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of Comely Bank. He was by then living at Comely Bank in the
Stockbridge district of Edinburgh and he had other estates which he had bought but he was to retire from trade in 1800 to look after these interests. He was involved in many public charities and the general welfare of Edinburgh, serving as
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in
Edinburgh. When he was 18 years old he commenced his business life, trading in wine and tea from premises in the High Street. In 1787 he married Maria Malcolm and in 1788 their only son, William Fettes (1788-1815) was born. His life covered a period of economic expansion in Scotland and, at the
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After his death the bequest was effected and invested. His
Trustees allowed the investments to accumulate for more than 25 years before they decided that with £166,000, there was enough capital with which to acquire the land, to found the school, and to fund scholarships.
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Fettes had originally intended that money from his estate should pay for a hospital rather than a school but he later decided to make it a school for orphans and the needy. In his will he made a bequest which was to lead to the foundation of Fettes
College.
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for the maintenance, education and outfit of young people whose parents have either died without leaving sufficient funds for that purpose, or who from innocent misfortune during their lives, are unable to give suitable education to their
195:, while on a tour of Europe. He had been admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1810 five years previously. Without an heir, Fettes was to live on to May 1836, predeceasing his wife by just three weeks. They are buried together in
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His bequest, of £166,000, in memory of his only son, was for the endowment of a school for orphaned or needy children, a tradition it still continues through the Fettes
Foundation's scholarship and bursary programmes.
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The Fettes family came from north east
Scotland, where the name can be encountered in such variants as "Vettese" (cf. the Scottish writer Raymond Vettese), "Fittes", "Fettis" and "Fiddes".
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Fettes was born on 25 June 1750, the eldest son of
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In 1815, his only son, William Fettes died at the age of 27 of
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Ex-pupils save Fettes tomb from grave state of affairs
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Fettes' Mausoleum in the
Canongate Kirkyard, Edinburgh
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from 1804 to 1806 (two elected sessions). He became a
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district of
Edinburgh. He had made his money trading
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People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh
363:"Edinburgh Post Office annual directory, 1832-1833"
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80:; 25 June 1750 – 27 May 1836) was a wealthy
492:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
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304:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
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298:Lindsay, Alexia. "Fettes, Sir William".
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206:In later life Fettes lived at 13
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180:of Whamphrey in the
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343:"No. 15700"
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285:References
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201:Royal Mile
32:Fettes by
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134:Newcastle
113:Edinburgh
109:James Rae
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430:Extinct
259:See also
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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