had resided with her sister, Mrs. Grey, since 1884. She was buried in Brompton cemetery on 24 March. The change in public opinion with regard to women's education and women's work since 1869 is largely due to her public-spirited action.
In addition to the works already mentioned, and many pamphlets on educational subjects, Miss Shirreff wrote: 1. ‘Principles of the Kindergarten System,’ 1876; new ed. 1880. 2. ‘The Work of the National Union,’ 1872. 3. ‘Friedrich Froebel: a Sketch of his Life,’ 1877, 8vo. 4. ‘The Kindergarten at Home,’ 1884; 2nd ed. 1890.
[Times, 24 March 1897; Journal of Education, April 1897; private information.]
SHIRREFF, JOHN (1759–1818), agricultural writer, was the son of an East Lothian farmer. After spending his youth in the West Indies as a merchant, he returned at his father's death, and succeeded to the lease of the farm at Captainhead, Haddington. In 1793 he was chosen, together with two other East Lothian farmers, Rennie and Brown, to survey the West Riding of Yorkshire for the county agricultural reports of the board of agriculture. This survey was drawn up in such a manner as to give satisfaction even to William Marshall, who criticised so severely most of the board's county reports (Marshall, Review, i. 331). On his return home Shirreff attempted several improvements, including a threshing-machine, worked by wind, and a bone-mill. He made an unsuccessful attempt to introduce into Scotland the use of bone-dust as manure. In 1801 he received a premium from the board of agriculture for an essay on the ‘Best Mode of cropping Old Pasture Grounds.’ Shortly afterwards he contributed to the London Society of Arts an account of the osier plantations upon his farm at Captainhead. After subletting his farm, he resided at Craigside, Abbey Hill, and other places in and around Edinburgh, writing a good deal on agricultural topics. During the last years of his life he resided in the country, in charge of the estates of various noblemen. He died 2 Nov. 1818, and was interred in the ‘burial-ground of his ancestors at Prestonkirk, East Lothian.’
Besides his ‘Survey of Yorkshire,’ which he followed up by surveys of the Orkney and Shetland Islands (1804), Shirreff wrote pamphlets and articles in the ‘Farmer's Magazine’ and ‘Scots Monthly Magazine’ on such topics as ‘The Curled Disease in Potatoes,’ ‘Introduction of Exotic Heaths,’ and ‘Method of Stacking Turnips to preserve them through the Winter.’
[Biography in Farmer's Magazine, 1821, xxii. 207; see also Shirreff's contributions in xv. 20, 159, 198, 293; reviews, &c., vi. 209, xv. 343.]
SHIRREFS, ANDREW (1762–1807?), Scottish poet, son of David Shirrefs, carpenter, was born in Aberdeen on 9 Feb. 1762. Two of his brothers attained some distinction in Aberdeen. James was minister of St. Nicholas Church from 1778 to 1814, and Alexander was sheriff-clerk-depute and latterly president of the Society of Advocates. Andrew was educated at the grammar school, entered Marischal College in 1779, and graduated M.A. in 1783. Becoming a cripple, he abandoned the intention of following a learned profession, and began business in Aberdeen as a bookseller and bookbinder. In May 1787 he joined with others in starting the short-lived ‘Aberdeen Chronicle’ (not to be confounded with the paper of the same name started in 1806), and became proprietor and joint editor of the ‘Caledonian Magazine.’ The latter ceased in 1790, and he went to Edinburgh as a bookseller and printer. In 1798 he left for London, after which it is impossible to trace him. The date of his death is given as 1807, but this cannot be confirmed; and from his not appearing with his other brothers in the will of his first cousin Alexander, a Jamaica planter, who died in 1801, it might be inferred that he was dead before that date.
Shirrefs corresponded with John Skinner and James Beattie; and Burns in the notes of his northern tour mentions having seen him, and describes him as ‘a little decrepid body with some abilities.’ He was best known as the author of ‘Jamie and Bess,’ a pastoral five-act comedy, avowedly in imitation of Ramsay's ‘Gentle Shepherd.’ It was performed in Aberdeen in 1787, and in Edinburgh, for the author's benefit, in 1796, when he appeared and sang his own song, ‘A cogie o' yill and a pickle aitmeal.’ Inglis (Dramatic Writers of Scotland) mentions a short piece, ‘The Sons of Britannia,’ said to have been acted in Edinburgh in 1796, but it does not seem to have been printed. In 1790 Shirrefs published ‘Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect’ (Edinburgh, printed for the author), which contains his portrait by Beugo.
[William Walker's Bards of Bon-Accord, 1887; Laing and Stenhouse's edition of Johnson's Musical Museum, iv. 479, 526; Parochial Registers of Aberdeen.]
SHIRWOOD. [See also Sherwood.]
