Named after the 6th-century
Frankish saint
Leonard of Noblac, St Leonard's College of the
University of St Andrews was founded as 'The College of Poor Clerks of the Church of St Andrews' in 1512 by
Alexander Stewart,
Archbishop of St Andrews and John Hepburn, Prior of St Andrews (receiving Papal recognition by proxy in 1545), on the site of St Leonard's Hospital and Church. Its founding was a result of the poverty and declining status of
St John's College, also known as the Pedagogy. The first Provost of St Leonard's was the
Dominican John Annand, a pupil of
Jan Standonck and a determined reformer of the clergy. St Leonard's was consequently extremely monastic in nature, with members of the college being subjected to a far more rigorous and formal code of conduct than was in practice at
St Salvator's. Because of financial considerations and the general decline of the university, in 1747 St Salvator's and St Leonard's Colleges were amalgamated to form the
United College of St Salvator and St Leonard. The buildings of St Leonard's College on South Street were sold, and all teaching thereafter was on the St Salvator's site on North Street. Famous alumni of St Leonard's College include
Alexander Ales (
Alesius),
John Knox,
George Buchanan,
Patrick Adamson and
James Melville.
Re-establishment In 1974 a new St Leonard's College was established as a non-statutory college exclusively for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Currently, after matriculation, all postgraduate students are
de facto members of St Leonard’s College. The head of the college retains the medieval title of the older St Leonard's College,
Provost. During 2024, St Leonard's College celebrated its 50th Anniversary since its reconstitution as a Postgraduate College with a variety of activities.
Notable Principals •
George Buchanan from 1568 to 1570 •
Robert Wilkie from 1591 to 1611 (Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1600) •
Joseph McCormick from 1781 to 1799 (Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1782) •
James Playfair from 1799 to 1819 •
Francis Nicoll from 1820 to 1835 •
John Lee 1837/8 (Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1844) •
David Brewster from 1838 to 1859 (the first principal with no religious background) •
James Donaldson 1886 to 1915 - including the transition to university status in 1890 • Sir
John Herkless 1915 to 1920
Buildings The old college site was visited by
Samuel Johnson and
James Boswell in August 1773. The old college site has, since the late 19th century, been occupied by
St Leonards School. The college chapel remains the property of the university. When it was re-established in 1974 it did not own any property, but since then it has accumulated several buildings including
Deans Court and the Martyrs Kirk postgraduate library. St Leonard's College has been based in the Old Burgh School since 2020.
Provosts of St Leonard's College • Professor Douglas M. G. Lloyd •
Professor Ian Gray Kidd •
Professor Robert Crawford •
Professor Christopher Smout •
Professor Martin Kemp •
Professor John A. Guy •
Professor Philip Francis Esler • Dr Frank Riddell •
Professor Christopher John Smith • Professor Peter Clark •
Professor Dina Iordanova • Professor Malcolm McLeod •
Professor Derek Woollins • Professor Andy Murphy • Professor Monique MacKenzie •
Professor Frank Lorenz Müller • Dr Morven Shearer ==References==