1. The Early Days
2. Pinkie House
3. The Langhornes, 1825-1862
4. Hely Hutchinson Almond, 1862-1903
5. Loretto School Limited
6. H.B. Tristram, 1903-1908
7. A.R. Smith, 1908-1926
8. Dr J.R.C. Greenlees, 1926-1945
9. Loretto School Trustees
10. D.F. Mackintosh, 1945-1960
11. R.B. Bruce Lockhart, 1960-1976
12. D.B. McMurray, 1976-1984
13. The Rev. N.W. Drummond, 1984-1995
14. K.J. Budge, 1995-2000
15. M.B. Mavor, 2001-2008
16. P. A. Hogan 2008-2013
1. The Early Days
The history of Eskmouth, Muscilbury or Musselburgh, for the town has borne all three names at various periods, goes back to the Roman occupation of Britain. It is established beyond doubt that the Romans fortified the hill of Inveresk, which flanks Musselburgh on the south, and we may suppose that Musselburgh and the valley of the Esk were even in those early times fairly populous places.
At the time of the Roman occupation, however, it is quite likely that the site which is now occupied by Loretto School was, if not actually covered by the sea at high tide, at least little more than foreshore. We may picture it perhaps as mounds of blown sand covered with bents and coarse grass, fertilised from time to time by deposits from the overflow of the Esk or the Pinkie Burn.
In 1124 Malcolm Canmore and Margaret, his Queen, granted the Parish of Inveresk to the monks of Dunfermline. The church established by the monks was dedicated to St Michael and was erected on the site of the present Inveresk Parish Church, in the centre of the old Roman fortifications.
There grew up around this Church of St Michael several altars or minor churches, some of them subordinate to it, others not. One of the latter was dedicated to 'Our Lady of Loretto' and was served by a hermit who lived close at hand. It was in some respects a convenient place; he was in any case able to draw his water from the Pinkie Burn which flowed close beside his dwelling.
The Rev. W. H. Langhorne, in his Reminiscences of lnveresk and Musselburgh, states that the name Loretto is derived from 'Loreto' in Italy, famous as possessing the Sanctissima Casa, or most Holy House, which the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the Infant Saviour inhabited at Nazareth, and which, according to the legend, was transported by angels from Palestine when the Mohammedans overran that country, and was deposited first in Dalmatia and afterwards on the eastern coast of Italy. In 1295, in consequence of a quarrel between two brothers who owned the land there, it was removed yet a third time to its present inland site, where a magnificent church was erected to hold the sacred shrine and became a famous resort for pilgrims from all over Christendom. One of the witnesses of its final removal was a certain Mary, for which she was later canonised as the Blessed Mary of Laureto.
The Chapel of 'Our Lady of Loretto' at Musselburgh seems to have become more famous than any of the others in the vicinity of the Church of St Michael; in some ways even more famous than that church itself. This was probably due partly to the position of the cell, which was situated not far from the high road between Edinburgh and the South, and partly to the fact that the image it contained had the reputation of working miraculous cures and of exercising a benevolent influence both at marriages and at births. One proof of its fame is that the annual fair which used to be held in Musselburgh on the 15th of August in each year was called 'St Lauret's Fair'.
Perhaps the most important incident in the history of the chapel was King James V's pilgrimage in 1536 from Stirling Castle to Loretto. It is reported that he went on foot to visit the hermit, who at that time was a monk of the Order of St Paul, and 'the first Hermit of Mount Sinay'. This monk, travelling in the East, had brought from Loreto the image of the Virgin Mary mentioned above. James V, when he made the pilgrimage, was concerned about his marriage with a French Princess, and he went to Loretto to ask for a blessing before setting out on the journey which gained for him his first wife, Princess Magdalen, the daughter of Francis I of France. The example of King James was followed by many of his subjects, and for several years the hermitage of Loretto enjoyed a great reputation, especially for love potions and other nostrums. According to Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount: 'Thomas the Hermit of Laureit, He put the Pepill in belief that blynd get sicht, and cruikit get their feit'.
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James V died a young man in 1542. His uncle, Henry VIII of England, was anxious that the heiress, the only child of James, who was now Mary, Queen of Scotland, and only five years old, should become the bride of Prince Edward, afterwards Edward VI. He tried to force the Scots to agree to his suggestion and, when he found them stubborn, ultimately sent an army into Scotland to compel them to come to terms. The English fleet anchored at the mouth of the Esk, and the English army encamped at Musselburgh. The Scots faced the enemy from the further, or Edinburgh, side of the Esk, and foolishly attempted to cross the river to engage in close combat instead of waiting for the English to cross. The result was a disastrous defeat of the Scottish troops, and the victorious invaders destroyed a considerable part of the town of Musselburgh and along with it the Chapel of Loretto. This fight was called the Battle of Pinkie, and was fought on 10th September 1547.
Loretto Chapel was afterwards restored, though it never again regained its former prestige. During the previous twenty years the Reformation had been making great strides in Germany under Luther, and also in England and Scotland. The monks felt that something had to be done to restore their prestige. It came to their knowledge that a lad long known in the town as blind was not really so. The lad's mother, a gypsy, had, since he was an infant, taught him so to turn up his eyes that he could for hours on end deceive experts and make them believe that he was blind. This discovery came to the monks as an inspiration and they determined to use it for the purpose of pretending to perform a public miracle.
A stage was erected at the cross of Musselburgh near where the Town Hall stands, and upon it appeared the monks from Loretto with the supposedly blind beggar. Various religious ceremonies were performed in which, of course, the beggar was the central figure, and in due time he was solemnly commanded to open his eyes. To the astonishment of the beholders he did so. The onlookers were asked to verify what had been done, and the beggar was put to severe tests by many of the sceptics who did not wish the Catholic religion to prosper. The immediate result was that over a large area of the Lowlands of Scotland the Roman clergy were credited with having performed a genuine miracle.
The gypsy, however, was at last bribed to tell the truth. Chagrin grew to anger, anger to frenzy, and with cries of "Down with Popery!" the people of Musselburgh rushed one day to the chapel of Our Lady of Loretto and razed it to the ground. It is part of the ruins of that chapel which now forms the Mound, and many of the sacred stones were afterwards taken to renovate the Musselburgh Town Hall. As a consequence of this, for more than two hundred and fifty years afterwards the inhabitants of Musselburgh were annually excommunicated by the Pope.
