| Administrative History | Robert Burnett (d. 29 February 1920) ran a school (The Aberdeen Civil Service and Business Institute) at 7 Crown Street, Aberdeen. He lived in Rubislaw Place. He bequeathed the school as a business to his nephew, Robert Alexander Burnett, and apart from some small legacies he left the rest of his estate in liferent to his wife, Lizzie (d. 19 March 1938), and thereafter to form the Robert Burnett Bequest 'for the purpose of helping to educate, and thus advance in life, boys and girls between the ages of 14 ½ and 17 when the benefit to each begins.'
The conditions of the bequest were as follows:
'That boys and girls should benefit in the ratio of about one to two.
'That a sum of £10 … should be given yearly in two half-yearly sums to each beneficiary, but the sum may be renewed for another year, or £5 for another half-year, when in the opinion of the Trustees this would benefit the boy or girl.
'That the number of beneficiaries be entirely determined by the amount of money available for each year.
'That the sums given must be wholly spent for any vocational education, applying that term I the wide sense of preparation for any vocation in life. Fees for tuition, books, apparatus, and equipment for the above purpose to be included, but not actual cost of living, as I wish to help those willing to make some effort themselves rather than to free parents from all responsibility.
'That the sums be paid only after a favourable report as to attendance and progress from the headmaster or headmistress of the School or Institution each beneficiary attends.
'That any School of good standing, public or private, be accepted by the Trustees.
'That any applicants who can claim relationship with myself or my wife have the first claim. Priority should also be given to applicants from the Parish of Old Deer, my native parish (This parish is well provided with prizes and bursaries already or I would have confined this Bequest to it alone); next to Methlick, where I received the impetus to improve my own condition in life, but neither parish, nor both parishes together to monopolise all the bequests.
'That those to be helped will chiefly be the families of grieves, foremen, crofters, small tradesmen, and such like respectable persons who have themselves risen somewhat in life, and who have the intelligence and ambition to help their children to get on. The same class of people to be selected in Aberdeen.
'That boys and girls be selected mostly on the recommendation of their teachers, ministers, and local bankers, provided always that the boys and girls have the ability, general education and inclination to benefit by such further education. This method of selecting the best seems in accord with Nature's own plan of advancing the race.
'That where Trustees and Teachers are unable to adjust the number of applicants to the number of bequests available in any one year then the beneficiaries may be selected by competition, boys to compete among themselves and girls among themselves … but after competition is entered awards to be strictly in order of merit as shown by each competitor's answers.
'That the subjects of examination be in line with the school education of the time, but the questions set to be of a kind to test intelligence and natural ability rather than mere book learning. The same papers to be given to boys and girls mostly at least only the awards made separately. The examination when needed should be conducted as economically as possible.
'I appoint the firm of Messrs. Wilsone & Duffus, advocates, 7, Golden Square, to be Trustees under the Robert Burnett Bequest, and the firm of Messrs. G. & J. McBain, Chartered Accountants, 11 Golden Square, Aberdeen, to audit the accounts …' |