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OLD FETTESIAN NEWSLETTER NO. 66, JULY 2021
THE ARCHIVIST’S TOP TEN TREASURES Craig Marshall (Staff 2014–Present), College Archivist Back in 1970, when the College was celebrating its centenary and girls were first admitted to Fettes, I would regularly walk our dog on the grassy fields where Broughton High School and the Police Headquarters now stand. I would look across with my parents (I was only six years old!) at the students in their stripey blazers and straw boaters, never imagining that I would ever end up working within the iconic and majestic College building. On leaving school I studied Theology at Aberdeen University, returning there after two years in the Civil Service working for what was at the time the DHSS (Department of Health & Social Security), to study for an Arts degree in Religious Studies. For the next twenty-five years I worked in two of Edinburgh’s most historic churches – Greyfriars Kirk and St Cuthbert’s Church, where I endeavoured to create an environment whereby the Church could have a greater relevance in society and was not seen merely as a “Sunday Club” for faithful worshippers. By developing the premises to increase accessibility for a large variety of groups and individuals, the churches became “spaces for all”, open seven days a week, with far greater footfall, and opportunities to engage with a wider constituency of people from all walks of life. In 2014, I was delighted to have the opportunity to start work in the College Archives, supporting two amazing Fettes stalwarts – Andrew Murray OBE (Staff 1981–2014) and George Preston (CW 1944–1950, Staff 1955–1991). Over the past seven years it has been a pleasure and an undoubted privilege to build on the success of my predecessors to further raise the profile of the archives and showcase the rich history of the College. We have catalogued the majority of the contents of the archival collection, moved from dusty basement rooms to newly refurbished premises beneath the Old Music Room, and created a digital archive containing a searchable resource which hosts scanned copies of 1
all issues of the Fettesian magazine, the Old Fettesian Newsletter, and a large collection of School, House, and Sports Team photographs dating back as far as 1870. One major focus of our attention over the past three years has been to source material from the archives to enrich the 150th anniversary celebrations of the opening of Fettes College in 1870. This project, which included the publication of Fettes: Our Place, afforded us the opportunity to dig deeper into our archival collection and unearth some magnificent treasures. From our rich and varied collection, and after much deliberation, I have selected my personal Top Ten Treasures as follows: 1. The letter written by William Fettes (junior) to his mother in April 1815 which outlines his travels as part of his Grand Tour of Europe, and casually mentions Napoleon’s escape from Elba. This is particularly poignant as having contracted typhoid on his journey, young William died in Berlin just one week before the Battle of Waterloo. 2. A notebook containing handwritten letters from Dr Potts (Staff 1870-1889), first Headmaster, to the Fettes Trustees following his appointment in 1868. These documents give a fascinating insight into his vision for the College, highlighting the importance of pastoral care, and outlining the educational environment he sought to create. 3. The handwritten version of Dr Potts’ last message, dictated to the College doctor one and a half hours before his death on 15th November 1889. This became a lasting testament to the man who showed unfailing dedication to those in his care, despite suffering the intense personal tragedy of the loss of his youngest son and his beloved wife in 1883, and continues to be seen by every Fettesian as they enter/leave Chapel.
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