In 1569 the Chapel, or what was left of it, reverted to the Burgh and nothing more seems to have been heard it thereafter. By this time the Provost and Baillies of Musselburgh owned the whole of the land lying to the north of the town between the Great North Road and the Firth of Forth. In the second half of the seventeenth century they began to feu out various areas on the outskirts of the town and it was in 1687 that they granted a Charter to James Cochrane, gardener of Pinkie, of a piece of ground described as 'that new fruit yeard and croft of ground lying at (or without) the east part of Musselburgh' - what today is probably the Orchard. The property belonged to the Cochrane family for over thirty years but then passed through various hands until, in 1758, it was bought by David Robertson, described as 'late of Calcutta in the Kingdom of Bengall in the East Indies'. Almost certainly it was he who built the Loretto House which is easily identifiable today. Outwardly it is a fine example of mid-eighteenth century architecture, while, inside, the attractive circular staircase and the beautiful mantelpieces and ceilings in the upper rooms suggest the influence of the famous Adam brothers.
There is a well-known tale about Loretto House during this period. It is said that Lord Clive of India lived there for a while and that during his occupancy he invited the baillies and town councillors of Musselburgh to a banquet and, after a sumptuous dinner, so the story goes, served them with cigars. Never having seen the like before and believing them to be some oriental sweetmeat, the baillies and councillors proceeded to eat them, to their host's surprise and amusement, but to their own subsequent discomfort. Alas, there is no evidence whatever that Clive ever lived at Loretto, but it is likely that he and Robertson had known each other in Calcutta and just possible that he visited Loretto shortly after his return to England in 1760 in search of a Parliamentary seat. Certainly it would have been a suitable occasion for Robertson to have invited the baillies and councillors to dinner to meet such a distinguished guest. Robertson extended the area of ground around the house, as did subsequent owners, until early in the nineteenth century the Loretto 'triangle', incorporating the Orchard, the Park and the Ash Court, was complete and it was probably at that time that the fine stone wall surrounding it was erected.
In 1819 the property was bought by two Writers to the Signet, though whether they occupied it or regarded it as an investment is not known. At any rate matters went badly with them financially and one of them was declared bankrupt. So in 1827 they leased it out to the local Episcopalian parson, the Rev. Thomas Langhorne, and this, as will be seen later, was the beginning of Loretto School.
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2. Pinkie House
Loretto and Pinkie have not only been near neighbours over the years, but a Hope of Pinkie heads the names in the School Register, while generations of Loretto boys, legitimately or illegitimately, used to use the grounds for bird watching and other pursuits. It is even rumoured that there is a secret underground passage connecting the two houses, though no proof of this has so far been produced.
The oldest part of Pinkie House is the massive central tower erected by the Abbots of Dunfermline, probably dating from the late fourteenth century. A hundred years later were added the rooms immediately to the north comprising approximately what is now the Housemaster's house. Around 1600 the building came by inheritance into the hands of Alexander Seton, King James VI's Chancellor. He was a man of considerable distinction and was held in such high esteem by the King that when, in 1603, the latter left for London to add the throne of England to that of Scotland he entrusted into Seton's charge at Pinkie his son, Charles, later to become King Charles I. It has always been assumed that Charles, during his three years' stay there, occupied what is still called 'the King's Room'.
Seton, after his marriage to Margaret Hay in 1607, extended the building southwards to include the Long Gallery with its Painted Ceiling, and the Library and. Drawing Room below it. He decorated the interior with excellent plaster ceilings and improved the south wing, now the Headmaster's house. However, he appears to have been only partially satisfied with these very considerable extensions for there is a well-known inscription on one of the walls which states: 'Alexander, Lord Seton, built this house in 1613, not as he would have wished, but according to the measure of his means and estate'.
Pinkie was witness to several stirring events in Scotland's history. In 1567, twenty years after the disastrous Battle of Pinkie, when it was said that the Pinkie Burn ran with blood for three whole days, the Confederate Lords of Scotland took prisoner their sovereign, Mary Queen of Scots, at Carberry Hill, only two miles away to the south-east, before imprisoning her at Loch Leven and then banishing her to England. In 1650 the troops of Cromwell were encamped on the Links at Musselburgh, where they remained for nearly two months before withdrawing to Dunbar to inflict another defeat on the Scots. But the highlight must have been in 1745 when, following the Battle of Prestonpans, the Long Gallery was used as a casualty station (the bloodstains from the wounded are still visible) and Prince Charlie spent two nights in the King's Room before setting out on his journey to receive the acclamation of the citizens of Edinburgh.
Pinkie passed to Seton's grandson, Sir John Hay, later 1st Marquess of Tweeddale, and remained in that family until 1788, when it was acquired by Sir Archibald Hope, 9th Baronet of Craighall, in Fife. The latter's son, Sir John, in about 1826 enlarged the policies and added the portico entrance on the west side of the house and the broad open stairway behind it where his portrait now hangs. He also reconstructed the south wing, adding a new façade on its north wall and the two-storeyed bow window on the south.
The Hope family continued to own Pinkie until the then Baronet, another Sir Archibald Hope, sold it to Loretto in 1951, since when it has become an intrinsic part of the School.
3. The Langhornes, 1825-1862
Scotland in the latter part of the eighteenth century was still suffering from the consequences of the Stuart revolt in 1745, and one of these was a discouragement, to say the least, of Episcopacy. Services could not be openly attended and Episcopal Church clergymen could carry out their ministrations only in the most secret manner. The general practice was for them to take advantage of the goodwill of such of the gentry as were staunch to their traditions, and in the character of private chaplains to discharge their offices within the houses of the several members of their congregations. Thus it was that the Episcopal Church clergymen of the time came to be on very intimate terms with many of the country families in their districts and the more worthy among them soon gained the full confidence of those to whom they ministered.
Such a one was the Rev. Thomas Langhorne, who came to Musselburgh in 1820. In consequence of the efficient discharge of his duties he soon won the respect of a large number of the country families around Musselburgh. His emoluments from his ministry could not, in the circumstances, be large and he was glad to avail himself of the chance of increasing his income by the private tuition of boys.
