Edinburgh Petition 1830

SIGNATORIES TO THE EDINBURGH PETITION – APRIL 1830

Against the punishment of death for Forgery

A total of 697 persons signed the petition presented to the House of Commons by Sir James Mackintosh.   According to The Morning Herald, May 14, 1830 all the bankers in Edinburgh signed the document together with merchants, magistrates, private gentlemen and members of the universities and learned professions.   The Edinburgh Petition is just one of many appeals submitted to parliament, others being presented from Southampton, Reading and Plymouth.  However the Edinburgh Petition against the perpetuation of capital punishment for forgery was considered exemplary as many signatories were declined in an attempt to add “weight” or validity to the appeal.

A contemporary facsimile copy of the Edinburgh Petition may be of interest to the family historian, it contains the earliest signatories to the document and those that are legible have been transcribed below:
 

Signatories:

Andrew Thomson, L.D. Min. of St George’s

Thomas Chambers

Edward Craig, St James Episcopal Chapel

Archibald Alison, L.L.B. Senior Minister of St. Paul’s Episcopal Chapel

James Russell, M.D.

Peter Ramsey ?, Banker, Edinburgh

William Bonar, Banker, Edinburgh

John Bonar?, Banker, Edinburgh

James Inglis, Banker

Ed. Cruickshank

H. Cochrane, Advocate, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh

? Jeffrey, Advocate

Geo. Combe, Write to the Signet North.d Street, Edinburgh

Alex Cruickshank, 57 George Street

Robert Kaye Grenville, L.L.D., 1 Wharton Place

Robert Gordon, D.D. Minister of the New North Parish, Edinburgh

James Peddle, D.D. Minister

John Bonar jnr. Banker

George Small, J.P. Mansfield Place

John Moberley, Banker

Robert Jameson, Professor of Natural History, Edinburgh

J. F. Gordon, Heriot Row

A. Coventry, M.D. Professor of Agriculture

John Brown, Minister, Broughton Place Chapel

John Thomson, M.D. Late Professor

John May? Banker

George Forbes, Banker

Andrew Duncan, M.A.

Robert Paul, Banker

John Gardiner Kinnear, Banker

Henry Westmacott

John Abercrombie, M. D., York Place

J. Wishart, Surgeon to the King

Alex Blaire, 57 Melville Street

William Thomson, Surgeon

Walter Brown, Merchant

John MacGregor, Banker

Thos. Allan, Banker

John M Cay? University

John Toll?

? Neale

J. Alison, Professor Institute of Medicine

J.C. Gregory, M.D.

John ? Westmacott, 8 West Launston Lane

Wm. Ainsworth, M.R.C.S.E etc. Committee

Hewett Watson, University of Edinburgh

Henry D Erskine

The death sentence was extremely unpopular with society except for cases of violence, highlighted by this extract from Hansard, 1832, “From the Inhabitants of Kingston-upon-Thames; …. they regarded the enactments which went to inflict the punishment of Death, in cases of attack upon private property, unaccompanied by personal violence, as repugnant to humanity, injurious to the interests of society, and contrary to the principles of our religion; that the severity of the sentence, far from affording security to property, tended to increase the commission of the offence.”

Capital punishment was repealed in 1832 except for forgery of wills and powers of attorney for the transference of government stock.