Latest news with #TheWitchcraftAct
Euronews
26-02-2025
- Euronews
A living memorial: Witches of Scotland tartan honours the victims of witch hunts
Tartan is more than patterned cloth in Scotland. Specific tartans were linked to clans and regions, and the designs carry symbolic meaning. Modern tartans are registered for organisations, individuals, and commemorative purposes in the official Scottish Register of Tartans and the newest entry is special. The new Witches of Scotland tartan is a memorial for the people - primarily women - falsely persecuted under Scotland's Witchcraft Act which was in place between 1563 and 1736. The decree defined witchcraft as a crime and resulted in the executions and burnings of thousands. The new tartan, registered on 11 February, is part of a campaign to bring attention to these unjustified executions across Scotland and to remind people of historical injustices that stemmed from the desire to subjugate women, stigmatize folk medicine and persecute those who practiced midwifery. The Scottish Register of Tartans states: "This design was created to memorialise those who suffered as a result of The Witchcraft Act 1563 to 1736 in Scotland. This tartan will be woven to make products to help create a 'living memorial'." According to The Wild Hunt, the tartan was desined by Clare Campbell, founder of the Prickly Thistle tartan mill. The Witches of Scotland tartan is predominantly black, grey and red – colours which represent the dark chapter of history, as well as its bloody outcome. Grey symbolises ash, pink stands for the legal tapes binding trial documents, while red stands for bloodshed. The thread count encodes the years 1563 and 1736 (1+5+6+3 = 15 and 1+7+3+6 = 17), with these numbers woven into black and grey bands surrounding a white check of three threads, symbolizing the campaign's three objectives. These are securing 1) a legal pardon; 2) a formal apology; 3) national memorials for those convicted and executed. The 173 threads in the tartan's squares symbolise the number of years the Witchcraft Act was enforced. Founded in 2020 by Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, Witches of Scotland has campaigned for justice. In 2022, on International Women's Day, then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged the historic injustice and issued a formal apology. "Firstly, acknowledging injustice, no matter how historic is important,' said Sturgeon at the time. 'This parliament has issued, rightly so, formal apologies and pardons for the more recent historic injustices suffered by gay men and by miners.' "Second, for some, this is not yet historic. There are parts of our world where even today, women and girls face persecution and sometimes death because they have been accused of witchcraft.' She continued: 'And thirdly, fundamentally, while here in Scotland the Witchcraft Act may have been consigned to history a long time ago, the deep misogyny that motivated it has not. We live with that still. Today it expresses itself not in claims of witchcraft, but in everyday harassment, online rape threats and sexual violence.' Despite Sturgeon's acknowledgment, no official pardon has yet been granted.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rylan Clark 'working on new witchcraft history show'
Rylan Clark is reportedly working on a new documentary series about The Witchcraft Act. The 36-year-old presenter is working with TV historian Professor Alice Roberts on new series 'The Witches of Essex' exploring Henry VIII's law against witches in 1542, which led to thousands of women being persecuted and many burned at the stake. A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "Rylan has been busy learning about art and history over on the BBC, but now — he's diving in closer to home. "The three-parter will see Rylan investigate the epicentre of the persecution of witches, and the thousands of women who met their deaths thanks to laws against magic. 'He'll learn about the three most notorious witch trials, all of which were held in Essex, and the consequences it had on the people of his home county.' He and Alice have already teased the Sky History programme on social media as they shared a photo on stage at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London's South Bank. They quipped that they were "cooking up some magic", and it's now been reported they have been filming for the programme, which is being produced by Louis Theroux' Mindhouse company. Last year, Rylan teamed up with judge Rob Rinder for 'Rob and Ryan's Grand Tour' in Italy, and in October a second series of the BBC travelogue show was confirmed with the pair jetting off to India. Rylan said on Instagram: "So excited we're back for series two and this time we're off to INDIA. Bumped into each other yesterday and this is how excited we are. Thank you everyone that watched our show and we can't wait until we get going for S2. I'll try not to kill him." The show focuses on the television personalities follow in the footsteps of 19th century romantic poet Lord Byron and other Grand Tourists as they immerse themselves in the art, culture, bad behaviour and life-changing exploits of historic Brits abroad. After Greece, Spain and France were considered as destinations, show bosses ultimately decided to send the two stars east for a trip titled 'A Passage To India' in honour of E. M. Forster's 1924 novel.
