Ruthwell's most famous inhabitant was the Rev. Dr. Henry Duncan. He was a minister, author, antiquarian, geologist, publisher, philanthropist, artist and businessman.
In 1810 Dr. Duncan opened the world's first commercial savings bank, paying interest on its investors' modest savings. The Savings Banks Museum tells the story of early home savings.
In 1818, Dr. Duncan restored the Ruthwell Cross, one of the finest Anglo-Saxon crosses in Britain, now in Ruthwell church. This cross is remarkable for its runic inscription, which contains excerpts from The Dream of the Rood, an Old English poem.