The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school

Independent school

An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...

 which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town

New Town, Edinburgh

The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...

 of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located in Arboretum Road to the north of the city's famous Royal Botanic Garden

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Originally founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland — Edinburgh,...

.

The Edinburgh Academy is now a co-educational day school, boarding having ceased and the transition to co-education having been completed in 2008. The nursery, housed in a 2008 purpose built block on the Junior campus, caters for children from 2 to 5. The Junior School admits children from age 6 to 10 whilst the Senior School takes pupils from age 10 to 18.

In a 2010 ranking of the top 25 Scottish Schools by Highers results, the Academy came 22nd. In those Scottish fee-paying schools whose pupils take the English 'A'-level exam, the Academy came last out of eight establishments, also in 2010.

While it is self-governed and financed, the Edinburgh Academy remains subject to inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...

 most recently in 2006.

In 2011, The Edinburgh Academy Chamber Choir won the annual BBC: Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year competition.

Foundation

In 1822, the school's founders, Henry Cockburn

Henry Thomas Cockburn

Henry Thomas Cockburn, Lord Cockburn was a Scottish lawyer, judge and literary figure. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1830 and 1834.-Background and education:...

 and Leonard Horner

Leonard Horner

Leonard Horner , Scottish geologist, brother of Francis Horner, was born in Edinburgh.Horner was a 'radical educational reformer' who was involved in the establishment of University College School....

 agreed that Edinburgh required a new school to promote classical learning

Classics

Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...

. Edinburgh's Royal High School

Royal High School (Edinburgh)

The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...

 provided a classical education, but the founders felt that greater provision was needed for the teaching of Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

, to compete with some of England's public schools

Public School (UK)

A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...

. Cockburn and Horner recruited John Russell as a co-founder and the three of them, together with other interested parties, put a proposal to the City Council for the building of a new school. The City Fathers gave their approval in 1823 and fifteen Directors were elected, comprising the three founders and twelve other luminaries, including Sir Walter Scott

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

, Sir John Hay

Sir John Hay, 6th Baronet

Sir John Hay, 6th Baronet was a British baronet and politician. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Peeblesshire from 1831 to 1837.-References:...

 and Robert Dundas

Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville

Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville KT, PC, FRS was a British statesman, the son of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount. Dundas was the Member of Parliament for Hastings in 1794, Rye in 1796 and Midlothian in 1801. He was also Keeper of the Signet for Scotland from 1800...

.

Buildings

The main building of the Senior School, with its Greek Doric

Doric order

The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...

 frontage, was designed by architect William Burn

William Burn

William Burn was a Scottish architect, pioneer of the Scottish Baronial style.He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812...

. The stone used was principally from the nearby Craigleith Quarry. The Foundation Stone was laid in June 1823 and the school opened for the first session in October 1824. Interestingly when looking from Edinburgh Castle the Academy is perfectly obscured from view by the St Stephens Center. It was rumoured that W.H.Playfair who built the St Stephens Church did this out of spite after he had offered to design the Academy's Main Hall but was turned down in favour of Burns. In 1892, new classrooms were built along the western wall of the site, and in 1900, the School Library was opened, followed by the new Science Block in 1909, both along the eastern wall. At the back of the school the Dining Hall, and the Rifle Range beneath it, was opened in 1912 and after World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the Gymnasium was built. This was dedicated as a War Memorial to Edinburgh Academicals (former pupils) who had fallen during the hostilities of 1914 to 1918. A later plaque commemorates ex-pupils who fell in the Second World War.

In 1945, a new building, Denham Green House, was acquired in the Trinity area of Edinburgh. This was used for the junior department (now known as Early Years) of the Preparatory School (now known as The Edinburgh Academy Junior School). In 1960, a new building for the upper three years of the Preparatory School was completed in Inverleith (Arboretum campus). Denham Green's nursery and early years facilities were relocated to purpose built accommodation on the Preparatory school's Arboretum campus in 1987. In 1992, the Rector's residence, Academy House and in 1997, a new Games Hall were constructed on the same campus. The latter was partly funded by money from The Lottery and Sports Council and is for the use not only of pupils in both parts of the school but also of the community in the area. A new computing and music building was completed at the Junior School in 2005 and a new nursery and after school facility in 2008.

At Henderson Row, the property next to the school, No 32, was acquired for administrative use in 1972 and in 1977, the Academy acquired the junior school of Donaldson's College

Donaldson's College

Donaldson's School, in Linlithgow is Scotland's national residential and day school, providing education, therapy and care for pupils who are deaf or who have communication difficulties.-Headteacher and management team:...

