course in 1659, with thirty pupils; its finances grew, and it took in other pupils in addition to the orphans for whom it was intended. In the 1880s, it began to charge fees; however, to this day it serves its charitable object, providing free education to a sizeable number of children of widows or widowers. Memorials A statue of Heriot stands within the quadrangle of the school, above the pend on the north entrance tower. This is by Robert Mylne the King's Master Mason. It bears a Latin inscription which translates as: "This statue shows my body, this building shows my soul". George Heriot is one of the carved figures on the Scott Monument on Princes Street. His figure, which stands on the lower tier of the south-west buttress, was carved by Peter Slater. He is depicted holding a model of the school. In literature George Heriot features as one of the two ghosts in Robert Fergusson's poem The Ghaists: A Kirk-Yard Ecologue (1773). He appears as a character in the novel The Fortunes of Nigel by Sir Walter Scott. See also William Fettes, another Edinburgh businessman, after whom Fettes College is named. List of universities named after people Notes References Note that the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article is based on the original Dictionary of National Biography entry, but the two differ on several minor points. Where they conflict, the newer article is assumed to be accurate. The older article contains a number of details (e.g., a presumed death date for Heriot's first wife) omitted in the newer article; it is unclear if this is for reasons of space, or if those details were found inaccurate. External links Contemporary image of George Heriot at the National Portrait Gallery. 1563 births 1624 deaths 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people Businesspeople from Edinburgh Scottish goldsmiths People associated with Heriot-Watt University Scottish bankers Scottish jewellers Scottish philanthropists Founders of Scottish schools and colleges Court of James VI and I 16th-century Scottish artists 16th-century Scottish businesspeople 17th-century Scottish businesspeople 17th-century Scottish artists Material culture of royal courts