Here he found his connection a very valuable one and, although he occupied a large house at Stoneyhill, the number of his pupils increased so rapidly that he was forced to look around for more accommodation. As previously mentioned, he took Loretto House on lease in 1827. Two years later, with his school flourishing, he bought it. During those two years he appears to have enrolled no fewer than 69 boys. At first they were mainly day boys but there were some boarders among them too, and it was this element which interested Langhorne most. Within a year or two the day boys had gone and there were boarders only, and to this extent it may be claimed that Loretto was the first boarding school in Scotland. Certainly it is the one which has lasted longest.
As the day boys dwindled numbers went down to around 25. The boys were mostly aged from eight to twelve and came from the noble and landed families of the Lothians and surrounding counties. Many had distinguished careers in later life, particularly in the Army and the Indian Civil Service.
By the late 1840s, however, Langhorne seems to have 1ost interest in the School and there may have been only two or three on the roll when he handed over the administration to his eldest son, another Thomas. Langhorne himself retired in 1851 having been honoured for his work with an LL.D. degree from Glasgow University.
Loretto House as shown in the 1850 Loretto Prospectus
Thomas the younger was soon joined by two of his brothers and Loretto flourished once more. By 1857 there were 55 boarders and the old house could no longer contain them. It was at this time that the two-storey extension to the north of the house was built, comprising what is now the Dining Hall with dormitories above it.
And then for no reason which has been explained, something went wrong. New entries dried up and some boys were removed. The Langhorne brothers desperately searched around for a purchaser and were fortunate enough to receive an offer from a fairly distant cousin, a certain Mr. Almond, which they accepted with gratitude and relief.
4. Hely Hutchinson Almond, 1862-1903
Thus it was that in the spring of 1862 Loretto was bought by Hely Hutchinson Almond, who had had a distinguished career at Glasgow University and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a Snell Exhibitioner. This was not Almond's first introduction to the School, for he had gone there originally in 1857 as mathematics master before taking up an appointment on the staff of Merchiston Castle School.
At the time Almond took over Loretto the numbers had dropped to 14, but, owing to the distinctive character he gave to it, the School flourished considerably. In four years the numbers rose to between 50 and 60 and from the middle of the 'seventies there was a steady increase and Loretto became larger than it had ever been, so that when 'the Head', as Almond had come to be known, died in 1903 there were 136 names on the roll.
What was this distinctive character? The outward and visible sign was the dress of the boys. No caps, flannel shirts open at the neck, shorts or knickerbockers and no waistcoats. Coats off when the temperature reached 60ºF, open windows and a cold bath every morning. Looking back from the second half of the twentieth century, these ideas seem now almost commonplace; most of them have been widely accepted, and indeed almost surpassed by large sections of the community, but one hundred and thirty or so years ago, and in the vicinity of a conventional city, they were revolutionary in the extreme.
That and the Head's insistence on the value of organised games were leading points in his intense belief that education must be one great whole, including every part of one's being, and that character could be trained only if body, soul and spirit were all being educated together. To further this he instituted boy government throughout the School. Positions of authority were given from an early age as head of room or form until the boy graduated to the position of House or School Prefect.
He encouraged individuality of outlook and regarded with contempt any customs that appeared to him irrational. In a School of the size Loretto was then it was possible for the Head to know every boy, and in talks and discussions he encouraged them to express their views freely, but always led them eventually to see that loyalty, trust and service to the community were the prime virtues. In his final message to the School from his death-bed he wrote, 'I don't care for Loretto being the strongest and cleverest School, I want it to be the most rational and best.'
It is fitting at this point to echo a prophetic warning given by his biographer: 'A School of a hundred and thirty boys was permeable to his influence. A School of four hundred could hardly have been so.'
This is a matter to which we must return later in this History . Let it suffice to interject here that times have changed from what we have come to regard as the spacious days of Victorian Britain. Entry to University and the professions has tightened, the shadow of examinations has led to a reappraisal of some of the Head's dogmas, but behind the shading off of emphasis the eternal verities of his beliefs remain Loretto's heritage.
During the forty years of his Headmastership it became necessary to extend the buildings from time to time. In 1872, two houses, Nos. 12 and 14 High Street, were purchased, and these were called the 'Barracks and Garrison'. The east side of Schoolhouse was marred by the erection of an ungainly edifice, out of harmony with its surroundings. It must be admitted, however, that the Tower, as it is called, contains lofty airy rooms on three storeys and a rewarding view over the Forth. In 1878, when the numbers in the School had reached 100, the first three houses in Linkfield Terrace, just outside the east gate of Loretto, were purchased. Following this, about 1884, a house across the Esk, situated near the mouth of the river, with the ground of eight or nine acres in which it stood, was added. This was called 'Newfield', and was originally bought to provide increased playing accommodation, as the field at Pinkie Mains, which lay to the east of the wall surrounding Pinkie House policies and had been rented since 1873, was unable to provide adequate playing room for all the boys. Newfield House was enlarged from time to time, and about 1891 became the Junior School, exclusively for the 'Nippers', until 1905, when they moved to North Esk Lodge.
One extension, if the Chapel may be so called, requires special mention. The Head was a firm believer in the boys at a boarding school having a religious service in common. In the preface, written in 1886, to a book of sermons entitled Christ the Protestant, he said: 'Where boys attend other churches than the School Chapel, they very seldom hear sermons bearing upon school life, or are encouraged to take any collective part in the church services.' From 1862 till 1876 there was no School Chapel. In 1876, the year of his marriage, the Head received an iron chapel as a wedding gift from his pupils, past and present, who knew his feelings in this matter .
This iron chapel, known familiarly as the 'Tin Tab', was unfortunately situated, and in any case became in time too small for the School's requirements. In 1893 it was superseded by a new stone chapel presented by old boys to the Head, who conveyed it to a body of Trustees, nominated by him from among his former pupils. In 1903 the interior was fitted with oak benches, and a panel was erected as a memorial to those OLs who had fallen in the South African War;
The Head died on 7th March 1903. By his Will he left everything to Mrs. Almond, and nominated his brother-in-law, H.B. Tristram, who after being educated at Loretto had come back as a master in 1887, to succeed him as Headmaster.
