David Stirrat

Little is known about the life of David Stirrat (1776-1857). What is known is that he was born in Scotland, where he descended from Scottish nobility. In 1799, Stirrat migrated to the United States, where he became a grocer in Baltimore, Maryland. In the 1820s, Stirrat was inspired by the works of his fellow Baltimorean, Daniel Raymond, and in 1824, he attempted to prepare a short and poetic version of Raymond’s economic doctrines. This appeared in his work entitled A Treatise on Political Economy: or the True Principles of Political Economy in the Form of a Romaunt. Stirrat’s Treatise is mainly a work of romantic prose and can scarcely be said to provide any real instructional or theoretical value. The text takes the form of a series of poetic letters from the fictional philosopher Aristander to his companion, Aristippus, evoking him to consider and examine particular questions of political economy. Stirrat would remain in Baltimore for the rest of his life and would eventually pass away in November 1857.