Of Diabolical Purpose - Sgeulachd Monsieur Chantrelle

BBC ALBA HD

Open subtitles

Original version

BBC ALBA

John Morrison

Documentaries

Factual: Crime & Justice

Of Diabolical Purpose

22/05/2014

BBC ALBA - Of Diabolical Purpose - Sgeulachd Monsieur Chantrelle

The story of a French man hanged for murder in Edinburgh, in 1878.

John Morrison tells the story of Eugene Chantrelle, hanged in Edinburgh in 1878 for the murder of his wife, by poisoning.

In 1868, public hanging was abolished in Britain. A decade later, the first execution behind prison walls took place in Edinburgh - following an explosive trial. The story of Eugene Chantrelle remains one of the most remarkable in Scottish criminal history.

A French man in exile, Chantrelle had a shady past and displayed bizarre behaviour, from his early days in Edinburgh following the French Revolution of 1848. A gifted linguist and teacher, he married one of his young pupils, 16-year-old Elizabeth Dyer.

They had four children, but Elizabeth suffered regular abuse at Chantrelle's hands. He had medical knowledge, and frequently threatened to poison her. When she died at New Year 1878, it seemed that he had done so - although the evidence against him was entirely circumstantial.

Up to the moment he was hanged, Chantrelle insisted he was innocent. Now, his great-grandson speaks movingly of the lasting damage caused to the family. With expert opinion and drama reconstruction.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Of Diabolical Purpose - Sgeulachd Monsieur Chantrelle

Contributors

Genres

Formats

BBC ALBA

About BBC ALBA