The volume is composed mainly of poems addressed to or about Sir Walter Scott, 1806-1832 (folios 2-77) and recollections of Scott, probably collected by John Gibson Lockhart when writing the ‘Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott’, 1824-1838 (folios 78-228).

The papers include:

Poem addressed to Stuart of Garth, ‘Brave Stuart, name without a blot’, written in the character of Scott in his daughter Sophia’s handwriting (folio 1);

Poem on ‘Marmion’, apparently by Colin Mackenzie, 1808 (folio 25);

Joanna Baillie's lines on Scott’s death, in her hand, 1832 (folio 43);

‘Conversations with my Father on the subject of his tours with Sir Walter Scott in Liddesdale’, by J E Shortreed, 1824; see Lockhart, ‘Memoirs of the life of Sir Walter Scott’, chapter vii; printed in ‘Cornhill Magazine’, 1932 (folio 78);

‘Trois Jours passés à Abbotsford’, 24-26 March 1828, sent to Lockhart by Thiébault, a cousin of Lady Jane Stewart, in 1838 (folio 98);

‘Sketch of Sir Walter Scott and his Friendly Critics’ by Robert Cadell, containing copies of letters of Scott to the Ballantynes about their criticisms of certain of his poems, 1807-1813 (the remainder of this document is in MS.854, folio 254) (folio 149);

James Ballantyne's memoranda of Scott, incomplete (see Lockhart, ‘Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott’, chapter iii), [?1833] (folio 159);

Account of Scott’s last days at Abbotsford before going to Naples (folio 210);

'Excerpts from manuscripts relating to Sir Walter Scott', by Alexander Young of Harburn (folio 212);

Extracts from the Minutes of the Bannatyne Club, containing references to Scott, 1823-1832 (folio 219).