Petition push to rename city school

A petition to rename James Gillespie’s High School due to the founder’s links with the slave trade has gained more than 600 signatures.

James Gillespie was a wealthy tobacco merchant in 18th-century Edinburgh who used a quarter of his wealth to build a school for underprivileged children in Marchmont.

Calls have been made to rename the school due to concern surrounding Gillespie’s racist views and beliefs, hundreds of years after the school first opened its doors in 1803.

The tobacco merchant made his for tune from Vir - ginia tobacco – a product of the slave trade. The petition states this makes Gillespie a “direct contributor and benefactor of the slave trade”. It wrote: “For those who don’t know, James Gillespie became one of the richest men in Edinburgh by selling Virginia tobacco and snuff, products of slave labour.

“This makes him a direct contributor and benefactor of the slave trade. It is possible that Gillespie may have owned slaves himself.”

The school said :“We acknowledge the connections to the Nor th Virginia slave - owning tobacco plantations… we are updating our curriculum to take account of this history and the Black Lives Matter movement.”

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson said :“We are aware of the petition and all our schools are committed to addressing racism and inequality in all its forms.”