James Playfair (1736-1819)
James Playfair (1736-1819) was principal of the United College at St Andrews from 1800 to 1819. The son of a Perthshire farmer, he had been educated at St Andrews in the 1750s, and licensed as a minister in 1770. In…
Category: Academics
Here, we share some of the cases we have found so far, that illustrate the variety of ways in which professors (and officers) of the University of St Andrews were connected to, thought about, or benefited from British colonialism and empire, between 1700 and 1900. Suggestions for more stories are welcome!
The colonial ambitions of Principal George Hill, by Maia Sheridan
By all accounts, George Hill (1750-1819), principal of St Mary’s College in the University of St Andrews, and Church of Scotland minister, was affable, intelligent and eloquent. He is remembered as an influential…
Hugh Cleghorn (1752–1836), slavery and Sri Lanka, by Richard Whatmore
Hugh Cleghorn was Professor of Civil History at the University of St Andrews from 1773 to 1793. His lectures addressed contemporary questions about empire and slavery. He later became colonial secretary at Ceylon (Sri…
The colonial connections of Thomas Hay, 9th earl of Kinnoull (1710-1787), by Lorna Milne
If you take the A90 from Perth towards St Andrews, you will pass an imposing ruin perched high on a clifftop, overlooking the sheer drop to the Tay valley and road below. This is the Kinnoull Tower, linked to the…
Matthew Forster Heddle (1828-97) and Africa, by Julia Prest
Taken in isolation, the life and career of the renowned mineralogist Matthew Forster Heddle (known as ‘Forster’) could hardly appear more Scottish or Scotland-bound. Born in 1828 in Hoy to two old Orkney families,…
The Imperial and Scientific Networks of William C. McIntosh (1838-1931), by Conall Treen
William Carmichael McIntosh, or M’Intosh, (1838-1931) is remembered both as a pioneer in marine zoology and for his contributions to fisheries science. [1] At St Andrews, McIntosh’s legacy stems from his time as…
John Campbell Shairp (1819-1885)
John Campbell Shairp (1819-1885) was born on 30 July 1819 in Houston, Linlithgowshire, to Major Norman Shairp and Elizabeth Binning Campbell. From 1799 to 1816, Major Shairp had served in the army of the Bengal…
James David Forbes (1809-1868)
James David Forbes (1809-1868) was born into a well-established Edinburgh banking family, whose foundations were laid by his grandfather Sir William Forbes and continued by his father, also named Sir William Forbes. JD…
The Tulloch Memorial Fund Scholarship
In 1886, a public subscription raised funds in memory of John Tulloch, late principal of St Mary’s College. The money was used to fund a scholarship. John Grant Tulloch (1823-1886) was born to William Weir Tulloch,…