“MacFARLANE, Misses. They were listed as teachers in the 1824 Aberdeen Directory at Retties Court, 26 Broad Street.”

The above entry was found in Aberdeen Female Teachers pre-1872: a biographical list by Alison T. McCall,  published by the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society and winner of their Bruce Henderson Award for 2012.

Can anyone provide any further information on these women?

Education was not made compulsory until the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 but there were a variety of schools in existence before then.  These schools were either run by the local church, a charity, the Town Council or privately.  The smaller ones were run from home and had less than a dozen students whilst the larger ones could have as many as several hundred pupils.  Some schools were for a single sex, others were mixed (generally for younger students) and others were divided into separate departments for boys and girls.  These early female teachers varied in age, marital status and family background, but they all faced the same stigma as “new women” who forged a career at a time when society expected them to focus on finding a husband.  As there were no special colleges to train teachers until 1873, these women showed great determination in travelling away from home for two years to attend College, often as far away as Edinburgh.

The author of the book, Alison T. McCall, urges those researching the women in their family to check the publication list of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society  for other relevant books.