In 1563, an Act regarding ‘witchcraft, sorcery and necromancy’ was passed by the Scottish Parliament. These were punishable by death and judges were expected to be unsparing of those who practised them. The goal was to eradicate evil in all its supposed forms. Around 80 per cent of the victims of witchcraft accusations and trials were women. It is estimated that there were 1,337 executions for witchcraft in Scotland. The last execution for this crime was that of Janet Horne in Dornoch in 1727. This summer there was a great business for the trial of witches. Amongst others one Margaret Atkin [the great witch of Balwearie], being apprehended upon suspicion, and threatened with torture, did confess herself guilty. Being examined touching her associates in that trade, she named a few, and perceiving her dilations find credit, made offer to detect all of that sort, and to purge the country of them, so she might have her life granted. For the reason of her knowledge, she said, ‘That they had a secret mark all of that sort, in their eyes, whereby she could surely tell, how soon she looked upon any, whether they were witches or not’ and in this way she was so readily believed, that for the space of three or four months she was carried from town to town to make discoveries of that kind.
