Location
Broken Fiddle Café, Straight Path, Banff
Banff, Banffshire
OS Map Reference
NJ 689 639
Date
1985
Description
1980's mural depicting the hanging of freebooter James McPherson, at Banff Plainstones 1700. The mural depicts many local faces, councillors, business people as well as Scottish celebrities of the 1980s. A self portrait of the artist is also included, on horseback, assisting with the hanging. Legend has it that the clock in Banff was put forward one hour on the morning of the execution, an act which denied the freebooter a last minute reprieve from the Earl of Fife. According to many versions of the song "MacPhersons rant" he broke his fiddle before being hanged to prevent it being played by another.
Related Information
James McPherson and James Gordon were, on 7 November 1700, "found guilty, by ane verdict of ane Assise, to be Egyptians (Gypsies) and vagabonds....... keeping the Mercats in an hostile manner, and......are thieves and receptors of thieves...and......are of pessima fama."
McPherson suffered from a vendetta against him by Lord Braco, who himself is reputed to have been unduly acquisitive and lacking in integrity (hence the clock trick). The best known version of McPherson's rant is perhaps in the form given it by Robert Burns.
Era
1900s
Categories
Iconography
- human figure
Creator
- John A Stewart, Artist
Photographer
- Dianne Sutherland
Unavailable Data
- Information Source
- Related Artefacts
- External Links
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