Nigel Tranter a great Scot

by Craig Sheridan

IN 1989, a full eighty years after his birth Nigel Tranter was voted Scot of the Year by BBC Radio listeners. Tranter enjoyed world renown as an exceptional writer, who could bring Scottish history to life like no other. It is reasonable to say that Nigel Tranter’s work inspired many Scots to appreciate the unique and multi-faceted story of a nation.

He aspired to be an architect; to the extent he would climb walls of estates just to inspect the features of houses at close range

Nigel was a prolific author with over 130 published titles. It was an incredible literary career from his first book in 1935, the first novel, Trespass (1937) to his last book to be released, (one of seven to be released after his death), being the aptly titled Hope Endures (2005) focusing on the life of Sir Thomas Hope, a 17th century baronet and lawyer who, like Tranter, achieved much. According to the Daily Telegraph, ”Mr. Tranter works on a broad canvas; nobody does it better”.

In the foreword of Nigel Tranter’s Scotland (1981) he describes his own work in self-effacing style “The object of putting pen to paper thus is simple of design if somewhat complex in operation perhaps. I have thought to set down my own very personal views and ideas about Scotland and the Scots, and how I have been involved in trying, on occasion to do something about them both and their problems- very modest efforts, to be sure, diverse and not always judicious nor yet successful; but well-meant and consistent at least in the ultimate aim.”