Crawford Priory

A wise Fifeshire judge had two teenage boys brought before him, charged with trespassing within the enclosures of Crawford priory. The prosecutor was the factor of the eccentric Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford.

The judge having heard the case against the delinquents, which he didn't consider as serious an offence as the factor did, and having also ascertained that one of the youths was a drummer from Edinburgh Castle, and that the other belonged to a guard-ship at Leith, gave each a shilling, and told them to go home; one to the castle, and the other to the ship.

‘‘And now,” said the judge addressing the factor, ‘‘you can tell Lady Mary that I have sent one of the prisoners aboard a man-of—war, and the other one to be a soldier. Surely that will be punishment to please her.‘‘

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