, to the west. This allowed departments to expand and a purpose built Music School was opened on this part of the campus in 1991. In 2005 the 1909 science block was demolished and a new science block, the James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell of Glenlair was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory...

 Centre, named in honour of the illustrious 19th century scientist and former pupil, was opened on 3 November 2006 by Lord Falconer of Thoroton.

Blair House

Situated in Glen Clova, Angus, Blair House is a centre for learning in the Cairngorms and is a former forestry lodge. Surrounded by the beautiful landscape and wildlife of the glen, it is used for Art and Geography at A-Level and Biology at GCSE. There are yearly also trips for geits (P7 pupils). It is just a short walk from the Cairngorms National Park

Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and...

 which includes Glendoll Forest and Corrie Fee

Corrie Fee

Corrie Fee is a National Nature Reserve at the head of Glen Clova in the Angus Glens of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park. This is one of the most important sites for arctic-alpine plants in Britain . Corrie Fee itself is one of the best examples of a glacial corrie in the...

 nearby. The house is regarded as wonderful opportunity for all at the Academy, staff and pupils alike.

Traditions

The school crest has varied over the years between an 'EA' in a laurel wreath and, in keeping with the classical traditions of the school, the head of Homer

Homer

In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...

. The school cap, long since defunct, always displayed the 'EA' logo. At the start of the twenty-first century the school returned to the 'EA' logo in all circumstances although not without some consternation in parts of the school community. From the foundation of the school, the headmaster has been known as the Rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

, a term common to several other Scottish secondary schools. The boys in the youngest year of the Senior School are referred to as Geits, from the Old Scots

Scots language

Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...

 word for a child, while at the upper end of the school, the prefect

Prefect

Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....

s are known as Ephors, after the officials of ancient Sparta.

In 1905, the school was divided into four houses or Divisions, Cockburn, named after the founder Henry Cockburn

Henry Thomas Cockburn

Henry Thomas Cockburn, Lord Cockburn was a Scottish lawyer, judge and literary figure. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1830 and 1834.-Background and education:...

, Carmichael, named after a former teacher, James Carmichael, Kinross, named after a former pupil John Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross

John Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross

John Blair Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross, PC, QC was a Scottish lawyer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1899....

, and Houses, representing the boys who lived in the boarding houses.

At one time, schoolboys used to play Hailes, a similar game to shinty

Shinty

Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...

, also believed to have been played in the Royal High School

Royal High School (Edinburgh)

The Royal High School of Edinburgh is a co-educational state school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and has, throughout its history, been high achieving, consistently attaining well above average exam results...

. Today the tradition is represented only by an annual match at the end of the school year, when the Ephors play against the other leavers from the seventh year, a match usually played in fancy dress. Alumni of the Edinburgh Academy are known as Academicals, or Accies, a name shared with the Rugby

Rugby football

Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

 team.

Other traditions include language particular to the school, for example "The Hole in the Wall" which refers to a passage linking the main buildings of the school to Donaldsons.

Notable alumni

• Craigie Aitchison
  Craigie Aitchison (painter)
  Craigie Aitchison, RA, CBE was a Scottish painter. He was known for his many paintings of the Crucifixion, one of which hangs behind the altar in the chapter house of Liverpool Cathedral.-Education:...
  
   painter (EA 1933-7 & 1941-2)
• Frederick M Bailey
  Frederick Markham Bailey
  Lt. Colonel Frederick Marshman Bailey CIE was a British intelligence officer and one of the last protagonists of The Great Game - the fight for supremacy between the Russians and the British Empire along the Himalayas...
  
  , celebrated plant collector, discoverer of Mecanopsis baileyi.
• Leslie Balfour-Melville
  Leslie Balfour-Melville
  Leslie Melville Balfour-Melville , born Leslie Melville Balfour, was an outstanding all-round Scottish amateur sportsman. The finest moment in his sporting career was on 29 July 1882. As captain, opening batsman and wicket-keeper, he led Scotland to victory over Australia at cricket...
  
   (1854–1937), an outstanding all-round amateur sportsman
• R. M. Ballantyne, children's author, (EA 1835-37).
• Sir George Beilby, FRS. Chemical manufacturer
• Dr Joseph Bell
  Joseph Bell
  Joseph Bell, JP, DL, FRCS was a famous Scottish lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century. He is perhaps best known as an inspiration for the literary character Sherlock Holmes....
  
