9 unnamed witches
Case Reference: C/LA/3227
Case Summary
| Case Ref | C/LA/3227 |
|---|---|
| Case Start Date | |
| Case Date | 23/10/1652 |
| Common Name | 9 unnamed witches |
|---|---|
| Correspondence | Description of Torture written to the Speaker of the Parliament in Westminster |
Characterisation
| Type | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Not Enough Info | ✓ | ✓ |
Notes: At least 9 witchcraft suspects were tortured, four of them died.
| Source | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland and the Protectorate, C H Firth | p. 367 |
Case Notes
A letter from Mr. William Clarke to the Speaker of Parliament in Westminster described how at least seven witchcraft suspects were made to confess (about the time the armies came into Scotland). They were first brought before the Kirk session and made to confess and then turned over to the civil magistrate. The court claimed they were forced to confess through 'exceeding torture'. They tied their 'thumbs behind them' and hanged them by them, they were whipped by two Highlanders, and had lighted candles put to the soles of their feet, between their toes and in their mouths. Six were accused and four died from the torture. Another suspect was kept 20 days on bread and water after being stripped naked and laid on a cold stone with only a hair-cloth. Others had hair-shirts dipped in vinegar to 'fetch off their skin'.