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Famous Scots: R-Y
An alphabetic list of Famous Scots from Dr John Rae, arctic explorer (1813-93) to James Young, inventor of paraffin (1811-83). Their records are all stored in the ScotlandsPeople Centre, either under events (birth, death or marriage registers), or wills and testaments. Click on the headings on the left to reveal details about each Famous Scot.
Dr John Rae
(1813-93)
Arctic explorer
John Rae was an Orcadian surgeon who signed up for service in the Hudson's Bay Company. Rae spent time learning the skills of indigenous people around his post at Moose Factory. He became an expert at making and using snowshoes. and attributed his success as an explorer to his reliance on their technology.
Due to his skill and renown, Rae was chosen to search for fellow Arctic explorer, Sir John Franklin and his missing party. Ever resourceful, on one trip Rae even used tin dinner plates to paddle across a river in a small boat after the real paddles had been left behind! Rae made four long explorations of the Canadian Arctic between 1846 and 1854.
Among the particular bequests to his wife in his will are a few of the Franklin relics 'brought home by me in 1854 when I first discovered the information of the unfortunate expedition as well as my stone implements, Eskimo and other curiosities, deer antlers and other horns'. He instructs that these latter items be donated or bequeathed by her to the Museum of Edinburgh University.
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Sir Henry Raeburn or Reaburn
(1756-1823)
Portrait-painter
Raeburn was known as the 'Scottish Reynolds'. Orphaned aged six, educated at Heriot's Hospital and apprenticed to a local goldsmith who encouraged his skill in painting miniature portraits. He married one of his sitters, Anne Leslie, although the marriage does not appear to be recorded in the OPRs.
Following two years studying in Italy he opened a studio in Edinburgh, being acknowledged as Scotland's foremost painter and receiving honours from many countries. He produced several hundred portraits, including Sir Walter Scott, David Hume, James Boswell, Neil Gow, James Hutton and Thomas Telford.
Born St Cuthberts, 4 Mar 1756 (ref 685.2/7, Fr 2018)
Also given as Henry Raeburn in the St Cuthbert's Blotter register (see Glossary on Hall of Fame page).
Born St Cuthbert's, 4 Mar 1756 (ref 685.S, MR 5/2)
The painting is Raeburn's 'Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch', 1790s
Lord John Charles Walsham Reith
(1889-1971)
Broadcaster · Director of the BBC
Reith qualified as a Civil Engineer. He became Director of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 1927 to 1938 and succeeded in forming a broadcasting organisation second to none in the world. He considered that broadcasting should be instructive, uplifting and a means of promoting good moral living as well as being a form of entertainment.
He became Minister of Information and Transport (1940) and Minister of Works and Planning (1940-42).
His birth was registered twice - in the district of place of birth (Stonehaven) and that of the usual residence of his parents (Glasgow).
Born Fetteresso, 20 Jul 1889 (ref 258/1, 58) Kelvin, Glasgow, 20 Jul 1889 (ref 644/9, 1150)
Thomas Reid
(1710-96)
Philosopher
Thomas Reid was born in Strachan in the north east of Scotland, the son of a church minister. He received his education at Marischal College, Aberdeen and went on to become its librarian in 1733. Four years later he was inducted as minister of New Machar, near Aberdeen. From 1751 to 1764 he held the chair of Philosophy at King's College Aberdeen and, from 1764 until his retirement in 1781, he succeeded Adam Smith as professor of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow.
His Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (1764) sought to refute the empiricism of David Hume. Thomas greatly influenced Dugald Stewart who went on to found the 'common sense' school of philosophical thought in Scotland.
Thomas' wife died in 1792, and of their nine children, only their daughter Martha survived him. It is to her that he leaves his possessions.
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Further reading
Lehrer, Keith: Thomas Reid (London, 1989)
Dalgarno, M. and Matthews, E., (eds.): The Philosophy of Thomas Reid (Dordrecht, 1989)
Gilmour, Peter, (ed): Philosophers of the Enlightenment (Edinburgh, 1989)
Allan Robertson
(1815-59)
Golfer
Born in St Andrews in 1815, Alan Robertson is considered one of the first professional golfers.
In the mid 19th century, the sport was the sole preserve of well-off gentlemen - professionals made a living caddying, clubmaking, instructing, or
playing for bets. Robertson was the most famous of these pros and tradition has it he was never beaten for money.
He is generally recognised as the best golfer from 1843 onwards, even after the arrival of the Park and Morris families. Considered the premier ball and club
maker of his time, his merchandise was exported all over the world - a lucrative trade. An original Robertson ball carrying the Allan stamp is highly-prized
by today's cellectors.
A playing partner of 'Old Tom' Morris, Robertson fell out with the younger men when he caught him playing with a guttie - the newer, cheaper form of golf ball (Robertson's business relied on the
old-fashioned featherie balls). Robertson eventually moved with the times, manufacturing gutties himself.
Robertson died, aged 44, after an attack of jaundice. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club organised an annual collection for his widow. Indeed, the Open Championship came about
when Prestwick golfers formed a competition in 1860 to decide who would succeed Robertson as the 'Champion Golfer'. The competition has continued
ever since.
