#benfactor

23rd November 1654 saw the birth in Edinburgh of George Watson, the accountant whose bequest allowed what is now George Watson's College to be founded.

George Watson was the son of John Watson, an Edinburgh merchant. His parents died when he was young and he was brought up by his aunt, Elizabeth Davidson.

In 1672, he went to Rotterdam, where he trained in book-keeping and accounting for four years. He returned to Edinburgh in 1676 and became the private secretary of Sir James Dick of Prestonfield, a wealthy merchant and baillie (alderman) of Edinburgh who later became the city's Lord Provost.

Before long, Watson was one of the best known and wealthiest accountants in Edinburgh. On 17 July 1695, an Act of the Parliament of Scotland established the Bank of Scotland with the specific remit of supporting Scottish business. George Watson was appointed to be its first chief accountant. Watson was an early supporter of the Merchant Maiden Hospital, founded by Mary Erskine and the Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh in 1694. He died in 1723 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard.

In his will he left money with the aim of providing academic excellence and the creation of an environment where young minds hungry for knowledge could flourish. He was determined that children from less advantaged backgrounds should be able to enjoy the quality of education available to those more fortunate.

As a result, George Watson's Hospital opened in 1741. In July 1870 the Merchant Company was granted powers by Parliament to reform all the hospitals under its management, and, along with the other Merchant Company Schools, George Watson's Hospital was remodelled into a day school. Hospital was the old name for these type of charitable school to care for the "puir, faitherless bairns"

It first opened as George Watson's College on 26 September 1870, with a roll of 1,000 pupils (including approximately 100 Foundationers) In 1871, George Watson's Ladies' College was formed to provide similar educational facilities for girls in Admiral Duncan's House in George Square.

On 1 October 1974 George Watson's College and George Watson's Ladies' College were amalgamated to form one co-educational School. Since the beginning of Session 1975/76 the whole School has been accommodated at Colinton Road.