Witches of Scotland facts for kids
The Witches of Scotland was a special campaign that worked to get pardons and historical justice for people. These were mostly women who were found guilty of witchcraft and put to death in Scotland between 1563 and 1736. On March 8, 2022, a pardon and an apology were officially made. The campaign also aimed to create a national memorial from the Scottish parliament for those who were convicted.
This campaign was led by Claire Mitchell QC and writer Zoe Venditozzi. It started on International Women's Day in 2020. It gained a lot of attention in the news during 2021. The campaign also shared podcasts with talks from people like Carolyn Jess Cooke, Sara Sheridan, Julia Campanelli, Julian Goodare, and Alice Tarbuck.
Contents
Why Was This Campaign Needed?
In Scotland, a law called the Witchcraft Act stayed in place until 1736. Claire Mitchell QC has shown that Scotland put to death five times more people per person than anywhere else in Europe. It is thought that about 3,837 people were accused. Out of these, 2,558 were killed. A very high number, 84%, of those found guilty were women.
The campaign's website explains how King James VI of Scotland was involved. They call this time "Scotland's satanic panic." King James thought he knew a lot about witchcraft. He even wrote a book called Daemonologie.
What Did the Campaign Want to Achieve?
The people who started the campaign saw it as an important issue for women's rights. This is because so many more women than men were found guilty. They believed that pardoning and remembering these women would be a strong message against unfair treatment of women today.
The campaign had three main goals:
- A pardon for everyone who was found guilty.
- A formal apology from the Scottish government.
- A national memorial to remember them.
Clearing Names: The Pardon
The campaign wanted a legal pardon. This would show that those found guilty of witchcraft were victims of unfairness, not criminals.
Natalie Don, an SNP Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP), planned a bill to clear the names of those accused. The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, supported this idea in December 2021. A discussion about it started in June 2022. Natalie Don believes that having more women MSPs recently has helped this bill move forward.
Saying Sorry: The Apology
The campaign also wanted an apology from the Scottish government. This was important because many people in the witch hunts were only accused, not found guilty. A pardon could not be given to these people. Mitchell said that a "public statement of regret" was needed for them. Even just being accused of witchcraft caused lasting harm. Nicola Sturgeon gave a formal apology on International Women's Day in 2022.
Another group, Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland (RAWS), also got an apology from the Church of Scotland. This was for the Church's part in the persecution.
Remembering Them: The Memorial
The campaign also wanted a national memorial. This would be a place to remember all those affected by the witch trials. RAWS found a possible spot for the memorial in Kelty, Fife. This location is central to where many of the trials happened.
Learn More
- Witch trials in early modern Scotland
- Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597
- Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1661–62
- Great Scottish witch hunt of 1649–50
- Survey of Scottish Witchcraft
- List of people executed for witchcraft