Born St Andrews, 15 Sep 1815 (ref 453/00)
Died St Andrews, 1 Sep 1859 (ref 453, 90)
William Robertson
(1721-93)
Historian
William Robertson was born in Borthwick, Midlothian. After studying divinity at Edinburgh University he was appointed minister of the parish of Gladsmuir in East Lothian in 1743 and later of Greyfriars in Edinburgh. In 1745 he was one of the 42 men of the Edinburgh Defence volunteers who enlisted to fight the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stewart. Other volunteers included his fellow minister Alexander Carlyle and the philosopher and historian David Hume.
The publication of his History of Scotland during the reigns of Queen Mary and King James VI in 1759 ensured William's place as an eminent historian. His History of Charles V (1769) received praise from both Voltaire and Gibbon. In it he charted the growth and development of the European 'nation states'.
William was made Principal of the University of Edinburgh in 1762 and appointed Historiographer Royal for Scotland in 1764. He continued to work on historical writing and his History of America (1777) and Historical Disquisition concerning the Knowledge which the Ancients had of India (1791) displayed an interest in non-European history.
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Further reading
Brown, S.J., (ed.): William Robertson and the Expansion of Empire (Cambridge, 1997)
Donald Ross
(1872-1948)
Golfer
Ross was born in Dornoch, Sutherland, the son of Alexander, a fisherman and Catherine. He went on to become arguably the most influential golf course designer in the
history of the sport. Despite his Highland upbringing, he spent most of his adult life as a citizen of the United States of America.
After serving an apprenticeship with 'Old Tom' Morris in St Andrews, Ross invested his life savings in a trip to the USA in 1899, at the suggestion of a Harvard professor named Robert Wilson.
Wilson found Ross his first job in America at Oakley Country Club, Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1900 he was appointed golf professional at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina,
and it was here that he began course designing.
Ross also enjoyed a sucessful playing career, winning three North and South Opens (1903, 1905 and 1906), two Massachusetts Opens (1905 and 1911) and finishing 5th in the 1903 US Open.
As his fame grew he began teaching and playing less, focussing all his energies to course design. Eventually he ran up a substantial practice - at its height, Donald J Ross and Associates oversaw the
work of thousands of people. One of his most renowned designs was Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina, home to the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship.
Ross was the founding member and first president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and was admitted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977 (a high honour rarely achieved outside of
playing success. He died while completing his final design at Raleigh Country Club in North Carolina.
Born Dornoch, 30 Aug 1872 (ref 047/00, 42)
Died Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA, 26 Apr 1948
Daniel Rutherford
(1749-1819)
Physician · Keeper of Royal Botanic Garden
Daniel Rutherford was born in Edinburgh and educated at the university there, where his father held the first chair of the Theory and Practice of Medicine. After spending three years examining continental medical practices he set up his own in Edinburgh.
He became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and later its secretary and president. In 1786 he was appointed Professor of Medicine and Botany at Edinburgh as well as Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden. He also succeeded Dr Cullen as Physician to the Royal Infirmary.
He was a pupil of Joseph Black who discovered carbon dioxide. In 1772 after the death of many mice in experiments Daniel described his discovery of 'noxious' or 'phlogisticated' air, now known as nitrogen.
Daniel and his two sisters took ill on the same day and died within a weak of each other. His sister Anne was the mother of Sir Walter Scott.
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Agnes Sampson
Witch / Folk Healer
The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St
Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick.
Very soon more than a hundred suspected witches in North Berwick were arrested, and many confessed under torture to having met with the Devil
in the church at night, and devoted themselves to doing evil, including poisoning the King and other members of his household, and attempting
to sink the King's ship. One of the accused in particular, Agnes Sampson was examined by James VI at his palace of Holyrood House.
Agnes was a folk healer who got caught up in the North Berwick hunt. She had been under investigation by the Church for some time before her
arrest and interrogation. After being tortured she confessed to various accusations. She implicated 59 people for witchcraft.
55 charges were made against her including: raising the devil in the form of a black dog, digging up bodies and using the bones to make
enchanted powder for witchcraft and of boarding a ship which the Devil later destroyed.
She was found guilty at her trail and executed (strangled then burnt) on 28 January, 1591 at Castle Hill, Edinburgh.
(National Records of Scotland (NRS) Ref:JC2/2 fol. 195r-197r, fol. 201r-207r, fol. 221r-226v), Dalkeith Presbytery records, 1591 (NRS Ref: CH2/424/1/231)
Sir Walter Scott
(1771-1832)
Novelist · Poet
Author of the 'Waverley Novels', some of the most well-known titles being Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Kenilworth, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor. His birth is not recorded in the surviving old parochial registers.
Died Melrose, 21 Sep 1832 (ref 799/5, Fr 1135 or p459)
Bill Shankly, OBE
(1913-1981)
Footballer · Football manager
Born in the Ayrshire mining village of Glenbuck in 1913, Shankly was one of 5 brothers who went on to become professional footballers.
He is best known for his spell as manager of Liverpool, from 1959 to the 1970's, during which time he gained the reputation as one of the most
successful and respected British managers of all time.
As a player he appeared more than 300 times for Preston North End at a time when they were a formidable force in English football. He was also capped 7 times for Scotland.
Retiring from playing in 1949, Shankly went into management, serving Carlisle United, then Grimsby Town. He became a cult figure at Grimsby and his team regularly drew 20,000 crowds (sometimes
5,000 for reserve games!) From there he went to Workington, then Huddersfield Town.
