In Lowland Scotland women were composing in Scots, Anglo-Scots, and in English (after 1600). Female poets appear in print from 1603 (Elizabeth Melville's 'An Godlie dreame', a spiritual text), but less than 50 items attributable to female poets, named or anonymous, survive from the period to 1800. Mary Queen of Scots (reigned in Scotland 1562 x 1567) may be the earliest-known Scottish female poet outside of the Gàidhealtachd, although she composed verse in French, Italian and Latin.

Pending...