Bartie Patersoune, a 61-year-old tasker from Newbattle in Edinburgh, found himself accused of witchcraft in the closing days of 1607. Taskers, known for their piecework skills, often occupied a precarious socioeconomic position, which may have rendered Bartie vulnerable in a society where suspicion could turn swiftly into accusation. His trial unfolded in the shadow of Edinburgh’s imposing castle, at a time when fear of witchcraft cast a long shadow over Scotland's communities.
The records provide a meticulous account of Bartie's trial and its grim conclusion. His case came to a head on December 18, 1607, when he was found guilty of practicing witchcraft, a verdict that led to the severe sentence of execution. On that same day, Bartie’s life ended at Castle Hill, where he was strangled and his body burned, a standard form of execution for those convicted of witchcraft during this period.
Bartie’s confessions, documented multiple times between September and December of 1607, suggest that he was subjected to rigorous interrogation, a common practice aimed at extracting admissions of guilt. These records paint a picture of a man whose claims were meticulously documented, though the content of these confessions does not survive in these records. Bartie Patersoune’s tragic tale is a somber reminder of the perilous intertwining of fear and legal authority in early modern Scotland, where individuals could pay the ultimate price based on the mere specter of witchcraft.