Scottish Myths and Legends

by Rodger Moffet

  Still the pair became even more daring - their next victim, young 'Daft Jamie' was a well known local character, and his mother reported his disappearance. His unveiling on the dissecting table was shouts of recognition from students, Knox denied that this was the same boy and realising that the blood was on his hands too in more ways than one set about dissecting the poor boy's face first to ensure no-one would recognise him.

  The killing spree of Burke & Hare came to an end on Halloween night in 1828.

  Earlier Burke & Hare had argued, Burke had accused Hare and his partner of selling bodies behind his back and Burke and his mistress, Helen MacDougall had set up their own lodging house. On Halloween, Burke befriended a fellow Irish woman Mary Docherty in a local shop, claiming that they were related since his mother was also a Docherty he invited her back to his own lodging house. But Burke had a problem; James & Ann Grey were already tenants in their tiny establishment and Burke knew that murder can be noisy work! Burke paid for the Grays to spend the night at Hares equally infamous home.

  The deed was done but next morning Ann Gray returned to collect some items and became suspicious of Burke's behavior. That evening the investigated the house and found Mary's body hidden under a bed in a spare room. The confronted Helen MacDougall who lost her nerve and offered a ten pound bribe to the Grays. The refused and fled to report the murder to the police but by that time Burke had already been tipped off and by the time the police arrived Mary's corpse was already in the possession of Doctor Knox. An anonymous tip-off led police to Surgeon's Square where James Grey identified the body. It would have appeared that Burke & Hare's fate was sealed.

  And yet after months of questioning the courts could not make a strong case against Burke, Hare or their womenfolk. Finally Sir William Rae the Lord Advocate made an offer to Hare, turn King's evidence against Burke and receive immunity from prosecution. The old saying of 'no honour among thieves' was ever more true and Hare willingly confessed all to the police implicating Burke and Helen in all the grizzly murders.

  Burke's trial began on Christmas Eve 1828, It was a short trial and he was soon convicted and sentenced to death. Helen's case was not proven and she was released and fled the country to avoid lynching.

  On the 28th of January 1829 a huge crowd gathered at Edinburgh's Lawnmarket to witness Burke's 'last drop'. His body was put on public display and was so popular that almost 60 people a minute files past his remains. Then as a supreme irony Burke's body took the same path as so many of his victims to the very same dissecting table, students took pieces of his skin and used it to bind a small book which can be still found along with Burke's skeleton and death mask in the Surgeon's Hall Edinburgh.

  Hare was released the following month but there was a public outcry and he fled Scotland. A rumor has it that his identity was discovered and a mob threw him into a pit of lime and blinded him and that he ended his days as a blind beggar in Carlisle. As for Knox the affair had damaged his reputation and although acquitted of any wrongdoing he found himself out of favour in Edinburgh and took up a position at a cancer hospital in London where he died in 1862.

  So what of the 17 dolls found years later just a short distance from the scene of their victims dissection. Some discount the connection to Burke & Hare and claim they were connected to some form of witchcraft practice. but the number, 17 is intriguing. some suggest that the tiny coffins were buried as some form of atonement for the sins of the evil pair maybe by one of their partners or maybe even by Hare himself as a way of maybe giving a final rest to the troubled souls he had robbed of life! Fortunately you can make your own mind up - if you come to Edinburgh go to the Royal Museum of Scotland on Chamber's Street. On the fourth floor you can see the dolls on display.

  Jenny Geddes

  By Rodger Moffet

  Throughout history there are incidents that at the time may seem small or even insignificant, the action of a few individuals who would normally be considered mere spectators in the pageant of history. Some obvious incidents come to mind; The Boston Tea Party or the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand both give rise to a 'butterfly effect' theory of world events.

  Edinburgh's very own 'madam butterfly' has become a legend in Scotland's history... the infamous Jenny Geddes.

  Jenny Geddes (c. 1600 – c. 1660) was a fruit and veg seller who kept a stall outside the Tron Kirk. Not a person that you would imagine as a significant historical character, but on 23rd July 1637 Jenny Geddes was a catalyst that started one of the most infamous riots in Edinburgh's history.

  Firstly some background:

  The origins of the incident date back to the accession to the throne of King Charles I in 1625. Charles was not a popular monarch north of the border; in particular the rites used in his coronation angered the more puritan post reformation church in Scotland. The Anglican form of worship was very close to Roman Catholicism and it was seen by many as an attempt by King Charles to bring back Catholicism through the back door. His new archbishop of Canterbury William Laud was also very unpopular in Scotland, but undaunted by the rise of feeling against his reforms Charles and his archbishop assembled a commission whose remit was to produce a prayer book suitable for Scotland that would bring it much more into line with the Church of England. In 1637 a new Book of Common Prayer was printed in Edinburgh, and it was to be first used in St Giles' Cathedral on Sunday 23 July 1637.

  The stage was set - enter Jenny Geddes.

