It is no secret that much of Europe's history is filled with trial by fire and hanging. Scotland was notorious for it's superstitions in witchcraft and wizardry, which is why to this day the stones of each ruin feel like they are bathed in magic.
However, you do not have to look far past the magic to see a history of tragedy, loss, and how fear paves a way for humans to do unspeakable things to one another.
An obsession with "Black" magic started in Scotland around the 1500s. Many natural disasters such as dying livestock, storms, and the spread of deadly disease, were explained away as works of 'The Devil' and those that followed him.
Much of this fear was aroused by King James I of Scotland, who became influenced by the 15th century witch hunts of Burgundy, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Scandinavia. These hunts were largely instigated by reformation of the Catholic and Protestant churches, who both hunted witches. Rulers wanted to show how faithful and loyal they were to their God and became terrified of anyone who did not practice holy rituals like themselves. These rulers believed that they could prove their loyalty to God by eradicating those that were "unholy" and by doing so their Kingdoms would be favoured and blessed.
Thousands of people, mainly women,
were executed for fear of being "unholy".
Anything from having an odd shaped birthmark, to not worshiping the lord "correctly" could mean you were sinful and "touched by the devil". According to National Geographic between 1590 and 1662, five intense panics erupted across Scotland. Due to these panics, around 2,500 (numbers subject to change) accused "witches" were executed, and those were just the one's that were documented. It is widely believed that many others were accused and executed without trial.
While most of us assume that a lot of the accused tended to be healers or midwives, and while there was a belief that if you could use magic to heal, you could use it to harm, statistics of those documented only showed a low number of the accused being done so because of healing or midwifery. According to The University of Edinburgh majority of those executed were from middle class families and were accused by their neighbours usually after a quarrel. Those accused would then be tortured for a confession to have "met" or made a pact with the devil. Torture usually included sleep deprivation (which leads to hallucinations) and then proceeded to trial. Trails would see evidence of confession, neighbour testimony, or that of another accused Witch, and "The Devils Mark" often found by a Witch-Pricker, who would prick the accused until they found a visual blemish or an insensitive spot. Scotland amazingly hardly ever used the famous "Swimming Test" as it had been debunked after testing in Scotland around 1597. Once found guilty, the accused would be strangled and then burned at the stake.
FAMOUSLY ACCUSED
Geillis Duncan
Many Outlander fans will recognise the name of Geillis Duncan, but many of you may not realise this character is based on a real life Woman, accused of Witchery. The Scottish Parliament made Witchcraft illegal in 1563, making it a capital offence.
Three decades later major panic finally erupted after King James I believed that he and his bride Anne had been targeted by a Witch. He believed dangerous storms had been conjured up by Witchcraft in an attempt to try and kill him and his wife during a crossing of the North Sea. This caused chaos among the people and during this widespread panic Geillis Duncan, a maidservant from Tranent, East Lothian, was accused and tortured by her employer, David Seton, in 1590. This made Geillis Duncan one of the first documented case of women being accused of witchcraft in Scotland.
Duncan had little of the way of education in her time, but despite this, during her employment with Bailiff David Seton, she proved to know much in the way of healing illness and alleviating pain. After some digging, Seton discovered that Duncan would often escape off the property during the night to an unknown location, which led to Seton bringing her in for interrogating. Geillis Duncan was subjected to torture but still remained silent until Seton had had enough. He stripped the poor girl naked and shaved her until they found the "The Devils Mark" on her neck. Duncan eventually "admitted" to practicing Witchcraft. During her confession she named several "accomplices" which she later retracted, but by then it was too late.
Duncan's confession sparked The North Berwick Witch Trials, which saw around 60 people accused of Witchcraft, including Duncan herself. It was believed that Duncan had attended a
meeting on Halloween of 200 Witches at The Kirk of North Berwick. During this meeting a plot was supposedly devised to bring about the death of King James as instructed by the Devil. Among those accused were John Cunningham [alias Fian, Sibbet] who was apparent secretary, schoolmaster, Agnes Sampson, midwife, Barbara Napier, former lady-in-waiting to the countess of Angus, Euphame MacCalzean, daughter of a senator of the college of justice, and Ritchie Graham, a magician.
Despite periodically trying to retract her statements as false information given under duress of torture, she and the majority of the accused were convicted as guilty and sentenced to death. Geillis Duncan was executed on the 4th of December 1591 at Castlehill, in Edinburgh. The North Berwick Witch Trails are said to have inspired William Shakespeare's 'MacBeth' and Duncan's confession was the start of a horrific chapter in Scotland's History.
Maggie Wall
A mile west of Dunning in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, stands a stone wall monument 20ft high with a stone cross top. The monument reads 'Maggie Wall was burnt here 1657 as a Witch'.
What's really strange however is that no one actually knows if Maggie Wall ever existed? Who erected the monument? Many have investigated witch trial and heritage records in hope to find a trace of Maggie Hall but to no avail. The monument has no erection date or documentation but it is believed that it was erected not long after the said event, most likely by the local landowner of the time. However, some suggest because of the way the monument is held together it was possibly erected in the early 1800s or at least "fixed" around then.
There is many theories on Maggie and her existence. Some say she was wrongfully executed by the church. Others say she had an affair with the local landowner and was executed because of it and the monument was put up out of guilt. Other's believe that it is a hoax that started in the 1800s and the name was taken from the surrounding field as it was once a walled field named "Maggie's Walls" meaning walled field of Maggie. Maggie was another spelling for 'Muggie' an old slang word for 'Mugg-ewe' (Sheep with a good coat of wool) or 'Muddy' (Muddy field).
Despite many people looking into the monument and the possibility of Maggie being a real person, it would seem we will never know the answer to the mystery surrounding the monument? Could the monument, that would have cost quite a bit of money in the 1800s to erect, all just be for a longstanding joke? Or was Maggie Wall a real woman who fell victim to a small tiny village taking the law into their own hands?
What do you think? (Comment Below)
You can grab this commemorative print of 'Maggie Wall' by Charlie Dear in our Subscription Box from the 4th of October 2021 - December 27th 2021 to honour all those of whom were accused and executed during the Witch Trials of the 1500s-1700s (Click here).
SOURCES:
Anon, 2021. Outlandish fact or devilish fiction? – the real Geillis Duncan. History Scotland. Available at: https://www.historyscotland.com/history/outlandish-fact-or-devilish-fiction-the-real-geillis-duncan/ [Accessed October 12, 2021].
Goodare, J. et al., 2003. K. Brewster, ed., Edinburgh, Scotland: University of Edinburgh. Available at: https://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/ [Accessed October 12, 2021].
GOODARE, J.U.L.I.A.N., 2019. A royal obsession with black magic started Europe's most brutal witch hunts. National Geographic. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2019/10/royal-obsession-black-magic-started-europes-most-brutal-witch [Accessed October 12, 2021].
Yeoman, L.a, 2004. North Berwick witches. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
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