June 2nd , 1581
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1525 - June 02, 1581), was the last, and arguably the most successful, of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. However he met an unfortunate end: during his time as regent he introduced the maiden, a primitive guillotine, to Scotland, and he was eventually executed by it himself. He was executed by the maiden–a guillotine he had himself brought from England–on the 2nd of June 1581. He is buried at Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which is suspended a heavy blade. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the victims head.
The guillotine became famous (and acquired its name) in France at the time of the French Revolution. However, guillotine-like devices, such as the Halifax Gibbet (an English execution device that dates from the 13th century) and Scottish Maiden, existed and were used for executions in several European countries long before the French Revolution. The first documented use of The Maiden was in 1307 in Ireland, and there are accounts of similar devices in Italy and Switzerland dating back to the 15th century. However, the French developed the machine further and became the first nation to use it as a standard execution method.
