College:  A Historical Summary

The College was founded on the 29th November 1599 with the grant of a charter from James VI to Peter Lowe, Surgeon, Robert Hamilton, Physician and William Spang, Apothecary. The charter empowered them, their heirs and successors to establish a body to examine all professing the art of surgery in Glasgow and South West Scotland. Uniquely for the time, the charter, as well as creating a body which surgeons could join, also allowed physicians to be members. This collaboration which now includes dentists, remains unique in Britain today.

The first meeting of the nascent College was held on June 3rd 1603 in Glasgow at Blackfriars Kirk. By the end of the 17th century, the Faculty had obtained its first building, the Trongate in Glasgow. In 1791 it moved premises to St Enoch’s Square and then finally in 1862 acquired the magnificent historical building at 242 St Vincent Street, where it is located today.

In 1910, the Faculty was granted the honorific “Royal” becoming the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. With the goodwill of Glasgow University, and other individuals active in postgraduate medical education, the Faculty established itself as a postgraduate institution, setting standards in postgraduate medical and dental education, and practice.

The Royal Faculty became the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1962.

Today, the College is a multidisciplinary body made up of some 9,500 Fellows and Members which includes professionals throughout the world from medicine, surgery, dentistry and travel medicine. As a charity the College is a centre of activity for health, opening its doors to the wider community. This is achieved through a variety of public engagements, working with local communities to promote health, and by giving the public access to its historic and archival treasures as one of Glasgow’s historic sites.

To find out more about the history of the College, the history of Medicine in Scotland or to arrange a tour of the building and its collections go to Library and Archives Inquiries.