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GORDON, ROBERT, founder of
the hospital in Aberdeen which bears his name, was born about the year
1605. His father, Arthur Gordon, was the ninth son of the celebrated
Robert Gordon of Pitlurg, (commonly designated of Stralloch,) and rose to
some eminence as an advocate in Edinburgh. In the latter part of his life
he settled in Aberdeen, where he died 1680, leaving two children,—the
subject of this memoir, and a daughter who was married to Sir James
Abercromby of Birkenbog, near Cullen.
With regard to the founder
of Gordon’s hospital, very little is known with certainty. That he was a
gentleman by birth is certain, and that he was a man of parts and
education, is generally allowed. He is said to have had a patrimony of
about 1100 pounds; and, according to some accounts, he spent most of this
fortune while traveling on the continent with a friend. According to other
accounts, he went to Dantzic, and having engaged there in the mercantile
line, realized a considerable sum of money. It is probable that he betook
himself to business after having acted the prodigal in the earlier part of
his life, and therefore both accounts may be in some measure correct. It
is certain, however, that he resided on the continent for a considerable
time, and returned to his native country about the beginning of the last
century, taking up his residence in Aberdeen. From all that can be
learned, he did not, during the remaining part of his life, engage in any
sort of business, and, he must therefore have brought home with him money
to a considerable amount, otherwise we cannot well account for the large
fortune of which he was possessed at the time of his death, even taking
into account his extreme parsimony. Whether he set his heart upon
accumulating wealth previous to his return from abroad, or afterwards,
cannot be clearly be ascertained. It is said that a disappointment in love
was the primary cause of his forming this resolution, and there are not
wanting instances of men, who, when they found the god of love
unpropitious, have transferred their devotions to the shrine of Mammon.
The same disappointment is also said to have determined him to live and
die a bachelor,—a determination to which he most faithfully adhered. We
find in the library of Marischal college a copy of’Burton’s Anatomy of
Melancholy which had belonged to him, and which he had purchased in
London, as appears from his own hand-writing upon a blank leaf. Might he
not have purchased this book to divert his melancholy, while suffering
under the pangs of unrequited love?
During the latter part of
his life, he carried his parsimonious habits to the utmost extreme. He is
said to have lived in a small apartment, which he rented, denying himself
all the comforts and conveniences of life, and even using its necessaries
in the most sparing manner; insomuch, that his whole personal expense,
room rent included, did not exceed £5 sterling annually. Many of the
anecdotes which have been handed down by tradition, respecting the habits
and privations of this singular individual, seem to be nearly the same
which are related of certain English misers of celebrity. It is told of
him, for instance, that he used to keep himself warm by walking backwards
and forwards in his room with a bag of coals on his back, judging, no
doubt, that this was a more economical method of procuring heat, than by
burning the coals. Also, that he sometimes contrived to satisfy the
cravings of appetite by going to the market, and tasting a little of the
various articles of provision, such as meal, butter, cheese, &c., by
way of ascertaining their quality before he should make any purchase.
Another anecdote is recorded of him, which seems less incredible. A
particular friend of his who was in the way of spending an evening with
him occasionally (for he was naturally of a social disposition), was so
highly honoured that, as often as the meeting took place, a small
rush-light was produced to enliven the scene. One evening, however, the
same friend perceiving the rays of the moon shining brightly into the
apartment, observed, no doubt with the view of ingratiating himself more
with his host, that it was a pity to waste the candle when the moonlight
was quite sufficient. The hint was not lost, and afterwards when the two
friends met it was most scrupulously attended to. He is said to have been
fond of reading, and in order to indulge his literary taste without
expense, during the dark evenings, he is said to have bored a hole in the
floor of his apartment, to allow the light from a cobbler’s lamp in the
room below to shine through, and by lying down on his side, he thus
contrived to get as much light as to see the page before him.
Yet although avarice had
taken a strong hold of his mind, and subjected him to the most severe
privations, it was never able fully to eradicate the natural sociability
of his disposition, or to destroy his relish for the luxuries and
enjoyments of life: for he is said to have mixed in society as often as he
could do so without affecting his purse, and to have indulged pretty
freely in the pleasures of the table, when the banquet was not furnished
at his own expense. As he was a person of shrewdness and intelligence, and
one who had seen a good deal of the world, and was also known to possess
wealth, it may be supposed he was not an unwelcome guest at the table of
many of his fellow citizens.