  There had been some unrest up to the date of the service so it is arguable that many came into St Giles that day ready for a fight. Ms Geddes took her place, not on one of the pews but among the womenfolk who were required to bring their own stools into the cathedral and use one of the aisles. A very nervous James Hannay, Dean of Edinburgh began to read from the new prescribed service to the sound of unruly murmurings from the congregation.

  Jenny geddes sat fuming on her "fald stool" or a "creepie-stool" meaning a folding stool. Finally she had heard enough and stood up and cried; "Deil colic the wame o' ye, fause thief; daur ye say Mass in my lug?" meaning "Devil cause you severe pain and flatulent distension of your abdomen, false thief: dare you say the Mass in my ear?" And at that she hurled her stool straight at the Dean's head. This sparked a full scale riot in the church. one congregation member who had been heard uttering a response to the liturgy was thumped with bibles. The Dean took cover and the Provost summoned his men to put down the disturbance. The rioters were soon ejected from St Giles and the Bishop of Edinburgh appealed for calm. However this was not going to end quietly, The Presbyterians of 17th Century Scotland would have made the al-Qaida look moderate! Abuse reigned in from the street outside, windows were smashed and the doors looked to be broken down.

  The riots continued on that day throughout Edinburgh, The City chambers were laid siege to with the provost now sheltering inside. Eventually they negotiated a 'truce' of sorts. At the suggestion of the Lord Advocate a committee was appointed known as the Tables to negotiate with the Privy Council. Their suggestion of a withdrawal of the offending liturgy was not surprisingly thrown out by King Charles.

  This led to even more unrest including the signing of the National Covenant in February 1638. Later that year the bishops and archbishops were formally expelled from the Church of Scotland, which was then established on a full Presbyterian basis. Charles responded in his trademark arrogant manner by instigating the Bishops' Wars which ultimately led to the English Civil War and the execution of Charles and his Archbishop.

  In St Giles Cathedral a monument stands to this unlikely heroine. A bronze 3 legged stool (not the folding stool as described in many accounts) stands to commemorate that day a market trader pawn took the head of a king.

  As an aside to the story, around 1787, Robert Burns named his mare after Jenny Geddes in tribute.

  Greyfriars Bobby

  By Rodger Moffet

  Even since the first wild dog came sniffing around a stone age camp fire looking for scraps our relationship with these animals
has been a close one. Many stories exist of this bond between man and dog and Scotland has its fair share. However the most famous by far was Bobby - the Skye Terrier.

  Bobby first appeared in Edinburgh around the 1850s at the side of John Gray; a shepherd who came to the capital, trading his crook for a truncheon he joined the police force, preferring to herd criminals than sheep! Edinburgh in this time, especially the old town where Gray and his faithful dog patrolled was no place for the feint hearted. The scandal of Burke & Hare were still fresh in the mind and many other notorious criminals stalked the squalid streets of 'Auld Reekie'

  Gray found lodging in the Cowgate a narrow cavernous street that runs under the impressive 'Bridges'. The street was given this name as it led down towards the pasture land past the Eastern city walls. As the city had grown this once magnificent walkway had been almost buried by the architecture that sprang up on either side. This was certainly not one of the better parts of the city and any man (and dog) had to be capable of looking after themselves to live there.

  The area from the Cowgate westward to the Grassmarket nearby was a popular market with sheep and cattle driven down from the highlands for trade - rustling was common and John Gray and Bobby patrolled this area at night keeping the peace. When his watch ended Gray frequented a small eating house at nearby Greyfriars Place where both were given good hospitality. For many years the two were regular customers. John became known to all as 'Old Jock' and Bobby became a firm favorite of all the children that played around these streets.

  However there was one villain lurking in these streets that 'Jock' could not defeat - the poor housing in the old town harboured a number of diseases and John Gray eventually succumbed to Tuberculosis. He was invalided out of the force and died in his lodging house in 1858.

  Grey's funeral was attended by a guard of honour from the police force and Bobby marched with the procession up Candlemaker Row to the kirkyard at Greyfriars. Bobby would almost certainly not have been permitted to follow the procession into the kirkyard as dogs would not have been allowed, however at night when he was let out from the lodging house that he had now been adopted in he made straight for Greyfriars - scrambled under the gates and found the grave of his master.

  He was discovered the next morning and evicted from the grounds but almost as soon as he was out he found another way back in and resumed his place with determination. this ritual was performed many times before the church elders finally gave up and permitted Bobby to maintain his vigil. He was still a regular at the eating house in Greyfriars place, owned by Mr Traill.

  As time passed Bobby's fame spread - visitors to the churchyard would always have a scrap of food for the 'wee doggie' and the patrolling 'bobbies' would nearly always make a detour through the cemetery to pay respects to John and Bobby. Only when the worst of the winter weather gripped the city did Bobby give up his graveside location.

  Visitors (any many locals) in Edinburgh have no doubt jumped at the stroke of one o'clock when the one o'clock gun is fired from Edinburgh castle. This long running tradition was used as a time signal, particularly useful for ships in the nearly port of Leith but the signal was also used by Bobby as 'dinner time'. He was frequently joined by William Dow, A cabinet maker who worked at George Heriots School on the other side of the kirkyard. Soon Bobby got used to looking out for his friend and would be waiting for him at the gates when the gun was fired.

