Robert Louis Stevenson has a character named Ebenzer Shaw who is a Scottish laird and miser. Did this predate Dicken's Ebenzer Scrooge?

Yes, Robert Louis Stevenson's character, Ebenezer Balfour, predates Charles Dickens' character Ebenezer Scrooge. Stevenson's novel "Kidnapped," in which Ebenezer Balfour appears, was published in 1886, while Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," featuring Ebenezer Scrooge, was published in 1843. Therefore, Stevenson's character came after Dickens' character in terms of publication.