The Aberdeen Endowments Trust (AET) was formed by the 1909 Robert Gordon's Technical College and Aberdeen Endowments Trust Order Confirmation Act. This passed to the AET the functions and estates of its predecessor, the Aberdeen Educational Trust, as well as some of the properties and functions of Robert Gordon's College.
The Aberdeen Educational Trust was formed in 1889 under the terms of the Educational Endowments (Scotland) Act, 1882, in a scheme of administration of 1888. The scheme amalgamated the following older Aberdeen charities into the Educational Trust:
- The Aberdeen Female Orphan Asylum (which evolved into the AET Girl's Home)
- The Boys' and Girls' Hospital, Aberdeen
- Dr. Brown's School
- Chalmers' Girls School
- Davidson's Endowment Fund
- The Hospital for Orphans and Destitute Female Children, Aberdeen
- The McRa Trust
- Shaw's Hospital
- Ross's School
- Thain's Charity School
The Trust can date its history back to 1739 when the Town Council, Brethren of Guild, Kirk Session and Convener Court of the Trades of Aberdeen undertook to erect an infirmary and workhouse "to propagate industry and virtue" - this Poor's Hospital evolved, in part, into the Boys' Hospital.
The Educational Trust, formed to administer these charities, had the power to grant bursaries, provide free school books, conduct the Boys' and Girls' Hospital School (where 305 children were provided with three free meals on five days each week and the most needy of these were provided with clothes and boots or shoes) and conduct a Girls' Home and School of Domestic Economy, both at the former Boys' and Girls' Hospital site at 352 King Street. The Trust was also to administer the endowments set out in Man's Mortification.
In terms of the Robert Gordon's Technical College and Aberdeen Endowments Trust Order Confirmation Act 1909 the Educational Trust was dissolved, and the AET and Robert Gordon's Technical College incorporated. The properties, funds and estates comprising the endowments which had been administered by the Governors of Robert Gordon's College and by the Aberdeen Educational Trust, excepting school grounds and the property at 352 King Street, were transferred to AET. In terms of that Act, the administration of the School of Domestic Economy became a function of the Technical College. The feeding of school children by the Trust was discontinued and a fixed annual sum became payable to the School Board and later to the Education Authority to be applied towards their expenditure on meals. The award of Robert Gordon's benefactions became a function of the AET. Over time this widened to the provision of benefactions and grants to students at other educational institutions in the City. The AET continued to run the Girls' Home and to provide grants from Davidson's Fund. The Act specified that the AET's surplus revenues were to go to the Technical College.
The Aberdeen Educational Trust's governors were elected by the magistrates and Town Council of Aberdeen, Aberdeen School Board, the Senate of the University of Aberdeen, the Presbytery of Aberdeen, the Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, the Society of Advocates and St Nicholas Parochial Board (later Parish Council). In 1909 representatives from The Governors of Robert Gordon's Technical College were added to the Trust's board. The administration of the Trust was further amended in 1923 and by the City of Aberdeen Educational Endowments Schemes of 1934 and 1958.
The Educational Trust's Governors had a number of committees, including an administration, benefactions and education, lands and finance, diploma and visiting committees. The AET Trustees had three standing committees: the Lands and Finance Committee, the Benefactions Committee and, between 1936 and 1956, the House Committee, which was concerned with the AET Girls' Home (prior to 1936 the Home was dealt with by the Benefactions Committee). The AET also had representatives on the Board of Robert Gordon's Technical College and the Aberdeen United Coal Fund.
At the current time (2017) the Trust provides 10 full fee bursaries at Robert Gordons College, educational grants (under the terms of the 1958 City of Aberdeen Educational Endowments Scheme), bursaries to support pupils from low income families to attend secondary school, and awards the John Robb bursaries at the University of Aberdeen.
The administration of the Trust was carried out by an officer holding the position of Clerk, Treasurer and Factor. The Aberdeen Educational Trust's first Clerk and Treasurer was Alexander Simpson, later given the additional role of Factor. On Simpson's death in Feb 1900, William Mearns Cooper, his assistant, was appointed. When the Educational Trust was replaced by the AET, Thomas Fotheringham (formerly Clerk, Treasurer and Factor to Robert Gordon's College) was appointed as Clerk, Treasurer and Factor in March 1910. On his retirement from ill-health in November 1912, Mearns Cooper was appointed as replacement (in the meantime he had been acting as Secretary and Treasurer of Robert Gordon's Technical College). David Cormie was appointed to the post in Dec 1935, with Mearns Cooper continuing in an advisory capacity. At some point the Factorship of the Trust's Estates was taken out of house, to Strutt & Parker, who report to the Lands and Finance Committee of the Trust.
The Trusts' offices were successively at: 19 Albyn Place, 352 King Street, 16 Bridge Street, and then 19 Albert Street.
The funds for the Trust's work came in part from estates located in the north east of Scotland, and inherited from the predecessor charities or Robert Gordon's College or purchased by the Trust. The estates are: Barrack and Crichie; Dumbreck and Orchardtown; Elrick and Annochie; Haremoss; Muchalls; and Towie-Barclay.
