MARISCHAL COLLEGE

'Marischal College and University of Aberdeen' was a university founded in Aberdeen in 1593 by George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland. It is now used as a building of the University of Aberdeen, following unification with King's College, Aberdeen.

Contents

History & Background

University of Aberdeen

Present use

Alumni

References

External links

History & Background

The College was constructed on the site of a Franciscan Friary. A new building was created to plans by William Adam in the mid-18th century, however this - and the Friary remains - were demolished entirely for the construction of the present building between 1835 and 1906. The college's motto was 'APETH ATARKHS' - 'virtue is self-sufficient'.
It is often said that Keith desired a protestant institution alongside the pre-Reformation King's College, but King's had been protestant since 1569. It is possible that the founding of another college in nearby Fraserburgh in 1592 was the true cause; its founder Sir Alexander Fraser was a business rival of Marischal.

University of Aberdeen

It was created as an alternative to King's College, Aberdeen with which it merged in 1860, forming the University of Aberdeen.
The following extract dates back to the time of the merger: ^[1]
:"''Universities of Kings College and Marischal College, Aberdeen. First Report of the Commissioners, 1838. 1837-38. Vol. XXXIII, 75p. [123] Chairman: Lord John Cunninghame.
:''The commissioners were in favour of a merger of the two colleges despite opposition from Kings College. They considered the unification as essential for the educational system of Northern Scotland although they disagreed with the proposed method of merger laid down by the last commission. The buildings of Marischal College were in very bad repair but new ones were under construction. Additions had been made in 1827 to Kings College buildings which were in a tolerable state of repair.''"

The building standing today, which replaced a number of older structures, was constructed between 1837 and 1844 by Aberdeen architect Archibald Simpson. This 1837 building formed a U-shaped quadrangle, with a small entrance via an archway amidst unrelated housing on the west side. The building was substantially extended between 1893 and 1905 by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, and with its new "granite cage" front, enclosing the quadrangle, it became the second-largest granite building in the world (exceeded only by the Escorial Palace near Madrid). ^[2]

Present use

At present, the college building is used chiefly for its grand Mitchell Hall and the Marischal Museum, open free to the public and re-established in 1907 and a number of University offices. It is also home to the University's Debating chamber.
Until recently the building housed the University Medical School, but the majority of its functions have now been transferred to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary site at Foresterhill. The Department of Anatomy remains for the moment but it is intended that this shall also move to the Infirmary site. ^[3] Current plans will see the rest of the building let to Aberdeen City Council for 175 years in exchange for £4.7 million. ^[4] The City Council plans to demolish a 1960s tower block opposite the college and to make Marischal its headquarters. The University will retain the use of the rear block of the Quadrangle, including Mitchell Hall for graduations and the museum.

Alumni

Notable alumni of Marischal College include:

★ James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714-99), jurist, philosopher, linguist; thinker on evolution

★ Robert Brown (1773-1858), botanist; discoverer of Brownian Motion

★ Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet, General, hero of the Indian Mutiny, buried in Westminster Abbey^[5]

References

1. Haythornthwaite, J.A.: Scotland in the 19th Century; hosted by Strathclyde University, pub. 1993
2. University of Aberdeen website: About Marischal College
3. University of Aberdeen media release; read towards the end for details on the Anatomy Department move
4. University of Aberdeen media release
5. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

External links

★ The Marischal Museum

★ The Marischal Virtual Museum

★ The now abandoned project to make Marischal a hotel

★ The University of Aberdeen

★ Aberdeen City Council