Blair's Charity School - Galston

[Ceryswyn]

Hello everyone!

I've recently subscribed to the FindMyPast Newspaper archive and I'm having fun searching for relative articles. I've found one which mentions the school examination results of someone who was likely my ancestor or at least a relative of said ancestor. It's in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats gazette in 1878 and the examination results listed are for children attending 'Blair's Charity School'. The heading of that column of the newspaper is Galston, so I assume the school was in or close to Galston.

A quick google search gives me nothing, not one iota of information.

A search of the newspaper archive for Blair's Charity School does throw up a couple of other results, one of which is an article of the school board meeting for the area. In this article they refer to students that have gone to other schools and Blair's Charity School is refered to as 'Blair's' (Charity) School. This indicated to me an air of contempt about the place, putting Blair's in quotes - does this mean it doesn't really belong to Blair? and the word Charity in brackets...

Anyway, I thought I'd check in here and see if anyone else has come across reference to this school or has any information about it.

Thank you in advance for any input you can offer.

[loobylooayr]

Hi,

There was a Blair's School in Polwarth Street, Galston. 
According to the script below a photograph of one of Galston's other schools in the book Pictorial History of Galston by James Mair, there was a free school for poor children called Blair's School opened in 1841 under the terms of Charles Blair's bequest.
Although I live fairly local , I don't know the background to this school or who Charles Blair was, unfortunately.
Looby

[Ceryswyn]

Hi Looby, thanks for the info.

Your post just struck a memory in me! I was over there last year (my mum's family still live in Ayrshire so I visit a fair bit) and I suddenly recall seeing a school in town. I just pulled it up on google maps and sure enough it's right there on the street just up from the river and the mill shop. I can just make out the words at the top of the building that says School and I'm fairly sure it says Blair in front of it!

Google tells me it's 11 Polwarth Street.

[loobylooayr]

Further to my last post -
Charles Blair owned a lint mill in the town called Kilknowe Mill.

I must take a look at the buildings in Polwarth Street next time I'm in Galston ! I drive past fairly often but I've never noticed the name Blair on one of the buildings....then again, I've never really looked

Looby