James Williams (1944 - 2009)

James Williams was a central figure in the study of the natural environment and human history of the region of Dumfries and Galloway for almost 50 years. During this time he safeguarded and expanded knowledge of the region and made it available to both the local community and academic interests nationally and internationally. James joined Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1964.  He served the Council of the Society in various capacities, including as Secretary and Librarian.  However, it was as co-editor along with Bill Cormack and latterly as senior editor of the Society'sTransactionsthat he left an indelible mark.  He was involved in 30 editions as well as other publications of the Society, includingKirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire - An Anatomy of a Parish in South West Scotland. He lived virtually his entire life in Dumfries and Galloway. He was educated at St Joseph's College, Dumfries, where he developed a lifelong interest in chemistry, mineralogy and local history.  He acquired the residue of the school's mineral collection to which he added specimens collected across south west Scotland.  Some of the unique minerals he collected are now in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland.  In 1963 he became the youngest Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland at the age of just twenty. Employed at ICI, Dumfries, James served as an experimental chemist specialising in polymers.  At the time of his early retirement in 2000 he had worked at the Dumfries site for 36 years.  After retirement he continued part-time for a further seven years to establish new laboratory facilities for Plastic Technology Services. He was responsible for identifying many previously unknown archaeological sites and collected material from across the region, from Luce Sands in the west to Dalton in the east. This ranged from the Mesolithic flint tools of the first settlers to late Mediaeval ceramics from the castles and abbeys that characterise the region.