5. Loretto School Limited
After the Head's death there was a general desire among Lorettonians and other friends that some memorial should be raised to perpetuate his memory and his work. He was known to have been strongly averse to the idea of any merely ornamental memorial to himself, and accordingly it was decided that the most appropriate tribute would be to continue his life's work by placing the School on a more permanent footing and carrying it on under a properly constituted governing body of Old Lorettonians. This proposal was heartily approved of by Mrs. Almond and those in authority at the School. Briefly, the scheme involved forming a Company, Loretto School Limited, with share capital subscribed by OLs who owned and administered the School, under company law , but with strictly limited dividends and paying no directors' fees. Trustees were appointed to hold funds on behalf of the School, and they were empowered to acquire compulsorily the shares of the Company as and when sufficient money became available. The original funds consisted of the substantial sum raised by subscriptions as a memorial to the Head, while Mrs. Almond included the goodwill as a contribution from herself and her family. The Governing Body was presided over by C.J.G. Paterson, C.A., with T.B. Whitson, C.A., as Secretary, and consisted entirely of OLs in the prime of life. In addition, Mrs. Almond lent her wise counsels. It is not too much to say that it was owing to the labours of these men and, more especially, to the enthusiastic devotion of the first two named that Loretto continued as a School, true to the dicta inspired by the Head.
With the advent of the Governors, changes and additions were made. A new Library wing was added to Schoolhouse, with two bedrooms above, and the kitchen and servants' accommodation removed to the north end of the building. In this work the Governors were successful in securing as Architect Sir Robert Lorimer, whose imaginative conception of his function has resulted in the happy blend of traditional styles visible in the Hundred, the Ash Court, and elsewhere in the School grounds. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Linkfield were adapted and joined together. The Barracks and Garrison were sold, six new classrooms were built at the end of the Hundred. North Esk Lodge, the home of the Head and his family from 1884 to the date of his death, was bought, reconstructed and enlarged, and has since been used for the 'Nippers' as a Junior School under a married master and separate staff.
6. H.B. Tristram, 1903-1908
Henry Barrington Tristram - universally known as 'Tim' - was a Scholar of Hertford College, Oxford, and had a magnificent record as an all-round athlete. He was said to be one of the best full backs who played for the English XV. More than that, he was a sensitive scholar. He fully realised the necessity of broadening the education in the School. Those who studied under him long remembered his Homer lessons and history periods, and his remarkable memory, and all recalled the fine resonance of his voice when preaching in Chapel or taking 'Double'.
Tristram had carried a large share of responsibility during the last years of the Head's life and unfortunately, after all too short a time, his health gave way and in 1908 he was compelled to resign. But he had achieved his ambition of carrying the School through a difficult period of transition.
7. A.R. Smith, 1908-1926
Tristram was succeeded by Allan Ramsay Smith, M.A., OL., a late H.M. Inspector of Schools, who thus returned to Loretto with a knowledge of the working of other educational establishments. Known affectionately, both at Oxford and Loretto, as 'Sconnie', he had captained his University and Scotland at Rugby Football at full back. Below a somewhat gruff exterior he had a warm and sensitive heart and a far-reaching liberal mind. For instance, though trained in the Classics, he recognised the value of the Modern side, and, to meet this, insisted on the erection of new Science classrooms. To him, and to his family, Loretto owes the Craigielands Scholarships to assist boys going to Oxford or Cambridge. During his time the School prospered and numbers grew to 150. So too, due to the generosity of OLs, did their facilities. The Henry Brock gymnasium was built, J.C. Walker gifted the cricket pavilion at Newfield, Trafalgar Lodge was bought for a Sick House and Holm House brought into use to accommodate boys in 1925. The Swimming Bath was gifted by the family of C.R.G. Ross, in memory of their brother.
Then came the First World War of 1914-1918 and Loretto, true to her tradition of service, gave of her best, and grim was the toll. One hundred and forty-four lost their lives, a total almost equivalent to the strength of the entire School in those days. Among them were many of Smith's own boys, whose careers he had prepared and was watching with interest, when all was cut short. This, and the strain of running the School in the old tradition, but with increased numbers, must account in some measure for his untimely death in 1926 at the early age of fifty-one.
8. Dr J.R.C. Greenlees, 1926-1945
To fill the vacancy the Governors appointed James Robertson Campbell Greenlees, D.S.O., M.A., M.D., Ch.B., OL., who had long been a member of the Board of Governors. Greenlees was practising as a physician in Glasgow and brought to his work as Headmaster a lifetime study of boys in the Boys' Brigade and a keen and knowledgeable interest in youth psychology.
Like his two predecessors he had a distinguished career at Rugby Football and, playing at forward, captained Cambridge against Oxford (led by his close friend and contemporary J.F.A. Swanston, OL.), and played for Scotland for several years. He was decorated for his conduct in the field in the First World War.
This unconventional appointment early proved a success. Over the years numbers increased still further and the size of the waiting list presented a recurring problem. Headmaster and Governors had to balance the Head's desire to rule over a relatively small community where the influence of the Headmaster would make itself felt, at any rate throughout the Upper School, against the sheer economic necessity of making Loretto a viable proposition, with a. competent staff of masters, providing an education fully comparable to that given elsewhere. To this achievement Greenlees, like his predecessors, contributed in no small measure. Largely due to his generosity and insistence, the Sick House at Trafalgar Lodge was enlarged into an up-to-date sanatorium capable of accommodating, and isolating, boys with infectious diseases. During his time also the Colin Thomson Hall was built in the Park out of a bequest from the OL. of that name, whose generosity it was that first enabled a Scholarship Fund to be founded for boys at School. The Dining Hall was panelled, mainly through the gift. of the then Chairman of Governors, C.J.G. Paterson, and the oak tables and benches presented by S.S. Lamert - only two of the many gifts Loretto owes to those two OLs.
A Vlth Form Library was contrived at the south end of Schoolhouse and a sitting-room built off the Yard. The School Library itself was enlarged by throwing in the Masters' Common Room, and the Masters were accommodated in a building off the Hundred. Eskbank House, neighbouring North Esk Lodge, was acquired to ease overcrowding in the Junior School, which had now grown considerably larger.
In 1939 Greenlees felt it was time to retire and make way for a younger man, but the outbreak of the Second World War appealed to him as a challenge and he continued in office for another six years. Loretto boys again responded to the call of their country in full measure, following their elder brothers of 1914-1918, but mercifully the casualty list, though grievous, was not so large as in the earlier war. Ninety gave their lives.
When in 1945 Greenlees retired he could look back on nineteen years during which his forceful personality and energy made a lasting impact on the generations of boys who came under his care.
