The proposed family statues
John Stuart McCaig’s will described statues of himself, his five brothers, his parents and his sisters. The likenesses were to be based on photographs where available, with Scottish sculptors and younger artists involved.
Catherine McCaig and the 1907 case
McCaig’s surviving sister Catherine challenged his will. In McCaig v University of Glasgow, the Court of Session rejected the argument that workmen and artists were direct beneficiaries and set the testamentary scheme aside, leaving Catherine as heir.
A second rejected scheme
Catherine died in 1913 and left her own instructions for bronze family statues and a closed memorial enclosure. In 1915 the Court of Session again rejected the arrangement, this time on public-policy grounds connected with extravagance and waste. Other charitable provisions, including support for Gaelic and public buildings, were allowed.
What ‘folly’ means here
In architecture, a folly is an ornamental or commemorative building whose practical purpose is limited. At Oban, the term also carries the story of an unrealised personal memorial. It should not be used to suggest that the tower had no public purpose: employment, civic ornament and public views were part of the documented intention.