Kailyard School
Preserved but no longer current.
A school of writers, who took their subjects from Scottish humble life; it flourished in the 'nineties of last century, and included such writers as Ian Maclaren, J. J. Bell, S. R. Crockett, and J. M. Barrie. The name is due to the motto-^-"There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kailyard" — used by Ian Maclaren for his Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush (1894).
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 “Kailyard School” mean?
A school of writers, who took their subjects from Scottish humble life; it flourished in the 'nineties of last century, and included such writers as Ian Maclaren, J. J. Bell, S. R. Crockett, and J. M. Barrie. The name is due to the motto-^-"There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kailyard" — used by Ian Maclaren for his Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush (1894).
Is “Kailyard School” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.