Museums & Galleries Edinburgh (MGE) is delighted to reveal important new donations to the Writers’ Museum collections, relating to the family and life of author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Among the donations are the Stevenson family Bible, bible box and a family genealogical record written by Stevenson’s grandfather, Robert, the first of the famed lighthouse engineers.
The family record lists personal details of births, deaths and marriages in the family over many generations, while the bible has fascinating marks and notations from years of heavy use.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener said: These are fantastic additions to our collections, offering our residents and visitors such lovely and important further insights into such an iconic family.
“I have no doubt this generous contribution will generate much interest and the city’s lasting gratitude.
Curator Anna MacQuarrie said: “Our Stevenson collections speak to the life and experiences of this great writer, both as a young boy and his later days spent in the South Seas.
“These new donations are a wonderful addition to the collection, allowing us to imagine what kind of influence these objects might have had on his young life and later inspirations.
“We are sincerely grateful to the donor for their generosity, enabling the wider public to better understand Stevenson and his family background.
The donor, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “I was touched by the gracious, enthusiastic attitude of the curators to whom I recently passed on family items, pertaining to Louis/RLS and the lighthouse engineer side of our family.
“Gifting was made easier by the knowledge and assurance that a wider public would benefit from being able to see other pieces in the familial, Stevenson jigsaw puzzle. It was a relief to realise that the items would be honoured and cared for – and subsequently appreciated by many other interested parties.
Jeremy Hodges, Robert Louis Stevenson biographer and co-ordinator of the annual RLS Day celebrations, said: “Despite the international fame of RLS as an author, he always felt slightly guilty about not following in his father’s footsteps as a builder of lighthouses – a proper job of more importance than making stories.
“He remedied this in part by writing Records of a Family of Engineers, drawing on the kind of genealogical material that forms part of this bequest.
“The family Bible would have been treasured by the devout Robert Stevenson and his descendants, including Robert Louis – despite his announcement in his early twenties that he no longer believed in the Christian religion, a confession that led to traumatic rows with his God-fearing parents.”
To further celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson day online MGE has an online talk on ‘Island Characters’ by Jeremy Hodges from the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, and a podcast (link to go live on 13 Nov) discussing the renowned Stevenson photo albums and new donations.
