Taking fifteen true crime cases prosecuted at the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland between 1700 and 2000, this book explores developments in social attitudes and legal responses to violence. From the last execution for witchcraft to the first prosecution for marital rape, as well as cases of murder, poisoning and multiple killings, Scottish History in 15 Violent Crimes examines aspects of masculinity, female agency and emancipation, and societal tolerance of 'the other'.

Using the High Court of Justiciary criminal records, newspaper reportage and other contemporary sources, Heren revisits the scene of each crime to examine the Scottish experience of interpersonal violence across three centuries. The selected cases allow for exploration of inter-class tensions, misogyny, the role of gender, attitudes towards marriage and morality, homosexuality, youth and 'foreign-ness'. Scottish History in 15 Violent Crimes analyses how society has and does perceive different types of criminal violence, its victims and perpetrators and their motives, and how juries have responded, especially when capital punishment was the only sentence available.

Charting the social and legal developments that emerged in response to these acts of violence, this book contributes to ongoing debates about gender, crime and the law, and asks why individuals commit such crimes, and how far we have really progressed in our attitudes towards and treatment of violence.