When he arrived at Liverpool in 1959 the reds were languishing in the bottom half of the second division, with a crumbling stadium. Shankly rose to the challenge, transforming the club into a dominant force in English and European football. During his tenure they won three league championships, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup.
Despite the club's rise in fortunes, Shankly never forgot his working class Ayrshire roots. He always felt he was letting the fans down when the team didn't do well and personally replied to
letters. One of the most iconic images of his time as Liverpool manager was caught on TV in 1973. A red scarf, thrown at him during a lap of honour for the championship, landed on the ground and was
tossed aside by a policeman. Shankly pounced on the scarf, reprimanded the policeman, saying 'Don't do that. This might be someone's life'.
He retired in 1974, aged 60, remaining in his beloved Liverpool until his death in 1981, aged 68.
Born Glenbuck, Ayrshire, 2 Sep 1913 (ref 607/00, 92)
Married Townhead, Glasgow, 29 June 1944 (ref 644/6 1944 128)
Percy Bysshe Shelley
(1792-1822)
Poet
His most famous works include Queen Mab, Prometheus Unbound, Ode to the West Wind and To a Skylark.Not Scottish, but he eloped to Scotland with the 16-year-old, Harriet Westbrook, staying with her in George Street, Edinburgh, after the marriage.
First Marriage (to Harriet Westbrook) Edinburgh, 28 Aug 1811 (ref 685.1/54, Fr 2530)
John Shepherd-Barron, OBE
(1925-2010)
ATM Inventor
John was born in India, the son of Scottish parents: Wilfred Shepherd-Barron, chief engineer of the Chittagong Port Commissioners, and Dorothy, an Olympic tennis player and Wimbledon ladies doubles champion. His own claim to fame was
that he invented of the automated teller machine.
Educated at Stowe School, Edinburgh University and Trinity College, Cambridge, Shephed-Barron went on to serve with the 159th Parachute Light Regiment. He joined De La Rue Instruments in the
1960s and it was here that he came up with the idea of a self-serving machine that would dispense paper currency 24/7.
The first machine was established outside a north London branch of Barclay Bank in 1967, by which time he was De La Rue's Managing Director. According to the ATM Industry Association, there
are now 1.7 million installed worlwide.
Shepherd-Barron was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2005. He told the BBC that his original inspiration for the idea came from chocolate vending machines.
Born Shillong, India 23 Jun 1925
Died Inverness, 15 May 2010 (ref 193, 39)
Sir James Young Simpson
(1811-1870)
Physician
Simpson introduced the use of chloroform. He was professor of midwifery at the University of Edinburgh, published several important medical works and was honoured throughout Europe and America.
The claim that he discovered chloroform is disputed although he was certainly the first person to apply it as an anaesthetic. He was given a public funeral in Edinburgh and his bust was placed in Westminster Abbey.
Baptised Bathgate, 30 Jun 1811 (662/2, Fr 542)
Marriage to Janet Grindlay, St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, 26.12.1839 (685.2/43, Fr 1752)
Died St Andrew, Edinburgh, 6 May 1870 (ref 685/2, 292)
Mary Slessor
(1848-1915)
Missionary
Mary Slessor was born in Aberdeenshire in 1848. She moved to Dundee aged 11 when her family was looking for work. Her father was an alcoholic who had to give up his work as a shoemaker, then a mill worker. He survived a heart attack. Mary's mother ensured she attended church, making her a half-time worker at a jute mill (attending the mill school for the remainder of the day). Here she developed a strong interest in religion, joining a local mission that taught the poor.
Mary eventually became a missionary and travelled to West Africa to live amongst the Efik and Okoyong in Calabar (present-day Nigeria). Here she successfully fought against the killing of twins at infancy and cannibalism.
Dying in Nigeria in 1915, she was given a state burial.
Born Slains, Aberdeenshire, 28 January 1848 (239/00)
John Slezer
(d. 1717)
Soldier · Surveyor · Engraver
John Slezer was a native of Germany. He moved to Scotland in 1669 to work as an ordnance engineer and was made a burgess of Dundee in 1678. Ten years later the Scottish Parliament appointed him Captain of the Artillery Company. It was in this capacity that he produced his 'Theatrum Scotiae containing the prospects of their majesties Castles and Palaces Towns and Colleges the ruins of many ancient Abbeys, Churches, Monasteries and Convents within the said Kingdom all curiously engraven on copper plates with a short description of each place by John Slezer, Captain of the Artillery Company, and Surveyor of Their Majesties Stores and Magazines in the Kingdom of Scotland' (1693).
The engravings that John produced were noted for their accuracy. The 'Theatrum' is an indispensable source for Scotland's history. It contains some of the first representations of many parts of the country and images of buildings that no longer survive.
Unfortunately it seems that John did not keep his accounts in good order. The fact that he is described in his testament as an 'indweller in the Abbay of Holyroodhouse' suggests that he was in debt. The confines of the old Abbey were used in the past to provide debtors protection from their creditors.
