OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Initially, it might appear to some that Deacon Brodie’s Tavern is not quite “off the beaten path” since it lies in the middle of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh – but not so fast there.

Deacon Brodie, whose given name was William, is a real person who was born Sept. 28, 1741 and lived to be just a shade over 47 when he was executed on October 1,1788.

The deacon, a title he had as the respected president of the Incorporation of Wrights (a word that comes to mean something like carpenter), did many cabinet making jobs and installed locks and security equipment. He moved with ease among the Edinburgh gentry and had even met Robert Burns.

He was however practicing another occupation – that of thief, which was simple for him since he knew all about the security systems. This second occupation seems to have been necessary since he was also something of a character who had five children, two mistresses and a gambling habit! He duplicated keys and managed to do a number of “break ins” which even included one bank.

Brodie was executed, despite stories that he managed to bribe the execution and escape. There were reports of his having been seen in Paris after his “execution” . However he seems to have be buried in an unmarked grave behind Buccleuch Church in Chapel Street which is now a parking area.

The remarkable teacher Miss Jean Brodie, (played brilliantly by Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) remarks that she is a descendant of William Brodie who devised the first gallows in England and was also its first victim. This too seems to be something of an exaggeration if not an outright falsehood. It may be he had some plan for such a device, but he was certainly not the first victim of it.

The Deacon also inspired several literary works, including a rather unsuccessful play by Scotland’s own Robert Louis Stevenson, which was called Deacon Brodie, or The Double Life. Despite the play’s lack of success, Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in which the double nature of the deacon’s life served as an inspiration.

In addition two establishments are named after Mr. Brodie – one is the famous one in Edinburgh, Deacon Brodie’s Tavern – well worth the visit

A sign tells the story of the tavern’s namesake:

So does a sign in the Police Museum, just down the road!

Unbeknownst to many, however, is that you do not need to go to Scotland to find Deacon Brodie’s. There is, in fact, one in midtown Manhattan located at 370 W. 46^th Street!

370 W 46th St
New York, NY 10036
(212) 262-1452
b/t 8th Ave & 9th Ave in Hell's Kitchen, 


Hours
Sunday:  	   5:00PM -	4:00AM
Monday:  	   5:00PM -	4:00AM
Tuesday: 	   5:00PM -	4:00AM
Wednesday: 	   5:00PM -	4:00AM
Thursday:          5:00PM -	4:00AM
Friday:  	   5:00PM -	4:00AM
Saturday:          5:00PM -     4:00AM
(Times are subject to change without notice, and are not guaranteed)

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