9. Loretto School Trustees
With Greenlees' retiral the old body of Trustees and Governors decided that, since all the Limited Company Shares had been bought or given back, the time had come to wind up the Company and to found the School by turning it into a Trust. This was carried through in 1946. Certain of the Governors were assumed as Trustees and their number increased by the addition of younger Lorettonians. A retiring age was fixed for all Trustees in order that there might be a continual reinforcement of the Governing Body by younger men with fresh minds and new ideas.
To commemorate the change in status and the sacrifice of life in the Second World War a War Memorial and Foundation Fund was launched with the threefold object of erecting a suitable memorial in Chapel to those killed in the war, providing financial assistance for the education of their sons at Loretto, and the institution of a Reserve Fund for the School to enable the Governors to face with confidence the difficult years that lay ahead. The response was good, and over the years the Fund reached a total of more than £50,000.
It was felt that the most seemly memorial would be to add the names of the OLs who had died to those on the existing First War Memorial in Chapel and thus commemorate their common sacrifice in two wars. A Roll of Honour was published and assistance given to the education at Loretto of four sons of OLs who had lost their lives.
10. D.F. Mackintosh, 1945-1960
To succeed Greenlees the Trustees appointed David Forbes Mackintosh, M.A., A.M., a Scholar of Oriel College, Oxford, and a Housemaster at Clifton. Being a Merchistonian he was the first Headmaster of the School since Almond who was not an Old Lorettonian, but he soon became imbued with the spirit and tradition of Loretto and a determination to continue the work of his predecessors. He quickly appreciated that in post-war conditions entry to the Universities must depend to a greater extent on academic achievement, and he applied himself to instilling into his boys the belief that a full education called for application to work as well as to games. Himself the son of one who had been a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, he took particular interest in the religious aspect of education, and devoted much thought to the preparation of boys for confirmation in the Episcopal Church and admission to the Church of Scotland. He also instituted a weekday service in Chapel.
One of his major problems was to accommodate the boys who had grown in numbers under Greenlees from 150 to over 200. In 1950 he became aware that Pinkie House and grounds were in the market and quickly apprised the Governors of this fact. After prolonged negotiations the house and some 23 acres of ground were acquired, and were eventually occupied in September 1953. The House was entirely renovated and adapted to provide dormitories for 55 boys, with accommodation for a Housemaster and Matron. The Headmaster was installed in the South wing, to bring him into closer proximity to his boys. Catherine Lodge in Inveresk, bought in Smith's time, had proved too large and too far away from the School and was sold. The Stables at Pinkie were converted into a much-needed Music School with practice rooms, the Bursar provided with a more spacious office, and room found for outdoor staff and garages. Furthermore, our amenity was protected on our southern flank, and most important of all perhaps, the grounds were laid out in additional and attractive playing fields, and to this end the War Memorial and Foundation Fund was found a suitable medium. Thus, just as after the First World War Memorial Field was added to Newfield, so now the Pinkie playing fields commemorate the Second World War.
All this was contrived at a cost of some £60,000 and became possible only through generous bequests from W.J. Thomson, J.H. Maurice Clark, and W.B. Kirkwood. A welcome donation from the Pilgrim Trust relieved the School of financial liability for reinstatement of the painted ceiling and other historical parts of the mansion-house.
On 1st July 1958 Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh honoured Loretto with a visit. They were received by the Chairman of Governors and, after presentation of some of the senior Governors, the Headmaster and Housemasters, they toured the School under the guidance of the two head boys. After a thorough inspection and tea in Pinkie House they each planted a tree to commemorate their visit.
Forbes Mackintosh came to Loretto at a difficult time when the influence of Almond was still strong even after forty years. Too often it seemed to be forgotten that the virtual founder of Loretto had been a reformer, a man who made his name and the School's reputation by going against the conventions of his time. But some of his reforms had outlived their purpose. Tradition is admirable when it serves the institution, but when the institution serves tradition then Almond's dictum of 'living visibly according to the dictate of right reason' tends to be obscured. Mackintosh's great contribution was that while he maintained what was best in the School's ethos he also successfully persuaded people that it was time to dispose of a number of sacred cows.
11. R.B. Bruce Lockhart, 1960-1976
On Mackintosh's retiral in 1960 the Governors appointed as his successor Rab Brougham Bruce Lockhart, M.A. The son of a former Headmaster of Sedbergh, he had been educated at The Edinburgh Academy and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. At both school and university he had a fine athletic record and later represented Scotland at both Rugby Football and Cricket. In addition to war service he had been a master at Harrow, a Housemaster at Appleby College, Ontario, Canada, and Headmaster of Wanganui Collegiate School, New Zealand.
At Loretto he immediately found two main objectives to pursue: to introduce a new House system with the new buildings which that would entail, and to continue the raising of the academic standard, initiated by Mackintosh. The Governors agreed with him wholeheartedly and a Development Fund was started and most generously supported by OLs and other friends of the School. Two new houses, Hope and Seton, named after previous owners of Pinkie, were built in Pinkie grounds, and study blocks for Pinkie House and Schoolhouse were added. Linkfield was sold, Holm House was demolished, and Newfield House was made available to the Nippers once more. At the end of it all Loretto could be proud of its new buildings, not least of the enlarged Chapel made possible by a magnificent gift from an anonymous OL.
The provision of studies in the four Houses was a vital element in raising the academic standard. Now further measures were taken; scholarships for boys who had not attended a Preparatory School were instituted; teaching hardware was introduced; boys might sit the Scottish Higher Certificate as well as the Oxford and Cambridge Examinations; Geography and Business Studies were taken as 'A' Level subjects. A new Science Block was built in the Ash Court, opened by the Queen Mother on 23rd June 1971, and Science began to be taught at the Nippers. The old labs were converted into an arts and crafts centre and a full-time Art master was appointed.
New times brought new problems of course. In the sixties the existence of independent schools became a political issue; in the seventies inflation seemed to be an even greater threat; student questioning of the status quo began to affect even schools north of the Border. This was an age of liberalisation. There was more contact with girls' schools, and Parents' Meetings with the Staff were introduced; the first few day-boys appeared; Sunday chapel services were reduced from two to one, and the wearing of shorts - a highly symbolic change this! - was made optional.
Most of these changes were inspired by Bruce Lockhart and introduced by him only after much deliberation and under full control. As someone remarked, 'He ran a tight ship, a very tight ship,' and in 1976 the School's reputation was very high.
