Henry Scott Riddell (1798-1870)
Henry Scott Riddell was a poet in Scots. He was born in Dumfriesshire in 1798 and wrote a number of works. Louis Lucien Bonaparte commissioned Henry Scott Riddell to adapt Psalms, Song of Solomon and the Gospel of Matthew from the English Authorised Version into Lowlands Scotch). The Gospel of Matthew was published as The Gospel accordin’ til Saunt Matthew in 1856, Psalms was published as The Buik o’ Psalms in 1857, and the Song of Solomon published as The Sang o’ Solomon in 1858.
Sponsor
Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813‑1891), a nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte. Louis Lucien Bonaparte moved to London in the early 1850s setting up home at 6‑8 Norfolk Terrace, Bayswater, London. He spoke Italian, French, Spanish, English and Basque and became an active member of the Philological Society. Bonaparte was particularly interested in minority languages. He would pay for the printing of many translations of portions of the Bible that he commissioned, in minority languages of Europe.
Publication
18 copies of Matthew and 250 copies of Psalms were printed by Robson, Levey and Franklyn of Great New Street and Fetter Lane in London. 250 copies of the Song of Solomon were printed by George Barclay of 28 Castle Street, Leicester Square in London. Each verse was on separate line.
Digital Edition
These books of the Bible by Riddell were digitised with the help of MissionAssist in 2025.
