The Scottish
Witch Trials
1563 — 1736
Between the Witchcraft Act of 1563 and its repeal in 1736,
Scotland prosecuted more people for witchcraft per capita
than any other country in Europe.
Nearly 3,837 names survive in the record.
These are their stories.
Source: Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, University of Edinburgh (2003)
The Wave
Accusations did not rise steadily — they came in violent surges, driven by panic, politics, and persecution.
Who They Were
They were not mysterious figures from the shadows. They were ordinary people — servants, midwives, neighbours.
The Machinery
Accusation set a merciless process in motion. Few who entered it emerged unscathed.
The Charges
What exactly were they accused of? The answers range from the terrifying to the heartbreakingly mundane.