Hector Macneill

Hector Macneill (1746‑1818) was a Scottish poet. He was born near Roslin, Midlothian on October 22, 1746. Macneill had been the son of a poor army captain and went to work as a clerk in 1760 at the age of fourteen. Soon, he was sent to the West Indies and served as assistant secretary from 1780-86. After he returned to Scotland, he wrote various political pamphlets, two novels, and several poems, The Harp (1789), The Carse of Forth, and Scotland's Skaith, the last against drunkenness, but is best known for his songs, such as My Boy Tammy, I lo'ed ne'er a Laddie but ane, and Come under my Plaidie. Hector Macneill died in Edinburgh in 1818.

This article incorporates text from A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature.