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Allan Cunningham was born in Keir, Dumfriesshire, on 7 December 1784. He was taught in a dame's school and then was apprenticed to his stonemason brother at Dalswinton. At this time he read as many books as he could find and had begun reading and writing poetry. In his early twenties some poems were published in Literary recreations (1807) edited by Eugenius Roche (1786-1829). In 1809, Cunningham met Robert Hartley Cromek (1770-1812) who persuaded him to go to London. There, he contributed to the publication of Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway song (1810). Other activities in London included writing poetry for Day also edited by Roche, and parliamentary reporting. Other publications included Songs, chiefly in the rural dialect of Scotland (1813), Traditional tales of the English and Scottish peasantry (1822), and the six-volume work Lives of the most eminent British painters, sculptors, and architects (1829-1833). In his lifetime, and putting that life and work into a context, Cunningham had seen Robert Burns lying dead and had walked in the poet's funeral procession; had visited Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd; had built a connection with Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey (1781-1841) who sculpted the celebrated bust of Sir Walter Scott; and had corresponded with Scott. Allan Cunningham died on 30 October 1842 and was buried at Kensal Green, London.
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