About Us

The Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh has been part of Edinburgh’s story since at least 1260. It received its Royal Charter in 1681.

In its early years, the Company focused on practical concerns such as the city water supply and expressed regret that the growing number of trading premises turning into brandy shops or “tippling places”. As time went on, the reputation of the Company meant that many benefactors saw it as a reliable way to administer their estates. As a result, charitable trusts were left to the Company to manage.

Careful investment helped us to grow. For many years, the Master also served as Chairman of the Trustees of the Harbours of Peterhead and Chairman of the Managers of the Feuars of Peterhead, showing how wide the Company’s responsibilities became.

Alongside this growth came a stronger focus on people, particularly the young, the poor and the elderly. In 1694, Mary Erskine donated more than 10,000 merks to support “the maintenance of burgess female children”. Her gift created the Mary Erskine School. Further legacies led to the founding of George Watson’s College in 1741, Daniel Stewart’s College in 1855 and James Gillespie’s High School, which transferred to the Edinburgh School Board in 1908.

Over the years the Company’s work has centred more and more on education and charitable activity. Today it continues to support Edinburgh’s communities with the same sense of purpose that has guided it for centuries.