In the late 18th century, no man in Edinburgh seemed more respectable than William Brodie. By day, he was a successful cabinetmaker, a member of the city council, and a deacon of the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons, one of the most prestigious tradesmen's guilds in Scotland. But by night, Brodie led a secret life as a burglar and thief, moving through the dark streets of the city with the same keys and skills that had earned him the trust of its wealthiest citizens.
His extraordinary double life eventually ended at the gallows. A century later, Brodie’s life inspired one of literature's most famous tales of dual identity: Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
William Brodie was born in Edinburgh in 1741 into a family of craftsmen. His father was a well-established cabinetmaker, and young Brodie inherited both the business and its reputation. The workshop supplied furniture to some of Scotland's most influential families, and Brodie's skill brought him considerable wealth.
His position gave him access to the homes of the city's elite. As a cabinetmaker and locksmith, he was often entrusted with repairing locks and installing security systems. This provided him with a unique opportunity. Whenever he worked on a lock, he could secretly make wax impressions of the keys and later produce duplicates. Using the duplicate keys, Brodie would gain access to buildings after dark.
During the day, dressed in a spotless white shirt, Brodie attended civic meetings, conducted business, and enjoyed the esteem of his fellow citizens. At dusk, he changed into a suit of black for his visits to low taverns, gambling dens, and the rowdy cock-fighting. At night, he transformed into a burglar and robbed bank-houses, jewellers, goldsmiths, diamond merchants and even the private residences of some of his closest society friends.
A plaque commemorating William Brodie's extraordinary life. Credit: Kirk K
Brodie began his life of crime in the August of 1786 when he broke into the Johnston and Smith bank with a counterfeit key and made off with £800—a substantial sum of money at that time. Two months later, a goldsmith’s shop was broken into and several hundred gold and diamond rings, brooches, and earrings were stolen.
Historian believe that Brodie turned to crime to fuel his gambling addiction. He also maintained an expensive lifestyle and reportedly supported two mistresses and several children outside marriage. According to one source, Brodie had “somewhere between three and five mistresses, none of whom knew about each other”. Such obligations required money far beyond what even a successful cabinetmaker could comfortably afford.
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Initially, Brodie worked alone. Over time, however, Brodie grew bolder and began recruiting accomplices. In 1786 he recruited George Smith, a locksmith who ran a grocer's shop in the Cowgate. Together they robbed a goldsmith's and a tobacconist's place. On Christmas Eve they made off with a major haul from Bruce Brothers, including watches, rings and lockets. By early 1787, Brodie recruited two other criminals, John Brown and Andrew Ainslie. By the summer of that year, they had ventured further afield to Leith where they stole tea, a valuable commodity at the time, from a grocer's shop. Shortly after this they stole the ceremonial mace from the University of Edinburgh.
One of Edinburgh's many closes is named after Brodie. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Riding high with success, Brodie hatched an ambitious plan to rob Scotland’s Excise Office in Chessel’s Court. The office handled tax revenues and was believed to contain substantial sums of money.
On 5 March 1788, Brodie broke into the excise office using a duplicate key. Brodie, Smith, and Brown went inside while Ainslie stood guard outside. The office was unguarded because the night watchman had not yet arrived. Brodie knew that they had approximately two hours at their hands before the night watchman’s duty began at 10 p.m. However, the plan was disturbed when a solicitor returned to his office unexpectedly at 8.30 pm, forcing the gang to escape with only £16. Brodie hurried home, changed into normal clothes, and went to the house of his mistress hoping to create an alibi.
Two days later, Brown decided to come clean and approached the authorities and gave up the names of Brodie and his accomplices. Not only did he speak of Brodie’s involvement in the gang’s past crimes, he also spilled the beans on the crimes Brodie was planning for the future.
Brodie by day, a cabinet maker and locksmith. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Brodie by night, a thief. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The next day, Smith and Ainslie were arrested, but Brodie fled to London and then to Amsterdam by ship. From there he was planning to make an escape to the United States before he was arrested. Brodie was returned to Edinburgh, and a trial was held, where he was found guilty.
Brodie and Smith were hanged on the High Street, on 1 October 1788.
Although Brodie died in disgrace, his story refused to disappear. Throughout the 19th century, tales of "Deacon Brodie" remained popular in Edinburgh. His house became a local landmark, and stories about his secret life were passed down through generations.
Among those who grew up hearing them was the young Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Fascinated by the idea of a man leading two radically different lives, Stevenson later explored the theme in his 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Stevenson wasn’t the only author to be inspired by the dichotomy between Brodie's respectable façade and his real nature. The Scottish author Muriel Spark embodied Deacon Brodie in the titular character of the novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The novel has been adapted into a play, film, and television series.
Today, Deacon Brodie is commemorated by a pub of that name on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. There are two other pubs carrying his name, one in New York City and the other in Ottawa, Canada. From 1976 to 1989, Deacon Brodie was also a figure in the Chamber of Horrors section of the Edinburgh Wax Museum on the Royal Mile.
References:
# A Parcel of Rogues: The double life of Deacon William Brodie. The National
# The Real Jekyll & Hyde? The Deacon Brodie story. BBC
# Deacon Brodie
# John S Gibson. Deacon Brodie : father to Jekyll and Hyde
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