Scottish Naval and Military Academy


The Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh was a school opened on 8 November 1825 and closed in 1869. It catered mostly to young gentlemen intending a career with the Army, Navy or, especially, the forces of the East India Company.
In 1829 the Academy moved into the three-storey building on Lothian Road opposite Castle Terrace, which it shared with the Royal Riding Academy.
A noted master at the Academy was James R. Ballantyne, later head master of the Sanskrit College in Benares, who from 1832 to 1845 taught "Persian, Hindoostanee and Arabic" from classical texts.
Another lecturer was William Swan, who taught mathematics and physics, and conducted some notable experiments at the Academy.
Other subjects taught were: Military Engineering: Fortifications, Military Drawing and Surveying; Drawing: Landscape and Perspective; Higher Mathematics; Navigation; Chemistry; Military Antiquities; Latin and Greek; Elementary Arithmetic and Book Keeping, Algebra and Geometry; Geography; Natural Philosophy and Navigation; History; Elocution; French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; Fencing, Gymnastics and Military Exercises with the Firelock and Broadsword.

Some notable alumni