Description

This was the 17th century equivalent of the City Chambers. The building, finished in 1627, marked the arrival of the merchant classes to the city and housed the town clerk's office, council hall and city prison. The Debtors Prison had a stream of inmates who elected their own provost and generally ran the place themselves. Witches, thieves and murderers were amongst the 'guests' and were occasionally hanged. The area became a focus for the town, so much so that the paved stone area in front of the tolbooth, 'Planestanes', became a prime location for the Tobacco Lords and other rich folk to display their finery. The main part of the building was destroyed when the City Improvement Trust, charged with ridding the city of squalor, swept it away but the seven storey steeple remains.