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Scott's Monument; Sir Walter Scott's estate at Abbotsford saw him feted by the world yet he almost had to sell it to pay off debts. It remained in the family, but Scott's great, great, great granddaughter was the last of the line and her death

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From: The Sunday Herald
Date: 20040516
Author:Alan Taylor

NOT for nothing was Abbotsford described as "Walter Scott's greatest historical novel". On a mid-May morning, the estate is redolent of romance. Swallows swoop, bluebells nod and a peacock hoots, struts and exhibits his plumage. From the banks of the Tweed, you can see a Saltire on a western tower wanly fluttering in the breeze.

It is flying at half-mast, in honour of Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, Sir Walter's great, great, great granddaughter, who died on May 5 at the age of 80. The writer's sole surviving direct descendant, she spent the last 50 years at Abbotsford, preserving its integrity and ...

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