Robert Scott Fittis

Born in Perth on 15 November 1824, he spent his life closely tied to the city he wrote about. He was first apprenticed to the law, but later became a journalist, and his writing gradually made him well known in Scotland.

Much of his work focused on Perth and Perthshire, where he wrote as a historian and antiquary with a strong interest in local memory, genealogy, and the strange or overlooked details of the past. His books include Sketches of the Olden Times in Perthshire, Curious Episodes in Scottish History, Sports and Pastimes of Scotland, and The Mosstrooper: A Legend of the Scottish Border.

He married Catherine Campsie in 1866, and they had a daughter. He died in Perth in October 1903, leaving behind a body of writing that still offers readers a lively window into Scottish local history.