Randall Hunter Ballantyne (1821 - 1861)

Born 8 Jul 1821 in Bridge of Earn, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died Aug 1861 at age 40 in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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Biography

Randall Hunter Ballantyne was a Scottish hymn writer and novelist. Hymns written by her include 'The heir of glory' (1849) and 'Pasture for lambs' (1849). ^[1] She wrote the novels 'Rainy afternoons: or tales and sketches by the Howard family (1853), 'Mabel Grant: a highland story' (1854) and 'The better way: or what do I live for?' (1858). ^[2]

Randall was born on 8 July 1821 in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, Scotland. She was the seventh of ten children born to Alexander Thomson Ballantyne and Randall Scott Grant ^[3]

Randall's father Alexander was a newspaper editor and printer in the family firm of Ballantyne & Co. based at Pauls' Works, Canongate, Edinburgh and her younger brother Robert Michael Ballantyne was a novelist. Her elder brothers John Ballantyne and James Robert Ballantyne were both successful and well respected in their fields: John as a portrait and historical painter and James as an expert in Sanskrit and Hindi. Her elder sister Mary Howard Ballantyne was the author of "Stories about Greece". Randall's uncle James Ballantyne (1772–1833) was the printer for Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

In 1851, Randall is recorded in the census as being 28 years old and a teacher at a boarding school in Roxburgh, Scotland. At the time she was living with her mother Randall who had been widowed in 1847. Also living in the family home are Mary's siblings Mary, Jane and Mina who are also shown as being teachers in a boarding school. ^[9]

Randall Hunter Ballantyne died in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine, France in 1861 aged 40. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Hymntime.com, website, [1], accessed 21 May 2022, Randall Hunter Ballantyne, 1821-1861.
2. ↑ Bassett, Troy J. "Author: Randall Hunter Ballantyne." At the Circulating Library: A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901, accessed May 24, 2022. http://www.victorianresearch.org/atcl/show_author.php?aid=4330.
3. ↑ Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, Ancestry.com, [2], accessed 24 May 2022, Randall Hunter Ballantyne, baptism 3 Sept 1821
4. ↑ Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22, vol 22, page 55, Ancestry.com, [3], accessed 20 May 2022, Ballantyne.
5. ↑ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, [4], accessed 20 May 2022,
6. ↑ The Peerage; online, [5], accessed 16 May 2022, person page 57411, James Robert Ballentyne.
7. ↑ National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom, online, [6], accessed 23 May 2022, John Ballantyne (1815-1897), Portrait painter.
8. ↑ Google Books, [7], ISBN 9780469682566, published 1849, JH Jackson, London.
9. ↑ 1851 Scotland Census, Ancestry.com, [8], accessed 24 May 2022, ED: 7, Page: 11, Household Schedule Number: 57, Line: 8, Roll: CSSCT1851_202.