Hamilton Academy was a school in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, Scotland. The school was described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

County Biography of 1910, and was featured in a 1950

Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association The Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) is Scotland's second largest teachers' union. It was created to focus on secondary education issues, in reaction to the perception of national influence exercised by the primary education se ...

magazine article series on ''Famous Scottish Schools''. Having joined the state sector, the school closed in 1972, as a result of the coming of

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

s in Lanarkshire. It was replaced by the new Hamilton Grammar School, which took over its site and most of its pupils and staff.

History and building

1588–1714

No longer existing as an independent institution, Hamilton Academy had a history going back to 1588 when it was endowed by The 1st Marquess of Hamilton ('' c.'' 1535-1604), an extremely powerful Scottish nobleman. The school, then known as the Old Grammar School of Hamilton (not to be confused with the present Hamilton Grammar School), stood near the churchyard adjoining

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it dated from the 14th century and was subsequently much enlarged in the 17th and 19th centuries.Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, great-granddaughter of the Founder, re-located the school to a new building on the newly named Grammar School Square also in the lower part of the town, and presented this to the Town Council of Hamilton. The '' Statistical Account of Lanarkshire'' of 1835 notes of this school building that it "is a venerable pile, near the centre of the town, containing a long wainscotted hall, emblazoned with the names of former scholars, cut out in the wood, as at Harrow." In 1847 this old school building on Grammar School Square was sold for £253 and survived until its demolition in 1932. A plaque commemorating the site of the Old Grammar School of Hamilton (which was renamed Hamilton Academy in 1848) was commissioned by pupils of Hamilton Academy and unveiled by the academy's rector, David Anderson MC, on 21 March 1932 at a public ceremony in the presence of academy pupils and teaching staff; the provost and members of the town council, and members of Hamilton Civic Society.

1848–1900

The town council were sole managers of the school until, in 1848, the school (having been renamed The 'Hamilton Academy') re-located again, to larger premises on the town's Hope Street, with Rector's residence and accommodation for boarders, built by the

heritor A heritor was a privileged person in a parish in Scots law. In its original acceptation, it signified the proprietor of a heritable subject, but, in the law relating to parish government, the term was confined to such proprietors of lands or house ...

s of the Parish of Hamilton, the town council and subscribers, the school then coming under the management of a Directorate chosen of these three parties. The ''Report on Schools in Scotland, 1868,'' notes that Hamilton Academy was unusual in this respect, being "a parochial, burgh and a proprietary school combined." In 1866 the Subscribers passed their interest over to the town council who, along with the heritors, managed the school until in 1872 management was transferred to the newly elected School Board of the Burgh of Hamilton under the terms of the

Education (Scotland) Act 1872 The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 62) made elementary education for all children between the ages of 5 and 13 mandatory in Scotland. The Act achieved a more thorough transfer of existing schools to a public system than the 1 ...

, under the terms of which Act the school was also confirmed (1876) as being a 'higher-class school.'Programme and Souvenir printed by the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper for the opening of the 'new' Hamilton Academy building, 22nd. Sept. 1913 By 1900 the school had not only outgrown the Hope Street building, but the building was also subsiding. Robert Gibson MP recalled during a

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

debate (November 1939) that during his time at Hamilton Academy (1890s), the junior department had had to be evacuated due to rapid subsidence of that part of the Hope Street building. The school was therefore re-located to temporary accommodation in a building newly erected by the school board as 'Woodside School', until such time as the question of the Academy's increasing requirements could be addressed. The school's old site on Hope Street being considered too small, a site for a new Hamilton Academy building was secured on Auchincampbell Road.

1910–1972

At a cost of around £40,000 (£53,000 including equipment), construction of the new building began in 1910 (completed 1913) to competition-winning designs by Cullen, Lochhead and Brown (the former's son, Alexander Cullen Jnr., also an architect, attending Hamilton Academy and the latter, William Brown, attending Hamilton Academy 1889–1894) the competition entries being assessed by George Bell, president of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Institute of Architects. In 1911 Hamilton Academy's 'prep' (junior) school relocated to its new, separate smaller building behind the main edifice, before completion, in 1913, of the new senior school building in the French Renaissance style and of red freestone from

Corncockle Quarry Corncockle Quarry was a large and historically important sandstone quarry near Templand in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Stone from here was used in the late Victorian era to build tenements in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and also to construct New Y ...

in Dumfriesshire. The main building, with separate entrances for girls and boys, was arranged over three storeys, with additional basements, providing accommodation for rector's office, board room, offices, classrooms, six laboratories, workshops, art rooms and gymnasia. Of particular note were the Central Hall, the large lecture hall (seating 200, gallery-style and communicating with the laboratories) and library, with reading rooms for girls and boys respectively. In addition, a domestic science block was erected in the same style to the south of the main building and near the girls' school entrance. A feature of the wood-panelled Central Hall, rising two storeys with gallery to an arched ceiling, was the six large stained glass windows with figures representing Literature, Science, Art, Music, Technology and Gymnastics. South Lanarkshire public libraries – local history collection- Programme and Souvenir, opening of the new Hamilton Academy building 22nd. Sept. 1913 This new Hamilton Academy building was officially opened on 22 September 1913, a programme and souvenir of this event being published by the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper. This building remains and is a 'listed building,' category 'B.' Following the First World War a handsome memorial to masters and former pupils who had fallen in that 1914–18 war was erected in the Central Hall which also housed the girl and boy school Dux medallists commemorative boards. In 1934 plans were instigated to extend the school's junior department to accommodate up to 500 pupils, and on 3 August 1939 plans were passed that would have seen alterations to the main building to create two new luncheon rooms, further staff rooms, offices and two new libraries; and a new annex to include two new gymnasia. Due to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in September, these plans were not followed-through. Earlier in 1939 the local

