Newbattle Abbey College, Scotland's only adult residential college, was founded in the 1930s by Philip Kerr, 11th Marquis of Lothian. This paper traces the debates concerning the college and the rationale for adult residential education until the 1950s, focusing on the difficulties that Newbattle faced in establishing itself as a central part of adult education provision. It explores the ideals that Newbattle was held to represent by its supporters, and the variety of languages (spiritual, humanist, socialist and communitarian) used to defend and advocate the project. It also discusses the arguments posed by those who opposed Newbattle, and relates these to perceptions of the lack of necessity for adult education in the postwar social scene, and to the apparent lack of interest in Scotland in non-vocational education. It concludes by indicating that the survival of Newbattle demonstrates the existence of persistent if fragile support for the ideals it espoused. (Contains 120 footnotes.)