Lachlan's education
We haven't found out where Lachlan went to school. Clearly he was reasonably well educated somewhere, learning to speak, read and write well in English, judging from his diaries, and to use figures well enough to both maintain his own financial records and to effect several financial ... um ... well ... wait and see.
One source says his uncle Murdoch Maclaine, his mother's brother, Laird of Lochbuie after 1785, paid for his school fees, which would perhaps imply he went somewhere other than the local village school. We note that Lachlan would have been 13 or 14 when his uncle Murdoch became laird. Lachlan was about to join the British army, but it seems Murdoch may have been reasonably well off before that, and could have paid Lachlan's fees, or perhaps for tutoring on Mull.
A couple of sources rubbish the story that he was sent to the Royal High School in Edinburgh, without any stated reason, but it seems to still be within the bounds of possibility. One source suggests he could have been there for between 3 and 5 years, and that certainly seems more likely. It's conceivable he may have been tutored at his uncle's expense back on Mull either prior to or instead of the potential years at the Edinburgh school,
One source says his uncle Murdoch Maclaine, his mother's brother, Laird of Lochbuie after 1785, paid for his school fees, which would perhaps imply he went somewhere other than the local village school. We note that Lachlan would have been 13 or 14 when his uncle Murdoch became laird. Lachlan was about to join the British army, but it seems Murdoch may have been reasonably well off before that, and could have paid Lachlan's fees, or perhaps for tutoring on Mull.
A couple of sources rubbish the story that he was sent to the Royal High School in Edinburgh, without any stated reason, but it seems to still be within the bounds of possibility. One source suggests he could have been there for between 3 and 5 years, and that certainly seems more likely. It's conceivable he may have been tutored at his uncle's expense back on Mull either prior to or instead of the potential years at the Edinburgh school,