Manuscript and typescript fair copies of approximately 200 poems, circa 1967-1974, by Eric Rayne Mackinnon, many of which are unpublished. With letters, 1967-1974 and undated, to Robert Leslie Cockburn Hunter.

Collection

Identifier: Acc.13210

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Eric Rayne Mackinnon spent much of his adult life in mental hospitals, including the Royal Edinburgh and Carstairs State Hospital. But his gift for poetry, his love of music and of nature, and his Christianity, enabled him to overcome the circumstances of his illness and produce a remarkable body of work. He counted several poets among his friends – Kathleen Raine was a particular admirer and champion. Mackinnon published a number of small collections, including The Spark of Joy, (1970), The Hitch-Hiker and other Poems, (1976), and The Blasting of Billy P, (1978) and Northern Elegies, (1986).

This accession consists of manuscripts and typescripts mostly of final versions of approximately 200 poems, though some drafts are included. They were all sent to his friend and correspondent, Lt-Col Robert Leslie Cockburn Hunter, and presumably date from the same period as the accompanying letters, 1967-1974. Many of the poems are probably unpublished.

Dates

Creation: 1967-1974.

Conditions Governing Access

Normal access conditions apply.

Conditions Governing Use

Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.

Extent

0.06 Linear metres (3 files)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Arranged into 3 files. The first contains the letters, arranged chronologically with undated letters at the end of the sequence; the second file contains the poems, arranged alphabetically by title; the third file contains a few longer poems, prose and published items.