Air Raid Precautions Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...

committee had announced that it had been arranged that in the event of war and air raids, Hamilton Academy would be used as a first-aid post in case of emergency. On 19 February 1954 a war memorial, commemorating the one schoolmaster and 68 former pupils who had fallen in the Second World War, was unveiled at the school by its former rector David Anderson, who had himself been awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(with bar) for gallantry in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Hamilton Academy continued at the 'new' Academy building from 1913 to 1972, when it closed down as an independent institution. Most pupils in the last intake (1971) to the former Hamilton Academy are still surviving, the school roll in 1971–2 session being 1025.Hamilton Academy's last school magazine 1972 What would have been Hamilton Academy's quadricentenary (1588–1988) was celebrated in 1988 by a reunion in Hamilton of remaining former pupils and staff.

Intake and education

Intake

Hamilton Academy was a senior and junior fee-paying day and boarding school. The ''Statistical Account of Scotland, 1792,'' states that the school "has had, for a long time past, a good reputation, and, besides the youth of the place, a great many boarders at a distance have been educated at it," and the ''Statistical Account of Lanarkshire, 1835,'' mentions that "many of (the school's scholars) are from foreign climes, and from all parts of Britain." The 1871 Census and the school's registers 1848–1900 list, among others, pupils from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Bridge of Weir, Stewarton, England and Australia. Becoming a Scottish selective day school in the 1900s, Hamilton Academy was to form, as the 'County School', the top-most layer of a four-layer public education system, drawing its pupils from the top stream on a competitive 'Eleven Plus' examination basis from across the whole County of Lanarkshire. The selective nature of the school meant that most children in Hamilton did not attend Hamilton Academy, on the other hand, Hamilton Academy students often had quite long journeys to get to and from school each day. Although bursaries to allay fees in attending Hamilton Academy's senior school could be won on a competitive basis and were much sought after, The Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame – biography – Ian McDougall following the end of the Second World War fees were phased out. Thereafter the criteria for selection rested solely on academic ability, selection being made from potential pupils from across the whole County of Lanark - the old County of Lanark being, in terms of population and wealth, the most important county in Scotland and comprising a larger area, including most of the city of Glasgow, than the sum of the subsequent late twentieth century local authority areas. Given the size of the school's catchment area, places at Hamilton Academy were at a premium. Due to its unique academic position in Scotland as the 'County School' of the country's most populous and wealthiest county and the size of its student roll, the Bulletin newspaper reported in its issue of 23 November 1959 that "... there was only one school in Scotland – Hamilton Academy – that had sufficient pupils to qualify its headmaster for such a (special) responsibility salary," and this was noted again in a

debate on teachers' salaries, 24 February 1960, when

Margaret Herbison Margaret McCrorie Herbison (11 March 1907 – 29 December 1996) was a Scottish Labour politician who was Minister of Social Security from 1964 to 1967. Early life Herbison was born on 11 March 1907 in Shotts, Lanarkshire to Maria Jane McCr ...

MP advised that "in the whole of Scotland only the rector of Hamilton Academy (had) qualified for the top grade of teachers' salary." The Hamilton Academy 'prep' (junior) school continued to operate until 1952.

Education

Academic

The county-wide selective intake and the academic bias of the teaching meant that Hamilton Academy achieved excellent results in competitions. In his obituary article on former Hamilton Academy pupil Sir John Inch, Sir

Tam Dalyell Sir Thomas Dalyell, 11th Baronet, , ( ; 9 August 1932 – 26 January 2017), known as Tam Dalyell, was a Scottish Labour Party politician who was a member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. He represented West Lothian from 1962 to 1983 ...

, former

Father of the House of Commons Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously- ...

, described Hamilton Academy as a "remarkable school" with "a formidable academic reputation" and mentions the large annual intake from Hamilton Academy to the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

with which the Academy had a particularly long and sustained relationship; a yardstick as measure of its achievements year-on-year being the number of University of Glasgow scholarships won by its students.The Hamilton Academy Magazine 1968 It usually beat all other schools, by this measure at least. Between 1940 and 1950, Hamilton Academy headed the annual Glasgow University Bursary list on three occasions. Leading the Glasgow University Bursary list again in 1958, in 1959 the Glasgow ''Evening Times'' newspaper noted that "Hamilton Academy have scored a triumph by securing 16 places in the first 100. Last year (1958) they led the field with 13 places in the first 100. Next best are Hutchesons' Boys Grammar School, Glasgow, with eight places, and St. Aloysius' College, Glasgow, follow with seven." David Livingstone -1

