Witches of Scotland

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Witches of Scotland is a modern campaign for legal pardons and historic justice for the thousands of people convicted of witchcraft and executed in Scotland between 1563 and 1736.

In Scotland the Witchcraft Act remained in law till 1736. Witchcraft was a capital crime and punished by strangulation and burning at the stake. 84% of those accused, tortured and killed were women. The campaign group draw upon historical data from the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft and lobby the Scottish Parliament for a pardon, an apology and a national memorial.[1] Led by QC Claire Mitchell[2] and writer Zoe Venditozzi,[3] the campaign gained media coverage in 2021[4][5][6][7] and support from high profile writers who have researched or written novels based on historical stories. The podcasts published by the campaign include contributions from Carolyn Jess Cooke, Sara Sheridan, Julia Campanelli, Julian Goodare and Alice Tarbuck.[8]

The campaign website describes how King James the VI of Scotland considered himself an expert in witchcraft and wrote Daemonologie. An estimated 3837 people were accused of witchcraft.[9]

Claire Mitchell QC provides evidence that Scotland executed five times as many people per capita as anywhere else in Europe. "We absolutely excelled at finding women to burn in Scotland. Those executed weren’t guilty, so they should be acquitted."[10]

In the background to their petition the proposers argue that the convictions were terrible miscarriages of justice and that it is popular opinion now that the convictions ought not to have happened. Posthumous pardons and apologies can be granted to convicted and accused people. They suggest that a national memorial would better facilitate proper reflection on the stories of these women and men in Scotland.[11]

In December 2021 a bill to clear the names of those accused was supported in the Scottish Parliament.[12][13] The campaign lobbied for the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon to make a statement on International Women's Day 2022 on 8 March;[14] she did so.[15][16] The Scottish Parliament's Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee heard evidence from Mitchell and Venditozzi in February 2022.[17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "PE01855: Pardon and memorialise those convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1563". external.parliament.scot. 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  2. ^ "Claire Mitchell QC - Compass Chambers". www.compasschambers.com. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  3. ^ "Zoe Venditozzi". Books from Scotland. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  4. ^ Andy Philip. "Mercy for 'witches': Holyrood hears plea for Queen to pardon thousands of Scottish women". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  5. ^ Bryce, Tracey. "A pardon, An apology. A memorial: Campaigners urge pardon for Scots women executed for witchcraft". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  6. ^ Howard, Sally (2021-10-24). "Why the witch-hunt victims of early modern Britain have come back to haunt us". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  7. ^ "Scottish Parliament asked to right 'terrible miscarriage of justice' by pardoning thousands of witches". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  8. ^ "Podcast". Witches Of Scotland. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  9. ^ "About". Witches Of Scotland. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  10. ^ "Women executed 300 years ago as witches in Scotland set to receive pardons". the Guardian. 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  11. ^ "Background Info". external.parliament.scot. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  12. ^ "Women executed 300 years ago as witches in Scotland set to receive pardons". the Guardian. 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  13. ^ English, Paul. "Scotland prepares pardon for the 'witches' it executed". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  14. ^ Cowan, David (7 January 2022). "Witch apology would 'send powerful signal'". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Nicola Sturgeon apologises to people accused of witchcraft". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  16. ^ Cramer, Maria (9 March 2022). "Scotland apologizes for history of witchcraft persecution". New York Times. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  17. ^ Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee | Scottish Parliament TV, retrieved 2022-02-23
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