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Apparently it was circa 1880 and awarded for excellence in English. Up for auction at £475.

That's interesting since I've checked Robert Preece's official history of the school just to confirm that the coat of arms, which is shown in the centre of the medal, was created for the school's centenary in 1892. On the other hand there's not a huge gulf between "circa 1880" and 1892 and this may even be a later version of the medal.

I can find no trace of the award in the index of Robert Preece's book but I would be interested to find out more about this medal.

Googling it reveals similar information to IHE's plus the name of the winner, a "Lissie Wedderspoon" or on another site "Lizzie Wetherspoon".

I am sufficiently interested to do some checks over the next week or two since I still have access to the school archive which includes enrolment lists.

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Apparently it was circa 1880 and awarded for excellence in English. Up for auction at £475.

That's interesting since I've checked Robert Preece's official history of the school just to confirm that the coat of arms, which is shown in the centre of the medal, was created for the school's centenary in 1892. On the other hand there's not a huge gulf between "circa 1880" and 1892 and this may even be a later version of the medal.

I can find no trace of the award in the index of Robert Preece's book but I would be interested to find out more about this medal.

Googling it reveals similar information to IHE's plus the name of the winner, a "Lissie Wedderspoon" or on another site "Lizzie Wetherspoon".

I am sufficiently interested to do some checks over the next week or two since I still have access to the school archive which includes enrolment lists.

 

If it helps, there was only one Wedderspoon listed in 1900 in Inverness at Gowanlea Ballifeary Road. He is listed as John Wedderspoon Sanitary Inspector for the County of Inverness so presumably his daughter

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If it helps, there was only one Wedderspoon listed in 1900 in Inverness at Gowanlea Ballifeary Road. He is listed as John Wedderspoon Sanitary Inspector for the County of Inverness so presumably his daughter

 

That very possibly does help and may well narrow my search. "Wedderspoon" is a pretty unusual name but one slight problem is that on a second website showing the medal, the spelling is "Wetherspoon". Now I have seen the surnames Weatherspoon and Wotherspoon in Inverness (although neither family originally local) but not either of these other two variations until now.

I have got a hunch that weeman has got the right person since, apart from the unusual name and the correct time, a County Sanitary Inspector living in a house with its own name in Ballifeary Road is just the kind of person who might have sent his daughter to the Royal Academy at that time.

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If it helps, there was only one Wedderspoon listed in 1900 in Inverness at Gowanlea Ballifeary Road. He is listed as John Wedderspoon Sanitary Inspector for the County of Inverness so presumably his daughter

 

That very possibly does help and may well narrow my search. "Wedderspoon" is a pretty unusual name but one slight problem is that on a second website showing the medal, the spelling is "Wetherspoon". Now I have seen the surnames Weatherspoon and Wotherspoon in Inverness (although neither family originally local) but not either of these other two variations until now.

I have got a hunch that weeman has got the right person since, apart from the unusual name and the correct time, a County Sanitary Inspector living in a house with its own name in Ballifeary Road is just the kind of person who might have sent his daughter to the Royal Academy at that time.

 

There are no Weatherspoons listed and just the one Wedderspoon in 1900. Good to see that there was someone else from the wrong side of the river there 

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Apparently it was circa 1880 and awarded for excellence in English. Up for auction at £475.

That's interesting since I've checked Robert Preece's official history of the school just to confirm that the coat of arms, which is shown in the centre of the medal, was created for the school's centenary in 1892. On the other hand there's not a huge gulf between "circa 1880" and 1892 and this may even be a later version of the medal.

I can find no trace of the award in the index of Robert Preece's book but I would be interested to find out more about this medal.

Googling it reveals similar information to IHE's plus the name of the winner, a "Lissie Wedderspoon" or on another site "Lizzie Wetherspoon".

I am sufficiently interested to do some checks over the next week or two since I still have access to the school archive which includes enrolment lists.

 

 

They're both half right, since the back is engraved as "Lizzie Wedderspoon" - assuming, of course, that the English department got it right.

 

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Edited by ilpadrino
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Apparently it was circa 1880 and awarded for excellence in English. Up for auction at £475.

That's interesting since I've checked Robert Preece's official history of the school just to confirm that the coat of arms, which is shown in the centre of the medal, was created for the school's centenary in 1892. On the other hand there's not a huge gulf between "circa 1880" and 1892 and this may even be a later version of the medal.

I can find no trace of the award in the index of Robert Preece's book but I would be interested to find out more about this medal.

Googling it reveals similar information to IHE's plus the name of the winner, a "Lissie Wedderspoon" or on another site "Lizzie Wetherspoon".

