| |
Fear of witchcraft affected
many areas of Scotland in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, and, as a result, several hundred witchcraft trials were
held in Scotland in that period. For more information about witchcraft
in Scotland, details of historical records and frequently asked questions
about witchcraft see below. |
| |
Fear of witches and witchcraft trials
Persecution of supposed witches started in
medieval times. However, in Scotland the phenomenon became most
intense between 1563 and about 1700, when witchcraft was a criminal
offence punishable by death. Popular fear of witchcraft may have
increased after the Reformation, although the shortage of record
sources prior to the reign of James VI makes this difficult to verify.
Witch-hunting was suppressed by the Cromwellian administration of
the 1650s, but witch-hunts reappeared in various parts of Scotland
in the last quarter of the seventeenth century. The method of execution
was normally strangulation, following which the body was burnt in
public to prevent re-animation by demonic forces. After 1763 courts
could only prosecute for 'pretended witchcraft' and impose a maximum
penalty of a year's imprisonment. Cases could be investigated by
local church courts or landowners' courts, but most trials were
conducted by special justiciary commissions sent from Edinburgh.
Trials often took place in the burgh nearest to the alleged crime,
since towns had gaols to hold the accused, buildings in which a
large court could sit and the financial resources to accommodate
a trial and stage an execution.
Archive sources for witchcraft trials
Although sources in the National Archives
of Scotland have been extensively examined by researchers, sources
for the study of witchcraft in local areas do not appear to have
been similarly examined. The phenomenon of witchcraft in Scotland
and its investigation by church and civil authorities merits further
investigation, including the differentiation by some courts between
superstitious charming and witchcraft, and the treatment of witchcraft
accusations in cases of slander.
The best published work on witchcraft in
Scotland is Christina Larner, Enemies of God: the witch hunt
in Scotland (London, 1981).
|
|
|
|
1
Where can I find information about witchcraft in Scotland for a
school project?
2.
Where can I find information about a specific witchcraft trial?
3.
What sources are available for the study of witchcraft in Scotland
for undergraduate and postgraduate students?
|
