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HALF HANGIT MAGGIE - MARGARET DICKSON EXECUTED 1724.

Particulars of the Life, Trial, Character, and Behaviour of MARGARET DICKSON, AGED 22, Who was executed at Edinburgh, on September 2nd, 1724, For the MURDER of her Bastard Child.

No records confirm that MARGARET DICKSON was born at Musselburgh. However, I (Alison J Butler), did find records that a Margaret Dickson and James Dickson (her brother) were born in Temple (not far from Musselburgh) during the late 1690's/early 1700's. These birth records are yet to be confirmed.

One fact not in doubt is that Maggie Dickson grew up in Musselburgh, and was brought up by parents in a strict attendance on the worship of God. Some documents record her parents as gardeners, other documents record them as fisher folk.

It is necessary to observe, that the people in the town, where she lived, were either fishermen, gardeners, or those who are employed in making salt; and as Edinburgh was supplied with those articles from that place, most of the mens wives were employed to get their living, by carrying the different articles to Edinburgh to hawk on the streets.

When Margaret Dickson grew up, she was married to a fisherman, Patrick Spence - they had two children, Anna and Patrick Spence (they took Patrick's name not Maggie's - sometimes children took the mother's name in Scotland at that time.) Maggie was a flirtatious character, and was often gossiped about by other womenfolk. They claimed Maggie was often pregnant while her husband was at sea. Around 1722/173 her husband was rumoured to have been either pressganged aboard a man of war ship, or sick of the gossip concerning his spirited wife, left her for the fisheries in Newcastle.

After leaving her children with a neighbor, Maggie decided to search for her husband, and arranged to visit an Aunt in Newcastle. She never got that far ! Maggie to break up her journey, stayed for a while at an inn at Maxwellheugh, Kelso near the Scottish Borders. Here, she worked for an inkeeper in return for basic lodgings.

Soon after she started an affair with the Innkeeper’s son (William Bell), which led to her becoming pregnant, not wanting the innkeeper (Adam Bell) to discover this as it would surely lead to her instant dismissal, she concealed her pregnancy as long as possible. However the baby was born prematurely and died within a few days of being born on the 2nd December, 1723. Still hiding the baby's existence, on the 9th of December, 1723 she planned to put the baby into the River Tweed, but couldn't bring herself to and finally left it on the riverbank.

The same day the baby was discovered and traced to Maggie. She was charged under the contravention of the 1690 Concealment of Pregnancy Act and she was taken back to Edinburgh for Trial and execution – the latter taking place in public in the Grasssmarket on the 2nd September 1724.

During the trial - a surgeon gave evidence that he examined the body of the child, made the usual experiments, by putting the lungs into water, but according to the opinion of some eminent physicians, that experiment is not always to be depended upon, it is impossible for men to know every thing; and it often happens, that gentlemen, who have made the law their study, and obtained seats on the bench, are obliged, in taking evidence, to abide by the opinion of a surgeon. Indeed, where cases are plain, such as a wound with a weapon, that must of course prove mortal, no doubt can remain ; but then, when the life of a person depends upon the opinion of two or three surgeons concerning a disputed point, we think that both the court and the jury ought to lean to mercy. In the course of the evidence produced against Margaret Dickson, it appeared from the depositions of several witnesses, that she had been apparently pregnant, although she continued to deny it. It also appeared, that a child was found dead near the place where she lived, and there were to be seen about her all the appearances of a delivery.

While Maggie languished in Edinburgh tollbooth - she was extremely penitent, and acknowledged that she had in many instances, neglected her duty, and likewise that she had been guilty of fornication ; but to the last denied murdering the child, or that she had the least intention of so doing. Her reason for concealing the birth of the child was for fear of being made a public example in the church, and a laughing-stock to all her neighbours. She said she was suddenly taken in labour, sooner than she expected, and her agonies not only prevented her from getting assistance, but also left her in a state of insensibility, so that what became of her child she could not say.

When she was brought to the gallows she behaved in the most penitent manner, but still denied her guilt, after which she was turned off, and hung the usual time.

John Dalgliesh, the hangman did not tie Maggie's hands properly, this resulted in her hands working their way under the noose. The hangman hit her with a stick to hasten her death, and pulled down on her legs to snuff out her last breath. She hanged for the customary one hour before being cut down.

Once cut down her body was given to relatives and friends, but immediately after this, a scuffle broke out between her mourners and apprentice surgeons hell bent on acquiring her corpse for dissection. One shudders to think how she may have awoken on Munro's dissection table ! Once safe in her coffin, Maggie was carried to Musselburgh, for interment; but the men who had charge of the corpse stopped at a village, called Peffer Mill, about two miles from Edinburgh, in order to get some refreshment (rumoured to be the SHEEP HEID), leaving the cart with the body near the door. While the mourners were drinking, a couple of joiners saw the lid of the coffin move, and going towards the cart, heard scratching, A decision was soon made to open the coffin, and once the lid was removed Maggie arose upright in her coffin; upon which the mourners and others took to their heels, almost killed with fear. Peter Purdie, a blood letter, who was drinking in the house went up to the coffin, and had the presence of mind to open a vein, and within an hour afterwards she was so well recovered as to be return to Mussleburgh to the home of her brother, James.

It is necessary to observe that much of the Scottish law is built on Roman Pandects, and according to them every person upon whom the judgment of the court has been executed, has no more to suffer, but must be for ever discharged. Another maxim in the same institution is, that the executed person is dead law, so that the marriage is dissolved. This was the case with M. Dickson, for the King's advocate could not pursue her any further, but filed a bill in the High Court of Justicary against the Sheriff, for not seeing the judgment executed, and her husband being a good-natured man, was married to her a few days after. She still continued to deny that she had committed the crime.

Amazingly, Maggie Dickson gave birth to a son, James Spence - just ten months after she was hanged. She became something of a celebrity after her botched hanging. So much so, that she ended up moving to Berwick with Patrick and her children, to run an ale house. It is said that she was living as late as 1753.

Alison J Butler