SCOTS who were accused, persecuted and executed for being witches were remembered at a special service in the grounds of Dunfermline Abbey.
The event, a collaboration between the Creative Coven and Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland, even attracted one visitor from New York.
It was described as “a very emotional evening” by Samantha Neill, who runs the social media and promotion for the Creative Coven, and who is also a West Fife and Coastal Villages councillor for the SNP.
She said: “The part that we have received most comments about was the simultaneous reading of the 4,000 names by eight name-bearers.
“To hear all of these being read out on hallowed ground, the type of ground that the accused were deemed to be unfit to be laid to rest in, was humbling and very emotive.”
The memorial was held on Tuesday, June 4. The date is historically important as it was the date that the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 became active.
It called for the death penalty for all such offences and as a result, thousands of men and women were killed in Scotland. The act does not clarify what a witch is or what constitutes witchcraft.
This act was on Scottish statute books for the best part of 200 years until it was repealed as a result of a House of Lords amendment for the post-union Witchcraft Act 1735.
Gregor Stewart wrote in his book, Secret Dunfermline: “The Witchcraft Act on 1563 had been introduced under the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.
“It served two purposes: firstly, it was designed to stamp out any remnants of the old Celtic traditions such as using herbs as medicine and failing to attend church at the required times, which were considered sufficient evidence for arrest and trial as a witch; the second intention was to try to quell the Protestant Reformation, which brought new rights to women as individuals.”
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These burning times really became prominent in Scotland after the marriage of King James VI to Anne of Denmark. The two had a proxy wedding in Copenhagen, after which Anne left for Scotland to finally meet her new husband.
However, storms forced her ship to turn back, with King James setting sail himself to retrieve his bride. But the couple’s journey to Scotland was impacted by storms again.
According to Stewart: “There were two attempts to sail from Denmark back to Scotland that had almost resulted in disaster, and an investigation was launched, with a Danish minister being suspected of under-supplying the ships, making them unstable in the storms.
“He bizarrely claimed that it was witches, who met in the house of Karen the weaver, who had sent imps to load empty barrels onto the ships.”
King James then played a key role in the witchcraft trials that followed later in Scotland, and even wrote a book on the topic of witchcraft called Daemonologie.
At last week's event, in the grounds of the abbey, the names of all of those people who were accused of being witches were read out. Sadly, many of their names are now lost to time, so they were read out as unknown.
Samantha said: “The Creative Coven and RAWS (Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland) were delighted with the turnout, we even had a couple who had travelled from New York to be there and at our other event in Edinburgh.
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“The piobaireachd composed for the accused by Karen McCrindle Warren was played beautifully by piper Annabel Charlton and then the declaration was read out by Rowan Morrison, founder of the Creative Coven.”
Local Fife poet, Marianne L. Berghuis, read out two poems called ‘Hagstone’ and ‘For Direction’.
Award winning MOD singer, Rena Gertz, performed and the ceremony was closed with a final lament on the bagpipes.
Many women from West Fife lost their lives as a result of ignorance and persecution.
Those accused of witchcraft in Dunfermline include Jonett (Janet) Fentoun Marr who died in prison in 1643. Another accused, Isobell Marr, committed suicide in jail. Both were carried up to Witch Knowe and buried in an unmarked grave.
One woman who managed to survive was Auld Bessie Bittern. The story goes that she asked a local weaver called Johnnie to dig some potatoes for her.
Johnnie’s wife interfered in the conversation and said that her husband was unable to help as he needed to work on an order.
The next day, Johnnie tried to start work on a cloth he was weaving, but the shuttle flew from his hand. This kept happening until he came to the conclusion that Bessie had bewitched him.
She was arrested for witchcraft but as the full effects of the Witchcraft Act had not come into force, she was banished from Dunfermline rather than executed.
Perhaps the best-known West Fife witch is Lilias Adie. Accused by her neighbour, Jean Nelson, of bringing her poor health, Lilias confessed to the crime of witchcraft but died in 1704 before her trial in Dunfermline jail could take place.
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Official records from the time say that she was burned at the stake on Torryburn beach, but this is thought to be untrue.
Her body was buried on the shoreline in Torryburn under a stone slab. This was to prevent her corpse from being reanimated and haunting those who had persecuted her in life.
People also believed at the time that witches could not cross moving water, and so the tide would stop her from leaving her watery grave.
However, Lilias was still unable to find peace. Her resting place was disturbed, and her skull removed on the orders of Dunfermline damask designer, Joseph Noel Paton.
It is thought that it eventually came into the care of the University of St Andrews, but her skull has since gone missing.
Cat Berry, a descendent of Joseph Noel Paton, is now working hard to try and trace Lilias’ skull in order to give her the proper burial that she was denied.
There are still remnants of the witch trials left in West Fife now. Streets such as Witch Brae serve as a reminder of these dark times, and Townhill Road was formerly known as Witch Loan.
There also used to be a stone boulder at the side of the road between Crossford and Cairneyhill. It was known locally as the Witches Stone, supposedly carried there by a witch.
In 1972, explosives were placed in the stone and it was blown up. Nothing now remains of it.
However there is a memorial plaque in Culross to remember those who died in the village as a result of the burning times.
It's underneath an information board on the village green, facing the town hall, which was where those accused of witchcraft in the village were held.
It states: "32 innocent women were accused of being witches. So many ordinary women were accused of being witches in Culross.
"Innocent victims of unenlightened times."
The Creative Coven now hope to run more events in Dunfermline later in the year. They have plans for an awareness-raising exhibition and workshops in the city around August to mark World Day Against Witch Hunts.
Speaking of the event in Dunfermline, Samantha added: “A truly special evening that none of us will ever forget.”
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