Report of David Boyle, Lord Justice Clerk on 3 individual petitions (William Rankin...

Report of David Boyle, Lord Justice Clerk on 3 individual petitions (William Rankin of Perth, James Campbell and the prisoner) and 3 collective petitions (15 members of trial jury [x 2]; and approximately 900 people of Perth) on behalf of Duncan Clark, writer, convicted at the Circuit Court held at Perth on 20 September 1826 for infanticide against the newborn daughter of Christine Cameron on 22 October 1825. There is a statement from Margaret McNab; covering letters from W P Dundas, [Lord] Ad Gillies and Alex Monteath; an unsigned memo; 4 letters from the prisoner; 3 letters from W Rankin; a letter from Lord Glenorchy, regarding the Perth Gaelic Society [no mention of prisoner or the case]; a printed copy of the 'Indictment against Duncan Clarke'; a copy of the declaration of the prisoner and the trial notes of Lord Justice Gillies. Grounds for clemency: two jurors were alleged to be deaf, no direct evidence of time or circumstances of death, expert medical evidence not unanimous, key witness unable to give evidence and a recommendation to mercy by the jury. Initial sentence: death. Recommendation: [none given]. Annotation: transportation for life. The annotations also refer to the circumstantial nature of the evidence and the narrowness of the verdict [8 vote to 7]. AM4. [Scot]