From confession to declaration: changing narratives of parricide in eighteenth-century Scotland

Katie Barclay*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

‘From Confession to Declaration: Changing Narratives of Parricide in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Scotland’ by Katie Barclay explores how Scottish people explained incidents of parricide in Scotland between 1660 and 1830. Drawing on popular culture—notably James Hogg’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner—and court records, Barclay argues that across the centuries this ‘unimaginable’ crime was explained by combining competing—and not always compatible—variables, notably previous bad character, mental illness and overwhelming anger. These explanations drew attention away from the tensions that arose between adult children and their parents in a patriarchal system that demanded obedience from those who wished—and in some cases were actively encouraged—to be ‘independent’.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationParricide and violence against parents throughout history
Subtitle of host publication(de)constructing family and authority?
EditorsMarianna Muravyeva, Raisa Maria Toivo
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages97-116
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9781349949977
ISBN (Print)9781349949960
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameWorld Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
ISSN (Print)2730-9630
ISSN (Electronic)2730-9649

Keywords

  • Early Modern Finland
  • Eighteenth-century Scotland
  • Eliza Cook
  • Justified Sinner
  • Parricide

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