George Heriot

George Heriot was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist, remembered as founder of George Heriot's School and moneylender whose nickname “Jinglin’ Geordie” was based on the quantity of coins which he carried in his purse.

George was trained in the family business as a goldsmith and he set up business in Edinburgh. His business flourished and by 1588 he was elected to the town council and the Edinburgh Incorporation of Goldsmiths. Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James VI of Scotland was his regular customer, and he became the royal goldsmith in 1601 and moved with the court to London. Through his activities as a goldsmith and as a moneylender to the royal family and the court George amassed a considerable wealth. Heriot's financial involvement with the court grew stronger over the years – he was involved in a plan to replace the circulating currency of Scotland and by 1603 he held the right to farm the customs. In his will he left the funds to establish the magnificent George Heriot’s School for the education of the “puir, faitherless bairns” of Edinburgh. His statue, which bears a Latin inscirption "This statue shows my body, this building shows my soul" stands on the entrance of the school.