SIGNATORIES TO THE EDINBURGH PETITION – APRIL 1830
Against the punishment of death for ForgeryA 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punishment was repealed in 1832 except for forgery of wills and powers of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.