The Fornessey Girls are survivors of Fornessey Boarding School, owned by Glasgow City Authority and its successor, Strathclyde District Council, despite being located miles away from busy, industrial and congested Glasgow. It is located in quiet and secluded Angus Glen, on the edge of Scotland's majestic highlands. From 1961 to 1991, Protestant girls from Glasgow attended Fornessey for short periods, rarely for more than six weeks. The abuse they suffered there changed many of them forever. Even today, some girls suffer the horrific effects of what they endured. A few months ago, one of the Fornessey Girls
Motherwell Health and Wellness HubShe slowly went through the series of photos. After looking at each one, she quietly said, “No.” The photos were collected by a research team to uncover the true nature of the abuse that occurred in Fornessee. Many of the Fornessee girls reported being taken to “parties.” The men who were at these parties – the men who abused them – were well-off and well-dressed. The girls were often taken from Fornessee to other houses for the parties. But they never went far. From their recollections of the houses and travel times, and descriptions of the men who were present, a list of suspects was compiled. It was these men's photos that this Fornessee girl was examining. As she flipped through the next photo, her reaction was an uncontrollable physical flinch, a moment of uncontrollable fear and disgust. She immediately broke down into tears. It was not tears. The reaction was beyond tears. She said nothing. There was no need to say anything. Her reaction was more intense than words. Fornessee Girl did not know who the man was. She didn't know his name, and she knew nothing about him except the fear his image instilled in her: the man in the photo was a former member of parliament.
Sir Nicholas FairbairnSix of the 15 Fornessey Girls who examined the photographs that day selected Nicholas Fairbairn as the man they recognised from their stays in Angus, visits which spanned almost a decade in the 1970s.
Who is Nicholas Fairbairn?
He was born on 24 December 1933 in Edinburgh to Mary Ann More Gordon and William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn. Fairbairn was a psychoanalyst. Object of Relationship tHiory Nicholas studied psychoanalysis at Scotland's oldest private school.Loretto School He studied law at Musselburgh and then went on to the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with an LL.M. and LLB. Fairbairn joined the Bar in July 1957. He married well. Those who remember Fairbairn from his days in frontline politics will probably recall his outlandish attire. This element of showmanship was evident on his wedding day. Edinburgh Evening News On Monday, October 1, 1962, he reported:
A nostalgic atmosphere of the past wafted through Edinburgh with the wedding of lawyer Nicholas Fairbairn to Elizabeth Mary Mackay, eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Leigh of Langley House, Galashiels, at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. The groom wore a Regency-style outfit for the ceremony, while the valets and flower girls wore 16th-century costumes.
