In the early 19th century robbery in Linlithgow was a serious crime.
So serious in fact that three men were hanged in the burgh for robbery during that time – Ralph Woodness in 1819, and Alexander McDonald and his accomplice Charles Jamieson in 1770.
Once caught and sentenced such criminals would be kept in ‘the thief’s hole’, also known as the debtor’s prison, which can still be seen today on the west side of the Burgh Halls.
A suspected thief would be forced up a ladder to the open heavy door. Once they reached the entrance they would be pushed, falling 3.5 meters (or 12 feet). There was little light and no direct source of heat in the cell. Inhabitants would swelter in the summer and freeze in the winter. The prisoners would have grappled for food with rats that infested their cell.
It’s no wonder then that a gang of robbers called the Flew gang were desperate to escape.
They managed to do so on the 1st of November 1814, but unfortunately left one member behind. John Grant, ‘Brosie’ as he was known to the gang.
Although the prisoner’s hole had been blocked up in 1812, the cells were still used to imprison those awaiting trial.
On the 20th of November Grant made a bold escape. As soon as he did so the alarm was raised. With men now in pursuit of him from the Burgh Halls and the town on foot and on horseback, he ran in the only open direction possible – to the Loch. He ran up the Kirkgate, round Linlithgow Palace and down towards the Loch, where he plunged into the water. Having swam half way across he glanced across to the north side of the Loch. Men on horseback awaited his capture. Knowing that his luck had run out, Grant slipped beneath the surface of the water. Never to be seen again. After a thorough search of the Loch, his body was never found.
The mystery remains, did he escape or did he drown?
For more information and other fascinating stories, join us for a guided walk around Linlithgow. We meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Saturday at 10.30. Booking essential. Buy tickets here.
