Continuing some stories which I hope you haven’t heard about. In the early hours of Thursday, 30th May 1895, Craighead House at the banks of the River Clyde was broken into with a most daring heist carried out.

The mansion house in Blantyre was the residence of Mr. Robert Brown, successful wholesale spirit merchant of Glasgow and collector of antiquities. When the thief entered the property, he clearly knew what he was after.

During the break in, only one single item was touched and taken. An ancient solid silver plate, estimated even in 1895 to have been worth around £1,000 (thats about £160,000 in today’s money!). Mr Brown, being a prudent and wealthy businessman, had of course insured the plate against such an eventuality.

However, just the very next day, the thief stupidly tried to sell the plate, incredibly by trying to pawn it locally. Police alerted, a Blantyre miner was arrested on suspicion of being attached to the theft. Certainly, I’ve no idea how the miner thought he could get away trying to sell this plate without raising some concern.

Frustratingly, despite efforts researching, I’m not sure if Mr Brown got his plate back, but he wouldn’t have been out of pocket by the sounds of it. The former beautiful Craighead House is pictured 17 years earlier in 1878.