find some that will answer as English songs, to the airs yet unprovided.' Turnbull married an actress, and with her emigrated to America, where all trace of them has been lost.
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