Fordyce Academy facts for kids

Fordyce Academy was a well-known grammar school in the village of Fordyce, Banffshire, Scotland. It was first started around 1592. Later, it was restarted in 1790 and finally closed in 1964.

For a while, it was known as Fordyce School. Sometimes people also called it Smith's Academy. By the early 1900s, the school was so respected in Scotland that it was nicknamed "the Eton of the North." This meant it was considered one of the best schools, like the famous Eton College in England.

History of Fordyce Academy

How the School Began

A school was first set up around 1592 by Sir Thomas Menzies. He was a local landowner who built Fordyce Castle. His goal was to create a school for boys. It would help them prepare for a life of learning. This included getting ready to attend the University of Aberdeen.

Sir Thomas Menzies made sure the school had money to run. He set aside income from his lands to pay the schoolmaster. He also made sure the boys had seats in the local church.

New Buildings and Support

The school received more help in the late 1600s. Walter Ogilvie of Reidhythe gave money to the schoolmaster, George Brown. This money was used to build a new schoolhouse.

In 1678, Walter Ogilvie left more land in his will. This land would provide money for scholarships. These scholarships helped students attend Fordyce School and King's College, Aberdeen. They became known as the Ogilvie or Reidhythe Bursaries. A "bursary" is like a scholarship that helps pay for education.

Between 1716 and 1789, the school was located in a part of Fordyce Castle.

George Smith's Gift

In 1790, George Smith, who grew up in Fordyce, passed away. He had become a successful merchant in Bombay, India. In his will, he left money to start a new school in Fordyce.

This new school was for poor boys named Smith. It was also for the descendants of his sisters. The school would teach English and important business languages like French and Dutch. George Smith's gift helped many students get an education.

The new school first opened in a public hall near the church. Around 1846, a new schoolhouse was built. Today, it is a private home called Fordyce Academy House.

Merging Schools and New Buildings

Eventually, the school founded by Sir Thomas Menzies and the one started by George Smith joined together. More new school buildings were built in 1882 and 1924. The 1924 building was called the New Academy. Today, this building is the village's primary school.

Famous Students and Curriculum

In the early 1800s, two future famous doctors studied at Fordyce School. They were John Forbes and James Clark. They walked to school every day from a nearby estate.

At that time, the school focused on subjects like Greek, Latin, modern languages, and mathematics.

By the mid-1800s, the school changed its name to Fordyce Academy. In 1868, officials visited the school. They found a good house for the schoolmaster and a school building for about forty boys. The school had money invested that helped pay for its running costs. This money also paid for the education of nine boys who lived with the schoolmaster. The schoolmaster could also take in other students who paid to attend.

In 1902, a school inspector said Fordyce Academy was very important. It was the main school that sent students to the University of Aberdeen, outside of Aberdeen city itself.

In 1936, a book called The History of Fordyce Academy was published. It highlighted how many successful students from Fordyce Academy went on to study at Aberdeen University. These students became famous in many fields.

Closing the Secondary School

In the 1940s, the school became more connected to the public education system. In 1964, the secondary part of Fordyce Academy closed. This was part of a plan to reorganize schools in the area.

By then, the school taught both boys and girls. In 1964, there were 44 students in the senior school. Most of these students and some teachers moved to Banff Academy. The junior part of Fordyce Academy became the local primary school.

Links with Sweden

George Smith's sister, Jean, had descendants in Sweden. Some of them used their right to study at Fordyce Academy. This was part of the "Smith Bounty" from George Smith's will. The last of these students was George Hjort, born in 1865. He was a free boarder at the school in the 1870s. He was still alive in 1958, living in Stockholm, Sweden.

Notable former pupils

Many notable people studied at Fordyce Academy, including:

• William Robertson (1740–1803), a historian who studied old things.
• Sir John Forbes (1787–1861), a doctor to Queen Victoria.
• Sir James Clark, 1st Baronet (1788–1870), also a doctor to Queen Victoria.
• William Forsyth (1818–1879), a poet and journalist.
• Thomas Blake Glover (1838–1911), a merchant who worked in Japan.
• Robert Smith (1848–1914), a Scotland international footballer.
• James Smith (1844–1876), also a Scotland international footballer.
• John Garland (1862–1921), a politician from Australia who was born in Scotland.
• William Grant (1863–1946), a person who studied words and edited the Scottish National Dictionary.
• William Dawson Henderson (1876–1955), a zoologist who studies animals.
• Nellie Badenoch, the first woman to graduate with top honors from the University of Aberdeen.
• Alexander Bremner, a doctor to the Sultan of Johore.
• Sir Murdoch McKenzie Wood (1881–1949), a lawyer and member of parliament.
• William Grant Craib (1882–1933), a botanist who studies plants.
• Alexander Geddes (1885–1970), a physicist and meteorologist who studies weather.
• Allan Stewart Fortune (1895–1975), the Chief Inspector of Agriculture for Scotland.
• Willie Wiseman (1896–1979), a Scotland footballer.
• Sir Hamish Duncan MacLaren (1898–1990), a director of electrical engineering and president of a big engineering group.
• John Alexander Matheson (1901–1950), a Roman Catholic Bishop of Aberdeen.
• Francis Walsh (1901–1974), another Roman Catholic Bishop of Aberdeen.
• George Archibald Grant Mitchell (1906–1993), a professor of anatomy and a university leader.
• William Duff McHardy (1911–2000), a professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford.
• William J. Donald (born 1931), the Principal of Thurso College.

Masters and Rectors of the school

These are some of the people who led Fordyce Academy:

• Alexander Gray AM (1756—1820), Master
• Rev. James Largue MA, Rector 1845—1882
• Alexander Emslie MA (1875—1947), Rector 1907
• George James Milne MA, Rector 1924—1927
• Alexander S. McHardy MA, Rector 1931
• Andrew W. Thomson, Rector, 1940, 1944