ABSTRACT
Marjory Fleming was a Scottish poet and diarist. 1 She was the third child of James Fleming, an accountant, and Isabella Rae. She died aged eight, after contracting measles, and left behind a series of writings that gained considerable attention during the period and since. Below are excerpts from her diary, which she wrote (aged 6–8) while living in Edinburgh under the tutelage of her beloved cousin Isabella Keith. The diary appears to have been kept as a learning aid, teaching her to form letters, spell and write, and the original contained corrections made by Keith and later underlines on words with errors. It is a remarkable source for childhood education and experience, not least her emotional responses to being disciplined and her efforts to be a better behaved child. The importance of spiritual writing to Scottish moral discipline is also evident.
