Famous Scots from Dumfries and Galloway

John Paul Jones 1747 - 1792
Jones was born in Kirkcudbrightshire in 1747. He is famous as the founder of the American Navy during the Wars of Independence. He fought with the French when they planned to invade Britain in 1778 and was thwarted only by the weather from launching an attack on Edinburgh.

Thomas Telford 1757 - 1834
The son of an Eskdalemuir shepherd, he served his apprenticeship as a stone mason, putting him in good stead as a civil engineer. His creations include the Dean Bridge in Edinburgh, the Caledonian Canal, linking the east and west coasts of Scotland and the Gotha Canal in Sweden.

Rev Henry Duncan 1774 - 1846
Rev Henry Duncan was responsible for the world's first savings bank. It opened on the 10th May 1810 in Ruthwell, near Dumfries. The Ruthwell Parish Bank paid interest on the savings of locals and was intended to instil thrift and independence into the working man. The idea soon took off and before long there were savings banks throughout Britain, Europe and America. Duncan was also a geologist and is credited with being the man who first identified a fossil footprint in Britain, at Cornockle quarry near Lochmaben. He also restored the Ruthwell Cross in 1818, which is one of the most discussed mediaeval monuments in the World.

Hugh MacDiarmid 1892 - 1978
Born in Langholm, he was involved in politics as an early member of the Independent Labour Party, the Communist Party and a founder member of the Scottish National Party. It was however, his poetry that made him famous and he worked hard to establish Scotland as a serious literary base.

David Coulthard 1971 - 
David Coulthard hails from the small village of Twynholm, near Dumfries. His racing career began with karting where he won the Scottish Championship 3 times, Scottish Open twice and the British Championship (junior) and the Scottish Open (senior). This lead to FF1600 championships which in turn led to F3000 where he raced with Bennetton-Ford in 1992. His Formula 1 career began in 1994 when he was promoted from test driver for Williams-Renault. He gained his first Formula 1 win with Williams-Renault in 1995 in Portugal. He moved to McLaren Mercedes in 1996 and has been a major competitor for the World Championship ever since.