There is a testament of another John Slezer who died in 1709 (CC8/8/84) and who is described as 'John Slezer Gentleman of the canon in the artillery Company of the castle of Ed[inbu]r[gh] under the Command of Cap[tai]n John Slezer .... Faithfully made and given up be Charles Slezer ensign in the right honourable George Earle of Orkneys Regiment of foott brother german to the s[ai]d Deceased John Slezer and only Exe[cuto]r Dative'
View will and testament:
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Further reading
Cavers, Keith: A vision of Scotland, the nation observed by John Slezer 1671 to 1717 (Edinburgh, 1993)
Laing, David, (ed.): Collection of papers relating to the 'Theatrum Scotiae' and ''History and present state of Scotland'', by Captain John Slezer, 1693-1707. [1695-c. 1700.], in The Bannatyne Miscellany: containing original papers and tracts, chiefly relating to the history and literature of Scotland, Vol.ii (Edinburgh, 1836)
Adam Smith
(1723-90)
Political economist
Smith was the author of Inquiry into the nature and causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) which laid the foundation of the science of political economy, and is regarded as one of the greatest works in political philosophy the world has ever produced. He also held the Chair of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow University and was Commissioner of Customs for Scotland until his death.
Baptised Kikcaldy, 5 Jun 1723 (ref 442/2, Fr 514)
Died Canongate, 17 Jul 1790 (ref 685.3/23, Fr 6277)
Gordon Smith
(1924-2004)
Footballer
Born in Edinburgh's Morningside in 1924, boyhood Hearts fan Smith was to cross the city and become one of Hibernian's most legendary players. He is the only Scottish footballer to have been a league champion with three different clubs; remarkably, none were from the Old Firm.
During his childhood in Angus, Smith showed footballing potential playing for local sides Montrose Roselea, and Dundee North End. Returning to Edinburgh, he was signed by Hibernian in 1941, commencing an 18-year career with a hat-trick against Hearts, establishing himself as an idol for a generation of the Easter Road faithful.
Known as the 'Gay Gordon' for his cavalier flourishes down the wing, he was part of the 'Famous Five', alongside Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormand, the most fomidable strike force in Hibs' history. Smith's contribution ensured Hibs enjoyed a successful spell in the 40's and 50's, consistently challenging Scottish football's Old Firm dominance. Hibernian won three league championships, in 1948, 1951 and 1952.
A recurring ankle injury led to Hibs releasing Smith in 1959. After paying for an operation himself, he joined Hearts, enjoying a league and league cup double in his first season. Again, plagued by injury, he was released. Just as football writers were preparing obituaries for the veteran winger's brilliant career, Dundee signed him and won the league in 1962. The following season they reached the European Cup semi-final.
Capped 19 times, Smith scored 4 goals for his country. Finally retiring in 1964, he indulged his love of golf and managed a well-known Edinburgh hostelry, known as the Right Wing as a tribute to the role that brought him such acclaim.
Born Edinburgh, 26 May 1924 (ref 685/7, 211)
Death North Berwick, 7 Aug 2004 (ref 721, 77)
William Alexander Smith
(1854-1914)
Founder, Boy's Brigade
Born in Thurso, in 1854, the son of an officer in the dragoons who later became a businessman. When his father died, Smith moved to Glasgow, aged 13, to be brought up by an uncle in the wholesaling business. He joined his business as an apprentice, and later started his own firm along with a brother.
Smith joined the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the YMCA, and the Free Church. In the latter he became associated with the Rev George Reith (father of the BBC's Lord Reith). All of these activities ignited one day in 1883. Smith was taking a Sunday School in North Woodside, full of young, energetic, but somewhat bored pupils. Why not, Smith thought, introduce some discipline to these pupils, in the way of a paramilitary youth organisation. And so 'The Boys' Brigade' was created.
It spread rapidly throughout Scotland, Britain and the Commonwealth. It was dedicated to 'the advancement of God's Kingdom among Boys'. Entrants wore a simple uniform of belt, diagonal sash, and a small, round hat which maintained its position via a chin-strap. Eventually, summer camps were part of the scheme, and always with a firm church base. The organisation was quasi-military, with companies, brigades and so on. There was a fair bit of drilling and marching, all intended to introduce some personal discipline into youthful hooligans, and it worked for many.
Smith married twice and had two sons; he gave up his business to concentrate on the organisation, becoming its Secretary and organiser. Knighted in 1909, he died the day after a mass rally in London, in the Albert Hall. He was succeeded by both sons, one of whom, Stanley, followed in his footsteps as Brigade Secretary.
1901 Census entry
Mary Somerville
(1780-1872)
Scientist
Somerville moved in a brilliant intellectual circle and was in correspondence with the leading scientists of her day. Her publications include: 'The connexion of the physical sciences', 'Mechanism of the heavens' and 'Physical geography'.
She became an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society, an honour shared with only one other woman at that time. She died at Naples in 1872 aged 93 and gave her name to Somerville College, Oxford.
Born Mary Fairfax
Baptised Burntisland, 26 Dec 1780 (ref 411/3, Fr 757 )
Marriage (2) to her cousin, William Somerville, Edinburgh, 18 May 1812 (ref 685.1/54, Fr 2544)
Jock Stein
(1922-85)
Football manager
Born in Lanarkshire in 1922, son of George Stein, a miner, Jock Stein was to become one of the country's greatest football managers. He will be forever remembered as the first manager to lead a British team (Celtic) to European Cup glory.
