Helen Cruickshank
Encyclopedia
Helen Burness Cruickshank (15 May 1886 - 2 March 1975) was a minor Scottish
poet and suffragette
, better known for being a focal point of the Scottish Renaissance
. At her home in Corstorphine
, various Scottish writers of note would meet.
Born Helen Burness Cruickshank was in Hillside, near Montrose, Angus
, of local parents, she went to school in Montrose. Summer holidays were spent in Glenesk and the landscapes and people of Angus and its glens appear in her poetry. After leaving school, Cruickshank entered the Civil Service
, working first in London
for the Post Office from 1903 to 1912, and then, from 1912, in Edinburgh, where she spent most of her adult life. She joined the Women's Social and Political Union
and actively campaigned for the Suffragette cause. She was also a committed Scottish nationalist
, an active member of the Saltire Society
, and a founder member of Scottish PEN
, which she served in various ways. She encouraged the work of the young CM Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid
), of James Leslie Mitchell (Lewis Grassic Gibbon
), and other writers, and was sympathetic in her appreciation of the poetry of Violet Jacob
and Marion Angus. Helen Cruickshank devoted much of her life to other people (she cared for her elderly mother), yet published poetry over several decades, in Scottish chapbook, Northern numbers and many other journals, and in Up the Noran Water (1934), Sea Buckthorn (1954), The Ponnage pool (1968), Collected poems (1971) and More collected poems.
Helen Cruickshank's best known poem is probably Shy Geordie which, like much of her work, is in Lowland Scots
and draws on her Angus country heritage (the poem has been set to music by several people, including Buxton Orr
and Jim Reid
). Many of her poems echo ballad
and folksong and other traditional forms. In Glenskenno Woods, There was a sang or Fause friend show a range of mood and tone, from lyrical to humorous, and her best work avoids the charge of sentimentality which might sometimes be levelled. She draws on the natural world for strong symbols about human life, as in the fine Sea Buckthorn (set to music by Francis George Scott
), or in Ponnage pool, prefaced with a quotation from Hugh MacDiarmid
; this deals with questions of personal identity:
Cruickshank also wrote in English; her poem Spring in the Mearns for instance, is a tribute to Lewis Grassic Gibbon
. Lines for Wendy Wood
celebrate another activist; this poem also illustrates Cruickshank's own passionate concern with social problems, her compassion and commitment to the fighting of poverty and injustice, shown, too, in a Lowland Scots poem such as Song of pity for refugees.
Cruickshank cared for her mother for many years; she herself retired in 1946. She was awarded an honorary MA
by Edinburgh University in 1971, and two years later poor health forced her to leave her house in Corstorphine and move to Queensberry Lodge in the Canongate, where she died on 2 March 1975. Cruickshank recorded her long life and aspects of her times in her autobiography, Octobiography (1987), which was published posthumously.
Helen Cruickshank is commemorated in Makars' Court, outside The Writers' Museum, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.
Selections for Makars' Court are made by The Writers' Museum; The Saltire Society; The Scottish Poetry Library.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
poet and suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
, better known for being a focal point of the Scottish Renaissance
Scottish Renaissance
The Scottish Renaissance was a mainly literary movement of the early to mid 20th century that can be seen as the Scottish version of modernism. It is sometimes referred to as the Scottish literary renaissance, although its influence went beyond literature into music, visual arts, and politics...
. At her home in Corstorphine
Corstorphine
Corstorphine was originally a village to the west of—and separate from—Edinburgh, Scotland, and is now a suburb of that city.Corstorphine retains a busy main street with many independent small shops, although a number have closed in recent years since the opening of several retail parks...
, various Scottish writers of note would meet.
Born Helen Burness Cruickshank was in Hillside, near Montrose, Angus
Montrose, Angus
Montrose is a coastal resort town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. It is situated 38 miles north of Dundee between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers...
, of local parents, she went to school in Montrose. Summer holidays were spent in Glenesk and the landscapes and people of Angus and its glens appear in her poetry. After leaving school, Cruickshank entered the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, working first in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the Post Office from 1903 to 1912, and then, from 1912, in Edinburgh, where she spent most of her adult life. She joined the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
and actively campaigned for the Suffragette cause. She was also a committed Scottish nationalist
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
, an active member of the Saltire Society
Saltire Society
The Saltire Society was established in 1936 to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland and restore the country to its proper place as a creative force in European civilisation....
, and a founder member of Scottish PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
, which she served in various ways. She encouraged the work of the young CM Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
), of James Leslie Mitchell (Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell , a Scottish writer.-Biography:...
), and other writers, and was sympathetic in her appreciation of the poetry of Violet Jacob
Violet Jacob
Violet Jacob was a Scottish writer, now known especially for her historical novel Flemington and her poetry....
and Marion Angus. Helen Cruickshank devoted much of her life to other people (she cared for her elderly mother), yet published poetry over several decades, in Scottish chapbook, Northern numbers and many other journals, and in Up the Noran Water (1934), Sea Buckthorn (1954), The Ponnage pool (1968), Collected poems (1971) and More collected poems.
Helen Cruickshank's best known poem is probably Shy Geordie which, like much of her work, is in Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
and draws on her Angus country heritage (the poem has been set to music by several people, including Buxton Orr
Buxton Orr
Buxton Orr was a Glasgow-born Anglo-Scottish composer.Originally trained as a doctor, Orr gave up medicine and switched to music, studying composition with Benjamin Frankel and conducting with Aylmer Buesst...
and Jim Reid
Jim Reid
Jim Reid is the lead singer for the alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his elder brother and guitarist William Reid -The Jesus and Mary Chain:...
). Many of her poems echo ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
and folksong and other traditional forms. In Glenskenno Woods, There was a sang or Fause friend show a range of mood and tone, from lyrical to humorous, and her best work avoids the charge of sentimentality which might sometimes be levelled. She draws on the natural world for strong symbols about human life, as in the fine Sea Buckthorn (set to music by Francis George Scott
Francis George Scott
Francis George Scott was a Scottish composer.Born in Hawick, Roxburghshire, he was the son of a supplier of mill-engineering parts. Educated at Hawick, and at the universities of Edinburgh and Durham, he studied composition under Jean Roger-Ducasse...
), or in Ponnage pool, prefaced with a quotation from Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
; this deals with questions of personal identity:
- I mind o' the Ponnage Pule,
- The reid brae risin',
- Morphie Lade,
- An' the saumon that louped the dam,
- A tree i' Martin's Den
- Wi' names carved on it;
- But I ken na wha I am.
Cruickshank also wrote in English; her poem Spring in the Mearns for instance, is a tribute to Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell , a Scottish writer.-Biography:...
. Lines for Wendy Wood
Wendy Wood
Wendy Wood was a well-known campaigner for Scottish independence and founder of the Scottish Patriots...
celebrate another activist; this poem also illustrates Cruickshank's own passionate concern with social problems, her compassion and commitment to the fighting of poverty and injustice, shown, too, in a Lowland Scots poem such as Song of pity for refugees.
Cruickshank cared for her mother for many years; she herself retired in 1946. She was awarded an honorary MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
by Edinburgh University in 1971, and two years later poor health forced her to leave her house in Corstorphine and move to Queensberry Lodge in the Canongate, where she died on 2 March 1975. Cruickshank recorded her long life and aspects of her times in her autobiography, Octobiography (1987), which was published posthumously.
Helen Cruickshank is commemorated in Makars' Court, outside The Writers' Museum, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.
Selections for Makars' Court are made by The Writers' Museum; The Saltire Society; The Scottish Poetry Library.