In 1791, Michael Welsh provided the Scottish Justiciary Court with a statement into the events that led to the death of his ‘wife’ Mary McDonald. Welsh was thirty-four years old, from County Kerry in Ireland, and had worked since he was fifteen as a travelling merchant. He had come to Scotland around four years earlier, chiefly to sell his wares across the Scottish Highlands and central belt. His goods included clothing and accessories, like buckles, watches and pins. He met Mary McDonald whilst visiting Dumfries in the southwest of Scotland in December 1790. She was the daughter of a ‘residenter’ there and the wife of Hugh Finnan. The couple agreed to travel together, McDonald going as Welsh's mistress or wife, as he called her. She brought some lint (unspun cotton) to the marriage that she had received from a factory to spin (part of the ‘putting out’ system), and which she resold. She also had clothes and credit with various other people. As they headed north through Glasgow, McDonald was attacked by Welsh's lawful wife, Nelly Sullivan, who gathered such a crowd the couple were forced to quickly move on. On another occasion, a passing man admired McDonald and Welsh asked him what price he would pay for her, something he later claimed was just banter between men. Travelling through the country by foot, the couple did business with several people en route; at some places they left their goods in storage, knowing they would not sell in other regions.