Skip to main content

University of Edinburgh (Scottish University)

 Organization

Biography

The University of Edinburgh was established by Royal Charter in 1582. It was originally called Tounis College, when part of a legacy left by Robert Reid, Bishop of Orkney in 1558 had established a college of which the Town Council had gained control to establish a College of Law on the South side of Edinburgh. The inception of the University took place in 1583. In 1617 when King James VI of Scotland (I of England) visited the College it was decreed that the College should change its name to King James' College, although the College continued to use the older title. The first change in the corporate body of the University was not until 1935 when the first merger took place. This was between the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh and New College. This was due to the re-union of the Church of Scotland in 1932.The next merger was in 1951 when the Royal (Dick) Veterinary School was reconstituted as part of the University of Edinburgh. The Royal (Dick) Veterinary School achieved full faculty status in 1964. In 1998 Moray House Institute of Education became the Faculty of Education.

The first classes of the university were held in Hamilton House known as the Duke's Lodge. In 1582 a site that included St Mary in the Fields was acquired. Many new buildings and extensions were made to the site of Hamilton House after 1616. Two prominent stages of building for the University were those undertaken by Robert Adam and William Playfair. In 1869 the site next to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was acquired. Building on this project was completed by the end of the 19th century. The University today is situated around these areas in the centre of Edinburgh and Kings Buildings and there are also campuses at Holyrood and elsewhere.

Teaching began in 1583 under Robert Rollock, with a four year course in arts to gain a masters of arts. When Rollock was appointed as the first principal of the University, there were four Philosophy regents and one regent of Humanity, whilst Rollock specialized in Divinity. Until the beginning of the 18th century the University remained essentially an Arts College, with a Divinity School attached. Throughout the 17th century the Chairs of Divinity, Oriental Languages, Ecclesiastical History and Mathematics had been created. By the end of the 17th century there was also regular teaching in Medicine, and sporadic teaching in Law. The University was at the centre of European Enlightenment in the 18th century. By 1722 a Faculty of Law had been established. The first medical Chair had been established in 1685 and was closely followed in the first half of the 18th century by six more. Four more medical Chairs were created in the 19th century. New Chairs in other Faculties were not established after 1760 until the latter half of the 19th century when they followed in rapid succession, continuing in the 20th century, which include those produced by the mergers with New College, the Royal (Dick) Veterinary School and Moray House Institute of Education.

The University was governed by the town council until the Universities (Scotland) Act of 1858, when it received self governing status. The archaic teaching and management system of regents was abolished in 1708. The 1858 act dramatically changed the constitution of the University. A University Court and General Council were introduced which decided on matters and management pertaining to the whole University. The Senatus Academicus was already in place before 1858and this managed academic matters, but answered to the Court and Council. This system is still used.

The University of Edinburgh provides validation for a Master of Fine Arts that has run jointly with Edinburgh College of Art since 1943. A joint chair, the Hood Chair of Mining Engineering was established in 1923 with Heriot-Watt College which became Heriot-Watt University.

In 2002, the structure of the university was altered substantially, with the abolition of Faculties and the creation of the College of Humanities & Social Science, the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine and the College of Science & Engineering. Departments were replaced by Schools within each Faculty.

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

Notes of lectures given by Alexander Monro (secundus), taken down by unknown person(s)

 Fonds
Identifier: Coll-1325
Scope and Contents This volume of notes is based on Monro's surgical lectures at Edinburgh Medical School, 1774-1775. The manuscript lectures are sub-headed Lectures 1-13 and are in two distinct hands - the first two lectures in one, and the rest in another. The paper is watermarked with a crown and the initials GR, undated, but this L.V.Gerrevink paper commonly used throughout much of the 18th century. Both hands are clear and legible, with just a few corrections, and occasional additions written on the verso...
Dates: 1774-1775

Notes of lectures given by Dr. E. B. Jamieson

 Fonds — Box CLX-A-999
Identifier: Coll-1350
Scope and Contents

The collection consists of two volumes of manuscript notes from the classes of 'Regional Anatomy', 1934-1935, and numbered Volume II and Volume III:


  1. - Volume II is concerned with the 'Thorax and brain'
  2. - Volume III is concerned with the 'Head and neck'
Dates: 1934-1935

Papers of Joseph Black and family

 Fonds
Identifier: Coll-16
Scope and Contents 5 boxes of correspondence between himself and a variety of individuals (including James Watt, Prince Paul Dashkov, John Robison) and on a variety of subjects: linen bleaching, use of lime water, assays of ores, civic water supply, mineralogical specimens, absorption of heat etc 1 box of family letters between Black, his father and his brothers Samuel, George and Thomas ...
Dates: 1746-1799

Quarto A, c1680-c1708

 Series — Box Dk.1.2: Series Coll-33/Quarto A; Series Coll-33/Folio B; Series Coll-33/Folio D; Series Coll-33/Folio E
Identifier: Coll-33/Quarto A
Scope and Contents The papers of David Gregory in Quarto A consist of: 107 manuscript papers and an index, relating to: theoretical physics, including optics, especially treatises on refraction and colour, on mechanics, specifically on velocity, gravitation, centrifugal and centripetal force, and the movement of solids through fluid, and an occasional thought on magnetic attraction. Applied physics, considering ships,...
Dates: c1680-c1708

Three medical notebooks, two of which relate to Alexander Woodcock fl. 1833-1845

 Fonds
Identifier: Coll-1483
Scope and Contents The Alexander Woodcock notebooks contain: Lectures on Anatomy and Physiology - Alexander Jardine Lizar - notebook noted 5 November 1833 Lectures on Chemistry - Doctor Hope - 11 July 1845 A third volume contains: Notes from 1 September 1843 - 20 July 1844 -...
Dates: 1833-1845

University of Edinburgh Anatomy medal awarded to Gordon C. Gillison, 1926-1927

 Item
Identifier: Coll-1848/24-0069
Content Description

This is an Anatomy medal from the University of Edinburgh, awarded to Gordon C. Gillison in 1926-27.

Dates: 1926-1927