Anne's Great Captain
Preserved but no longer current.
The Duke of Marl- borough (1650-1722). Annie Laurie was eldest of the three daughters of Sir Robert Laurie, of Maxwelton, born December 16th, 1682. William Douglas, of Fingland (Kirkcudbright), wrote the popular song, but Annie married, in 1709, James Fer- gusson, of Craigdarroch, and was the grand- mother of Alexander Fergusson, the hero of Burns's song called The Whistle.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Anne's Great Captain” mean?
The Duke of Marl- borough (1650-1722). Annie Laurie was eldest of the three daughters of Sir Robert Laurie, of Maxwelton, born December 16th, 1682. William Douglas, of Fingland (Kirkcudbright), wrote the popular song, but Annie married, in 1709, James Fer- gusson, of Craigdarroch, and was the grand- mother of Alexander Fergusson, the hero of Burns's song called The Whistle.
Is “Anne's Great Captain” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.