William, John & Euphemia Reekie Dollar Academy, Clackmannan

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As reported by CIMR, 10 Sept 1989:

In the Book "Reminiscences of Dollar Academy", by George Lawson there is an item on page 20:

Another special prize given by Mr Kirk, the Classics Master (when George Lawson was at the school, 1849-1856) was a volume "Adams Roman Antiquities" priced 10/= and given as a prize to the pupil in the 3rd Class with the greatest proficiency in the Author's works.

"Encouraged by William Reekie, a very clever student, who in the after-life was a factor to the Duke of Buccleuch over the Bowhill Estates, Selkirkshire, I determined to carry away this prize."

Also in the same book, on page 9, it is reported that John Milne was Principal from about 1851. Other Principals included Mr Steiner and Mr Walker. . Dr. Andrew Mylne (the first Rector, 1820) was succeeded by Thomas Burbridge.

Marian Maxwell Reekie mentions that John Reekie, b 9 April 1843, one of William Reekie's sons, also went to Dollar Academy.

A copy of this book is in the University of Stirling Library. ref: Gordon Willis.

George Lawson was at Dollar in 1849-56 (in fact he left at the end of 1855). So the William Reekie he mentions on p. 20 must have been the son of Wm Reekie born 1798. I can only find one reference to the Reekies in the book.

I found William Reekie in the fees books from October 1851 to March 1853. In class registers I found George Lawson in the 3rd Latin class in 1854. By 1854, William had left. He may have been a university student - Lawson does not say he was still at Dollar when he encouraged Lawson to go for the prize.

.John Reekie was in the 2nd Latin class in 1854. I found John and Euphemia Reekie in the fees books as Boarders in 1855. Both seem to have been clever - John was doing Greek too. I guess William must have been a Boarder too as there is no way he could have travelled from Beath every day. Until the railway reached Dollar only children who lived close were day pupils. The school was founded in 1818 and teaching did not really start until 1819.

I looked the Reekie family up in the 1851 census and found none were at Dollar in 1851. All the children seemed to be at home with their parents in Beath - apart from Euphemia who was staying with her maternal grandmother, also in Beath. Incidentally the Reekie children's mother's maiden name was Curror and I noticed a John Currer in the registers in the early '50s - perhaps a cousin of your Reekies?

In the 1861 census Grace, William, Euphemia, Peter and Catherine were still at home in Beath, the latter two being scholars. No Reekies werein Dollar in 1861. I had a brief look for Andrew and Peter in the registers but did not find them. There are a lot of possible years and the handwritten lists are not in alphabetical order or indexed so I may have missed them.