Topping the Glasgow University Bursary List in 1964 and again in 1965, the ''Evening Times'' wrote that Hamilton Academy's "reputation is among the highest in the country." In 1966 the same newspaper reported that "for the third year in succession Hamilton Academy has gained the highest number of places in the Glasgow University Bursary Competition. The Academy's old rivals Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School came second," and in 1967 the Glasgow Herald noted that "Hamilton Academy – with the highest number of pupils for some years now in the first 100 places in the Glasgow University Bursary Competition – has an extremely high and far-flung academic reputation."Glasgow Herald article 26 Jan. 1967 In 1969 Hamilton Academy pupils took five of the top ten places in the Glasgow University Bursary List. Such were the school's achievements in university entrance examinations that as late as 1988, Hamilton Academy was remembered (in a

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

debate) by Lord Carmichael of Kelvingrove as " (having had) one of the best records in the whole of Scotland." In session 1948–49 the

Snell Exhibitioner The Snell Exhibition is an annual scholarship awarded to students of the University of Glasgow to allow them to undertake postgraduate study at Balliol College, Oxford. The award was founded by the bequest of Sir John Snell in a will made in 1677 ...

from the University of Glasgow to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, was a former pupil of the Academy as were, among others,

Matthew Baillie Matthew Baillie FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and pathologist, credited with first identifying transposition of the great vessels (TGV) and situs inversus. Early life and education He was born in the mans ...

, Snell Exhibitioner in 1779, and Sir Edward Hamilton Wallace, Snell Exhibitioner in 1893. From numerous endowed funds, as an academic incentive the school awarded boy and girl Dux medals, the Blacklock Bursary (both Dux and Bursary erected in memory of James Blacklock, rector 1863–1897); subject-specific medals, and Memorial Prizes, including the Dr. James S. Dixon Bursary, endowed by former pupil James Stedman Dixon. On his return from Africa in 1864, the celebrated missionary and explorer

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

presented the awards at the school's prize-giving ceremony of that year. His speech was to inspire Hamilton Academy pupil

Frederick Stanley Arnot Frederick Stanley Arnot (12 September 1858 – 14 May 1914) was a British missionary who did much to establish missions in what are now Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Early years Arnot was born in Glasgow on 12 S ...

who was later to follow on Livingstone's missionary work in central Africa.

Extracurricular

= Sports and the Laigh Bent Playing Fields

= The inter-house annual sports day was held at the Academy's dedicated sports grounds, Laigh Bent Playing Fields, within walking distance of the main school building, in the 1950s and 60s Lady Keith, wife of former Hamilton Academy pupil,

Lord Keith of Avonholm James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm, (20 May 1886 – 29 June 1964) was a British advocate and judge. He served as a Lord of Session from 1937 to 1953, and then as a Law Lord until 1961. Early life and career His grandfather and namesake, ...

, often presenting the annual prizes. The school's inter-schools teams (rugby, soccer, tennis, hockey, cricket, athletics and golf) competed with other similarly ranked British schools in sports competitions,The Hamilton Academy Magazine Christmas 1947 Hamilton Academy's senior soccer teams winning the Scottish Schools Championships (Bank of Scotland Scottish Schools Senior Shield) in 1910, 1919, 1920, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1952 and 1963 and its second senior teams winning the Scottish Schools League Championship (McGowan Cup) and the Ormiston Shield in 1963.The Hamilton Academy Magazine 1962The Hamilton Academy Magazine 1963 Hamilton Academy's senior football teams also won the Division 1 League Cup in 1919, 1930, 1933 and 1935, in the Glasgow and District Secondary Schools Football League. The Laigh Bent ''(meaning 'low hill')'' grounds of eight acres were acquired for the school in 1926. To a design by Mr. John Rennie, a master at Hamilton Academy, a sports pavilion was opened on the site on 29 October 1930. Proceedings were led by Sir Henry Shanks Keith (a past-Provost of Hamilton and Honorary Sheriff of Lanarkshire) whose son, the afore-mentioned

, had attended the Academy. The pavilion was officially opened by the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale (who became in 1940 the 14th Duke of Hamilton, and played a part in the

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...

incident of 1941). The duke served for many years as President of the Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Rugby Club. The pavilion (burnt down by vandals in 1976) comprised eleven changing rooms, dining room, kitchen, baths, two referees' rooms and drying and storage rooms. The grounds found to be too uneven, a scheme was devised (1936) for their levelling which began in March 1939 but due to World War II was not completed until 1947, following also the acquisition of a further six acres of adjoining fields, providing space for an additional three pitches. Costs of the scheme amounted to some £8,000, of which £6,000 was raised by the school through a huge fund-raising campaign to which Hamilton Academy FP (former pupils) Rugby Club and Hamilton Academy FP Society greatly contributed. Hamilton Rugby Club history, retrieved 2010-10-08 The new Laigh Bent Playing Fields were opened in September 1948 by the Rt. Hon. Lord Hamilton of Dalzell, K.T. C.V.O. MC,

Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire. * George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney 1714 - 29 January 1737 *Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton 17 March 1794 – 2 August 1799 * Archibald Douglas-H ...

, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell. Hamilton Rugby Football Club (

Hamilton RFC Hamilton Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotl ...

), founded in 1927 as Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Rugby Club, continues to play from the former Hamilton Academy's Laigh Bent playing fields. Among former pupils who pursued careers in sports, in whole or in part, have been Craig Brown CBE (footballer and football team manager), his brother

Jock Brown John Winton Brown (born in May 1946) is a Scottish football commentator. He also served as general manager of Scottish club Celtic from 1997 to 1998. Early life Brown was born in Kilmarnock in May 1946. He is the younger brother of former Scotl ...

