273 people were publicly
hanged in
A further 207 were sentenced to death but reprieved or respited.
At
least 39 men and 3 women received the death sentence for murder between 1869
and 1899.
Of these 16 men and 1 woman were subsequently hanged.
The High Court of Justiciary sat in
It would also take difficult cases from other areas.
The King & Privy Council had to approve Scottish
death sentences so there tended to be a greater time
between sentence and execution or reprieve than in
The crimes for which these people were hanged break down as follows.
|
Murder |
125 |
|
Housebreaking |
55 |
|
Robbery |
30 |
|
Highway robbery |
13 |
|
Stouthrief |
9 |
|
Forgery |
8 |
|
Theft |
8 |
|
Horse theft |
7 |
|
Uttering |
5 |
|
Rape |
4 |
|
Treason |
3 |
|
Hamesucken |
3 |
|
Sheep stealing |
2 |
|
Arson |
1 |
|
Total |
273 |
Stouthrief is a form robbery
taking place in a dwelling house.
Hamesucken is “the seeking and invasion of a person in his dwelling house”.
Neither crime appears in English law.
1800
Tried by
the High Court of Justiciary,
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 12 March |
|
Murder of Anne Wilson |
|
Tried at
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 11th June |
Peter Greig |
Housebreaking |
|
Tried by the
High Court of Justiciary,
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 3rd September |
Samuel Bell |
Utter forged notes |
|
The High Court of Justiciary
tried Richard Broxup on the 29th of December and he
was hanged in February 1801.
Peter Anderson & Lauchlan Love were
tried on the 30th of December, and both were reprieved.
1801
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 11th February |
Richard Broxup |
Theft |
|
High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh. John M’Neil & Michael M’Neil tried on the 19th of March for uttering forgery and
both reprieved (
Jedburgh, tried 3rd of April.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Tuesday 12th May |
Robert Robison |
Horse theft |
Jedburgh |
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Friday 12th June |
John Watt (West) |
Housebreaking & theft |
|
High Court of Justiciary, tried 20 July
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 26th August |
George Walker |
Horse theft |
|
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Friday 11th December |
John Young |
Murder of James Davidson |
|
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Not known if executed |
John Malloch |
Housebreaking & theft |
|
1802
High Court of Justiciary, tried on the 4th of January
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 10th February |
Andrew Lawrie |
Stole from letter |
|
High Court of Justiciary, tried on the 1st of March
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 7th April |
George Lindsay |
Murder of John Allan |
|
High Court of Justiciary tried on the 8th of November
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 15th December |
Robert Brown & James Clarke |
Mail robbery |
|
1803
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 8th June |
William Cunningham |
Theft |
|
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Friday 4th November |
William Crighton |
Sheep theft |
|
High Court of Justiciary, tried on the 28th November John Cowie. Hanged 1804.
1804
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 19th January |
John Cowie |
Murder of wife |
|
Inverary, tried on the 17th of September.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 31st October |
Duncan M’Arthur |
Murder of wife |
|
1805 (Parliamentary Papers {PP} state that 3 out of 5 death sentences were carried out)
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 5th June |
David Scott & |
Forgery |
Glasgow |
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 28th August |
James Allen |
Housebreaking & theft |
Edinburgh |
1806 (Parliamentary Papers state that 4 out of 8 death sentences were carried out)
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Saturday 21st June |
John Westwater |
Murder of John Orr |
Kinghorn |
|
Friday 11th July |
Donald M’Graw |
Murder of Euphemia Compar |
Perth |
Margaret Cunningham was convicted husband murder and her case referred to the High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh.
Tried on the 17th of July, Robert Johnston for shop breaking. Reprieved 7. 8.06
Tried on the 31st of July, Janet Hamilton & James Campbell for arson. Reprieved 9. 8.06
Tried on the 5th of November. John Thomson & John Nilson for forgery and uttering. Reprieved 29.11.06
Tried on the 20th of November. Margaret Cunningham for the murder of her husband. Hanged 1807.
Tried on the 8th of December Thomas Smith & George Stevenson for horse theft. Hanged 1807
1807 (PP - state that 5 out of 6 death sentences carried out)
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 7th January |
Margaret Cunningham |
Murder of her husband |
Edinburgh |
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 21st January |
Thomas Smith & George Stevenson |
Horse theft |
Edinburgh |
High Court of Justiciary
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 11th March |
Matthew Smith |
Murder infant girl |
|
Tried at
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 10th June |
Adam Cox |
Murder son |
|
Tried at
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |
|
Wednesday 21st October |
Maitland Smith |
Murder of Alex Williamson |
|
Inverary, tried on the 21st of September.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
Place |