— MR HENRY DOW (Headmaster 1876-1881) —

The school’s first headmaster was Mr Henry Dow (no picture).

He came from Musselburgh Grammar, where he was Rector, having previously been at Loretto.

There was friction between Mr Dow and the School Board which had appointed him. In 1880, only 4 years after the school opened, he had written to the Board advising that he had insufficient staff. Although a temporary assistant was appointed, this was less than Dow had wanted. Whilst the reasons are not explicitly documented, this likely contributed to his decision to resign in 1881.

He continued in education as headmaster of Ramsay Lodge School in Portobello.

— MR JOHN STEVENSON (Headmaster 1881-1905) —

Mr Stevenson came from Glasgow and took up post in 1881. He became a well-known character in Portobello where he was nicknamed “Cockie Stevie.”

He was usually dressed in a tail coat and wore a smoking cap. He carried a tawse (belt) in his back pocket.

During Mr Stevenson’s tenure the school roll rose from 528 to 1000 – this despite the opening of two other public schools: Towerbank and St John’s RC (the original near the top of Bath Street).

He retired owing to ill-health in February 1905 and sadly passed away only a few months later.

— MR WILLIAM MACKAY (Headmaster 1906-1921) —

Mr MacKay was third to hold the position (almost capping off the first 50 years). He came from St Bernard’s School in Stockbridge, where he had been head for 12 years.

An inducement to take the post seems to have been a ‘suggestion’ that Portobello would obtain Higher Grade status, allowing pupils passing the necessary qualifying exam to continue their education past the age of 14. HG status was duly attained in time for the start of the school year in 1907.

Mr MacKay had the task of guiding the school through the difficult years of the First World War – except for himself, all male teachers were called up some not to return; many pupils lost parents and siblings and numerous former pupils made the ultimate sacrifice.

On his retiral in 1921 he went to Victoria, British Columbia. He returned to Britain just before the war and died in Bath in February 1946, aged 90.

Images: Mr Stevenson from his obituary in the Midlothian Journal, 19th May 1905; Mr MacKay from The Tower, the school magazine, 1921 edition. Both are AI enhanced.

With credit to Ian Small