A number of books have been published on the history of Belfast Royal Academy, available to purchase from the school. As promised, in each edition of the Alumni Newsletter we will include some school history, excerpted from these books. If there is a theme or an era you would be particularly interested in reading about, please do tell us!
The history of the Headmasters of Belfast Royal Academy read as a history of the school itself; each making a unique contribution that shaped the Academy that we know today. Below is a very brief ‘snapshot’ of each of them; further information can be read in school history books.
Rev. Dr James Crombie, DD, 5 years (1785–1790) Dr Crombie was the founder of Belfast Academy, as it was then known. The son of a stonemason from Perth, he graduated from St Andrews and was licensed by the Strathbolgie Presbytery but Crombie found that study and teaching was more attractive than pastoral care. He moved to Belfast in 1770 and spent the rest of his life here. His contribution is commemorated today in the name of the 1885 building, which houses History, I.T., the Library and Administrative & Management functions of the School. Rev. Dr William Bruce, DD, 32 years (1790–1822) Considered the most illustrious Principal of Belfast Royal Academy, Bruce was a Dubliner by birth, a graduate of Trinity College (a rather unusual distinction for a Presbyterian minister) and a founder of the Linen Hall Library. His contribution is commemorated today in the name of the 1970 building, which houses Sciences, Geography, Religious Education and the Cafeteria. Rev. James Gray, DD, 4 years (1822–1826) Born in 1770 and largely self-educated, he was the Latin master in Dumfries Academy in 1791, when Robert Burns settled in the town. He educated Burns’ children and soon came to know the poet well. After a period teaching in the High School Edinburgh, Gray successfully applied for the position of Principal of the Academy. Rev. Reuben John Bryce, MA, LLD, 54 years (1826–1880) (pictured left) A native of Scotland and son of a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Bryce joined the Academy as Master of Mathematics and Mercantile Subjects and Teacher of Oriental Languages. Dr. Bryce attempted to construct a ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2016
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