Blythswood Square
Glasgow

Built on Blythswood Hill by William Garden in 1823 and designed by the architect John Brash, Blythswood Square was the perfect location for the well-to-do merchants and gentry of Glasgow. It lies in the heart of the city, not far from Sauchiehall Street.

At the centre of Blythswood Square is a small park, and you can imagine the nannies out with the permambulators on summer days in Victorian and Georgian times. Unfortunately, in recent years, as the Blythswood Square houses became offices and private clubs, the park and surrounding streets became a red light district for a time.

Madeleine Smith

On the 30 June 1857 in the High Court Edinburgh, began one of the most infamous cases in Scottish legal history. The jury's verdict 9 days later, has caused controversy ever since. In Scotland there are 3 possible outcomes of a trial; guilty, not guilty - and not proven. As in this case, if a jury returns a verdict of not proven, it suggests a strong possibility of guilt, but insufficient grounds to convict the accused. The young lady in question was given this verdict, and therefore was left with a stain on her character, which in turn brought shame upon her family.

On trial was Madeleine Hamilton Smith, an 22-year-old debutante of her day. Her father was the successful architect James Smith, who designed the MacLellan Art Galleries in Sauchiehall Street Glasgow. Her grandfather was David Hamilton, another famous architect. The Smiths were a well-respected family in Glasgow society, and resided at no.7 Blythswood Square, in the heart of the city.

The charge against Madeleine Smith was murder. She was accused of poisoning her lover, Pierre Emile L'Angelier, Jersey born, (but both parents were of French origin). He was aged 33. when he died from arsenic poisoning. Madeliene had been buying arsenic at two different chemist shops in Glasgow. It was not uncommon in those days for ladies to use arsenic to apply to their face, and it was reputed to improve a lady's complexion. However, Madeleine still had to sign the poison book, so there was no doubt that she had bought arsenic. She was accused of putting arsenic in Pierre's cocoa, which she passed to him from the servants quarters window situated in Blythswood Street, around the corner from the main entrance in Blythswood Square They used to meet regularly that way, he would pass notes through the window to her, and she would make him hot drinks. The window she used was at street level, and Pierre had to bend down to whisper to her - James Smith had forbade them to meet again, so these meetings had to be clandestine.

But it was also claimed that Pierre Emile L'Angelier knew how to handle arsenic, learned from previous employment. Some witnesses also claimed that he had mentioned suicide on more than one occasion.

What made this trial so news worthy was the fact that the daughter of an upperclass member of Glasgow society was being charged with murder, and she was having a secret affair with a man her father did not approve of. But the real interest was when some of Madeleine and Pierre's's love letters were read out in court. You can imagine the scandal as the letters revealed that they had been very intimate with each other, giving dates, and going into very indelicate passionate details - shocking revelations to a victorian Scotland.

Madeleine's ardour had waned towards her lover, because her father had approved her marriage to William Minnoch, a man of means, holding down a very good job in the city. It was suggested that Pierre Emile L'Angelier had begun to blackmail Madeleine, and so she decided to poison him.

But on 9 July 1857, the jury gave the verdict not proven, and although Madeleine Smith was free, the shame she had caused her family, forced them to leave Glasgow and move to their country home at Rhu, not far from Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland.

Madeleine was sent to England for a while, and married there. She later moved to the USA, and married again.

Madeleine died at the age of 93, and is buried just outside New York. Her simple gravestone reads;

LENA SHEEHY
DIED APRIL 12 1928

Did Madeleine Smith murder Pierre Emile L'Angelier - or did he commit suicide and cruelly try to make it look as if it was at the hands of Madeleine? This is still a matter of great debate. The Whisperer recommends that you visit the following website, where an in-depth analysis of this intriguing case can be found, together with the full story.

Here are two other interesting webpages regarding this famous case:

David Lean directed the film Madeleine in 1949 starring Ann Todd. Visit this website and see actual clips of this movie...

Love Letters From No.7 Blythswood Square

The old lady walked clockwise around the path in Blythswood Square. It was a warm summer's afternoon, office workers were taking advantage of the good weather and were having their lunch either on the park benches, or on the centre grass.

The old lady was always smartly dressed, and today was no exception. She wore a white dress suit, with matching handbag and summer hat. As always, she wore white gloves and her face was caked in heavy makeup.

Exiting the park, she turned left and walked to the corner of Blythswood Street - the house on the corner was No.7 Blythswood Square. She stood briefly at the main entrance of No.7, now an office, then turned right to the corner, then left into Blythswood Street. Without hesitating, she removed her white gloves and placed them in her handbag, then approached the wall just above the window that was on street level. This window had now been blocked up. She placed her hands on the wall, oblivious to any passers by.

