ABSTRACT
The research and writing of such a history has been actively stimulated by the contention that Scotland has been persistently regarded as a violent nation. The involvement of women in instances of violent criminality similarly evaporated over time as they gained social independence and as their spheres of influence broadened to become more aligned to that of their male counterparts. Despite the persistence of the trope which associates Scotland with violence and extreme forms of bad behaviour, the true history of crime in Scotland between 1660 and 1960 was not particularly exceptional. From the evidence presented in this chapter, it is unlikely that Scottish criminals were more common, more violent or more enterprising than their felonious counterparts elsewhere. Scottish history has had its fair share of serious crimes and violent offenders: male and female, young and old, individuals and groups. From 1660 to 1960, Scotland did not deserve its reputation as a violent nation.
