University of Glasgow Memorial Gates
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University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
were erected in 1952 as a celebration of the University's quincentenary, or five hundredth anniversary. They form a portal through the University Avenue side of the perimeter fence around the University's original site on Gilmorehill. They stand before the Hunter memorial
William Hunter (anatomist)
William Hunter FRS was a Scottish anatomist and physician. He was a leading teacher of anatomy, and the outstanding obstetrician of his day...
and Hunterian Museum, on the other side of the John McIntyre Building from the Main Gate. The large gates in the centre are generally locked, although the small pedestrian gates to the left and right are opened during the day. The gates bear the names of thirty distinguished figures associated with the University. The gates are protected as a category B listed building.
Erection
The Memorial Gates were erected in 1952 to commemorate the University's quincentenary, which had been in 1951. They were presented to the University by the General CouncilGeneral Council (Scottish university)
The General Council of an ancient university in Scotland is the corporate body of all graduates and senior academics of each university. They were instituted by the Universities Act 1858, but each has had its constitution and organisation considerably altered by subsequent statutes.The Act of...
, the body of graduates of the University, on 18 June 1952. They are attached to older gatepiers, which were erected in 1889 to designs by A G Thomson.
Design
The Memorial Gates were designed by architect A Graham Henderson. The installation is formed of two large central gates, suitable for admitting vehicles, held up by large stone gateposts, with a smaller pedestrian gate on either side. The gates are set back from the main fence and connected to it by curved walls of the same stone as the gateposts. The central gates bear the names of thirty distinguished figures associated with the University (originally twenty-eight with two names added later), with a figure of the University MaceCeremonial mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon...
running between the two gates. The gateposts are topped by a lion and unicorn, and the dates 1451 and 1951, on the right and left respectively, while the two pedestrian gates have two each of the heraldic emblems of the University's former nations
Nations in Scottish universities
Nations are student divisions at some of the ancient universities of Scotland.Nations were a characteristic of some of the ancient universities and have gradually decreased in significance in recent times...
at their top. The curved wall on one side bears the University's motto, Via, Veritas, Vita
Via, Veritas, Vita
Via, Veritas, Vita is a Latin phrase meaning "The Way, The Truth, The Life" in English. It is attributed to Jesus Christ and has been used as motto by various educational institutions and governments.-History:...
, while the other bears the inscription, Almae Matri Alumni Pietatis Causa, indicating the gates represent the devotion of the alumni to their alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
.
Names
The Memorial Gates bear the names of the following people connected with the University:| Bute John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT, KSG, KGCHS was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist and architectural patron.-Early life:... |
Macewen William Macewen Sir William Macewen, CB, FRS, was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treatment of hernia and of pneumonectomy .-Career:Macewen was born near Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland in 1848 and studied... |
Caird | Kelvin | Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary... |
Bradley | Lushington Edmund Law Lushington Edmund Law Lushington was a classical scholar, a Professor of Greek, and Rector of the University of Glasgow.Edmund Law Lushington was born on 10 January 1811 in Park House, Kent, England... |
Elder Queen Margaret College (Glasgow) Queen Margaret College was a women-only higher education institution based in North Park House in Glasgow, Scotland.It was established in 1868 by the Association for the Higher Education of Women, as women were not at the time permitted to study at universities in Scotland. The College was named... |
| Hunter William Hunter (anatomist) William Hunter FRS was a Scottish anatomist and physician. He was a leading teacher of anatomy, and the outstanding obstetrician of his day... |
Cullen William Cullen William Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and one of the most important professors at the Edinburgh Medical School, during its heyday as the leading center of medical education in the English-speaking world.Cullen was also a central figure in the... |
Millar | Watt James Watt James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the... |
Adam Smith Adam Smith Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations... |
Campbell | Reid Thomas Reid The Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE , was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment... |
Foulis Robert Foulis (printer) Robert Foulis was a Scottish printer and publisher.-Biography:Robert Foulis was born the son of a maltman. He was apprenticed to a barber, but was encouraged to become a publisher by Francis Hutcheson who was impressed by his ability... |
| Gillespie Patrick Gillespie Patrick Gillespie was a Scottish minster, strong Covenanter, and Principal of Glasgow University by the support of Oliver Cromwell.-Life:... |
Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair , Scottish lawyer and statesman, was born at Drummurchie, Barr, South Ayrshire.-Biography:... |
Maxwell | Baillie Robert Baillie Robert Baillie was a Scottish divine and historical writer.-Life:Baillie was born at Glasgow, the son of Baillie of Jerviston... |
Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century.... |
Burnet Gilbert Burnet Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian... |
||
| Dewar Donald Dewar Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation... |
Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of... |
Boyd Zachary Boyd Zachary Boyd was a Scottish religious writer.Boyd was born into the family of Boyd of Pinkhill, Ayrshire. He first studied at the University of Glasgow and then went to Saumur in France. There he followed courses of his kinsman Robert Boyd and in 1611 became Regent Professor. He returned to... |
Melville Andrew Melville Andrew Melville was a Scottish scholar, theologian and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European Continent to study at Glasgow and St Andrews.-Early life and early education:... |
Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Lord of Cadzow was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.-Early life:... |
Smith | ||
| James II James II of Scotland James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort... |
Turnbull |
- Bute: John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of ButeJohn Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of ButeJohn Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT, KSG, KGCHS was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist and architectural patron.-Early life:...