I am sufficiently interested to do some checks over the next week or two since I still have access to the school archive which includes enrolment lists.

 

If it helps, there was only one Wedderspoon listed in 1900 in Inverness at Gowanlea Ballifeary Road. He is listed as John Wedderspoon Sanitary Inspector for the County of Inverness so presumably his daughter

 

I have found out a bit more from the Royal Academy archive. A Lizzie Wedderspoon, date of birth 3rd March 1879, enrolled at the school for the first time in August 1892, aged 13. Her address is given as The Schoolhouse, Croy and the father as James Wedderspoon. It would therefore seem that, as was not uncommon in thse days, she received her Junior School education at a rural school (presumably Croy) before moving to do certificates at the Royal Academy, either as a fee paying pupil or on some kind of bursary.

It seems likely that James Wedderspoon was the Croy schoolmaster and the name is unusual enough to warrant speculation that Weeman's John Wedderspoon, the Sanitary Inspector from Ballifeary Road, may have been her uncle.

Pupils from even quite close to Inverness had great difficuties getting into school in days done by and even from Croy, if it was not possible to take a train daily, it would probably have been a case of finding lodgings in the town.

I didn't have time, but will try to go back, to research the Ardross Medal, but it is likely that it would have been awarded in the upper years so the one in question possibly dates from 1895 or 1896. This also squares with the school badge on it since the badge was created for the centenary in 1892.

Lizzie Wedderspoon also seems to have had a sister called Masie. I wonder if she was ever in the football team?

A Masie run....... :getmecoat:

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The main hall for "elevenses"

1950s. D.J. MacDonald, the Rector, can be seen in his mortar board and gown to the right of centre. In 1961 a new extension opened at the back of the site which included a new hall. As a result, the space seen in this photo became the library with partitions put in place to create corridors outside Rooms 3-6. The prize winners' boards seen on the left were then shifted to the front door and were later moved to Culduthel where they still are - the list of Duces on the front stairs and the list of Howden Enders Medallists in the lecture theatre.

The oldest among us - Scarlet etc - will remember the photo as it is. Those of slightly less advanced years, like IHE and myself, will remember the library with the partitions.

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Yes, Charlie, I spotted D.J MacDonald, our stern but respected Rector. The clothes are reminiscent of what I remember my sister wore at, or around, that time. Warm, clean, boring and didn't show much leg except the ones in the flat shoes of course Ha! Ha!

My sister was a well developed young woman and so I have a feeling that the pubescent lads would not be paying too much attention to her shoes......? :smile:

 

Yes, the space does look so small compared to my memories of it but time does that to a person doesn't it ?

Nevertheless, I still get a strange feeling when I look at this picture and others of our old haunt, the Academy.

It was a good time to be alive and we did learn  as well didn't we? I'm not sure that I would shed a tear if I went back to visit  but you just never know. There is no doubt that  this hallowed place had a deep affect on all of us despite possible denials to the contrary. 

As I gaze at the picture, I now know that  It certainly left an unexpected and deep imprint on me. Like I was leaving something valued , solid and comforting and now have to make my own way in the world and into the unknown with all its challenges and uncertainties.

 

Just hope I can make it to the finishing line without losing what marbles I have left. C'mon Al, just go home to Mrs Zheimer and leave me alone with my nostalgia, there's a good lad.      Enter Wan Smile from the sidewings......... :sad:

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He never found out who put the black paint on his private toilet seat

Ian Fraser... Rector from 1971 until he retired in 1993. I didn't know about the black paint on the Rectorial Bogseat but there is also a story about a Balnafettack Farm goat being let into his office and dumping on his royal blue carpet.

I can't say he was a rector who inspired a lot of enthusiasm among his staff, of whom I was one for 16 years.

His retiral dinner.... very staid and proper as it predictably was meant to be.... degenerated into a riot when the Jannies got the junior member of the English Department totally blootered to the extent that the guy abused the Director of Education, picked a fight with the Head of Business Studies and serially interrupted the Rectorial valedictory speech with interjections of "Caley For The Cup".

Oh well.... 22 years later he may well turn out to be (half) right!

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What on earth was the rector doing wearing a skirt at school? ..................... mind you it could answer a few questions when I think about it. 

Presumably the heid honcho over with you Tecky boys wore brown overalls?

 

 

Nah! blue ones Ratty, we knew which side to back!

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The best ever Caddy Team ?

Naw :lol: These girls from I think 1961 were only in the radio version of Top of the Form and got put out in the second round - unlike the TV team of 1970 which gave Inverness Victory in Europe, hopefully to be repeated by a certain football club 45 years later. :blush:

  • Agree 1
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