Mary Barclay - "an old, grey haired woman, attired in a black shawl and white mutch"

Mary Barclay, aged 72 years on her discharge on the 23rd May 1874, is the oldest person to feature in the Register of Returned Convicts for Aberdeen. Census data reveals that she was originally from Huntly, and must have been drawn to Aberdeen, like so many other country-dwellers at the time, with the hope of finding employment. The 1861 census notes that she is a "sick nurse" while the 1871 and 1881 returns give her occupation as that of a "domestic servant". Coincidentally, the 1861 census gives her address as Lobban's Court, just off the Castlegate (see map below) which is where the theft took place which subsequently saw her imprisoned in HM General Prison, Perth between 1868 and 1874.

A syndicated report in the Dundee Courier of 24th September 1868 stated that, "Mary Barclay, was charged with the theft of a pair of blankets from the house in Lobban's Court, Castle Street, occupied by John Strachan, blacksmith, on the 22nd April. There were the aggravations of three previous convictions, for theft, before the Police Court of Aberdeen, two convictions before the Sheriff Court of Aberdeenshire - once with a jury, and two convictions before the Circuit Court at Aberdeen, on 25th April 1855 and on 24th April 1862. The prisoner, an old, grey haired woman, attired in a black shawl and white mutch, and looking exceedingly pale and sickly, pleaded guilty".

The nature of Mary's crime hints at the poverty in which she must have been living while the list of previous convictions would doubtless have counted against her when trying to find gainful employment. Following her discharge, Mary's addresses are given as 76 Queen Street and 45 Guestrow, the latter being the corporation lodging house. Despite of her 'colourful' life Mary Barclay lived to a ripe old-age: she is still in Aberdeen by the time of the 1881 census, aged 78.

Map Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland

Ordnance Survey

Aberdeenshire LXXV.11 (Old Machar, Greyfriars, St Clements, East, West, North & South)

Published 1869

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