St. Michael's Roman Catholic School Edinburgh

[Adam Brown]

I've found a refrenece to a man being educated at St. Michael's Roman Catholic School in the Canongate in Edinburgh in the late nineteenth century. I assume it was linked to a St Michael's Church but there is no present day St Michael's R.C. church in Edinburgh and the nearest RC church to the Canongate is St Patrick's in the Cowgate.

Does anyone know where this school was and if it was linked to a church (and if so what happened to the church)?

Regards

Adam

[AndrewP]

Hi Adam,

A quick glance at my usual sources produces no useful results for St. Michael's Roman Catholic School Edinburgh. Was it definitely Edinburgh? One result I got was for St Michael's RC Church, Canongate, Alnwick, Northumberland.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Adam Brown]

Andrew

Thanks for the feedback. It was taken from De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour and the information was provided by next of kin so there is room for error. I'll try and get a copy here for you to see.

Thanks

Adam

[Adam Brown]

Here is the entry

GORMAN, MICHAEL, L.-Corpl., No. 7712, 2nd Battn. The Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.), s. of Michael Gorman, of Edinburgh (died July, 1907), by his wife, Jessie, dau. of James Pollock; b. Canongate, Edinburgh, 1888; educ. St. Michael's Roman Catholic School there ; enlisted during the South African War, and served in that campaign, and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and was killed in action. 14 Dec. 1914. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French's Despatch dated 14 Jan. (London Gazette. 17 Feb.] 1915. He m. at Edinburgh, Sarah (401, Great Eastern Road, Glasgow), dau. of Thomas Wood, of Glasgow, formerly of Edidburgh, and has issue two children Thomas Wood, 0. 15 Feb. 1910 ; and Jessie, b. 28 April, 1907.

Here is his CWGC entry

GORMAN, MICHAEL GEORGE
Initials: M G
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service: Royal Scots
Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 28
Date of Death: 14/12/1914
Service No: 7712
Additional information: Son of the late Michael and Jessie Pollock Gorman; husband of the late Sarah Wood Gorman. Native of Edinburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 11.
Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

By the way the Volume of De Ruvigny this is taken from is online for free:

http://www.archive.org/details/rollofhonourbiog01ruvi

Adam

[Currie]

Hello Adam,

I suppose the way the biography is worded it could mean a St. Michael’s anywhere in Edinburgh. Nevertheless I couldn’t find anything.

I suspect that whoever wrote the biography had all the Michaels in that on his mind when he wrote down the name of the school and perhaps it probably should be St. Patrick’s, the one at Cowgate. James Connolly went to St Patrick's School in the Cowgate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Connolly

All the best,
Alan

[Adam Brown]

I suppose the way the biography is worded it could mean a St. Michael’s anywhere in Edinburgh

Alan

Yes you're right, after reading it again it wouldn't necessarily mean St Michael's was in the Canongate.

I checked his name against the (very long list) of names on the St. Pat's war memorial panels and Lance Corporal Gorman isn't listed on them. That's not to say he didn't go to St Patrick's and was missed from the memorial after the war since his wife's address is Glasgow but I'm going to stick with the assumption there was a St Michael's School (or something like that) in Edinburgh and try and find that.

The Scottish Catholic archives just happen to be round the corner from my work so I'll have to make an appointment to nip in one lunchtime to see what I can find.

Thanks

Adam

[Adam Brown]

I suspect that whoever wrote the biography had all the Michaels in that on his mind when he wrote down the name of the school

Looking at other biography's in De Ruvigny it looks like a lot of them were submitted by the family and it has just dawned on me that if his wife submitted it she may well have got the name of the school wrong if she was from Glasgow and didn't know the Edinburgh RC churches / schools.

I guess I'll just have to see what I can find at the Archives.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Adam

[Currie]

Hello Adam,

Here’s something from “Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4)” under Edinburgh.
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descr ... ORTH+SHEEN

(60% down)
The Roman Catholics have the following schools:—St Patrick's and St Ann's in Cowgate, St Mary's in Lothian Street, St John's in York Lane, and another conducted by the Christian Brothers at Easter Road. St George's day-school institution, founded by the late Rev. Dr Andrew Thomson, at No. 10 Young Street, All Saints in Glen Street, St Columba's in Johnston Terrace, Dr Bell's schools in Niddry Street and Greenside, the Original Industrial school in Ramsay Lane, the United Industrial school in Blackfriars Street, the Carse Industrial school off Greenside, have buildings remarkable either for commodiousness, elegance, or both.

(90% down)
Of Roman Catholic places of worship there are: St Mary's Cathedral at Broughton Street; St Patrick's, Cowgate; Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston Street; and St Margaret's Convent chapel near Bruntsfield Links.

All the best,
Alan

[Adam Brown]

The Roman Catholics have the following schools:—St Patrick's and St Ann's in Cowgate, St Mary's in Lothian Street, St John's in York Lane, and another conducted by the Christian Brothers at Easter Road. St George's day-school institution, founded by the late Rev. Dr Andrew Thomson, at No. 10 Young Street, All Saints in Glen Street, St Columba's in Johnston Terrace, Dr Bell's schools in Niddry Street and Greenside, the Original Industrial school in Ramsay Lane, the United Industrial school in Blackfriars Street, the Carse Industrial school off Greenside, have buildings remarkable either for commodiousness, elegance, or both.

(90% down)
Of Roman Catholic places of worship there are: St Mary's Cathedral at Broughton Street; St Patrick's, Cowgate; Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston Street; and St Margaret's Convent chapel near Bruntsfield Links.

All the best,
Alan

Alan

That's great I'll try and place these street names to current streets to see if there are any suitable candidates. The St Ann's building in the Cowgate still stands just along the road from St Pat's and is used as a non-denominational City Council education department building.


Kind regards
Adam

[PaulaD]

"and St Margaret's Convent chapel near Bruntsfield Links"

Happy days? actually no they weren't - I spent 5 years of hell at that school

I remember the chapel was quite nice. The address is Whitehouse Loan.

Paula