  So this relationship continued until someone less charitable pointed out to the authorities that Bobby had no license and since no owner could be traced the poor dog was 'arrested'. The mean spirited act caused an outrage. The dog's own free nature meant that it seemed attached to no-one but his dead master so no matter how hard they tried no on person could satisfactorily claim ownership. Students at the University began collecting towards a license for the dog and William Chambers, Lord Provost of Edinburgh presented Bobby with his own engraved collar with the license attached. Bobby belonged to everyone and had the freedom of the city.

  Bobby never gave up his vigil and he finally died in 1872 at Mr Traill's home in Kier Street just to the west of Greyfriars. There is a rumor that he was secretly buried in a quiet corner Greyfriars kirkyard. A stone was later erected near the entrance with this inscription:

  Greyfriars Bobby

  Died 14th January 1872

  Aged 16 Years

  Let his Loyalty and Devotion

  Be a Lesson to us all

  Erected by the Dog Aid Society

  of Scotland and Unveiled by H/RH

  The Duke of Gloucestor G.C.V.O.

  on 13th May 1981

  Just across from the entrance to Greyfriars there is a more famous monument - the statue of little Bobby himself. He has become one of most lasting icons of Edinburgh and his likeness is as well known as all the famous dignitaries whose monuments pepper the streets of Scotland's capital.

  Johnny Armstrong and The Missing Heir

  By Tom Moss

  The Armstrong Clan has been without a chief for over 450 years, the story behind this is one laced with intrigue, murder, piracy and even hidden treasure. The stuff movies are made from.

  The story is set around Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie and the Border Reivers in the 16th Century. Johnnie Armstrong was the last Chief of Clan Armstrong. He was popular and powerful, as well as one of the most feared clan chiefs in the Scottish Borders.

  The Armstrongs played an active and powerful role within The Border Reivers, a band of raiders along the Scottish-English border from the late 1400s to the beginning of the 1600s. the band consisted of a collection of border clan families from both sides of the borders. The hayday of the border Reivers was during the time of the infamous Johnny Armstrong. James V was on the throne, the Armstrongs held a very uneasy relationship with the Scottish Monarchy to say the least. This culminated in an incident which sent the Armstrong family into hiding, well those that were left after the army of James V wiped out nearly the entire Clan.

  Johnny Armstrong had a great number of followers, this in itself would have threatened James V, Armstrong had also amassed great wealth and with wealth comes power. The source of his wealth has caused great speculation, he had disappeared for a number of years returning with many riches, enough to commission his brother to build Langholm Castle. Some say his wealth came from Reiving others say his fortune came from piracy, taken from the Spanish. Johnny was also believed to have been running a protection racket, or what was called back then 'black rent'. He would threaten townships so they would pay protection money to him guaranteeing their safety against The Reivers. There is no evidence where his money came from - but it was well known that Johnnie Armstrong lived the life of a rich, positively flaunting his wealth, this again would have enraged James V.

  Armstrong's power and influence was considered an embarrassment to the Scottish monarchy, the very angst riddled 17 year old King James V became obsessed with this. James V was known throughout the land for his short temper. The Scottish king had already been under some pressure to put an end to the raids that were encroaching south-of-the-border by his English counterpart Henry VIII because they were threatening the peace between the two countries.

  The day came when Johnny Armstrong receives a Royal notice from James V inviting him to meet with the royal hunting party at Carlinrigg Chapel. Johnnie rode north from Gilnockie Tower with his men to Carlinrigg dressed in their fine clothes which was to show their wealth and status, believing they would be well received by the king, they were all unarmed. But as they rode over through the valley of Mosspaul they were ambushed of the King's army. The Army were said to have been 10,000 men strong, Johnny Armstrong and his men were imprisoned.

  It became clear to Johnnie Armstrong that the king had no intention of holding talks, and knowing that his life was in danger he attempted to bribe the king, and even make reassurances that he never killed a fellow Scotsman. But these promises of wealth did nothing for the king and he ordered the execution of Armstrong and all of his m
en.

  In a final act of defiance it is claimed that Armstrong said directly to James these words,

  "I am but a fool to seek grace at a graceless face, but had I known you would have taken me this day, I would have lived in the Borders despite King Harry (Henry VIII) and you both."

  Johnnie Armstrong and his men (figures range between 24, 36, and 50+) were all taken out and hanged from the trees, and then buried in a mass, unmarked grave. It is believed that Armstrong only attended such a meeting with the King because he had given assurance that he and his men would be safe. In the king's official statement he said the reason for the hanging was because Johnnie Armstrong attended their meeting better dressed than himself which was a public display of disrespect for his King.

  History states that one of Johnny Armstrong's sons managed to escape being captured at Mosspaul and fled to England where he settled under a different name. It was not uncommon for some of the border reivers to flee and change there names by either adopting something completely different such as Blackburn or Walker, but they have even been known to have simply just spelt their name backwards to avoid detection. So a blood line of the last Chief of the Armstrong's exists.