RegencyRogues
Written by Emily BrandJames McKean (or McKaen) was born in
about 1753 in the Gallowgate area of
Glasgow to “reputable” parents. Although
his father died when he was an infant,
his widowed mother was “very well
left”. James was apprenticed to a local
shoemaker while still a boy and eventually
- having married and begun his own
family – set up a shoemaker’s workshop on
the High Street. In the autumn of 1796 he
seemed to establish a friendly relationship
with James Buchanan, a local carrier (a
driver and transporter of goods) and the
two began to meet at Buchanan’s house on
Thursdays for tea.
On the evening of October 7, 1796, when
Buchanan came to McKean’s door, by
invitation, he was politely received and
taken into a dimly-lit back room. By all
accounts McKean lost no time in slitting his
visitor’s throat with a razor, before robbing
him of his watch and a “considerable sum
of money” that he knew was on his person.
He calmly walked from the room and asked
his daughter to fetch a towel, because
Buchanan was drunk and had urinated in
the room. He had just bundled the corpse
into a closet when his curious wife burst in
and was horrified by the pool of blood on
the floor. Her cries of “Murder!” brought
neighbours flocking to the house. The
perpetrator reportedly yelled out “Woman,
you have done for me now!” as he made
his escape. A reward was offered for
his arrest.
James McKean
Murder and robbery