Margaret Chalmers (1763–1843) or Mrs Lewis Hay was a lifelong friend of Robert Burns and had once turned down his offer of marriage. She married Lewis Hay, who died in 1800. She emigrated to Pau sometime after 1820 where she died in 1843. She corresponded with the poet between 1787 and 1792 although most of these letters were destroyed. One of his last completed works,“Fairest Maid on Devon Banks”, may have been written with her in mind, however her cousin Charlotte Hamilton is the stronger contender.
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Life and character
Margaret or Peggy was born the youngest daughter on the Fingland Estate near St John's Town of Dalry in Kircudbrightshire, now Dumfries and Galloway, however her father, James Chalmers, was forced through financial difficulties to sell up and rent Braehead Farm on Haugh Road, two miles or so to the south of Mauchline, East Ayrshire where she could have first encountered Robert Burns whilst he was living at Mossgiel Farm. She was well versed in literature, although largely self-taught, also in music and she was a competent singer of Scots songs.
Euphemia Chalmers née Murdoch, Peggy's mother, made Burns's acquaintance at the Harvieston Estate when he was on his tour of the West Highlands. Euphemia was the daughter of the last Laird of Cumloddan in the Stewartry of Kircudbright.
Peggy’s engagement to banker Lewis Hay, who was about 25 years her senior, was kept secret from her family. Hay had begun working at the firm of Coutts Brothers & Co. in 1755, just a year after Sir William Forbes (1739-1806) and one year before James Hunter (1741-1787). In 1787 Hay was made junior partner in the Edinburgh bank Forbes, Hunter & Co. Peggy and Hay married on 9 December 1788 and lived under the same roof as the counting house on Parliament Square. Lewis died there on 28 February 1800 from inflamed lungs after a severe cold, leaving Peggy widowed with six young children. By economizing she was declared able to manage the affairs of her children and moved to 12 Buccleuch Place.
Around 1822 or 1823 one son and Peggy moved with three daughters to Pau, France, where they were members of the reformed religion. Peggy donated 100 francs for the building of the Protestant Church completed in 1841. She died at Pau on 3 March 1843, aged 80.
Association with Robert Burns
Burns was much taken with Peggy and her bosom friend and relative Charlotte Hamilton, often speaking of them together in his letters. On 21 November 1787 he told Peggy that Charlotte and she are two favourite resting places for his soul, in its "wanderings through the weary, thorny wilderness of this world."
Following his Highland Tour Burns spent eight days in October 1787 at the Harviestoun Estate near Dollar in Peggy's company. She was a relative of Burns's good friend Gavin Hamilton, her mother's sister being his stepmother. A memorial cairn commemorating Burns's visit has been built at Harviestoun Castle.
Burns wrote a detailed record of his first Harviestoun visit to Gavin Hamilton mentioning Grace Hamilton and paying particular attention to Charlotte Hamilton, Peggy though was absent on this occasion, much to his disappointment.
Whilst in Edinburgh, living with her mother in 1786 and 1787, Peggy often played the piano and sang for the blind Dr Thomas Blacklock and Burns could well have met her again at his home in West Nicholson Street.
Peggy confided in the poet Thomas Campbell that, as stated, Burns had made a proposal of marriage. However, she had managed a tactful refusal as she was already secretly engaged to Lewis Hay and they managed to remain friends.
Burns was rather too fond of adding French phrases to his correspondence with Peggy and Thomas Campbell related a story that on an occasion Burns was teasingly introduced by Peggy to a French lady in a social setting with whom he attempted a conversation in her native language. The result was that neither understood the other and the poet unintentionally managed to insult the lady. Burns later took French lessons with Louis Cauvin's at his home, accompanied by John Beugo as a result of this embarrassing interaction.
Only nine days before the poet's death he posted the song the “Fairest Maid on Devon Banks” to George Thomson from the Brow Well.
Correspondence
A number of his letters were not dated and this had led to different authors sometimes giving differing dates for the eleven known examples of his correspondence. None of the five recorded letters from Peggy survive and none were copied.
Circa January 1787 Burns is generally accepted to have written to Peggy "My Dr Countrywoman ... I know you will laugh at it, when I tell you that your Pianoforte and you together have play'd the deuce somehow about my heart - I was once a zealous Devotee to your sex, but you know the black story at home. My breast has been widowed these many months and I thought myself proof against the fascinating witchcraft; but I am afraid you will 'feelingly convince me what I am.' - I say, I am afraid, because I am not sure what is the matter with me. - I have one miserable bad symptom, which I doubt threatens ill: when you whisper, or look kindly to another, it gives me a draught of damnation."
In October 1787 he wrote that "I am determined to pay Charlotte a poetic compliment, if I could hit on some glorious old Scotch air, in number second. You will see a small attempt on a shred of paper in the book; but, though Dr Blacklock commended it very highly, I am not just satisfied with it myself."
On 21 November 1787 Burns wrote "I insist that you shall write whatever comes first: what you see, what you read, what you hear, what you admire, what you dislike, trifles, bagatelles, nonsense; or fill up a corner, e'en put down a laugh at full length."
On 12 December 1787, he wrote to Peggy from Edinburgh "I am here under the care of a surgeon, with a bruised limb extended on a cushion .... I have taken tooth and nail to the Bible, and am got through the five books of Mosses, and half way in Joshua. It is really a glorious book." He goes on say "I inclose you a proof copy of the "Banks of the Devon," which present with my best wishes to Charlotte. The "Ochel-hills" you shall probably have next week for yourself. None of your fine speeches."
On 22 January 1788, he wrote to Peggy commenting that he had broke measures with his publisher William Creech and wrote him a frosty, keen letter saying that he had promised me upon his honour that I should have the account on Monday; but this is Tuesday and I still have not heard a word from him. Burns finished by saying that my limb will soon be sound, and I shall struggle on.