HISTORY - The Witchcraze: North Berwick

Give 5 reasons as to why large scale witch hunts were more likely to occur in Scotland than England

1. System of Govt - had little control

2. Torture - parliament were weak at stopping use of torture

3. Religion - Scotland were Calvinist and anti-catholic, suspicious of rituals and traditions

4. Economy - Scot poorer = appeal of Devil offering riches

5. Patriarchal society - women more likely to get accused

6. Belief in fairies and good magic - led to accusations of wrongdoing

Ultimately why was Scotland more susceptible than England to witchcraft accusations?

• Not as progressive, developed or wealthy

• Resources and knowledge more limited

Who was Gilly Duncan?

• Not a typical witch, wasn’t old or isolated

• Had rep for having unnatural healing abilities

• Was suspected of the supernatural

Who did Gilly Duncan work for?

• Was maidservant for David Seaton

• He questioned her abilities and if she’d been stealing from his house

What happened to Duncan?

• She was silent when questioned so was tortured

• Seaton used thumb screws and other methods

• She continued to stay silent so he looked for Devil’s mark and found one on her neck

What did Duncan confess to?

• Confessed to being allured by the Devil

• Named 3 other witches

• Agnes Sampson, Agnes Tompson and John Fian

When did Anne of Denmark try to sail to Scotland?

September 1589

What happened during Anne of Denmark’s attempted voyage to Scotland?

• James married 14 yr old Anne

• She tried to sail to Scotland but was stopped three times due to storms

• Danish admiral said storm was result of witchcraft

• James tried to get cousin Bothwell to go but was too expensive so went himself

What happened to James in Denmark?

• Met Tycho Brahe and other courtiers who believed in witchcraft

• Sailed back to England w Anne but journey was stormy - many attributed this to witchcraft

• Later, Danish courtiers came to Scotland which strengthened his belief in witchcraft

What evidence is there that James’ voyage encouraged his belief in witches?

• No evidence James was interested in it before this

• Witchcraft act 1563 forbade witchcraft but treated it with scepticism

• Before the voyage, the Act was hardly enforced

What evidence is there that James’ voyage didn’t encourage his belief in witches?

• James wouldn’t have been entirely ignorant of continental notions of witchcraft

• Witchcraft accusations in Denmark based on unfortunate events not pacts with the Devil

Who was Agnes Sampson?

• Had rep for being a healer and cunning-woman

• Very well-educated

• Suspected that she helped Duncan acquire healing abilities

What happened to Sampson?

• James interrogated her after finding devil’s mark

• Made her confess by using witch’s bridle to keep mouth open to stop her casting spells

• She was also kept awake for many days

What did Sampson do as a result of the torture?

Confessed but was calm

What was Sampson accused of? How was this different to others?

• Healing the sick

• Sailing across the seas in a sieve

• Main one was she communicated with another witch to raise storm

• Her list of accusations longer than others

Why was James interested in Sampson?

• Wanted to know if she was responsible for the storms delaying Anne

• Sampson confessed to everything after being tired of torture

What was the impact of Sampson’s confession?

• She was proud of her magic abilities but James said she was lying

• She proved it by repeating words between James and Anne on wedding night and he was convinced

• Her confessions aligned with acts associated with witchcraft eg: throwing cat in sea to cause storm

• However this associated her with being a healer not working with Satan

• Magistrates agreed she led a coven

• She accused 3 other people

Who was John Fian?

• Schoolmaster

• Arrested 1590 and charged with 20 counts of witchcraft and treason

What happened following Fian’s arrest?

• Was tortured

• Initially renounced the devil

• Later Devil came to him and said he’d never escape

• Fian escaped shortly but was recaptured and tortured under king’s command

What type of torture was used on Fian?

• head turned with a rope

• needles under fingernails

What was the impact of the torture? What else was he accused of?

• Didn’t make him confess

• Was accused of same thing as Sampson (Cat in the sea)

• Was also accused of sorcery eg: giving kiss of shame to the Devil and flying through the air

Why was Fian accused? Why does this seem unreasonable?

• Features in Newes from Scotland

• Unlikely to be a witch

• No evidence he knew abut magic or healing

• Was easy target for accusations as he had affairs with many married women

• People also thought him too well-educated

When was The Newes from Scotland published?

1591

Who wrote The Newes from Scotland ?

James Carmichael (probably)

What was the content of The Newes from Scotland ?

• Fian stole key to prison door and fled but was recaptured and tortured

• Nails pulled of, needles pushed in

• He didn’t confess even after feet crushed

• Was later burned

• His lack of confession still rendered him guilty

Why is The Newes from Scotland valuable to a historian?

• Learn about torture methods

• was put in daemonologie

• James admitted he used torture, shows his interest in witchcraft

• Written by a minister - his religious views would influence his view on witchcraft due to implications of the devil

Who was James I?

• Born Edinburgh 1566

• King of Scotland 1567

• Married Anne at 17

• Mother executed at 21

• Witch trials began when he was 24

How did the plots against James and family influence his attitude to witchcraft?

• Father murdered when he was 8 mths

• Mother was forced to flee England - was executed by Elizabeth as Mary was plotting to overthrow her

• Long history of violence, aware that people would plot against him

How did the religiously charged environment influence James’ attitude to witchcraft?

