The Declaration and Confession of Robert Watt Written, Subscribed & Delivered by Himself the Evening Before His Execution for High Treason at Edinburgh, October 15, 1794. Attested by The Reverend Dr Baird and The Reverend T.S. Jones
Edinburgh; Printed for Bell & Bradfute, 1794. First Edition. In original printer's blue wraps. iv, 35, [i]pp. With frontispiece. Perhaps the previous owner of this book sided with Watt as the frontispiece has had the words 'Treasonous Spy' erased in this copy, although is is still partly visible. See images provided. CONDITION A good copy. The original blue wraps are in poor condition as can be seen in the images provided with the front wrap having one repair from the inside. All contents present and pages good throughout.
Robert Watt was a Scottish wine merchant, government spy, and political radical who was convicted of high treason and executed in Edinburgh in 1794 after orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government. His case remains famous because he was originally employed as a state informant before turning into a genuine conspirator.
From Government Spy to Radical Rebel Watt initially worked as an informant for the British government. He infiltrated radical political groups, specifically the Edinburgh branches of the Friends of the People, a society advocating for parliamentary reform. He regularly provided information on radical activities to government officials, but after some time, he fell out of favour and lost his financial backing. Whether out of a genuine conversion to the radical cause or out of desperation, Watt re-emerged as a primary leader of a highly dangerous conspiracy.
The Edinburgh Plot In 1794, the authorities uncovered a revolutionary plot orchestrated by Watt and a local goldsmith named David Downie. The plan was highly ambitious and included:
• Seizing Edinburgh Castle: Capturing the capital's main military stronghold. • Kidnapping Judges: Arresting the Lord Justice Clerk and other prominent public officials. • Armed Uprising: Spurring a mass revolt to establish a revolutionary government.
The authorities raided Watt’s house and discovered a hidden cache of weapons—including pikes and halberds—along with the printing typeset for a seditious, revolutionary handbill.
Watt's Trial and Defense Watt and Downie were tried for high treason at a special court session in Edinburgh in August and September 1794. Watt's defence was unique: he claimed he was acting as an agent provocateur. He argued that he had only designed the plot and gathered the weapons to entrap real radicals and hand them over to the state. However, his co-conspirators turned King's evidence against him. The jury did not buy his story and found him guilty under the 1709 Treason Act, though they recommended mercy.
Watt's Execution While his co-defendant David Downie was granted a royal pardon, the state decided to make a brutal example of Watt. On 15 October 1794, Watt was executed at the west end of the Luckenbooths in Edinburgh. Though originally sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, the sentence was modified:
• He was placed on a black hurdle (a wooden sledge) drawn by a white horse and taken backwards from the Edinburgh Tolbooth. • The executioner rode with him, holding a large axe. • He was hanged until dead and then publicly beheaded by the executioner.
His execution was one of the last times a criminal was formally beheaded in Scotland. Following his death, a confession was published in which Watt claimed he had truly converted to the radical cause before his arrest.