Andrew Bell

Rev Andrew Bell looking down at the passers-by on Great Junction Street.

He was born in St. Andrews and studied Maths and philosophy there. He sailed off to America and hung around there for a bit but due to the whole war of independence thing he came back and became a clergyman in Leith.

He later sailed off to India to become a chaplain to some guys in Madras where he developed an educational system in which the older students taught the younger ones. This 'Madras system' was widely used in schools in Britain and the world at the time, but apparently history has not looked on it particularly favourably. He also founded Madras College, a secondary school in St. Andrews.

Having lived in St. Andrews for many years it's naming had always perplexed me a bit. Turns out it wasn't directly related to curry.