Theft of College Mace, 1787 - Revision history

Pbarnaby at 13:55, 19 February 2015

2015-02-19T13:55:39Z

Pbarnaby at 16:33, 19 August 2014

2014-08-19T16:33:55Z

Pbarnaby at 16:32, 19 August 2014

2014-08-19T16:32:42Z

Pbarnaby at 16:32, 19 August 2014

2014-08-19T16:32:09Z

Pbarnaby at 14:52, 29 July 2014

2014-07-29T14:52:26Z

Pbarnaby at 14:51, 29 July 2014

2014-07-29T14:51:43Z

Pbarnaby: Created page with "In 1787 the ceremonial mace of Edinburgh University was stolen, never to be recovered, by an unidentified thief. After his trial and execution, suspicion fell on the notorious..."

2014-07-29T14:46:42Z

Created page with "In 1787 the ceremonial mace of Edinburgh University was stolen, never to be recovered, by an unidentified thief. After his trial and execution, suspicion fell on the notorious..."

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In 1787 the ceremonial mace of Edinburgh University was stolen, never to be recovered, by an unidentified thief. After his trial and execution, suspicion fell on the notorious criminal William 'Deacon' Brodie.

The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. On the night of 29-30 October 1787, the door of the University Library was broken open, and the mace stolen from the press in which it was usually kept. The Magistrates of Edinburgh offered a reward of ten guineas for any information on the crime but to no avail. On 2 October 1789, the Town Council of Edinburgh presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.

The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 So reads the inset entered between the [[Senatus minutes|College minutes]] for 11th September and 3rd December 1787. The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. Despite the generous award money, the Mace was never recovered and the thief never apprehended.
-The University would appear to have been without a mace for almost two years. On 2 October 1789, [[William Creech (1745-1815)]], the Edinburgh bookseller and member of the Town Council, presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace. It was decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King [[James VI and I|James VI]], founder of Edinburgh University, and with the arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
+The University would appear to have been without a mace for almost two years. On 2 October 1789, [[William Creech (1745-1815)]], the Edinburgh bookseller and member of the [[Town Council]], presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace. It was decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King [[James VI and I|James VI]], founder of Edinburgh University, and with the arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
 The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for [[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)|Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 So reads the inset entered between the [[Senatus minutes|College minutes]] for 11th September and 3rd December 1787. The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. Despite the generous award money, the Mace was never recovered and the thief never apprehended.
-The University would appear to have been without a mace for almost two years. On 2 October 1789, [[William Creech (1745-1815)]], the Edinburgh bookseller and member of the [[Town Council]], presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace. It was decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
+The University would appear to have been without a mace for almost two years. On 2 October 1789, [[William Creech (1745-1815)]], the Edinburgh bookseller and member of the Town Council, presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace. It was decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King [[James VI and I|James VI]], founder of Edinburgh University, and with the arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
 The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for [[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)|Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 So reads the inset entered between the [[Senatus minutes|College minutes]] for 11th September and 3rd December 1787. The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. Despite the generous award money, the Mace was never recovered and the thief never apprehended.
- the Town Council of Edinburgh presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
+The University would appear to have been without a mace for almost two years. On 2 October 1789, [[William Creech (1745-1815)]], the Edinburgh bookseller and member of the [[Town Council]], presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace. It was decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
 The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for [[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)|Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-In 1787 the ceremonial mace of Edinburgh University was stolen, never to be recovered, by an unidentified thief. After his trial and execution, suspicion fell on the notorious criminal William 'Deacon' Brodie.
+<blockquote>''On the night betwixt the 29th/30th October 1787 the door of the Library was broken open by thieves and the University Mace was stolen from the press where it was usually deposited. The Magistrates offered a reward of ten Guineas for the discovery of the Delinquents''</blockquote>
-The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. On the night of 29-30 October 1787, the door of the University Library was broken open, and the mace stolen from the press in which it was usually kept. The Magistrates of Edinburgh offered a reward of ten guineas for any information on the crime but to no avail. On 2 October 1789, the Town Council of Edinburgh presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.
+So reads the inset entered between the [[Senatus minutes|College minutes]] for 11th September and 3rd December 1787. The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. Despite the generous award money, the Mace was never recovered and the thief never apprehended.
 The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for [[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)|Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:52, 29 July 2014
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	The new mace was donated just in time to be used in the ceremony to mark the [[Laying of Foundation Stone of Old College, 1789\|laying of the foundation stone]] of [[Old College]] in 1789.		The new mace was donated just in time to be used in the ceremony to mark the [[Laying of Foundation Stone of Old College, 1789\|laying of the foundation stone]] of [[Old College]] in 1789.
		+	== Sources ==
		+
		+	*[[Andrew Dalzel]], ''History of the University of Edinburgh from its Foundation'', 2 vols (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1862)
		+	*[[Charles Pringle Finlayson (1911-1985)\|C. P. Finlayson]] and S. M. Simpson, 'The History of the Library 1710-1837', in ''Edinburgh University Library 1580-1980: A Collection of Historical Essays'', ed. Jean R. Guild and Alexander Law (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Library, 1982), pp. 55-66.
		+	*[[Sir Alexander Grant]], ''The Story of the University of Edinburgh during its First Three Hundred Years'', 2 vols (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1884)

	[[Category:Events\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]][[Category:Incomplete\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]]		[[Category:Events\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]][[Category:Incomplete\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:51, 29 July 2014
Line 3:		Line 3:
	The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. On the night of 29-30 October 1787, the door of the University Library was broken open, and the mace stolen from the press in which it was usually kept. The Magistrates of Edinburgh offered a reward of ten guineas for any information on the crime but to no avail. On 2 October 1789, the Town Council of Edinburgh presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.		The origins of the College Mace are unknown but it is certain that one existed by 1640, when it was carried before [[Alexander Henderson (c1583–1646)]] as [[Rector]] of the University. On the night of 29-30 October 1787, the door of the University Library was broken open, and the mace stolen from the press in which it was usually kept. The Magistrates of Edinburgh offered a reward of ten guineas for any information on the crime but to no avail. On 2 October 1789, the Town Council of Edinburgh presented the [[Senatus Academicus]] with a new silver mace decorated with the Royal Ensigns of King James VI, founder of Edinburgh University, and with arms of the City and University of Edinburgh.

−	The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.	+	The Town Council's readiness to replace the mace was doubtless due to the fact that one of their own body was suspected of stealing it. [[William Brodie (1741-1788)]], was a respectable cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and town councillor, who lived a secret nocturnal existence as a burglar. His double life was the inspiration for [[Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)\|Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. Brodie was tried and sentenced to death on 29 August 1788 for robbing the Excise Office. After his death, many realized that he had been in an ideal position to steal the mace. As one of the Patrons of Edinburgh University, he knew precisely where the mace was kept. It was widely thought that the Town Council sought to hush the matter up by presenting a new mace as quickly as possible.
		+
		+	The new mace was donated just in time to be used in the ceremony to mark the [[Laying of Foundation Stone of Old College, 1789\|laying of the foundation stone]] of [[Old College]] in 1789.
		+
		+	[[Category:Events\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]][[Category:Incomplete\|Theft of College Mace, 1787]]