The Esk Valley (or ‘Eskdale’) has produced some remarkable pioneering individuals and organisations in numerous fields.
Pre-1915
| Field | Role | People/Organisation | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal breeding | Co-founder of the Labrador Retriever breed | 6th Duke of Buccleuch 1831-1914 | Resident (part-time) |
| Animal breeding | First breeder of emus in Scotland | Richard Bell 1833-1909 | Resident |
| Engineering | First president of the Institution of Civil Engineers | Thomas Telford 1757-1854 | Native |
| Environmental observation | First UK government geomagnetic observatory outside London | Eskdalemuir Observatory 1908-present | Local organisation |
| Faiths | First Sunday School in southern Scotland | Rev John Jardine, North United Free Church | Resident |
| History | First western history of Persia using local sources | Sir John Malcolm 1769-1833 | Native |
| Knighthoods | Four brothers: ‘The Four Knights of Eskdale’ | Malcolm brothers: James (Royal Marines officer), John (army major-general, diplomat, historian), Pulteney (admiral, Napoleon’s captor) and Charles (vice-admiral). Eldest born in 1767; last death in 1851 | Native |
| Legal history | US Supreme Court precedent for charitable trusts | Thomas Hope (entrepreneur) 1809-1890 | Native |
| Libraries | Scotland’s oldest library which is still lending | Westerkirk Parish Library 1793-present | Local organisation |
| Medicine | Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; inspiration for Sherlock Holmes | Dr Joseph Bell 1837-1911 | Descendant |
| Poetry | Translator of the Lusiad | William Julius Mickle 1734-1788 | Native |
| Publishing | First penny paper in Scotland | Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser 1848-present | Local organisation |
| Settlers | First civilian of Queensland, Australia | Walter Scott, surgeon 1787-1854 | Native |
| Sport | Oldest rugby club in Scotland outside the school system | Langholm Rugby Club 1871-present | Local organisation |
| Sport | World’s best marksman in the 1870s | Robert McVittie 1839-1918 | Native and resident |
| Sport | President of Marylebone Cricket Club, 1888 | 6th Duke of Buccleuch 1831-1914 | Resident (part-time) |
| Sport | President of Marylebone Cricket Club, 1913 | Lord Dalkeith, later 7th Duke of Buccleuch 1864-1935 | Resident (part-time) |
Post-1915
This propensity has continued:
| Field | Role | People/Organisation | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | First female member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 1927 | Dorothy Buchanan 1899-1985 | Native |
| Faiths | First Tibetan monastery in the Western world (attended by musicians David Bowie and Leonard Cohen) | Samye Ling Monastery 1967-present | Local organisation |
| Literature | World-leading Alice in Wonderland collection | Caryl Hargreaves 1887-1955 Son of Alice Liddell | Resident |
| Medicine | Nobel prize winner (immunology), 1930 | Macfarlane Burnet 1899-1985 | Descendant |
| Meteorology | First use of mathematical modelling in forecasting | Lewis Fry Richardson 1881-1953 | Resident |
| Nuclear explosion monitoring | World’s longest-operating steerable seismic array | Eskdalemuir auxiliary station 1962-present | Local organisation |
| Publishing | Media mogul (founder of Thomson Organization, now Thomson Reuters) | Lord Thomson of Fleet 1894-1976 | Descendant |
| Settlers | Leader of early European settlers in Kenya in the 1930s | Francis Scott (6th son of 6th Duke of Buccleuch) 1879-1952 | Resident (part-time) |
| Poetry | Reviver of Scots language poetry | Hugh MacDiarmid 1892-1978 | Native |
| Space | First man on the moon (Freeman of Langholm 1972) | Neil Armstrong 1930-2012 | Descendant |
| Textiles | ‘World’s most expensive twist suiting cloth’ | Reid & Taylor (John Packer) | Local organisation |
| Textiles | Founder of Edinburgh Woollen Mill | Drew Stevenson and family | Resident |