Calton Jail's most daring escapes
Purpose-built in 1817 to replace the dilapidated Old Tolbooth located on the city’s High Street, Calton Jail had a fearsome reputation.
Too many times had prisoners managed to escape from the Old Tolbooth. For centuries the ancient city jail had been located slap bang in the middle of a busy thoroughfare; which made it easy for friends of the incarcerated to assist them from the outside.
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Hide AdCalton prison on the other hand was a different matter. Constructed with high perimeter walls on the edge of a sheer cliff away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, it was much more difficult to escape.
But not impossible.
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During early Spring 1823 three prisoners escaped in “a most remarkable manner”.
Their names were Matthew Adie, Lawrence Hughes and James Curly. The latter individual was in jail for forging bank notes.