The age of 14 yrs to which you refer relating to the age when formal education may have ceased accords with information I have about a Trust for the education of a nephew I mentioned earlier; the actual Trust was to continue until the child was 21 yrs but its purpose was to provide formal education, clothing, etc. I found a quote in the name of John Knox which confirms what has been shared here http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/about-us/maps-estates-history/history/part-one Quote: "Therefore we judge it necessary that every several church have a schoolmaster appointed, such a one as is able, at least, to teach Grammar and the Latin tongue, if the town be of any reputation. If it be [rural] .. then must either the Reader or the Minister there appointed take care over the children and youth of the parish, to instruct them in their first rudiments, and especially in the Catechism ..And further, we think it expedient that in every notable town .. there be erected a [High School] in which the Arts, at least Logic and Rhetoric, together with the tongues, shall be read by sufficient masters, for whom honest stipends must be appointed. ..Lastly, the great schools called Universities shall be replenished with those apt for learning". John Knox" At first the achievement of this aim proved difficult because of Scotland's relative poverty and the prevailing political circumstances, despite the continuing efforts of the Kirk. However, in 1696 the Scottish Parliament passed its 'Act for Setting Schools', whereby every parish not already equipped with a school was required to establish a schoolhouse and to provide for a schoolmaster. End Quote. It was the thought that a cross on a certificate might not have been an indication of illiteracy or being unable to sign one's name that piqued my interest when I started this thread. I would not have blamed any one speaking Gaelic to feel just a tad put out at having to sign their name in English after 1855. The year 1944 was when formal education became compulsory by Statute along with the birth of our National Health Service. I found what looks to be an informative site "Transforming lives through Learning" which includes "The Making of industrial and urban Scotland" (Modern) looks very comprehensive about the people of Scotland. Under Education http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/makingindustrialurban/education/index.asp just one link alongside a whole lot more. The Scots were prominent in the Empire borne out by their education. Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: "Ronald and Laura" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2013 5:59 AM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Language & Literacy in Scotland and the Gaeliclanguage >I had checked my father's school records from Old > Aberdeen earlier today as the abbrevation sounded > familiar. He was the top student of his year when > he graduated, and all through school all but one > of his courses were marked "sup." for superior. > HIs penmanship, however, was consistently "comt" > (and I think that was generous -- "chicken > scratches" would have been more apt :-) .) As > others have mentioned, handwriting by even the > working classes was often a thing of beauty. My > father's father attended school in Old Deer until > he was fourteen, and his letters home from the > trenches of WW1 as an ordinary Private are models > of copperplate penmanship. My father (b 1905) > attended university and was an engineer, clever > with his hands, so I don't know why his writing > was so awful. > > Further to comments about the reputed superiority > of Scottish education in the late 19th and early > 20th centuries, my paternal grandparents had > emigrated to Canada c1900 and my father and his > two younger brothers were born here. When my > father was coming up to school age, however, his > parents packed up the family and returned to > Aberdeen, where they were convinced their bright > oldest son would receive a better education. I > don't know if it was true or not, but that was > their conviction. Certainly, looking at his yearly > report cards, the subjects he studied in school > were more difficult (Trigonometry, > Latin/Greek/Hebrew -- and this was in an ordinary > city-run school, not a "private" grammar school) > and begun at a younger age than what my > Scottish-born mother was studying in Canadian > schools at the same time, from c1910-1922. > > Margaret Gibbs > > > > > > On 06/09/2013 5:49 PM, Ronald and Laura wrote: >> I wonder if it means competent and competent small might mean a small understanding of >> reading / writing... >> >> >> >>> ________________________________ >>> From: B&A Smith <[email protected]> >>> To: [email protected] >>> Sent: Friday, September 6, 2013 3:03 AM >>> Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Language & Literacy in Scotland and the Gaelic language >>> >>> >>> 'Compt' seems likely to be an abbreviation for 'communicant', hence the >>> Episcopalians and Baptists being noted separately. It's unclear what the >>> meaning of 'compt small' might be. >>> >>> Alison >>> >>> On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 4:56 AM, Gaye Ruru <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Hello Listers, >>>> >>>> Have been following this thread with interest. Not directly to do with >>>> Aberdeenshire [where my YOUNGSON line is from] but in my Perthshire FORBES >>>> line my great grandfather who emigrated to New Zealand in 1861 was >>>> definitely a fluent Gaelic speaker, and his brother, the Rev Daniel FORBES, >>>> Minister in the Free Church of Scotland in Edderton, Rosshire, travelled >>>> as far as London preaching in Gaelic during the right up until shortly >>>> before his death in May 1900. >>>> >>>> Also I have copied of the1806-7 and 1820-21 Census compiled by the >>>> Minister of Moulin Parish in Perthshire. In the 1806-7 Census parishioners >>>> are judged as "Good, Indifferent, or None' as to their knowledge of the >>>> bible and in the 1820-21 Census there are two headings, e.g. Comt - which I >>>> understand is something to do with their knowledge of the bible again, with >>>> most adults having "Comt', or 'comt small' or 'Episcopalian' or 'Baptist' >>>> or no entry at all in that column and under a second column, 'Read or ?' it >>>> identifies if they 'can't read' with all other adults being able to >>>> 'read'[whatever that means at that time]. It is interesting to note that >>>> some of the few who are noted as 'can't read' are also noted as 'comt' i.e. >>>> have knowledge of the bible but can't read. >>>> >>>> As a general comment I would also say that standards of literacy and >>>> schooling appear to have been better in Scotland than that of my English >>>> ancestors of the same period and all my ancestors who signed with their >>>> 'mark' have been English - but that may well be completely incidental to >>>> this discussion. >>>> >>>> Gaye in New Zealand >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ------------------------------- >>>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] >>> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the >>> message >>> >>> >>> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] >> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the >> message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with > the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message