From the Archives in association with Highland Archive Centre: New vessel launches were popular with school pupils of Merkinch School in Inverness
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Today we return to the writings of Margaret MacDougall with her potted history of Merkinch School.
The Merkinch School had its beginnings in a small cottage near the riverbank at the east end of Madras Street.
When the school was opened the Merkinch was not a busy district as it now is and there were fewer shops, houses and other buildings.
The number of children living there were much fewer than today so this little two-roomed cottage, a but and a ben, was thought big enough to serve as a school for all the children living in the Merkinch.
The school was established [early 19th century] by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, a society which did much good in providing education for boys and girls before education became compulsory.
Children paid 1p a week for their education and as many people with large families could not afford to send all their children to school, they sent only one. This child usually passed on his lessons to his brothers and sisters, so the whole family got the benefit of his teaching.
In good summer weather the teachers took the children outside and the pupils got their lessons sitting in the sunshine on the riverbank. The slipway, across the river from the school, was a busy place at that time and the boys and girls took a lively interest in the ships being built.
And no wonder they watched the progress of each vessel and counted the days till it would be ready for launching – for that day always meant a half-holiday.
People would line the riverbank as the ship took her first plunge into the water and the Merkinch School pupils were all there – dressed in their best Sunday clothes, their teachers with them to see they didn’t get into trouble. Once the ship launched the children returned to school and were then dismissed for the day. No wonder launchings were popular!
The school became too small and the old Templar’s Hall in Nelson Street was taken over as an infant department. By this time, James Ross was headmaster and a new school in Telford Road was being built.
In 1875, the Telford Road School was opened and, as more families had come to live in the Merkinch, more and more children came to the school to be educated. Fees were no longer paid by the pupils as the Education Act [1873] had been passed which abolished fee-paying.
Mr Ross was headmaster for many years and was popular with everyone. He was well-known as an authority on local Highland history.
He knew the history of the Merkinch School, a history he had contributed to, and it was always a pleasure to hear him account stories of the early days when the school was ‘a but and ben’ cottage in Madras Street.
• Highland Archive Centre in Inverness is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. To make a booking or enquire about remote archive or family history research, email archives@highlifehighland.com, call 01349 781130 or visit here.
