Blood in the Fields and Burghs: Seventeenth Century Violence

I have always been uneasy about 17th century Scottish history.  Not one of my favourite national periods.  Part of that must come down to personal preference, but for me, the tales of Covenanters and Royalists, the civil wars which swept across Britain, and all the rest, makes me feel rather chilly.  Why?  It may be my false perception, but it seems to my way of thinking that this was the century when Scotland, for want of a better phrase, 'lost the plot' and did so big time.  Too much fundamentalism in politics and religion on all sides.  Exhaustive rounds of internecine fighting sapped the spirit and intelligence of the whole country and led to the further erosion of national identity.

   But enough of that analysis.  On the local front, beyond the periodic spasms of violence which saw Cromwellian and other forces invade the land, there has been little attention paid to individual incidents of violence which appear in the local records.  Another mis-perception of mine perhaps is the notion that the Kirk (capital K) had annihilated all opposition and infiltrated every level of life to the extent that the whole land was blanketed by a conformist control which ensured that everyone and everything remained tightly controlled.  Even if this isn't true, there is little interest in published accounts of the dark side of behaviour in Angus in this period, so what follows is a sample of crime in the 17th century.

   The first example concerns a supplication to the Privy Council in 1630 made by Patrick Lyn, son of deceased Fergus Lyn, a burgess and litster (that is, dyer), of Dundee.  During the previous January he had killed another litster named John Auchinleck in the burgh and was apprehended by the provost and magistrates and confined in the tolbooth.  But this was not simple murder.  The associates of the slain man considered that the slaughter 'wes committed be the supplicant in his awin defence, farre beside his intention and no wayes of purpose of forethought fellonie'.  Therefore they granted to him a letter of slains, renouncing all legal procedure against him for the act, on condition that within twenty days after his freedon he will depart 'furth of this kingdome and never returne againe within the same during his naturall lyffe'. If he failed to do so he would be liable to pay 20,000 merks.  But the provost and bailies of Dundee refused to ratify this agreement and refused to release Lyn within direct authorisation from Edinburgh.  The Privy Council agreed to let Patrick Lyn go; what became of him, I do not know.
 

Dundee in the 1830s

   Another tragedy, with details even more unguessable, is contained in the Privy Council records in 1627, recording an incident at Montrose.  A servant named Isobell Tod had been arraigned by the town authorities, for an act the previous July, whereby she 'most cruellie and unnaturallie murdreat and slew his awne barne procreat in fornicatioun, quhilk scho thairefter buryed in the Linkis of Tyok'.  Again, her ultimate fate eludes me and is possibly unknown to history.

Montrose

   A more substantially recorded (but still puzzling) act of violence happened at Arbroath.  On 5th July 1627:

John Hamiltoun, Chamberlane of Arbroth, come to the said William Buchane, when as he wes going doun the Hie Street of Arbroth in a peaceable maner for doing of his laughfull effaires and thair chaised the said Williame with a chairgit pistollett in his hand throw James Guthreis barn and barnyaird of purpose to have shott and slaine him with the said pistollett, wer not by the providence of God he wes withholdin and stayed be some of the nighbours of the toun.  Thairafter the said compleaner haveing gone to the shoare for lossing of some geir, the said Johne upoun knowledge thairof follwoed him to the shore with the said pistolett and thair of new presented the same unto him to have shott him thairwith, and so hardlie persewed him thairwith that he wes forced to flee aff the shoare to ane cockeboate and to goe to the sea till the said Johne went away; and the said Johne, maligning that he had mist the compleaner at that tyme, he cryed out and avowed with manie fearefull and execrable oaths that afoir he went hame to his awin hous he sould have the compleaneris lyffe altho all the Erles and Lords in Scotland would take his pairt. 

And siclyke upoun the _  day of July instant the compleaner haveing come into the dwelling hous of Johne Wallace in Arbroth whair the said Johne without his knowledge happenned to be for the tyme and the said Johne, perceaveing him comming throw the rowne whair he wes, he or even the compleaner wer aware of him or knew he wes thair, violentlie threw ane pynt stoup at him and almost feld him thairwith, thereafter pulled forth ane whingear and preassed to have stricken him thairwith wer not he wes witholdin and stayed.  And not content heerewith he thairafter come to the compleaners buith and searched and sought him thaire to have bereft him of his lyffe, swearing and avowing that he sould never ceasse, nor meate nor drinke sould never doe him good, till he had the compleaners lyffe, and he sould take him out of his awin hous aganis all that would take his pairt.  Sua that the said compleaner wes forced to come awy quyetlie in the night for meaning of himselffe to his Majesteis Counsell, and darre not as yitt returne hame for feare of his lyffe, to the great neglect and hinder of his effaires.  

   At trial, both parties were heard and it was decided that John Hamilton be fined 40 merks, find caution in 500 merks, and to pay compensation of £4 for every witness who was a horseman and 40s for every pedestrian witness, and he was naturally forbidden to go armed in public again. 


   What spurred this leven of agression is unknown- and the sustained hatred seemed to leap out of the records.  In the end, we do not know - yet again - what happened to the players in this drama of violence.

Nineteenth Century Arbroath from the book Aberbrothock Illustrated