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Loretto School

This article is about the Scottish independent school. For other schools and places, see Loretto (disambiguation).

Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies 85 acres (34 ha) in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland.[2]

Loretto School
Address
Map
Linkfield Road

Musselburgh
,
East Lothian
,
EH21 7AF

Scotland
Information
TypePublic school
Private School
Boarding school
Day School
Established1827; 197 years ago (1827)
FounderThomas Langhorne
HeadmasterPeter Richardson
Staffc.200
Genderco-educational
Age0 to 18
Enrolmentc.500[1]
HousesSchool, Pinkie, Hope, Seton, Balcarres, Holm, Eleanora Almond
Colour(s)Langhorne, Tristram, Greenlees, Mackintosh.
PublicationThe Lorettonian
Former pupilsOld Lorettonians
Websitewww.lorettoschool.co.uk

History

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The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. Langhorne came from Crosby Ravensworth in Westmorland. He named the school for Loretto House, his then home, which was itself named for a medieval chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, which had formerly stood on the site of the school. The school was later taken over by his son, also named Thomas Langhorne. The last link with the Langhorne family was Thomas' son John, who was a master at Loretto from 1890 to 1897, and later headmaster at John Watson's Institution.[3][4] Loretto was later under the headmastership of Dr. Hely Hutchinson Almond from 1862 to 1903.[5]

In the 1950s the school increased the accommodation in science laboratories, established arts as a part of the curriculum and introduced the chapel service as part of the daily school life.[6]

The school originally accepted only boys, but in 1981 girls joined the sixth form and in 1995 the third form, so making the school fully co-educational by 1995.[7]

 
Loretto school's Pinkie House, built in the Scots baronial style

In 2001 the film director Don Boyd published an article in The Observer detailing his systematic sexual abuse by a teacher in the school in the 1960s.[8] The revelation led to further allegations about the teacher from other former pupils and subsequent calls for the teacher's prosecution.[9][10] The teacher, then 79 years old, was charged, but the case was dropped on the grounds of his ill health.[11][12] The teacher later died.[9] In 2017, it was announced that the school would be investigated as part of Lady Smith's inquiry into child sexual abuse.[13]

In 2021, Boyd told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry that the late Guy Ray-Hills, a French teacher at Loretto, raped him in 1958 when Boyd was 10 years old.[14] Loretto School admitted to the Inquiry that pupils had been abused by one of its teachers in the 1950s and 1960s. Angus Bell, a former pupil, gave evidence and later sued the school for £1 million for extensive sexual, emotional and physical abuse suffered in the 1990s mostly at the hands of older pupils under the "fagging" system.[15][16] David Stock, a teacher, also gave evidence and said he informed the Loretto school authorities of the abuse but was targeted, forced to resign and sign a non-disclosure agreement.[15] The Inquiry, which spanned a period from 1945 to 2021, published its findings in April 2023, upon which Loretto offered an unreserved apology and deep regret for abuse experienced by children under its care, at both the junior and senior schools.[17]

In 2010 the school was sued by an employee for sex discrimination: the employee felt she had been treated unfavourably following the announcement of her pregnancy. Judge Stewart Watt rejected the sexual discrimination claim asserting that 'there appears to have been no ulterior motive to make [the employee] redundant during the review of the department; the only motive was to try to better organise the school', but he stated that the school had breached maternity regulations. The claimant was awarded £8,000 for loss of earnings and emotional stress.[18]

In 2013, Loretto School was informed by the Scottish Charity Regulator that it did not qualify for charitable status for failing to provide sufficient public benefit.[19] Subsequently, the school modified its means-tested bursary provision and has remained a registered charity ever since.[20]

Former Scotland rugby captain Jason White took his first steps into teaching with a role at the school in September 2017.[21] In the same month it was announced that Jacob Slater, 15, a pupil at the school, would appear in the American-Scottish historical action drama Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce and the Wars of Scottish Independence.[22]

Jamie Parker, former Loretto School pupil and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art student, was named Best Actor at the Olivier Awards in April 2017 for his performance as Harry Potter.[23]

In September 2018, the employment of a teacher at the school, who had been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards students, was terminated.[24][25]

Loretto School was listed as the fourth-highest Scottish independent school in the 2018 A level league tables.[26]

Facilities

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Loretto School is set in an 85-acre (34-hectare) campus and is made up of three parts: the Nursery for children aged 0–5, the Junior School ("The Nippers") for children aged 5–12, and the Senior School for those aged 12–18.[27]

