Margaret Hunter or Beaton. Admitted 1867. Murder

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Exhibition: Prisoners or Patients? Criminal Insanity in Victorian Scotland
Margaret Hunter or Beaton. Admitted 1867. Murder

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From a family of poor Paisley handloom weavers, Margaret married James Beaton, labourer, aged just 17 years in 1860. With a history of mental disorder, she murdered her fifth child, two month old Alexander in April 1867. The first doctor to examine her after the murder was a local man, who ‘found her to have a dull melancholy despairing look… of a person labouring under disease of the brain’.

Photograph of Margaret taken from the Criminal Lunatic Department Case Book. Crown copyright, NRS, HH21/48/1 p281.

A brief description of Margaret’s history and the events that led to her being imprisoned, p1-2. Crown copyright, NRS, HH17/8.

From Precognition

Margaret Hunter was born about 1843 (she says she is a native of Pollokshaws). She learnt to be a steam loom weaver. She had at least one sister Catherine & a brother George – who was 4 years younger. Her father died in 1852. She was always nervous.

In 1860 when 17 years of age she married a man James Beaton born in 1840. He was a labourer and occasionally took a dram. In June ’61 her eldest child was born. She was then residing at Lancefield Street Anderston Glasgow. Eight months after the birth of this child Mrs Beaton became wild in her conduct and she was taken to the Barnhill Poorhouse Lunatic Ward where she remained from 4th Feb[ruar]y to 24 May 1862.

After she left Barnhill she did not shew any particular signs of insanity until 1867. During the interval she had 4 more children – one of whom died and there remained Margaret 5 years Elizabeth 3 years George 1 ½ years when Alexander was born on the 16th January 1867.

About this time the Beatons removed to Pleasance St. Pollockshaws – Mrs Beatons mother who had done a good deal for her & her family died on the 11 april 1867 and this sorely distressed Margaret who became anxious about her being able in future to keep her house pay the rent – The secretion of milk stopped and on the 16 april she was clearly insane again –

On Saturday 20th april about 6pm. she was in her house with her children & having got rid of the eldest by sending her on a message she cut the throat of her youngest child alexander (3 mos & 4 days old).

She was removed by the Renfrew Police to Paisley Prison.

A. B. McHardy

Too insane to plead, Margaret was not tried until October that year when she was found guilty and immediately admitted to Perth Criminal Lunatic Department (CLD). Margaret told her sister Catherine: ‘I have killed my wean.’ Catherine and several other witnesses said that the death of their mother nine days before the murder had affected Margaret badly. Emotional causes of mental problems, such as bereavement, were usually reserved for females. The after-effect of childbirth was also a factor.

Margaret’s physical details were kept in the ‘Register of Criminal Prisoners’. Information includes her hair and eye colour, ability to read and her offence. Crown copyright, NRS, HH17/8.

Over a period of years her Perth case notes ranged from ‘outrageous, incoherent, delusional’ at worst, to ‘an unstable temper’ at best. In spring 1877 she was ‘very excited, filthy and obscene in her talk. To be locked in padded room and have strong purgative.’ With few staff, physical restraint was occasionally used on dangerous patients. Medical treatments for mental disorders were largely limited, until the 20th century, to traditional palliatives and evacuants.

The reason for the outburst? 'She recently got a letter from her friends [relations] telling her they had no means of accommodating her, even though she was conditionally liberated.' This may have been wise. During one of her later conditional discharges in 1889, Margaret assaulted her brother George's wife and burned her own clothes, causing him to renounce his guardianship. The medical superintendent and two prison officers who went to collect Margaret found her 'noisy and incoherent, with occasional furious bursts of maniacal excitement...her mind has completely broken down'. She kept petitioning unsuccessfully for release, one letter of January 1895 annotated simply: 'A lunatic full of delusions'.

With feeling, the medical superintendent concluded: 'This poor woman seems only to be sane in confinement.'

Noted 24.12.09 Dunblane 23rd De[cembe]r. 1909

Gentlemen

I have the honour to report for your information that Margaret Dougall Hunter or Beaton or Gordon, “65” wife of Duncan Gordon Shepherd residing at Guthrie’s Buildings Station Road, Dunblane was arrested on a charge of Assaulting her husband and Breach of Peace and recommitted from the Sheriff Court by Hon: Sheriff Substitute Rowder to Dr James Fisher Lindsay, Dunblane for medical Examination as to the state of her mind. She is meantime committed to the Legalised Police Cells here as a "dangerous Lunatic".

On Wednesday 22nd inst[ant]. This woman was admitted to the Legalised Cells here and on same date Dr James Fisher Lindsay certified her to be insane and in a state threatening danger to the lieges.

Arrangements are being made by Mr Robert Cameron, Inspector of Poor here for the immediate removal of this Lunatic to Perth District Asylum Murthly.

This is the second time recently this woman has been attacked by insanity. She was admitted to Perth District Asylum Murthly on 13th May 1900, and after a few Months detention was discharged therefrom. She has since lived with her husband until her arrest on the present occasion. She is not known to be suicidal and is not subject to epilepsy. She had been confined in the Lunatic Criminal Department Perth Prison, and transferred there from Gartloch Asylum, on the 15th February 1898. She is also referred to in communication from you of 28th March 1906, to the Police Superintendent here. I herewith forward copies of warrants and Medical Certificate.

I have the honour to be
Gentlemen
Your obedient servant,
D. MacPherson
Superintendent

The Prison Commissioners for Scotland, Edinburgh

She was eventually discharged, in February 1898, to Glasgow District Asylum at Gartloch, a general asylum, after 31 years at Perth. Transferred from there to Govan District Asylum, Paisley, in October 1898. She was released, aged 60, in October 1903, but had to be brought back a few days later and ‘is likely to remain to the end’.

Petition for liberty by Margaret Hunter or Beaton, 28 January 1895. Crown copyright, NRS, HH18/60.

Petition appealing for help by Margaret Hunter or Beaton, 2 August 1897. Crown copyright, NRS, HH18/60.

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Transcription from the precognition detailing Margaret’s history and the events that led to her imprisonment. NRS, HH17/8

Transcription of a letter from D. MacPherson to the Prison Commissioners for Scotland, 23 December 1909. NRS, HH17/8