Edinburgh University: The Early Years
1876-1879 – Edinburgh University: The Early Years
Between October 1876 and November 1879, Sam established himself at Edinburgh University, pursuing a General Arts curriculum while navigating the financial realities of working-class student life.
Arrival and First Term
On 26 October 1876, Sam arrived in Edinburgh and made his way to 50 St Leonard's Street, lodging with his cousin William Crockett. His cousin recorded the arrival in his diary, providing the most reliable date—Sam's own later account gave 20 October, but William's contemporary diary is more trustworthy. The high tenement stood in an area locals called the 'Sooth Back,' commanding views over Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat.
On 1 November 1876, Sam matriculated at Edinburgh University for the winter session, studying Junior Humanities under Professor Sellar. This pathway had been opened by the Galloway Bursary he had won that autumn. On 21 December, William's diary recorded that Sam sat and presumably passed an exam in Latin. Passing this exam may have exempted him from Classics requirements.
The Winter Term Pattern
Edinburgh University operated on two sessions, winter and summer. Like many working-class students, Sam attended only the winter term, spending summers working. The Galloway Bursary did not cover all expenses. He later recalled that in his first year he supported himself through tutoring, which meant extensive travel across Edinburgh. From his second year, he turned to journalism, which allowed him more time to write.
The matriculation records show his progress through the General Arts curriculum. On 1 November 1877, he enrolled in Senior Humanities. On 13 November 1878, he matriculated for Mathematics. On 3 December 1878, he received a certificate of merit in Natural Philosophy. At this time the requirement for an MA was to pass seven subjects: Classics, English, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and Mental and Moral Philosophy.
Friends and Lodgings
Throughout the years Sam lodged at St Leonard's Street, his Castle Douglas friends joined him at intervals. William MacGeorge, studying art, and Andrew Penman, pursuing engineering, both lodged at 50 St Leonard's Street during their studies. This continuation of the Cowper's School circle was significant—they were navigating different disciplines while sharing the university experience and maintaining their Galloway friendships. They also provided 'characters' for the short stories he was writing for publication in magazines.
The summer gaps in the record reflect economic necessity rather than holidays. In the summer of 1877 Sam probably worked with his uncles on the railway in Galloway. Later biographical accounts suggest he spent summer 1878 in London 'living by the pen,' developing his journalistic skills, though the exact timing of this remains uncertain. It may have been the summer of 1879 that he was first employed as a travelling tutor—but current research cannot fully evidence his first period of foreign travel.
November 1879: Death and Continuation
What we do know is that on 6 November 1879, Sam's mother Anne Crocket died at 24 Cotton Street, Castle Douglas, aged fifty-one. Sam was present and witnessed the death certificate. He was nineteen years old, part way through his MA degree. His grandfather William had died in 1875, just before university began. Now his mother was gone.
One week later, on 13 November 1879, Sam matriculated at Edinburgh University for the winter session, enrolling in Senior Mathematics. The following day, 14 November, he enrolled in Rhetoric and English Literature, likely under Professor Masson. Masson would become a supporter of Sam's work in the 1890s. In 1879 however, grief and study proceeded in parallel. There was no extended period of mourning, no pause in his education.