At one stage it was illegal for a Scot to marry an English person. Cross border unions were not tolerated. I always assumed that this was the crux of the matter even although Dundee is a fair distance from the border.The river Dee which has a large population of Cleland's is however on or near the border and I have often wondered if we have a mondegreen situation here. There is no direct historical evidence of Susie Cleland being burned in Dundee but the victims name was not always recorded even although the amount of tar and wood is noted in surviving documents.