January 4th 1560

Perth Grammar School

St Ann's Lane, the vennel leading to the old school

At the time of the Reformation, the Grammar schools of Scotland were concerned chiefly with the teaching of language - hence 'grammar' - religion and disputation. Disputation was bound up with both grammar and rhetoric. Children were required to put up motions or propositions which were argued over or disputed. All the disputation took place in Latin. At this time the Grammar school in Perth enjoyed a high reputation for the quality of its teaching.

“In those days the gramar schoole of Perth was famous, many noble and gentle men sent their eldest sonnes to be educate there, and many of them were tabled with Mr. John Row, to be helped by him in their education. As they spake nothing in the schoole and fields but Latine, so nothing was spoken in his house but French. The portion of scripture read befor and after meales, if it was in the Old Testament wes read in Hebrew (for he wes the first man that brought the knowledge of the Hebrew tongue to Scotland and tought some of his children to read it when they were foure or fyve years of age), Greeke, Latine, French and English; if it wes in the New Testament it wes read in Greeke, Latine, French and English.”