Draft:Wilson's Tales of the Borders

Wilson's Tales of the Borders was a weekly publication originated by the eponymous John Mackay Wilson in Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1834.

At that time, Wilson was the Editor of the local newspaper 'Berwick Advertiser' which on 18 October 1834 announced that Wilson’s Tales of the Borders would be available from 8 November, priced at three halfpence. They were promoted as being good ‘moral tales’, to ensure their reading would be permitted in households with strict principles about acceptable activity on the Sabbath. The original advertising and marketing emphasised their moral content so that they would be acceptable family reading on the Sabbath.

The first edition was duly published in November 1834 with the help of G. Richardson of Berwick. It contained three tales: The Vacant Chair, Tibby Fowler and My Black Coat; or, The Breaking of the Bride’s China.

The Vacant Chairhad been published previously, and was in many ways typical of the Tales that were to come. ''A farmhouse that straddles the border. A son who goes missing. His story of being kidnapped then pressganged to sea, seeing service and adventures abroad, and eventually returning home many years later to reclaim his teenage love and astonish his parents, who had failed to recognize him.''

The second issue started with a tale appropriately called We’ll Have Another. Wilson printed 2,000 copies of the first issue – thought by some to be an ambitiously high number. But before the week was out a second print run was needed to meet unexpected demand. Within a few issues, 4,000 a week were being printed. By Issue 9 on 3 January 1835, the printers were churning out 5,000 a week yet still unable to meet demand. By March the print run had risen to 8,000 and four editions were announced – including one for the south of England, published in London by Houlston & Sons, who were also appointed selling agents.

In Issue 17, Wilson declared that schools were now using copies of the Tales as ‘readers’. And in May 1835, he gave readers of Issue 26 a progress report: “It is now half-a-year since the Tales of the Borders commenced, and their success may excuse the author in saying a few words concerning them. There was never an instance of what is called a provincial publication meeting such a reception from the public: and it is only one or two metropolitan publications that can boast of the same circulation, and that only within the last two perhaps three years. The Tales of the Borders were commenced at about 2,000 weekly. Many said that quantity would never sell. [But] of the earlier numbers more than 17,000 have been sold; and from proposals that have been made to the author by London Book-sellers, to circulate work throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, within a month the weekly circulation will not be below THIRTY THOUSAND.”

Wilson himself died in 1835, his brief obituary being published in edition 49 on 10/10/35. Wilson’s obituary told readers: “It is our painful duty to send around the land the tidings of the lamented death of Mr John Mackay Wilson, the author of these Tales… The event we thus deplore, took place on the morning of the 2nd instant. Thirty-one short years only had rolled over him in this vale of tears. His sun had not yet gained its meridian splendour, when the dark cloud of death overshadowed him, and has left us to look after him in sadness across that bourn no traveller ever returns. He has left a widow respectable and respected; and, from what we have said of his struggles through many a dark year, she is left to depend on the profits of his works for the comforts necessary for her, till she sink to rest with him in the grave.”

Readers are told that ‘tales yet untold’ are held in reserve: publishing is to continue and they are implored to continue subscribing to support his widow.

The exact cause of death is not clear, but contemporary sources talk of him having over-exerted and over-stimulated himself in his efforts to keep everything going.

It was stated in the notice announcing Wilson's death that the Tales would continue, and Wilson's brother James became editor. Within a year the publishing rights had been sold to John Sutherland of 12 Carlton Street, Edinburgh, who then employed Alexander_Leighton as editor. Leighton contributed many of the subsequent Tales himself, and published contributions from over 20 writers. Further Tales were also published from the 'untold' stock written by Wilson.

Professor Thomas Gillespie

William Hetherington, D.D.

John Howell

Alexander Leighton

Walter Logan

James Maidment

Theodore Martin

Patrick Maxwell

Hugh Miller

David M.0 Moir

Alexander Peterkin (son of Alexander Peterkin)

Oliver Richardson

John Mackay Wilson

The last of the Tales was published in edition 312 on 24th October 1840. By then almost 500 Tales had been published, their content covering around 650 years of history, and with subjects spanning the globe Although the originals had been published as weekly broadsheets, demand continued to be strong, and

In 2013 A society, The Wilson's Tales Project was formed in Berwick-upon-Tweed with the aim of "raising awareness of the original Tales and provide a platform for contemporary artists of all types to respond to and re-tell them in modern ways to modern audiences." The hundreds of thousands of copies printed over the intervening 180 years making J.M. Wilson deserving of being hailed as 'the unsung literary hero' of Berwick-upon-tweed. The society has published a series of 'Revival Edition' re-tellings of original Tales, each one researched and critiqued to explain its relevance to contemporary issues, and the degree of factual content.