Schools in South Ronaldsay

In development

By the late seventeenth century the lowlands of Scotland were able to boast a near complete network of parish schools. The Highlands and Islands could not (Anderson 2003). They were plagued by problems of distance and isolation – and by the lack of familiarity of teachers and ministers with Scottish Gaelic and local dialects. This meant illiteracy was common in more remote areas until well into the nineteenth century. Most schooling was associated with churches. Besides parish schools, we also see the growth of Sunday Schools and mission schools at this time.

The main reasons for these developments included the growth of Catholicism across Scotland (particularly with the large numbers of Irish immigrants following the Great Famine,1845 -1852) and The Disruption of 1843. The latter created the breakaway Free Church of Scotland and fragmented local churches and schools. We see this in South Ronaldsay with the establishment of St Mary’s, St Margaret’s Hope around 1854 as a United Presbyterian Church; and the appearance of the South Ronaldshay South Free Church (around 1870). In Burray the United Presbyterian Church appeared in 1847. [See Churches and chapels in South Ronaldsay and Burray]

By 1884, there were five schools in the Parish (Burray and South Ronaldsay had become a single parish): Burray, Grimness, Hope, Widewall, and Tomison’s Academy. Now, there are two schools, both primary. Secondary school education takes place in Kirkwall. For readers unfamiliar with the Scottish system, primary education (P1-P7) is for 5-12-year-olds, and secondary education (S1-S6) is for 12-18-year-olds. The latter looks to provide a broad general education until S3 and then encourages specialization.

We are going to start by looking at Tomison’s. It provides both an interesting story and an excellent opportunity to see the building – which is Category B Listed. It is also a good place to start touring the schools. Below we have listed them as stops on a route that takes you to Burray.

Tomison’s Academy

Tomison’s Academy was created as the result of a legacy by William Tomison (1739-1829). It was to provide free education to children of the Island of South Ronaldsay, which it did until its closure in the 1960s. Tomison is believed to have been born in South Ronaldsay. We know little about his early years other than ‘his origins were humble and that he received no formal education’ (John Nicks 1987). At the age of 20 (in 1760) he signed on with the Hudson’s Bay Company as a labourer based in Canada. Over the years he worked his way up the Company – and many of the people he came to manage were from Orkney. He lived in Canada (much of the time inland) and only very occasionally returned to London and Orkney. He became inland chief. As John Nicks put it:

The comparative isolation of the inland posts had tended to solidify his natural preference for a solitary and Spartan existence. He showed little interest in social intercourse with his fellow officers and they in turn grew to dislike and then to resent deeply his parsimonious ways and his growing rigidity.

He retired in 1803 but soon wearied of the experience, returning in 1806 to take up junior roles. In 1810 he finally returned to South Ronaldsay and Dundas House. His temperament was not, apparently, well suited to him being neighbourly. He also had no direct heir. As a result. he bequeathed a large part of his accumulated wealth to establish a free school for local children.

There are three things to look at here: the school, Tomison’s home and the old school house next to his home.

The school: Just enter by the gate and walk up to the school. The building is currently unused, and deemed to be moderately at risk (by the Buildings of Scotland Register of Scotland). It is listed as having been built in 1851. Crucially, Tomison’s Academy is a Category B Listed Building and it is easy to see why in its design, heating arrangements and execution. When it opened it had 170 pupils (or 57 pupils per classroom – a not uncommon size at the time. The playground is at the back of the building along with toilets etc.

The school has been closed for over 60 years but luckily it has not been converted. This means you can walk around the building and peer through the windows. Looking in, it is easy to imagine what it looked like 150 years ago.

Dundas House: From the front gate of the school you just need to walk a few metres south and on your right is the track to Dundas House. Just walk along the track and as you walk towards the house you will see Dundas Cottage and just before it a Corn-drying Kiln. Kilns like this could often be found in Orkney and were a necessary part of life on steadings like this. The reason is that it wasn’t often possible to harvest grain in dry conditions. Here. the two main grain crops were oats and bere (a form of barley) (click to see Professor John Hume’s notes on Canmore).

Dundas House was commissioned by, and built for, William Tomison. He lived in it from 1810 to his death in 1829. Even after death, he didn’t leave. He was laid to rest in the front garden [Click for map]. Sixty years later, the Ordinance Survey Name book (1889-90) recorded that it was in the ‘occupation of Thomas M. Cruickshank Head Teacher of Tomison’s Charity School’. Interestingly it is recorded as the property of the Trustees of that institution’.

The Old School House: just a little further up the track to the west, we find the Old School House. On the right is a Threshing Barn. It is described by British Listed Buildings as a 19th century, central single storey threshing barn flanked by a rectangular kiln and byre. Coursed rubble flagstone. It is listed as a Category C Listed Building.