Portrait of the Ettrick Shepherd by Sr John Watson Gordon, 1830
"A shepherd may be a very able, trusty, and good shepherd, without a sweetheart-better, perhaps, than with one. But what is he without his dog?"
— James Hogg, The Shepherd's Calendar, "Dogs"
James Hogg (baptised 9 December 1770 - 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and essayist who wrote in English and the Scots dialect. Known as the "Ettrick Shepherd", under which he published some of his works, Hogg is best known for a couple of works, including The Queen's Wake, The Three Perils of Man, The Three Perils of Woman, and The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
Hogg was born on a small farm near Ettrick, Selkirkshire and baptised there on 9 December 1770; his date of birth was never recorded. His father, Robert Hogg (1729 - 1820), was a tenant farmer while his mother, Margaret Hogg (née Laidlaw) (1730 – 1813), collected Scottish ballads.
