George Heriot was a goldsmith who became rich selling jewelry to Queen Anne of Denmark. He was also her banker. At the turn of the 17th century, he served a similar capacity for James VI, the King of Scotland. When he died without legitimate heirs in 1624, the bulk of his estate funded the formation of Heriot’s Hospital for the city’s orphans. Four years later, the first wing of this school was built but seized by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers. The school finally opened in 1659. This stunning Renaissance architecture evolved over the next 250 years. Today it is a co-educational, primary and secondary school.
