Subscriptions towards the University of Edinburgh’s Old College (1789-1794) and Old Medical School (1873-1887)

This dataset includes lists of subscriptions (i.e. donations) for two historical capital campaigns at the University of Edinburgh to fundraise for the construction of two new campus buildings: the sites known today as Old College, on South Bridge, and the Old Medical School, on Teviot Place. The list of Old College subscriptions has been complied using digitised issues of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper and one surviving list of subscribers in the University’s archives, together covering the period 1789-1794. The list of Old Medical School subscribers has been complied using materials in the University of Edinburgh’s archives, namely two ‘contribution lists’ dated 1873-1881 and 1883-1887. Data includes subscribers’ names, places of residence, professions and other biographic information, as well as amounts of money subscribed or paid, the dates on which their subscriptions were published or recorded, and other subscription-related information (e.g. the name of intermediaries, or the original currency in which money was subscribed). This dataset was produced for the Decolonised Transformation project (2022-24), part of the University of Edinburgh’s Race Review. Analysis of subscribers (i.e. donors) identified as having links to slavery and colonialism – including those based in British colonies – can be found in an annexed report for that project, Slavery, Colonialism and Philanthropy at the University of Edinburgh (2024), by Dr Simon Buck, the data depositor.