He began his professional career at Albion Rovers, although his day job remained as a miner in the local pit. Making a name for himself as a no-nonsense centre-half, he progressed to Welsh team, Llanelli Town, then to 148 appearances for Celtic.
Entering management in 1960 with Dunfermline Athletic, he joined Hibernian in 1964. But it was after returning to Glasgow to manage Celtic in 1965 that his career attained true heights.
He led Celtic to 10 league championships, including a renowned 9 in succession between 1966 and 1974. Additionally, they won 9 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups. But the pinnacle of his club career was steering Celtic to their European Cup triumph over Inter Milan in Lisbon in 1967. Winning admiration for their attacking spirit, Stein's victorious side became immortalised as the 'Lisbon Lions'. One remarkable aspect of their feat was that the entire Celtic side were born within 30 miles of Glasgow.
Although he presided over a highly successful Celtic team, he gained the respect of their Old Firm rivals for his actions after the Ibrox Disaster on 2 January 1971, when he personally tended dead or injured Rangers supporters.
After a spell at Leeds United, he became manager of the Scottish national team, leading them to the 1982 World Cup in Spain. After watching Scotland secure a play-off place for the 1986 World Cup by drawing with Wales in Cardiff, triumph turned to tragedy. Stein suffered a heart attack and died at the stadium. He was 62 years old.
Born Hamilton, 5 Oct 1922 (ref 647/00, 1046)
Robert Lewis Balfour or Robert Louis Stevenson
(1850-94)
Novelist · Poet · Travel Writer
Stevenson was born at Howard Place in Edinburgh's Canonmills area; his father, most famous works include Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He died and was buried on the island in the Pacific Ocean that he had made his home, but his death was recorded in Scotland in the Foreign Register of Deaths.
Born Edinburgh, 13 Nov 1850 (ref 685.1/60, Fr 4251-52)
Died Samoa, 3 Dec 1894 (ref 161/FN, 23)
Dugald Stewart
(1753-1828)
Philosopher
Dugald Stewart was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Royal High School and Edinburgh University, where he was tutored by Adam Ferguson. He briefly continued his studies at Glasgow University, where he attended the classes of Thomas Reid, whose 'Common Sense' philosophical thought had a great influence on him. In 1775 he succeeded to his father's professorship of Mathematics at Edinburgh University. Ten years later he succeeded his former tutor, Adam Ferguson, as Professor of Moral Philosophy.
Dugald's publications include Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind (3 volumes) and Outlines of Moral Philosophy.
His monument, built in 1831 and designed by William Henry Playfair, is one of the largest on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.
View will and testament:
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Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes
(1880-1950)
Doctor · Scientist
Stopes was a pioneer of modern education in 'constructive birth control' and founder of the first modern birth control clinic. She was also a leading scientist, specialising in fossils - she was an authority on coal - and the first woman to be appointed to the science staff at Manchester University.
Born Edinburgh, 15 Oct 1880 (ref 685/2, 1116 )
Bill Struth
(1876-1956)
Football manager
Born in Edinburgh in 1876, Struth was to become the second manager of Rangers and lead the Glasgow club for 34 successful years.
Following his father, William, into the stonemason's trade, Struth became a professional athlete. After a spell as a trainer at Clyde and Heart of Midlothian, he joined Rangers as assistant manager in 1914. Aged 45 in 1920, he took over as manager following the accidental death of the previous incumbent, William Wilton, in a boating accident.
Struth went on to win 18 Scottish titles, including the remarkable feat of 14 in 19 years before the Second World War. He presided over Rangers first league and cup double in 1928, and first treble in 1949 - the first Scottish manager to achieve this honour.
Struth was a renowned disciplinarian, insisting Rangers players wore a collar and tie to training. In 1947 he was appointed a director, and then vice-chairman after his retiral in 1954. He died in 1956, aged 81, and is buried in Craigton Cemetery, overlooking his beloved Ibrox Park.
In 2005 Rangers chairman David Murray unveiled a bronze bust of Bill Struth, located in Ibrox's main stand, after it was renamed the Bill Struth Main Stand in memory of the legendary manager.
Born Edinburgh, 16 June 1876 (ref 692/2, 686)
Marriage to Kate Forbes, Edinburgh, 4 Feb 1898 (ref 685/4, 57)
Death Glasgow, 21 Sep 1956 (ref 644/10, 977)
Elizabeth Sutherland
(1765-1839)
Highland landowner
Elizabeth, countess, later duchess, of Sutherland was born in Edinburgh and succeeded to the title and lands of her father, the 18th earl of Sutherland, when she was just one year old. Despite attempts by other male claimants the House of Lords judged that she was the next in line, even though a female.
Elizabeth was brought up by her grandmother, Lady Alva, at first in Edinburgh then, from 1779, in London. In 1785 she married George Leveson Gower, Viscount Trentham, the eldest son of Earl Gower. He was created Duke of Sutherland shortly before his death in 1833.
According to the Scots Peerage Elizabeth met the now not so bonny Prince Charlie in Rome whom she described as 'an old infirm and broken down man.' This was not to be her last brush with royalty. During her husband's ambassadorship in Paris Elizabeth did 'all in her power' to help Louis XVI's queen, Marie Antoinette and her son to escape. This led to the couple's arrest, and and they were only allowed to leave France 'after some trouble'. (Balfour Paul, Sir J., The Scots Peerage, pp.360-1).
