(b.1860 - d.1937) Author and playwright. Born in Kirriemuir and educated at Dumfries Academy and the University of Edinburgh. Barrie is best known for the creation of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, the inspiration for which came to him when a boy playing in the garden of Moat Brae, a house in Dumfries. Barrie's own character in many ways mirrored his creation; he was a small man and this lack of stature had always upset him, perhaps explaining why he related better to children than adults. His life was full of tragedy; the deaths of a brother, sister and his mother effected him deeply, his wife had an affair with a younger man and left him and two of his adopted children died tragically. All royalties from Peter Pan are now appropriately given to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London.