Scotland is preparing for a large-scale process for the rehabilitation of people executed on charges of witchcraft in the period from 1563 to 1736. The relevant bill was introduced by the Scottish parliamentarians and has already received the support of the administration of the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, reports the Daily Mail.
“Thousands of women accused of witchcraft in Scotland will be posthumously pardoned after almost 300 years,” the newspaper writes.
The petition demanding to start the rehabilitation process was initiated by Claire Mitchell, the Queen’s counsel, the leader of the group “Witches of Scotland”, advocating for the revision of medieval sentences. The project also provides for an official apology on behalf of the government and the installation of a national memorial to the victims of the witch hunt.
How many people in Scotland in the 16th and 18th centuries were accused of witchcraft?
According to the portal “Witches of Scotland” (Witches of Scotland), in 1563 a law on witchcraft was passed in the country, which remained in force until 1736. During this period, according to preliminary estimates, 3,837 people were accused of witchcraft. The vast majority are women (about 84%). Moreover, at some court sessions, the King of Scotland James VI (1566 – 1625) was present personally, as he considered himself an expert in witchcraft and even wrote a book “Demonology” in 1597.
2,148 women and 410 men were executed. Obviously, these figures are approximate, but they give an idea of how many women and men have suffered from this terrible injustice,” write supporters of the rehabilitation of victims of the witch hunt.
What could be accused of witchcraft for?
In medieval sentences there were a variety of charges: creating a storm to sink the royal navy, regular meetings with the devil, divination with the aim of sending a hangover and even night transformations into owls.
In the 16th and 18th centuries, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death.Before the sentence was carried out, the Scots were tortured until they confessed. For example, they deprived of sleep or pierced the skin with needles. Before the execution, they were strangled, and then burned at the stake, so that they would not have to bury the bodies later, writes the portal “Witches of Scotland”.
How is the memory of people accused of witchcraft honored in Scotland?
According to the portal “Witches of Scotland”, in some places in Scotland there are small memorials in memory of the victims of the witch hunt. So, activists of the movement discovered the grave of a certain Aidy from Torriburn, who died in 1704. She was sentenced to be burned at the stake for «malicious spells and sex with the devil», however obviouslyShe committed suicide in prison and was buried under a large stone, writes the Daily Mail. In September 2019, Claire Mitchell and members of the Witches of Scotland laid wreaths at her grave. In the person of Aidy, the Scots honored all the innocently murdered men and women accused of witchcraft.
Information Sources:
witchesofscotland.com
dailymail.co.uk/