Pringle, Francis

Francis Pringle of Homebyres (c.1665-1747) was professor of philosophy at the University of St Andrews. Son of a Border laird, he studied at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1694. He spent almost his whole career at St Leonard's College, St Andrews, arriving in 1699 and working on until his retirement in 1747. In 1702 he took charge of the first fixed professorship of Greek. He was involved in the negotiations with the Duke of Chandos over his proposal to endow a chair of eloquence when the University wished for a chair of Medicine and Anatomy. In 1735 he defended a student, James Playfair, against a sentence of extrusion when accused of insulting the teaching of certain subjects at the University in a procurator's speech. He served as quaestor for many years, resigning in 1743.

The commonplace book was originally a Renaissance idea to have a book into which favourite passages of text, sayings and quotations could be copied. Students created notebooks in their studies to compile a collections of ideas from their readings to be used in future speeches, compositions and if they were training for the ministry, sermons. These would provide a series of headings under which to organise the sermon, an aid to memory, and a store for useful passages of Scripture or commentary for future works.