Time For Witches To Rest In Peace

Flames leapt into the cold afternoon air as Agnes Sampson's body was burnt at the stake on Castlehill. She had earlier been strangled to death after being found guilty of dozens of offences under the Witchcraft Act, including dancing with the Devil in a North Berwick church and attempting to sink King James VI's ship, and now a jeering crowd gathered to watch as her body was engulfed by the fire.

The year was 1591 and Scotland was gripped by a climate of religious paranoia which manifested itself in a fear of witches. Agnes, who was a widow and midwife, but also a devout Catholic, would normally have been expected to live and die without making any mark on history.

Instead she became one of the 4000 ordinary people – mostly women – who were tried, tortured, and executed after being accused of witchcraft throughout Scottish history, often as a result of their religious beliefs. Full Story

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