In 1563 the Witchcraft Act was brought into law in Scotland, and remained in law till 1736. The vast majority of those accused, some 84%, were women. An estimated 3837 people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland and two thirds of those were executed. Scotland killed 5 times as many people as witches than elsewhere in Europe.

When accused of witchcraft, people were locked up awaiting trial and tortured to confess. The stripping and pricking of women was common, as was sleep deprivation – keeping people awake until they confessed.

One of the most poignant cases of witch hunting, according to Fife Council archaeologist Douglas Speirs, is the one of Lilias Adie – a poor woman accused of witchcraft who died in custody in Torryburn, West Fife, in 1704. After she confessed to being a witch and having sex with the devil, she died in prison before she could be tried, sentenced and burned. Locals buried her deep in wet mud of the foreshore – between the high tide and low tide mark – to prevent Satan from re-animating her dead corpse, and they put a heavy flat stone over her. 

The Witches of Scotland (WoS) Campaign, was launched on International Women’s Day 2020, by Claire Mitchell QC and Zoe Venditozzi, aiming:

      -to obtain a pardon for those convicted as witches under the Witchcraft Act 1563, 

      -to obtain an apology for all those accused and

      -to obtain a national memorial to remember those killed as witches.

WoS lodged a public petition with the Petition’s Committee asking for the aims of the campaign to be met, which gained thousands signatures of support from home and abroad. The Scottish Government responded to the petition in March of 2021 and stated “The Scottish Government acknowledges that those accused and convicted of the offence of witchcraft were women who faced discrimination and had very little protection in law from allegations of criminality including witchcraft.”

Unfortunately, witchcraft accusations are far from being a phenomenon of the past. In the 21st century vulnerable people, usually women, children and elders are still suffering the terrible fate of being accused as a witch.