Mary Erskine (1629–1708) was a Scottish businesswoman and philanthropist, who donated money to set up the girls' school which is now known as The Mary Erskine School.
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Mary Erskine lived on a close off the High Street in Edinburgh, to the east of St Giles Cathedral, and close to the Cowgate, then a fashionable suburb. Little is known of her early life, but in 1661 she married Robert Kennedie, a writer. He died in 1671 leaving her with considerable debts, although she managed to pay these off through careful management. On 23 September 1675, Mary Erskine married her second husband, James Hair, in North Leith.[1] James Hair was a chemist, and owned a chemist's shop on the High Street. He was considerably younger than Mary Erskine, but he too died in 1683. By the contract of marriage, Mary Erskine inherited most of what belonged to her husband. It seems that this was not a large sum of money, but she used the money to set up a private bank, and built up a considerable fortune.
In 1694, Mary Erskine, now known as Mrs Hair, donated 10,000 merks to the Merchant Company of Edinburgh for the maintenance of daughter's of burgesses in the city of Edinburgh.[2] The money was used to establish the Merchant Maiden Hospital, a girls' school, on the Cowgate. In 1706 Mrs Hair gave a further donation with which to buy a house and garden outside the city wall at Bristo. In 1707 she donated a further 4,000 merks to the Hospital,[3] retaining the right to appoint two members of the Erskine family as governors.[4] The Merchant Maiden Hospital was renamed and relocated several times, but in 1944 it was named the Mary Eskine School in honour of its founding benefactor. The school is now located in the Ravelston area of Edinburgh.