, a benefactor of the University after whom the Bute Hall is named - Hunter: William HunterWilliam Hunter (anatomist)William Hunter FRS was a Scottish anatomist and physician. He was a leading teacher of anatomy, and the outstanding obstetrician of his day...
, physician who bequeathed to the University what became the Hunterian Museum
- Macewan: Sir William MacewenWilliam MacewenSir William Macewen, CB, FRS, was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treatment of hernia and of pneumonectomy .-Career:Macewen was born near Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland in 1848 and studied...
, surgeon (Regius Professor of SurgeryRegius Professor of Surgery, GlasgowThe Regius Chair of Surgery at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1815 by King George III, who also established the Chairs of Chemistry and Natural History....
from 1892 to 1924) - Cullen: William CullenWilliam CullenWilliam Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and one of the most important professors at the Edinburgh Medical School, during its heyday as the leading center of medical education in the English-speaking world.Cullen was also a central figure in the...
, physician (Regius Professor of Practice of MedicineRegius Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, GlasgowThe Regius Chair of Medicine and Therapeutics is considered the oldest Chair at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1989 from the merge of the Regius Chairs of the Practice of Medicine and of Materia Medica...
from 1751 to 1755) - Gillespie: Patrick GillespiePatrick GillespiePatrick Gillespie was a Scottish minster, strong Covenanter, and Principal of Glasgow University by the support of Oliver Cromwell.-Life:...
, CovenanterCovenanterThe Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
(PrincipalPrincipal of the University of GlasgowThe Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principal is appointed by the University Court and is...
from 1653 to 1660) - Dewar: Donald DewarDonald DewarDonald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
, First Minister of ScotlandFirst Minister of ScotlandThe First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
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- Caird: John Caird, theologian (PrincipalPrincipal of the University of GlasgowThe Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principal is appointed by the University Court and is...
from 1873 to 1898) - Millar: John Millar, philosopher (Regius Professor of Law from 1761 to 1800)
- Stair: James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of StairJames Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of StairJames Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair , Scottish lawyer and statesman, was born at Drummurchie, Barr, South Ayrshire.-Biography:...
, jurist, Lord President of the Court of SessionLord President of the Court of SessionThe Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836... - Morton: James Douglas, 4th Earl of MortonJames Douglas, 4th Earl of MortonJames Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
, RegentRegentA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Scotland, political benefactor
- Kelvin: William Thomson, 1st Baron KelvinWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron KelvinWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin OM, GCVO, PC, PRS, PRSE, was a mathematical physicist and engineer. At the University of Glasgow he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging...
, physicist (ChancellorChancellor of the University of GlasgowThe Chancellor is the titular head of the University of Glasgow and President of the General Council, by whom he is elected. The office is intended to be held for life. His principal duty is to confer degrees upon those presented to him by the Senate, although this role is usually carried out by...
from 1904 to 1908) - Watt: James WattJames WattJames Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
, inventor of the steam engine - Maxwell: Sir John Maxwell of Nether Pollok, Lord Justice ClerkLord Justice ClerkThe Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
(Rector from 1691 to 1718) - Boyd: Zachary BoydZachary BoydZachary Boyd was a Scottish religious writer.Boyd was born into the family of Boyd of Pinkhill, Ayrshire. He first studied at the University of Glasgow and then went to Saumur in France. There he followed courses of his kinsman Robert Boyd and in 1611 became Regent Professor. He returned to...
