Robert de Bruce Trotter

Robert de Bruce Trotter (8 August 1833 – 3 December 1907) was a 19th‑century Scottish physician remembered as an author and poet, often writing under the pseudonym of Mrs Maria Trotter. Under the further pseudonym Saxon he "edited" his own texts, with his books appearing as written by Mrs M Trotter and edited by Saxon—a practice that presumably enhanced appeal and credibility among both male and female readers.^[1]

Robert de Bruce Trotter
The grave of Robert de Bruce Trotter, Wellshill Cemetery, Perth (with incorrect dates)
Born	(1833-08-08)8 August 1833 Urr, Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland
Died	3 December 1907(1907-12-03) (aged 74) Perth, Scotland
Resting place	Wellshill Cemetery, Perth
Education	Glasgow University
Occupation(s)	Physician, author, poet, antiquarian
Known for	Pseudonymous writings as Mrs Maria Trotter and Saxon; author of Galloway Gossip
Spouse	Helen Finlay Baird (1851–1917)
Children	3 sons (including Robert Samuel, Thomas Baird, and Alexander)

Biography

Trotter was born in 1833 in Urr, Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbrightshire, into a distinguished family descended from Robert the Bruce. He was the eldest of five sons of Robert Trotter and Martha Maxwell Nithsdale. His father's sister, Isabella Trotter, wrote a memoir about his grandfather.^[2] His four brothers, including Alexander Trotter, also became physicians.^[3] He and his brothers were the fifth generation of Trotter medical doctors; except for one great‑great‑grandfather who was a reverend and academic, his paternal ancestors had practised medicine for over 200 years.^[4] His ancestor Dr Robert Trotter helped found the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and served as its president in 1689.^[5]

Soon after his birth the family moved to Auchencairn, where Trotter was educated. In 1846 he worked in a law office in Glasgow,^[6] but soon left to study Medicine at Glasgow University, graduating MB ChB around 1854. As a physician he practised in Galloway and began collecting local folktales and anecdotes, later publishing the book Galloway Gossip. Trotter travelled widely as a young man—including a stint in British Guiana—and established a practice in Northumberland, which was taken over by his son when he returned to Scotland in 1880. He assumed his brother‑in‑law's practice in Perth, where he became a popular community figure. He was one of the founders of the Perth Sick Poor Nursing Society and the S. Andrew's Ambulance Association. For several years he served on Perth Town Council and was influential in improving the city's sanitary and medical affairs.^[1]

Trotter was also an antiquarian and a member of the Edinburgh Society of Antiquaries, contributing articles on local history to various newspapers.^[1] He retired to Tayview House, 2 Tay Street in Perth, Scotland.^[7]

Literary career

Trotter’s literary output, published under the pseudonyms Mrs Maria Trotter and Saxon, demonstrates his distinctive approach to authorship. By “editing” his own work under a male pseudonym, he created a dual narrative voice that appealed to a diverse readership. Recent scholarly work has re‑examined his writings for their role in preserving Galloway folklore and local traditions.^[8] His work has been included in anthologies such as The Sound of our Voices (2000) and featured in the journal Lallans (2001), ensuring that his contributions to Scottish literature are not forgotten.

Legacy

Trotter’s writings continue to attract interest from literary scholars and historians. His unique method of employing pseudonyms to navigate gendered readership and his detailed collection of local anecdotes offer valuable insights into 19th‑century Scottish culture and medical history. Modern reprints and academic studies have helped revive interest in his work, establishing him as an important figure in both Scottish literature and folklore.^[9]

Family

Trotter was married to Helen Finlay Baird (1851–1917). Three of his sons—Robert Samuel, Thomas Baird, and Alexander—followed in his footsteps by becoming physicians.^[5] He died in 1907 in Perth and is buried in Wellshill Cemetery in the north of the city. The grave lies on the south wall of the southern path linking to the Jeanfield section.

Principal works

• Galloway Gossip: Sixty Years Ago (1877)
• Galloway Gossip: The Southern Albanich Eighty Years Ago (1901)

In an attempt to reintroduce his work to a contemporary audience, selections from Galloway Gossip were included in the anthology The Sound of our Voices, edited by Pete Fortune and Liz Niven and published by Dumfries and Galloway Libraries (2000). Further selections, along with an essay on Trotter himself, were published in the journal Lallans (2001).