Loretto Golf Academy

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The Loretto Golf Academy, established in 2002, offers golf to over 250 pupils using the local links courses and the School's new Indoor Golf Performance Centre.[28]

Heads of School

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Notable alumni

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Further information: Category:People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh

Notable Old Lorettonians include:

Motto

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The motto of the school, Spartam nactus es, hanc exorna, means literally "You have obtained Sparta: embellish it". The Latin is a mistranslation by Erasmus of a line from a Greek play, Telephus by Euripides. The words have been interpreted as meaning "You were born with talents: develop them" or "Develop whatever talents you have inherited".[70]

In the late 18th century, the words were quoted by Edmund Burke in his pamphlet, Reflections on the Revolution in France:[71]

"There is something else than the mere alternative of absolute destruction, or unreformed existence. Spartam nactus es; hanc exorna. This is, in my opinion, a rule of profound sense, and ought never to depart from the mind of an honest reformer. I cannot conceive how any man can have brought himself to that pitch of presumption, to consider his country as nothing but carte blanche, upon which he may scribble whatever he pleases ... a good patriot, and a true politician, always considers how he shall make the most of the existing materials of his country. A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman.[71]

References

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  1. ^ "Loretto School". Scottish Council of Independent Schools. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Welcome to Loretto School". Lorettoschool.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  3. ^ The Langhorne Memorial, The Levite, Vol IV, No.7 (Spring 1927)
  4. ^ John Langhorne's grandfather (also John Langhorne, master of Giggleswick school) was the cousin and neighbour of Thomas Langhorne senior. See Crosby Ravensworth archives
  5. ^ Eunson, John (2012). Sporting Scots: How Scotland Brought Sport to the World–and the World Wouldn't Let Us Win. Black & White Publishing. ISBN 978-1845024147.
  6. ^ Stewart, Frank (1993). Loretto One-Fifty. William Blackwood. ASIN B000SIIZXI.
  7. ^ "Loretto School to go fully co-educational". The Herald. 29 June 1994. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  8. ^ a b Don Boyd (19 August 2001). "Don Boyd: A suitable boy". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Sexually abused during his time at Loretto School, Don Boyd returns to Edinburgh and launches a book incorporating his abuse". The Scotsman. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  10. ^ "UK news in brief". The Guardian. 26 August 2001. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Ex-Teacher Charged With Sexual Encounter With Pupil – Education News". redOrbit. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  12. ^ James McKillop and Graeme Smith (25 August 2001). "'I am in total shock. It feels as if I am being hung, drawn, and quartered'. Retired teacher hit by abuse allegations shuts door to Herald inquiries". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Famous Scottish boarding schools named in child abuse inquiry". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  14. ^ Cowan, David (4 May 2021). "Film director compares school abuser to Harvey Weinstein". BBC News. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  15. ^ a b Neil, Mackay (19 November 2023). "'I was a child in a madhouse of sexual abuse': Ex-Loretto pupil sues for £1 million". The Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  16. ^ Leask, David (22 November 2023). "Scottish boarding school was 'madhouse of violence', says ex-pupil". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Loretto pupils suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse". Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Loretto staff member wins £8,000 for sex discrimination". The Scotsman. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Loretto School fail charity status test". BBC News. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Loretto School Ltd, SC013978, Charity Details from The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)". Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  21. ^ Heatly, Gary (27 September 2017). "Ex-Scotland captain Jason White joins Loretto School". The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Musselburgh's Loretto School pupil Jacob Slater to star in major new Netflix drama Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce". East Lothian Courier. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  23. ^ "Former Musselburgh pupil Jamie Parker's portrayal of Harry Potter wins him Best Actor at Olivier Awards". East Lothian Courier. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Loretto School teacher suspended over 'inappropriate behaviour". Edinburgh Evening News. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  25. ^ "School's head of drama sacked following 'disturbing' allegations". East Lothian Courier. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Best independent schools in 2018: Full league table for A-Level results". The Telegraph. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Loretto School Campus Map". 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  28. ^ "current capacity of 50 young golfers, places in Loretto's Golf Academy are keenly prized". Lothian News. 28 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  29. ^ "Michael Mavor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  30. ^ "Obituaries from The Times". Newspaper Archive Developments. 1975. p. 29.