(football club general manager and football commentator), Madge Carruthers (former manager, Scottish women's athletic team,

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

Ian Lang Livingstone Ian Lang Livingstone (born 23 February 1938) is a Scottish businessman; former Chairman of the board of Motherwell College; former Chairman of Motherwell Football Club; former Chairman of Lanarkshire Health Board; and former Chairman of the Lana ...

CBE OBE (former football club chairman), Douglas McBain (Olympic footballer) and Ian McDougall (former 'American soccer' player and inductee, soccer 'Hall of Fame', U.S.A.) ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)''

= Clubs and societies

= Aligned to the curriculum or extracurricular, many clubs and associations operated in or from or in conjunction with the school, including cadets, scouts, guides, cubs and brownies; the Hamilton Academy Air Training Corps, the Hamilton Academy FP (Former Pupil) Society, the dramatics, photographic, scientific, music, film and literature clubs and societies. The standard of the school's debating society was high, and long after the Academy had ceased to exist this was alluded to in a

retort in 1997 to the Leader of the Opposition's (

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

) rhetoric, when Peter Atkinson MP replied that if Mr. Blair "had been speaking at a debating society competition between Fettes (Mr. Blair's old school) and Hamilton Academy, I would have given him some points, but this is the House of Commons." The activities of the French, modelling, chess, golf, badminton, swimming, riding, tennis, hockey and stamp clubs were also listed in the in-school periodical, 'Acta'.

= Music

= In music, there were the Hamilton Academy Orchestra and various school choirs. From 1932 (apart from the years 1940–42) Hamilton Academy's mixed Choir presented an opera each year. In June 1946 over 80 members of Hamilton Academy's choir opened a week's performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

'' to a packed audience on the choir's first appearance on the stage of the

Theatre Royal, Glasgow The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow and the longest running in Scotland. Located at 282 Hope Street, its front door was originally round the corner in Cowcaddens Street. It currently accommodates 1,541 people and is owned by Scotti ...

. From 30 June to 5 July 1947 the Hamilton Academy Choir performed in the Wilson Barrett Repertory Company's production of ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...

'' at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow. Returning to the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, in May 1950 the choir presented German's ''Merrie England''. In 1967 the Glasgow Herald noted that Hamilton Academy's annual operatic performances were "strengthened by musicians from the

BBC Scottish Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional ra ...

." The musical director of the first operas was Mr G Forbes Forsyth, succeeded by Mr John Howie who was followed by Mr

Peter Mooney Peter Mooney (born August 19, 1983) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Officer Nick Collins on the police drama series ''Rookie Blue'' and for playing Sir Kay on the historical fantasy series ''Camelot''. Early life Mooney was born in Wi ...

on his appointment as the Academy's (last) Head of Music. Peter Mooney was to be musical director up to the school's last production in 1972. Appearing at the jubilee festival concert of the Glasgow Music Festival Association in the St. Andrew's Halls, Glasgow, in April 1961, the Glasgow Herald's critic noted that "the well controlled singing of Hamilton Academy choir showed what excellent results can be obtained in a school where music is allowed to flourish." In December of that year the school's mixed choir joined with the famous Glasgow Phoenix Choir for a choral concert at Hamilton Town Hall (joining again with the Glasgow Phoenix Choir in a concert in 1967) and in 1962 the school's mixed choir achieved the highest mark in the Glasgow Music Festival, in addition to the Festival's highest award, the Ailie Cullen Memorial Trophy, being won by Ian McGregor, a former pupil of Hamilton Academy. Also in 1962, the Hamilton Academy former pupils choir was joined, in its performances of Bizet's Carmen at Hamilton Town Hall, by guest tenor, Duncan Robertson, of the Glyndebourne Opera Company. In 1963 the school's junior, mixed voice, ensemble and senior girls choirs all took first places in their categories and shared the highest marks in the Glasgow Music Festival of that year. The Hamilton Academy (mixed) Choir made recordings, appeared on British radio and television programmes and performed internationally. The February 1963 issue of the 'Gramophone' magazine featured a review of the record album, 'Songs of Praise', recorded by the Hamilton Academy Youth Choir, conducted by

, noting the Academy's "long musical tradition" and that it was "very fitting that (the choir) should record a group of Songs of Praise for it earned nationwide praise for the singing of such songs recently in the BBC series of programmes of this name (

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

.)" Almost fifty years later, excerpts from this Hamilton Academy Youth Choir recording continue to be broadcast. In June 1967 the planning began for 52 pupils from Hamilton Academy's choirs, together with Mr. Peter Mooney, to go on a three-week tour of North America, reciprocating the 1966 European tour of the Bel Canto choir of Franklin High School, Seattle, United States, when on the Scottish leg of their tour, the members of the Seattle school's choir had stayed with members of the Hamilton Academy choir. Plans were made for Hamilton Academy's choir to perform at Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Washington D.C., Williamsburg, Arlington and New York. The three-week tour of the United States in 1968 by Hamilton Academy's (mixed) Choir, under the direction of Peter Mooney, began with concerts at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York. White-house-1941-north

