A popular novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1817. The novel became the source for a number of plays in 1818 and following,

The first and most successful adaptation was Rob Roy Macgregor; or, Auld Lang Syne!, a musical drama in three acts by Isaac Pocock, with music composed, and compiled from the work of John Burns and old Scottish Airs, by John Davy.

Other stage versions to follow include: Rob Roy by Henry Murray (1818); Rob Roy, The Gregarach by George Soame (1818); and later Roy's Wife, or The Clachan of Aberfoil (1825).

Rob Roy Macgregor; or, Auld Lang Syne!

The original text

Adapted from the novel Rob Roy (1817) by Sir Walter Scott , the play was the most successful of many based on the Scott novel. First performed on March 12, 1818 at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden , and published in London by John Miller in 1818; in New York by D. Longworth, 1818.

Performance history in South Africa

1823: A play called Rob Roy and credited to Scott, was performed in the African Theatre, Cape Town by the amateur company English Theatricals on 20 December, with All the World's a Stage (Jackman). It is most likely that this was widely known Pocock version.