Who's Who in the Madeleine Smith Story

Who's Who

INDEX

Mary Buchanan
Robert Dalglish MP
Christina Haggart
David Hamilton
Emile L'Angelier
William Minnoch
Mary Perry

Mary Buchanan	Madeleine's best friend; born (Cardross, Dunbartonshire) 14th March 1835; attended Miss Gorton's (London finishing school for young ladies) at the same time as Madeleine. Her parents were Dr Robert Buchanan (surgeon, banker and magistrate; b.13th April 1794; d.10th Sept 1871) and Mary Dixon (b.6th May 1800; d.1st Jan 1873, the daughter of John Dixon of Levengrove (a partner in the Dumbarton glassworks) and Ann Knox. (Obituary of Robert Buchanan - Dumbarton Herald, Thursday 14th Sep 1871) [Thanks to: Graham Hopner, Local Studies Librarian, Dumbarton Library] At Miss Gorton's, Madeleine had promised to be bridesmaid at Mary's wedding (and vice versa). If anyone knew the whole story of the relationship with L'Angelier, it would be Mary Buchanan. [who's who index] [TESTIMONY] [BACK TO DATEFILE]
Robert Dalglish MP	Head of Dalglish Falconer & Son, extensive firm of calico printers; friend of James Smith. Owned Kilmardinny House in Bearsden - substantial improvements to the property (architect: James Smith) were made during Dalglish's ownership. [who's who index]
Christina Haggart	Servant in the Smith's house at Blythswood Square; Christina was Madeleine's accomplice in maintaining the clandestine affair with L'Angelier. [who's who index] [TESTIMONY]
David Hamilton	David Hamilton, architect, Glasgow 11th May 1768 to 5th Dec 1843, son of William Hamilton, mason, and Helen Liddel. Admitted into the Incorporation of Masons (now Lodge 3bis) in 1800, he was Glasgow's foremost architect for at least thirty years. In the competition for the design of the Houses of Parliament, David Hamilton won 3rd premium. His unique combination elegance, stature and warmth profoundly influenced the tone and quality of architecture in the West of Scotland throughout the 19th century and makes an inestimable contribution to the inheritence of Glaswegians today. His wife was Magdaline Marshall, daughter of John Marshall, vintner. They had 12 children. Their daughter, Janet, married James Smith, builder, on the 24th March ’33 (Madeleine’s parents). David Hamilton died Tuesday Dec. 5th 1843 - funeral Saturday 9th - Buried in the family burying ground in the High Church Yard adjoining the Necropolis - Lair no. 84 Wall East, New Churchyard. Often in his architecture, but nowhere more than here, Hamilton gave expression to his dislike of pretention: in marked contrast to the often excessive ornament of the Necropolis, there stands a completely unadorned monument - not made from a single stone but - like a wall - a rectangle built of plain cut stones (of the proportions used in building at that time) and bearing the stark inscription "PROPERTY OF DAVID HAMILTON, ARCHITECT" [who's who index]- [INDEX OF WORKS] - [BACK TO DATEFILE]
Pierre Emile L'Angelier	"The deceased" - Madeleine's secret "French" lover. July 17th 1822 - Marriage, at St Helier, Jersey, of Pierre Francoise L’Angelier, nurseryman, and Victoire Melanie de la Croix (parents of Pierre Emile L’Angelier - both French in origin - married, firstly, as Roman Catholics; received nuptial blessing, 3 years later, as Anglicans). April 30th 1823 - Birth of Pierre Emile L’Angelier (baptised May 1st as a Roman Catholic - baptised again, at age 7, as an Anglican). In 1841, 18 year old Pierre Emile L’Angelier left his native Jersey for Scotland to work as a trainee estate manager. His employer Sir Francis McKenzie is believed to have died shortly after Emile's arrival. From 1842 to 1847, L'Angelier's employers were Dickson & Co., seed merchants, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. He spent the 4 years from 1847 to 51 in France. L'Angelier died, as a result of arsenical poisoning, on the morning of Monday 23rd March 1857, at the age of 33. His remains were buried in the Ramshorn Cemetery in Ingram Street, Glasgow. After the trial, L'Angelier's mother applied for possession of Madeleine's letters. Her request was denied. [who's who index] [BACK TO DATEFILE]
William Minnoch	Madeleine's fiancee, William Minnoch, was born, Wigtown, 25 Nov 1820. William Minnoch is another of the familiar names in the case who's character has been grossly misrepresented by successive writers. He was a director of Houldsworth & Co, prominent Glasgow firm of cotton spinners, like most friends of the Smith family, just a very successful businessman. In 1857 he lived in the apartments directly above the Smiths' at the corner of Blythswood Square. His suffering seems to have been short-lived. Less than one year after the trial, he married Mary Aitken in Glasgow (29th April 1858). They lived in Hamilton Drive (near BBC Scotland HQ). They had three children in the next three years. Unlike David Hamilton's, William Minnoch's grave, also in the Necropolis, isn't one you might pass without noticing. [who's who index] [TESTIMONY] [BACK TO DATEFILE]
Mary Perry	Born 1st May 1817 - only one day short of being exactly five years older than L'Angelier - Miss Perry lived at 144 Renfrew Street - about 60 yards from the Smith's house which (during 1855 - when L'Angelier first started asking about Madeleine Smith) was at 164 Renfrew Street. Tempting to speculate that, but for Miss Perry, L'Angelier might never have targeted Madeleine - that, in late 1854 and early 1855, conversations between Miss Perry and L'Angelier could not fail, at some point, to include the Smith family. Why? Miss Perry's house lies almost directly between two of James Smith's buildings: the Collegiate School (now St Aloysius College) and the McLellan Galleries. [I was leaning against the back wall of the McLellan Galleries when I took the snapshot (right) of Miss Perry's house] With the architect living a few doors away at 164 (the Smiths had also had their workshop at 100 Renfrew Street* since 1826) and with - only yards away - work on the well publicized new Galleries approaching completion, the Smith family would be a predictable and almost inevitable topic of conversation for Emile and Miss Perry, especially at that time i.e. just a few weeks before L'Angelier's well-planned meeting with Madeleine Smith. This is, of course, apart from the probable regularity of Madeleine and her sisters passing Miss Perry's window. Miss Perry's house provides a clear connection between Madeleine and L'Angelier prior to his involvement of Robert Baird Miss Perry could certainly be described as Emile's best friend. An upstanding and respectable spinster, she had "a warm affection" for Emile. She thought him a "strictly moral and religious man" but her own moral poverty (and perhaps her capacity for self-deception) can be inferred from her testimony as to the innocent nature of Emile's "offer" to show the letters to Madeleine's father. "I did not understand the meaning to be that he threatened to show the letters to her father. I understood that to be a consent by him to give up the engagement, and he so represented it." Mary Perry visited the Smith's house, for the first time, on the morning of L'Angelier's death. She told Madeleine, who opened the door to her, that she wished to see her Mama and that she would acquaint her* with the object of her visit. [who's who index] [Testimony] [Back to Datefile] [Back to the story]