In Washington it was arranged that the choir sing on the steps of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, and in Seattle the choir sang at Seattle Opera House with colleagues and hosts, the Franklin High School Choir. At Seattle airport the choir was greeted by hundreds of singing well-wishers. Dubbed "the ambassadors of song" the choir and Mr. Mooney appeared on American television and were granted honorary citizenship by Washington State. In 2008 members of that Hamilton Academy school choir of forty years before came together in Hamilton in a reunion. In October 2009 members of the Bell Canto choir from Franklin High School, Seattle, who had been welcomed by Hamilton Academy's choir during their European tour in 1966 came together in Seattle in a reunion, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels declaring 11 October 2009, "Bel Canto Day" in honor of Dr. Richard Kohler, director, and those who participated in that choir's European tour of 1966, "Seattle's ambassadors to the world." The North American tour by Hamilton Academy's mixed Choir in 1968 was reciprocated in 1969 when the Bel Canto youth choir of Franklin High School, Seattle, United States re-visited and undertook a month-long series of engagements in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Arriving at

Glasgow Central Station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Main Concourse at Glasgow Central Station.JPG , caption = The main concourse , borough = Glasgow, City of Glasgow , country ...

from London at the commencement of their tour of the UK and Ireland, the 110 members of the Bel Canto Choir were met by bag-pipes and a 200-strong welcoming party from Hamilton Academy. After engagements in Lanarkshire, the Bel Canto Choir was joined by members of the Hamilton Academy Choir for performances in Belfast and Dublin.

= Applied and fine arts

= Designed to catch the best light, the school's art classes and large main studio were located on the top floor; the school's art department educating, among others, the artists

Louise Gibson Annand Louise Gibson Annand-MacFarquhar (27 May 1915 – 6 January 2012) was a Scottish painter and film-maker. She was a major contributor to Scottish documentary and was an influential female film-maker in a field that was dominated mostly by mal ...

MBE,

Mary Nicol Neill Armour Dr Mary Nicol Neill Armour LLD, née Steel, (27 March 1902 – 5 July 2000) was a Scottish landscape and still life painter, art teacher and an Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. B ...

, Peter Charles Browne, John McKinnon Crawford, David (A.) Kerr,

William McCance William McCance (1894–1970) was a Scottish artist, and was second Controller of the Gregynog Press in Powys, mid-Wales. Biography Born on 6 August 1894 in Cambuslang, Scotland, William McCance was the seventh of eight children. After attendi ...

and

David Morrison Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison (born 24 May 1956) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Chief of Army from June 2011 until his retirement in May 2015. He was named Australian of the Year for 2016. Early ...

. The pioneering photographer

James Craig Annan James Craig Annan (8 March 1864 – 5 June 1946) was a pioneering Scottish-born photographer and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. Early life and education The second son of photographer Thomas Annan, James Craig Annan was b ...

was also educated at Hamilton Academy. ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)'' The principles of architecture were taught by the school's technical subjects department, (the school also operating the Hamilton Academy Technical School in the evenings.) The architects William Brown, John M. Crawford (the first architect to be elected President of Glasgow Art Club (1903)), Robert Forrest and Robert Hamilton Paterson were educated at Hamilton Academy. ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)''

= Drama

= In drama, performances were given by the school at public venues for communities at large. Among former pupils who went on to careers in theatre, film and television have been the actors Gordon Reid and Tom Watson, the television and radio presenter

Dougie Donnelly Douglas Donnelly (born 7 June 1953) is a Scottish television personality best known for presenting sports coverage. Career Donnelly was born in Glasgow, where he began his career with Radio Clyde in the 1970s, presenting the top-rated Mid Morn ...

, Alex Graham Oscar-winning film and television producer and Agnes Wilkie, former Head of Features at STV and producer of BAFTA and BAFTA Scotland award-winning films and television programmes. Former pupil

Thomas Laurie Thomas Laurie OBE FRICS (11 November 1938 – 23 December 2020) is a former Chairman of the Traverse Theatre; Chairman of WASPS Trust (Workshop and Artists' Studio Provision Scotland) and Trustee, Scottish Civic Trust. Laurie trained as a ch ...

OBE went on to chair the board of the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary pla ...

and serve on the

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council ( gd, Comhairle Ealain na h-Alba, sco, Scots Airts Cooncil) was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the ...

. ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)''

= Literature

= The school's academic reputation was extremely high; this augmented by its wide range of clubs and societies, including literature. Among former pupils who pursued careers in literature have been the authors Robert Russell Calder, Colin Douglas, Robin Jenkins OBE (whose novel Happy for the Child (1953) draws on his experience of being educated at such a school as Hamilton Academy),

Margery Palmer McCulloch Margery Greenshields Palmer McCulloch (1935 – 29 October 2019) was a Scottish literary scholar, author and co-editor of the ''Scottish Literary Review''. Education and academia Dr. Margery Palmer (she became McCulloch upon marrying in 1959) ...

, Robert Macnish and

Walter Perrie Walter Perrie (born 1949) is a Scottish poet, author, editor and critic. He has also published under the pseudonym Patrick MacCrimmon. Education Born in the village of Quarter, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 5 June 1949, Walter Perrie was educ ...

. ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)''

Staff and pupils

Staff

Hamilton Academy was headed by the Rector and with such a history, a long list of educationalists served as Rector of the school. Compiled by

William Munk William MunkFRCP (1824 September 1816 – 20 December 1898) was an English physician, now remembered for his work as a medical historian and "Munk's Roll", a biographical reference work on the Royal College of Physicians. Life The eldest son ...

