A look back at Scotland's sinister witch trials as victims to be commemorated
West Dunbartonshire could see a memorial erected to honour the victims of the Scottish Witch Trials, commemorating those persecuted for witchcraft during the 17th century. Councillor Chris Pollok is set to present a motion at the next full council meeting to formally recognise the women and men accused of witchcraft in the local area.
The initiative is supported by the charity Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland, which aims to preserve the memory of those accused and to work with schools and libraries to teach the history of these tragic events, Glasgow Live reports.
The witch trials were set against a backdrop of religious fervour. Following the establishment of Protestantism as Scotland's official religion in 1560, the government and the Church were keen to enforce strict moral conduct.
The Witchcraft Act was introduced under these pressures, driven by the belief that malevolent individuals in league with the Devil threatened the nation's wellbeing.
One of the cruelest methods used to extract confessions was pricking. So-called 'witch prickers' pierced the accused with needles, often in intimate areas, searching for a Devil's mark, which was thought to be invulnerable to pain or bleeding.
Many times, natural marks such as warts, moles or scars were interpreted as evidence. Neighbour testimonies, often arising from personal quarrels, were also commonly used to implicate others.
The majority of those accused were women, reflecting societal beliefs that women were weak-willed and more easily influenced by the Devil. The Witchcraft Act itself did not define what constituted witchcraft, yet communities regularly identified supposed witches.
Many accused individuals were ordinary people whose perceived independence or assertiveness, known as 'smeddum', challenged contemporary ideals of femininity.
Some cases illustrate the devastating reach of these trials. In 1597, the Leyis family faced accusations spanning decades. The matriarch, Johnnet Wischert, was accused of shapeshifting and other misdeeds, while her son Thomas was implicated in leading a witches' sabbath at Aberdeen's Mercat Cross.
Both were executed, while other family members were banished for associating with convicted witches.
Torture and interrogation were routine. In Orkney in 1616, Elspeth Reoch, accused of witchcraft, was beaten by her own brother to force a confession.
Similarly, in 1623, Issobell Haldane admitted to consorting with fairies after seeking water from a healing well for a sick child. In 1661, Issobell Fergussone was pricked and forced to confess to a pact with the Devil, ultimately leading to her execution.
The fate of most accused witches is largely unknown, though historical estimates suggest about two-thirds were executed. Many were strangled before being burned, and only a few were burned alive.
The final Scottish witchcraft execution occurred in 1727, when Janet Horne was imprisoned, tried, and condemned after her daughter was allegedly transformed into a pony by the Devil.
By the eighteenth century, scepticism about witchcraft had grown, and evidence such as pricking was deemed unreliable. In 1736, the British Parliament repealed both the Scottish and English Witchcraft Acts.
In 2022, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a public apology for the historic persecution, describing it as 'injustice on a colossal scale.'
The Church of Scotland also acknowledged the harm inflicted on thousands, mostly women, with estimates suggesting 3,000 to 5,000 accused and around 2,500 executed, approximately five times the European average, with 84 percent of those accused being women.
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Names of the 31 accused witches of West Dunbartonshire
1624
Jonet MacKinley (executed)
Marioun MacLintock (executed)
Marioun Fallisdaill (executed)
John Taylor (unknown outcome)
1628
Jonet Boyd (executed)
Marioun MacLintock (unknown outcome)
Janet Weill (unknown outcome)
1629
Janet Donald (executed)
Jonet Neill (executed)
Margaret Hunter (unknown outcome)
1630
Janet Mitchell (unknown outcome)
1632
Lord John Colquhoun (absconded)
Thomas Carlipis (unknown outcome)
1643
Bessie Bargillie (executed)
1649
Margaret Corruith (executed)
Jonet Davisonne (executed)
Agnes McKen (executed)
1650
Jonet Patersone (executed)
Margaret McMurich (executed)
Jonet McClintock (unknown outcome)
Jonet Colquhoun (executed)
Margaret McInlay (executed)
Jonet Ewing (executed)
Jonet Stewart (unknown outcome)
1656
John McWilliam (executed)
1671
Jonet Howat (unknown outcome)
1677
Margaret Wright (executed)
Issobell Laing (executed)
Jonet Munn (executed)
Margaret Paterson (executed)
1697
Margaret McKillope (executed)
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