The wall began to whisper and vibrate. It suddenly became dark, it was night time. She saw the figure of a man crouching at the window, whispering to a young lady behind the window. The young lady passed the gentleman a china cup through the bars of the window. The man disappeared, as did the young lady at the window. The whispers became more audible. "That's the trunks all ready sir....." she heard plainly. She saw swirling dark grey clouds through her closed eyelids and then they became moving pictures forming in her head.

The whispering wall was about to reveal more to her. She surrendered her conscious will and let the story unfold...


"That's the trunks all ready sir" said one of the porters.

Mr Smith said nothing. He had not spoken a word to anyone since his daughter Madeleine was arrested and put jail in March. He and Mrs Smith did not attend the trial at Edinburgh's High Court, and hid away in the house instead, not venturing out. The once-respected family was now the laughing stock of Glasgow society, and the Smiths would never get over their shame.

Bessie and Janet, the two younger daughters, came into the hallway where Mr Smith was standing.

"Papa", Bessie said, "is there anything more we can do to help?"

Again Mr Smith did not answer. Bessie was 20 and Janet was just 13. Bessie instructed Janet to search her bedroom and to make sure nothing had been left. Janet entered the basement bedroom she had shared with Madeleine. As she looked around the room for the very last time, she began to feel afraid. She was so young, and up until that fatal day the police came and took her beloved sister away, Janet was happy and carefree. Her family were financially secure, she enjoyed mixing with the elite of Glasgow, sometimes being allowed to attend the many balls and parties held by the Smiths erstwile friends.

She and her sister Madeleine couuld strut along Sauchiehall Street, with all the elligble young men doffing their hats to the two young ladies. Even though Janet was only 13, the young gentlemen always treated her with courtesy, partly to impress Madeleine (a prize catch for any young ambitious man), and partly because the higher echelons of Glasgow society expected such gentlemanly courtesy.

Her thoughts were abruptly interupted by the shouting outside. It was coming from within Blythswood Park. A preacher had come from Edinburgh and was standing on a box, addressing the gathered crowd. He was screaming at the top of his voice, and pointing to number 7 Blythswood Square. Mercifully, Janet could not make out what he was saying, but she knew his words would be full of condemnation and hate - just like the letters her dear Papa had been receiving every day since the the beginning of the trial.

Bessie called to Janet and asked her to join the others in the kitchen. The Smith family were all gathered, and a policeman was standing by the door which led into the back court. He was waiting for a signal from a colleague to move the family out. Eventually, a breathless policeman ran into the ktichen and told the family to move now. The decoy carriage arrived at the front of the house in Blythswood Square. 6 people dressed in respectable clothes, passing as the Smith family quickly boarded the carriage. Suddenly, a crowd chased after it, and the convoy of two mounted policemen, who drew their batons. Two policemen on foot tried to hold the crowd back, but they were quickly brushed aside.

As this was happening, the Smith family and two of their servants followed the policeman, and quickly made their way through the back court, then through the close at Mains Street (now called Blythswood Street). Two carriages were waiting, escorted by four mounted policemen, two at the front, two at the rear, When the family boarded the carriages, they quckly sped down Mains Street, then turned right into Bath Street, heading for the ferry boat on the River Clyde.

For Janet, this was the saddest journey of her young life. Although their country home in Rhu offered security and peace, she loved Glasgow dearly and would miss the busy streets and the hectic social life. Grief overcame her and she began to weep. Her older sister Bessie put her arm around Janet to comfort her. Mr and Mrs Smith looked on dispassionately. They were deep in their own thoughts, and hard times lay ahead of them.

Hardly a word was spoken on their sad journey to Rhu, and the name of Madeleine Smith was not uttered once. Back at No.7 Blythswood Square, the Smiths solicitor was locking the front door for the last time. Inside the house, it was dark, all the window shutters had been closed. Although it was summer, a cold blanket of gloom pervaded all the rooms. In Madelaine's bedroom, the faint musky smell of her perfume was still evident. On the window ledge at street level, between the bars of the window - was a brown circle on the window sill, made by a cup that had been placed there a few months before. The routine light dusting carried out by the maid every day did not disturb the stain that remained.


The old lady pulled her hands away from the wall. But the images were still strong. In the gloom, she could see Pierre Emile L'Angelier bend down and place a china cup on the window ledge between the bars. She could make out a delicate hand remove the cup, and proffer the hand to him. Pierre grasped it lovingly, then rose, and walked through the old lady. As his face merged with hers, she could see a wicked smile form on his lips, before passing through her. The old lady looked down, and saw the face of Madeleine Smith look out through the window. She too had a smile on her face, but her eyes were narrowed and her brows furrowed.

The gloom turned to bright sunlight again, and the old lady was free of the wall's enticing vibrations. The old lady knew that since that sad event, Bessie and Janet lived together as spinsters for years, never again to be revered by Glasgow society.

Only the whispering wall and the old lady know the truth about what was in that china cup.