On 22 June 1847, a public meeting was held in the Stirling Court-House to discuss the proposed establishment of a Ragged or Industrial School in Stirling. The purpose of a ragged school was to provide free education to destitute and neglected children in the town, funded by private subscriptions. A Committee was formed with Thomas Colville of Annfield elected as Chairman. The aims of the school were to:
- Give children an allowance of food for their daily support
- Instruct them in reading, writing, and arithmetic
- Train them in habits of industry
- Teach them the truths of the Gospel
The Committee, however, failed to reach the subscription target of at least £105 required to establish the school. A second attempt was made in December 1848, and on 20 July 1849 it was reported that the necessary funds had been raised.
The school opened on 12 August 1849. In its first seven months, a total of 42 boys had been admitted, with girls entering the school from November 1850.
The location of the school changed several times over the next 50 years. Originally planned for Port Street, it later moved to King Street and then Spittal Street. When the School acquired Sauchie House on Baker Street in 1875, this became the permanent school for the boys, while the girls remained in Spittal Street.
The records of the Girls’ Industrial School are held here in the Archives (PD40), and a recent deposit of the Stirling Industrial School minutes highlights the closure of the Boys’ School in 1905.
An inspection of the Boys’ School by Mr Robertson on 6 November 1905 found that he was “not at all satisfied with what he had seen” and he “strongly recommended the Committee to close the school.” The School Committee convened a special meeting and agreed that the school should close, giving a month’s notice to all school officials.
Inspector recommends closure of school, Nov 1905
The reasons for closure were threefold. The Inspector objected that:
- The industrial work was not sufficient for training the boys
- The education was not up to the requirements of the Scottish Office
- The buildings were not suitable for an Industrial School
The Chairman of the School also noted that the Boys’ School had operated at a loss for several years, with no immediate prospect of obtaining sufficient funds to sustain it. On 21 November 1905 it was resolved at a meeting of the subscribers “to close the School in Baker Street, as soon as arrangements can be made.”