, the Munk's Roll of former Fellows of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, London, identifies a "Mr. Whale" as being master of the school when

was a pupil (leaving the school for the University of Glasgow in 1774) and the ''Statistical Account of Lanarkshire'' of 1835 again mentions Whale, between mention of "Pillans" (or Pillance, Richard) and "Gillies", as among the "eminent teachers (who) have been masters of this school," and giving the Rev. George Shaw as master (rector) of the school at 1835. This would seem to indicate an order, but not necessarily of un-interrupted succession, of Pillans, Whale, Gillies and Shaw as Rectors and in the notice in the Glasgow Herald newspaper, 1 August 1851, of the results of the annual examinations at Hamilton Academy, William Dickson is listed as rector. Brown's ''Directory of Hamilton 1855–56'' lists William Dickson as rector and that he was also Church of Scotland Session Clerk and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for the Burgh of Hamilton. Identified Rectors: ''(1971 – end of Hamilton Academy as an independent institution, A. M. Robertson, acting-Rector)'' From William Dickson, the Rectors of Hamilton Academy are well recorded. Still identified as being the school's Rector in the ''Handbook of Hamilton'' published in 1862, Dickson died in 1863 and James Blacklock previously a teacher at Dundyvan Academy, Coatbridge, was appointed Rector, a position he held to 1897. In memory of Rector Blacklock pupils founded Gold Medals awarded annually for general scholarship to the Dux (boy and girl) of the school and the (James) Blacklock Bursary for pupils of Hamilton Academy to study in the Faculty of the Arts, University of Glasgow. Donald McLeod (who was later to become the first Director of Studies at the

Jordanhill Teacher Training College Jordanhill Campus is an historic estate within the boundaries of Jordanhill, Glasgow, Scotland, which developed as a country estate. It is best known and most recently used as the home to the Faculty of Education of the University of Strathcl ...

) followed as Rector (1897–1908); succeeded in the Rectorship (1908–1924) by David M. Andrew (an Exhibitioner of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

) who planned the organisation, equipping and the move to the 'new' Academy building of 1913 and steered the school through World War I, and who was subsequently appointed Rector of

Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Grammar School is a state secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of thirteen secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department. It is the oldest school in the city and one of the oldest grammar school ...

. From 1924 to 1930 the celebrated Scottish educationalist Dr A. R. Murison was Rector of Hamilton Academy prior to his taking up the appointment as the first Rector of the then new

Marr College Marr College (Scottish Gaelic: ''Colaiste Mhàrr'') is a co-educational secondary school in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is owned by the Marr Trust and is operated by South Ayrshire Council which was transferred to then Strathclyde Regiona ...

in Troon, Ayrshire. From 1930 to 1950, the Rector was David K. Anderson (holder of the

(with bar)), followed (1950–1967) by Edwin G. Macnaughton JP, who as Rector of Hamilton Academy, was awarded the OBE in 1966 for services to education. MacNaughton was also co-author (with James Paterson) of the classic textbook series 'The Approach to Latin', which was used across Britain and the Commonwealth, and also in the United States. The academic bias of the school was such that quite a few of the textbooks used by its students had been written by its own teachers, including mathematics, English and 'Classics' textbooks. Samuel Norris Forrest, a teacher of mathematics at the school, and father of notable alumnus, the physicist John Samuel Forrest, was another master who also wrote text-books. Succeeding Rector Macnaughton, the last Rector of Hamilton Academy was Alfred W.S. Dubber (appointed 3 April 1968), the school's principal teacher of English since 1956, and acting rector since retirement of Edwin Macnaughton in September 1967. Rector Dubber was an authority on the English language and literature and author of school text books,Hamilton Advertiser article 24th. Dec. 1971 and on his sudden death at the school's Christmas Dance on 16 December 1971, Mr. A. M. Robertson, depute-Rector and Head of Classics, was appointed Acting Rector ( Mr. James Morris being then appointed Head of Classics) prior to the abolition of selective schools (cemented in the 1976 Education Act) such as Hamilton Academy, introduction of comprehensive schooling and the merging of the Hamilton Academy campus and that of nearby St. Johns Grammar School to form a new school called Hamilton Grammar School, which draws its students from its immediate surroundings. Hamilton Academy's last Head of Music, the late

, was conductor of the Glasgow Phoenix Choir (continuing from the iconic

Glasgow Orpheus Choir The Glasgow Orpheus Choir was founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1906 by Hugh S. Roberton. It originated in the Toynbee Musical Association, which had been created in 1901. The Glasgow Orpheus Choir came to be considered without peer in Britain, an ...

) which choir established in his memory the Peter Mooney Scholarship in the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

. '' ee also section above, 'Music and drama'' There was a long tradition of former pupils who had chosen teaching as a career returning to teach at their old school. For instance, Lord Robert Gibson was a former pupil who returned to teach at Hamilton Academy, one of his pupils being another future

Member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Thomas Cassells Thomas Cassells (7 August 1902 – 16 June 1944) was a Labour Party politician in Scotland who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunbartonshire from 1936 to 1941. He won the seat at a by-election in March 1936, when his predecessor resigne ...