12. D.B. McMurray, 1976-1984
His successor was another Old Lorettonian, the fourth OL. Headmaster out of six since Almond. David Bruce McMurray, B.A., after National Service and Pembroke College, Cambridge, had taught for a while at Fettes and then Stowe. He returned to Fettes, where he became a Housemaster and Head of the English Department, finding time also to coach both the 1st XV and the 1st XI.
Although he remained Headmaster for only eight years, he shot through Loretto like a rocket, a rocket which by no means had reached its zenith when he left in 1984 to become Headmaster of Oundle. The jaunty blue peaked cap on Newfield announced the new regime, as did his emphasis on 'greater scope for the individual' and on the necessity for explaining 'the rationale behind the instruction'.
On the one hand the building renovation continued. The bare boards of the Gym were metamorphosed into the highly successful Theatre; a new Sports Hall was erected in the grounds of Holm House; and the Colin Thomson Hall found its true goal as the Library, allowing the 'White' Library at the south end of Schoolhouse upstairs to become the Careers Room, while the 'Brown' Library, the old School Library downstairs, after removal of its central fireplaces, remained as a Reading Room but was also fitted out for meetings and receptions. The Masters' Common Room was wafted up to Letter F to the Staff's great satisfaction.
On the other hand cultural, social and academic activities continued to increase. The Christmas Dinner and Social Saturdays were introduced, House dances and House plays were frequent, an Art Gallery was opened in Number One High Street, the School Bookshop and the Pioneers started. The greater link with Industry was continued with the Lower Vlth Industrial Experience Courses and the creation of a new Department of Craft, Design and Technology .
However, the innovation for which McMurray will probably best be remembered was the introduction of VIth Form girl boarders in 1981. Trafalgar Lodge, no longer needed as a Sick House, was skilfully adapted to accommodate twenty-eight girls - and life at Loretto could never be the same again! Few regretted this in the end, and academically, socially and culturally the School continues to benefit.
In his first year one of McMurray's duties was to preside over Loretto's One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary; in his eighth year came the opening of the new Library and the appointment of a Director of Studies. So much in so short a time. When he left there were almost 300 in the Upper School, including girls and day-boys, and over 90 in the Nippers.
13. The Rev. N.W. Drummond, 1984-1995
To succeed David McMurray the Governors appointed - from a very large field - the Reverend Norman Walker Drummond, M.A., B.D., a Scot aged 32, educated at Crawfordton Prep School, Merchiston and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he graduated in Law. He returned to Scotland to take a degree in Divinity at New College, Edinburgh, was ordained as a Minister of the Church of Scotland, and then served as an Army Chaplain with the Parachute Regiment and the Black Watch. Before his appointment to Loretto he was Chaplain at Fettes for two years. He got his Blue from Cambridge at Rugby Football and went on to captain the Scottish Universities, the Army, and the Combined Services XVs. He was also a keen cricketer. Like Rab Bruce-Lockhart he is of medium height, athletic build and looks you straight in the eye.
Some eyebrows were raised, no doubt, at a non-schoolmaster of only 32, but that was nothing new to Loretto. Almond was 30 when he became Headmaster and Sconnie Smith 33. Drummond quickly showed that anything he might have lacked in age or experience was more than compensated for by an untiring energy and enthusiasm. Even more important, perhaps, he very quickly developed a real appreciation and understanding of all things Lorettonian. He rapidly got to know everyone's name and their personal situation and was better at it than anyone else at Loretto.
By the end of his first term he and his wife, Elizabeth, had had almost the entire School to lunch at their house in Pinkie, in small groups. From the start, Elizabeth Drummond, with a young and growing family - one of whom, Marie Clare, has in 1999 become the first Lorettonian girl to be Head of School - proved able, enthusiastic and a delightful Headmaster's wife who, like her husband, set herself and kept a punishing pace in Loretto life.
After a short time it became clear that the choice of Norman Drummond had been a fine one. He led by example and from the front. He spoke thoughtfully and well. He took a great deal of trouble to make his addresses to parents or staff or pupils interesting and they always had a good ending! Not being a professional schoolmaster helped him to look in from the outside, concentrate confidently on what Loretto and its customers wanted and then work to see they got it. In this he received splendid support from the Common Room.
He was radical, with a passionate vision of the School's future; and he pursued it with great gusto.
He concentrated separately in his first five years on each part of the Loretto community: parents, Common Room, OLs, wellwishers and potential wellwishers. To each he gave a different and special encouragement and an enthusiastic message for future action. But most notable was the care and individual attention he paid to each of his pupils - always remembering their personal ambitions and concerns and, unfailingly, their nicknames.
The steady and remarkable faith in Loretto grew even more strongly - as did the heavy demand for places at the School. In December 1986 the entry list had to be closed for two years.
Drummond developed as a priority two of the courses that David McMurray had opened up: closer links with Industry and the Universities, and the further development of co-education at Loretto, including the Nippers.
The School's need to form and strengthen the links with Industry and the Universities grew strongest with Heriot-Watt University, and Loretto now offered Technology both at 'O' and 'A' Level. The Industry and Business Centre, built at the north end of the Ash Court, was opened in summer 1988 and was the first of its kind in Britain. Leading industrial figures of the day readily took part in the events that followed the founding of the Centre. Loretto was not afraid to lead, in preparation for a wider market place for managers. "Loretto must be European," said Drummond. In fact in 1989/90 one third of the School came from South of the River Tweed or from outside the U.K.
The demand for girls' places steadily increased. In 1992 Trafalgar Lodge was expanded to 40 places, by building in the garden behind 'Traf'. By September 1995 Loretto decided to go fully co-educational both in the Upper School and the Nippers, aiming for a proportion of two boys to one girl. The 'Balcarres, Trafalgar Lodge, Holm House' complex was to be redesigned to allow this. Again, life would never be the same - but better!
Wider overseas exchanges grew for staff and pupils with schools in Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A., Canada and South Africa. On 31 January 1988 the School's Morning Chapel Service was televised in Chapel by the BBC. It resulted in a remarkably wide response from all over the U.K. and from several overseas countries.
The next Loretto Appeal, concluding in late 1988, raised £1½ million. From this, Schoolhouse was extended and converted on the north, east and south sides of the Double Yard, a Nippers Study Centre was built, refurbishment inside old buildings to complement the new was the order of the day. The dining hall, which had seated only 240, was enlarged to seat 392 so that the whole School could once again sit down together - an important improvement. A Music School was built in the Park between the Fives Courts and the Theatre (formerly the Gym). It included a small concert hall and auditorium presented by Alan McInroy (2417) and his wife, Daphne, in memory of her younger son, Peter Wood (3718).
