Edinburgh Tales #2: Maggie Dickson
One of my favourite corners in Edinburgh is Grassmarket Square. Not only is it exceptionally pretty, full of gorgeous, old, stone buildings and with a perfect view of the castle, but there are also many nice pubs, bars and cool little shops in the area too! If you ever find yourself with a free afternoon in Edinburgh, I seriously recommend exploring around here and whiling away some time in one of the many cute cafes!
While I was in Edinburgh recently, I discovered that in the 18th century Grassmarket Square was the site of all the public hangings that took place in the city. These events were extremely popular; apartments that looked onto the square, which are still there today, were highly expensive and much sought after, and if you were lucky enough to own one, you could rent out your front windows to visitors seeking the best view of the hanging! It seems quite strange to think of this dark part of Edinburgh's history when you are there nowadays, in this place that seems so vibrant and lively, the real heart of the city! In fact, in the exact spot in the square where the gallows were located, there are now outdoor tables and chairs full of people laughing and enjoying their beers!
I learned of one particular story concerning the public hanging that really stuck out to me, though, and I wanted to retell it in a blog post as part of this little 'Edibnurgh Tales' series. The story is about the unique and somewhat unbelievable life of one Maggie Dickson. Maggie lived in Edinburgh at the beginning of the 18th century, and was by all accounts and purposes, an extremely normal girl - there was nothing particularly special about her. She worked hard in the city and got married, after which, as was quite normal for women at that time, she gave up a lot of her independence.
However, one day, her husband left her and Maggie found herself totally alone - she had no friends, no work, no money. Because of this, she was forced to recreate her life; she found work at a local inn, served in pubs around the city and became a total girl boss! She also fell in love with the innkeeper's son and, after some time, found herself pregnant with his child. This was bad news for her - she knew that if it was discovered that she was pregnant she would lose her job and be charged with having an extra-marital affair. And so, Maggie hid her pregnancy for as long as possible while she desperately tried to find relatives who would take her child for her, but since her failed marriage and unconventional feminist lifestyle, no family relatives wanted anything to do with her.
Finally, left with no other options and in total desperation, Maggie decided she would have to kill her own baby. One night, she took the baby to the bank of the River Tweed with the intent to drown it, but at the last minute she couldn't bring herself to go through with it. Instead, she just left the baby by the river and it was found dead a few days later.
It was eventually discovered that the baby had belonged to Maggie and she was charged to be hanged, NOT for murdering a baby, but for concealing a pregnancy! The day for Maggie's execution arrived and she was publicly hanged as normal in Grassmarket Square. Afterwards, her body was placed into a coffin and was being taken to the cemetery, as was the normal order of events, when the driver suddenly started to hear some banging noises coming from the back of the cart. He pulled off the road and saw that Maggie's coffin was moving, so he opened it up to find her alive!! She was immediately taken back to Grassmarket Square, where she was about to be hanged for a second time when it was stopped, just in time. The law claimed that, technically, Maggie's punishment had been followed through - she had been hanged and therefore served the court's ruling and now, in the eyes of the law, she didn't exist and should be free to go!
After all of this drama, Maggie found her feet again in Edinburgh; she became known as 'Half Hangit' Maggie', and opened up her own pub in Grassmarket Square, called Maggie Dickson's Pub, which is still there today!! It is said that she used to open the windows of her pub every time a hanging was taking place, and would shout out to the convicts, 'Ah, it's not that bad, what are ye complanin' abou'!'.
