Henry Duncan

I passed this statue of Henry Duncan today. He is famous for founding the first savings bank, but even aside from this, was a remarkable man..

As a boy, he met Robert Burns, who visited his father's manse at Lochrutton. When a French invasion was expected, he raised a company of volunteers, of which he was captain. He founded a newspaper, the Dumfries and Galloway Courier, which he edited for seven years.

He was minister at Ruthwell for 48 years, and discovered there one of the fianest Anglo Saxon crosses in Britain, inscribed with excerpts from "The Dream of the Rood". He also published the first scientific report of fossil footprints in 1831.

In 1843 he became one of the founding ministers of the Free Church of Scotland
.
An interesting account of his life and achievements can be found here