Prof James McCall FRCVS (1834, Newton-on-Ayr, Scotland — 1 November 1915) was the founder and the first principal of

Glasgow Veterinary College The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow is List of schools of veterinary medicine#Schools of veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom, one of nine veterinary schools in the United Kingdom, and offers undergraduate and pos ...

Life

The grave of James McCall, Glasgow Necropolis

McCall was born in Newton-on-Ayr in 1834. His father owned a transport business between Glasgow and Ayr. It was here that James became involved in the welfare of horses. James studied at Wallacetown Academy and

Ayr Academy Ayr Academy (Scottish Gaelic: ''Acadamaidh Inbhir Àir'') is a non-denominational secondary school situated within the Craigie Estate area at University Avenue in Ayr, South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children of ages 11–18 fro ...

. He was originally apprenticed as a lawyer in Ayr. Even in his early days he was interested in animals. He worked as a superintendent of the horse department with Messrs Pickford company caring for as many as 1000 horses. McCall attended the

Royal (Dick) Veterinary College The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine the head of which is Moira Why ...

in Edinburgh. After his studies, he practiced in Symington, and in 1857 returned to Edinburgh to become professor of Anatomy and Physiology. In 1859, he moved to Glasgow, and began teaching a few students alongside his work in practice. The number of students grew larger, sufficient that McCall applied for a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

to open a veterinary college in 1862; this was granted by Queen Victoria in 1863, and enabled his students to take examinations to become members of the

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the v ...

. At this stage he was living at 49 Bath Street. McCall had an interest in

Clydesdale horse The Clydesdale is a Scottish breed of draught horse. It is named for its area of origin, the Clydesdale or valley of the River Clyde, much of which is within the county of Lanarkshire. The origins of the breed lie in the eighteenth century, ...

s, and was twice vice-president of the Clydesdale Horse Society. In 1911 he was living at 4 Wilton Crescent in the

Kelvinside Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...

area of north

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. He died in Glasgow on 1 November 1915. He is buried in the southmost section of the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

Family

McCall was married twice: Williamina Aitken Walker (1840-1881) and Clementina Stuart Johnson.McCall grave, Glasgow Necropolis He was survived by nine sons and seven daughters.

Works

References

1834 births 1915 deaths Fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Scottish veterinarians British veterinarians Burials at the Glasgow Necropolis {{Veterinary-med-stub