THE TOLBOOTH OF BRECHIN 1537-1789
This print, from an original woodcut made in the 1830s, shows The Tolbooth in the foreground, looking up towards Church Street with the Mechanics Institute in the background
The former Town House and Guild Hall of Brechin stands at the corner of Church Street and the frontage of this well known and historical building overlooks the area where The Market Cross once stood. Here was the centre of the City and the area where many historical events, entertainments, social gatherings etc. took place. Proclamations regarding the laws and business were read out. Parades were held when the local Territorial Company of the Angus Regiment, the Royal Highland Regiment, "The Black Watch" paraded before marching off to various wars. For many of those young volunteers it was the last time they would ever see their friends and march through familiar streets behind their Regimental Pipe Band to Brechin Railway Station to board the waiting trains. Brechiners marched along beside them, cheering them all the way. Those who came back after fighting in many countries abroad were also cheered by the citizens, and their was much sadness for the men who now lay in a foreign land, never to see their beloved Brechin again.
Many other events took place around the area of "The Cross and Tolbooth" . Hogmanay and New Year celebrations have taken place there since time immemorial. Before the advent of television, the area around The Cross and all the High Street from top to bottom was crowded with revellers, many of whom had been celebrating a bit to early, and were waiting for the Town Hall bell to strike twelve times indicating the passing of the Old Year and the beginning of the New. With the Brechin Brass Band in attendance all the favourite tunes were played to the large crowd of hundreds of people, who later would disperse to visit the homes of friends and carry on the celebrations all throughout the morning of the first day of the New Year. Nowadays there are not so many revellers due to home entertainment such as TV etc.
Many other activities occurred around The Market Cross and in front of our beloved former Town and Guild Hall. There was the annual Market Fair Days when the visiting showmen and traders with their amusement stalls would be lined up the side of the roads all the way down Market Street and High Street with the buskers and showmen calling out to attract the crowds to visit their amusements or buy their wares. Brechin had many visitors in years gone bye. German bands, organ grinders from Italy such as Tony Maroney, Professor of Music visiting from Italy with his hand operated barrel organ and performing monkey. Tony is listed in the local census in the 1800's as "Antonio Maroni" Professor Of Music from Italy.
Tuesday of every week was Market Day and farmers and other country folks would display and sell their produce around the area of the Market Cross and Old Town Hall. Farther down the street on the slopes of the grassy bank behind Bishops Close was the Butter Market, where butter, eggs, poultry and other produce such as cheese etc. was layed out for townsfolk to buy. A stone building still still stands an the top of the "brae". This was built hundreds of years ago to provide shalter for the vendors and their produce.
However we must return to the story of our famous Tolbooth. The word Tolbooth or Towbood is given as meaning a town prison or jail consisting of a Town Hall having prison cells at its lower level (ISBN 0-08-028491-4). I was lucky to come upon documents recording an early history of Brechin's Tolbooth or Towbood. The Old Town Hall standing on the corner of Church Street and High Street today was built in 1789, and in my possession are records showing that the original Tolbooth was recorded from 1537, and possibly built long before that, was repaired in 1697 at a cost of one hundred Merks (Scots) and in the year 1788 the building was completely demolished. The Hall now standing in its place was erected in 1799. The Town Council passed an act declaring that the new large hall in the building "shall in all time coming, be termed the Guildhall of Brechin". The Brechin Guildry Incorporation gave £50 towards the cost. A bell tower was built above the clock which was furnished by Mr. John Drummond a well known watch and clock maker in Brechin. The jail was repaired in 1836 and finally closed in 1840 and prisoners were ferried to the new jail at Southesk Street. This building still stands today and has been converted into a modern dwelling house. It is situated on the high ground next to the Brechin Branch of The British Legion. It also served for a period of years after the prison closed, certainly until the 1960's, as a Model Lodging House, the Supervisor then being Mr. Sherret. This building, along with others, was used to accomodate overnight travellers and others from the Old Model Lodging House in City road. It was long past time for new accomodation for the unfortunates incarcarated there. One of Brechin's historic buildings it has now been modernised and made into a beautiful home. A large part of the original building can still be seen.
