| Edinburgh Town Guide |
| Deacon William Brodie is one of Edinburgh's most colourful, and most famous, characters. |
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Born in the 18th century, Brodie was a respected Edinburgh citizen by day, even becoming a town councillor. However, at night this was far from the case - Brodie was also a prolific burglar. He was eventually arrested and was executed in 1788 - ironically on a set of gallows that he himself had designed. Unrepentant to the last, Brodie's Will contained the facetious remark "I recommend to all rouges, thieves and gamblers to take care of theirs by leaving all wicked practices and becoming good members of society". Edinburgh has a long reputation of being a town of contrasts and Brodie is regarded by many as the embodiment of this. It is also sometimes claimed that he was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous novel - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. |
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Despite his dubious reputation, there is now a small close off the Lawnmarket stretch of the Royal Mile named after him - Brodie's Close - where the burglar is alleged to have lived. |
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