Drummond concentrated on forging healthier and stronger links between the parts. Parents and School worked more harmoniously together. 'Loretto Families' was started from the demand to keep in touch for life after Loretto, and links between the School and Universities became closer. They included ten annual undergraduate gatherings in Britain, with the Headmaster present. Loretto Open Day at the end of the Summer Term became a remarkable annual gathering of Lorettonians past, present and future.
In his second five years, 1989-94, Drummond concentrated more on the sort of person Loretto should produce. Bruce Lockhart had said that Loretto's boys and girls should be 'brave, true, responsible and kind'; Drummond stressed that it was very important to value effort as much as achievement. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme played an increasing part in self-development and self-confidence.
The HMI Inspection of Loretto in 1993 reported very favourably on the School: the ethos of Loretto was 'outstanding'. The majority of the inspectors said informally that they would choose Loretto for their children had they the choice. The academic standard and spirit in the School had never been higher. And Drummond had fine skills in 'selling' his School.
Drummond retired in 1995 after nearly eleven years as Headmaster, becoming National Governor of the BBC and Chairman of the Broadcasting Council, both in Scotland. He left a School notably healthier in mind, body and spirit, and with a practical, international and traditional reputation for character, value and excellence. He believed in his pupils.
As the Very Reverend Dr William Morris, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, said of him in 1994 in St Giles Cathedral, in front of hundreds of Lorettonians past and present and many other friends and wellwishers: '…that family of Loretto, for you have made it so'.
14. K.J. Budge, 1995-2000
The Governors chose Keith Joseph Budge, aged 38, Housemaster of Cotton House, Marlborough College, to succeed Norman Drummond. Born in Lancashire, he was educated at Rossall School and at University College, Oxford. There he took an M.A. in English and got his Blue for Rugby Football. Later he played for London Scottish. He taught English for four years at Eastbourne College, and then went to Marlborough for eleven years, including a year as instructor in English at Stephenson College, California. Though English by birth, he and his family have strong Scottish connections, and also a hill farm near Nigg, above the Cromarty Firth.
Again, Loretto was delighted to meet the new Headmaster's wife, Moony Budge, and their young family. She is most dedicated, enthusiastic and has been at the heart of Loretto. Both Budges had considerable experience of co-education at Marlborough. They arrived as Loretto was committed to, and preparing for, full co-education throughout the Senior School and the Nippers. Balcarres and Holm House were being redesigned and rebuilt for more girls, who would be entering the Third Form from September 1995. On the sporting side new floodlit, all-weather surfaces for Hockey and Tennis were now in full use, whatever the season.
Budge soon recommended that Loretto go beyond its links with traditional industry by embracing the Information Technology revolution. A comprehensive I.T. Centre was planned, to be built at the west end of the Park and to incorporate the School Library. A further Appeal was set up in 1996 to finance the new Centre. Its success produced a most impressively-equipped building, which was opened in February 1998. At North Esk Lodge a new Art and Information Technology Centre was built and opened in 1999. Thus, the School's I.T. and Library facilities moved Loretto ahead of any other Scottish school. North Esk Lodge also received a new Nippers' Music Centre in 1999, and an Early Years' Section for 5 to 8 year olds.
So, to meet healthy but stiff competition, Loretto could now offer education for both boys and girls from 5 to 18 years old, as either day or boarding pupils - although the main Loretto ethos is, of course, for full boarding.
Are all these new buildings and fresh facilities thoroughly worthwhile? Looking through The Lorettonian for 1999 gives a good guide. It is the timely newly-designed amalgamation of the School Magazine ("The Lorrie") with that of the Lorettonian Society, and the pictures in it show well the thriving, complex and outgoing life of Loretto today, with its unbounded opportunity and great effort. Perhaps indicative of these are the places world-wide at which the Loretto Pipes and Drums have played. Apart from the Far East and America, they ranged from Ypres in November 1998, to pay tribute to the 147 OLs who were killed in action in the First War, to the interior of Fingal's Cave, during a recent tour to Mull and Iona!
Having completed five years at Loretto in a rapidly changing environment, Keith Budge announced that he would leave Loretto at the end of the summer term 2000. He left a School magnificently equipped for the opening of the new millennium.
15. M.B. Mavor, 2001 - 2008
The appointment of Michael Barclay Mavor, C.V.O., M.A. as Headmaster, from the summer term of 2001, left an interregnum of two terms during which the Vicegerent, Richard Selley, became Acting Headmaster.
Michael Mavor, an Old Lorettonian (1955-65), won a Scholarship to read English at St John's College, Cambridge, followed by a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship at Northwestern University from 1969-72. He was an Assistant Master at Tonbridge School for 7 years before being appointed Headmaster of Gordonstoun in 1979. He was Head Master of Rugby from 1990 until his move to Loretto, and was Chairman of the H.M.C. in 1997. He was appointed C.V.O. in 1983.
Michael Mavor made an immediate impact on the situation he found at Loretto. Along with Elizabeth, his wife, he made a quick and accurate assessment of where Loretto 'was' and where it ought to be in the medium-term. Plans were drawn up to refurbish and re-vitalise areas around the School, building on the strengths of the past whilst creating a feeling of brightness and vigour around the School.
Mavor created an environment where the boys and girls are happy in their work, play and life in general. He succeeded in raising academic focus so that GCSE, AS and A2 results continue to improve.
The front of School House was the first project and the hall and corridor towards the Dining Hall were transformed. The Dining Room was 'revolutionised' in terms of food preparation, food delivery and the manner and style in which the boys, girls, staff and visitors ate their meal. Choice was introduced at all meals and in order to accommodate the whole School two sittings were introduced at Lunch.
To fund these changes, and the ones yet to come, the Loretto Foundation was established to raise money for specific projects and provide a steady stream of funds to allow tasks to be competed in the future.
Sport received a massive boost when the Golf Academy was launched. It has proved to be a great success, attracting top young players from all over Scotland and beyond. The Sports Hall was redecorated and a Fitness Centre was created in one of the Squash Courts.
A major donation towards arts at Loretto saw the Theatre being refurbished with new seating, lighting, sound systems and stage facilities being created to modernise a great facility within the School. This programme of creating useful space for the arts will be completed when the Colin Thomson Hall has its refurbishment completed and it becomes a general-purpose hall for plays, concerts and lectures.
