Fintry, August 2012 A great night out in Dundee turned into a tragedy for 50 year old John McMurchie when his life was taken in a senseless attack in the early hours of August 12th 2012. Described as the life and soul of the party, John had been out with his wife, Donna, and some […]
Dundee History Archive
How to use the archive
Just keep scrolling down to see the most recent posts, and click previous at the bottom of the page to see more – be warned there are over 130 stories here! If you’re looking for something specific, use the search bar (there’s one in the footer on every page if you keep scrolling down, you’ll find it!) or click on any category (like crime and death, or wars and battles – the ones with the coloured backgrounds below each post) or one of the words in the tag cloud below to see all posts in a specific theme.
We hope you enjoy reading all the stories about Dundee’s dark history we’ve put together for you, but if you’re looking for things to do in Dundee why not take one of our walking tours!
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Mary McLaren, 2010
City Centre, February 2010 Failing to return home from a night out in the city centre of Dundee in February 2010, the relatives of Mary McLaren began to worry. With no clues whatsoever as to the whereabouts of Mary, the rumour-mills were abound with gossip. Had Mary secretly left Dundee, without saying goodbye, or was […]
Elizabeth McCabe, 1980
Templeton Woods, February 1980 Still regarded as a huge mystery is the story surrounding the disappearance and murder of Elizabeth McCabe, a nursery nurse with a kind heart and a new-found passion for socialising and disco-dancing. Elizabeth’s body was recovered on 26th February 1980 entangled in woodland growth at Templeton woods by two rabbit hunters, […]
Carol Lannen, 1979
Templeton Woods, March 1979 On March 21st, 1979, the naked body of Carol Lannen was found in the growth at Templeton Woods. A search quickly began, scouring the entire country for the callous murderer of 18 year old Lannen. A troubled teen, Carol had fallen into the trappings of Dundee’s seedier side, and had become […]
Wife O’ Denside
The Wife O’ Denside We’ve stepped out of Dundee a wee bit to bring you the tale of the Wife O’ Denside – a tale of love and passion with disastrous consequences. David Smith, was a busy and prosperous farmer at West Denside, a large farm estate in the parish of Monikie. He lived there […]
John Drew Woods,1838
Thorter Row, August 1838 As watchman Duncan MacNab patrolled the Thorter Row area of Dundee on the night of Saturday 4th August 1838, he happened to see what he believed to be a drunken man propped up against the stairwell close to some properties. Upon closer investigation, MacNab realised that the man in question was […]
Dr & Mrs Wood, 1980
Roseangle, May 1980 A beautiful building stands on the corner of the intersection between Perth Road and Roseangle. It stands empty and haunting, a tragic tale of murder hidden within it’s walls. Dr Alexander Wood was a very well-known and respected doctor within Dundee. At 78 and in ailing health, Dr Wood and his wife […]
Jane Wishart, 1826
Arbroath, 8th October 1826 On 14th April 1827, Margaret Wishart appeared at Perth Circuit Court, charged with the wilful poisoning of her blind sister, Jane, and her newly born son. The charges laid against her were: ‘[having] administered a quantity of arsenic to her sister, Jane Wishart, residing with her in Arbroath, on the 3rd, […]
Curious Case of Mrs Webster, 1890
Kirriemuir, 1890 In August 1890, the wife of a Kirriemuir landlord, John Webster, fell ill. The local doctor attended the ailing woman and diagnosed gastroenteritis. Within 3 days, Mrs Webster had died, but this did not conclude the matter. Suspicions were rife that something sinister lurked beneath the surface of this cut-and-dried case. John had […]
Henry Shuttleworth, 1821
April, 1821 In the early hours of a Saturday morning in late April, 1821, Margaret Shuttleworth woke up and made her way down to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. At the foot of the stairs lay the lifeless body of her husband, Henry. Neighbours awoke to Margaret’s deafening screams from the inn […]