In April 1736, Andrew Wilson and George Robertson were confined in the notorious Tolbooth prison in Edinburgh,

 In April 1736, Andrew Wilson and George Robertson were confined in the notorious Tolbooth prison in Edinburgh, awaiting their execution, after having been convicted of robbing a tax collector. Public sentiment favored the men, who were said to have been taking back a tax that they contended was taken from them unfairly. Shortly before the scheduled time of execution, when the jailers opened the doors to the cell, Wilson charged and blocked them, while Robertson dashed away and escaped into the sympathetic crowd. 

Wilson was hanged on April 14 before a large crowd of angry onlookers, moved not only by their sympathy for Wilson’s crime, but also by his self-sacrificial conduct in helping his friend escape. As Wilson’s body was being cut down, some in crowd began throwing stones at the executioner. The situation soon escalated.

The Captain of the Edinburgh City Guard was John Porteous, whose overbearing mannerisms were said to have made him unpopular in the city. As the disturbance grew, Porteous called up his Guard. When the crowd refused to disburse, Porteous ordered the Guard to fire a warning shot over their heads. Unfortunately, some of the shots hit onlookers watching from windows in buildings overlooking the area, further inciting the now-violent mob. To quell the riot, Porteous then ordered a volley fired into the crowd, killing at least six people.

Later that day Porteous was arrested and charged with murder. At his trial in June, with a crowd of angry citizens surrounding the courthouse, many witnesses testified that Porteous had personally fired into the crowd. Many others testified that he did not. The jury quickly found him guilty of murder and he was sentenced to death.

In London, authorities expressed concern that Porteous had not received a fair trial. Under pressure to commute the sentence, Prime Minister Robert Walpole ordered that Porteous’ hanging be delayed, pending further investigation.

When news of the postponement reached Edinburgh, it soon transformed into a rumor that Porteous had been pardoned. An angry mob stormed the prison and dragged Porteous out into the street, where he was beaten and hanged.

The British government offered a £200 reward for those responsible (a very large sum at the time), but no one ever came forward to identify them, and no one was ever prosecuted for the lynching.

Porteous was buried in an unmarked grave in the Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. In 1973 a marker was finally placed on the grave.

John Porteous was lynched in Edinburgh Scotland on September 7, 1736, two hundred eighty-seven years ago today.

The image is John Drummond’s 1855 painting “The Porteous Mob.”