00:00:00.160Hi, I'm Clare Mitchell QC. Welcome to the Witches of Scotland podcast.
00:00:05.220I'm a lawyer who specialises in miscarriage of justice cases and we're bringing you this podcast
00:00:10.120because we want to tell you about the women who were accused, prosecuted, convicted
00:00:15.240and ultimately executed as witches in Scotland.
00:00:18.780I'm Zoe Vendetotsi and I'm a writer who's always had an interest in the witches
00:00:22.780and I feel that this dark mark against Scotland needs a reckoning.
00:00:26.500The campaign Witches of Scotland wants three things.
00:00:29.600Firstly, a pardon for all those convicted of witchcraft.
00:00:33.120Secondly, an apology for all those who were accused as witches.
00:00:37.420And finally, a national monument in recognition of all those who were affected by this terrible miscarriage of justice.
00:00:44.420Over the forthcoming weeks, we'll be talking to a whole host of experts about the history and the modern day connections to the witches of Scotland.
00:00:51.420hello and welcome to this special episode of the witches of scotland podcast we are bringing this
00:01:01.000to you today to give you some exclusive and really pretty exciting news from our camp claire yes what
00:01:08.360we want to let you know is that the petition has now been lodged at the scottish parliament asking
00:01:14.780for people to sign up if they agree with the idea that we should have a pardon and apology
00:01:51.380Since March 2020, Zoe Venditotsi and I have been raising the profile of the campaign by our podcast, which can be found on the website www.witchesofscotland.com, which was set up to support the campaign.
00:02:05.580When standing in Princess Street Gardens one day, I reflected on the fact that there was no female visibility in public spaces, no statues to name women recording things that they had done.
00:02:16.240I then looked at the Norr Loch which sits below the Castle Esplanade where 300 or so people were
00:02:22.040killed as witches. Not only is history not properly recording what positive things women do
00:02:27.320but their history is also erased by not properly recording their story. I have a particular interest
00:02:33.380in Scottish legal history and the people who were caught up in the accusations of witchcraft
00:02:37.780so I decided to start a campaign to restore these people, mostly women, to their correct place in
00:02:43.680history as women and men, not witches. Between 1563 and 1736, the years when the Witchcraft Act
00:02:52.220was law, there were four relatively defined periods of satanic panic, which resulted in
00:02:57.180approximately just shy of 4,000 people being accused as witches. As with elsewhere in Europe,
00:03:02.780the vast majority of those accused, some 85%, were women. Confession to allegations of witchcraft
00:03:08.940were routinely obtained by torture, both physical and mental. The stripping and pricking of women
00:03:14.580was common, as was sleep deprivation. Most confessed, and that was used as the basis for
00:03:19.620their conviction. Of all of those 4,000, academics estimate that approximately 2,500
00:03:25.800were executed. The method of execution was by way of strangulation and then burning at the stake.
00:03:32.260In comparison to elsewhere in Europe, where witch trials also took place, Scotland had approximately
00:03:37.680five times the number of cases than elsewhere in Europe during this time. Alas, at finding and
00:03:43.400killing witches, we excelled. The reason for each of the aims is separate but interrelated.0.76
00:03:49.260Firstly, the aim of getting a pardon is to write, insofar as is now possible, the terrible
00:03:54.280miscarriage of justice that was suffered by the people who were convicted and executed as witches.
00:04:00.060It is universally accepted that such allegations and subsequent convictions ought not to have
00:04:05.500happened. We cannot overturn the convictions, but we can restore these people to history to remember
00:04:10.880them as people who were so wrongly dealt with by our criminal justice system and not as witches.
00:04:17.380Secondly, the aim of getting an apology is to obtain a public statement of regret for those
00:04:22.000who were accused, including those who were not convicted. A pardon can only be granted to those
00:04:27.220who were convicted, but many had their lives irrevocably damaged by an allegation of witchcraft.
00:04:32.880Scotland's most famous accused woman, Lilius Aidey, was accused of witchcraft and died a month into her remand in custody,
00:04:40.460most likely having suffered greatly by torture in order to try and obtain a confession.
00:04:45.300She, and many others, deserve acknowledgement and apology.
00:04:48.920The third aim is to obtain a national memorial to all those affected by the witchcraft trials.
00:04:55.020Throughout Scotland, there are local memorials raised by people in their area to memorialise women remembered by them.
00:05:00.900I believe that it's appropriate for a national memorial to be built to remember the history of all people who were affected
00:05:07.120and to serve as proper reflection of the story of women and men in Scotland.
00:05:12.700In passing the historical sexual offences, pardon and disregard, close brackets, Act 2018,
00:05:19.920the Scottish Parliament set a precedent for righting historic wrongs and for pardoning those who were convicted of offences,
00:05:26.260including when those affected were no longer with us, to benefit personally from the pardon.