Scotland

Craghead (Craighead), Robert, senior (1633–1711), presbyterian minister, was born in Scotland, probably in the east of the country, and graduated MA (1653) from St Andrews university. He was licensed as a commonwealth minister in the parish church of…

Crofton, Sir John Wenman (1912–2009), physician, scientist and public health campaigner, was born on 27 March 1912 at the family home, 55 Merrion Square South, Dublin, the only son (between two sisters) of William Mervyn Crofton, physician and bacteriologist, and his wife Mary…

Crombie, James (1730–90), presbyterian minister and founder of Belfast Academy, was born in Perth, Scotland, on 6 or 16 December 1730, eldest son of James Crombie, stonemason, and May Crombie (née Johnstoun). James was seriously ill as a young child, and it was believed that he…

Crookshanks, John (d. 1666), presbyterian minister, was son of John Crookshanks, presbyterian minister of Redgorton, Perthshire, Scotland, and his wife Janet (née Young), daughter of the previous minister of Redgorton. His father (with whom he has been confused) seems also to have…

Cú-Chuimne (d. 747), monk and scholar of Iona, was (according to a note in Paris, Bibl. Nat., MS lat. 12021) joint compiler with Ruben of Dairinis, a monastery on the Blackwater river, of the Irish collection of canons known as ‘Collectio canonum Hibernensis’. The genealogies…

Cunningham, Daniel John (1850–1909), anatomist, was born 15 April 1850 in the manse of Crieff, Perthshire, the youngest of three sons of John Cunningham and Susan, née Porteous; there were also four daughters. John Cunningham was a minister of the Church of Scotland, and later…

Denham, Sir James Steuart (1744–1839), of Coltness and Westshield, baronet, British army general, was born in August 1744 in Scotland, the only son of Sir James Steuart of Coltness and Westshield, baronet and political economist, and Lady Frances Steuart, eldest daughter of the earl…

Devlin, Denis (1908–59), diplomat and poet, was born 15 April 1908 in Greenock, Scotland, oldest of nine children of…

Dickie, George (1812–82), botanist, was baptised in Aberdeen on 23 November 1812, the son of John Dickie and his wife, Isabella, née Fowler, and was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, from where he graduated in 1830. He then went to Edinburgh and entered the Brown Square…

Dickson, (Emily) Winifred (1866–1944), doctor, was born 13 July 1866 in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, one of three daughters and three sons of Thomas Alexander Dickson (1833–1909), linen manufacturer, who was elected MP for Dungannon (1874–80; re-elected 1880, but unseated on petition),…

Dobbs, Arthur (1689–1765), politician and colonial governor, was born 2 April 1689 in Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland, second son of Richard Dobbs of Castle Dobbs, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, and Mary Dobbs (née Stewart) of Ballintoy, Co. Antrim. His father was an army captain serving…

Domnall Brecc (‘the speckled’) (d. 643), son of Eochaid Buide and king of Dál Riata, belonged to the lineage of Cenél nGabráin. It is clear that Domnall had several brothers, but ‘Senchus Fer nAlban’ and other genealogical tracts disagree on the family composition; Conall…

Donnán (d. 615) of Eigg, missionary and martyr in Scotland, was born (according to tradition) in north-eastern Ireland; he trained under Finnian (qv) of Movilla, and came as a missionary to Scotland sometime before 590. He…

Douglas, Caroline Margaret (1821–1904), marchioness of Queensberry , nationalist benefactor, was born in Ireland, younger daughter of Sir William Clayton , former army general and MP for Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, and Alice Clayton (née O'Donel), an heiress originally…

Doyle, Joseph (1891–1974), botanist, was born 25 March 1891 in Glasgow, son of Bernard Doyle, cabinetmaker, and his wife Elizabeth (née Maclachlan), but was educated in Dublin, at the O'Connell Schools and at UCD. After graduating in…

Drummond, James (1786?–1863), botanist, was born near Forfar, Angus, Scotland, probably in late 1786 or early 1787, as he was baptised in the parish church of Inverarity on 8 January 1787. He was the eldest child among two sons and two daughters of Thomas Drummond (b. 1757), a…

Drummond, Thomas (1797–1840), engineer and public servant, was born 10 October 1797 in Edinburgh. Both his parents had connections with the Scottish literary world, his mother, Elizabeth, being the daughter of the whig writer James Somers, while his father, James Drummond, was a…

Dunlop, Daniel Nicol (1868–1935), businessman and esotericist, was born 28 December 1868 in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, only child of Alexander Dunlop, described variously as an architect or builder, and Catherine Dunlop (née Nicol) (1847–73). His father, a stern authoritarian, was…

Dunlop, John Boyd (1840–1921), inventor, was prematurely born, 5 February 1840, on a farm near Dreghorn, Ayrshire, Scotland, son of John Dunlop and Agnes Dunlop (née Boyd). He was considered a delicate child, and instead of farmwork was allowed to continue studies at Irvine Academy…

Dun, Sir Patrick (1642–1713), physician and benefactor, was born January 1642 in Aberdeen, Scotland, and baptised there 13 January 1642, third child and second son among at least three sons and four daughters of Charles Dun (d. 1652), dyer and burgess of the city, and his second…

Ecgberht (c.638–729), an Englishman of noble birth, moved to Ireland, ‘either for the sake of religious studies or to live a more contemplative life’, according to Bede. His departure for Ireland can be assigned to the period when Bishops…

Echlin, Robert (d. 1635), bishop of Down and Conor, was second son of Henry Echlin, laird of Pittadro in Fifeshire, and his wife Grizel, daughter of Robert Colville of Cleish, Kinross. After graduating MA from St Andrews in 1596, he was…

Edgeworth, Michael Pakenham (1812–81), botanist and administrator in India, was born at Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, on 24 May 1812, the youngest son of Richard Lovell Edgeworth (qv) of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, author and…

Elliot, William (1766–1818), chief secretary for Ireland (1806-7) and MP, was born 12 March 1766 in Reigate, Surrey, only child of William Nassau Elliot, barrister, and Martha Elliot (née Meade). Although English-born, he was of Scottish descent and was educated first privately,…

Everett, Alice (1865–1949), astronomer and physicist, was born 15 May 1865 in Blythswood, Glasgow, one of three daughters and three sons of Joseph David Everett (1831–1904), lecturer in natural philosophy at Glasgow University, and his wife Jessie, daughter of Alexander Fraser,…