, benefactor - James IIJames II of ScotlandJames II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
, King of Scotland when the University was founded
- Lister: Joseph Lister, 1st Baron ListerJoseph Lister, 1st Baron ListerJoseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
, pioneer of sterile surgery (Professor of SurgeryRegius Professor of Surgery, GlasgowThe Regius Chair of Surgery at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1815 by King George III, who also established the Chairs of Chemistry and Natural History....
from 1860 to 1869) - Adam SmithAdam SmithAdam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, father of modern economics, author of The Wealth of NationsThe Wealth of NationsAn Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith...
(Professor of Moral PhilosophyProfessor of Moral Philosophy, GlasgowThe Chair of Moral Philosophy is a professorship at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, which was established in 1727.The Nova Erectio of King James VI of Scotland shared the teaching of Moral Philosophy, Logic and Natural Philosophy among the Regents...
from 1752 to 1764 and Rector from 1787 to 1789) - Baillie: Robert BaillieRobert BaillieRobert Baillie was a Scottish divine and historical writer.-Life:Baillie was born at Glasgow, the son of Baillie of Jerviston...
, CovenanterCovenanterThe Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
(PrincipalPrincipal of the University of GlasgowThe Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principal is appointed by the University Court and is...
from 1660 to 1662) - Melville: Andrew Melville, Protestant reformer (PrincipalPrincipal of the University of GlasgowThe Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principal is appointed by the University Court and is...
from 1574 to 1580) - Turnbull: William Turnbull, Bishop of Glasgow, founder of the University
- Bradley: A. C. Bradley, literary critic (Regius Professor of English Language and LiteratureRegius Professor of English Language and Literature, GlasgowThe Regius Chair of English Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1861 by Queen Victoria, and is the only Regius Professorship in the Faculty of Arts.-History:...
from 1889 to 1900) - Campbell: Thomas Campbell, poet (Rector from 1826 to 1829)
- Montrose: James Graham, 1st Duke of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Duke of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century....
, benefactor (ChancellorChancellor of the University of GlasgowThe Chancellor is the titular head of the University of Glasgow and President of the General Council, by whom he is elected. The office is intended to be held for life. His principal duty is to confer degrees upon those presented to him by the Senate, although this role is usually carried out by...
from 1714 until 1742) - Hamilton: James Hamilton, 1st Lord HamiltonJames Hamilton, 1st Lord HamiltonJames Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Lord of Cadzow was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.-Early life:...
, benefactor, Sheriff of Lanarkshire
- Lushington: Edmund Law LushingtonEdmund Law LushingtonEdmund Law Lushington was a classical scholar, a Professor of Greek, and Rector of the University of Glasgow.Edmund Law Lushington was born on 10 January 1811 in Park House, Kent, England...
, classical scholar (Professor of GreekProfessor of Greek, GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowUnder the Nova Erectio of King James VI the teaching of Greek was the responsibility of the Regents and from 1581 one of the Regents was sometimes given the title 'Professor of Greek'...
from 1838 to 1875, Rector from 1884 to 1887) - Reid: Thomas ReidThomas ReidThe Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE , was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment...
, philosopher (Professor of Moral PhilosophyProfessor of Moral Philosophy, GlasgowThe Chair of Moral Philosophy is a professorship at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, which was established in 1727.The Nova Erectio of King James VI of Scotland shared the teaching of Moral Philosophy, Logic and Natural Philosophy among the Regents...
from 1764 to 1781) - Burnet: Gilbert BurnetGilbert BurnetGilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
, historian (Professor of DivinityProfessor of Divinity, GlasgowProfessor of Divinity is an academic position at the University of Glasgow.Although divinity was taught from the foundations of the university in 1451, it was in 1577, as part of James VI's Nova Erectio, that a Chair was established, to be held by the Principal of the University of Glasgow...
from 1669 to 1674) - Smith: John Smith, politician, leader of the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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- Elder: Isabella Elder, benefactor of women's education, provided North Park House as the home for Queen Margaret CollegeQueen Margaret College (Glasgow)Queen Margaret College was a women-only higher education institution based in North Park House in Glasgow, Scotland.It was established in 1868 by the Association for the Higher Education of Women, as women were not at the time permitted to study at universities in Scotland. The College was named...
- Foulis: Robert FoulisRobert Foulis (printer)Robert Foulis was a Scottish printer and publisher.-Biography:Robert Foulis was born the son of a maltman. He was apprenticed to a barber, but was encouraged to become a publisher by Francis Hutcheson who was impressed by his ability...
, Printer to the University, founder of former Academy of Fine Arts
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
and John Smith were installed on the Memorial Gates to mark their contribution to Scottish politics in the late 20th century.
