Edinburgh during James McLevy’s lifetime was a city of crowded streets, sharp inequalities, medical discoveries and social reform. Choose a subject below to explore the articles, or follow the decade-by-decade guides.
Streets, Housing & Poverty
Explore the Old Town’s crowded neighbourhoods, changing population, poverty and the efforts to improve living conditions.
Children, Women & Reform
Read about ragged schools, Dr Guthrie, children caught up in the justice system, women’s lives and the city’s hospitals.
Police, Courts & Punishment
Meet the police superintendents, explore the courts and prisons, and follow the debate about transportation.
Famous People
A chronological guide to writers, doctors, reformers and police figures who lived in or visited Edinburgh during McLevy’s lifetime.
Edinburgh by Decade
Trace how the city changed from the 1830s to the 1870s, during and after McLevy’s police career.
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The Real McLevy · BBC & Fiction · Cases & Stories · Places & Walks · Sources & Research