It has been asserted by
some, that Mr Gordon’s parsimonious habits arose from the design which
he had formed, of founding and endowing an hospital for the benefit of the
male children of the poorer class of citizens; and we should be glad to be
able to establish the truth of this assertion; but from all we can find,
it was not till a considerable time after the desire of amassing wealth by
every possible means had taken possession of his mind, and within,
perhaps, a few years of his death, that he entertained the benevolent
design above alluded to. Severe animadversions have been passed upon his
character, on account of his having bequeathed no part of his fortune to
his poorer relations, especially to his sister, who was in indigent
circumstances, and had a numerous family; and indeed, it is difficult to
justify his conduct in this respect. Perhaps it was sufficient for him to
know that he was not legally bound to make any provision for his poor
relatives; and we know that avarice tends to harden the heart and stifle
the feelings of natural affection. While conversing on one occasion with
the provost of Aberdeen, on the subject of the settlement which he was
about to make, the latter is said to have hinted to him that he ought to
remember his relations as well as the public; but this, instead of having
the desired effect, drew from him the following severe rebuke:—"What
have I to expect, sir, when you, who are at the head of the town of
Aberdeen’s affairs, plead against a settlement from which your citizens
are to derive so great benefits?"
The deed of mortification
for founding and endowing the hospital, was drawn up and signed by him, on
the 13th December, 1729. By this deed he transferred, in favour of the
provost, baillies, and town council of the burgh of Aberdeen, together
with the four town’s ministers, and their successors in their respective
offices, the sum of £10,000 sterling, or such sum or sums as his effects
might amount to at his death, in trust for erecting and maintaining an
hospital, to be called Robert Gordon’s Hospital, for
educating and maintaining indigent male children, and male grandchildren
of decayed merchants, and brethren of guild of the burgh of Aberdeen, of
the name of Gordon, in the first place, and of the name of Menzies in the
second (the nearest relations of the mortifier of the names of Gordon and
Menzies, being always preferred), and the male children of any other
relations of the mortifier that are of any other name, in the third place,
to be preferred to others. After these, male children, or male
grandchildren, of any other merchants or brethren of guild of Aberdeen, to
be admitted; and after them the sons or grandsons of tradesmen or others,
under certain restrictions mentioned in the deed. The provost, baillies,
town council, and the four town’s ministers, and their successors, were
appointed perpetual patrons and governors. A certain sum of money was
appointed to be laid out in erecting the building, but no boys were to be
admitted till the intended sum of £10,000 sterling was made good by the
accumulation of interest. An appendix to the deed of mortification was
executed by the founder, on the 19th September, 1730, containing a few
trifling alterations. His death took place in January, 1732, in
consequence, it is said, of his having eaten to excess at a public
entertainment; but the accounts on this subject are contradictory, and
therefore entitled to little credit. His executors buried him with great
expense and pomp in Drum’s Aisle, and it is likely that the occasion was
one of joy rather than of mourning. Mr Gordon was somewhat tall in person,
and of a gentlemanly appearance, with a mild and intellectual countenance,
if we may judge from an original portrait of him in the hospital. That he
was possessed of more than ordinary intelligence and good sense, may be
inferred from the excellent regulations which he framed for the management
of the hospital. The importance he attached to religion as an element of
education, is shown by the anxiety which he manifested, and the ample
provision made in the deed of mortification, for the support and
encouragement of true religion and good morals in the institution founded
by his munificence. He also appears to have been a man of taste, and he
left behind him a good collection of coins and medals, and also of
drawings.
