Charles Gray (captain)
Encyclopedia
Charles Gray was a Scottish captain in the Royal Marines
, known as a song-writer.
, Fife
, on 10 March 1782. His education and early training fitted him for the sea, and in 1805, through the influence of a maternal uncle, he received a commission in the Woolwich division of the Royal Marines. He was thirty-six years in the service, and retired on a captain's full pay in 1841. He spent the remainder of his days in Edinburgh.
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During his naval career, Gray had practised lyric composition, and when he retired in 1841 he published his second volume Lays and Lyrics. Several of these poems were set to music by Peter M'Leod, and in one of them—‘When Autumn has laid her sickle by’—he makes almost the only pointed allusion to his life at sea. He contributed to Wood's ‘Book of Scottish Song,’ and he is one of the numerous lyrists in ‘Whistle-Binkie.’
Besides his original verse Gray wrote some criticism. About 1845 he contributed to the Glasgow Citizen ‘Notes on Scottish Song,’ which include passages on Robert Burns
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Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, known as a song-writer.
Life
Gray was born at AnstrutherAnstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, on 10 March 1782. His education and early training fitted him for the sea, and in 1805, through the influence of a maternal uncle, he received a commission in the Woolwich division of the Royal Marines. He was thirty-six years in the service, and retired on a captain's full pay in 1841. He spent the remainder of his days in Edinburgh.
Works
He published in 1811 Poems and Songs, which went into a second edition at the end of three years. In 1813, on a visit to Anstruther, he had joined in the formation of a ‘Musomanik Society,’ a medium through which, in the four years of its existence, the members made original contributions to Scottish songMusic of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
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During his naval career, Gray had practised lyric composition, and when he retired in 1841 he published his second volume Lays and Lyrics. Several of these poems were set to music by Peter M'Leod, and in one of them—‘When Autumn has laid her sickle by’—he makes almost the only pointed allusion to his life at sea. He contributed to Wood's ‘Book of Scottish Song,’ and he is one of the numerous lyrists in ‘Whistle-Binkie.’
Besides his original verse Gray wrote some criticism. About 1845 he contributed to the Glasgow Citizen ‘Notes on Scottish Song,’ which include passages on Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
.