An artist herself the will lists some of the pieces Elizabeth collected during her lifetime. The will also contains a detailed account of the rents of her Sutherland estates. It was due to the fact that these rents were becoming irrecoverable that the 'improvement' of the estates was implemented. Sheep were introduced to replace arable farming, and the manner in which the tenants were removed from the estates has been the subject of heated debate.
Elizabeth died in her London residence and was interred with her husband in Dornoch cathedral.
View will and testament:
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Further reading
Forbes, David, (ed.): The Sutherland clearances, 1806-1820 a documentary survey (Ayr, 1976) E. Richards, J. Hunter & S.R. Sutherland: The Sutherland Clearances', Northern Scotland, 2 (1974-5)
Thomas Telford or Telfer
(1757-1834)
Civil engineer
Telford was nicknamed the 'Colossus of Roads'. A shepherd's son, he went on to become the most eminent British engineer of his day and founder of the Institute of Civil Engineers. He built numerous canals, bridges, harbours, churches and manses.
Some of his most notable works are the Caledonian Canal (1803-23), the Dean Bridge in Edinburgh (1832), the Menai Suspension Bridge in North Wales (1825) and the 920 miles of roads and 120 bridges which he built in the northern counties of Scotland as part of a Govenment-funded scheme.
Telford also wrote poetry and contributed to Ruddiman's Edinburgh Magazine.
After his death in 1834 he was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Baptised Westerkirk, 9 Aug 1757 (ref 854/1, Fr 63 or p.15 )
Charles Tennant
(1759-1857)
Chemical manufacturer · Industrialist
Charles Tennant was born at Ochiltree in Ayrshire into a family that had worked on the land for generations. By the 1830s he was head of a family firm which was to continue to expand long after his death. His inventory is interesting in that it shows his clear commitment to the development of the railway network in Scotland. No doubt he realised that an efficient transport system would be of benefit to his own business.
Charles left his humble origins to become involved in the manufacture of silk. He studied bleaching, and in 1798 patented the use of chloride of lime in that process. Two years later he established his chemical works at St. Rollox, Glasgow. This was the foundation of a business empire which, having consolidated itself as one of the major manufacturers of chemicals in the world, expanded into the fields of mining, metallurgy and explosives. The firm went on to develop important mines in the south of Spain.
He died in Glasgow and is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis
Charles' grandson, Sir Charles Tennant (1823-1906), who took over as head of the business, was a prominent Liberal, serving as M.P. for Glasgow from 1877 to 1880 and for Peebles and Selkirk from 1880 until 1886. By this time he had built himself a large country mansion, The Glen, in Peeblesshire, and lived the life of a country gentleman.
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Robert William Thomson
(1822-73)
Engineer
Thomson was sent to America to become a merchant, but returned to Scotland to train as an engineer. He invented the pneumatic tyre in 1845. This was later developed by Dunlop but it is Thomson's patent that substantially covers the tyre as it is today.
His inventive abilities were applied to a variety of fields and he also originated many other devices and systems including: the self-filling fountain pen (1849); machinery for sugar manufacture in Java; the elliptic rotary engine; the hydraulic dry dock; solid rubber tyres; electrical detonation of explosives; and steam-driven omnibuses, tractors and cranes.
Baptised Stonehaven, 26 Jul 1822 (ref 258/4, Fr 658 )
Died St George, Edinburgh, 8 Mar 1873 (ref 685/1, 257 )
Jessie Valentine
(1915-2006)
Golfer
Jessie was born Janet Anderson in Perth in 1915, daughter of Joseph, a sports outfitter and Agnes. She was to become one of the dominant figures in women's golf from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s.
A member of the Craigie Hill club in her home town, she was six times Scottish Ladies Champion, and selected for the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team on seven occasions. This record would almost certainly have been even greater had the Second World War nor interrupted her career.
She was awarded the MBE in the 1959 New Years Honours list to recognise her achievement and the following year, aged 45, she turned professional. Her successes paved the way for other Scottish Lady golfers - her tally of honours included the British Ladies Amateur golf championship in 1937, 1955 and 1958, the Scottish Ladies Amateur Golf Champions in 1938, 1939, 1951, 1953, 1955 and 1956, and in 1967 she received the Frank Moran Trophy for 'the Scot who had done most for the game of golf'. She was also the New Zealand Ladies Champion in 1935 and French Ladies Champion in 1936.
During the war she drove a truck, and was clearly held in great esteem in the United States. When her fiancee was captured and held as as P.O.W., the Curtis sisters, who created golf's Curtis Cup, sent him food parcels every week.
She died in the Bridge of Earn, Perth and Kinross, in 2006, aged 91.
Born Perth, 18 Mar 1915 (ref 387/00, 169)
Death Perth, 6 Apr 2006 (ref 390, 255)
Johnny Walker
(1805-57)
Grocer · Whisky blender
Born in 1805 in the Ayrshire village of Riccarton, John 'Johnnie' Walker' became a grocer who sold whisky from his small shop. From these humble beginnings Johnny Walker was to become one of the most widely-distributed brands of blended whisky in the world, with yearly sales exceeding 130 million bottles.
Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the drink rose in popularity after Johnny's death in 1857, when his son Alexander and grandson Alexander II established the popular brand. Under their supervision, whisky sales were to account for nearly 95% of their firm's income.
