MSP tables motion to celebrate historic Fife poet
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament to recognise the 175th anniversary of the death of Thomas Mathers, the ‘fisherman poet’ who died in St Monans in 1851 and to celebrate a reproduction of his collected works which was published earlier this year.
Thomas Mathers’ death on September 25, 1851 came shortly after he received an author’s copy of his ‘Musings in Verse by Sea and Shore’, the only published collection of his work.
Despite achieving a level of acclaim for his poetry in his lifetime, and being published in the Fifeshire Journal and other newspapers, he was buried in an unmarked grave and has since been largely forgotten.
Born in 1794, Mathers time at sea began as an apprentice on the whaling fleet off Greenland, before he returned to St Monans and worked on merchant vessels, traveling widely. Later, he married and worked as a fisherman and pilot.
Despite the demands of his work and limited formal education, Mathers developed a strong interest in poetry. Letters to Mathers from other poets show that he was held in high esteem and that he was encouraged to collect his work, ultimately leading to the publication of his ‘Musings in Verse by Sea and Shore’ before his sudden death caused by jaundice.
Earlier this year Jerzy Morkis, a retired Fife Today group editor and St Monans resident, endeavoured to publish a reproduction of Mathers’ poems. Mr Rennie has now tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament to recognise this anniversary of Thomas Mathers’ death and his place in local history.
Willie Rennie said: “I was fascinated to learn about Thomas Mathers and his compelling life story.
“He clearly led a difficult life which was full of hardship, but still managed to pursue his passion for poetry and cultivate a following through publications in the Fifeshire Journal and other newspapers.
“He is a reminder of the rich history of the communities of the East Neuk. I hope people across North East Fife can take the opportunity of this anniversary year to learn a little about Thomas Mathers, and that my motion will go some way to celebrating his legacy.”
Mr Rennie’s motion in full reads: “That the Parliament recognises the 175th anniversary of the death of Thomas Mathers, the ‘fisherman poet’ who was born in St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife in 1793 and died on 25th September 1851; understands that he died shortly after receiving an author’s copy of his Musings in Verse by Sea and Shore, the only published collection of his work, and was buried in an unmarked grave; further understands that his time at sea began as an apprentice on the whaling fleet, hunting in the waters off Greenland, before continuing in merchant shipping after he returned to St Monans and mastered navigation; notes that he travelled widely, including to Venice where he had a brief encounter with Lord Byron, which he recalled for the rest of his life; further notes that despite later leading the difficult and dangerous life of a fisherman in St Monans in the nineteenth century, Mathers was able to share his poetry in the Fifeshire Journal and other newspapers, and achieved critical acclaim for his work; commends the efforts of Jerzy Morkis who has published a reproduction of the collection of poems to commemorate Thomas Mathers in this anniversary year, and agrees with the sentiment of one of Thomas Mathers’ poems that “Poesy is passion’s language, The effusions of the mind; Progeny of joy or anguish, Spring from feelings most refin’d”.”