E is for Education, in Ellon

The Reformation in Scotland placed great emphasis on education. In 1560, the First Book of Discipline established the ideal of universal education, of a school in every parish. Although the ideal was never actually realised in practice, it remained a worthy objective.

As a consequence, many wealthy individuals left legacies for educational purposes. Some, such as George Heriot in Edinburgh, left money to establish educational institutions for poor children, often referred to slightly confusingly as Hospitals. Others endowed funds to pay school fees for children in a district. One such fund was the Milne Bequest in the parish of Ellon, Aberdeenshire. The Parliamentary Educational Endowments (Scotland) Commission described it thus:

The Milne Bequest, which is said to be dated in 1797, but did not come into operation till 1808, its precise date not being ascertainable, but a record of it appearing in the kirk session minutes under date July 21, 1808, was left by the Rev James Milne, minister of Ellon, ‘for the purpose of educating poor children’. Its amount is nearly £20 of capital, and it is paid to the School Board for the education of poor children.

p. 483, ​Fourth Report of the Educational Endowments (Scotland) Commission with Evidence and Appendix, Edinburgh, HMSO 1887

The benefactor being a minister, it is perhaps not surprising that operation of the Milne Bequest was placed in the hands of the Kirk Session of Ellon. Fortunately, the elders kept excellent records of payments made under the bequest. The entries for 1862/63 are as follows:

Milne Bequest 1862-63 [NRS Ref CH2/147/9 p 97-98]

Name	Age	Parents or guardian	No of whole family	No under 14 at home	Causes of absence
Allan, Alexander	11	Francis Allan, beadle; Jane Low	five	five	measles
Allan, William	8				measles
Angus, James	11	Elspet Angus or Hay, dom servt
Bowman, Mary	7	Robert Bowman, f s; Jessie Low	seven	six
Bowman, Robert	12				engagement at farm work
Donaldson, George	9	Jean Low, guardian			unwell
Edwards, Isabella	12	Jean Low, guardian
Elrick, Anne	7	James Mackie, guardian
Ewen, Isabella	11	Peter Ewen, ag lab; Jane Taylor	seven	two
Ewen, Peter	13
Gibson, Charles	9	Charles Gibson, f servt; Anne Taylor	six	five	measles
Gibson, Jane	7				measles
Gray, George	8	Alexr Gray, f servt; Margt Kelly	six	five
Gray, Peter	10
Johnston, James	7	Elspet Webster, mother
Kennedy, Mary	9	John James, guardian
Low, Christian	8	George Low, ag lab; Ch Gill	six	four	measles
Low, Margaret	8	Forbes Robertson, step father; Helen Findlay	4	4	diphtheria
Milne, James	8	John Milne, guardian			measles
Mitchell, Francis	7	John Mitchell, ag lab; Jane Lyon	five	five	parental negligence
Mitchell, Margaret	9				parental negligence
Reid, Anne	11	John Reid, ag lab; Anne Coupland	six	six
Reid, Bathia	9
Sheriffs, Elizabeth	13	James Sheriffs, lab; Anne Elrick	four	one	dishealth
Stewart, Charlotte	9	Mary Connon, mother			diphtheria
Sutherland, Catherine	9	George Taylor, guardian			measles
Thom, Anne	8	Alexr Thom, grieve; Mary Wood	ten	four
Thom, Christian	10
Wilson, William	8	John James, guardian
Rae, John	7	Alexr Cruickshank, guardian			fever

The Kirk Session records of Ellon parish include payments made from the Milne Bequest from 1852 to 1880. Apart from the details of ill health as shown above, and the details of guardians of children - presumably orphans - some of the earlier records also include comments on the individual pupils ("giddy, thoughtless", "less fair from want of parental oversight") that offer a unique insight into their characters. You can request a lookup in these and other Ellon parish records here.