When we think of witch hunts, our minds often jump to Salem, Massachusetts. However, long before Salem, a far darker, more widespread chapter of persecution unfolded across the towns, fishing villages, and stone streets of Scotland.

Between 1563 and 1736, Scotland became the centre of a horrific frenzy. Driven by strict religious zeal, extreme weather, and royal paranoia, an estimated 3,800 people—roughly 84% of them women—were accused of witchcraft. Per capita, Scotland executed nearly five times as many people as anywhere else in Europe.

Here is the compelling story of Scotland’s witch trials, the infamous key figures, and how the country is finally remembering the innocent victims today.

The Spark: King James VI & The Royal Obsession

The flame of Scotland’s witch craze was fanned directly from the throne by King James VI (who later became King James I of England).

In 1589, when James set sail to Denmark to marry his young bride, Princess Anne, his fleet was battered by violent, unnatural storms at sea. Convinced that dark sorcery had been summoned to drown him, James launched Scotland’s first major witch hunt upon his return: The North Berwick Witch Trials (1590).

• The Royal Interrogator: King James personally attended and oversaw the brutal interrogation of suspects in Edinburgh.

• The Royal Book of Sorcery: In 1597, King James published Daemonologie, a textbook detailing how witches allegedly made pacts with the Devil, flew through the air, and summoned storms.

• The Legal Act: Under the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563, witchcraft was classified as a capital crime punishable by strangulation and public burning at the stake.

Key Historical Figures & Local Legends

Behind the terrifying numbers were real people whose lives were destroyed by unsubstantiated panic. Here are a few notable names whose stories echo through Scottish history:

Agnes Sampson (The "Wise Woman of Keith")

An elder midwife and herbal healer from East Lothian, Agnes was swept up in the North Berwick trials. Subjected to sleep deprivation and physical torture, she was forced to confess to conspiring with the Devil before being executed on Edinburgh’s Castlehill.

Lillias Adie of Torryburn, Fife

Accused of witchcraft in 1704, Lillias died in prison before she could be executed. Fearing she might rise from the dead as an agent of the Devil, the villagers buried her on the Torryburn mudflats at low tide beneath a massive half-ton sandstone slab. Today, her grave remains the only provable grave of an accused witch in Scotland.

Janet Horne of Dornoch

In 1727, in the northern town of Dornoch, an elderly woman named Janet Horne was accused of turning her daughter into a pony to ride around town. Showing signs of severe dementia, Janet was stripped, smeared with pitch, and burned in a tar barrel. A stone monument (The Witch's Stone) still marks the site in Dornoch today.

Historic Justice: The Modern Campaign

For centuries, the tragedy of Scotland's witch trials was largely overlooked or sensationalised in folklore. However, recent years have brought significant historical reckoning and justice:

• The Formal Apology (2022): On International Women's Day in March 2022, Scotland's then-First Minister issued an official formal apology to all those persecuted under the Witchcraft Act, acknowledging the deep misogyny behind the historical law.

• The Church's Apology: The Church of Scotland also issued an official statement of regret for its historical role in the persecutions.

• The Witches of Scotland Campaign: Spearheaded by legal experts and activists, campaigns continue to work toward legal pardons and a national physical memorial. In 2025, an official Memorial Tartan—symbolically woven with threads representing law, ashes, and memory—was registered to honour the victims.

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