James Muirhead was born in 1742, in the parish of Buittle, and stewartry
of Kirkcudbright. His father was owner of the estate of Logan, and
representative of the family of Muirhead, who, for several centuries,
were considerable landed proprietors in Galloway. He was educated at the
Grammar School of Dumfries, and in the University of Edinburgh.
Abandoning the legal profession, which he had originally chosen, he
afterwards prosecuted theological study, and became, in 1769, a
licentiate of the Established Church. After a probation of three years,
he was ordained to the ministerial charge of Urr, a country parish in
the stewartry. In 1794 he received the degree of D.D. from the
University of Edinburgh. Warmly attached to his flock, he ministered at
Urr till his death, which took place on the 16th of May 1806.
Dr Muirhead was a person of warm affections and remarkable humour; his
scholarship was extensive and varied, and he maintained a correspondence
with many of his literary contemporaries. As an author, he is not known
to have written aught save the popular ballad of "Bess, the Gawkie,"--a
production which has been pronounced by Allan Cunningham "a song of
original merit, lively without extravagance, and gay without
grossness,--the simplicity elegant, and the naivete scarcely
rivalled."[61]
[61] We have frequently had occasion to remark the ignorance of modern
editors regarding the authorship of the most popular songs. Every
collector of Scottish song has inserted "Bess, the Gawkie;" but scarcely
one of them has correctly stated the authorship. The song has been
generally ascribed to an anonymous "Rev. Mr Morehead;" by some to the
"Rev. Robert Morehead;" and Allan Cunningham, who states that his father
was acquainted with the real author, has described him as the "Rev.
William Morehead!"