By his deed of
mortification, Robert Gordon excluded females from any office whatever in
his projected institution. This has been ascribed to an antipathy which he
is believed to have entertained to the sex in general. With greater reason
it has been supposed that their exclusion was dictated by an
over-scrupulous regard to the moral training of the boys who were to be
educated in the hospital; and the same fantastic notion no doubt suggested
the introduction of another clause, enjoining celibacy upon the master and
teachers. These monastic restrictions were fitted to produce the very
effect which they were intended to prevent, besides depriving the
institution of everything like home comfort and influence. Before the rule
excluding females had been long in operation, the Governors, finding it to
be exceedingly inconvenient, if not impracticable, to carry out the
founder’s views in this respect, resolved "that women servants be
taken into and employed in the hospital;" and afterwards they
appointed a matron to superintend them. That part of the deed condemning
the master and teachers to a life of celibacy, was strictly enforced until
the year 1842, when the Governors resolved that the teachers should be
allowed to live out of the hospital, and that they, and also the master,
who was to reside constantly in the house, might marry without forfeiting
their offices—a plan which has likewise been adopted in Heriot’s
Hospital, Edinburgh.
At Mr Gordon’s death, his
property was found to amount to £10,300 sterling, a very large sum in
those times. His executors immediately proceeded to the execution of their
important trust, and erected an hospital (according to a plan designed by
Mr William Adam, architect, Edinburgh, father of the more celebrated
architect, Robert Adam); and the place chosen for the building was the
ground which formerly belonged to the Black Friars, situated on the north
side of the School-hill. The expense of the erection was £3300; and as
this had trenched considerably on the original funds, the plan of the
founder could not be carried into effect until the deficiency was made up
by the accumulation of interest on the remainder of the fund. Owing also
to the disturbances which took place in 1745-6, and certain other causes,
the hospital was not ready for the reception of boys till 1750; but the
funds by this time had accumulated to £14,000. The number of boys at
first admitted was thirty; but as the funds continued to increase, owing
to good management, by purchases of lands, rise in rents, and other
causes, the number was increased from time to time. In 1816, an additional
endowment was made to the hospital by Alexander Simpson, Esq., of
Collyhill, under the management of the Professors of Marischal College,
and four of the city clergy. By this endowment, which came into operation
in 1838, twenty-six additional boys are maintained and educated in the
hospital. At present the whole number of boys in the institution is one
hundred and fifty. A head-master, having under him a house-steward,
superintends the establishment; there are three regular teachers, and
three others who attend the hospital at stated hours. The branches taught
are, besides religious instruction—English, writing; arithmetic,
book-keeping, Latin, French, geography, mathematics, natural philosophy,
church music, instrumental music, and drawing. There is alas a master for
drill exercises. The funds are at present in a most flourishing state, and
the yearly revenue is about £3500.
Very extensive additions
have been made to the original building; and the hospital, as it now
stands, presents a spacious and imposing appearance. Accommodations are
furnished for about two hundred and forty boys, although many years must
elapse before such a number can be admitted, unless the funds be greatly
augmented by additional bequests. The concerns of this institution have
been all along managed in a praiseworthy manner, and the benefits arising
from it have been visible in numerous instances. Many children have, by
means of it, been rescued from poverty, ignorance, and vice—have been
fed, clothed, educated, and enabled to pursue honourable callings. Not a
few have prospered in their native city and elsewhere as merchants,
tradesmen, &c., and several have risen in the world, and have amassed
very considerable fortunes. Yet it has been remarked that rarely has the
institution turned out any man of genius; and the same remark has been
made in regard to other similar institutions. There are, it must be
confessed, evils and defects attending all institutions of this kind, in
so far as they may be regarded as an engine for the moral, religious, and
intellectual training of youth; and many enlightened philanthropists of
the present day are beginning to doubt whether the evils and defects
inherent in such institutions, are not of such a magnitude as to
call for a radical change in them. The worst feature which these
institutions exhibit, is the unnatural position in which they place so
many young boys, shutting them up together, both good and bad, confining
them almost entirely to the society of one another, cutting them off from
the endearments, and the softening and humanizing influences of home, and
of the family circle, and from parental care, admonition, and example.
Under such circumstances, it need not excite wonder that boys in
hospitals, even under the best management and tuition, should be found to
be listless and indifferent in regard to learning and improvement; that
their moral feelings should be blunted, and their natural affections
weakened; and that their intellectual faculties should be less developed
than those of other boys of the same age, placed in ordinary
circumstances. It may be laid down as the result of the united experience
of Gordon’s and Heriot’s’ hospitals in Scotland, and of similar
institutions in England, that no amount of intellectual instruction can
make up for the loss of parental and family influence in the formation of
character. |
