Habbie Simpson was the town piper

Bagpipes

Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...

 in the Scottish village of Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan is a village and civil parish in central Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village's name means "cell of St. Barchan". It is known for its former weaving industry.- History :...

 in Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire (historic)

Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...

. Today Simpson is chiefly known as the subject of the poem the Lament for Habbie Simpson (also known as The life and death of the piper of Kilbarchan). Inhabitants of Kilbarchan are informally known as "Habbies" to this day.

The Lament for Habbie Simpson, written by Robert Sempill the younger

Robert Sempill the younger

Robert Sempill, the younger , Scottish poet, son of James Sempill, was educated at the University of Glasgow, having matriculated in March 1613....

, was first notable poem written in the Burns stanza

Burns stanza

The Burns stanza is a verse form named after the Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was not, however, invented by Burns, and prior to his use of it was known as the standard Habbie, after the piper Habbie Simpson...

. The Burns stanza is also known as "the standard Habbie" and it was widely used by Burns and Robert Fergusson

Robert Fergusson

Robert Fergusson was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson followed an essentially bohemian life course in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intellectual and cultural ferment as part of the Scottish enlightenment...

in their poems.

Kilbarchan's Steeple Building has an exterior niche which contains a statue of Simpson. The original statue was carved in wood by Archibald Robertson of Greenock and placed in the niche in 1822. The current statue, dating from 1932, is made of bronze and it replaced the original statue.

During Kilbarchan's annual Lilias Day celebrations, it is customary for the piper to dress up as Habbie Simpson.