J. Maxwell (John Maxwell) Wood

Writing in the early 20th century, John Maxwell Wood is chiefly remembered for Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland (1911), a wide-ranging gathering of local beliefs, tales, and customs from southwest Scotland. The book explores subjects such as witchcraft, fairy lore, wraiths, death customs, and ghost stories, and it has remained the work most closely associated with his name.

He was also connected with the literary life of Dumfries. Reliable sources identify J. Maxwell Wood as an editor of The Gallovidian, an illustrated magazine devoted to poetry, prose, history, folklore, and local biography, with his editorship listed from 1900 to 1911.

The surviving sources available here give only a limited picture of his personal life, so this overview stays close to what can be confirmed. Even so, his published work clearly shows a strong interest in preserving regional memory and the storytelling traditions of southern Scotland.