William Miller

William Miller was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Trained as a cabinetmaker, he began writing poetry as a young man. Miller placed many of his poems, written in Scots, in local newspapers and journals. Known as the “Laureate of the Nursery,” Miller is most famous as the author of “Willie Winkie,” which appeared in the nursery rhyme collection Whistle-binkie: Stories for the Fireside (1842). Miller’s collected poems were published as Scottish Nursery Songs and Other Poems (1863). Other poems appeared in The Poets and Poetry of Scotland (1876–1877), edited by James Grant Wilson. An edition of Miller’s work also appeared in 1902. Miller died of spinal paralysis and was buried in an unmarked grave in Tollcross Cemetery. A memorial for Miller stands in Glasgow’s Necropolis, and in 2009, a commemorative plaque was installed at the site of his former home in Dennistoun, Scotland.