Latest / The Story of Scotland: Clans, Crowns, and the Fight for Identity — Fexingo History / Scotland's Last Witch Burnings: The Tollbooth Executions
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Scotland's battles and kings, but today I want to look at something darker — the witch hunts. Specifically, the last executions, and how they finally came to an end. Luna: I've heard of the North Berwick witches — that was King James, right? Lucas: Exactly. That was in 1590-91, and it's famous because James VI got personally involved. He actually interrogated some of the accused himself. But that was just the beginning. The real explosion came in the 1640s and 1650s, when Scotland went through what historians call the Great Scottish Witch Hunt. Thousands of people — mostly women — were accused, and hundreds were executed. Lucas: The legal basis was the Witchcraft Act of 1563, which made witchcraft a capital crime. But unlike in England, where torture was largely illegal, Scottish law allowed it quite freely. That's a huge reason why the trials got so out of hand. Confessions extracted under torture were considered valid evidence. Luna: That's horrifying. And they actually burned people at the stake? Lucas: They did. The standard punishment was strangulation first, then burning — to spare the condemned, supposedly. But there were cases where they were burned alive. And the bodies were often denied Christian burial, which was a huge deal in a deeply religious society. Lucas: Let's jump to the very end. The last known execution in Scotland is usually given as 1727, in Sutherland. A woman — we don't even know her name — was found guilty of witchcraft and burned. But there's also the more famous case of Janet Horne, who was executed in Dornoch in 1722. She's often called the last witch in Scotland, but the 1727 case is documented. Luna: Wait, so there were executions that late? I thought the Enlightenment was already happening by then. Lucas: That's exactly the paradox. The Scottish Enlightenment was just getting going — David Hume was born in 1711, Francis Hutcheson was teaching at Glasgow in the 1720s. But the old beliefs died hard, especially in remote areas. The Sutherland execution happened in a place where the kirk sessions still had enormous power. Lucas: And it wasn't just the kirk. The Privy Council in Edinburgh had to approve executions, and they were still doing it. The case of Janet Horne is particularly tragic because her daughter was accused too, and Janet was actually convicted partly for trying to protect her. She was burned alive. Luna: That's heartbreaking. And her daughter? Lucas: She managed to escape, actually. But there's another case from around the same time that's really telling — Lilias Adie, from Fife. She was accused in 1704, and she confessed under torture. But she died in prison before she could be executed. And here's the thing — her body was buried in a shallow grave, and in the 19th century, her skull was dug up and displayed in a museum. It wasn't until the 1960s that her remains were finally given a proper burial. Luna: Oh, that's awful. So what actually stopped the trials? Lucas: It was a combination of things. The Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1736, largely thanks to the influence of Enlightenment thinkers and a growing skepticism. But even before that, the legal system was starting to crack down on the use of torture. In 1708, the Privy Council issued a ruling that made it much harder to use torture to get confessions. Lucas: And there were a few judges who started to push back. There's a famous case from 1697 — the Paisley witches — where a minister named Mr. Tullis presented a petition to the Privy Council arguing that the evidence was based on spectral evidence, which he said was unreliable. That case actually led to the last mass execution in Scotland, but it also sparked a debate. Luna: So the Enlightenment didn't just happen in philosophy books — it happened in courtrooms. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes this story so interesting. It wasn't just a sudden change of heart. It was a slow, painful process of questioning what counted as evidence, and whether the state should be in the business of killing people for things that might not even be real. Lucas: Before we get to the very end, I want to mention one more thing. The witch trials in Scotland were overwhelmingly aimed at women — about 85% of the accused were women, mostly elderly, poor, and often on the margins of society. And the accusations often came from within the community, sometimes from neighbors who had petty grudges. Luna: It's like they were scapegoats. Lucas: Exactly. And that's part of why it's so disturbing. It's not just a story about superstition — it's a story about how fear and power can twist a society. Lucas: You know, talking about how easily fear can take hold — it reminds me of something. We're able to have these conversations because of listeners like you who support the show. If you're in a position to do so, a small pledge at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps keep this podcast ad-free and lets us keep digging into stories like this. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. And we appreciate every bit of it. Lucas: So, back to the trials. Let's talk about the very last one. It happened in 1727 in a place called Dornoch, in the Highlands. A woman — we don't even know her name — was accused of turning her daughter into a pony and having her shod by the devil. That's the accusation, believe it or not. She was tried, found guilty, and burned. Luna: That's insane. And that's the last one? Lucas: As far as we know, yes. There were a few later trials, but no executions. The Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1736, and after that, the whole legal framework just collapsed. But it's worth remembering that even after the act was repealed, people still believed in witchcraft. It just stopped being a crime punishable by death. Lucas: And there's a fascinating epilogue. In the 19th century, as Scottish historians started to look back at the trials, they were horrified. People like Sir Walter Scott wrote about them, and they became a symbol of the ignorance of the past. But it wasn't until the 21st century that we saw formal apologies. In 2020, the Scottish government issued a formal apology for the witch trials, and in 2022, a memorial was unveiled in Edinburgh to remember the thousands of people who were executed. Luna: A memorial? That's good that they're remembering them. Lucas: Yes, and it's called the 'Witches' Well' — no, that's actually an older fountain in Edinburgh. The new memorial is a series of stones, one for each of the known victims. It's a powerful reminder of what can happen when fear and authority go unchecked.