A Brief History

The University of Glasgow was founded by Pope Nicholas V in a letter dated 7 January 1451 and authenticated with a lead seal or `bull'. It erected a studium generale or university for all future time in Glasgow - in theology, canon and civil law, in arts and in all lawful faculties with all the privileges, liberties, honours, exemptions and immunities enjoyed by the studium at Bologna, Italy, and it is still the authority by which the University awards degrees. Although the letter states that it was issued at the request of King James II, the real founder of the University was William Turnbull, Bishop of Glasgow from 1447 to 1454. With experience of St Andrews and several continental universities, he no doubt expected that a university would enhance the reputation of his diocese and provide much needed education for his clergy.

Like other universities of the time, only undergraduate Arts degrees were available. The Master of Arts was awarded after five years of study in Latin, Greek, Logic, Moral Philosophy, Natural Philosophy (Physics) and/or Mathe­matics. At first the teaching was by regents who took their charges through the whole course of study. A Bachelor of Arts could be obtained after three years' study, providing a licence to teach, but only Masters of Arts were officially members of the University with a right to vote at the election of the Chancellor. Students studying in Arts were divided according to their place of birth into four nations originally Clydesdale, Teviotdale, Albany and Rothesay. These students, known as togati or gowned, voted for the Rector by their nation, a practice which was not abolished until 1977. Few students chose to study in higher faculties and in practice there was only teaching in Theology and Canon Law. These were known as non-togati, as they were not required to wear the undergraduate red gown since they were supposed to have already graduated, but not necessarily at Glasgow.

Throughout its first century, the University enjoyed a close affinity with the Cathedral, being located near by, and was part of the efforts to reform the church by improving the education of both the clergy and laity. Education was also dear to the heart of the Protestant reformers who believed that the University should fulfil a similar role but with more emphasis on the training of parochial schoolmasters. However, they failed to provide any endowments and it was not until Andrew Melville (1545-1622) became Principal in 1574 that the problem was addressed. He reformed the curriculum by placing greater emphasis on liberal arts and made the teaching of Greek and Hebrew more stable. In so doing he attracted more students, enabling him to secure a new charter from James VI in 1577. Known as the Nova Erectio, this provided an endowment (albeit leased from the Crown) and established the mode of governance for almost 300 years. The Principal, who was to be an ordained minister and to teach Divinity, was placed in overall charge of the University's affairs. Three regents were to be subject to his authority and were to teach a definite group of subjects: Greek and Rhetoric; Dialectic, Morals and Politics; Arithmetic and Geometry. Although the professor with a chair in a specific discipline was to grow out of this innovation, it proved difficult to sustain and the old system of unspecified regenting was reintroduced in 1642 and continued until 1727.

Despite this setback, the quality and range of teaching improved. A bold de­cision was taken to erect a new building around two quadrangles facing the High Street. Work began in 1631 and continued as money allowed through the difficult times of the civil war. A donation of £200, promised by Charles I, was honoured by Oliver Cromwell. The handsome new buildings were virtually complete by the time of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 when the royal coat of arms was added above the main entrance.

In more settled times the University grew quickly from some 150 students in 1660 to 400 by 1702. In the course of the next 30 years, seven professorships were either created or restored, often with endowments from the Crown, as part of a wider programme of university reform. Teaching in Medicine, which had been briefly attempted between 1637 and 1646, was revived in 1714 and the Faculty of Medicine came to embrace all the life sciences, Botany, Zoology and Chemistry. For the first time since the Reformation, Law became a recognised faculty with its own regius professor.

Under the terms of the Act of Uniformity all professors and graduates were required to sign the Westminster Confession. There were, however, no religious tests at matriculation and students from a variety of confessional backgrounds attended the University. Tests on graduation seem to have been abandoned by the end of the eighteenth century and those for professors were finally abolished in 1853.

Although there was no barrier to matriculation, few students took the trouble as there was no need unless they wished to graduate, vote in a rectorial election, or use the library. Attendance at lectures was recorded by the individual regents or professors, who issued class tickets for satisfactory performance and awarded most prizes. In 1717, the professors disenfranchised the students of their rights to vote at rectorials. The students resisted and their rights were restored in 1726, but professors continued to vote until 1858. In 1727, three of the nations were renamed. Clydesdale, Teviotdale and Albany became Glottiana, Loudonina and Transforthiana.

By the end of the eighteenth century there was increasing tension between the Faculty, consisting of the Principal (still incumbent of the Chair of Divinity) and the twelve other professors appointed before 1761, and those holding chairs created thereafter by the Crown. The latter were considered only to be members of Senate and therefore had no role in the governance of the University. The treatment by the Faculty of some of these new appointments was shameful. They were denied the use of the best classrooms and in one case of even a blackboard. Despite public disagreement, it was not until 1858 that an Act of Parliament abolished the Faculty and replaced it with the University Court composed of lay members whose main responsibility was the oversight of the fabric and finances. This legislation also made matriculation compulsory for the first time for all students irrespective of faculty and restricted the franchise in rectorial elections to the students. The Rector ex officio was to chair the Court. The distinction between togati and non-togati students was also abolished and the General Council was set up, comprising members of the University Court, professors and graduates. The Students’ Representative Council was not given formal recognition until the Universities (Scotland) Act of 1889.