Famous People Born in Scotland
By Tim Lambert
A LIST OF SOME FAMOUS SCOTS
Click on towns in blue to read their histories
Marion Angus 1866-1946 Poet
Michael Clark 1962- Dancer
Andrew Cruikshank 1907-1988 Actor
James Donald 1917-1993 Actor
Graham Garden 1943- Comedian
Evelyn Glennie 1965- Musician
George Jamesone 1588-1644 Portrait painter
Annie Lennox 1954- Singer
James Clerk Maxwell 1832-79 Scientist
Sir William McMillan 1887-1997 Sculptor
John Phillip 1817-67 Artist
ALSFORD, ABERDEENSHIRE Charles Murray 1864-1941 Poet
ALLOA David Allan 1744-1796 Artist
ALLOWAY, AYRESHIRE Robert Burns 1759-96 Poet
ANSTRUTHER, FIFE William Tennant 1784-1848 Poet
ARBROATH Lynda Myles 1947- Film director
ARDROSSAN John Kerr 1824-1907 Physicist
AUCHINLECK, AYRESHIRE William Murdock 1754-1839 Invented gas light
AUCHTERARDER
James Kennaway 1928-1968 Writer
John Monteah Robertson 1900-1989 Crystallographer
John McAdam 1756-1836 Road builder
Robert McBryde 1913-1966 Artist
William Maclure 1763-1840 Geologist
BALLATER Sir Patrick Geddes 1854-1932 'Father of Town Planning'
BEARSDEN Jessie King 1875-1949 Artist
BELLSHILL, LANARKSHIRE Sheena Easton 1959- Singer
CAPUTH, PERTHSHIRE Belle Stewart 1906-1997 Singer
CHIRNSIDE, BORDERS Jim Clark 1936-1968 Racing Driver
CRIEFF Ewan McGregor 1971- Actor
CROMARTRY Hugh Miller 1802-1856 Geologist
CULTS, FIFE David Wilkie 1785-1841 Artist
CUPAR Sir Robert Robertson 1869-1949 Chemist
DEERNESS, ORKNEY Edwin Muir 1887-1959 Poet
DREGHORN, AYRESHIRE John Boyd Dunlop 1840-1921 inventor of pneumatic tyre
DUMBARTON Robert Napier 1791-1876 Engineer
DUMFRIES John Laurie 1897-1980 Actor
John Richardson 1787-18655 Explorer
Sir William Craigie 1867-1957 Lexicographer
Adam Duncan 1731-1804 Admiral
Thomas Henderson 1798-1844 Astronomer
DUNFERMLINE
Andrew Carnegie 1835-1919 Philanthropist
Barbara Dickson 1947- Actress
Dorothy Dunnett 1923-2001 Writer
Moira Shearer 1926- Ballet dancer
DUNBEATH, CAITHNESS Neil Gunn 1891-1973 Writer
DYSART John McDouall Stuart 1815-1866 Explorer
EAST KILBRIDE William Hunter 1718-1783 and John Hunter 1728-1793 Surgeons
ECCLEFECHAN, DUMFRIES Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881 Writer
Thomas Anderson 1819-1874 Chemist
Tony Blair 1953 Prime Minister
George Gordon, Lord Aberdeen 1784-1860 Prime minister
Robert Ballantyne 1825-94 Writer
Alexander Graham Bell 1847-1922 inventor of telephone
Rory Bremner 1961- Comedian
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1859-1930 Writer
Sean Connery 1930- Actor
Sir William Flint 1880-1969 Artist
Brigit Forsyth 1940- Actor
Sir Archibald Geikie 1835-1924 Geologist
Kenneth Grahame 1859-1932 Wrote Wind in the Willows
Hannah gordon 1941- Actor
Douglas Haig 1861-1928 General
John Scott Haldane 1860-1936 Biologist
David Hume 1711-1776 Philosopher
James Hutton 1726-1797 Geologist
James Keir 1735-1820 Physicist
James Lind 1716-1794 Doctor who discovered that citrus fruits cure scurvy.
