•
William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649), Scottish poet. •
Princess Margaret of Scotland (1598–1600), daughter of
James VI and I of Scotland and England (born
Dalkeith Palace) •
John Clerk of Penicuik, 2nd Baronet (1676–1755), was a Scottish politician, lawyer, judge, composer and architect. •
William Robertson (1721–1793), historian, minister in the Church of Scotland, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh •
Robert Smith (1722–1777), American architect, based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born in Dalkeith •
Hector Macneill (1746–1818), poet and songwriter, born near
Roslin •
John Clerk, Lord Eldin (1757–1832), Scottish judge, lived in
Lasswade for several years. •
Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) wrote the novel
The Heart of Midlothian and lived at Lasswade Cottage (now Sir Walter Scott's Cottage) in
Lasswade from 1798 to 1804, where he wrote his
Grey Brother, translation of
Goetz von Berlichingen, etc. and was visited by
Wordsworth. •
William Tennant (1784–1848), the author of
Anster Fair, was parish schoolmaster in
Lasswade from 1816 to 1819. •
Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859), author of
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1822), lived in Man's Bush Cottage (now De Quincey Cottage),
Polton, from 1840 until his death in 1859. •
Thomas Murray (1792–1872), the Gallovidian author, died in Lasswade. •
Anne Richelieu Lamb (1807–1878), feminist writer •
William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), MP for Midlothian 1880–1895 and conducted his famous
Midlothian campaign across the UK in 1880 •
Patrick Edward Dove (1815–1873), mainly remembered for his book
The Theory of Human Progression, born at Lasswade •
John Lawson Johnston (1839–1900), the creator of
Bovril, born at Roslin. •
Charles W. Nibley (1849–1931), Scottish-American religious leader in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nibley was served as second counselor in the
First Presidency to
Heber J. Grant (1925–31), and
Presiding Bishop (1907–25). •
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (1869–1959) of
Glencorse, Nobel prize-winning physicist. •
George Forrest (1873–1932), a plant collector who gained fame with his expeditions to the far east who spent a significant part of his early years in Loanhead. •
Sir William MacTaggart (1903–1981), artist, and grandson of the artist William McTaggart, he became President of the Society of Scottish Artists, President of the
Royal Scottish Academy, and Trustee of the
National Museum of Antiquities. •
Charles Forte, Baron Forte (1908–2007), the hotelier, worked in an Italian cafe in Loanhead, on his arrival in Scotland from Italy. •
Karl Miller (1931–2014), founding editor of the
London Review of Books and Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at
University College, London (1974–1992), born in
Straiton. •
Annette Crosbie (born 1934), actress, born in
Gorebridge •
Ishbel MacAskill (1941–2011), heritage activist and traditional Scottish Gaelic singer and teacher •
Fish (singer) (born 1958), former lead singer
Marillion 1981-1987 and song based on his birth county,
Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile) •
Gary Naysmith from Loanhead (born 1978), international Footballer, played for
Heart of Midlothian and
Everton, named Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year in 1998, won the Scottish Cup with Hearts in 1998 •
Darren Fletcher (born 1984), from Mayfield. international footballer, holds the record of being the youngest player to captain the national side, was part of the Manchester United squad that won the UEFA Champions League in 2008 •
Steven Whittaker from Bonnyrigg, (born 1984), international footballer, played mainly for Hibernian and Rangers ==Schools in Midlothian==