Prior to 1860 it was illegal to sell blended whisky but by 1865 Alexander had produced their first blend, Walker's Old Highland. The iconic square bottle was introduced in 1870. As this allowed more compact storage, fewer bottles were broken. The other defining characteristic was the label, applied at an angle of 24 degrees. This nineteenth century
marketing ploy is as recognisable in today's pubs and off-licences as it was then.
Born Riccarton, 25 Jul 1805 (ref 611/00, Fr 330)
Married (to Elizabeth Purvis), Kilmarnock, 19 Nov 1833 (ref 597, Fr 2615)
Died Kilmarnock, 19 Oct 1857 (ref 597, 477)
Robert Watson-Watt
(1892-1973)
Inventor of Radar
Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, KCB, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar.
Born in Brechin, Angus, Scotland, Robert Alexander Watson-Watt was a descendant of James Watt, the famous engineer and inventor.
Development of radar greatly expanded on 1 September 1936 when Watson-Watt became Superintendent of a new establishment under the British Air
Ministry, Bawdsey Research Station. Work there resulted in the design and installation of aircraft detection and tracking stations in time for
the outbreak of World War II in 1939. This system provided the vital advance information that helped the Royal Air Force win the Battle of
Britain.
In July 1938 Watson-Watt left Bawdsey Manor and took up the post of Director of Communications Development (DCD-RAE). In 1941 Watson-Watt
became Scientific Advisor on Telecommunications (SAT) to the Air Ministry, travelling to the USA in order to advise them on the severe
inadequacies of their air defence efforts illustrated by the Pearl Harbor attack. His contributions to the war effort were so significant that
he was knighted in 1942.
Watson-Watt was married on 20 July 1916 in Hammersmith, London to Margaret Robertson, the daughter of a draughtsman; they later divorced and
his second wife was Jean Wilkinson, who died in 1964. Two years later, Watson-Watt married Jane Trefusis, former head of the WAAF.
He returned to Scotland in the 1960s. In 1966, at the age of 72, he proposed to Dame Katherine Trefusis Forbes, who was 67 years old at the
time and had also played a significant role in the Battle of Britain as the founding Air Commander of the Womens Auxiliary Air Force. They
remained together until her death in 1971. Watson-Watt died in 1973, aged 81, in Inverness. Both are buried in the church yard of the Episcopal
Church of the Holy Trinity at Pitlochry.
Born 13 April 1892 (ref : rd 275 1892 entry 86)
Died 5 December 1973 (ref : rd 231 1973 entry 671)
James Watt
(1736-1819)
Engineer
Born into a strong Presbyterian family in Greenock in 1736, Watt began working life as an instrument maker.
After opening his own workshop in the 1760s, he began experimenting with steam as a source of power. His work with steam engines, and other inventions, were to have a profound influence on the Industrial Revolution. He also independently discovered the composition of water.
His main workshop, with Matthew Boulton, was at the Soho Engineering Works in Birmingham and that city's public library now holds the main collection of his papers.
Baptised Greenock (old or west), 25 Jan 1736 (ref 564.3/1, Fr 200 )
Sir David Wilkie
(1785-1841)
Painter
Sir David Wilkie was born in Fife, the son of the parish minister of Cults. After his schooling he studied at the Trustees' Academy, the forerunner of the Edinburgh College of Art. Returning to Cults his early paintings were of rural scenes in the Dutch style, such as Pitlessie Fair and The Penny Wedding. One year later he left for London, where he settled and established his reputation and where, in 1811, he was elected to the Royal Academy. In 1815 and 1816 he visited the Continent. On his return, the Duke of Wellington commissioned a painting, which was titled 'Chelsea Pensioners awaiting news of the Battle of Waterloo'. It attracted so much attention when exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1820, that for the first time, barriers had to be placed around a painting. Another notable painting of this period was a portrait of Sir Walter Scott with his family at Abbotsford, after a visit there in 1818.
By 1825 the strain of overwork and his heavy domestic responsibilities was affecting his health and caused him once more to travel to Europe, where he remained for three years.
David was created Royal Limner (portrait painter) for Scotland in 1822, in succession to Sir Henry Raeburn, and painter in ordinary to the king in 1830, in succession to Sir Thomas Lawrence. He was knighted in 1836.
He was afflicted with further ill health and set off on his travels in 1840, this time to the Middle East, where he visited Constantinople, Smyrna, Jerusalem and Alexandria. During the return voyage he died and was buried at sea off Gibraltar.
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Alexander Wilson
(1714-86)
Printer · Astronomer
Alexander Wilson was born in St Andrews and attended university there. After graduating in 1733 he spent some time as a surgeon's and apothecary's assistant in London.
He returned to the town of his birth where, in 1742, he set up a letter foundry to produce typeset letters for printing. In 1744 he transferred his operations to Glasgow.
The elegance of his lettering became renowned, especially his Greek fonts which were used by the Foulis Press. In 1760 he was appointed as the first Professor of Astronomy at Glasgow University. In 1769 he described the 'Wilson effect' on sunspots near the edge of the sun.
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George Washington Wilson
(1823-93)
Photographer
George Washington Wilson was born in Aberdeen and after studying art in Edinburgh and London he returned there in 1849 to pursue a career as a portrait miniaturist. In 1852 he took up portrait photography and soon established himself with success. His commissions included photographing the royal family and a photographic record of the construction of Balmoral Castle in 1854-55.
