Deacon William Brodie was a skilled wood-worker, just as his father had been. By day he was a respected member of the town council, and the leader of the guild of Wrights and Masons (it's from this post that he gained the title of 'Deacon'). But at night he drank and gambled his way to near bankruptcy. Having two mistresses and five illegitimate children to support didn't help either.

He began to make wax impressions of the keys to the houses in which he worked during the day, and would return at night to rob them. He joined forces with locksmith George Smith and the pair of them became very successful indeed. Two more accomplices, Brown and Ainslie, were later added. During a raid on the Excise Office in Chessel's Court on the Canon's Gait, William fell asleep (double lives are tiring!) and one of the gang, Ainslie, was captured. Ainslie then decided to accept a large reward offered by the council and turned King's evidence, grassing William up.

William fled to Amsterdam, and was about to sail to America when he was caught, brought home and sentenced to be hanged in 1788 on gallows which he himself had approved and funded in his role as a member of the town council. He spent his days in the Tolbooth playing draughts. The game remained etched into the floor of his cell for years, until the Tolbooth was pulled down. It's said he designed a harness for the hanging involving a steel collar and the hangman accepted a bribe to ignore it, allowing him to escape. Sightings of him in Paris were later reported.

Others say the hanging was successful and he was buried in an unmarked grave at the Parish church in Buccleuch. Another version says he was hanged with a silver tube in his throat and wires supporting him, and the body was given to his friends who revived him (or who tried to revive him but couldn't). Deacon Brodie was the inspiration for 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. Robert Louis Stevenson's father had furniture made by Brodie. There's a pub named after him on the Royal Mile.