(Gibson and Cassells serving as MPs over the same period, 1936–41.) Masters at Hamilton Academy wore shorter academic gowns daily and full-length academic gowns, respective hoods and mortar boards at the annual prize-givings and on other 'high days.'

Pupils and school houses

Hamilton Academy had four 'houses' named after Lanarkshire rivers or tributaries and, given the selective nature of the intake of pupils from across the whole County of Lanarkshire, every student was allocated to one of these depending on their town or area of origin. The names of the 'houses' were Cadzow, Calder, Clutha ''(Scots Gaelic for Clyde)'' and Kilbryde ''(in the last two school sessions only of Hamilton Academy renamed Avon, Brandon, Clyde and Douglas (under a new 'house' system introduced by Rector Alfred Dubber.))'' Each 'house' had its own House Master, and House Captains and Prefects drawn from the student body, being distinguished by the addition of braid on their blazer lapels. School uniform colours were blue with green. School badges changed over the years, from the Academy's full 'Armorial Bearings' (shield, helmet and motto) to stylized variations of inter-twined H and A for Hamilton Academy, accompanied by the school motto ''(the badge illustrated above for educational purposes only, being an example of Hamilton Academy school badges.)'' Small coloured lapel badges were also worn, indicating 'house' membership. It is recalled that pupils at other schools referred to those attending Hamilton Academy as the 'Academy Yanks.'

Motto and school song

Hamilton Academy's motto was ''Sola Nobilitat Virtus'' ('Virtue alone ennobles') another credo being ''

Labor Omnia Vincit ''Labor omnia vincit'' or ''Labor omnia vincit improbus'' is a list of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning "Work conquers all". The phrase is adapted from Virgil's ''Georgics'', Book I, lines 145–6: ''...Labor omnia vicit / improbus'' ("Stead ...

'' ('Work conquers all'.) Composed by Thomas Smith, and set to music by T. S. Drummond, listed as masters at Hamilton Academy when the 'new' Academy building opened in 1913, the school song of Hamilton Academy had as its last verse: :"Vivat Academia!" join the chorus, let it ring, :"Vivat Academia!" young and old we sing, :If they ask us whence thy glory, :This the secret, this the story; :''Sola virtus nobilitat,'' :''Sola virtus nobilitat.''

Publications

In addition to ''Acta'', the in-school periodical listing activities, the school published twice-yearly, and latterly, annually, the ''Hamilton Academy Magazine''. The final such magazine was printed in London and issued in Hamilton Academy's last school session, 1971–72. Hamilton reference library holds a collection of the school's magazines, 1929–1948.

Former pupils

Those educated at the former Hamilton Academy have made and still make contributions to many spheres of endeavour in the public, business, and cultural life in Scotland and beyond. Half of the 2010 membership of the Rotary Club of Hamilton, including past presidents, were educated at the former Hamilton Academy. A contender for the oldest surviving former pupil of Hamilton Academy is Mrs. Elsie McBroom (née MacPhail), a graduate of Glasgow University and formerly a teacher of mathematics, in Ayr, in Scotland; aged 100 in 2010.
South Ayrshire Council, Scotland. News, posted 6 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-31 Two former pupils and near contemporaries at Hamilton Academy were to serve together on the faculty of the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, Dunedin, New Zealand – the physicist Robert Jack and the mathematician

Robert J. T. Bell Robert J. T. Bell Royal Society of Edinburgh, RSE FRSE (15 January 1876 – 8 September 1963) was a Scottish people, Scottish mathematician. He held the positions of Professor of Pure and Applied Mathematics and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sci ...

. In 1914, Jack went out to take up the appointment as Professor of Physics at Otago, in 1920 being joined by Bell, appointed Professor of Pure and Applied Mathematics. They were to be faculty colleagues until Robert Jack's retirement in 1947, Robert Bell retiring the following year. Both also served as Chairman of the professorial board and as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the university that had been built by yet ''another'' former pupil of Hamilton Academy, Robert Forrest of the firm of McGill and Forrest, contractors, Dunedin. ''(Refer to their entries on List of former pupils of Hamilton Academy.)'' Another former pupil of the school was

John Cairncross John Cairncross (25 July 1913 – 8 October 1995) was a British civil servant who became an intelligence officer and spy during the Second World War. As a Soviet double agent, he passed to the Soviet Union the raw Tunny decryptions that influ ...

, (1913–1995), a former Dux medallist at Hamilton Academy who went on to study at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

; the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. A brilliant linguist and renowned author, in 1951 Cairncross confessed to spying for the Soviets, associated with the KGB's Cambridge Five (the "Ring of Five".) His brother was the economist Alexander Cairncross (economist), Sir Alexander Cairncross, who also attended Hamilton Academy.

