The Last Public Execution in Stirling - Craig Mair Thursday 29 October 18.45 for Chat - Meet @ 19.00

The Last Public Execution in Stirling - Craig Mair Thursday 29 October 18.45 for Chat - Meet @ 19.00

THE LAST PERSON TO BE HUNG IN STIRLING

Thursday evening’s meeting, occurring shortly before Hallowe’en, was perhaps an appropriate occasion for a somewhat macabre subject.  President-Nominee Craig Mair, a well-known historian in the local area, recounted the story of eighty-four year old farmer Allan Mair (no relative of Craig!) who, on the 4th October 1843, was the last person to be publicly executed at Stirling’s Mercat Cross,.

From contemporary evidence, Craig reported that Mair had little to recommend him: he was well-known for being foul-mouthed, bullying and cantankerous.  He was particularly harsh in his treatment of his common-law wife, Mary Fletcher, whom he frequently assaulted.   In 1842, when Mair was 83, he and his 84 year-old wife were evicted. Following their subsequent move to Candie End, near Muiravonside, his violence to Mary came to a head.  Neighbours, hearing particularly savage blows, called the police. The evidence was clear: Mary had been viciously attacked and was seriously injured.  Although he claimed that it was the work of a neighbour, Mair was arrested and brought to Falkirk to be charged with assault. In the interim, however, Mary died from her injuries, and Mair was brought to the county prison at the Tolbooth in Stirling. His case was heard by Lord Moncrieff who, despite Mair’s ill-founded pleas of innocence, found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to be hanged.

It was at this point that the story took a particularly gruesome turn.  On the morning of his execution on a scaffold outside the courthouse, Mair was brought out but because he was too frail he was seated on a chair. Out of compassion, perhaps, the hangman tied Mair’s arms only loosely.  Still attached to the chair, he was dropped.  But the rope failed to break his neck, and he was seen with his arms flailing.  In desperation, the hangman jumped off the scaffold and hung on Mair’s legs until he was dead.  

But that was not the end of Craig’s tale: stories emerged of unusual occurrences in the Tolbooth: there were stories of a small, thin old man appearing, particularly on a Wednesday – the day of Mair’s execution.  Many years later, during a renovation of the Tolbooth, a coffin containing Mair’s body was found under a slab.  It was when he was removed to the nearby graveyard that these unusual events stopped.

On behalf of members, Rotarian Hugh McCrea expressed thanks to Craig for a fascinating and entertaining presentation.

Rotarian Ivor Butchard then told members of the success of a project to raise awareness of the Rotary End Polio Now project .  With the co-operation of Stirling Council, Dunblane Cathedral was floodlit with a purple light, the colour used to mark the little finger of each child that has been vaccinated against polio.

In August, Rotary and the world celebrated a significant milestone, as the World Health Organization certified the Africa region, which includes 47 countries, free from polio.

This leaves just Pakistan and Afghanistan as the two remaining polio endemic countries in the world. But despite this momentous progress, more challenging work lies ahead to eradicate the disease for good.

Globally, more than 2.5 billion children have been protected against the disease reducing the number of cases by 99.9%.  Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts and thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation every £1 we raise is matched 2-to-1 so is worth £3.