John Rennie

EXECUTION!

A Full and Particular ACCOUNT of the Execution
of JOHN RENNIE and WILLIAM SUTHER-
LAND, who were EXECUTED at Edinburgh on
Wednesday morning, the 22d August, 1821, for
Housebreaking and Theft, with their Behaviour at
the place of Execution, &c.

THIS morning, Wednesday the 22d day of August, 1821, pur-
suant to their Sentence, these unfortunate young men, JOHN
RENNIE and WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, suffered the last pun-
ishment of the law, at the, now, ordinary place of Execution, Head
of Libberton Wynd, Edinburgh. They were tried before the High
Court of Justiciary, at Edinburgh, on Monday the 16th of July
last, for three separate acts of Housebreaking and Theft; the first,
in the house of Mrs Pattison, Leith Links—the second, in the
house of Mrs Ferrier, Portobello—and, the third, in the house of
Mrs Paterson, at Canaan, near Edinburgh. They were also charg-
ed with being habit and repute Thieves. After consulting with
their counsel, they pled Guilty of the second charge, and not Guil-
ty of the other two, or of the habit and repute. After Lord Gil-
lies, the presiding Judge, observed that no advantage could result to
them from this plea, on account of the Lord Advocate having pre-
viously stated, that whatever plea they meant to put in, he felt it
his duty to say, that, on account of the aggravated nature of their
case, he could not, in the proper discharge of his duty, restrict the
libel to an arbitrary punishment, the prisoners then retracted their
plea, and pled Guilty of the whole charges. They retracted again,
and pled not Guilty ; but, after the examination of an accomplice,
who clearly established their guilt in the robbery of Mrs Ferrir's
house at Portobello, Rennie pled Guilty of all the charges, and
Sutherland Guilty of the second and third. After being severall
addressed by Mr Maitland, for the prisoners, the Lord Advocate, and
Lord Gillies, the Jury unanimously found them Guilty, in terms of
their own confession. They were then sentenced to be Executed
at Edinburgh, on Wednesday morning the 22d of August, after an
earnest and solemn advice from Lord Gillies to prepare for the fate
which awaited them, as their case could not be recommended by
the Court to the seat of mercy for an alteration of the Sentence.

As no hopes of a commutation of the sentence, it is said, was
entertained, owing perhaps to the aggravated nature of their crimes,
as noticed by Lord Gillies when pronouncing the awful sentence,
the unfortunate young lads appeared perfectly resigned to their fate,
and very penitent, from the moment they were condemned. They
accordingly paid unremitting attention to the instructions and ad-
monitions communicated to them every day by the Chaplain of the
Jail, as well as by the other Clergymen of the City, and private
friends, some of whom regularly attended them since their condem-
nation, for which they appeared always grateful; and behaved with
great propriety during the whole of their confinement.

Accordingly, on Tuesday at 8 o'clock in the evening, they were
conveyed in a Coach from the Jail, on the Calton-hill, to the Lock-
up-house, Libberton Wynd, attended by Captain Sibbald and seve-
ral police-officers, where their irons were knocked off, and where
they spent the remainder of that night in taking farewell of several
friends and acquaintances, and in making every necessary prepara-
tion for the awful morrow morning. Two clergymen sat up with
them to a late hour, when they went to rest, and slept for a few
hours. They rose early in the morning, and were again waited on
by the Clergymen, with whom they conversed for a little time, and
one of whom, after a Psalm was sung, prayed with them very fer-
vently. A little past eight o'clock, the two Magistrates officiating
were announced, when their hands were severally pinioned, and
they were conducted up the Wynd to the Scaffold, each attended by
a Clergymen, with the Magistrates, preceded by the town-officers,
and guarded by a strong detachment of police-officers.

They appeared on the scaffold, decently dressed, at half-past
eight o'clock, where two verses of a psalm was sung, in which they
both joined, after which the Reverend Mr Henry Grey prayed for
therm most fervently for a short time.    They then spoke a little,
and shook hands with several round them; after which they mount-
ed the fatal drop, and after praying for a short time, they shook
hands with one another, when the caps were drawn over their
faces, upon which, in a minute or two, one of them dropt the sig-
nal, and they were instantly launched into eternity, amidst a great
number of Spectators, a few minutes before nine o'clock.

                      PRICE ONE PENNY

Commentary

This public notice begins: 'A Full and Particular ACCOUNT of the Execution of JOHN RENNIE and WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, who were EXECUTED at Edinburgh on Wednesday morning, the 23rd August, 1821, for Housebreaking and Theft'. This sheet would have sold for a penny.

The judicial system at this time placed more gravity on property crime than anything else. As a result these two thieves were not viewed lightly by the law. This certainly is made clear in the report as the 'aggravated' nature of their offences is stressed. In this case the two men had completed three robberies in a row and there were witnesses to clear any ambiguities. They were then hanged in Libberton Wynd, which was the place where most executions took place.

Reports recounting dark and salacious deeds were popular with the public, and, like today's sensationalist tabloids, sold in large numbers. Crimes could generate sequences of sheets covering descriptive accounts, court proceedings, last words, lamentations and executions as they occurred. As competition was fierce, immediacy was paramount, and these occasions provided an opportunity for printers and patterers to maximise sales.