The New Guild Hall and Town House was completed in 1789 and contained a Court Room below. Later it became a Salvation Army Citadel. Registered under the name of General William Booth and later his son Bramwell Booth, both of whom also paid rental for a house in Church street. A nice Town Hall was situated above the Court Room below. The hall above was used for many functions such as social gatherings, musical evenings, entertainers gave performances and Salvation Army Officers gave lectures. Many oil and water colour framed pictures hung on the walls of the hall. Some even by Colvin Smith R.S.A., the famous colourist who studied in Italy and who had his Brechin home at "Pearsemount" in Pearse Street. Pearsmount is a lovely house built in a style similar to homes of artists in Italy, with windows to admit plenty of light. He painted many of the famous people of his time including Sir Walter Scott, who sat for three different portraits of himself, also Lord Panmure and others of the nobility. My favourite by Colvin Smith is the painting of Peter Grant, better known as "Auld Dhubrach" which hangs along with others by our famous local artist in The National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
The old Jacobite who fought for "Bonnie Prince Charlie" at Prestonpans and was taken prisoner at Culloden Moor after the Jacobite defeat there in 1746, later escaping from imprisonment in Carslisle Castle and making his way home to his native Braemar. He hid in a lonely cottage a t Westside in Glen Lethnot, where the ruins of his lonely cottage can still be seen. Being found by two gentlemen touring the Glen on horse back when he was aged 105 years, Lord Panmure was told of the old Jacobite and brought him to Brechin where his portrait was painted by the famous artist Colvin Smith. Lord Panmure was instrumental in Peter Grant being granted a pension of 50 guineas annualy by his Majesty and declared to be "The King's Oldest Enemy". Auld Dhubrach returned to his native Braemar and died ther aged 110 years. He is buried in Braemar Cemetry at the Castle. The pension was passed on to his daughter Annie who lived in Glen Lethnot. Fifty guineas annualy was a huge sum, the average annual wage being only a few pounds. Colvin Smith is buried in his native Brechin Cathedral Cemetery alongside members of his family. The grave is marked by a large Granite obelisk.
Many different categories of prisoners were held in the old Tolbooth in Brechin. People accused of witchcraft; theives, murderers, at least two having been hanged in Forfar, and many others including Hanoverian and later Jacobite soldiers, even Napoleonic troops and sailors from a Sloop captured at Montrose during the Napoleonic Wars. Punishment by the lash is even recorded as having been administered to young boys, a doctor having to be in attendance if more than 40 lashes was to be suffered by any individual.
The most interesting stories in my case are those of the offenders who were transported to the Penal Colonies in Botany Bay; Van Diemen's Land, and Norfolk Island, in and around the Australian Continent. People from Brechin who were taken on convict transport ships, a distance of 16,500miles from their native City of Brechin, after having been sentenced by their peers for what nowadays would be judged mostly as trivial offences, and chained together in the holds to sometimes over one hundred other offenders.
I found the transcription of one Brechin man over two years ago and have been in contact with his Australian relatives, many of whom have visited Brechin recently. During the past year I have collected documents relating to another four Brechiner's who also were transported after having been imprisoned in our famous (or infamous) prison situated on High Street. The documents are hand written and describe the capture, the period in Brechin's jail, before and after trial at the various Circuit Courts, mainly at Aberdeen and the larger Cities. Most Australians seem pleased to find a convict as being part of their ancestrol history.
Some months ago, I was contacted by a family in Australia who were descended from a family in Brechin, one of whom had been a prisoner in Brechin Tolbooth during the early part of the 19th century. After much research, I found the actual documents of Isobel Soutar who, after having broken the law in Brechin, was taken to a Circuit Court for trial by her "Peers". She was taken back to Brechin Jail and served altogether eleven months imprisonment there before being shipped out to the Convict Prison of Parramatta nearby to Botany Bay, for a period of nine years. Suffice to say just now, that she never came back from that hell hole, but it's proud I am to be equal with my friends in Australia in having a convict ancestor.