Robert Fergusson

Robert Fergusson (5 September 1750 – 17 October 1774) was a Scottish poet. His formal education between 1758 and 1761 was at the High School of Edinburgh, which at that time was a building in the garden of Blackfriars Monastery.

This year, marking the 250th anniversary of his death, will see a number of initiatives including a two-year research project based at Glasgow University, entitled The Collected Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies – click here for the project website. The project aims to produce a new edition of Fergusson’s works in 2026 and to commemorate his legacies through various events.

The Royal High School is marking the anniversary in several ways, including a poetry-based event (involving many pupils) and the re-unveiling of the memorial plaque to Fergusson at the School at Barnton on the 9th October, 2024. The plaque was first unveiled in June 1958 at Regent Road, marking the 200th anniversary of Fergusson entering the High School. A tribute to Fergusson has been created by Graham Holton, a former pupil and Strathclyde University academic, and it can be accessed here.

An interesting story emerged on November 28th 2024, when a painting presumed to be that of Fergusson was discovered in Barnbougle castle in West Lothian. Click here to see an image of the painting, and here to read the Times newspaper article describing the discovery.

The Christmas 2024 edition of Edinburgh Life magazine recorded the article written by Graham Holton, and also included a photograph of the unveiling party. Article images are in the gallery below.