John Napier 1550-1617 Mathematician
James Nasmyth 1808-1890 Inventor
Barbara Rae 1943- Artist
Allan Ramsay 1713-1884 painter
Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832 Novelist
Alastair Sim 1900-1976 Actor
Fred Uruhart 1912-1996 Writer
ELGIN William Grant 1863-1946 Lexicographer
FALKIRK
John Aitken 1839-1919 Meterologist
David Weir 1970- Footballer
FORFAR Joseph Weddersburn 1882-1948 Mathematician
FORRES Hugh Falconer 1808-1865 Botanist
GALASHIELS Andrew Herbertson 1865-1915 Geographer
Arthur Lapworth 1872-1941 Chemist
Anne Redpath 1895-1965 Artist
William Black 1841-1898 Writer
Arthur Whitten Brown 1886-1948 With John Alcock flew the Atlantic in 1919
Charles Campbell 1897-1974 Philosopher
Robbie Coltrane 1950- Actor
Billy Connolly 1942- Comedian and actor
Kenny Dalglish 1951- Footballer
Lonnie Donegan 1931-2002 Singer
Sir James Frazer 1854-1941 Studied comparative religion
Thomas Graham 1805-1869 Chemist
Sir William Hamilton 1788-1856 Philosopher
Alick Issacs 1927-1967 Virologist
Carol Kidd 1944- singer
Sir Thomas Lipton 1850-1931 Grocer
Joseph Lister 1786-1869 Discovered antiseptics
Charles Mackintosh 1766-1843 Inventor of the waterproof coat
Charles Rennie Mackintosh 1868-1929 Architect
Alistair McLean 1922-1987 Writer
Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore 1761-1809 Fought in the Peninsula War against Napoleon
Allan Pinkerton 1819-1884 Founded detecitve agency
Sir William Ramsay 1852-1916 Chemist
Al Stewart 1945- Singer
GREENOCK
William Brymner 1855-1925
Captain Kidd 1645-1701 Privateer
William Scott 1913-1989 Artist
William Wallace 1860-1940 Composer
James Watt Inventor of efficient steam engine
Richard Wilson 1936- Actor
HADDINGTON
Alexander II 1198-1249
John Knox 1505-72 Religious Reformer
Samuel Smiles 18122-1904 Author of Self Help
Francis Scott 1880-1958 Composer
HAWICK Isobel Baillie 1895-1982 Poet
HELENSBURGH John Logie Baird 1888-1946 inventor of television
Elspet Gray 1929- Actress
Jessie Kesson 1915-1994 Writer
Josephine Tey 1896-1952 Writer
ISLAY John Campbell 1822-1885 Folklorist
JEDBURGH
David Brewster 1781-1868 Scientist
Mary Somerville 1780-1872 Mathematician
KILEARN, STIRLINGSHIRE George Buchanan 1508-82 Historian
KINCARDINE James Dewar 1842-1923 Scientist
KINGLASSIE, FIFE William Reid 1791-1858 Meterologist
KINGUSSIE John Leslie 1527-1596 Historian
KINNORDY, FORFARSHIRE Sir Charles Lyell 1797-1875
KIRCALDY
Robert Adam 1728-92 Architect
Adam Smith Economist
KIRKWALL William Baikie 1825-64 Explorer
KIRRIEMUIR Sir James Barrie 1860-1937 Author of Peter Pan
LANGHOLMJames Robertson Justice 1905-1975 Actor
LARGO
John Leslie 1766-1832 Physicist
Alexander Selkirk 1676-1721 Sailor
LARGS Thomas Brisbane 1773-1860 Astronomer
LINLITHGOW James V 1512-1542 and Mary Queen of Scots 1542-87
LOCHEARNHEAD, PERTHSHIRE
Jane Findlater 1866-1946 Writer
Mary Findlater 1865-1963 Writer
LOCHFIELD, AYRESHIRE Alexander Fleming 1881-1955 Discovered penicilin
LOGIE PERT, ANGUS James Mill 1773-1836 Philosopher
LOSSIEMOUTH Ramsay MacDonald 1866-1973 First Labour Prime minister
LOUDON, AYRESHIRE Sir Alexander Fleming discoverer of penicillin
MONTROSE
Robert Brown 1773-1858 Botanist
Marquis of Montrose 1612-50 General
NAIRN James Grant 1827-1892 Explorer
PAISLEY
Mary Bond 1939- Artist
Tom Conti 1941- Actor
Pam Hogg 1958- Fashion designer
PEEBLES John Veitch 1829-1894 Philosopher
John Buchan 1875-1940 Writer
David Octavius Hill 1802-1870 Artist and pioneer photographer
William Soutor 1898-1943 Poet
PORT GLASGOW James Thomson 1834-1882 Poet
ROXBURGH Sir John Pringle 1707-1782 Physician
SCONE David Douglas 1798-1834 Botanist
ST ANDREWS Tom Morris 1821-1908 Golfer
ST MARY'S HOLM, ORKNEY Florence McNeill 1885-1973 Historian
William Carson 1942- Jockey
George Harvey 1806-1876 Artist
Margaret Marshall 1949- singer
STORNOWAY Alexander MacKenzie 1764-1820 Explorer
THURSO Sir John Sinclair 1754-1835 Politician
WESTERKIRK Thomas Telford 1757-1834 Engineer
WEST LINTON, PEEBLESHIRE Savourna Stevenson 1961- Composer
WICK William Barclay 1907-1978 Theologian
WIGTON James Robertson-Justice 1905-1975 Actor