Notable former pupils

* John Anderson (philosopher), Professor John Anderson *

* Louise Gibson Annand, Dr. Louise Gibson Annand (MacFarquhar) MBE * Walter J D Annand, Dr. Walter J D Annand * Mary Nicol Neill Armour, Dr. Mary Nicol Neill Armour * Ernest Macalpine Armstrong, Dr. Ernest Macalpine (Mac) Armstrong CB LLD *

* Struther Arnott, Professor Struther Arnott CBE * Matthew Baillie, Dr. Matthew Baillie * Alastair Balls CB * Robert T Beaty, Professor Robert Thompson Beaty OBE * Robert J. T. Bell, Professor Robert J. T. Bell * Archie Bethel, Dr. Archie Bethel CBE * Craig Brown (footballer born 1940), Craig Brown CBE *

* Andrew Bryan (engineer), Sir Andrew Bryan * John Cameron Bryce, Professor John Cameron Bryce * Alexander Cairncross (economist), Sir Alexander Cairncross *

* Archibald Y. Campbell, Professor Archibald Y. Campbell * George Campbell (1824–1892), Sir George Campbell MP * Matthew Campbell (civil servant), Sir Matthew Campbell KBE CB *

MP * Kenneth Darlingston Collins, Sir Ken Collins MEP * Craig Connal QC * Graham Cox (judge), Sheriff Principal Graham Cox * John McKinnon Crawford * William Cullen, Professor William Cullen * Ian Deary, Professor Ian Deary * James Stedman Dixon, Dr. James Stedman Dixon *

* Colin Douglas * Laura Duncan (Sheriff), Laura Duncan * Ian Ford, Professor Ian Ford * John Samuel Forrest, Professor Dr. John Samuel Forrest * Charles Annand Fraser, Sir Charles Annand Fraser * Andrew Froude ISO * Lord Robert Gibson MP * Douglas Alston Gilchrist, Professor Douglas Alston Gilchrist * Marion Gilchrist (doctor), Dr. Marion Gilchrist * Alex Graham * Thomas Haddon, Brigadier Thomas Haddon CBE * Alexander Macdonald Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton CBE * David Willis Wilson Henderson, Dr. David Willis Wilson Henderson CB * Sir John Inch CBE CVO * Thomas Alexander Irvine, Colonel Thomas Alexander Irvine DSO TD DL * Robert Jack (physicist), Professor Robert Jack * Robin Jenkins OBE *

PC KC * Robert Hamilton Lang, Sir Robert Hamilton Lang *

OBE *

CBE OBE DL * John Duncan Lowe CB * Douglas McBain *

* Margo MacDonald MP * Alistair MacFarlane, Professor Sir Alistair MacFarlane CBE * John McGhie, Major General John McGhie CB * Edward McCombie McGirr, Professor Edward McCombie McGirr CBE * Robert McIntyre (politician), Dr. Robert McIntyre MP * Alastair McWhirter * Thomas J Mackie, Professor Thomas J Mackie CBE MD LLD * Robert Macnish, Dr. Robert Macnish * John Millar (philosopher), Professor John Millar *

* Robert Franklin Muirhead, Dr. Robert Franklin Muirhead * David King Murray, Lord Birnam, Sir David King Murray, Lord Birnam MP and judge * Robert Hamilton Paterson * David Paton (doctor), Lieutenant-Colonel Dr David Paton *

* Henry Cunison Rankin * Gordon Reid (actor), James Gordon Reid * David Syme Russell (theologian), Rev. Dr. David Syme Russell CBE * James Shepherd (biochemist), Professor James Shepherd * Albert Stallard, Baron Stallard, Lord Stallard MP * William Kilpatrick Stewart, Air Vice-Marshal William Kilpatrick Stewart CB CBE AFC * Alexander Burt Taylor (civil servant), Dr. Alexander Burt Taylor CBE * Samuel James Thomson, Professor Samuel Thomson * David Thorburn (banker), David Thorburn * David Warnock, Dr. David Warnock OBE * Alan Watson (legal scholar), Alan Watson * Tom Watson * Robert Wright (surgeon), Sir Robert Wright DSO OBE

Hamilton Academy and rugby and football clubs

Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Rugby Club was founded in 1927 (closed for the duration of World War II, 1939–45) and continues as Hamilton Rugby Football Club (

.) From 1946 to 1955 the 14th Duke of Hamilton, whose ancestors had endowed the school, was President of the club and in later years James Morris, Head of 'Classics' at Hamilton Academy and himself a former pupil of the school, served as club President. The Club continues to play its home games at Laigh Bent, the former Hamilton Academy's playing fields. The school gave its name to Hamilton Academical F.C., founded in 1874 by Hamilton Academy Rector James Blacklock and pupils as the 'Hamilton Academical Cricket and Football Club.' The cricket part of the name was dropped in 1877, but over time the club became known as Hamilton Academicals. The 's' was officially dropped in 1965, the club returning to Academical. On Hamilton Academicals being promoted to the First Division of the Scottish Football League in 1953, a letter to the Editor appeared in the Glasgow Herald of 13 June, suggesting that the club's directors might now consider dropping the 'Academicals' part of the name, although the correspondent acknowledges that the club was founded of "former pupils of that famous school." In testament to its foundation (by the then Rector and former pupils of Hamilton Academy) the club has retained its name, Hamilton Academical F.C. (Hamilton Accies) and is the only professional football club in Britain that was founded of a school team. Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) amateur football club, now Hamilton FP AFC, continues as a member of the Scottish Amateur Football League and is based at Hamilton Palace Grounds, near where the school was founded in 1588.
Scottish Amateur Football League – Hamilton FP club information

Notes

References

{{authority control Buildings and structures in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Defunct secondary schools in South Lanarkshire 1588 establishments in Scotland 1972 disestablishments in Scotland Educational institutions established in the 1580s Educational institutions disestablished in 1972 Defunct independent schools in Scotland Defunct primary schools in Scotland