Heriot, George

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Heriot, George (1563–1624). Heriot was a prosperous Edinburgh goldsmith who became jeweller to James VI and goldsmith to the queen. He moved down to London after the king and advanced large loans to the royal couple. Impressed by the success of Christ's Hospital in London, Heriot left the bulk of his fortune to establish a school in Edinburgh, to be administered by the town council. The school opened in 1659. As ‘Jingling Geordie’ he appears in Scott's The Fortunes of Nigel and he is also commemorated in Heriot-Watt University.

J. A. Cannon

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