In the next two years the boys' Houses will receive a complete refurbishment and this will be followed by a sprucing up of the girls' Houses. The Science Block has also had a major refurbishment.
The Junior School (Nippers) has gone from strength to strength. The shrewd appointment of Richard Selley to be Headmaster was followed by some strategic changes that has seen the Nipper roll rise to over 180. The Junior School caters for pre-school children, and the establishment of the Early Years has been part of this success. Newfield House has been re-opened as a boarding House to cater for increased demands for space in the Junior School .
Junior School sport and extra-curricular activities continue to thrive. Activities on Saturday mornings have replaced lessons and Nipper productions throughout the year draw praise from many quarters. The Nipper Choir finished joint runners-up in the nationwide Songs of Praise Competition.
In September 2006, Michael Mavor introduced a change to the structure within the School. The top year at the Junior School (Year 8) became the Second Form in the Senior School. The boarders remained under the guidance of the Junior School Housemaster at Newfield, but all their teaching, sport and extra-curricular activities were provided in the Senior School. In addition there were changes in the housing arrangements for the boarders in the Senior School. Hope House and Balcarres became exclusively Sixth Form Houses for boys and girls respectively, and Seton and Holm Houses accommodated the Third, Fourth and Fifth Form boys and girls respectively. Schoolhouse has been refurbished to provide common rooms for Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Forms during the working day and a Sixth Form common room in the flat in School House provides a vibrant atmosphere in a building which has become more of an administrative block over the past years.
16. P.A. Hogan, 2008-2013
Peter Anthony Hogan was appointed to Loretto School for September 2008. Peter came to teaching from a business and communications background, but like many accomplished educators he found himself drawn to a wider idea of education, and counted Business, Economics and even Religious Education as subjects he was happy with in the classroom. Studying first at Liverpool, and then at Leeds for his PGCE, Peter soon rose to the role of Head of Economics at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Girls before becoming Head of Business Education and Head of Marketing at the prestigious Trent College. He moved on to become Deputy at Sunderland High School before his first Headship at Llandovery College, Wales, where his business acumen and revitalisation of the College drew the attention of the Loretto Governors.
Arriving in 2008 with his wife Alison and their daughter Emma (their son Alex opted to see out his A Levels at Llandovery), Peter took over a School that had been held together by the sheer force of character of his predecessor, Michael Mavor. The job he faced was to put the School on a sound financial footing for the coming years.
Often a Headmaster will arrive at a school and decide that there are projects he or she wishes to see completed. Legacies that can be seen, or even walked around, in or on are often attractive. This should not detract from the achievements of Peter’s predecessors without whom, the School would certainly be a lesser place, devoid of its library, sports hall, AstroTurf and dining hall.
Peter’s vision was to ensure not a building, but the security of the School going forward. A sustainable business model meant some hard choices: a rearrangement of the Loretto way of doing things and a realisation that if the School was going to thrive in an era post economic crisis, it would have to change. A series of changes including a redundancy process meant that although the School would come to thrive under his tenure and then those of Elaine Logan and Dr Graham Hawley, Peter would unfortunately forever be associated with a very painful period in the School’s history.
Sport was pushed to the forefront of the School, with both boys and girls getting specialist staff. The appointment of Directors to cover the major sports at the School included internationally recognised players and coaches for Rugby , Hockey, and Cricket.
With the first external appointment of a Vicegerent, and a new Head of the Nippers in place, the task of streamlining much of the byzantine operational structure of the School was begun.
Institutional sustainability and the ongoing School roll were the first, second and third priority for Peter during his tenure. Senior School Numbers rising from the low 300s to over 400 over the years came as a result of his continued attention to the School, creating an environment attractive to prospective parents.
This attention was physical in some ways. A rotating renovation plan was put in place to ensure the sustainability of the historic buildings. Parts of the School were made more pleasant to walk around. The ash court being paved and grassed has saved thousands alone in shoe leather and broken heels.
During the course of his time Peter oversaw an increase in the subjects offered. Religious Studies became a full GCSE; Latin was made compulsory; Information and Computer Technology provision was made for every child in the school. The range of A Levels also increased: Economics and History of Art were restored to the roster and Accountancy added. A senior manager was appointed to streamline and take on the examinations and reporting system.
A paper trail of immense proportions was turned into a streamlined reporting system that saved hundreds of man hours. This desire for greater communication later meant a further appointment of a Director of External affairs, who helped transform the popular image of the school. A new post of Academic Registrar was created with effective control of school admissions and a wide marketing remit to promote the academic profile of the school.
Peter departed suddenly but he left a legacy. Not a building or a monument, but the School itself, in good health, with a rising roll and the world saying things like this:
“No surprise that places are in such high demand…Head Peter Hogan’s mission is to ‘maximise the opportunities for everyone’– we think he’s doing a great job.” The Tatler Schools Guide.
It is a rare thing to be the right man, in the right place at the right time. Peter Anthony Hogan could claim to be that for Loretto School. The Chairman of Governors, in his letter to parents, said “
Having successfully completed the task of transforming a number of key areas of Loretto’s operations, not without personal cost, Peter felt it to be right for the School and for him to hand over, allowing a successor to capitalise on what he has achieved and recognising that the School’s circumstances are significantly better now than when he arrived.”
As always when Headmasters depart there is the chance of an interregnum. With Peter leaving at Easter, Elaine Logan stepped into the breach for a marathon 4 terms.
Elaine was a 12 year veteran of the School by this point and a Deputy Head in her own right. Determined not to be a place holder, she set about ensuring that the mechanisms Peter had put in place were protected, and that the legacy of a sustainable School was used to its best effect. It is no surprise that at the end of her tenure in the Summer of 2014 the Senior School roll was at its highest ever.
Elaine’s warmth and understanding that a school is more than just results meant parents immediately took to her and her personal way of approaching the issues that flood the desk of a Head (even an acting one). Keen to keep her hand in the pastoral care of the School she was an ever present in the Houses and took care to be at the fixtures, performances and recitals. Knowing each child by name is a feat many aspire to, but not all accomplish with such aplomb.
Elaine was a graceful holder of the post of Acting Head. She received just recognition of her skill and talent when Glenalmond appointed her as the first female Warden of the College. Her tenure leading another of Scotland’s foremost schools began in August 2015.