  31. ^ ASHER, Sir Augustus Gordon Grant, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2016 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
  32. ^ "George Bertram Cockburn". Early Aviators. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  33. ^ The Loretto Register, 1825 to 1948. T. and A. Constable. 1949. p. 143.
  34. ^ Eccleshall, Robert (1990). English Conservatism Since the Restoration: An Introduction and Anthology. Routledge. p. 166. ISBN 978-1134997756.
  35. ^ "Sandy Carmichael: Still in love with rugby at 71". The Scotsman. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Charles Walker Cathcart". Edinburgh Medical Journal. 39 (4): 273–275. 1932. ISSN 0367-1038. PMC 5318766.
  37. ^ "Trust me, your gas bill's not a rip-off". The Times. 23 July 2017.
  38. ^ "You can all relax, Brody is back and taking centre stage in Homeland". London Evening Standard. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  39. ^ "When Ayrton Senna visted [sic] Musselburgh to pay tribute to Jim Clark". The Scotsman. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  40. ^ Marshall (1951), pg 246.
  41. ^ "Some former pupils show the way". The Herald. Glasgow. 6 October 1998. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  42. ^ "Air Marshal Sir Patrick Dunn". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  43. ^ "Fergus Ewing profile: 'Forthright' SNP veteran was fixture in Scottish Government". Press and Journal. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  44. ^ "OBITUARIES : Sir Nicholas Fairbairn". The Independent. London. 20 February 1995.
  45. ^ "Sir Denis Forman obituary". The Guardian. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  46. ^ "Ex-lord advocate Fraser of Carmyllie in alleged flight row". The Scotsman. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  47. ^ "F/O K I Geddes". Battle of Britain London Monument. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  48. ^ "Stephen Gilbert: Writer who was lauded by Forster but is best known for a lurid novel about rats". The Independent. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  49. ^ "Howson, George". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37577. Retrieved 26 November 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  50. ^ "Lord Johnston". The Scotsman. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  51. ^ "Loretto School". Victoria Cross.org. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  52. ^ Venn, John (2011). Alumni Cantabrigienses. Vol. 6. Cambridge University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-1108036153.
  53. ^ Brewerton, David (12 July 2010). "Lord Laing of Dunphail obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  54. ^ Castle, Stephen (3 October 1992). "The Crisis: Would the real Norman Lamont please stand up?". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  55. ^ "Hew Lorimer". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  56. ^ "Donald Mackenzie". Loretto Register. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  57. ^ "Marr, Andrew William Stevenson, (born 31 July 1959), Presenter: Start The Week, Radio 4, since 2002; The Andrew Marr Show (formerly Sunday AM), BBC TV, since 2005". Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.26659.
  58. ^ "Loretto School, Musselburgh". Library Thing. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  59. ^ "Obituary: James Broom Millar". The Times. 1986. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  60. ^ ""An Greumach Mhor" ~ Chief of the Clan Graham: James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose". Clan Graham Society. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  61. ^ "Professor Robin Orr". The Independent. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  62. ^ "Former Musselburgh pupil Jamie Parker's portrayal of Harry Potter wins him Best Actor at Olivier Awards". East Lothian Courier. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  63. ^ Foster, Joseph (1893). Oxford Men and Their Colleges. James Parker & Co. p. 384.
  64. ^ Rifkind, Hugo (9 December 2009). "Shared Opinion: Climate change has become a proxy subject for people who just want to sound off". The Spectator. 311 (9459): 28. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  65. ^ "Calum Semple: a virologist and a piper". Bagpipe News. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  66. ^ Warsop, Keith (2004). The Early FA Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs. SoccerData. pp. 126–127. ISBN 1-899468-78-1.
  67. ^ "Rob Strachan, Mill of Strachan, Aberdeenshire - Commander of the Honourable Clan Strachan". Clan Strachan. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  68. ^ "HM Chief Inspector of Prisons – David Strang QPM BSc MSc". HM Inspector of Prisons. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  69. ^ "Top Class Art". The Glasgow Herald. 13 June 1983. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  70. ^ Hawley, Graham. "School Motto". Loretto.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  71. ^ a b Edmund Burke, "Reflections on the Revolution in France" in The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke Vol. V (London: C. & J. Rivington, 1826), pp. 284–285

Sources

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  • Marshall, Howard; Jordon, J.P. (1951). Oxford v Cambridge, The Story of the University Rugby Match. London: Clerke & Cockeran.
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  •  
    Pinkie House
  •  
    Balcarres House and Holm House
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    Millhill entrance at Loretto
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