Robert Fergusson was born of Aberdeenshire parents in Cap-and-Feather Close, in Edinburgh’s Old Town, on September 5th, 1750. The street has since disappeared, having been demolished during Fergusson’s lifetime to make way for the North Bridge.
After primary education in Edinburgh, Fergusson entered the city’s High School in 1758, attaining a bursary to attend the Grammar School in Dundee in 1762. Two years later, he enrolled in St. Andrews University. As a student, Fergusson became infamous for his pranks, having once come close to expulsion. Despite this riotous reputation, the poet’s education stayed with him: the influence of his schooling in Latin and Greek, and of his friendship with the author of The Epigoniad (1757), Professor William Wilkie, is evident throughout his poetry. While at St. Andrews, legend has it that he began a tragedy on William Wallace, but abandoned the project when hearing of another play with the same theme.