Sir James Matthew Barrie

James Matthew Barrie was born on 9 May 1860 in Kirriemuir, Scotland. He studied at Edinburgh University, graduating with an M.A. in 1882. After working as a journalist for the Nottingham Journal, he moved to London in 1885, and not long afterwards began to gain a reputation as a novelist and playwright. His fame was established by works such as The Admirable Crichton (1902), and his best known play, Peter Pan, first performed in 1904. Barrie was knighted in 1913 and was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1922. In 1919, he was elected Rector of St Andrews University and, in 1930, Chancellor of Edinburgh University. He died in London on 19 June 1937.

From the guide to the James Matthew Barrie collection, 1905-1937, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)

Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937), playwright and novelist, best known for his children's story, Peter Pan .

James Winter had been Free Church minister at Bower in Caithness for only 6 months when he was thrown from his horse and killed, just before he had been due to marry Barrie's sister Margaret. She eventually married his brother William.

From the guide to the Funeral address by J M Barrie for Rev James Winter, Free Church of Bower, 1892., 11 May 1892, (University of St Andrews)