deacon brodie
The real story behind Edinburgh's most enduring legend
Assets and debts of Deacon Brodie
24 March 1788
While on the run from justice in the United Kingdom, William Brodie found a haven in an Amsterdam inn. One can imagine how fear fraught and reflexive the life of a fugitive could be. William Brodie’s letters and the below asset and debt statement gives one a clue as to the levels of the Deacon’s introspection.
The below statement was dated 24 March 1788, and the text is taken from the original document. The abbreviations Deacon Brodie have been preserved and transcribed per the source document. Contextual spellings have been modernized for ease of reading. For example, Brodie 18th century spelling of “Closs” has been modified to today’s common spelling “Close.”
The organization of this missive also indicates that, unsurprisingly, Deacon Brodie was well familiar with balance sheets and the accounting methods of the day. William Brodie’s debt is broken out into long-term bonds and short-term bills. The asset section (labeled as "Contra" by Brodie) reflects Deacon Brodie’s real estate investments and estimates on income from his workshop’s current projects.
It is often said that to understand someone, the first area to examine is how one spends their time and money. Given that paradigm, the information found within this document shows the depths of Brodie’s duality. Brodie, the fugitive thief, is showing practical concerns of his day-to-day persona’s financial outlook. This behavior also betrays the level of confidence Deacon Brodie had that he would escape to America and begin life afresh.
A State of my Affairs as near as I can make out at present from Memory, having no other Assistance.
Bonds
- To my sister Jean: £525
- To my sister Jamie, now Mrs. Sheriff: £525
- To Revd. Mr. John Nairn: £50
- To Mrs. Isobell Ramsay: £150
- To Mr. Jas. Innes: £300
- To Mr. Loch on the house in Worlds End Close: £400
- To Sir Willm. Forbes pr. cash acct & bond: £300
- To interests due upon the above at this date: £50
Total bonds: £2300
Bills
- To Willm. Grant Esqr: £50
- To Wlllm. Corbet Esqr: £50
- To Mr. Denovon half of a £20 Bill discounted: £10
- To Capt. Miller at Kirkaldie: £35
- To open Accounts due by me, about: £305
Total bills: £450
Total debt: £2750
Contra
- By my tenement in Horse Wind £87 pr. annum at 13 years purchase being a substantial building well furnished and low rented: £1131
- By my three upper stories of the new fore tenement and three cellars below Do. at the Netherbow £45 pr. annum at 13 years: £585
- By a tenement of five stories in the Worlds End Close at £48 pr. annum at 13 years purchase: £624
- By two stories in the Bank Close at £21 pr annum sold by missives exchanged to Mr. Willm Martin, Bookseller, the present possessor, payable at Whity first: £320
- By rents due at Whity 1788: £112
- Open accounts and bills due to me, but they may be more: £1000
- By the produce of my stock in trade consisting of ready made furniture, glasses finished and unfinished, bed checks and moreens, hair cloth, brass and iron work, silvering utensils, benches and shop tools, mahogany and other woods, ready made doors and windows, many of them glassed, and many other articles not mentioned should bring at a very moderate computation: £400
Total contra: £4172
Total debt: £2750
Balance in my favor: £1422
- By my household furniture, bed and table linen, pictures, library of books and c. worth at least: £378
Sum total: £1800
- 0mitted to charge the work newly done for Mr. Herron, Cowgate, which will amount to about £40
Contact us
Notices