  , now recognised as the model for Sherlock Holmes
  Sherlock Holmes
  Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
  
  .
• Mike Blair, Scottish Rugby International.
• Ross Rennie
  Ross Rennie
  Ross Rennie is a rugby union player for Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12. He attended the Edinburgh Academy, and his position of choice is as a Flanker....
  
   Scottish Rugby International
• Guy Berryman
  Guy Berryman
  Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician known as the bassist for the groups Coldplay and Apparatjik. Berryman is left-handed but chooses to play the bass right-handed.-Coldplay:...
  
  , bass player in Coldplay
• John D Burgess, Piper, Double Gold Medallist
• Francis Cadell
  Francis Cadell (explorer)
  Francis Cadell was a European explorer of Australia, most remembered for opening the Murray River up for transport by steamship.- Early life :...
  
  , explorer of the Murray River in Australia.
• Francis 'Bunty' Cadell
  Francis Cadell (artist)
  Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona....
  
  , colourist painter.
• Michael Brown (architect) pioneer of landscape architecture in UK
• Nicky Campbell
  Nicky Campbell
  Nicholas Andrew Argyll "Nicky" Campbell is a Scottish radio and television presenter and journalist. He is known for his time presenting on programmes such as the consumer affairs programme Watchdog...
  
  , radio DJ and television presenter, (EA 1966-78).
• Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Cunningham
  Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope
  Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....
  
  , victor of Taranto and Matapan during the Second World War.
• William Cunningham, economist
• Tam Dalyell
  Tam Dalyell
  Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell, is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow.-Early life:...
  
  , former Father of the House of Commons
  British House of Commons
  The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
  
  .
• Lord Francis Douglas
  Lord Francis Douglas
  Lord Francis William Bouverie Douglas was a novice, British mountaineer. After sharing in the first ascent of the Matterhorn, he died in a fall on the way down from the summit.-Early life:...
  
  , with Whymper on the ascent of the Matterhorn, died on the descent.
• Charles Falconer, Lord Falconer of Thoroton
  Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton
  Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC is a British Labour politician, who became the Lord Chancellor and the first Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs in 2003...
  
  , Lord Chancellor.
• Alexander Penrose Forbes
  Alexander Penrose Forbes
  Alexander Penrose Forbes , Scottish divine, was born at Edinburgh.He was the second son of John Hay Forbes, Lord Medwyn, a judge of the court of session, and grandson of Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo. He studied first at the Edinburgh Academy, then for two years under the Rev. Thomas Dale...
  
  , who became Bishop of Brechin
  Brechin
  Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
  
  , (EA 1825-32).
• Charles Fulton, politician embroiled in the Profumo scandal (EA 1934-9).
• Sir James Angus Gillan
  James Angus Gillan
  Sir Angus Gillan was a British colonial service official and a rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics....
  
  , Olympic oarsman, gold-medallist 1908 and 1912 (EA 1896-1905).
• Iain Glen
  Iain Glen
  Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
  
  , actor (EA 1965-78).
• John Scott Haldane, physiologist (EA 1870-76).
• Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, Lord Chancellor, 'Father of the Territorial Army' (EA 1866-72).
• Sir James Hector
  James Hector
  Sir James Hector was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist...
  
  , explorer and member of the Palliser Expedition
  Palliser Expedition
  The British North American Exploring Expedition, commonly called the Palliser Expedition, explored and surveyed the open prairies and rugged wilderness of western Canada from 1857 to 1860. The purpose was to explore possible routes for the Canadian Pacific Railway and discover new species of plants...
  
  , (EA 1844-45).
• Fleeming Jenkin
  Fleeming Jenkin
  Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin was Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, remarkable for his versatility. Known to the world as the inventor of telpherage, he was an electrician and cable engineer, economist, lecturer, linguist, critic, actor, dramatist and artist...
  
  , professor of engineering, (EA 1875-81).
• Paul Jones
  Paul Jones (singer)
  Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...
  
  , singer, actor and presenter, (EA 1958-60).
• James Eckford Lauder
  James Eckford Lauder
  James Eckford Lauder was a notable mid-Victorian Scottish artist, famous for both portraits and historical pictures....
  
  , artist of outstanding note who painted James Watt, (EA 1824-8).
• Robert Scott Lauder
  Robert Scott Lauder
  Robert Scott Lauder was a Scottish mid-Victorian artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy.-Life and work:...
  
   jnr., M.D.,(Edinburgh), Physician at Morningside Lunatic Asylum, etc., (EA 1852-8)
• Colin John Mackenzie
  Colin John Mackenzie
  Major-General Sir Colin John Mackenzie, KCB was a British soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army, from 1910 until 1913.-Background:...
  
