Sunday 19 April 2015

Edinburgh's Memorial to Witches

This is the Witches Well in Edinburgh.  It is situated at the bottom of Edinburgh Castle Esplanade just before you go out onto the Royal Mile.  It marks the spot where many (so called) witches were executed in the 16th and 17th centuries.



The plaque reads:-
"This fountain, designed by John Duncan, R.S.A. is near the site on which many witches were burned at the stake.  The wicked head and serene head signify that some used their exceptional knowledge for evil purposes while others were misunderstood and wished their kind nothing but good.  The serpent has the dual significance of evil and wisdom.  The foxglove spray further emphasises the dual purpose of many common objects."


One of those who was killed here was Agnes Sampson who was strangled then burned in 1591/2.  She and many others had been accused of witchcraft by Geillis Duncan, a servant of David Seaton of Tranent. Her employer accused her of going out at night to help the sick! Geillis was horribly tortured as were the others, in order that they would "confess" to their crimes. 


As Diana Gabaldon points out in the Author's Note at the end of Cross Stitch, the last recorded burning of a witch in Scotland was in Dornoch in 1727 when Janet Home was found guilty of witchcraft, covered in tar, put in a barrel and then publicly burned.



The last Scot to be jailed under the Witchcraft Act was a Scottish spiritualist medium, Helen Duncan (1897-1956) who was imprisoned in 1944.  This was during WW2 - there was concern because at a seance she had told the relative of a sailor that he had died when his ship sank.  The Government had been trying to keep the sinking secret.  There was also concern that she was taking advantage of grieving relatives.  Interestingly, the Witchcraft Act of 1735 was not repealed until 1951.


It wasn't until I was reading this over that I noticed a strange coincidence. First we have Geillis Duncan accused of witchcraft, then John Duncan designer of the Witches Well and finally Helen Duncan - charged under the Witchcraft Act. Wow!


Love, Liz

9 comments:

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

That was very interesting. What a coincidence with the names. Is it a very common name?

Mum said...

Doo be, doo be, doo be, doo be! That's too much of a coincidence.
xx

mamasmercantile said...

A coincidence????? Not sure....

Curtise said...

Yes, that is a strange coincidence, isn't it?
Goodness, I can't believe that Act wasn't repealed until the Fifties - that's astonishing. xxx

Fee said...

Really interesting post, Liz. I'll need to remember to visit the Witches Well next time I'm in Edinburgh. I recently wrote a post about Bessie Dunlop, a witch who was tried for Witchcraft in Edinburgh in the 16th century.

Looking forward to seeing you at the terminal next month! Can't believe the start of the season is upon us already.

Fee xxx

Plain Jane said...

What an interesting post Liz.I think if you were anything that people couldn't understand back in the day you were in danger - as a left hander I would have stood no chance! Thanks for a really good read! Jane x

Unknown said...

Wow, our last name is Duncan and I know my hubby's family came from Scotland. Don't think they had any witches in the family tree, but I don't really know. Sad to think about those poor women, just trying to help people.

Mac n' Janet said...

How interesting and scary.

Robyn of Oz said...

Typical of blokes feeling threatened by women.
So, Geillis and her friends were out there ministering to the sick and actually improving lives, while the barber surgeons were putting leaches on everyone and wondering why it wasn't working.
Poor ladies. May they rest in peace.
Thanks for the post, Liz. It was really interesting.
I love the spooky Duncan coincidence (or is it - cue Twilight Zone theme).