Letters by and Relevant to Deacon Brodie

Potentially the greatest asset we have in understanding Deacon Brodie, and those touching on Brodie’s life, are the letters these people wrote. Obviously, when reading one’s letters, we are hearing their voice through the centuries. We also have a window to that person’s innermost thoughts. Brodie’s letters especially show dynamics of his personality that are easily forgotten given the salacious nature of his fall from grace. There are also mysterious details in these letters that have never been fully examined. Below is a full listing of the letters we have been able to glean from various sources. William Roughead’s The Trial of Deacon Brodie is the main source of these missives. The amount of primary source material Roughead was able to preserve is invaluable and the few flaws in his work far outweigh the source documentation.