• Concerns over mother’s Catholicism

• England struggled with religious identity

• James appeased Catholic Lords as they gave some balance against the radical Protestant Kirk

• Easy to see why ideas of catholic antichrist was attractive

What other factors influenced James’ attitude to witchcraft?

• Confessions of Agnes Sampson - intriguing as it explained Anne’s storm

• Encouraged torture, interrogated suspects

• Believed witches worshipped Devil

• Divine Right helped him look like Godly Protestant protecting his people

Who was the Earl of Bothwell?

• In highest circle of Scottish society

• Was 1st cousin of James

• Studied at St Andrews

• Joined Privy Council becoming Lord High Admiral of Scotland

What crimes was Bothwell involved in?

• 1587 openly criticised James for failing to prevent execution of mother Mary Queen of Scots

• 1589 found guilty of treason as part of group plotting to take the king

What did Sampson say about Bothwell that worsened his reputation?

• He asked her how long James would live and predict what would happen after his death

• Claimed he asked her to send her familiar to kill King

What happened to Bothwell as a result of the accusations?

Was arrested 1591

Why does it seem James was valid in fearing Bothwell?

• As Admiral, he’d suggested James go get Anne suggesting he knew of the storm

• Bothwell and associates entered his room at Holyrood Palace but he couldn’t escape as door was locked

• James feared Bothwell’s power as a magician

Outline some of James’ attempts to punish Bothwell

• April 1591 he denied involvement

• June he escaped as he believed the accusations were to limit his political influence

• July 1592 he escaped capture

• Aug 1593 attempted to plead with King and James pardoned him

• Sep 1593 James feared his increasing political influence so withdrew the pardon and forced him into exile

• 1595 James accused Bothwell of treason, left for Europe and died in Naples 1612

When did the trials begin and how many people in total were implicated?

• 1591

• 70 total

Why were the trials so long lasting?

• Torture meant confessions were forced about of people leading to more accusations

• Those who confessed would accuse others so cycle continued

What were the three things leading to the widespread nature of persecution up to 1597?

• Judicial procedures

• Witch hunts 1597 of march-october

• James’s lack of strong central control

What was a commission?

A panel that could investigate whoever they choose

When was the first commission and what could they do?

• October 1591

• 5 judges named

• Could torture anyone

Who gave commissions and to whom?

• Given by King

• Mid 1592 given to nobles and magistrates for investigation of witchcraft

What happened in 1596 with the commissions?

• James said all requests for commissions went straight to privy council not him personally

• 1597 privy council reduced commissions as some were arbitrary in judgement

• Eg: Alison Balfour was tortured for 2 days without King’s warrant, later executed despite not confessing under torture

What was the Great Scottish Witch-hunt of 1597?

• Series of national witch-hunts

• 400 people were trialled

• 200 executed for suspected sorcery

• Many royal commissions were sent to investigate around the country

Who was arrested in the 1597 Witch hunt?

• Margaret Aithen

• Was arrested for sorcery then helped authorities to accuse offenders

• James was involved in this

• Was asked to help identify witches

When did Aithen’s accusations become suspicious?

She began accusing people she’d previously said were innocent

What limits the validity of the 1597 witch-hunt?

• Not well documented

• Was local

• Came during poor harvest and plague era

• This was all ideal for witch hunts

• Related to scepticism as there were other factors leading to accusations

Why was James dissatisified with the Kirk?

• Hadn’t done enough to deal with witchcraft

• 1582-92 there was peace between King and Kirk but relations broke after 1592

• Both sides in open conflict 1596 due to James not taking action against Catholics in Scotland

• Kirk also disagreed with Divine Right

How else was a lack of central control evident?

• Trials often carried out by local officials with no instruction from govt on how to do this

• Difficult for govt to control judicial proceedings far from Edinburgh

How did Bothwell expose a lack of central control?

• Bothwell was a threat as James had no heir so Bothwell could make claim to Scottish throne

• Sampson created a wax image of James for Bothwell so he could control James

Why did James publish Daemonologie?

He saw himself as an intellectual so wanted to become an expert on the occult

When was Daemonologie published? What was it?

• 1597

• Presented as a dialogue between a sceptic of witchcraft and one who teaches philosophy about the subject

What particularly influenced James’ writing of Daemonologie?

Reginald Scot’s work

What were James’ opinions on the nature of witchcraft?

• Devil is powerful and danger on earth

• Described the pact with the Devil and initiation ceremonies

• Gathering of covens was renouncing their baptism

• Says witches and devils only have limited power due to God

What was James’ suggestion of how witches should be identified?

• Search for Devil’s marks

• Swimming test - used more in England than Scotland

• Demonic possessions

• Women more likely to fall for deceptions of the devil than men - Eve in Genesis

How was James responsible for the persecutions of the 1590s?

• Daemonologie published

• 1597 ordered suspected witch sent to him, reignited a case

How was James not responsible for the persecutions of the 1590s?

• He was more of a sceptic

• Gave responsibility to the church to deal with it

• He didn’t deal with witchcraft, gave responsibility to commissions and privy council