Tour Scotland Photograph St Michaels Churchyard Dumfries

Tour Scotland photograph of St Michaels Churchyard cemetery in Dumfries, Scotland.

Famous Scots born in Dumfries include;

Archibald Gracie, born June 25, 1755, died April 11, 1829, who was a Scottish born shipping magnate and early American businessman and merchant in New York City and Virginia whose spacious home, Gracie Mansion, now serves as the residency of the Mayor of New York City. Gracie was the son of a weaver named William Gracie, of Dumfries, Scotland. In 1776, he moved to Liverpool and clerked for a London shipping firm. He used his earnings to purchase a part interest in a merchant ship.

Ambrose Blacklock, born May 17, 1784, died October 5, 1866, was a Scottish born farmer, physician and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Dumfries and studied medicine in Scotland. In 1807, he was commissioned as a surgeon in the Royal Navy. He served on lakes Ontario and Champlain during the War of 1812. Blacklock lived in Cornwall and later St. Andrews. He married Catherine Macdonell. Blacklock served as a justice of the peace and coroner for the Eastern District. He represented Stormont in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from 1828 to 1830 as a Reformer.

James Edward Tait VC MC, born 27 May 1888, died 11 August 1918, was a Scottish, Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Tait was born on 27 May 1888 in Maxwelltown, Dumfries, to James Bryden Tait and Mary Johnstone. He married Jessie Spiers Aitken from California. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in February 1916. Tait was 30 years old, and a lieutenant in the 78th Winnipeg Grenadiers Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, during the First World War. He died in action on 11 August 1918 in Amiens, France. He was awarded the VC for his actions.

Sir John Richardson, born November 1787, died 5 June 1865, was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer. Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition of 1819. Richardson wrote the sections on geology, botany and ichthyology for the official account of the expedition. Franklin and Richardson returned to Canada in 1825 and went overland by fur trade routes to the mouth of the Mackenzie River.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.