In the 1860s his technical development of outdoor photography led him to concentrate increasingly on landscape, rather than portraiture. He also developed photographic printing for the mass market and by the time he died in 1893 his business was one of the largest publishers of photographic prints in the world.
In his will he appointed his wife, Maria Ann Cassie, and three of his sons, John, Louis and Charles, all photographers in Aberdeen, to be his trustees.
The inventory includes a valuation of his shop at 25, Crown Street, Aberdeen, and a list of his shareholdings includes the Aberdeen Swimming Bath Company, the Aberdeen Theatre and Opera House Company and the Aberdeen Music Hall Company. The total value of his moveable estate is given as 7258 pounds 16s 5d (equal to 491,951.98 pounds at today's prices).
Altogether he had nine children - five boys and four girls. His daughters each received 500 pounds (equal to 33,886 pounds today). Generous provision was made for his three photographer sons and his wife. Bequests to his other two sons, described as being abroad, suggest more cautious provision. His eldest son, George, was to inherit his rightful share of the moveable estate (an equal share with his siblings of one third of its value) with the following advice: 'I recommend him to authorise my Trustees to apply the same in the purchase for him from a good Insurance or other like Company of an annuity payable to him quarterly or half yearly during his lifetime.' His son, William, was to inherit an equal share with his sisters of the residual estate after the death of their mother.
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Top-right is Wilson's photograph of Queen Victoria on 'Fyvie', with John Brown, at Balmoral (1863)
Reverend John Witherspoon
(1723-94)
Statesman
Witherspoon was a minister in Yester, Beith and Paisley before his appointment as president of Princeton College in the United States.
He was a delegate at the convention that drew up the Republican Constitution in 1776. He also supported and signed the famous Declaration of Independence and made a stirring appeal for other delegates to do likewise.
Baptised Yester, 10 Feb 1723 (ref 725/1, Fr 161)
Robert Wodrow
(1679-1752)
Minister · Church historian
Robert Wodrow was educated at Glasgow University. As minister of the small parish of Eastwood, near Glasgow he devoted much of his time to writing the 'History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution'. He penned the term 'the killing times' to describe the persecution of the Covenanters after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. His work is important, as he is one of the first historians to use 'publick records, original papers, and manuscripts of that time.' It is also full of first hand accounts such as 'the genuine declaration of William Sutherland, hangman at Irvine: wherein his knowledge of the scriptures, his courage, and behaviour toward the persecutors, and their barbarous treatment of him at Air, are plainly set forth'. This was an attempt to record and denounce the persecution of religious dissenters in Scotland.
Wodrow's work was referred to in later times, notably during the Disruption of 1843, when the Church of Scotland seemed to be suffering again. It was at this time that the Wodrow society was set up to print this and other ecclesiastical works.
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Winifred Mason Wooldridge nee Shaw
(1947-72)
Tennis player
Shaw was Scotland's most successful tennis player, reaching the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon ladies' singles in 1970 and 1971. She remains the only Scot to have reached the final of a Tennis Grand Slam tournament.
Born in 1947 in Glasgow, her father Angus was a journalist. Sport was important to her family; her grandfather was the provost who opened Ibrox Stadium's main stand. Her talent for tennis shone during her time at Hutcheson's Grammar and the Clarkston tennis club.
By the 1960s Shaw began claiming frequent Scottish titles and by 1964, aged only 17, she collected the British Junior Hardcourt Championship at Wimbledon.
Shortly afterwards she turned professional and began competing at the top level. There was only one obstacle to Shaw's acclaim: the women's game at that time was completely dominated by America's Billie Jean King.
Shaw reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 1970 and 1971 but much greater success came in doubles competitions. With a succession of able partners, particularly Dundonian Joyce Williams, Shaw regularly progressed
to the latter stages of competitions. On the French Open's clay courts, she reached the mixed-doubles finals in 1971, partnering the Russian, Tomas Lejus, and the final of the Ladies doubles the following year, partnering Nell Truman.
In 1972, Shaw and Williams progressed to Wimbledon's semi-finals. In a tight match the Scots duo were eliminated by the outstanding partnership of Billie-Jean King and Betty Stove.
Shaw remained proud of her nationality. During a Federation Cup match in Greece, the umpire twice announced: 'Shaw, representing England', to which she replied, politely but firmly: 'I'm Scottish and I'm representing Great Britain, not England'.
Tragically, Winnie Shaw died from a brain tumour in 1992. She was only 45. She may never have won a major during her career but her legacy in popularising Scottish tennis can be seen in rising stars such as Andrew Murray.
Born Glasgow, 18 Jan 1947 (ref 644/18, 138)
Marriage Perth, 6 Apr 1972 (ref 650, 302)
James Young
(1811-83)
Industrial chemist · Inventor of paraffin
James 'Paraffin' Young manufactured oil from shale in West Lothian and began the sale of paraffin in 1856.
He was president of Anderson's college from 1868 and later established a chair in technical chemistry. He also took part in experiments to measure the velocity of light and, as a friend of David Livingstone, made generous donations to his African expedition appeal.
Died Inverkip, 1883 (ref 567/1, 6 )
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