Experts are trying to name the author of a mysterious music book dating from the 18th century, which was discovered recently in Greenock’s Watt Library.
According to the Irvine Herald, the songbook – which is bound in leather and bears no author or title – was uncovered by archivist Neil Dickson while he sorted through the collection.
Giving a clue to the item’s origins, the name Hugh Cameron is signed on the inside cover, along with the date 1709. As well as songs, the 300-year-old tome is said to contain religious writings, poems and a list of Books.
The music featured is believed to have been copied from another volume of popular Scottish songs.
McLean Museum, also in Greenock, will put the songbook on display alongside a number of other works from the library’s archive, including an autograph book containing letters from naturalist Charles Darwin and British literary gem Charles Dickens.
For museums, new displays often call for printed material to be updated. Services like professional brochure or catalogue printing, in East Kilbride, Greenock or anywhere else in the Lanarkshire and Inverclyde regions, allow museums and libraries keep the general public informed regarding items on display.
While historians are working to uncover more about the book, little is actually known about it; Watt Library hopes that the area’s residents will be interested in its origins.
Karen McAuley, a librarian at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said she believes the man who penned the signature in the book was a schoolmaster; historical records point to several Hugh Camerons employed by schools at the time, one of whom was from Perthshire.
Get a Free Quote for Books
