The Maiden: Edinburgh’s First Lady of Executions
The story of The Maiden The Maiden, a guillotine-like device introduced to Edinburgh in the 16th century, remains a grim symbol of Scotland’s history of public punishment. This precursor to the French guillotine was used extensively to execute criminals and political dissidents, cementing its place in the city’s famously bloody heritage. The Maiden was introduced […]
Alexander Monteith: Beginnings of Anatomy in Edinburgh, 1694
Alexander Monteith: his petition for a ‘gift of bodies’ On 24 October 1694 Alexander Monteith petitioned Edinburgh Town Council for ‘a gift of the bodies of those who die in the Correction House, and foundlings who die upon the breast, and to be allowed a convenient place for such, and the use of the College kirkyard […]