Wilson, JOHN MACKAY, the originator of the Tales of the Borders, was born at Tweedmouth in 1804, failed to make his bread in London, and after writing dramas and poems, and lecturing with much applause but little profit, became in 1832 editor of the Berwick Advertiser. But in his days of hardship he had formed habits of intemperance, and after a short illness he died at Berwick-on-Tweed, October 2, 1835. His Tales long had a vogue in Scotland not exactly commensurate with their deserts. They were originally issued from Berwick in weekly numbers, beginning November 8, 1834, and in six months had reached a circulation of 30,000. Wilson worked unaided till the end, but thereafter the Tales were continued for his widow's behalf by Sutherland, an Edinburgh bookseller, who employed Alexander Leighton (1800-74) as editor. Among the writers were Leighton, [Sir] Theodore Martin, Hugh Miller, 'Delta,' Professor Thomas Gillespie, and James Maidment.
The Tales of the Borders were first collected in six quarto volumes (1835-40). A new edition, revised by Leighton, extended to 20 vols. (Manchester, 1857-59); his 1869 revision contained four volumes more.