Jinglin' Geordie

George Heriot stands aloft in his alcove overlooking the quadrangle of George Heriot's school, surveying the throng of privileged boys and girls beneath him: very different from the ones he had in mind when he founded the school in 1628 for the free education of 'puir faitherless bairns' of deceased Edinburgh burgesses.
Nowadays the charitable ethos is kept alive in various bursaries for numerous fatherless children, but fees are charged to the rest and they are expensive.

George Heriot was court goldsmith to Anne of Denmark the wife of JamesVI of Scotland and later jeweller to the latter. He made his fortune and is referred to as 'Jinglin' Geordie' because of the chink of coins in his pockets.

I was on pupil collection duty today and took advantage of being allowed within the hallowed ground of the quadrangle to get the blip of the statue of the man himself, with the Latin inscription above which translates as 'This statue shows my body, this building shows my soul.'


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