The club took on its present form following the merger of Stewart's College FP and Melville College FP in 1973 when the club became known as Stewart's Melville FP RFC.
As the name suggests, many of the players in the club's history were former pupils of the Stewart's Melville College (formed in a merger of Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College) in Edinburgh. This remains the case today, although the club is now 'open' and welcomes players who did not attend the school.
The 1st XV were coached by Grant MacKenzie, a P.E. teacher who worked at the school, and who died in 2008.
In June 2014 the club resolved at an AGM to shorten the name to Stewart's Melville RFC.[1]
The club currently run two XVs on a regular basis. The 1st and 2nd XVs both play in competitive leagues with the 2nd XV currently playing in East Region Reserve League Division 1.
