Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we delve into the tale of an outlaw whose life ended on this day, November 16, in the year 1700. The story of James Macpherson, or Jamie Macpherson as he is often remembered, is one of defiance, music, and legend—a tale immortalized in song and folklore.

Macpherson was born around 1675, the illegitimate son of a Highland nobleman from Clan Macpherson and a Romani woman. His father acknowledged him and raised him among the clan until his untimely death in a cattle-retrieving expedition. Left an orphan, Jamie was taken in by his mother’s Romani family. Known for his striking strength, exceptional swordsmanship, and skill with the fiddle, Macpherson would later become a figure both feared and admired.

In the rugged Highlands, where cattle raiding and protection rackets were often seen as honorable pursuits, Jamie Macpherson carved out a reputation for himself. He led a band of outlaws, offering extralegal protection to cattle herds and earning a reputation akin to a Highland Robin Hood. Tales of his exploits filled the markets of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire. Always accompanied by music, Macpherson’s band marched with a piper at their head, a spectacle that made him both a folk hero and a marked man in the eyes of local lairds.

The powerful Duff of Braco became determined to bring Macpherson to justice. In the autumn of 1700, during the Saint Rufus Fair in Keith, Macpherson was ambushed and captured after a fierce struggle. Taken to Banff, he faced trial under charges of robbery, bearing arms in public, and the damning accusation of being "ane Egiptian," a crime in Scots law at the time. His conviction was all but assured.

While awaiting execution, Macpherson composed a song that would outlive him. Known as Macpherson’s Lament, Macpherson’s Rant, or Macpherson’s Farewell, it is a haunting melody filled with defiance and sorrow. On the day of his execution, Jamie is said to have played the tune on his fiddle beneath the gallows. After finishing, he offered the instrument to his clansmen, but when no one stepped forward, he smashed it, declaring, "No one else shall play Jamie Macpherson’s fiddle." He then faced his death, either being hanged or, as some accounts suggest, throwing himself from the ladder in a final act of defiance.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Macpherson’s story is the tale of his pardon. It is said that a rider was en route to Banff with a pardon from the Laird of Grant, but Duff of Braco, determined to see the execution carried out, ordered the town clock to be set 15 minutes ahead. The execution proceeded, and the pardon arrived too late. While this story may be apocryphal, it underscores the sense of injustice that has come to surround Macpherson’s death.

Jamie Macpherson was the last man hanged in Banff under Scotland’s heritable jurisdictions. His legacy as an outlaw, musician, and symbol of defiance has endured for centuries. His lament has been performed by countless artists and remains a poignant reminder of his life and times.

Thank you for joining us on This Day in Scottish History. Tune in tomorrow for another journey into the past. Until then, I’m Colin MacDonald, urging you to Haste Ye Back!

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