The Scots College at

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

was a seminary founded in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, for the training of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Roman Catholic exiles for the priesthood. It was modelled on the similar English College there, founded for the same purpose. It has an unfortunate notoriety in consequence of the long dispute between the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and the secular clergy which centred around it in later times.

History

The Scots College was founded at

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

, but soon transferred to

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mou ...

. In 1592,

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

directed it to be relocated to Douai; however three years later it again moved to Louvain (while under the administration of the Jesuit William Crichton), where it was located next to the Jesuit College. In 1606, however, it moved again, and it was not until after several further migrations that it settled finally at Douai in 1612. Prior to the establishment of the Irish College, Douai, from 1593, 25 places were allocated to Irish students in the Scots College, then in Pont a Mousson. At the time of the English Civil War, the Scots Colleges tended to support the crown. Many of the students were from families of the nobility and gentry and loyal to the Stuarts. A number of students interrupted their studies to return home and take up arms for the King. The college was devoid of resources, and it was due to the zealous efforts of Father Parsons in Rome and Madrid, and of Father Creighton in France and Flanders, that numerous benefactions were given, and it was placed on a permanent footing. For this reason, the Jesuits afterwards claimed the property as their own, although it was admitted that in its early years secular clergy had been educated there. Appeals and counter-appeals were made, but the question was still unsettled when the Jesuits were expelled from France in 1764. The French Government, however, recognized the claims of the Scottish secular clergy and allowed them to continue the work of the college under a rector chosen from their own body.Russell, Julian. ''The last students at the Scots College, Douai'', ''The Innes Review'', Volume 58 Issue 2, pp. 222-225

Staff

Superiors * William Crichton SJ, 1581–1598 * George Christie SJ, 1598–1606 * John Libion, 1606–1616 * Philip Dutrieu, 1616–1620 * Charles Malapert, 1620–1623 * Lambert Lobetius, 1623–1628 * James Bonfrerius, 1628–1631 * Bernard Robienoy, 1631–1632 Rectors * John Rob, 1631–1633 * Hippolytus Curle SJ, 1633–1634 * William Leslie, 1634–1639 * John le Pipre, 1639 * John de la Rosche, 1639–1640 * Thomas Rob, 1640–1644; 1671–1676; 1682–1685 * Robert Gall, 1644–1650 * William Christie SJ, 1650–1653; 1656–1665 * James Anderson SJ, 1653–1656 * Adam Laurence Gordon SJ, 1665–1668 * James Brown, 1668–1671 * Gilbert Ingles, 1676–1680; 1685–1691 * Thomas Paterson, 1680–1682 * James Forbes, 1691–1700 * Kenneth Strachan SJ, 1700–1702; 1731–1736 * Stephen Maxwell, 1702–1708 * David Fairful, 1708–1709 * Robert Fordyce, 1709–1714 * James Innes, 1714–1718 * Thomas Fife SJ, 1718–1721 * Alexander Grant SJ, 1721–1731 * James Gordon SJ, 1739–1743 * John Riddoch SJ, 1743–1748; 1757–1766 * Alexander Crookshanks, 1748–1752 * Robert Innes, 1752–1757 * John Pepper, 1766–1772 * George Maxwell, 1772 Aeneas Chisholm was nominated prefect of studies in 1786.

Alumni

As well as clerical students, a number of the exiled Scottish catholic nobility studied at the College. * Patrick Bath, Irish Capuchin *

Archibald Bower Archibald Bower (17 January 1686 – 3 September 1766) was a Scottish historian, now noted for his complicated and varying religious faith, and the accounts he gave of it, now considered by scholars to lack credibility. Educated at the Scots C ...

, Historian, one time Jesuit and Anglican * John Chisholm (vicar apostolic of the Highland District) *

Thomas Dempster Thomas Dempster (23 August 1579 – 6 September 1625) was a Scottish scholar and historian. Born into the aristocracy in Aberdeenshire, which comprises regions of both the Scottish highlands and the Scottish lowlands, he was sent abroad as a yo ...

, historian and academic * James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth * John Drummond, 4th Duke of Perth * Rev. Thomas Fife SJ, Rector of Scots Colleges Rome, Madrid and Douai * Rev. Adam L. Gordon, studied at Douai, Rector of Scots colleges in Rome, Madrid and Douai * George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull, studied in Douai under his uncle Rev. Edmund Hay *

William Hay, 6th Earl of Kinnoull William Thomas Hay, 6th Earl of Kinnoull (died 10 May 1709) was a Scottish peer. His titles were Earl of Kinnoull, Viscount Dupplin and Lord Hay of Kinfauns in the Peerage of Scotland. Biography He was the second son of the William Hay, 4th ...

* Thomas Maxwell, Jacobite, educated at Douai before moving to Madrid * James Carruthers, priest and historian * Bishop Andrew Scott, of the Western District * Francis Sempill, Jacobite 2nd Lord Sempill *

George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton George Seton, 3rd Earl of Winton (December 1584 – 17 December 1650) was a notable Cavalier, Royalist and Cavalier, the second son of Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton and 6th Lord Seton, by his spouse Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd E ...

Other Scots colleges

* Scots College, Rome * Scots College, Paris * Royal Scots College

References

Sources