John Leyden

John Leyden (1775-1811) was a Scottish surgeon, poet and Orientalist, born in Denholm, son of a shepherd. He was bred for the Church, his genius and abilities attracted the notice of influential people. He was introduced to Scott, and assisted him in his "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border". He went to India as a military surgeon. He studied and prelected on the native dialects. He became a judge in Calcutta in India. In 1811, Leyden joined Lord Minto in the expedition to Java, where he died of fever, and was buried on the island, underneath a small firefly colony, which remains as his tombstone to this day.

Nearby pages
John Lightfoot, John Lilburne, John Lindley, John Lingard, John Linnell, John Liston, John Logan