Witches of Scotland: On 'viral' tartan and How to Kill a Witch

The Courier

08-05-2025

Dr Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell KC are known to many in Dundee as teacher and a human rights lawyer, respectively.
They are also the founders of the Witches of Scotland, who in 2022 persuaded then Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon to formally apologise for the injustice of the country's witch trials between the 16th and 18th centuries.
And this Saturday, the two self-avowed 'quarrelsome dames' will take their place on the Royal Mile for the capital's inaugural Tartan Parade, to promote a crowdfunded Witches of Scotland tartan, devised as a living memorial for those persecuted over that time.
On an evening video call following the duo's Highlands trip to see the Witches of Scotland tartan start rolling off looms at the Prickly Thistle mill near Alness, Zoe admits that seeing the tartan come alive was 'wild'.
'Seeing it actually getting made was just mind-boggling,' she says.
The tartan itself has gone viral, taking off across the pond as well as here in Scotland, with fans even getting the pattern painted on their nails.
'We knew it would be popular,' says Zoe. Witches of Scotland tartan. Image: Supplied.
'A lot of people follow what we do, especially in the US and Canada, they're really behind the campaign.
'But I don't think we had any real sense of how genuinely viral it had gone.'
Claire, who was based in Dundee until recently, but now lives between Edinburgh and London, adds: 'Even now we're getting several messages a day asking where can I get the tartan, what's going on? Every time you pick up your phone, there are emails and Instagram and TikToks. You're like, 'Ahhhh!'' New book is 'accessible' non-fiction
The tartan's popularity is no doubt in part due to the success of Zoe and Clarie's Witches of Scotland podcast, which has seen them gain hundreds of listeners around the world.
And the duo are also gearing up to release a book on the subject of Scottish witches – the anticipated How To Kill A Witch – with a special edition decorated in their striking black-and-red tartan.
More important, though, is the book's content – a clearly written breakdown of why Scotland's church and state hunted witches and so many women were persecuted.
Both campaigners were keen on a non-fiction work, as they were already writers in different ways, Zoe explains.
In 2012, the Newport-on-Tay-based teacher published a novel Anywhere's Better Than Here, while her collaborator's career involves what Claire describes as 'very dull' writing. The limited edition tartan cover for How to Kill a Witch. Image: Supplied.
Zoe replies: 'But it's factual writing, not made-up, whereas my stuff usually is.
'I've always thought it would be nice to have another source of information people can pick up. It's an artifact that can galvanise readers in a different way.' 'To be a woman, you need a sense of humour'
The book's many chilling descriptions of torture and executions, such as that of Girzell Simpson in Forfar, are balanced by the authors' dry wit – an important touch, Zoe believes, not least for themselves.
She says: 'To survive being a woman, you need a sense of humour, cause otherwise you would just implode with rage.'
Claire adds: 'Eminent experts have written about the Witchcraft Act and the trials, but because they're proper historians, some of their books are very big academic tomes and very dense.
'Our campaign is about making things as accessible as possible.
'We hope somebody that might not pick up an academic book picks this up and learns broadly about who brought the act in, how trials took place and their relevance today.' 'We have to be on our guard' says Zoe
Zoe points out their work is not just a factual retelling, but 'a rallying cry' for contemporary women, as persecution against 'witches' still occurs in parts of Africa, including Nigeria, Malawi and Ghana.
'Our book is overtly feminist – it's a call to arms,' she says.
'The point is to say 'this is what happens and it's starting to happen again in different ways'.
'In the States, women's rights are under attack and everywhere humans try and find vulnerable people to blame when things go wrong, like immigrants in boats.
'We have to be on our guard.'
How To Kill A Witch by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell is published on May 15 2025.
The authors appear at Toppings, St Andrews on May 16, and as part of Dundee Book Festival on June 14.