  , Major-General and Chief of the General Staff of the Canadian Army
• Magnús Magnússon
  Magnus Magnusson
  Magnus Magnusson KBE was a television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship...
  
  , television presenter, and translator of Icelandic origins, (EA 1935-48).
• Sir James Marjoribanks
  James Marjoribanks
  Sir James Alexander Milne Marjoribanks KCMG was a career diplomat in the British Foreign Service and became British ambassador to the European Economic Community...
  
  , career diplomat who presented Britain's successful application to join the European Community in 1967
• James Clerk Maxwell
  James Clerk Maxwell
  James Clerk Maxwell of Glenlair was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory...
  
  , physicist, (EA 1841-47).
• Will Whitehorn
  Will Whitehorn
  Will Whitehorn was, until recently, the President of Virgin Galactic, a company which plans to offer space tourism flights to the paying public.-Biography:Whitehorn was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe...
  
  , president of Virgin Galactic
  Virgin Galactic
  Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
  
  .
• Catherine McQueen
  Catherine McQueen
  Catherine McQueen , is a Scottish model, part-time actress, TV presenter and DJ.-Biography:Educated at Edinburgh Academy with a degree in Law and Business from City University London. She completed the Legal Practice Course at The College Of Law, London...
  
  , model and TV presenter
• James Reid
  James Reid, Baron Reid
  James Scott Cumberland Reid, Baron Reid, CH, KC FRSE was a Scottish Unionist politician and judge. His reputation is as one of the most outstanding judges of the 20th century....
  
  , politician and Law Lord.
• William Forbes Skene
  William Forbes Skene
  William Forbes Skene , Scottish historian and antiquary, was the second son of Sir Walter Scott's friend, James Skene , of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen....
  
  , Scottish historian, (EA 1826-29).
• William Smith, London Police Commissioner at the time of the Whitechapel murders.
• Sir Ninian Stephen
  Ninian Stephen
  Sir Ninian Martin Stephen, is a retired politician and judge, who served as the 20th Governor-General of Australia and as a Justice in the High Court of Australia.-Early life:...
  
  , Governor General of Australia.
• Kenneth Stevenson
  Kenneth William Stevenson
  Kenneth William Stevenson was the eighth Bishop of Portsmouth in the Church of England.Stevenson was born in Edinburgh. He was consecrated as Bishop of Portsmouth in 1995, following parish work in Lincoln and Guildford and in the university chaplaincy at the University of Manchester...
  
  , Bishop of Portsmouth.
• Robert Louis Stevenson
  Robert Louis Stevenson
  Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
  
  , writer, (EA 1861-63).
• Allen Stewart, designer of the Forth Bridge
  Forth Bridge (railway)
  The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres west of central Edinburgh. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of...
  
  .
• J. I. M. Stewart
  J. I. M. Stewart
  John Innes Mackintosh Stewart was a Scottish novelist and academic. He is equally well-known for the works of literary criticism and contemporary novels published under his real name and for the crime fiction published under the pseudonym of Michael Innes...
  
  , university professor and mystery writer (as Michael Innes)
• Archibald Campbell Tait
  Archibald Campbell Tait
  Archibald Campbell Tait was a priest in the Church of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tait was educated at the Royal High School and at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was twice elected dux. His parents were Presbyterian but he early turned towards the...
  
  , who became Archbishop of Canterbury
  Archbishop of Canterbury
  The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
  
  , (EA 1824-27).
• Frederick Guthrie Tait
  Frederick Guthrie Tait
  Frederick Guthrie Tait was a Scottish soldier and amateur golfer.Born in Edinburgh, the third son of eminent physicist and fanatical amateur golfer Peter Guthrie Tait, Frederick was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Sedbergh School. He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at the second...
  
  , son of Peter Guthrie Tait, soldier and gifted amateur golfer, (EA 1881-83).
• Peter Guthrie Tait
  Peter Guthrie Tait
  Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE was a Scottish mathematical physicist, best known for the seminal energy physics textbook Treatise on Natural Philosophy, which he co-wrote with Kelvin, and his early investigations into knot theory, which contributed to the eventual formation of topology as a mathematical...
  
  , physicist, (EA 1841-47).
• Iain Torrance
  Iain Torrance
  Iain Richard Torrance is President of Princeton Theological Seminary and a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He is married to Morag Ann , whom he met while they were students at the University of St Andrews, and they have a son, Hew, and a daughter,...
  
  , President of Princeton Theological Seminary, (EA 1954-63).
• George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie
  George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie
  George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie Bt was a British politician.He was educated at Edinburgh Academy. In 1897, he became chairman of George Younger and Son, the family brewing business founded by his great-grandfather, George Younger , of Alloa, Clackmannanshire...
  
  , (EA 1864-67).

Victoria Cross Holders

Nine Edinburgh Academy Alumni have won the Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

.

• Victoria Cross
  Victoria Cross
  The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
  
  
  • Indian Mutiny
    • Colonel
      Colonel (UK)
      Colonel is a rank of the British forces, ranking below Brigadier, and above Lieutenant Colonel. British Colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level. The insignia is two diamond shaped pips below a crown...
      
       Thomas Cadell
      Thomas Cadell
      Colonel Thomas Cadell VC CB was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
       CB
      Order of the Bath
      The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
      
      
    • Lieutenant-General Sir James Hills-Johnes
      James Hills
      Lieutenant General Sir James Hills-Johnes VC, GCB was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Biography:He was born in Neechindipur in Bengal, India, the son of...
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
       GCB
      Order of the Bath
      The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
      
      
    • Colonel
      Colonel (UK)
      Colonel is a rank of the British forces, ranking below Brigadier, and above Lieutenant Colonel. British Colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level. The insignia is two diamond shaped pips below a crown...
      
       John Adam Tytler
      John Adam Tytler
      Brigadier General John Adam Tytler VC CB was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
       CB
      Order of the Bath
      The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
      
      
  • Bhutan War
    • Captain
      Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
      Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
      
       James Dundas
      James Dundas
      James Dundas VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      
  • Second Afghan War
    • Major
      Major (UK)
      In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
      
       John Cook (VC)
      John Cook (VC)
      Major John Cook VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      
  • Second Boer War
    Second Boer War
    The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
    
    
    • Colonel
      Colonel (UK)
      Colonel is a rank of the British forces, ranking below Brigadier, and above Lieutenant Colonel. British Colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion and brigade level. The insignia is two diamond shaped pips below a crown...
      
       Edward Douglas Browne-Synge-Hutchinson
      Edward Douglas Brown
      Colonel Edward Douglas Browne-Synge-Hutchinson VC CB was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
      
      , VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
       , CB
      Order of the Bath
      The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
      
        (he also attended United Services College
      United Services College
      United Services College was an English private boys' public boarding school for the sons of military officers, located at Westward Ho! near Bideford in North Devon...
      
       in 1875). He was a Major
      Major (UK)
      In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
      
       when he earned his VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      .
  • First World War
    • Lieutenant Colonel Walter Lorrain Brodie
      Walter Lorrain Brodie
      Lieutenant ColonelWalter Lorrain Brodie VC MC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      , MC
      Military Cross
      The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
      
      
    • Major
      Major (UK)
      In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
      
       Allan Ebenezer Ker
      Allan Ebenezer Ker
      Major Allan Ebenezer Ker VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      
  • Second World War
    • Rear Admiral
      Rear Admiral
      Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
      
       Sir Anthony Miers
      Anthony Miers
      Rear Admiral Sir Anthony Cecil Capel Miers VC, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar was a Royal Navy officer, who served in the submarine service during the Second World War...
      
       VC
      Victoria Cross
      The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
      
      , KBE
      Order of the British Empire
      The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
      
      , CB
      Order of the Bath
      The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
      
      , DSO & Bar
      Distinguished Service Order
      The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
      
      

Rectors of the Edinburgh Academy

There have been 18 rectors of The Edinburgh Academy since it was founded in 1824.

• 1824-28: John Williams
• 1828-29: Thomas Sheepshanks
• 1829-47: John Williams
• 1847-54: John Hannah
• 1854-69: James Hodson
• 1869-88: Thomas Harvey
• 1888-1901: Robert Mackenzie
• 1901-10: Reginald Carter
• 1910-26: Robert Ferard
• 1926-31: Hugh Lyon
• 1931-45: Lionel Smith
• 1945-51: George Seaman
• 1951-62: Robert Watt
• 1962-77: Herbert Mills
• 1977-92: Laurence Ellis
• 1992-95: John Rees
• 1995-2008: John Light
• 2008–Present: Marco Longmore

External links

• The School website
• Edinburgh Academical Club website
• Edinburgh Academical (Rugby) Football Club Official Site
• Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club Official Site
• Edinburgh Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online